The Price We Pay

Sasuke had a new hero. Of course he would never tell anyone or if they found out he would vehemently deny it but it was true anyways. Sasuke had a new hero and his name was Ibiki Marino. He was awe-stuck and fascinated with the guy.

The guy had turned up at their door about twenty minutes after he had hung up with Ino, a large case in hand. Sasuke had taken one look at his scar covered face and large muscular body and thought to himself ‘oh no, no way this guy is getting anywhere near my Naruto’ yet within thirty seconds he had him convinced that it would be not only in Naruto’s best interest but well-being to not only let him examine him but touch him.

His next shock came when upon entering the room it took less time for him to convince everyone else to leave him alone in the room with both Naruto and Sasuke, followed by the huge shock of the minute he sat on the table beside the boy he stirred and moved closer, snuggling into the mans side before drifting back to sleep again.

And for some reason that didn’t set Sasuke’s jealousy off.
Which totally confused him.

But then, watching the man examine the collar components left, the entire time gently speaking to the unconscious blonde as if he was a fragile skittish animal an epiphany struck him. His appearance, The muscles and shear size made you think comfort and safety while the scars made you see a man who would willingly and by instinct alone to jump between you and an bullet, or in the scars case, flame and metal.

Maybe he had been in an explosion once?

Sure enough Sasuke was proved right when, after opening the case and pulling out some small slim instruments, the man began to talk to him while he worked on the collar, telling him how he, Ino and Ten Ten had all been childhood friends and growing up, going to school and then college together. In college he and Ten Ten had had a whirlwind romance which didn’t last, but they still stayed friends despite the growing relationship between him and Ino.

After college he entered the police force-or-more importantly-the bomb squad due to an fascination with explosives and the type of fuses.

About sixteen years ago he and his partner at the time had been working on a bomb left in the basement of a school when they had discovered too late it had had an fail-safe. When they had disabled the timer it had set the fail-safe off. They had fled the room, trying to escape the coming explosion, but didn’t have enough time.

Ibiki had thrown himself over his partner and to the floor, but it had been too late and not enough, he had awoken in hospital to be horribly scarred and told he would stay that way, oh, and by the way, your partner is dead, killed when an piece of shrapnel was thrown through his neck, severing his jugular.

The only reason he had survived and not given up or committed suicide was two stubborn-ass women who had refused to let him go even with his foul moods. The smile on his face when he mentioned this making Sasuke believe it was an pleasant memory now.

Once he was fully healed and back on his feet he had became obsessed with bombs, studying them and their ever changing designs and models so no one else would be caught out and loose an partner the way he did. In fact he was now an independent advisor all around the world and consultant to the police.

So he had been in America in a ‘media blackout’ advising and studying terrorist bombs when Ten Ten had disappeared. Sasuke waved the rest away with “Ino told me about that.”

“Yes, but what she didn’t tell you was while I was studying and advising the government over there, she was trying to contact me, find clues of her own and bugging the police all on her own, constantly, determined not to give her up. She quit her job and essentially sat by the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I got back to find her there just before they located her.

I had Ino put in hospital for malnutrition, neglect, so she could heal and took over trying to find her. I even went on TV and offered a reward for information. Apparently that was responsible for the tip that found the crack-house. When her brother put Ten Ten in the asylum and she committed suicide, we took him to court, telling them we had warned the prick it would happen, we even pleaded with him to let us care for her but he won, claiming he had thought the shrinks there would have more experience and as her family he had more right than just a couple of childhood friends.”

“I understand, I would have done the same” Sasuke found himself saying softly.

“I know you would, that’s why I’m telling you this. Never let anyone take him away from you, even if they claim they can help more than you. Stay in his life, even if it means only as a visitor. He’ll need you soon enough, more than before.”

“What do you mean?”

“The bastard that did this too him, once he’s found and arrested he’ll need all the support you can give him to face him. He’s too wounded for the courage to do it on his own and will need you to lean on and more or he’ll never make it through. Not only that it will take maybe the rest of his life to loose the constant fear the guy will get loose from prison and come back for him, whether to kill him or kidnap him again.”

Sasuke pursed his lips against the urge to tell him that he wasn’t going to ALLOW this guy to live once he found him, instead nodding stiffly and saying in a steel voice “I swear, I’ll do all I have too to help him heal and protect him. That prick will NEVER touch him again.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep” the man said softly and before Sasuke could snap “What are you saying!” the man said firmly “hand me that wet cloth.”

Shocked from his anger Sasuke asked “What?”

“I’m done, hand me that wet cloth” he nodded to the bowl on the table next to Sasuke’s hand.

Frowning he looked up to find the guy was right, Naruto’s neck was bloody, dirty but bare, the components and collar laying dismantled on the table next to him. The guy had one hand in a latex glove, pinching a particularly ugly looking bleeding cut closed.

Need to care for his brother overtook any further thought and Sasuke moved forward, bowl in hand “just hold it closed, I’ll wash his neck clean, change the water and then wash that wound before you bind it.” The man nodded and together, with some manoeuvring around, they managed to get his neck cleaned and the wounds and cuts taped and patched.

Once done the man rose, packing the tools and other such parts in his kit, leading Sasuke to frown at him with “where are you going?”

“Back to Ino’s” he said softly without looking up “you don’t need me anymore. My job is done here.”

“No, stay for a while, have breakfast with us!” Sasuke didn’t want him to leave, he had the strangest feeling that they were safe, especially Naruto, as long as he hung around and was desperate to make him stay. But the man just shook his head sadly and said in an gentle voice “I have to get back to Ino.”

“But…”

“No, Sasuke. Today is the anniversary of Ten Ten’s suicide.”

Sasuke’s mouth snapped shut on the rest of his protest. He knew exactly what the man wasn’t saying. About six months ago, on the anniversary of his ‘brother’ and ‘sisters’ disappearance he had fallen into a deep depression noone had been able to pull him out but himself.

If he was like that he could imagine what Ino would go through. No wonder Ibiki didn’t want to leave her alone. It explained all the protesting he had heard over the phone before.

So he just nodded and walked the man to the door, thanking him repeatedly and inviting him back anytime. The man’s reply was to tell him if ever he needed his help again he had only to ask, Ino was currently living with him (for her safety) and call any time he wanted.

Sasuke thanked him and said goodbye.

When he returned to the kitchen Iruka had moved the box of mug and missing persons books onto the table next to Naruto, off the chair so he could sit next to him, hand clasped in his as Kakashi spoke seriously with the blonde woman. His uncle and his lover were deep in discussion in a dark corner, Sasuke knew a pending argument when he saw it.

As Sasuke moved to play peacekeeper and stop it their conversation attracted the attention of the other three adults whom moved to join them, soon deep into it, no one taking note of the fact that the boy on the table was stirring and looking around, forcing himself to sit up slowly and cautiously. His bad hand hit something hard by his side and curiosity, something almost squashed long ago overpowered him with the sense of temporary safety.

Soundlessly he opened the box.