Man, I hate school. I hate being back and I hate everything I have to do from now until the summer holidays. I also have to work lots as well. Who knew university would be so expensive? :sarcasm: but I digress – unfortunately a lot of my stories won't be updated until I have free time so I will try real hard to get everything up as quickly as possible.
Refuge
Sasuke stopped, gasping for breath and laid down Naruto in front of one of the houses along the street. He panted, attempting to breathe steadily. They had gotten far in the short space of time, and they had already reached the closest village with residents. However, they were still too close to be completely safe. Orochimaru had connections in the legal and illegal worlds and Sasuke knew he was going to use everything he had to track the two escapees before the media or police got news of what he's really up to. Sasuke's first priority was Naruto but Orochimaru would not understand that. He was a cruel vicious man and he needed to be put down like the animal he is. Sasuke blanked his mind away from all the bad thoughts and took the opportunity to remember what being outside felt like – breathing the fresh air, staring up at the night sky to see the stars and to be free for the first time in the two years that felt so much longer. Sasuke sat next to Naruto and sighed.
"Naruto, I can see the stars; do you know what that means? We're free. I told you I would free you and I have".
No reply.
"Well, even if I look stupid and even if it's pointless; I'll keep talking to you. It may help and it'll keep me sane".
Still silence.
Sasuke closed his eyes for a few brief seconds, relaxing ever so slightly before he tensed up. Opening his eyes he saw someone come out of the house they were sat in front of and stare at them.
"Excuse me?" the person said; the voice held no contempt but curiosity and intrigue.
"I'm sorry", Sasuke said. He got up and picked up Naruto, placing him on his back again. He was about to make his way off somewhere else when the resident called for him back. Stepping under the light of the street lamp, Sasuke could point out her various features – her hair was the colour of the night sky, a blue black natural wonder and her eyes were as pale as her translucent skin. She had a small smile on her face and even though she sounded confident, Sasuke could tell that she was a shy person at heart.
"Hey, are you okay? What about your friend?"
"Oh it's nothing".
"Well, I'm a doctor do you want me to take a look at him?"
"You are? Yes please, thank you".
"Come inside – I'll check him up for free. You look like you could do with some food".
Sasuke appreciated her kindness and followed the woman inside her well lit, warm household. It was modern; the walls were painted cream in every room he could see as well as far up the stairs his eyes reached; cube and sphere shaped lamps lit up the interior; the floor was laminated and the furniture clean and polished. The living space was open plan, with the kitchen not far to his right as he entered. There was a sweet smell to the air that Sasuke decided he liked. Several paintings hung on the walls and a large mirror about a modern styled fireplace that reflected Sasuke's image to him for the first time in months. He looked like hell.
Sasuke held Naruto and laid him on the sofa so the woman could check him out. As Sasuke watched her check out Naruto, he felt he could trust her despite not knowing her at all. He didn't know what to do with himself, so he stood a few yards away from her as she conducted her check-up.
"What happened to him?" she suddenly asked; slight panic in her voice caused Sasuke to be very nervous. Sasuke didn't want to endanger her by telling her the truth but with the look on her face meant that if he didn't he would get hurt. She looked slightly pale upon inspecting him. His unresponsiveness was probably just as worrying for her as it was for him.
"I can't really tell you".
"Did you do this?" she asked calmly but fiercely.
"NO! No, I could never do this to him".
"So what happened, tell me everything from the beginning".
"I can't".
"You will if you want to save your friend's life".
Sasuke paused – not knowing what to do. He stared at Naruto's lifeless eyes and watched as his chest rose and lowered as he breathed. He sighed slightly and took a deep breath ready to explain what was going on.
"Well, this is going to be hard to believe but we just escaped from a drug testing facility".
The woman remained silent.
"It's run by a drugs baron; he takes people from all sorts of backgrounds, genders, social class and tests different drugs on them. Me and my friend have been trapped there two years against our will and not too long ago, my friend was forced to ingest chemicals to test his resilience to them. He had a seizure and then he became like this. I don't know what to do; I just want him to get better. We've shared a cell, hidden together for the past two years and I care so much for him. Please help him". There was a slight hint of desperation in his voice he didn't want to convey but the woman heard it.
"Well, does this drugs baron have a name?"
"I-I can't tell you, you would get hunted down yourself".
"I don't care – give me the name".
"What for?"
"To call the police".
"You can't do that!"
"Why not?" the woman demanded. She was firm yet calm – she really was a doctor after all.
"Because he's infiltrated them. I just need to find a safe house somewhere else; somewhere I can treat my friend".
"Does your friend have a name – or you for that matter?" she replied indignantly.
"My name is Sasuke. His is Naruto. What about you?" Sasuke retorted slightly annoyed.
"I'm Hinako – so who is this man?"
"His name is Orochimaru".
Hinako's eyes narrowed at the sound of the name. She looked so angry; Sasuke didn't know what to do. He remained stood up in her perfectly neat living room, staring at her until she calmed down enough to speak.
"That man?"
"Yes".
"That man killed my husband. That man took away the father of my children and the love of my life – his stupidity killed my husband and several others at his stupid factory. I despise that man and even more so now that I know what else he has done. I believe you – your friend says it all. But I'm sorry; there is nothing I can do for him".
Sasuke was in shock. Now what? Was life going to be that cruel and forbid him from telling Naruto the truth and giving him a life worth living?
"But, I know someone who can".
The hope rekindled.
"Who?"
"Her name is Tsunade – she is a fabulous doctor and a good friend of mine, she'll help you".
"Where does she live?"
"She lives in Cidonia".
"WHAT?"
"Yes, I know. It's in our neighbour country".
"And she is the only one who can help?"
"Yes".
"Who is she? I mean, why cans he help and not you?"
"Because she's an expert in the field of vegetative states and what I believe your friend is suffering from. It doesn't look like this state is permanent but he needs to be tested and treated and apparently you are on the run so checking in to a hospital around here isn't going to help. Plus she is the best in the world".
"Anymore info on her?" Sasuke asked, beginning to formulate a plan of sorts.
"Hold on, let me check my book I will give her a call and say you are coming".
"Fine".
Hinako walked to her phone, picked it up and dialled a number she obviously knew well. She didn't even look at any paper.
"She's not in I've got her answer-machine".
"Hello, Tsunade Uzumaki, its Hinako. I've got a case I desperately need to send to you, he'll be down soon. Okay, call me when you get this message". As she hung up the phone, she looked at Sasuke oddly as he looked almost stunned at what he had heard.
"What?"
"Tsunade Uzumaki?"
"Yes, why?"
"Naruto's last name is Uzumaki".
Hinako looked stunned. "What?"
"His full name is Naruto Uzumaki".
"This is Naruto Uzumaki? Tsunade has been looking for him for so long now – this is him? He was abducted by Orochimaru!?"
"Seems like it", Sasuke whispered, still stunned upon hearing the only person to help Naruto was a relative. Was it lucky or bad news?
"Well, you can stay here tonight and then I'll send you with some money before you go in the morning".
"I don't think I'll be able to thank you enough for what you have done for us".
"No need Sasuke. If there is one thing I can to help Tsunade after all she's done for me, it will be to help make sure her long lost nephew is finally returned home safe".
"So what do you want me to do? Put him in a bed or leave him there?"
"He's fine here, I'll watch him. Speaking of which, go help yourself to a drink and something to eat – you can have a shower here as well if you want. I still have some spare clothes if you want them".
"Thank you so much".
Hinako beamed as she lowered herself on to her knees to check over Naruto again. Sasuke walked over to the kitchen part of the loving space and helped himself to a drink and some food.
"Hinako, I just thought – how will I feed Naruto?"
"Well, you'll have to give him food that doesn't require chewing, and then help him to swallow it. In hospitals, you would usually drip nutrients in to them but because we can't, that's what you'll have to do. I'm sorry I can't offer any more help to you".
"Don't worry Hinako – you've offered me help to start with and I'm grateful enough for that – but we will need to get going soon. I don't like being so close to the centre – the place gives me the creeps and I have friends in there who are dependent on me releasing them. For Naruto's sake and the sake of the others trapped in there I need to help them sooner rather than later. I haven't been able to bathe properly and have been wearing the same clothes for months – time to stop wasted on trivial things will only make the situation worse".
"Sasuke – you need to clean yourself up. Go now, I will look after Naruto; and begin preparation to leave immediately", Hinako stood up and began packing up items needed as she nodded at Sasuke to clean himself up.
Sasuke showered quickly and found some spare clothes on the landing and changed in to them. He smiled slightly to himself. Maybe this journey wouldn't be so hard – maybe everything would just be natural and simple without struggle for once.
But he was wrong.
He walked downstairs and he saw a younger looking version of Hinako stood there looking slightly nervous. She turned red when she saw him and mumbled something incoherent. Sasuke was about to talk to her before he was stopped by a sudden crash from the kitchen. A second later, Hinako came back and ushered her daughter down in to the basement using a door under the stairs.
"Sasuke – they've found you. They know you are somewhere down this road. I don't know how but I could see them coming up the street. Go down in to the basement, I've put Naruto down there and I've fed him. I've packed up some things for you. Now listen to me", she stared in to Sasuke eye's; urgency contained in her own, "My daughter knows the way to Tsunade's, she has been there plenty of times. She will lead you – her name is Hinata. I will stay to fend these bastards off for as long as I can".
"What? You can't do that! They could kill you! And what's the basement going to do?"
"The basement has a secret passage out of town that my husband built during the war scare years ago. It's probably not as safe as it used to be but it's your only way out of here alive. Here", she handed Sasuke a wallet he knew contained a lot of money, "Use this. It's not much but it's the money I owe Tsunade. I've needed to pay her back for years and if she knows it's aiding her nephew then she will consider it well spent. Go – and be careful". Hinako pushed Sasuke slightly to get him to move. She glared vaguely at him before a small smile graced her lips and Sasuke walked down the stairs out of sight of her.
He reached the bottom and saw Naruto was changed as well, looking blank and unfocused as per usual – it was annoying that he didn't know what was going on around him. They were in so much danger. He turned to look at Hinata who stood shyly, pointing to a bookcase on the wall.
"Its behind there – we have to move it. Then move it back once we are done".
"Okay then. Hi I'm Sasuke by the way", he added – he didn't want to make the girl any more nervous.
"Hinata", she nodded and then walked over to the bookcase. For a small girl she was incredibly strong – Sasuke wondered how many times she was trained to do this in emergencies. She picked up Naruto and placed him inside the tunnel and ushered Sasuke in side. She then closed the gap as much as she could from the outside before jumping in and finishing it off from within. The tunnel was dark and cold and Sasuke could feel drops of moisture as they gently fell on to him. Sasuke sighed slightly and picked up Naruto, placing the blonde on his back. It was a good job he was strong as well. Hinata lit a lamp that was next to the entrance and she picked up Sasuke's bag that her mother had packed for him – well them now.
She placed the bag effortlessly on her back despite Sasuke knowing it was heavy and she beckoned Sasuke to follow her down the passage. There were cobwebs as large as plates hanging above them in the narrow, earthy tunnel – Sasuke was beginning to get increasingly unnerved in case there was a blockage; the passage did not indeed look very stable. He continued to follow the shy yet strong girl in front of him until he felt his breathing become easier and they were ending the tunnel. It wasn't too long and Sasuke noticed that they really were right at the opposite end of the village. Sasuke stopped for a small break to swig some water and to adjust Naruto on his back.
"Come on Naruto – we're going to get you fixed. Meanwhile, this is Hinata; I think you were probably already introduced", Sasuke said to the unresponsive blonde on his back. Hinata looked at him slightly oddly.
"Well, I'm not going to stop talking to him am I? That would make things weird between us when he gets better".
She smiled. "Can – can I speak to – to him too? I've heard some stories about him from Tsunade when she visits. I've always admired his courage".
"Well, really? Can you tell me about him then?"
"Sure but umm..." she shuffled slightly, "Is it true that you've been l-locked up so long?"
Sasuke paused for a second. "Yeah, unfortunately. But I need to save Naruto now, before he really leaves me forever".
"Is he your...?"
"No, I didn't get the chance to tell him how I feel", Sasuke sighed.
Hinata hitched her breath slightly and then relaxed. "I'm sorry to hear about that – my mum explained to me what was going on and I wanted to help. She forbid me from getting involved until she heard that they were coming. Some sort of armed guards..."
Sasuke's face fell and he looked backwards towards the village. Oh god what have I done?"
- - - - -
Hinako struggled against the guards as they dragged her to a building she had never seen before. This is probably where they hold the prisoners she thought and struggled harder. Well, they'll be quite far by now. They'll have to struggle to catch up with them.
Hinako was brought to a halt in front of a large desk in a clean yet dark room. The chair had its back to her and Hinako guessed that Orochimaru was behind it.
"Lord, we brought her. The one that struggled. The friend of Tsunade".
"What?"
"Well Ms Hyuuga, I think we need to have a little chat about the whereabouts of your children and my two prisoners", Orochimaru turned in his chair to face her and he grinned evilly. Hinako glared her hardest at the man in front of her. He repulsed her with every part of her body; she shuddered slightly just looking at his snake-like appearance.
"So Ms Hyuuga, are you going to explain to me what happened or not?"
"I think we have something else to discuss right now", she hissed.
"And what's that?" Orochimaru asked; interest in the undertone of his voice.
"That fact that you killed my husband".
"I did? When? I don't recall killing anyone".
"Your stupidity and your downright fucking ridiculous antics killed my husband. I don't know what you were attempting to do in that factory but it was not humane. My kids have grown up without their dad and I'm left with no one for me. You are a fucking stupid bastard". She glared harder if it was possible at him.
"Oh, I forgot about that project – such a failure. I don't care about your dead husband Ms Hyuuga; I just want to know where you have sent my friends Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha".
"I have no idea what you are talking about", she said, her attitude puzzled and indignant. Orochimaru stared at her and analysed her behaviour – she was cool, calm and held her composure; the right attitude for a qualified, very skilled doctor. Orochimaru sniggered slightly.
"I know you've sent them to Tsunade – to help with the boy's condition and to give your dear friend her nephew back. The only thing I don't know is where Tsunade is and you are going to tell me".
"I will tell you nothing", she replied.
"We'll see how you feel about that after you are placed in the custody of my employees. Let me know when she wants to talk but otherwise men, you can have whatever fun you want with her".
"You can't get away with this Orochimaru – you will be found out about everything. You will be killed and if I can I will do it with my bare hands. People will come looking for me soon".
"People look for everyone that goes missing but they can never find you. Good day Ms Hyuuga and I hope to hear from you soon", Orochimaru ignored her as she shouted and struggled, and continued on with the paperwork on his desk.
"Kabuto!" he yelled after the room finally quietened down from the screams of Hinako.
"Yes sir", he replied, appearing from the other side of the room, behind a curtain.
"Get to work on finding Tsunade's whereabouts and where those two pieces of filth are. If they are smart, they won't have told anyone".
"Yes sir". Kabuto left the room rather quickly and Orochimaru was left alone in his office.
- - - - -
Reviews would be loved!