Hey all... I know it's been... *checks ff net* six years. I know I don't have to explain myself, but I would like to. I got writer's block and then I was writing elsewhere about different things. So I know I never told you guys how old I was, but I'm not quite 20 now. I was barely a teen when I was writing this. High school, emotional stuff, and growing up consumed my time. I'd stare at this every so often and have nothing to say. Writer's block? Who knows. Anyway, I'm back. I'm in college now. Here's a chapter; there's a poll on my profile about whether you guys want an ending. I don't know that I'll write anything else, but I wanted to get this story off my chest so to speak.

Word count for the chapter: 1,330

Tsunade and Mikoto were several drinks in before the blonde doctor was ready to talk. At this point, all Mikoto knew was that her best friend's son was alive, but not well at all. She had not seen the boy herself, but she knew it was bad. From the way Tsunade had all but shattered a coffee table and judging by the number of shots she was taking now, it was worse than bad.

"I can't believe they did that to him," the blonde finally spoke, grief apparent in her voice.

Mikoto reached over the bar to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly.

"He was just a kid," Tsunade continued. "They fucking…" the woman grunted and took shot number seven. "They tortured and raped him." She grabbed the bottle and sucked from it like she was trying to purge the words from her tongue with the burn of the liquor.

Mikoto paled. A shiver ran down her spine. Memories of the abuse she endured with Fugaku threatened to return from where she'd hidden them in the darkest corners of her mind.

"I know," Tsunade said understandingly. The doctor shoved the bottle into Mikoto's shaking hands. "Take this. It's the only thing that helps."

"Are you sure you're a doctor?" Mikoto asked, trying to deflect the heavy atmosphere with humor.

"Shut up and drink," Tsunade grunted.

When Sasuke entered Naruto's hospital room, he was surprised to see two girls curled up on either side of the blond boy. His face scrunched up at the sight.

"Hey guys!" Naruto chimed. "Meet Tayuya and Anko. Meet duck ass, I mean, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at the blond silently, but the expression gave way to a look of relief. "Can't you keep out of trouble at all?" the brunette complained. "You're always in the hospital. Maybe you need a baby sitter."

"Oi!" Naruto flushed red. "That's not fair! This wasn't even my fault."

"Yeah, fuck off!" Tayuya crossed her arms.

Anko stuck her tongue out and flipped Sasuke off.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" Sasuke demanded.

"What's it to you?" Tayuya asked in return.

Naruto sighed. While it was good to see everyone so lively, the noise and amount of people in the room was growing overwhelming. He squirmed, feeling claustrophobic.

Tayuya scooted away from him to make space until she was sitting on the edge of the bed while Anko moved to the foot of the hospital bed.

Naruto's heart was still beating a little too fast, but the anxiety was more bearable now. He swallowed and took a deep breath. "They were…" no words came. How could he explain how much it had meant to him not to be alone after what had happened to him? Naruto could barely bring himself to even think of anything that had happened before he'd been tossed into that basement with the two girls in his bed. The blond could hardly stand to acknowledge that what had happened in the basement with those two was real. How could he possibly describe what they meant to him? They had never wanted to hurt him, they had tried to stand up for him. The things they had done to protect him made Naruto wish they had just thrown him under the bus. He picked at the bandages on his arm. "They were there," Naruto finished lamely.

Sasuke didn't question further because he didn't like the way Naruto had gone from seemingly fine to withdrawn so quickly. It helped stay his questions that Ino had grilled him on going too far and asking too much. It had never occurred to him before that the reason people wouldn't tell him things is because they weren't ready. Sasuke nodded to show that he would accept Naruto's answer.

"Yeah… Just stay out of trouble okay?" Sasuke said irritably, but his worry was poorly hidden.

"I know…." Naruto fidgeted.

"I can't stay long. I only got to see you because Itachi has connections." Sasuke shuffled awkwardly. "Well then." He left feeling strange.

Zetsu sighed at the amount of paperwork he was going to have to help forge. Now that Kabuto had gotten ahold of Naruto, making sure other enemies of his parents with a grudge couldn't track the kid down meant making him disappear on paper in certain places. Inducting him into Akatsuki involved even more complex bureaucratic gymnastics. The man could feel a headache forming already.

Sometimes, Zetsu hated working with Black Ops and Akatsuki, but both organizations looked after their own. Even if he had never been close with Minato or Kushina, he owed it to them to make sure their son was safe.

On the car ride back to campus, Shikamaru groaned. "I hope you two got what you wanted... this whole thing was such a drag."

Ino clucked her tongue. "Don't be such a lazy ass." She rested her head against the window, watching the world blur by from the passenger seat of her best friend's beat up Jeep Liberty. Normally, the blonde would have more to say about how much Shikamaru complained whenever he did a favor or how lazy he was. However, her conversation with Tsunade was still on repeat in her mind.

"You were paid for your troubles," was all Sasuke had to contribute.

Ino was careful not to show too much on her face, but couldn't help biting the inside of her cheek. The haunted look on the doctor's face when she initially rejected Ino's request spoke of trauma –of seeing things that could shake even the most steadfast and well-trained of people. Something that could rattle a doctor who surely dealt with death and pain as part of the job had to be awful. The expression on Tsunade's face had been concealed well, but Ino's father was a psychologist. Ino was good at noticing subtle things, like the way the doctor's face had paled and the vacant look hidden beneath incredulity.

Despite this, Ino was willing to face danger. The moment she had started to notice something was different –secret—about the people around her, the blonde had known she didn't want to be left behind. Ino didn't want to obliviously go about her life unable to ensure her own safety or support those who got caught up in whatever was going on in the shadows. It still felt so surreal that the school nurse and some of her teachers were part of a secret agency dedicated to rooting out the worst of the underworld. That someone she had seen as a peer had gotten swept up in their dealings was a hit too close to home for Ino. If Naruto wasn't safe, nor Sasuke by mere association, how many others could be in danger without ever knowing it? Ino preferred to be informed about the risks she faced.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was letting things be for once. Perhaps if he was a real friend to Naruto, the other boy would open up to him. The look on the blond boy's face had been so eerily similar to the looks his brother and mother sometimes wore. While Sasuke understood his father was not a good man, he did not know the extent of what had happened. It had been infuriating that no one would tell him. When Naruto had avoided his questions in a manner that was just close enough to remind Sasuke of an emotional wound he didn't know he was hiding, he had put the pursuit of answers above all else. Even though what happened to Naruto involved Sasuke in a way, getting kidnapped and fighting with Ino had taught him something.

Sasuke had not wanted to talk or think about his own ordeal very much. Getting locked out of his own room by Shikamaru had given the raven time to think about his feelings. Ino's words had cut into him so deeply, and without access to distractions, Sasuke was more or less cornered into realizing how his behavior hurt others.