Asylum

Okay, first off, this one is a little different. This takes place with the map and geography of the Naruto world, but takes place in a modern setting, meaning that there are cars, planes, roads, guns and so on. People are normal, well, for the most part. Normal as in there is no jutsu and such from the Naruto world. That's where I'll leave off when it comes to explaining the nuts and bolts of the story until later on, because I'm interested to see what kind of things you guys come up with. I will be naming the chapters after songs or snippets of lyrics from songs, which will be the reason for the disclaimer in a little bit. The artists will be mainly Korn, Evanessence, Disturbed, Godsmack, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, and Metallica, with bits from others as well. Each chapter will have the band name and such at the beginning.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the characters from Naruto or any other aspects of Naruto. I do not own any of the songs, lyrics, or any other aspect from any and all music groups, bands, singers, songwriters, and artists that are featured in this story. I also do not own any brand names that may be featured, such as Coke, Pepsi, Crest, Aquafresh, Campbell's, and so on. If it is a brand named thing, I don't own it. I am not a doctor of any kind, any and all information that may be in this story was gathered from a variety of sources and is not intended for personal use, private or otherwise. I am not in any way shape or form qualified to offer advice of any kind, be it physical, mental, or emotional to anyone. If you, a friend, or family needs help, seek it from a qualified professional. Any and all brand named goods, services; songs and so on are property and trademarks of their respective owners. I do not in any way, shape, or form advocate, support, or approve of illegal activities that may or may not be featured in this story. These include, but are not limited to: underage drinking, drug use, theft, murder, and assault. This story is rated M, meaning that there is the distinct possibility of content inappropriate for younger audiences. This content may include violence, drug use, language, blood, gore, sexuality, and subject matter. I have given my one and only warning on content for this story, and while I can rate and warn all I want, I cannot control the actions of others. To any parents who are reading this: your children are your responsibility, not mine. I cannot control what they decide to do on the computer, and if they do something that you don't approve of, it is not my fault or my responsibility. The same thing applies to my younger readers: if you are reading this story and your parents don't want you to and you get in trouble because of it, it is your responsibility, not mine. Again, you clicked on it, not me, so accept responsibility. I'm not trying to scare anyone off or anything, I'm just being thorough. For the record, if anyone thinks of suing me, I'm not even remotely rich. Not by a long shot. It's a waste of time. Seriously, go sue someone else. Now then, without further ado, I give to you the first chapter of Asylum. This lyric snippet is from the song Situation by Godsmack

Chapter One

Situation in My Head

He had never seen anything like it, and by God he hoped that he never would again. Jiraiya, Chief of the City of Konoha Police Department, had been called out of bed at two A.M. to an emergency situation at the local supermarket. It seems that a strange young man had bolted through the doors and had headed straight to the back of the store, the meat department, and had started ripping through the display coolers, tearing open any packages he could lay his hands on, and stuffing the raw, cold meat in his mouth, barely even chewing before swallowing. While highly unusual, it certainly wasn't an emergency. Until, that is, the employees from the store had tried to stop him.

The kid was armed and had thrust a twelve-inch long blade through one of the young men's stomach, damn near disemboweling him, and had taken a bite out of the other one. Hell, he had ripped the kid's goddamned throat out, jugular and everything. That was when they called the cops.

Jiraiya had seen some gruesome homicides in his time. He had seen the aftermath of rival gangs fighting over turf, jealous ex-wives, angry husbands, even a few serial killers. Not once though, had he ever heard or seen a guy take a bite out of someone when they were still alive. That was a first. The young blond cashier -Sally- had exclaimed between sobs and screams that not only had the kid taken a bite out of him, he had swallowed it. Since the kid in question was currently licking his fingers clean of blood, he believed her.

The kid was tall, really tall, fairly thin, and dressed in a simple black shirt, black pants that were not denim, but couldn't be further identified due to the sheer amount of blood, black combat boots, and a long black leather trench coat. He was pale, had crimson red hair and striking green eyes the color of jade. The eyes were ringed in black, but Jiraiya wasn't sure it was makeup, because of the fact that blood had splattered his face and ran down his jaw but the black rings hadn't even run. Tattoo ink, perhaps? There was a tattoo of some kind of his forehead as well, but, again, the blood splatter made it impossible to distinguish. The kid and the surrounding blood stood out starkly against the white tile and the above fluorescent lights weren't helping matters. Packages of meat were scattered everywhere, and the two bodies were still leaking blood. Jiraiya couldn't get any physical details other than they were your typical teenage boys with lanky limbs, short hair, and that they were wearing blue jeans. There was too much blood for anything else. Damn it all, there was blood on the fucking ceiling and twenty, no, thirty feet away down the aisles!

"I won't tell you again! Drop your weapons and get your hands in the air!" Jiraiya barked at him, taking careful aim with his S&W .9 mil. The kid was unfazed, looking at him with a curious expression. What are you going to do with that? No fear, no anger, just curiosity. What are you going to do with that? He hadn't even stopped licking the blood; he simply started on his other hand. Granted, those green eyes never once left Jiraiya, but there was simply no fear. Not even concern. Little psycho. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Damn it all, he wished he had a Taser. His department didn't have enough to make them a weapon to take home along with the guns. There was enough for his officers to patrol with, but that was it. Since he usually didn't patrol, and had been off duty besides, he didn't have one. If he had he would have Tased the boy already.

"Go away, little man," the boy hissed at him blandly. Shit, this kid just got creepier and creepier, now he was hissing. He had to be a head case. Had to, because no sane person ate people alive or drank their blood, and no sane person stared down the barrel of a gun without any fear.

He was licking the knife now, and his tongue appeared abnormally long, but that was probably because the tongue was red, the blood was red, and quite frankly Jiraiya was already seriously freaked out. Probably the adrenaline making him see shit, and really it wasn't impossible for a guy to have a tongue that long, after all, look at that one guy from Kiss! He couldn't recall the guy's name right now; the whole psycho-licking-blood-and-eating-people thing was really taking up his concentration.

Ibiki, his lieutenant, bolted up next to him, pointing a Taser at the kid. Other officers joined him, enclosing the kid in a half-circle. He was unimpressed with the seven officers and the Taser.

"Drop the knife and get your hands in the air!" Ibiki yelled. The kid gave him an icy glare.

"You don't understand, little man."

"Hands in the air!"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Ibiki fired, and the barbs struck true, a textbook shot to the torso. The electrical current hummed and clicked angrily, but the kid didn't go down. He just cocked his head to on side in confusion, then angrily ripped the barbs from his flesh and threw them aside.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, I NEED IT!" he screamed at them. The kid advanced on Ibiki, who was swearing as he drew his own weapon.

"Sir, I think he's on something!"

"Ya think, Guy? Get your fucking hands in the air!" Jiraiya yelled angrily. The kid ignored him, and was immediately swarmed by the officers, who were trying desperately to grapple with the kid and take him down. They slipped and slid in the blood, shoving the kid with all their might and weight, Jiraiya among them, but he refused to go down. Indeed, the writhing kid flung three of them completely off, and shoved another two down in the blood, sending them sliding away.

Jiraiya swore again and tried to tackle the kid again. The kid shrieked angrily and picked him up and bodily slammed him to the bloody floor. His breath left his lungs in a rush, and he saw stars. The kid had to be on something, had to. Meth maybe? LSD? Combination of things? Or maybe he was just crazy. He wasn't in his right mind that's for sure. No one was as strong as a crazy person, except maybe another crazy person.

The kid loomed over him, baring sharp teeth in a hungry grin. Sharp teeth? What the hell? Jiraiya raised his arms to ward off the oncoming bite, but it never came. The kid was knocked to the side by five men in white lab coats. The kid's boots slid in the blood, betraying him and allowing the doctors to briefly grapple with him. One stuck a large syringe filled with clear fluid in the kid's jugular, and paid dearly for it. Sharp teeth clamped on his arm and he screamed as the kid tore his flesh away in a huge strip. A sickening crack was heard as the kid wrapped his hands around the throat of another and twisted brutally. Somehow, another syringe found its way in his throat, and another. The doctors were violently flung off at this point, much like the police officers had been.

The kid stumbled away and went down to his knees, shaking his head in a dazed sort of way. Another group of doctors came in with a wide variety of restraints. One of them hollered out to the officers a brief explanation.

"We're from the Konoha Institution for the Criminally Insane! This is a transfer patient from Suna; he escaped during a traffic stop at the corner 1st and East Main Street while the driver was waiting for the light to change. He killed the driver and the two nurses in attendance, that's why it took so long!" Well, that explained the teeth, people in certain regions of Suna, particularly those in the military, were known to file their teeth to sharp points, sort of a last ditch weapon. Great, the kid was a crazy military brat.

"Well then, glad to have you, because I really don't want this kid in my jail! He'll chew the other inmates to bits!" Jiraiya hollered back. The doctor didn't respond, instead rushing to aid the others in restraining the kid. He hissed and screamed angrily; violently struggling against them. Another syringe pierced his throat, and he viciously twisted the wrist of the holder, breaking it. The nurse screamed in pain, and tried to jerk away. The kid growled and pulled her to him, and wrapped his fingers around her throat, cutting off the screams. The police forcefully pressed against him, trying to simultaneously pin him to the ground and pull his hand off the nurse's throat. It should've been simple, easy. They outnumbered the kid by far, and outweighed him too.

However, what should've been and what actually was were two vastly different things. The kid shrieked and writhed angrily, defiantly, despite the press of bodies, and despite the drugs that had been pumped in his system. Another syringe found its way into his neck, and this, combined with the sheer number of people, finally allowed the restraints to be placed tightly on him. He shrieked and roared angrily as he was tightly bound to a wheeled upright gurney.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I NEED IT! DON'T LET THEM, YOU IDIOTS, DON'T LET THEM! I NEED IT!" the kid roared as he was wheeled out the door. Jiraiya breathed a huge sigh of relief after the kid was gone. He looked around to take stock of the situation.

Two boys dead. One doctor and one nurse as well. Several of his men were seriously wounded, as were some of the remaining doctors and nurses. The one doctor that had been bitten was in need of serious medical attention; thankfully they were surrounded by doctors that, while they weren't the traditional doctors that one would find in a traditional hospital, they did indeed know first aid. Sirens wailed and EMS crews poured in to take care of the wounded.

Jiraiya sighed and knelt down beside the bodies of the two boys, wondering how he was going to break the news to their families. The doctor that had yelled at him earlier came and sat with him.

"Look, officer, I know this is a bad time and all, but I can assure you that we'll send all the appropriate paperwork to your office as soon as we can."

"Thanks; that kid was so fucking strong."

"Nothing compares to the strength of the mad, and trust me, he is. Thoroughly, completely, and utterly insane. I wish I could tell you more, but doctor-patient confidentiality prevents me. Without a subpoena, I can't give you anything more."

"Yeah, I understand. C'mon, I've gotta write up a report for this, and the other officers do as well. God, the mayor is going to freak when she finds out. Give old Danzo my regards." The doctor nodded and left to deal with his own headache. Patient 313 was already proving to be among the deadliest that he had ever dealt with, and he hadn't even arrived at the institution yet.

Three Weeks Later

Hinata had a serious problem. She had broken up with her boyfriend and had moved to a different apartment without telling him. She had damn good reasons too. Sasuke was popular; everyone loved him and believed him to be a good guy. He was talented, had a very good job as a security consultant with a variety of banks and was fairly well off because of it. Her father had encouraged her to date him in the hopes of a successful union of the prestigious Hyuga family and the Uchiha family. He was always trying to run her life, trying to keep her in line with the family's history and tradition of greatness, and to have a member of the Uchiha family take such an interest in her had fit in with his vision for her nicely.

The problem was that no one saw him when he was drunk. He was arrogant and condescending when he was sober, but when he drank he was violent and cruel. The worst part was that no one believed her. Her father made it sound like it was somehow her fault, that she had driven him to drink and she should help him. Hiashi never really listened to her anyway. He had never abused her, not physically anyway, but he had always conveyed to her a sense of disappointment in her, which had only increased after her mother had up and left them when she was ten. Apparently Hiashi was just too cold for her to deal with, but Hinata didn't really know all of what happened.

All she knew was that a week after she had vanished a letter had shown up from the Land of Rice Patties stating that she was divorcing him and giving him custody of their two children. She had married a farmer down there, and wasn't coming back. Hinata hadn't heard from her since, and found it nicely ironic that she was in fact contemplating the same thing. She was planning to save up enough money to move to a different country and live there. The way Sasuke was, obsessive and possessive; it was probably the only way that she could find peace. The Uchiha family was well connected, even having the mayor's ear, and without the backing of her own family, the chances of her surviving were slim to none. Help wouldn't come until it was too late, and she had no interest in becoming another tragic story.

So this was why she found herself in an office of the Konoha Institution for the Criminally Insane, hoping for the job. People here made a lot of money, but the work wasn't easy, working with some of the most dangerous people in the country. Her father would be ashamed. A Hyuga should be employed in a respectful field, but not as a mere nurse. She didn't care; she had liked being a nurse at the Konoha Hospital, especially in the emergency room. She had felt like she was making a difference, and when she had moved up to the Psychiatric Ward, she had felt even better, especially with the children. It had felt so good to see them smile when she came in, knowing that she could brighten the day of a child suffering from a traumatic experience.

Of course, she had been forced to change her job when the Sasuke issue blew up in her face. Naruto wouldn't have ever treated her like that, but he had moved away their sophomore year in high school. She had gotten over it, but still missed her old friend from time to time. He had been an oblivious air-headed clown, but he had a good heart and was always cheerful. She sighed softly in the office, jerking when the door opened.

"Ah, you must be Miss Hinata, correct?" a burly man with brown hair and a beard greeted her, shaking her hand vigorously.

"Yes sir, I came in response to the ad-"

"Asuma, please, yes, the ad. Well, we reviewed your records and résumé and I must say that you are more than qualified, and we need all the help we can get, so the job's yours if you want it. You can decide after we've gone over a few things, this isn't your typical institution you know, these inmates are extremely dangerous. Let's take a tour, shall we?" he said as he guided her out the door.

The place was huge, consisting of two buildings, one of which was eight stories tall. This was the main institution. The other building was three stories, and was filled with apartments where the workers could spend the night if they needed. Everything was extremely white and sterile in appearance, but hey, it was a hospital; what did you expect?

The outside was full of large swaths of green grass, a few large trees, and sidewalks. A few of the less violent inmates were allowed out here to walk and exercise. It was an idyllic scene, provided that you overlooked the strange behavior of the inmates. Overlook, never ignore, the ones that you don't pay attention to are the ones that'll kill you.

One woman was walking around in a tiny circle, muttering about something. A man was conversing with a tree, and another was batting at the air, a strange, gleeful look in his eyes. Still others were pulling at nonexistent weeds and blowing bubbles, only to be mesmerized by the floating orbs. They were all wearing white shirts and white pants, with a bright yellow patch the size of her fist over the heart.

"As you can see, those are all ward A patients. Each patient has a color coded patch on their clothing. Yellow is for Ward A, blue for Ward B, red for Ward C, and black for Ward D. Ward A patients are the least violent, and are let out of their rooms with only moderate supervision at any time between eight A.M and eight P.M... You still have to watch yourself, but the threat isn't as intense as the others. Ward A consists of floors one through three. The first floor also has offices and rooms for therapy along with a gym that the patients can use as an extension of their therapy. Floors four through six consists of Ward B, the next group of patients. The B patients are more dangerous than the A patients, but are allowed out of their rooms with guides for exercise, therapy, and to walk around. They are in groups, and are never allowed to wander alone unsupervised. You do have to pay more attention to them, but the threat level is still not as intense as Ward C. Ward C takes up the last upper stories, and those patients are not allowed out of their rooms save for therapy and guided exercise regimens. Their meals are delivered directly to their rooms, and no objects that can be used as a weapon are allowed to them. Those guys are violent killers, each and every one of them, do not underestimate them."

"What about Ward D?"

"Ward D, yes, those are the two bottom floors of the basement, D3 and D4. Yes, we are aware that Basement floors are usually labeled with B's, and B1 and 2 are. But we like to give every warning we can that you are about to enter Ward D. The most dangerous offenders are there, the most violent, brutal killers. They are never allowed out of their rooms for any reason, when you're in there, be really careful, especially around patient three-thirteen. Ah, here's Sai, one of our physical therapists. I'll see you around then, Hinata, to show the other building to you." Asuma waved and walked away. She was approached by a slender man that was shockingly like Sasuke, but his features, the way he used them, were far too different, much to her relief. She couldn't deal with another Sasuke.

"So, you're the new nurse then, right? That's good, we need the help. Okay then, you've been cleared to work at all wards, including Ward D. Anybody go over security procedures with you? No? Well then, Pay attention, 'cuz that's the most dangerous ward, and ever since patient three-thirteen came in, even more weird shit's been happening. Shit that either will get you committed here or dead. Watch yourself down there."

"Alright then, you, like some of our other nurses, have long hair. Please make sure you pull it up in a secure fashion, such as a bun. A few nurses learned the hard way that long hair is very easy to grab, even in a ponytail. Even some of the A patients may attempt to grab it, because quite a few are obsessed with tactile sensations, and don't always equate the whole 'pulling hair is painful and bad' thing. Best to remove temptation. Also, please no dangling jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, belly button piercings and certain types of earrings. Again, too tempting to grab. Please always wear your nurse's uniform, which will be supplied to you. You can wear sweaters underneath it in the cold months, but no coats except for the nurse's lab coat, yet again, the whole grabby thing. Your lab coat will have pockets on the inside, to help prevent the grabby ones from stealing. You can wear a coat on the grounds, but as soon as you get in, please put it in the locker that we supply you with. Keep your purse in there as well.

"Prior to entering Ward C, you will undergo a basic security check, to prevent anything potentially harmful from ending up in our patients' hands. All syringes will be strictly counted, and the sharps box used to dispose of them will also be screened to make sure all are accounted for. The same thing will apply for Ward D, but it will be stepped up. Any and all objects listed on the sheet given to you will be cataloged, and you are expected to recount them after each and every interaction with the patients there, complete the log, and initial it with the time and date. The log will be turned in to the security staff when you exit, and there they will do a final count. Those guys will turn anything into a weapon, including paperclips, and are quite imaginative.

"Never turn your back on any patient, especially down there. Never let your guard down, and note any and all strange behavior, and turn it in to the security staff. Especially with patient three-thirteen."

"What's with that particular patient?"

"He was transferred from an institution in Suna. He has over seventy-five kills on record, with very few complete, un-mutilated bodies. No name, no address, no family. His age is judged to be in his late teens to early twenties. On his way here he escaped, killing two nurses and the driver. He made his way to a supermarket, killed two boys, and when the authorities and we arrived, he killed one of our doctors and a nurse, and seriously injured many more. He is restrained at night, and we have to drug him and gas him in order to do it. He is held back by an attached metal leash around his waist at all times, which will keep him, hopefully, from reaching the door. During the rounds, he is also gassed and restrained, for your safety. Despite all of our precautions, he has still managed to kill three nurses, two doctors, and seriously injure fifteen more. You can see why we need the help; he's been running our nurses off. Do not underestimate him, ever. He will kill you." His voice was dead serious, and she nodded numbly.

"Okay then, moving on. The smaller secondary building is sort of like a miniature apartment complex for the employees. Each one has a private room complete with a half kitchen. They have a fridge and a freezer, bed, shower, cupboards and a toilet. The rooms are strictly one roomed, and small, but they are free of charge and can be used as the employees see fit without any penalty charges on the paycheck. There is a large basement with a pool, gym, and cafeteria for the employees. All meals here, due to many of the patients' mental state, are completely vegan, and all dairy products are made with soy milk. You can bring your own meat and milk in, but we recommend that you don't do that until at least after eight at night so none of the patients see you. Some have serious issues with meat, like, well, three-thirteen.

"The buildings each have their own miniature hospital service, to minimize security risks. The last patient sent out for medical care sexually assaulted her doctor before jumping off the building, thinking she could fly. We'd rather not repeat the scenario if at all possible, especially since some of the other inmates can get real…creative.

"Another security precaution we have is a strict no visitors policy. That means that employees here can't bring in any of their friends and family here, and wards D and C may not receive contact from their own friends and family. It's for the best, since most of those patients will probably seriously hurt if not kill them. Wards B and A can receive short visitations in a secluded space in the main building under strict supervision. The patients often have so much going on in their heads that the visits don't always help, especially from family. Either the family was ignorant and exacerbated the problems or was the root cause of it. That's not always the case, but the vast majority fall into those categories. I hate to say it, but most of the patients here are pretty much abandoned by their families here anyway." Hinata nodded in agreement. She understood the situation completely in that regard; she had seen firsthand how some families behaved around an abused child. Some really stepped up to the plate, but far too many simply buried their heads in the sand and ignored the problem.

"Well, what do you think? Think you can stay on?" Sai asked hopefully. Hinata nodded. Sai beamed.

"Great! Let's get you to the office to finalize everything! Asuma's gonna be ecstatic!" Hinata smiled happily.

"Okay, we'll get your gear and start you off on ward A, just until you get the feel of things…"

He knew that it wanted him. It wanted him, it wanted them all. He had heard it down in the dark, whispering in his head. That was why he had been so good as to get transferred to C, as far from him as he could get. Now he had to be bad enough to avoid another transfer to less security, but good enough to avoid the dark. It was waiting for him in the dark; it wanted him and the others to do things. Terrible things.

The man restlessly brushed his blond hair away from his face, only to have it fall back again. It wasn't that he was squeamish, indeed, he loved his art, helping his partners find that brief state of perfection and beauty before becoming nothing, but what it wanted was hideous, and it kept showing him things, ugly things, foul things. No. he wouldn't go back down to the dark. He would stay up here, as far away as he could from it. Never go back down in the dark, never never never nevernevernevernever…