Chains Chapter Ten:

Itachi was tired of reminiscing of things past, he was ready to make some new memories with that delightful duo on his stage. Afterwards, after making his brother watch every second of the performance, then, Itachi would delve out the punishment his brother would receive.

He thought of how he would punish and break the boy and how when it was all said and done he might, he just might, kill him and be done with it. It would be a mercy at least.

"I love you Master," Itachi's head jerked up at the whisper. He stood before his table of toys. The whore strapped down, eyes lidded as though he was trying to fly away from his body, had not spoken. Candy-Striper didn't talk for fear of further falange amputation and that left only one other in the room.

"Sasuke?" The name came out like a question, and the look of confusion that spread across Itachi's features was almost human. Well more human than the sadistic monstrous grin that usually marred his handsome features.

"I love you." Sasuke's gaze was unwavering, no fear, no disgust, just adoration.

Itachi laughed, "Your acting skills have improved considerably little brother. However I know what a broken soul looks like and that is not it. Not even close. Good try though. You'll be broken soon enough so I don't know what the rush is. Perhaps this is another attempt at postponing the inevitable? You're attempts are truly endearing if that's what they are."

Sasuke was the only one who was not on the stage, and he stared at his brother, mind in turmoil. He had to get closer. Close enough to use the blade he had switched into his pocket upon receiving clothes and soon before Itachi had the time to use those sick tools he had pulled out on Naruto or Sakura. His first try had been a failure, but he wasn't giving up yet. He lasted too long, endured too much to give up now. He was tired of feeling despair and fear. Naruto had made him realize that with his cheerful blond personality. Sakura had made him realize that with her dedication to finding freedom again. Sasuke would free them all if it destroyed him. Which a battle against his elder brother just might.

Naruto's thoughts were completely inward. He focused on anything but the feel of the straps holding him down, the mind-destroying terror that rose in his throat like a banshee howl. He could see the pink-haired girl crying in his mind's eye, Itachi had called her Sakura. Before Sasuke had been brought in Itachi had proudly presented her to him so that he could see what lay in store for her. She was afraid. Naruto couldn't blame her, and now in addition to everything else he could see her maimed form in his mind's eye. The images were burned there, so even with them open she was still there, eternally silent, eternally tormented.

Sakura was crying. Softly so that she wouldn't be heard but still her shoulders heaved. She was not tied down like the others, broken things could not walk. Part of Sakura despaired at that, she would never walk again, but a larger portion of her just wanted to avoid anymore pain. She wanted her mother.

Itachi prepared to begin, he wasn't sure what tool he would use yet but he wanted it to be something particularly painful so that the blood wouldn't be able to escape into his mind. Its astonishingly difficult to ignore an amputated finger or an incision that opened you completely to him so that Itachi could feel your lifesblood coating him as you fondled the ever intimate intestines. He finally decided to mark that damnable face of his, before gouging out those dreadfully blue eyes.

The knife gleamed, freshly cleaned and sharpened and ready for a fresh coat of blood to slick it up. The other tools sat on a table that was out of Naruto's strapped down reach. Sasuke watched, afraid to move. The blade pressed gently at first, then slowly harder until, as Sasuke watched red peaked up beneath. Crimson lines marred Naruto's face, Sasuke wondered if they were deep enough to scar. Naruto wondered if he'd be alive long enough for it to even matter. The raven was waiting, more patiently and less fearfully than he had ever waited before, because he would not fail them this time.

He needed Itachi to pass the point of focus.

The point where everything but his victim shifted out of existence.

Sasuke knew that point so well, the point when nobodies' screams but his victim's pierced and sated the bloodlust in his elder brother's black cold heart. He knew, perhaps better than Itachi himself knew, that in the end , while Itachi may love an audience; it was his power over his current plaything that got him off. All those watching be damned.

So he was waiting, for his "Master" to reach that point, because Sasuke was no fool and knew that without fighting dirty and catching the elder raven unawares, he had no chance in hell of defeating his older, stronger, and non-malnourished brother.

Each cut was fairly shallow, Naruto noticed that. Did it still hurt? Hell yes, but not like he imagined the scars that marred the pink-haired girl and Sasuke. He kept his eyes wide, staring up at the mirror above him anticipating each draw of the blade because he had realized that, personally, he could not bare the act of closing his eyes and knowing nothing but the feeling of his torment. His punishment had just begun, he knew that. It weas a different type of punishment than he had ever faced before, but he knew that for his trangression it would get worse, and this time, probably wouldn't get better. Still pain was different than humiliation, it left his pride intact for one, and Naruto felt that he could still smile if he wanted to. If he didn't think that a smile would make things worse of course. His reflection showed him to be completely helpless, Naruto knew that he was, but the fear of death hadn't set in yet. Or maybe it had left him long ago. The fear of being broken however was thick in the back of his throat, like semen, it was bitter and vile and dirty. He wanted to die before being broken.

He'd give anything to die unbroken.

His eyes were incredibly blue against the paleness of his face, looking into them he couldn't find his soul but he could find memories of blue skies. Blue skies that Sasuke would never see free of the chains that bound him. That thought made Naruto sadder than perhaps anything else. He had promised not to leave Sasuke behind because he had wanted to give him freedom. The taste of it the smell of it. The joy that came from the knowledge that you could be who or what you wanted. Naruto had felt that himself. He wanted everyone to know that feeling. Especially Sasuke, because he had suffered more than any other soul Naruto had met and had remained unbroken.

Sasuke's eyes weren't on the mirror, they were on his brother, who'd inscribed six little whiskers on the blond's face for reasons that only Itachi himself could fathom. But they were neat lines, Sasuke could see that. His brother was still perfectly in control,and that was a bad thing, because the longer he was in control the more damage he could do before Sasuke would be able to intercede. He needed to speed things up.

He focused on all the torment that he had endured and felt the necessary sob build. It was torn violently from his throat and he clamped his hands over his mouth as though the action was unintentional. Itachi's gaze quickly flicked over to him, analyzing, cold. "Are you so determined to draw attention to yourself that you cannot not sit quietly in the audience like you are bid!" his words were angry, but amused as though the punishment he now got to dish out was more than worth the indiscretion. "Very well then come here," his voice was calm, deadly.

Sasuke shook his head, "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, not faking his fear. Itachi had called him on almost every ploy, could he see through this one too?

"Are you telling me no?" Itachi's voice was venomous.

Nerves shook Sasuke's shoulders, "I-I-I..." his voice trailed off, his determination wavered a bit as he looked into his brother's eyes. He was so very tired of pain. For a moment he felt true self-hatred as he considered leaving the other two to their fate and using the blade he had concealed to end his own life. It was the first time he'd ever had such a thought and it shamed him more than any torture his brother had ever inflicted upon him. He would not be weak. He shook the thought away, never having really considered it, and focused on being a good performer, so he could save Naruto and Sakura.

"Come here," Itachi growled and the look on in his eyes said argue if you dare. Sasuke didn't. He bowed his head, shoulders slumped in resignation, and began walking towards the end. "No!" Itachi's voiced was sharp as a cracking whip, "Humans walk, pets crawl,"

Sasuke lowered himself slowly to his knees, not truly ashamed, having endured so much worse, but apparently contrite enough to satisfy itachi's immediate anger as he said nothing else during the raven's journey up onto the stage.

When Sasuke was kneeling at Itachi's feet he realized that he wasn't sure what to do next. He was so close and he realized that against his brother what good would a flimsy utility blade do? He needed a better weapon. Itachi's hands clenched tight around Sasuke's throat lifting him to his feet.

His elder brother analyzed him and Sasuke feared what he would see in his eyes so he clenched them shut as though in fear and felt the sobs and gasps for breath were ripped viciously from his throat.

What could he do with such a small blade? Was he helpless after coming this far? Doomed to be broken in the end like he wasn't a human being but was just a pet who deserved to be in chains forever.

Then he realized...

"I can't see your eyes," Itachi growled, Let me see your fear. He meant.

Sasuke was no longer afraid. He dropped his arms as though in resignation and opened his eyes. Grasping the utility blade he let his brother see all his defiance before lashing out to ensure that that look of defiance was the last thing the sadist ever saw.

Sasuke was far too close for the blow to be glancing and Itachi cursed horribly throwing Sasuke away violently as he felt the blood trickle- no pour from the wound. He howled in anger lunging around violently trying to get his hands on his little brother. He'd kill him! No games, no torture, just the brutal slamming of that traitorous head into the hard floor of the stage.

Watching his brother scramble wounded around the stage loosened the knot of fear in Sasuke's chest. He met Naruto's eyes and smiled. His brother had thrown him off the stage but scrambling around to the side he quickly climbed back onand dashed around tothe table of tools and instruments, grabbed a knife he dashed away just in time fo Itachito carrene blindly scattering the sharp and dangerous tools everywhere. He dashed forward and cut Naruto free as quickly as he could, not needing to be particularly quiet as itachi was being exceptionally loud. Naruto rolled onto the floor shocked but elated. He wouldn't die broken, and hopefully he wouldn't die at all.

Sasuke grabbed another knife off the floor and handed it to Naruto, "If you want to leave now I won't blame you but take Sakura with you." The look Naruto gave Sasuke was incredulous.

"You just allowed me to get away for a psychopath with nothing more than a few scratches by risking your own life," Like hell I'm leaving you. The thought hung in the air and both boys nodded in agreement. They'd see this to the bloody end.

Sasuke crept low around the stumbling Itachi, his blade lashed out delivering a mirror injury like what Sakura had received but to both ankles. Itachi fell back with a cry of pain onto Sasuke who vainly tried to scramble away. The fall had caused Itachi's foot to knock the blade away, unintentionally, but just as effectively disarming the small child who was now helpless beneath his brother's heavy form.

Itachi may not have been able to see but he could feel the pain just fine and it made him angry. The squirming form beneath him was trying to escape but Itachi laughed because that damned brother of his would never escape again. Even without sight he was still able to flip Sasuke over beneath him so that he could properly wrap his hands about the child's throat. He howled as his fingers tightened breaking the silence with his own screams because a strangled throat would not be near loud enough.

So he filled the silence with his own screams, easy enough to make when you've just been crippled by your prey. He hadn't been the one to scream in years, not since his father had visited him. The last time his father had tied him to the bed for struggling too much. the nhe had taken off his belt so that he could properly discipline his child by whipping him in the groin because he was a dirty child. Sasuke had always been so close at those moments, just the next bed over, safe in the drug induced sleep. Their father would then hit Itachi harder for trying to wake the darling Sasuke. The good brother. God how Itachi had hated him in those moments. He hated his little brother now more than ever before, for enduring for not breaking ages ago like he fucking should have. Now Itachi's fun was ruined, he'd never get to gouge out those godforsaken blue eyes he hated so much but he could destroy his little brother.

Completely this time.

The knife went into his neck.

Sasuke gasped in air and droplets of blood as he scrambled away from the man Naruto had just killed. Itachi had fallen to the side off of him and Sasuke felt a scream build in his throat as the blood flowed towards him. He didn't want to touch it. He didn't want to touch that monsters blood. Naruto looked grimly at the scene. His hand were dirtier now... wasn't the second kill supposed to be easier than the first?

He looked at the knife still in his hands and threw it away from himself in disgust.

He was crying, silent tears. But somebody else was sobbing loudly.

Naruto saw Sasuke sitting as far away from the body as possible and decided that was a good place to be. As he moved closer however, the look in Sasuke's eyes stopped him he wasn't the one crying. "It's all over now," the surviving raven said, "Oh God somebody call someone and get me out of this Hell!"

A small smile graced Naruto's lips even though he wasn't happy at all, Sasuke was right, a place with this much pain and death was Hell. He kicked Itachi's body and it was two parts spite one part a very intelligent and sincere move to ensure that the monster was good and truly dead. He was, and upon searching his pockets Naruto learned that he also had a cellphone. Grateful to the dead-man for not sending him deeper into Hell in search of a phone Naruto was able to refrain from kicking him again and instead paced around the body while calling 911. The police were in route.

Naruto was kicking the shining silver tools as far away from Itachi as he could as he continued to pace around the body, as though he wasn't quite sure he wouldn't rise up from the dead and kill them all once and for all. But he didn't move. Only when the phone call was done and the tools lay scattered away from Itachi's corpse did at last Naruto stop pacing and sit down. His hands were covered in blood, but then again so was the rest of him, he paid no mind to it however as he wiped his blond hair from his face. The look on Sasuke's face was still scaring him so he sat alone and watched his other two companions to see who would move first.

It was Sakura, she had been the one sobbing before, but no one had really been paying her any mind. Now all eyes were on her as she crawled across the stage towards Itachi's body. No one moved to stop her. She grabbed a long spike as she passed it. it looked similar to the nails that had been hammered into her back, but for its size, and this similarity was not lost on Sasuke. He still did not move however.

She crawled slowly towards her tormentor, a fiery look in her eyes. "I hay you!" She howled her butchered tongue butchering her words but not her meaning. She howled the words on repeat until she loomed over the lifeless body and she brought the spike down over and over again, blood didn't spatter from his wounds as they had from hers but her point was clear. The body had been on its side facing her but her stabs had pushed it over onto its back. She tried to roll him over but didn't posses the strength, she wanted to impale his back like he had hers but she wasn't strong enough and that made her cry harder. She stabbed his groin instead, this vile man had raped her tortured her but he wasn't alive to feel as she tortured him in return. Still she stabbed him over and over again, wanting him to feel her pain, angry that he wasn't. Wake up you monster! Wake up and feel this! But Itachi wouldn't wake up and Sakura hated him for dying before she could kill him more than anything else. She stabbed him one final time before throwing the spike away in frustration.

"Mommy!" she sobbed and it was a broken sound. She crawled away pulling a trail of blood like a grotesque shadow. She didn't want to feel the blood but it was there. She tried to rub it off but there was too much. She collapsed on the stage sobbing in frustration.

Naruto moved to help and holding her in his arms he began to cry too. Sasuke just sat there feeling numb. Was this what shock felt like? He didn't think he would ever be able to move again he was so tired. So very tired.

Naruto held Sakura tightly as she sobbed, "Mommy," she was able to cry aloud at last. Itachi was dead, he couldn't hurt her anymore.

Naruto said as much, "He's dead he can't hurt us anymore," he soothed.

Sasuke's eyes were haunted, "Then why," he sobbed as at last his own tears began to fall, "Why am I still hurting!" Sakura heard the pain in his voice and her heart cracked a little more. She lifted her head and reached out her hand to Sasuke. She didn't quite understand it but this boy was in pain too. Sasuke looked at his two companions and then, still sobbing, crawled over and fell into Naruto's and Sakura's waiting arms. "I don't understand!" he screamed angrily through his tears, "Why does it still hurt so bad!?"

The police found them like that huddled together.

Naruto was able to walk all the way outside, the sun was up and shining and it mocked the three of them, weren't bad things only supposed to happen in the dark? He had only been held captive by Itachi for a little under 48 hours, his face would scar but other than that there was no permanent physical damage. The emotional damage of killing another still weighed on his heart like lead... and yet still he smiled, because he wasn't broken.

Sakura could not walk on her own, could not talk very well, and could not think very clearly but she could still smile and what she saw when she saw Sasuke outside it brought a bright and shining one to her face. Her first one in the six months where she had been held captive. While captive her tongue had been cut out, her Achilles tendon had been cut, and her body had been mutilated beyond belief. She was missing fingers, toes and teeth, and the damage done with the fireplace poker along with the various rapes had ensured that she'd never have a healthy sexual relationship or children... and yet still she smiled, because she'd get to see her mother again after all.

Sasuke hadn't walked out, he had run out and collapsed on the grass in the sunshine laughing and crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. He was in so much pain and joy he couldn't manage to speak coherently. He had been held captive under Itachi for six years, he had seen and endured horrible agony and his malnourishment meant he would probably never be as strong or tall as other boys his age, but still he smiled. He was still angry, he was still confused and hurting but in this moment he was free.

No more chains. He was free.

Well after months and months its finally over,its survived invading parents and computer meltdowns. At last its done. Please review to give me your thoughts on the ending there will be a short epilogue plus I will submit a Q and A to tie up any lose ends that there might be (just be sure to let me know what they are.) It has been a pleasure writing this but to be honest I surprised myself at how awful it got. I have the original version for anyone who would like to read it. Its similar but more graphic and not a fanfiction. It's only available by email seeing as I don't publish non-fanfics.

Thanks for Reading

DarkAngelLeo