Chapter Text
"We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't."
- Rick Yancey
--
4 Years Earlier - Konohagakure's Residential Facility for Teenage Boys
Sasuke fought against the caretakers as they grabbed his arms and roughly pulled him away. He screamed for Naruto, watching him struggle and fail just as miserably.
One small tan hand reached out to him. "Sasuke!"
The raven-haired boy felt his heart skip a beat as those terrified blue eyes locked on to him, pleading for his help.
I can't let this happen. I can't let them take him.
He can't go back..
Sasuke clenched his teeth until his jaw ached and with steel resolve he threw his head back into the face of his nearest captor. He heard a sickening crunch and felt the warm spray of blood on the back of his neck.
One down.
The man on his left stepped closer, trying to restrain him on his own, but Sasuke was ready. He twisted his body away from him and shoved with all of his might, throwing the man off balance just enough to wrench his arm free.
Turning back he saw Naruto leaning forward, his teeth latched on, digging a deep bloody gouge into the arm wrapped around him. Screaming, the man grabbed a fist full of blonde hair, desperate to regain control of the situation. Naruto could taste bitter iron as blood rushed over his tongue and slid along his teeth.
He bit down harder.
Sasuke's onyx eyes widened at the scene.
Holy shit...
The sound of racing footsteps pounding on the linoleum snapped everything back into hyper focus.
Out of time- we need to move. NOW.
Naruto, noticing the panic in the other boy's eyes, released his victim and pushed forward. Sasuke grabbed his hand and the two boys immediately took off running, stumbling down the hallway and away from the scrambling mess of men behind them.
"Sa-Sasuke", Naruto gasped, spitting out gobs of blood as he ran, struggling to keep pace with his friend, "where are we going?”
"I don't know!" he screamed, panic flaring up with every step, every word, every breath. "Away from here!"
They turned down corridors at random, hoping to come across an exit, an escape of any kind. The footsteps behind them were getting louder- they wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.
The path in front of them sloped to the right, where the hallway suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Before them stood two large mahogany doors, barring their way. It was a dead end.
"No..." Sasuke breathed.
He released Naruto's hand and stumbled forward, eyes widening with disbelief. "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no... NO!!!" He gripped each door handle, already knowing the attempt was futile.
"FUCK!" Sasuke screamed. He paced before the impenetrable doors, his hair clenched in his fists.
He grabbed each handle again and shook them as hard as he could, but they were most definitely locked. And they were most definitely out of options.
"Goddamnit!" He shouted. He leaned forward, banging his head into the door as his voice dropped to a whisper, eyes filling with tears, "No...".
"Sasuke..." Naruto rested his hand on the other boy's shoulder, turning him back towards him. "It's ok" the blonde whispered, afraid that the wrong word, the wrong pitch, would irrevocably break him. "It's ok.."
"No” the raven breathed, twisting his face away, not wanting to show this much emotion but not being able to stop himself. "How can they just let him-" he dropped his head forward, letting his hair sweep over his face, covering most of the tears as they started to fall.
Naruto looked away, trying to contain his own tears. "Sasuke-" he started, the sound of footsteps drawing near, "we tried.. but I think- I think this is it."
The shouting down the hall momentarily made them both freeze and look down the corridor before glancing back towards each other.
"I.." Naruto's voice cracked, tears streaming down his tan face. He swallowed hard. "I'm going to miss you."
"Shut up. Just shut up! DAMMIT, Naruto- I can't just hand you over! You can't go back to that house. He can't just fucking take you like this!"
Naruto reached forward and pulled Sasuke close to him, holding him as tight as he could, knowing that it would be the last time. "I'm sorry.."
"I can't-"
"I'm so sorry, Sasuke."
"Stop. Just-“
"It'll be ok, Sasuke".
Strong arms wound their way between them, pulling them away from each other. Sasuke tensed around Naruto, muscles straining, trying to hold on for as long as he could, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. It didn't take long for the orderlies to restrain each boy again and lead them back down the hallway. At the fork in the corridor, Naruto was pulled to the left and Sasuke was pulled to the right. He tried to break free, but in the end there was nothing he could do.
"Naruto! Naruto!" he screamed, desperate for one last moment with his friend.
Naruto struggled, leaning forward in an attempt to pull closer to Sasuke, screaming his name. His eyes scanned over his friend's long raven-colored hair thrown across his pale, tear streaked face, before locking onto dark eyes filled with pain and determination.
"Naruto- survive. Please, whatever it takes. Run, hide, fight back. Just survive. Ughh-“
The orderlies were getting impatient. They started dragging the boys more forcefully down their separate hallways.
He's going to take him.
I can't stop this.
He's going to go back- back to that horrible life and I can't protect him.
No one will protect him... but he can't give up. He has to live.
He just has to.
"Naruto! I'll find you! I promise you- I'll find you and I will get you out of there. Just survive, please! Jesus Christ, fucking wait! Let me talk to him!"
He turned his focus back on Naruto. "Please, Naruto, just stay alive."
Naruto's heart clenched and, choking down a sob, he called out one final time to his friend before Sasuke was completely out of sight.
--
Naruto could do nothing but blankly stare down the empty corridor, where his friend had been before they dragged him further into the institution.
That's probably the last time I'll ever get to see Sasuke..
He hung his head in defeat as the caretakers pulled him through the halls and towards the front entrance.
Where he would be waiting for him.
As soon as the thought flared through his mind he felt his pulse speed up, his heart crash violently against his chest. He wanted so badly to think he could escape this, to run off with Sasuke and start a new life free of pain, of fear- but that was just a child's fantasy. And now reality was here, waiting for him.
"Naruto- survive. Please- whatever it takes. Run, hide, fight back. Just survive."
Survive.
He had to survive.
For Sasuke.
"Please, Naruto, just stay alive."
Tears filled his eyes once again, threatening to spill over and join the others. Naruto pressed his lips together tight, trying his best to contain all of the feelings building up inside of him.
I'm sorry Sasuke..
The orderlies that had been half-holding, half-dragging Naruto through the building slowed their steps before finally coming to a complete stop.
Naruto, taking a deep, shaky breath, glanced up from the green speckled linoleum, and immediately wished he hadn't.
The first thing he saw was his smile. That horrible sickly smile that stretched taut across his face, too many teeth showing for it to be genuine- all of them clenched tight against each other. A quiet threat lined up in two perfect rows.
Naruto's eyes darted up from that predatory smile and found two dark eyes narrowed, cold, calculating. His smiles, even those terrifying disingenuous ones, never reached his eyes.
Naruto's body started shaking uncontrollably. His stomach seized up into tight coils, ready to unfurl and jolt out of his throat at any moment. His breathing came out in short quick bursts- slow at first, but as the man drew closer he started hyperventilating.
No..
He found himself taking small steps back as the man stepped closer, but the caretakers were still behind him, and he wasn't able to get very far. It didn't take long for the man to get close enough to tower over him. Naruto forced himself to glance up again.
The man's eyes scrutinized him closely, the smile never leaving his face. "Naruto."
--
Sasuke was pacing in front of the windows, fuming. Every couple turns he would pause to look for Naruto.
So far- nothing.
Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding.. or maybe he changed his mind and he's going to leave Naruto here?
Maybe he'll finally leave him be..
He wanted to believe that Naruto would be able to stay, but knew it was pointless to hope. For a while he had let himself hope, and look where that got him.
He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye that made him stop his pointless pacing, and he rushed over to the window.
There he was.
The boy who very quickly became his most important person. An anchor in a chaotic and sadistic world, and now that boy was leaving.
He watched, feeling useless and small, as a tall, lean man pulled Naruto along the sidewalk, a firm grasp on his upper arm. Sasuke wanted to call for him, to get him to look at him one final time, to see his beautiful blue eyes and his goofy smile just one last time.
But instead he just watched..
He watched his best friend get yanked away and roughly shoved into a car.
He watched the driver walk around confidently, casually, as if he hadn't just manhandled a fourteen year old kid.
He watched Naruto glance out the window, gaze up the side of the building, and search until he found Sasuke looking back. Sasuke held up his hand, pressing his palm against the window, and he watched as Naruto mirrored the gesture. He felt tears fall at a steady pace, and was sure those were also being mirrored.
And then he watched as the car moved forward, and his important person disappeared.