Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Emerald Key ❯ Chapter 3

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

WARNING: THIS CHAPPIE’S GOT A BIT OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE SO IF YOU DON’T WANNA GET FREAKED OUT, LEAVE NOW!!!!! ESPECIALLY ALL YOU HAKU FANS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. OH YEAH, HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!

“You’ll be leaving soon,” Naruto said forlornly, staring out at the rain. His customer and now lover had only three days left before the freebie ran out.
Itachi said nothing as he continued to hold the petite blond while they took shelter in Naruto’s hollowed out tree. He was just as saddened by the thought of leaving the little kitsune behind. But there was no way to take the boy with him. Or was there?
He’d been trying for the past few hours trying to figure out how he could get the younger slave out of this hellish place with a heavenly name. The only logical and viable looking solution to him right now was to either buy the boy or the entire resort. True, he had more money than he could count at the moment – only his chief accountant Kakuzu knew exactly how much he had and in which banks – but he doubted that even he’d have enough for either.
They remained there in silence for a few minutes more, watching the rain the indoor sprinkler system poured into the forested room. “I’ll find a way to get you out,” the CEO said, more to himself than the little one curled whose sunshine haired head lay in his lap.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” the fox boy grumbled, bitterly. He still felt the pain from the last time someone had said that to him. “I don’t think I’d be able to stand it if I lost you too.”
“I take it I’m not the first to promise you that,” the raven haired man said, noticing the bitter tone in the boy’s voice. Naruto remained silent. “Please little one, don’t keep things bottled up like this,” he pleaded, “Talk to me Naruto.”
The blond refused to speak for several more moments, however, Itachi was a patient man and waited for his kitsune to gather himself.
“It was about a year ago I think,” Naruto whispered, barely audible above the falling artificial rain. “There was this customer, a boy about my age. He was some politician’s kid. Said his father sent him so he’d stop acting ‘reckless’. I don’t know why, but he kinda reminds me of you Itachi-sama.”
“What happened?”
There was another long pause, much longer than the previous one. In fact, the CEO thought that the blond wasn’t going to say anything else; the sudden sound of his voice startled him as Naruto continued his tale.
“He was rude, arrogant, and really full of himself. I hated him so much. But he never laid a finger on me, even if I annoyed the hell out of him on purpose. The first couple days he just ignored me. Then the next minute, I’m tripping over some stupid tree root and I’m kissing the brat. W-We…” He couldn’t go on, his voice was beginning to crack and he didn’t want to cry in front of his love, not over this.
“I think I get the picture. He promised to take you with him didn’t he?” came Itachi’s soothing voice.
“Yeah,” Naruto sniffled, letting the older man lovingly wipe away the unshed tears. “But w-we g-got caught, never even made it out of the building.”
The CEO’s eyes widened in shock. “He actually tried to outright take you?!”
“He promised me it’d be ok, that he’d get his father to get this place closed down or something like that. But now he’s…” Naruto shuddered at the memory. The Master had forced him to watch as his then customer and lover was ‘made an example of’. He just couldn’t believe anyone would abandon their own son like that, but it had turned out that the boy was the son of a mistress and therefore not so important after all. The boy’s father had practically given the snake like man him to get rid of any potential inheritance disputes now that he had a legitimate heir.
He could still hear the crack of the whip and the boy’s screams of sheer agony as the spiked and poisoned leather cut into his back and the mutagen serum that was usually reserved for the Master’s test subjects raced through his blood.
He whimpered and shuddered as the images of the Master using the poor doomed boy right before his eyes. His ears rang with the disgusting man’s laughter and taunts, his raspy snake’s voice forever etched in Naruto’s memory.
“That’s enough,” Itachi ordered, seeing that the telling was causing his poor love a lot of distress.
“D-Did you see a-a cat boy when you f-first came h-here?”
The raven haired god nodded. He did recall briefly seeing a raven haired boy with bluish black kitten ears and matching tail being led around on a ruby studded leash by ‘Elysium’s’ Master as the snake like man welcomed him. He couldn’t help but shudder himself as the boy’s dead and broken onyx eyes stared lifelessly at nothing as he stood quietly by his master. If that boy had been a customer; there was no telling what other evils that monster was capable of.
‘If I’m to get Naruto out of here, then the direct approach is most definitely out of the question,’ Itachi grumbled to himself. So that had settled it. He would just have to get Kakuzu to get every cent of their assets together and pray it’d be enough to buy the boy from Orochimaru.
“I have every intention of keeping this promise, Naruto,” the taller man said, forcing the petite blond to look at him. Itachi’s crimson eyes were hard and determined. “Don’t think for a moment that I’ll forget you, my little kitsune.” He placed a fierce kiss on Naruto’s lips before the fox boy could protest “I want to show you something,” the blond said solemnly once he was released, pulling the taller CEO out into the now drizzling rain.
The raven haired man said nothing as he allowed the teen to lead him deeper into their room and past the pond. The boy stared off into the distance for a moment then reached out and pushed one small hand against something invisible in the air. The forest around them shimmered then flickered out of existence, leaving only the center trees to remain as a slight scraping sound was heard and a door slid open.
Itachi was surprised, but kept it to himself. The little one would explain soon enough anyway. “I found this around the time Sasuke-sama came. It was how we were able to leave this room without them catching us.”
“But it won’t work this time,” the CEO presumed.
“I hadn’t really explored this passage that much back then, so we wound up wandering into the wrong place. It goes all over this place. I still haven’t found the way out yet.”
“Then I suggest we get started then,” his taller lover commanded, a plan forming in his mind.
“You sure you wanna do this Itachi-sama? You could still…”
The raven haired god placed a manicured finger on the boy’s lips, effectively silencing him. “I’m willing to take that risk, my little kitsune. You’re more than worth it.”
Naruto blushed profusely, unused to such love and devotion coming from any one person. “I made a map and hid it around here somewhere,” he said, sapphire pools darting around the dark and dusty tunnel. “Ha! Found it!” he then produced a stack of yellowed paper.
“It’s that long?!” Itachi asked; amazed at the amount of paper the boy was now clutching to his chest as if it were his favorite teddy bear.
“Yeah, but it’s almost done,” he assured his taller love, “I hope,” he added under his breath.
“Lead the way then,” Itachi prodded, not as sure as he hoped he had sounded.
Taking hold of the raven haired man’s hand, the fox boy gently pulled him into the passage causing the dust to dance and stir as they took their first cautious steps. Naruto reached a hand out to the wall behind them and the door slid back into place, plunging them into complete darkness.

Itachi said nothing as they took another short break, the blond leaning against the wall and sketching rapidly on the rapidly vanishing stack of paper. They’d been walking for hours and in spite of him being an athletic person – he worked out at the company gym every day – his feet were beginning to hurt. If he hadn’t brought his watch – which he all but forgotten upon crossing the threshold of the resort’s door – he wouldn’t have known how much time had elapsed. They had entered the tunnel around early morning and it was now almost six in the evening, the place was enormous and the myriad passages that seemed to run throughout the building like a set of veins and capillaries would one’s body.
He was amazed at how easily the fox boy could see in the pitch black of the obviously forgotten hidden tunnels. He could see well enough to make sure he wouldn’t trip, but after glancing at Naruto’s map told him that those expressive sapphires, were capable of seeing actual details that his ruby pools couldn’t.
“Ready?” the CEO asked as the smaller of the two handed him the piece of charcoal and tucked it into a back pocket of his pants.
“I-I think we’re almost there,” Naruto said, trying not to get his hopes up. He had drawn almost the entire layout, now only one narrow branching tunnel lay before them, waiting to be explored and plotted.
Itachi nodded; eager to get his kitsune away from this place. One hand strayed to the other back pocket where his cell had remained, unused. As soon as they were mere minutes from the exit, he’d ring Kisame and make him come and get them.
He stopped short when the fox boy froze suddenly, blue eyes glued to one wall. Had they been found out? Dropping into a defensive stance with one fluid motion due to years of childhood training, the raven haired man prepared himself for any oncoming attacks.
When no such attack came, Itachi relaxed slightly and focused on the boy before him. He gazed at him, concern shining in his eerily glowing crimson eyes. What was wrong? Had they wandered off the main path? Had Naruto mistakenly gotten them lost? Those and countless other questions ran through the CEO’s mind as the stricken blond continued to stare at the wall.
“N-No…” Naruto whimpered.
Fearing for his love’s sanity, the raven haired god carefully crept over to the blond’s side, making sure not make a sound on the occasionally squeaky floor. The fox boy didn’t even acknowledge the taller man’s presence. His blue eyes were wide as saucers and filled with fear and rapidly pooling tears.
Upon nearing Naruto, Itachi could make out the faint sounds of someone moaning from the other side of the wall. He blanched and grimaced when he saw a series of peep holes littering the wall. Now he understood the poor boy’s sudden distress. They had come upon an ‘occupied’ room.
“Naruto,” the CEO called softly, laying a firm, yet gentle hand on the blond’s shoulder. “Let’s go,” he pressured, not wishing to expose him to whatever it was he’d stumbled upon any longer.
The petite slave however refused to budge as if he hadn’t heard his lover’s pleading voice. He was as firmly rooted to the spot as any of the trees were in his room. He began to whimper again, knees buckling and forcing him to collapse to the floor. He clasped his arms around his legs and started to rock back and forth.
The raven haired CEO attempted to get him to move once more, but Naruto had just flat out refused to move. Seeing that he would have to take matters into his own hands, Itachi made to pick his little kitsune off the dust filled floor when a whimpered name escaped the boy’s trembling lips. “H-Haku…”
Haku? Naruto’s trainer was behind that wall? He knew he shouldn’t, but like anyone else presented with a multi car crash pile up, the CEO just couldn’t help risking a peek. Crimson eyes widened in a mixture of shock, disgust and pity at the sight before him. Nailed to the wall opposite him was a young man not much older than the whimpering and muttering blond beside him. Huge metal spikes had been driven through the figure’s raven wings making it impossible for him to pull away from the fiery red wall that seemed to flicker and shimmer like the flames of Hell. Pale arms were stretched to their breaking point, forced to hang from the ceiling by a set of iron chains. The cuffs had cut into the milky white flesh making crimson rivulets flow down the slender appendages.
Itachi had to steady himself against the wall, the urge to vomit becoming increasingly difficult to fight. He couldn’t see the younger man’s face for another was blocking the view, the Master’s long black hair unmistakable. Off to one side as a smaller figure, barely visible because of the small holes but he thought he could make out a tail. It looked like to him that the bastard was making whoever it was watch as he tortured the abused slave.
But what really angered and disgusted him was the sheer amount of blood and other substances littering the floor by the pinned angel. The raven haired man’s hands were bleeding profusely now due to his fingernails digging into the palms. He was more determined than ever. Naruto was getting away from that sick bastard even if it cost him his life!
Itachi scooped up the blond into his arms and started walking further down the passage. To hell with Naruto’s map, they were leaving tonight!
“Haku…” the fox boy moaned piteously. Itachi’s heart wept at hearing that sweet voice sounding so broken.
“I’m sorry, little one,” he whispered solemnly, his ruby eyes strangely moist and blurry.
“Please…” the teen begged, “P-Please Itachi-sama!” The CEO continued to carry the fox boy, unable to trust his own voice at the moment. “Save Haku-sensei!” he pleaded again.
“Na… Naruto,” he replied, his throat dry and voice cracking.
“Please!”
Sighing, Itachi turned around and headed back the way they came. There was no use fighting those beautiful, begging, watery gems. The hold they had on his rapidly melting heart was too strong. ‘The things I get myself into,’ he groused to himself. “Tomorrow,” he whispered setting the blond down to retrieve the map. He pulled out the charcoal and made a mark to indicate the angel boy’s location. “You’re getting out; both of you.”
“Th-Thank you, Itachi-sama!” Naruto cried, holding onto his lover, still unable to trust his legs to hold him up.
The CEO thrust the map at the boy before scooping him back up. Now that they had a clearer route, he didn’t have to bother with taking their time. All he had to do was make sure they got out of there before any of the staff realized what was going on. He just prayed that the poor angel boy would still be in that room or else he’d have major trouble getting his petite lover to flee with him.

Sakura: Whew! Another chapter done!
Please tell me you’re almost done. I don’t think I could stand much more Sakura-chan.
Weeeeellll, I don’t really know how much more I’ve got to write Naru-chan. I think you’d better ask the boss.
No way lady!!! That boss of yours is creepier than Pervy Sage, Tsunade-baa-chan, Orochimaru and YOU put together! Believe it!
Then you’ll just have to wait like the rest of us brat.
Which won’t be much longer; won’t it?
Um… I-I’ll see what I can do Ita-kun. I.. uh.. can’t make any guarantees here.
My patience can only go so far, onna.
Well, I’m sure L-sama won’t let me rest until this sucker’s finished so you shouldn’t have much longer to wait Ita-kun.
Good. I hate waiting.
*cough* Arrogant Uchiha jerks *cough* Anyhoo, lemme know what you think ppl. Should I get Haku outta there or let you-know-who keep him? Oh yeah, sorry for blowing your mind with this thing sis. -.-‘’’ Glad you liked it anyway.