Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Emerald Key ❯ Chapter 4

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

The next morning, Itachi had everything planned. He had stayed up most of the night, tending to his stricken lover and figuring out what to do once – and if – they got out of this hell. “Naruto?” he called, his heart going out to the petite blond standing mutely near where the hidden switch was, “If you don’t want to, I won’t force you,” he said, wrapping his arms around the fox boy’s slender form.
“I-I want to,” he answered, “I-It’s just that I’m…”
“Shh. I know,” the CEO soothed, placing a gentle kiss on one whiskered cheek. “I’m… scared as well, little one.”
“Y-You?!” Naruto wondered; surprised that his always calm and collected lover would admit to being scared.
“I’m scared I’d lose you, my little kitsune should we fail,” he admitted, tucking the blond’s head under his chin. “You sure you want to go through with this?”
“H-Hai. I-I want to stay with you Itachi-sama.”
“No matter what happens, get yourself out,” Itachi said poking around the air until he found the switch to open the secret door. “Don’t worry about me.”
“B-But…”
“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid and get away from here,” the raven haired man ordered, whirling around to face him, his crimson orbs narrowed and hard yet full of love for the teen.
“I… promise,” Naruto muttered, not liking the tone of the older one’s voice. Did he really expect this to go wrong?
“I’m going to hold you to that, little one,” Itachi said, smiling in a lame attempt to cheer the blond up. “Don’t worry, Naruto. We will get you and Haku out of here.”
“Y-You’re gonna come with us right?!” The CEO’s smile only served to make the slave more ill at ease.
“Of course, my kitsune, I’ll be right behind you,” was Itachi’s smiled reply.
“Promise?” It was the blond’s turn to pin the raven haired man with a serious gaze.
“You have my word. I’ll never leave your side,” he vowed stepping into the inky black of the tunnels. ‘I only pray I can keep that promise, little one,’ he whispered to himself.
Seeing that it was now or never, Naruto followed his love into the passage, his steps timid and slow; a far cry from the cautious yet sure ones of the previous day.
Itachi whipped out his cell and hurriedly punched in a series of numbers. After what seemed an eternity for him, his partner’s cheery voice came across from the other end. “About time, Kisame,” the CEO griped. “Shut up and listen,” he barked, suddenly back in his no nonsense, ‘I’ll kick your corporate ass’ mode that he’d lately abandoned. “Get the jet over here ASAP. Yes, I’m leaving. Just do it Kisame or would you prefer to spend the rest of your life babysitting Madara?” There was an audible squeak from the phone and the raven haired god couldn’t stop the smirk from forming on his previously stone cold face. He knew no one in their right minds would voluntarily take care of his lunatic cousin with a split personality of a ultra hyper four year old.
“I didn’t think so. Just make sure that jet is here by the end of the day or else Kisame. Also make sure you bring Tsunade and Deidara with you. One more thing, make sure you land where you can’t be seen. I don’t have to explain anything to you. Just do as I tell you before I call the Institute and tell them they’re getting a new guard.”
He hung up, not bothering to wait for the VP’s reply. Naruto couldn’t help but let out a tiny whimper, obviously frightened by his much taller lover’s sudden personality change. He carefully took his kitsune’s hand and guided him further into the darkness. He gave the smaller blond’s hand a gentle squeeze in apology, receiving one in return though Naruto’s hand was still shaking slightly.

Neither of them had said a thing as they trudged along the twisting and turning tunnel that they prayed would lead the blond to a chance at freedom. He could sense the fox boy was still not over what they had stumbled upon yesterday and was steadily getting worse as they approached the room where Naruto’s poor abused trainer and first love was supposedly being kept.
“Naruto go on ahead, I’ll get Haku,” he ordered, gently shoving the fox boy into the unexplored tunnel.
“I-Itachi-sama…” Naruto protested.
“I’ll be right there, besides I need to know if that really will get us out. It’ll be pretty bad if it didn’t.” The petite slave looked at his lover, his blue eyes wide with worry and his bottom lip trembling. “It’ll be alright. I’m not going to leave you, my little kitsune. I made a promise, remember?” Naruto nodded his head, twin sapphires glistening with unshed tears. “Go on,” Itachi said, patting the sun silk head before turning back to the wall with the peep holes.
Taking a quick glance through one of them, a surge of relief coupled with sheer and utter revulsion came over him. The poor angel boy was still hanging from the ceiling and his beautiful raven wings cruelly nailed to the wall. Forcing the bile back down his throat, the CEO fumbled along the wall and let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as he located a hidden switch he hoped was one that opened into the angelic slave’s room.
The familiar scraping sound soon followed, indicating that this room had a hidden door as well. Stepping through, the raven haired man felt a sudden dizziness as the rancid smell of old blood and other things assaulted his nostrils. Also the smell of brimstone and sulfur didn’t help much either. Glancing around, he became more irate by the second at the sight before him.
From what he could see through the holes it had appeared that this room had been modeled after the pits of hell, hence the fiery red of the walls that seemed to shimmer and glow like a living fire. His suspicions were confirmed when his furious ruby eyes spotted several torture devices and evil looking instruments scattered about the large room. He had now become more determined than ever to get these two innocent souls out of there – even if it’d cost him his life.
Going over to the unconscious and still naked slave, he marveled at the ethereal beauty that still showed through the various bruises, cuts, bites, and gashes that littered Haku’s alabaster skin. He felt immense pity for this broken and bleeding angel before him. ‘I can see why Naruto loved you so,’ Itachi mused, running one manicured hand over the softest and smoothest feathers he’d ever had the pleasure to feel. The younger teen let out an unconscious moan, the barely audible sound pulling at his heartstrings as much as Naruto’s voice did that first day.
Realizing that he had to hurry, the CEO reached up and gave the chains an experimental tug. They rattled much too loudly for his taste, the sound echoing over the now shimmering obsidian black walls. However, they slid off their hook easily and Itachi let himself relax a tiny bit as he gingerly lowered the angel’s arms.
“Forgive me, lovely one, but this will hurt like a mad bitch,” he whispered to the unresponsive slave. Grasping one of the spikes with both hands, he began pulling on it with all of his might. ‘Thank goodness I like to work out,’ the raven haired man thought as the metal slid through stone, bone and flesh at an agonizing slow pace.
Poor Haku was cruelly jarred awake, a blood-curdling and heart-wrenching scream bursting from once rose petal, and now swollen, filth covered lips. Itachi immediately leapt over to the slave’s face and hurriedly covered his mouth with a finely sculpted hand. “I’m a friend of one of your ‘students’,” he whispered, “I’m getting the two of you out of here.”
The angelic teen’s deep chocolate eyes, now puffy and almost as lifeless as the cat boy’s widened in shock. He struggled to speak, to protest that he wasn’t worth such mercy, that this was his fate and that he had accepted it oh so many years ago.
The raven haired god would have none of it. Giving Haku a commanding glare, one he’d used so many times with those employees idiotic enough to question his genius, the raven winged teen lowered his head submissively, once again accepting whatever the bitch queen that was Fate had decided to dump on him now. Itachi continued to fume silently inside as he laid an apologetic hand on Haku’s cheek, the angry blue, black and purple bruise strangely cool and smooth to the touch.
“I am truly sorry for this,” he said once more apologizing. Itachi went over to the still pinned wing and grasped the spike. Almost dead chocolate eyes shut closed and Haku’s usually angelic face grimaced into a monstrous parody as he readied himself for the fast approaching torture. Just as before, the horrible bit of metal took its sweet time vacating its current residence, refusing to just up and leave.
There was another soul tearing scream and the CEO let Haku collapse into his waiting arms. Itachi frowned at how light the younger man was as he cautiously scooped him up, treating the now once again unconscious angel as if he were made of expensive porcelain.
He made his way to the secret door, not surprised to see his kitsune staring and shaking terribly as he stood waiting for them. “I-Itachi-sama…” Naruto began. “T-Those s-screams…”
He held up one hand as he carefully set the injured teen against the wall so he could shut the door. “He’ll be alright,” the CEO said, once more being cautious with his fragile looking burden. “He’ll get the help he needs. I made sure of it.”
The blond whimpered but said no more, choosing instead to nuzzle against the unconscious Haku’s cheek and lick at one of the shallower cuts on his arm. Itachi quickly squashed the beginnings of jealousy as he watched his kitsune fuss over their new companion. ‘He’s just worried for his friend,’ the CEO said in defense.
‘Not just his friend,’ the more possessive side of his heart sneered, ‘He was his lover.’
‘That was years ago,’ he tried to reason, ‘He loves me now. He’s over Haku.’
‘Oh is he now?’ sneered his darker side. ‘Look at how he’s kissing and licking every cut, scrape, bruise, bite and gash! Don’t tell me he’s over this whore!’
‘That will be quite enough!’ the more rational side commanded. ‘Even if he isn’t “over” him, it won’t matter. Should it be that Naruto chooses him over me, then so be it.’
‘Aren’t we the generous one?’ came the answering sneer.
Itachi abruptly ended the argument with his darker side, refusing to pay it any more attention. “We better get going,” he said, reminding the blond of their urgent mission.
“Y-Yeah,” Naruto muttered, his tear filled jewels not leaving his former trainer and lover for an instant. The poor thing was scared to death that the angel in his current lover’s arms would vanish and disappear at any given moment, as if all this was just another nightmare.
“Well?” Itachi asked; glancing down the last bit of tunnel they hadn’t explored the previous day.
“Y-You were right Itachi-sama,” the fox boy replied, his mood brightening slightly. “I-It’s a way out. There’s trees out there; different from mine though. Believe it!”
For the first time in the past couple days, the raven haired god chuckled. “I believe you, little one. Now let’s hurry.” Itachi then hurried, as carefully as he could due to the angel in his arms, down the last bit of tunnel and toward victory.
Naruto bounded after him, not caring if their rushing footsteps were heard or not. Like his lover, he was desperate to break free of the darkness and ‘Elysium’s’ iron grip. The two stood out in the open air of a secluded thicket of tropical plants and trees, the blond panting heavily at the taller one’s side. “W-We made… it,” Naruto wheezed, overjoyed to be outside for the first time in his entire life.
“Well this is a surprise,” an unfamiliar voice greeted as someone stealthily entered the clearing.

Sakura: I’m evil, I know. ^_^
Naruto: Lady, evil doesn’t begin to describe what you are! Believe it!
Sasuke: You can say that again dobe. Not even Orochimaru’s as bad as she is.
Sakura: Oh really now? Glad to see you feel that way brat. I’ll go tell Orochi-sama the good news then. ^_^
Naruto: W-What good news?
Sakura: That Sas-chan L-O-V-E-S him of course! ^_^
Sasuke: Fire style – Dragon Flame Jutsu!
Sakura: EEEEYYYYYYYYYYYAHHH!!!!! Ita-kun hellllllllllllllllpppppppp!!!!!
Kurogane: And she calls herself a ninja. -.-‘
Fai: Now, now Kuro-poo. Anyone would have trouble against that attack. ^_^
Kurogane: Ch. Whatever. AND STOP CALLING ME THOSE RIDICULOUS NAMES!!!!!!!!
Naruto: Um… I guess this is where you’re supposed to review this thing and tell Sakura-chan what you think.
Kyuubi: You’d better not send the nut any flames or else!