Hello everyone! Just a quick little warning before this chapter starts! It's bad. No beating around the bush or nothing. It's very triggering to some readers, and if you can't handle certain things, then I'd recommend skipping down. I'll put a "***" marker when the triggering section is over.

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*Naruto's POV*

My eyes were very slow to open, but when they did, I was met by a single dim light somewhere nearby. I blinked slowly, remembering sawing at my feet with my claws. I raised my hands to find them bloodless and clean, I wiggled my toes, only to realize I didn't have chains on my feet anymore. I slowly widened my eyes as I curled my feet against my butt before feeling thick bandages around my ankles with little to no pain at all. There were also bandages around my abdomen, rough and not any medical bandage I've ever felt. I moved my hands to them, and when I tried to pry them off, my entire body tensed up, and electricity shot through my nerves.

I hissed and shot up into a sitting position, only to feel an arm like steel pull me right back down with a roughness. I grunted before registering the ice-cold body beside me and the smell of fresh soap.

My body flooded with dread, my mind still turning on and sluggish from blood loss, but I didn't need it to fully flip on to know Madara was just laying there beside me. I shakily looked over to find two semi tired eyes looking at me with curiosity and... almost what looked like sadness and disappointment.

"You tried to cut off your own feet. Did you not take into account that I had just eaten? You nearly killed yourself. We can't have that, can we?" Madara hummed and moved his nose against my neck, making me grimace in disgust.

I didn't want to respond. I fear I'd get more hurt, but when I didn't, his arm around my middle began to tighten around me, making my mind reel with fear and desperation.

"I-I guess, it would b-be bad for you." I quickly stammered, looking over at his chest rather than directly at his face.

"Hn." Madara sat up and leaned against the wall. "I took this into consideration and had Kabuto fashion me a better containment method for you. Those bandages around your middle will keep your chakra locked away and keep you from leaving the room."

I went to sit up too, but his foot planted itself onto my chest and kept me lying down. I grunted in annoyance and glared at him. His eyes stared at me before roaming my body, making me tense up in fear again as that look turned predatory.

"Easy, Uzumaki." Madara purred. "I don't wish to bring harm to you so soon after you nearly died. Humans are such fragile things." He smirked and was on me in a flash.

I gasped when I felt hands tighten around my neck. It's only enough to hurt, not enough to choke me or pop my spine. He held a gaze filled with temptation. Red eyes swirling, it seemed, slowly and calm despite the knowledge his mind was probably waring with itself like Itachi's does. He remained like this, staring into my eyes, studying me, waiting for me to make a sound so he could justify hurting me. But I remained quiet and averted my gaze after a time, looking down at his chin rather than his chest due to how close he was to my face.

"You're lucky I'm tired. I'd do many things to you if I wasn't. I still could. My stamina is nearly bottomless..." Madara then stated, his other hand sliding downward, making me grunt in shock and disgust.

His hands slid down my abdomen, across the bandages and to my waist, his eyes looking straight at me as his hands slid into my pants with no hesitation. I cringed and went to move, but that hand on my neck became an iron bar, and I couldn't lift myself up. I went to strike him, but the memory of him snapping my arm in segments like it was nothing played in my mind, making me dread going through that again.

Without chakra... I really was nothing to him. A defenseless puny creature with no hope at all of fighting back. I was just a toy he could play with and gain no harm from.

He gripped onto my crotch tightly, making me grunt louder, legs squeezing together despite it doing nothing. He shuddered against me and leaned forward, mouth against my neck.

"Did he drink from you as he fucked you? Hn~, I bet he did." Madara purred and began to move his hand in circles, making me flinch and whimper softly in discomfort, panic flooding me. "I'd love to experience that with blood as divine as yours. The heat of ecstasy flooding through our bodies, connecting them together, and even deeper when I drink your life. Letting you become dizzy and overstimulated with pleasure and pain... letting me taste it all in your blood."

I whimpered, feeling my body heat up without wanting it to. I felt violated beyond anything I've ever felt. I felt heat grow in my face, between my legs, and over my body as it responded to the stimulation, as if his words were throwing a fog on my brain. I felt it too, a weird influence he held in his words, similar to how Itachi can get with me when he got carried away and didn't watch his tone. A passive ability to will things to their desires.

"Nn!" I flinched again when he slid his hand into my underwear, making me tear up as he grabbed me and growled hungrily into my ear.

"Shall I indulge?" Madara moaned out.

"S-Stop!" I finally began to squirm and try to worm my way out of his grip, my instinct to fight back overruling my fear of pain. "Get off!"

I swung and struck his head hard, and he didn't so much as blink, he grinned... as if it delighted him. I did it over and over, but his hand never stopped moving, making me pant weakly as my blood began to pump quicker and quicker. I kicked my legs, but his elbow held my waist flat against the bed without allowing it to buck away from him.

His hand around my throat didn't tighten either, he watched me with pure satisfaction, as if he was getting turned on watching me try and stop him, as if my struggling and squirming and begging was only further fueling his libido.

"Your voice gets so raspy when you begin to beg like a bitch." Madara purred as his hand moved quicker, making me grunt and stifle a moan as tears flooded my eyes and down my face as I squirmed and shifted my legs constantly as if digging my heels into the mattress was going to dig a hole for me to escape. "Ah don't fight it, I can smell your body enjoys the pleasure, why not bask in the feeling a while, hm? After all, it's much better than pain, no?"

"ID RATHER BE RIPPED APART!" I cried out, panic fully swallowing me as my hips bucked upward in pleasure. "STOP!"

He grabbed my mouth with the hand that held my neck and kept my jaw firmly shut, painfully holding it as his eyes glared into mine.

"Easy, I have sensitive hearing, and if you're too loud, Itachi will hear." Madara smirked, his face darkening, making me freeze like marble. "Do you wish for him to suffer further pain? He's being kept alive by force after days of torture. He isn't lucid. He isn't in the right state of mind. Why add to his suffering? Hnhnhn, what a selfish little thing you are~"

My eyes widened, tears falling quickly as his words sunk into my very soul. I shook violently now, my hands that had been clawing at his shirt were still, and yet his hand still moved, up and down tightly around my now throbbing member, making me feel a build of up pressure that needed release. My toes curled, and my hands gripped onto his shirt as my eyes fluttered.

"There you go, very good." Madara cooed, moving his hand quicker, making me flinch and moan into that hand, eyes rolling into my head as I felt like I was drowning in a complicated tangle of emotions. "You're doing great, Uzumaki.

"M-mm. Mmph-" I winced and shivered, heels slowly shifting and digging into the bed, tears sliding down my face quickly without me needing to blink.

A wave of hopelessness took over me. Hopelessness, guilt, and pleasure mingling together into an overwhelming sensation I've never felt before. The fight got taken right out of me then, and I was quiet now. I didn't move around too much, I grunted and let out weak but muffled moans, tears falling down my face as I laid there, succumbing to my situation and the fact that I probably told Itachi what was happening through my begging and crying.

He was being tortured, and now I was torturing him, too.

My eyes squeezed shut when pleasure exploded from below. I gasped into the hand over my mouth and let out a very, very quiet whimper, hips bucking as I climaxed. He pumped me through it and kept moving his hand, making me shiver and squeeze my eyes as he persisted.

When I was physically ready again, he stopped and extracted his hand. Grabbing a hold on the hem of both of my bottom clothing's and tore them off with ease, making me jump. He then finally let me go to stand up beside the bed and begin removing his clothes. I shook like a leaf, staring upward at the ceiling and shakily covering my mouth with my hands as his weight once again joined with mine in the bed. I grimaced when he slid my legs apart, silently sobbing as my ankles settled on his shoulders.

"Hn~...look at this view. How utterly perfect. Your body is a wonder. It's lost some weight... but still~."

I flinched at the feeling of him pressing against my backside, breathing coming out quicker as he held himself there, looking down at my most intimate areas, his eyes clouded over with enjoyment and excitement. I hated that face. I wanted that face to be warped with agony.

Hate...

Unending and bottomless hate flooded through my chest, freezing my veins as I winced, head thrown back against the pillow as he slid into me completely, without warning. I hissed quietly in pain. Eyes squeezing shut as I felt completely and utterly violated.

My world became hell after that. I tried best to block it out, but he shifted and held me by my shoulders, watching me with piercing eyes as he did the unspeakable. He had to cover my mouth with his hand after I began to fail to keep quiet, and this moment felt like it lasted years to me.

Over and over and over and over. Filling me, using me, hurting me, scarring me. I couldn't escape, I couldn't claw away, I couldn't be loud, I couldn't do anything but suffer.

I'd rather have the skin peeled off of my body and suffer from being dissected while awake than suffer through this level of humiliation, pain, and agony. I felt unclean, I felt horrid, I felt like a monster. My brain tuned out the sounds, but I couldn't escape the sensations running through me.

I wanted death... then. I wanted them to extract Kurama from my body already and kill me. I wanted to get this over with. I wanted Itachi... Itachi... Itachi...

I want him... I need him... I need to run away, find him, and hide with him. I wanted him to be overprotective and possessive. I wanted him to kill anyone who got close. I wanted him to bite me and purify my body from the tainted horrid filth I was being subjected to.

Itachi...

..

..

..

...

***

I didn't realize when it was over, but when the weight shifted off the bed, my eyes fluttered open to stare at the ceiling. I was completely and utterly exhausted, panting quietly and ignoring everything I felt physically in favor of picturing Itachi next to me. Holding me and comforting me... keeping me cool and calm with his beautiful ice-cold skin. His reassuring words of love, adoration, and kindness are a ghost of a whisper in my ear. He smile was warmth to my heart, his tender affection and gentle nature completely contrasted that monster who hurt me.

I felt something soft and wet begin to wipe me down. I didn't look from the spot on the ceiling I had chosen. I stared straight up at it as I was cleaned by what felt like a sponge. I let my limbs be moved by him, limp entirely with no more will to move in that moment.

He dressed me, putting on new pants and a shirt, his eyes roaming over me constantly as he did so. He spoke, but I didn't hear the words. He changed my IV bag and left the room shortly after.

The moment that door was closed, I rolled onto the floor. I clawed across the ground, dragging the IV stand with me as I found the farthest corner from the bed and curled up, staring down at my feet, hugging my knees with my back pressed firmly against the wall.

I remained there for what felt like hours. Food had been brought in by Kabuto, and he spoke too, but his words fell on deaf ears. I didn't hear a word he said to me. He set the tray down beside me and squatted down to look at me better. His shadow swallowed me, and I wanted it to snuff my life out.

When I didn't respond to whatever he had asked, he grabbed my chin gently and lifted my head. My eyes remained glued to the floor, and I didn't move an inch. He then gently let me go and moved out of the room.

I was alone for the rest of the day. I could only tell this when Madara left because he came in fully armored and stared me down for what felt like ages.

Kabuto returned about five minutes after Madara left with a blanket and draped it around me, and checked my vitals before injecting something into my IV. I didn't particularly care what it was, but he was gone again soon after.

I remained alone for another few hours. The door opened, and Obito walked in, his presence nothing to me anymore. I could care less if he began to torture me. The most damage I'd ever take was already done. He stood there for a while, staring me down, looking over at the bed, and then back at me. He moved over and kicked my shin, but no matter what, I still couldn't hear.

I couldn't hear a thing, not even my own breathing or heartbeat. Nothing...

Two figures swallowed the doorframe, and Obito turned to face them. One figure immediately began to move erratically, in place, held by the other figure. However, soon, they were thrown in, and Obito stood over them. I didn't look up from that spot on the floor and remained quiet and deaf as Obito left and shut the door, leaving me alone with whoever it that just got thrown in here with me.

The figure quickly scurried across the floor and shook my knees gently, hands that didn't match any of my captures. I blinked slowly, and curiosity filled me as I looked up. Shackled hands, shinobi vest, and hidden leaf attire and headband.

Sound snapped back in a blink of an eye as shock filled me, Yamato staring me down with extreme concern and worry. He stared at me for a moment, a long moment. He didn't speak, only staring me down, looking me over, and checking my IV for anything fishy.

He looked thin and exhausted. He had several cuts and bruises, and his ankle was very swollen, but he walked on it like it wasn't hurt. He sat beside me and placed the bowl of rice and chopped up seasoned fish that Kabuto put in here at my feet.

"Naruto, you need to keep your strength up. Eat." Yamato spoke quietly.

I glared at the food, wanting it to morph a bomb or a way out of here. I wanted to burn them with it... I wanted to curl away and hide rather than eat. I was too sick to my sore stomach to eat, anyway.

"Naru-"

"Not hungry." I rasped out, my voice sounding slurred and tired, sickly.

"When we get a window to escape, we need to be at full strength." Yamato urged, nudging me gently. "You've visibly lost weight. I heard they kidnapped you two about a week ago. You regained consciousness... two days ago, I'm pretty sure."

God... the smell of food... my head is spinning.

"I've heard Itachi got roughed up pretty badly. He's more than likely close by. This hallway is the only cell block in the entire hideout." Yamato explained. "You don't look too bad aside from those bandages around your ankles and the thick bruising around your neck and arm."

My eyes fluttered, and my body went limp. I slid into Yamato's form, hearing how he grunted when my weight fell onto him. I covered my mouth as my stomach churned, the sensation alone making me want to throw up.

"H-Hey, easy." Yamato gently spoke, arms holding my shoulders in a comforting way.

Tears filled my eyes again despite being dehydrated. However, I fought off the urge to sob. I didn't want to upset Itachi if he could hear us. I hissed and shoved myself off of the ground. I began to pace, walking and hugging my middle as it did nothing but hurt. My legs shook in an unsteady way, but I couldn't sit still. My IV pole followed me, wheels rolling across the ground in an annoying way.

Yamato stood helplessly, watching as I paced and paced, feeling my claws grow again as my world bled red with my anger and hate. Our hate mingling into one mutual feeling of loathing. I then moved over to the door, positioned to go at the neck of anyone who tried to walk into the room. Yamato slowly approached me but kept his distance when my vision tunneled on the door, waiting for it to open with my back flat against the wall. Yamato decided to join me and silently agreed to help me attach the next person who entered the room.

We stood there for hours, not moving an inch, not shifting or breathing two loud or even talking. We waited, as daytime turned to evening. Madara didn't come by, having left for the battlefield. Apparently, so did Obito, leaving just Kabuto to man the fort while we waited for him.

Kabuto could be dealt with. I could stab him through the neck and handle it then and there with less struggle than if I tried to do it in the other two. One was a vampire and had skin like stone, and the other could phase through objects and solid walls at will.

Kabuto was scaled, yes, but it was still flesh. If I could nearly cut off my feet with claws, then I could cut through those scales. It shouldn't be too hard.

Silence.

Silence.

Sile-

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" A deafening roar unlike anything I've ever heard flooded the hallways, snuffed all of the light in the room out, and rattled my vision.

There was an extremely loud thud and a distant clatter of metal, and what sounded like chain before the walls shook repeatedly. I stumbled and fell over, my ankles giving, fear flooding me as my mind whispered to itself, that this may have been Madara. The way the shadows bent and threw us into pitch black darkness made me tense up and stumble into Yamato with blind panic.

Disgust from earlier events playing a huge part and the instinctual urge to run from it possessed me like flame to dry wood.

"N-no more!" I shakily whispered, clinging to him like my life depended on it as the thumping got closer and closer.

My mind reeled with disgust and horror, fearing more violation or pain, or just even seeing him again. I didn't want to see him again. Never again! Never again! Not him or Madara or any one of those sick freaks!

"Naruto, you need to focus! Now isn't the time! Easy, steady yourself, we got this!" Yamato tried to encourage me, but I could feel him shaking too.

He was probably just as scared as I was. He'd been captured by them longer than we were after all.

Just as his arms caught me, the wall opposite of us burst inward, launching debris at us at such high speeds it was entirely impossible to dodge, causing us to get hammered with pebble and small rock sized cement pieces. I saw two red orbs and couldn't help the shriek of fear I let out. However, once I did, those eyes were directly on front of us so fast I thought I was seeing things. A gust of wind followed, followed by two more figures rushing after this person as I was yanked away from Yamato painfully fast, snapping my arm clean as I was thrown into the corner, and cornered by the same thing I assumed was madara.

"AHG!" I wailed and grabbed my arm, vision blurring over with pain as my knees buckled, causing me to collapse onto the ground with how jostled I was.

I blinked rapidly, head swimming from how fast we had traveled across the room, but when no more pain followed, I fought to steady myself and my rugged panting, trying not to hyperventilate into passing out. I quickly blinked down at the feet in front of me.

...

...

...

Oh...

Oh god...

"I-I...I-..." I began, but his back turned to face me, hissing so deep it sounded like wind rushing through a valley, making me flinch back into the wall.

He was completely naked, save for the bandages draped around second and third degree burns littering his body. His skin was tanned and pink and red and shades in between. Blood dripped along the floor, from deep stab wounds and fresh cuts from whips and various things from blunt to sharp. He was emaciated, thin as a skeleton, with bone showing on his back, surrounded by dead blackened tissue and very dark blood.

He was breathing rapidly, and a wall of red shrouded us, ribs forming in the air and creating a cage of armor around us, as he heaved and hissed with every single movement from Yamato and the others. The light let me process who they were, Sasuke and Gaara.

"Hold on!" Gaara hissed, but Sasuke grabbed Gaara before he rushed over and kept them from getting to close.

Sasuke looked horrified and panicked. He angrily glared at Itachi's wounds and then looked over to me, visibly unsure as to what he needed to do in order to defuse the situation.

"He won't hurt him..." Sasuke spoke to Gaara.

"He already did, fool! He snapped his arm!" Gaara snarled at Sasuke, clearly in distress.

"I meant he won't kill him! Even in this state." Sasuke spoke, trying to reassure himself rather than Gaara by the sound of his tone.

I didn't care about them right now.

I slowly crawled around, looking up at Itachi's face with utter shock and horror. He had his fangs bared, with one of them grated flat, and chipped. Bruises and cuts and wounds riddled his body. His jowls were sunken, his eyes were too, and he looked completely different.

More monsterous and sickly... so hurt and wounded, yet the fear faded like a bubble bursting once I fully realized Itachi was in the room with me. I shakily lifted my hand, and his eyes snapped down to watch it. I didn't flinch, only staring at him in complete horror, the pain of my other arm being broken completely forgotten.

My Itachi... my love... my everything. They hurt him so badly, let his condition deteriorate, and by the looks of it, exposed him to the sun for God knows how long. He looked so tired, so lost and out of it. My beautiful Itachi...

My lower lip began to quiver, and he saw this. He watched my face warp into agony as I saw him in such a state.

It's my fault.

It's my fault.

It's my fault.

It's my fault.

It's my fault!

"Oh... oh..." I whimpered weakly, voice croaking as I stood and looked him over, using my shirt and covering one of many wounds, hands trembling. "Nn!" I winced and bit my teeth together to keep them from chattering, shakily trying to cover the worst looking and bleeding wound.

His fingernails and toe nails were gone, and where they should have been were bruises and marred flesh, one of his fingers having exposed bone. He studied me for a moment and inhaled deeply before leaning forward and dropping the entirety of his weight onto me. I caught him, and his arms yanked me closer and backed us up into the wall, hissing again after a single footstep from someone behind us.

My eyes fluttered shut as he sunk down into a sitting position. I held him, and he sat in my lap, legs wrapping around my back as he clung to me, panting heavily and letting out raspy and crackling growls. I went to speak, but his nose moved across my neck to where Madara had bitten me and sank his fang into my neck. I hummed and allowed myself to relax completely, rubbing my good hand very gently across the parts of his skin that wasn't too burned.

"There you go. Not too much." I whispered softly, tears welling up in my eyes. "Wh-What the hell did they do to you?"

He only hummed weakly, but I felt something wet hitting my back, making my heart break as he sniffed loudly, repeatedly, telling me he was crying. His shoulders were shaking quickly, and he was trying hard not to grip onto me too hard, but his grip hurt still. I didn't say a thing about it, though.

"Where's Kabuto?" I heard Yamato asked the two.

"We dealt with him together. He'll no longer be a problem. I sent him to hell." Sasuke hissed.

He was rough and rugged when he followed in with Itachi when he stormed in here. I sighed heavily when the fang in my shoulder removed itself, lips covering the wound, quivering too, in a deep frown that broke my heart.

"It still smells like him." He whispered faintly, shakily rubbing his hands along my back much lighter now, easing up. "Are you okay?"

His voice was so shaky and weak. His throat sounded so dry despite having sipped some of my blood. It was like grinding stones and rattling leaves in the wind. He sounded so pained and wounded... his tone and literal voice were just... broken.

I blinked slowly, as the question itself felt like a knife cutting into my chest, making it tighten. I slowly rested my head on his shoulder, minding a wound and sighing.

"You idiot... you're bleeding everywhere and so... so thin. You're seriously asking me if I'm okay when it should be the other way around?" I hissed and gently ran my hand through his hair. "W-We need to get you out of here."

"We need to get those bandages off of you first." Itachi spoke.

He went to pull them off, and before I could protest and object, he pulled on them, causing electricity to run through my nerves. I seized and heaved in his hold, legs kicking as the bandages were ripped off of me like wet paper. The moment it was fully torn off, though, my vision darkened, and I felt myself nearly lose consciousness. His hold never left, and I never fully faded from wakefulness, but I remained in a daze as chakra surged through my body in so much force that it numbed me.

"Sorry about the shock. I didn't expect it." Itachi spoke in a quiet and apologetic tone.

I was gently lifted off of the ground, and the ribs faded from the air. I slowly moved over towards Sasuke, tiredly shifting forward, but the daze I was in made my physical pain double. My ankles were on fire, so sore and throbbing. My arm even more so, to the point tears were ever present to blur my vision. If I was hurting this bad, I couldn't even begin to imagine how bad Itachi was.

Sand suddenly lifted me and Itachi up from the floor. He growled angrily in confusion before I set a hand on his knee. I then motioned toward Gaara, who stared us down with concern. He then began to walk us out of there.

I didn't really pay attention to the three, as I slid my arms back around Itachi, eyes fluttering shut as his did the same. I sniffled, looking over his abdomen to the many whip marks and bruises. I shook, red filling my vision as I failed to remain calm.

"I will fley their flesh before devouring it." A deep guttural tone whispered through my head.

I hummed in agreement, hate filling the brim of my heart. A large role of bandages was handed to us by Gaara. He smiled sadly at me and chose not to speak. I was internally happy he didn't, I don't think I would be able to hold a conversation with anyone else right now with how livid I was.

I took them and slowly sat up from the hug and gently took Itachi's right arm into my lap. Sasuke handed over some ointment, and with that, I began to gently treat the wounds like how Sakura used to whenever I watched her patch people and their wounds.

I prioritized his bleeding wounds first, spreading the ointment gently and wrapping them as carefully as I could. Itachi freely allowed it, watching me in a look of adoration and longing as I worked on patching him up. I got halfway across his abdomen when we hot the outside air.

"Hn." Itachi hummed weakly and inhaled as deeply as he could, closing his eyes and basking as the moon hit his skin, acting like it soothed the burns.

Gaara, Sasuke, and Yamato broke out into a run, and we were dragged with them on the floating platform of sand and moved very quickly. I felt safe with them, so I wasn't particularly paying my surroundings any mind as I focused on treating Itachi's stab wounds.

"Alright, I've got your middle done." I spoke softly, moving to do his other arm and legs.

"You're hurt." Itachi whispered and hovered his hand over my swollen arm I had been using regardless of the broken bone.

I kept forgetting about it.

I looked down at the arm and then shrugged a shoulder before continuing to work on his body.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." I whispered quieter, my heart squeezing again as I felt utterly disgusting.

The longer I was near him, the worse that feeling became. I felt like I was covered in disease or bacteria or mud. I felt unclean. I felt guilty, and I felt wrong.

"You screamed when I broke it. I didn't mean to hurt you... I'm sorry." Itachi apologized as I finished wrapping him up.

I took off my shirt and tied it around his waist to help cover his exposed crotch and butt, and he hummed with approval at the gesture. I shook my head and stared at his lap.

"Don't apologize." I whispered, voice cracking as I still felt horrible.

I felt a huge wave of nausea hit me like a wall, and I clapped a hand over my mouth as I gagged, wincing and squeezing my eyes shut. Itachi grunted and pulled me against him, running his hand along my back as I dry heaved into my hands, internationally thankful that my stomach was empty.

"Easy. I've got you." Itachi cooed, kissing my head, making me tear up again, shaking as I wrapped my arms around him, never wanting to let go again. "It's... it's not your fault. None of it. Stop smelling so guilty."

"I'm sorry!" I sobbed, shaking my head. "I couldn't stop it! I couldn't break out and save you! I'm SORRY!" I cried louder, my mind splitting apart. "IM SORRY! IM SORRY! THEY HURT YOU SO BAD AND MUTILATED YOU AND I COULDN'T HELP!"

"Shhhh, it's not your fault. Don't apologize, Naruto. There was nothing we could do, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, too... for... not being there when... when he..." Itachi trailed off, his voice being drowned out by my loud screams of pain.

I hid my face in the shirt. I tied around him and used it to muffle my uncontrollable crying. I kept screaming, unable to stop as I hugged onto his legs. His bandaged fingers combed my hair, and he remained quiet as he allowed me to use him as a pillow as I curled up around him and just wailed.

I don't know how long I was like this, but it was so long that I ran myself dry, unable to cry anymore, yelling so long my throat was sore and dry, unable to yell afterwards. I was merely laying on the sand and wrapped to where my head was on his lap, and my knees were against his back. He used my knees as a back rest and leaned against me, comfortably relaxing, laying at an angle so his middle was against mine.

"We'll be approaching one of the camps soon." Gaara spoke up, gaining my attention. "We'll get you both medical treatment and get you patched up."

I only closed my eyes and clung to Itachi, exhausted and tired, passing out almost immediately once we ran into a huge camp flooded with shinobi.

Protection...

Safety.