The experiment ended up being a lot more unceremonious than Naruto had anticipated. He couldn't help but wonder if the event was played down for his sake. Most of the staff seems wary of him, except for Tsunade, who seems fond of him. Naruto isn't quite sure why.

Early in the morning – long before sun up – the buzzer on Naruto's home rings continuously. He has another headache, but he tries to ignore the pain. He lets out a growl, getting out of bed and stomping down the stairs. "This better be fucking good," he mutters, swinging the door open. Before he can get a word out, his jaw drops at the sight of a distantly familiar figure.

"Hi, cousin," Karin greets, holding up a hand.

Naruto's eyes widen. He reaches his hands up and cups her face in his palms, staring into her irises. "Karin?" he chokes, not quite believing it.

"Yeah, it's me," she says softly, offering him a reassuring smile.

He lets go slowly, still looking at her with a stunned expression. "You're... I didn't even know you were alive..."

"We have time to catch up later, Naruto," she promises with urgency, "but right now I need you to let us inside." She jabs a thumb towards the three men standing behind her.

As if this wasn't a big enough surprise, he immediately recognizes two of the three men from the missing files he read the week before. There's no mistaking it. "Suigetsu and Jugo?" he asks.

"Inside, Naruto!" Karin urges.

Naruto frowns, opening his door wider to allow everyone to step in. Karin walks past him, offering a gracious smile before sauntering in like she owns the place.

"It's big!" she exclaims, voice echoing as she walks down the hall. "It's perfect!"

Jugo and Suigetsu pile in after her and Naruto eyes them, feeling wary about letting them into his home. They're likely going to give him a hard time if they find out what his connection to Oto is. Nonetheless, they seem even-tempered. Suigetsu nods a cautious thanks, while Jugo remains blank-faced. After them, a smaller man walks in. He has dark hair, ivory skin and eyes like two caves. His features are soft but his expression is hard. He's wearing a robe and his feet are bare and dirty, causing Naruto to frown. 'A slave?' he wonders to himself. 'Well, I'll need to wash the floors after.'

He doesn't spare Naruto a glance. He simply follows after his friends. After everyone is in, Naruto shuts the door and follows them down the hallway. Karin is exploring every inch of the floor. "I've never been in a house this nice before," she says aloud.

Suigetsu and Jugo share a look. "We have," the pale haired man says tersely.

"I know," she smirks.

"So..." Naruto crosses his arms as they settle in the kitchen. "What's this all about? How long have you known I was here?"

"Years," Karin says. "I've been keeping an eye on you."

Naruto raises an eyebrow. "Why the hell didn't you come sooner?" he snaps at her.

"Orochimaru," she says simply and Jugo lets out a growl, temper rising at the mention of his name.

"My late father," Naruto tells them, deciding not to put it off.

Without hesitance, Jugo bashes his fist into Naruto's face. The blond lets out a hiss, cupping his nose as it starts to bleed. "Jugo!" Sasuke exclaims, putting a hand on the large man's shoulder. He begins simmering a moment later, letting out a long sigh.

"Hah... you seem to have a calming effect on him," Naruto points out with slight mocking. He grabs a paper towel and bunches it up, pressing it beneath his nose so he doesn't make a mess. "So, who wants to start? I've got a lot of questions."

"We killed him," Jugo says evenly, wanting to get the confession out of the way. "We killed your father. We broke in here and stabbed him to death."

"What?" Naruto asks, eyebrows drawing together to form a crease. That caught him off guard.

"Or rather... I did," he corrects himself. "Are you going to turn me in?"

"No," the blond murmurs. "He was a bad person."

"He was insane," Suigetsu mutters, adding his own two cents.

"That, also," Naruto agrees reluctantly. "I don't know what happened to him to make him act the way he did."

"An obsession with youth and with power," Karin answers easily, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. "But enough of that. I'm sorry, but we have far more important things to discuss than the death of your father."

The words sting, even though they shouldn't. Nonetheless, Naruto nods and says, "Tell me what's going on."

"We're from Akatsuki," she says as her starting point.

Naruto's eyes widen. He heard that name before. "The rebel group?" he guesses. "You're a vigilante?"

She nods. "I want to talk to you in private," she says.

Naruto lets out a sigh, disposing of the paper towel once his nose stops bleeding. He glances at the three strange men, wary about leaving them alone in his house. "Are you all right here?"

Suigetsu gives him a callous smile. "Peachy, Doc. Don't worry, we won't stain your doilies."

Without another word, Karin and Naruto exit the room, moving up the stairs. They enter Naruto's office and he shuts the door, giving them the necessary privacy. "This okay?" he asks.

Karin nods before starting to speak. "Jugo and Suigetsu are new recruits," she murmurs. "I'm the one who broke them out of that shit-hole lab of yours."

He frowns, recalling what Kabuto said about a red-haired woman. "How did you know about them?" Naruto asks. "The experiments in the lab are top secret."

She lets out a little laugh. "Naruto, I'm a spy," she states. "That's why I was recruited. I had an easy time breaking them out and an even easier time grabbing a copy of their files. The security at the fucking brothels is higher than the security at Oto, no offence. Nothing is kept a secret from me. So, I broke in and I watched until I found Jugo. He was being subjected to some pretty inhumane tests. Akatsuki needed someone incredibly strong to infiltrate the brothel. Someone who Koharu Utatane would like. Someone who could put up a fight if things got sticky. This particular brothel has very high security. We did our research. Jugo was perfect. He was large and strong and no one outside of the lab knew his face... but he was locked away."

"Suigetsu is sick," Naruto tells her. "Why did you choose him as well when there are others with stronger bodies?"

She softens slightly. "Jugo and Suigetsu are friends. Jugo said he wouldn't leave without him, so I took them both because we desperately needed Jugo. Like I said, he is so strong and nobody in the outside world knew his face. I was confident that he'd be able to get Sasuke out easily."

"Oh," is all Naruto says. "Who is that guy anyway?"

"Sasuke?" she asks and the blond nods. "He's a prostitute," she answers somewhat solemnly.

"From what whorehouse?" Naruto pries.

"He's from Villa Joy, the brothel that separates the city from the slums. He's... He's the last Uchiha."

"The cultists?" Naruto asks. Karin nods and Naruto remains straight-faced as she talks, revealing detail after detail. Once she quiets, Naruto smirks, interest peaked. "All right," he murmurs. "Now what part will I be playing?"

"All you need to do is watch after Sasuke and allow me, Suigetsu and Jugo to come and go as we please," she says. "Our last host can't hold people for too long because he's already in trouble with the cops around here. We need a place for Sasuke to safely live."

Naruto nods slowly. "All right, he can stay with me... What's so special about him, anyhow?"

Karin shakes her head. "I don't know if I'm supposed to say. It's... really delicate."

"Fine," Naruto relents.

She digs a file out from her backpack and hands it to her cousin. "This is Sasuke's file," she says. "You can read through it if you'd like. I figure you might want to learn about the guy you'll be living with... but if you don't, please keep it safe."

"I'll keep it in here." Naruto nods, placing it on his desk. After discussing the finer details, the two of them go back downstairs. In the kitchen, Suigetsu is raiding the pantries while Jugo and Sasuke remain still and silent. The pale haired man is shoving fruit and bread into his bag. He gives Naruto a wink when he spots him, but he doesn't stop stealing his food. Naruto doesn't tell him to put it back. After all that these guys have been through, the least he can do is let them have some food.

Naruto lets out a sigh as Karin announces the house as Sasuke's new living quarters.

Home sweet home.

||XxXx||

After showing Sasuke to his room and dropping the other two men off in the library, Naruto spends most of the day in his office. He does work and Karin sits with him, offering a comment every now and then.

"You're angry," she points out. "You've been angry all day."

"Yeah," he admits, putting his pen down and staring at her. "I always assumed you were dead. I feel kind of betrayed that you didn't tell me otherwise."

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, "but you must understand why I had to just let you go on thinking that."

"I do," he mutters, "but for some reason it still doesn't make me any less pissed."

She offers him a smile and says, "Again, I'm sorry... but you know, I could be angry at you as well if I wanted. I could accuse you of never trying to come find me."

"Point taken," Naruto mumbles.

"I won't, though," she says. "Look, things are crazy right now and we won't get too much time to do any serious catching up, but when this is over we'll have all the time in the world."

Naruto nods. "I'll hold you to that."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

||XxXx||

When night comes, Karin grows restless. They once again gather in the kitchen and she announces her departure alongside Suigetsu and jugo. "Naruto, we need to leave," she says, "but promise you'll keep Sasuke safe."

"Okay," Naruto mutters.

"Promise me!" she raises her voice, trying to make her cousin understand the importance and severity of the situation.

"I fucking promise," he snaps. "Shit..." He pauses before asking, "Where are you going?"

"Underground," she murmurs. "We can't stay in the city too long and it's hard enough on you hiding one person you don't need to hide four. We can make it on our own, but Sasuke... he can't. He doesn't know anything about this city and we skip around a lot. I can't watch him. I can hardly watch Jugo and Suigetsu but at least they learn quickly and they have strength. Sasuke hasn't stepped foot outside since he was a child and he has no memory of it. He's been free barely a day. He'd be found and brought back to the brothel and the entire mission would've been a failure." She lets out a soft sigh. "A lot of our members were killed," she explains further. "Leaders included... and that's why we were forced to go into hiding. We can't slip up now. We're saving lives. It's small scale, but at least we're doing something."

Naruto nods, somewhat solemn to see his cousin leaving after only mere hours. Everyone gathers in the lobby to exchange farewells. Karin hugs him goodbye and promises to be back soon. After farewells are exchanged, it's just Naruto alone in the house with Sasuke – a strange prostitute. Naruto looks him up and down, not sure what makes him so special. He's quite attractive, yes, but what else is there? He also looks incredibly young – far too young for the life he was forced to live.

"Hungry?" he asks.

"No," Sasuke responds.

A pause. "Look, Karin gave me your work file," he says. "Do you want to read it over?"

"No," Sasuke says again.

Another pause. "Tomorrow I'll pick up some clothes for you to wear," he says, eying the other man's muddy robe. "You're filthy."

Sasuke begins to untie it, only to have the blond grab his hand. "Tsk... don't just get naked. That's improper."

"It is?" he wonders. "I thought people liked it."

"There's a time and place for nudity," Naruto explains.

"I thought that time was always?"

Naruto has to try to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head at that comment. "Not the case, kid," he says. "You can, uh... you can borrow something of mine to sleep in," he offers, nodding for the brunet to follow him upstairs. "Come."

In his room, he begins leaving through his bureau and trying to find the smallest sized clothes he owns. Sasuke watches him quietly, not liking the idea of someone having to take care of him like this – especially not a stranger.

"Here we go," Naruto murmurs, pulling out a simple black t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. He hands them to the brunet, who nods his thanks. "You have a bathroom in your bedroom," Naruto adds. "There's shampoo, soap, lotion and towels inside. You might want to use it before you go to bed. You'll dirty the sheets."

Sasuke sneers at that, but doesn't dignify the comment with a response.

"Well, I'm going to retire," Naruto says. "I'll be here if you need me."

Sasuke simply turns away and leaves the room. Naruto smirks to himself as he gets undressed and under the covers.

He turns the night lamp on and finally opens Sasuke's file. 'The last Uchiha, hm?' he thinks to himself. 'Reduced to this...' He stares down at the nude full-body photographs and clicks his tongue. He can't help but think it's such a pity.

NAME: Uchiha, Sasuke

SEX: Male

HEIGHT: 5.4 ft

WEIGHT: 115 lbs

ERECT PENIS SIZE: 5.5 inch

AGE: 21

BLOOD TYPE: AB

CLIENT COUNT: 1909

"Disgusting," Naruto whispers. "He's only my age and he's been intimate with almost two thousand people... It's a wonder his asshole hasn't fallen out."

||XxXx||

Sasuke enters the room Naruto gave him and begins cautiously undressing until he realizes that Koharu isn't watching. No one is watching! The realization hits him hard and he nearly sighs with relief. He allows himself to relax. He drops his robe carelessly and enters the bathroom, turning the shower taps on. Everything is so nice and clean and fancy. He almost doesn't want to touch anything for fear of ruining it. It's even nicer than Villa Joy.

Once the water is hot, he steps into the shower and washes off. He lets out a pleased moan as the hot water rinses over him. He takes his time and then he dries off, getting dressed in the clothes he was given. They're very loose on him, but he doesn't mind. There is something comfortable about it. He turns off the lights and gets under the thick duvet. It feels like he's lying on a cloud.

"Mm," he moans again as he settles in for the night.

||XxXx||

Come morning, Sasuke sleeps in since, for once in his life, he's allowed. When he's finished lazing around in his bed, he gets up and leaves the room. As he's walking down the hallway, he pauses after hearing his name.

It's Naruto. He's in his office, glancing up at Sasuke from his desk.

"Yes?" Sasuke asks, hovering in the doorway.

"You can grab a bite to eat if," the other man says. "I take it you're hungry."

"A bit," Sasuke admits, placing a palm over his stomach.

"Do you know your clothing sizes?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "Why?"

"You need something to wear, right?" Naruto questions. "I doubt you want to sit around all day wearing my things."

"They're a bit big," Sasuke says in agreement, holding his arms out. The sleeves of the shirt dangle to the tip of his fingers.

"I take it you're a small for shirts, but what about pants?"

"I don't know my sizes..."

"Come here," Naruto commands, standing up. He grabs a measuring tape from his desk and offers to measure the brunet. "How tall are you? I read your file... was it 5'4?"

"Yes." Sasuke stands still in the center of the room and lets Naruto measure him. He wraps the tape around his slender waist, his hips, his shoulders.

"All right," Naruto murmurs a mere minute later. He puts the tape back in its place and says, "I'll head to the stores now. Is there anything else I should get for you?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "I'm fine."

Naruto nods slowly. "Go eat."

Sasuke doesn't move until Naruto is gone. When he hears the front door open and close, he makes his way down into the kitchen. He looks inside the fridge and takes out an apple. He feels uncomfortable being alone in a strange man's house. He wanders throughout the floor, biting into the apple. The house is large and decorated lavishly. There are paintings and sculptures and other fine art. Sasuke has never seen anything like it.

In the living room he looks through a series of photographs in a shelf, stopping when he spots a familiar face. Danzo Shimura is standing next to a pale man with long, dark hair. They're shaking hands. Sasuke finds it strange, wondering how Naruto might know the president. He comes up with the conclusion that Naruto must be a powerful man.

"Of course he is," Sasuke murmurs to himself. "To live in a place like this..." Somehow, he finds it unsettling.

He returns to the kitchen and gets rid of the apple core before continuing to explore the many rooms. It seems like everything has its place and everything is in its place. Everything is perfect and Sasuke still hesitates to touch anything for fear of ruining what isn't his.

When he's nearly finished exploring the main floor, the door opens. Sasuke tenses until he hears Naruto's voice call him.

"You were fast," Sasuke comments, rounding the corner to enter the lobby.

Naruto shrugs carelessly. "Everything is close by in the city." He hands Sasuke the shopping bags and adds, "I'll be in my office. Go try these things on and make sure they fit."

Sasuke takes them and the two of them go upstairs. Naruto enters his office and Sasuke retreats to his room. He sets the bags on his bed and takes the clothing out. There are sweaters, shirts, pants and undergarments in dark, solid colors. Sasuke looks at the tags, lips parting in mild surprise. They're high end brands and the tags show that Naruto spent a pretty coin on him. Money must be no object.

Ignoring the strange feeling, he tries the clothes on. Everything fits. He settles on a pair of black trousers and a dark blue sweater.

In Naruto's office, he is leafing through papers with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. For a moment, Sasuke simply watches. He looks busy.

"Everything fits," Sasuke announces.

"Good," Naruto murmurs somewhat offhandedly, not looking up from his papers.

"Thank you," the brunet adds.

"Sure."

"What do you want in return?" Sasuke asks, hinting towards the only thing he knows how to give.

Naruto looks up and stares at the brunet ex-slave. "Not that," he says pointedly. "I don't fuck whores. If you're a sex addict, I'll buy you a toy."

Sasuke's jaw drops at the complete and utter rudeness.

"Don't give me your money making face," Naruto murmurs before staring back down at the papers on his desk. "Go read a book or something. I'm busy."

Sasuke refuses to tell Naruto that he doesn't know how. He flushes, forcing himself to stifle the anger rising in his gut. It won't do any good to throw a fit. Sasuke is good at stifling himself. He's been doing it his entire life.

Nonetheless, he does as Naruto asks. He goes into the library and he picks up a book and stares at the words he doesn't understand until he finds one with pictures.

||XxXx||

The rest of the day goes by quietly and unceremoniously. Naruto cooks supper around six and the two of them eat in silence before retreating to their own rooms for the night. The following day, Naruto returns home with a smug smile on his face as he greets Sasuke in his room. "Here," he says before tossing Sasuke an unidentifiable object. Sasuke catches it and stares down, paling when he realizes what he's holding. He stares up at the blond in disbelief, causing him to chuckle and add, "It's a vibrator, kid. Go entertain yourself." He laughs boisterously as he leaves the room – like he just told a hilarious joke.

Sasuke purses his lips, not finding it quite as funny. "Rude," he murmurs, but nonetheless he takes the toy out of the package and examines it, resisting the temptation to use it. Instead, he leaves it in his bathroom and gets something to eat in the kitchen.

He takes another apple, since he doesn't know how to cook. He'd like to learn, though. With his freedom, there are a great many things he'd like to learn how to do – how to cook, how to ride a bike, how to clean, how to do laundry... how to read. They're mostly mundane things that most people learn on their own. With it comes autonomy and independence. He doesn't want to be forced to depend on others for the rest of his life – even if it's a life full of hide and seek with those trying to put him in his place. He's lived a sheltered life, but not sheltered in the way that most people would use it. There is nothing safe about the life he lived. It was danger. It was pure chaos and tragedy. He has a feeling it isn't going to be over this easily.

Above all else, he wants to find love – whether it's familial or romantic, it's something he so desperately wants to experience. It's something he can hardly fathom and it's something he doesn't remember ever feeling. The memories of his family are vague blurs that come and go, just like the rest of the memories of his youth.

||XxXx||

Late in the evening, Sasuke relents due to boredom. He closes his door, takes off his clothes and grabs the vibrator along with some lotion. Lying in bed, he presses it to his backside before slowly pushing it in. His lips part and he's pleasantly surprised at the sensation. He pushes against it, forcing it in deeper. He feels himself growing hard and flushed. He lets out a long moan as the toy squirms inside of him. He can get used to this – pleasuring himself and not having to worry about another person watching him or touching him in return.

He angles the vibrator, letting it brush against his prostate. His bent knees tremble and he lets out another soft moan, spreading his legs wider apart in an almost unconscious gesture. His breath hitches and he comes hard – surprised and somewhat embarrassed at how quick it happened.

He writhes as he removes the toy, holding his breath until it's gone. He stares at it, turning it off and rolling over to place it on his nightstand. He'll wash it later. He grabs a tissue, wiping his stomach off and sighing. He spreads his knees again, moving a hand between his legs to touch the stretched ring of muscle on his backside. 'It didn't even hurt...' he thinks to himself. He closes his legs and lies still on the bed, allowing himself to simply think. He feels good – content, perhaps. It's a strange and ultimately foreign feeling. He never thought it would happen like this – simply with being granted the control to use his body to please himself for once in his life.

||XxXx||

In his office, Naruto has been stifling a small smile at the sounds coming from the next room. He feels laughably smug. He continues to do paperwork and soon there's a knock at his door. "Come in," he calls. The door creaks open and Naruto looks up as Sasuke hovers in the archway.

"Hi," he greets softly.

"So, you used it?" Naruto asks knowingly.

"Yeah," he says. There's no use in denying it. He's sure that Naruto likely heard him. When it comes to sex, he's always been loud.

"What's on your mind?"

"I still don't know why I'm here," Sasuke admits. "I don't know why they helped me escape. I don't know who would want them to free me."

"Who cares?" Naruto dismisses. "You're free now and that's what matters. Save your questions. They'll all be answered eventually."

"How..." Sasuke pauses. "How can you be so nonchalant about all of this? Your cousin is alive and you've taken in a complete stranger. You seem like you have no questions."

"I have a lot of questions," Naruto says easily, "but like I said, I know they'll all be answered eventually. Karin filled in a few blanks, but I'm in no rush. I'm not particularly nosy. Apart from that, I'm used to strange surprises – whether or not they're pleasant. For now, I'll concentrate on work."

"What do you do?" Sasuke pries.

"I'm a researcher," the blond responds.

Sasuke nods slowly. "And you do experiments? On people?"

Naruto doesn't answer that. Instead, he simply stares for a moment. "Are you judging me for it?"

"Yes," Sasuke admits.

Naruto smirks at him. "To be fair, I am trying to change things. It's easier said than done, though. This is the way things have been for a long time and no one has questioned it. How do you start a revolution, Sasuke?"

"I don't know," the brunet murmurs.

"You start from the bottom and work your way up," Naruto answers his own question. "Every revolution starts with a cause and a single person."

"Hm," Sasuke muses thoughtfully. Something about the blond reminds Sasuke of Danzo. Perhaps it's in the way he speaks. Perhaps it's in the lessons his words hold, though Danzo's lessons were never gentle. They were always cruel. Speaking of... "Do you know Danzo Shimura?"

"The president?" Naruto asks. "Of course. Everyone knows him."

"No..." Sasuke pauses. "I mean, do you know him personally? I saw a picture of him in your living room."

Naruto lets out a sigh, leaning forward and steepling his fingers. "My father had ties with him. Danzo approves the experiments. Gnarly stuff. I met with him recently. He wants me to continue the experiments my father working on."

"What kind of experiments?" Sasuke asks, somewhat afraid to find out.

"We can heal wounds and deformities," Naruto answers. "We can better hearing and strength, subdue people, take memories... We can create physical arousal, which I suppose will constitute as rape. The goal was to create physical and mental arousal – something to give to unwilling sex slaves – but we haven't been able to create them to be compatible. Maybe it's impossible to create it artificially. We're trying to create false memories now."

"Rape... False memories?" Sasuke is frowning. "And you're... you're okay with this?"

"No," Naruto says calmly as he sees the brunet begin to anger. "I'm not okay with it, but I need to be careful. If I don't play my part, someone else will play it and I'll be pushed under a bus. Perhaps literally. As long as I'm in there, I'll be able to keep an eye on things."

Sasuke swallows harshly. "I've been subjected to countless drugs created by your lab."

Naruto nods sagely, unsurprised by the confession. Many of the drugs Oto creates are used on slaves.

Sasuke adds, "They injected me with something and now my childhood is fuzzy."

Naruto takes note of that. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it's so."

"I think I can help," the blond says. "If you'd like me to, that is."

"Really?"

"Yes." Naruto smiles gently. "When I have a moment, I'll help you."

"Help me...?" Sasuke whispers.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that," Naruto says sincerely, standing up and making his way across the room. "I'll try to undo it."

"I wasn't allowed to leave," the brunet adds bitterly. "It wasn't just the fact that I was a slave... it was something else. There's something strange about me."

"Why?" Naruto raises a brow at him once they're standing in front of one another.

"They wouldn't tell me. I still don't know. It's something about my family... I think they were bad. I mean... some of the people who buy me act so ruthless, like they're giving me what I deserve for being the only survivor in my clan."

Naruto stares into Sasuke's eyes. They're like two dark holes. He feels like if he stares too long, he'll get swallowed. There's something frighteningly familiar about it. Where could be possibly know this man from? "Are you really twenty-one?" he asks, grabbing Sasuke's chin and forcing eye contact.

"Yes," Sasuke almost stutters, taken aback by the other man's touch.

"Huh," Naruto muses, letting him go. "You're the same age as me. You look younger. How long have you been in the brothel?"

"Since I was around seven," Sasuke answers, "but of course I didn't work. I was too young."

"When did you start working, then?" Naruto asks.

"When I was fifteen," Sasuke states. "My virginity was auctioned off and sold to the highest bidder... which was Danzo Shimura. It was... quite a lot."

Naruto cringes at that. What a terrible way to live. He can't even begin to imagine it. "Do you mind talking about it?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "I have no secrets. Everything about me is open. I'm used to it. I talk when I'm told to talk."

"You don't need to do that," Naruto assures him. "Look, I apologize for being a dick to you earlier. If I ask you a question you don't want to answer, you don't have to. Just because I'm housing you, it doesn't mean you owe me anything."

"But I do, don't I?" Sasuke asks. "I'm indebted."

"I'm not a good person," Naruto says out of the blue. "Perhaps I used to be, but too much has changed since then. This might just be the first good thing I've ever done in a long time. Don't feel like you owe me. You don't owe me a damn thing."

"Okay," Sasuke whispers. "Still, I don't mind answering questions. Like I said, I don't have any secrets. I never have."

"I find that surprising," Naruto says. "If I found myself in your position, I don't think I could bear to talk about it."

"That's the difference, though," Sasuke replies. "I used to think like that, too. As a child I knew what my future would hold and I thought I knew how I'd handle it, but I was wrong. You can pretend it never happened until you're faced with it again. Maybe, in a sense, I've been brainwashed. It's typical. When you hear something enough times, you start to believe it. When you experience violent consequences of rebellion, you obey. It becomes normal. We've been conditioned. You can't possibly know what that's like. You don't really know how you're truly going to deal with something until you're forced into the situation. Sure, you like to think you'd be strong the entire way... but if you are, you'll die. That's how it is."

"Bitter," Naruto murmurs. "Was there ever a reward?"

"Never," Sasuke says. "Clients pay at the lobby for two reasons. First, because the money doesn't go to the workers and second, because it breaks the illusion this place sets up. People don't want to admit they're buying sex and giving a prostitute money would definitely ruin the experience."

Naruto raises an eyebrow. "I can't imagine doing that, especially without pay. It seems ultimately hopeless."

"I got a fed, sheltered, clothed and cleaned," Sasuke reasons. "That's the life of a slave."

"How did you survive?" Naruto asks, unable to fathom it.

"Take it with an empty mind," Sasuke answers easily. That has become his mantra ever since Sai spoke the words to him when they first met. "But it's okay. It's not like I slept with all the men I've been with."

"What did they want if not sex?" Naruto pries.

"Sometimes they just want what they can't find elsewhere," Sasuke says. "We cater to certain fetishes. Sometimes all I'll need to do is walk around in women's lingerie and let a man masturbate to me. It's not always about touching... but I'll admit, in most cases, it is."

Naruto wrinkles his nose. "It's not fair, is it?"

"Nothing is fair."

It's a lesson Sasuke has learned every day in his life and he has a feeling that it's a lesson that will never go away.