Notes: This is the heavily edited version of this fic. That's why some chapters are so small - the bulk of them were removed entirely. The original can be found on affnet, linked in my profile. It contains a lot of disturbing and heavy yaoi content, so read the uncut version at your own discretion.

Warnings: KyuubixSasuke

Better or Worse [ED]

Part 1

Sasuke arrived in the classic ceremonial robe. White silk, just thick enough to hide the parts of his body it covered. It was loose over his shoulders, exposing his neck and a swath of his chest. The sleeves billowed down to his knuckles, while the skirt ended just above his knees. A simple tie at the right side of his waist could be undone with a tug. The robe was designed to tempt a demon to stain it to translucence, to shred it to nothing. Yet it was tradition that any damage to the robe was forbidden. It was the temptation that mattered. This was his first time donning one. At his age that was almost unheard of. He understood why the desperate villager might doubt his ability, but the man needn't have worried.

He'd been born for this. From the moment of conception, his mother had been beset by demons. They could smell him, feel his lifeforce radiating from within her, and they'd wanted him instantly. His father had kept the weaker ones at bay, while his older brother, Itachi, had personally dealt with the rest. Tradition was to shelter rare humans like himself until they were deemed ready. Although Sasuke had considered himself ready three years ago, his father had insisted he be allowed more time to grow. Like Itachi, he'd been a fragile child, small and vulnerable, physically incapable of enduring the powerful demons who wanted him so much. Unlike Itachi, who had nearly died during his first exorcism, he was given time for his body to mature until it was at least as strong as his will.

The guilt of those three extra years was far heavier than the robe he now wore. Itachi had been claimed exclusively by a water demon shortly before Sasuke's birth. Being forced to share him with the stronger demons while Sasuke grew up had put a strain on their pact. Sasuke knew his brother had suffered during that time, the last three years being the worst. It was a debt he'd repay in full once he'd established himself as a capable exorcist. Ten years of service were required before an exorcist could be claimed. Itachi had served his time. By all rights, none but his demon mate should have ever touched him again. Now that Sasuke was deemed ready to begin his work, he was determined to establish himself quickly. That had brought him here, to the worst site of demon mayhem within his family's territory. A bold undertaking for one with no experience. The man who now avoided his gaze would rather have sent for an expert than have his village be responsible for the death of a fledgeling exorcist, especially an Uchiha.

Itachi would never have allowed him to attempt this. Even his father had protested. The nine tailed youko was notorious for having broken tradition, the unwritten laws that allowed exorcists to keep demons at bay so humanity could flourish. The last time an exorcist had confronted Kyuubi was during Itachi's youth. The unfortunate man had been shredded. The fox hadn't even bothered to use his body, let alone his lifeforce. Exorcists had sworn off him afterward, unwilling to lose another of their small number to so powerful a demon who'd so brazenly flaunt tradition that way. Sasuke had looked into the case when the message came, as it had every week for the last ten years, that the nine tails was on the rampage. The exorcist who'd been sent to him had been old, claimed and discarded many times over. He shouldn't have been sent to any of the powerful demon lords, certainly not to one as esteemed as the nine tails. It was no wonder Kyuubi had continued his rampage for so long. Even weak demons were slow to forget an insult. By all rights, he should have been placated with live sacrifices to sooth his rage. Devouring the twenty year old men in this village was a light penance for what they'd done. But not light for them, when they were reduced to old men, women, and children, the males of which had certain death to look forward to on their twentieth birthday.

"Are you able to erect a kekkai?" asked Sasuke. The man stammered an affirmative, bowing and keeping his gaze low to hide his disappointment, grief, anger, and resignation. With one look at him, the man had assumed he would fail and the village would be condemned for the death of yet another exorcist. Sasuke tried not to be insulted, angry with him. He failed. Next to Itachi, he was the most sought after exorcist in this part of the world. He had been since the day he was conceived. His lack of experience simply meant he was currently untouched. If he couldn't satisfy the nine tails, then no one ever would. Though many demons did prefer nubile child-like youths, he didn't consider his height a flaw. If anything, his lithe muscles made him more capable than the fragile, breakable, exorcists. This beaten old man was not a demon. His appraisal of him made no difference. "Do so."

The demon activity had been quiet since his arrival. When he stepped out of the hut, he felt them stir, remaining at the edges of his senses. The nine tail was not the only demon in residence here. It had many followers. Even if Sasuke were deemed unworthy of Kyuubi itself, he'd certainly be given to them. Their lust for him was a damp blanket on his skin. He was wanted. He'd always been wanted. Kyuubi would find a use for him. He had no doubts of that. For now, he ignored them. There were three men waiting a short way down the path that would take him out of the village and on to the demon's shrine. They were twenty today, frightened and hopeful, showing far more respect than their elder. One had a little girl attached to his leg. She cried as a woman tried to pull her away. If he failed, these men would go to the shrine. Better to let themselves be devoured than to have the demon enter the village in search of them. Sasuke let his confidence reassure them. They were four years older, yet to him they were the children. Exorcists lived short lives and so matured much faster than normal humans. Mentally, if not physically.

A kekkai was erected the moment he reached the shrine. It wouldn't hinder a demon of Kyuubi's level, but it kept humans from wandering in to their deaths and forced the lesser demons away. He doubted they would touch him without their master's permission. The barrier simply proclaimed his intention, that he'd come for the master himself. Since he couldn't break a kekkai he had not personally created, it also made him a prisoner at the demon's mercy. Demons were very touchy creatures. The smallest slight could ruin an exorcism. Sasuke was determined to make no mistakes.

He removed his sandals and sat on his knees with his back to the shrine. It was an ancient structure, small and decrepit, with not an offering in sight. The villagers resented losing their young men too much to give anything more. One more insult to the nine tail. It was a wonder the demon hadn't destroyed them all. He lowered his head and lay his hands on his thighs, palms up to show his obeisance. He meditated, letting his lifeforce waft away from him. The lesser demons surged against the kekkai, their hungry din not unlike what he had heard outside his family home every day of his life. The old man's kekkai was nothing to what his mother could create. If these demons had been less respectful of their master, they could have rushed through the barrier easily. It was good that they didn't. He refused to waste his first exorcism on such weak creatures and destroying them would only anger the nine tailed demon he'd come to placate. He wouldn't be touched by them unless that was what Kyuubi wanted of him.

A concentration of youki told of the demon's arrival. Demonic energy was heavy, draining, smothering to humans and exorcists alike. This curled around him, feeling him, but not overwhelming him. The sheer mass of it alarmed him. Either reports had underestimated the demon's strength or it had gotten far stronger in the ten years since its last absence from the human realm. For the first time, fear tingled along his spine. He was relieved. Demons preferred fear, enjoyed the scent and taste of it. He'd worried that his lack of fear might be taken as an insult. An exorcist who didn't fear powerful demons was a worthless exorcist, with only a few exceptions. Itachi had long since outgrown any fear, making the last years all the more difficult for him. Only the fact that the more powerful demons had known him, remembered him, had kept them from torturing him in a futile attempt to arouse the fear Itachi was no longer capable of feeling. Sasuke didn't have that problem. By the time the demon penetrated the barrier, his skin was clammy and his heart raced. He didn't let himself tremble, but he did nothing to suppress the other signs. He listened to the huffs of breath as the demon took in his scent. It drew nearer until he could feel the hot breaths on his face, his chest, his lap.

'You'll do.'

The words were a velvety murmur in his mind. By addressing him, the demon invited him to respond. He opened his eyes and immediately understood why it hadn't spoken aloud. It was in the form of a red fox, though the body was more wolf-like than anything. It was far smaller than its natural mountain sized form, but still larger than Sasuke had expected. The head towered over him and would have reached his shoulder or higher had he been standing. Now his fear was very real. Kyuubi was huge. The village was too remote to reach his mother in time to be healed if the damage was truly bad. He swallowed painfully. Itachi had warned him about his over confidence. This was the price of his conceit. He looked up into the demon's blazing red eyes. "How will you have me?"

'Screaming beneath me.' Kyuubi growled in amusement, tails rustling behind it.

.-.

'Look at me.'

Sasuke forced his red eyes to open. When he blinked them, blood trailed down his face. The fox immediately licked his cheeks clean.

'A first time exorcist attempting to satisfy me,' Kyuubi mocked, with amused approval. 'Yes, you'll do. You'll do nicely.'

The vines returned, lifting him to his feet and holding him steady when he would have fallen. More lifted his robe, pulling it onto him and tying it properly in place. Sasuke forced himself not to crumple when they promptly left him standing on his own wobbling legs. The demon was larger now, at eye level with him. He struggled not to let any more blood escape his eyes while it regarded him. "The village?" His voice was a scratchy whisper. He'd strained it so much he wouldn't be able to speak normally for days.

'I'm finished with them. They're safe. At least from me.'

The fox demon turned and bounded away. By the time he reached the kekkai, his head was higher than the trees. He shattered the barrier effortlessly. The waiting demons scattered in his wake. The moment the last tail vanished from sight, Sasuke collapsed. He remained curled over his knees, shuddering, for a long while.

His capacity to absorb demonic energy was smaller than he'd thought. He'd been a fool to attempt such a powerful demon so soon. Watching the demon depart, he'd thought of it as male. That was another mistake. Demons were neither sex, or both. They were whatever they chose to be. Most chose male forms to deal with humans simply because they preferred penetrating. He should have brought a healer with him. The trip home would be a long painful one. But he'd done it. The village was safe, Kyuubi's temper was soothed, and he was still alive.

Pride carried him back to the village. The marks on his neck told them he had met with their demon. One of the waiting men burst into tears, immediately turning away in shame at his own reaction. The father of the little girl thanked him from a distance, as did the formerly skeptical elder. This village would be indebted to the Uchiha's for years to come. But none of them would approach him now. When his horse was fetched, they left it a good distance away. Even those too far away to see his red eyes could feel the youki radiating off him. His horse had been bred to carry exorcists. That was the only thing that let him gain the saddle. Sitting was painful. Every part of him ached and throbbed. But he had a conveyance waiting just outside the village. He'd make it that far. By the time he got home, everyone would know what he'd done. He was truly an exorcist now.

.-.

TBC