Chapter One

Blizzard

"...What do you mean, you broke him," Sasuke growled as more red lightning crackled on Naruto's face. Angard stepped up beside him, his amethyst sword clinking on the ground. Nagen floated forward to inspect Naruto's face more closely, and the blonde's hand flashed out and grasped the soul-sphere tightly.

"Oh, well, you see," Consecro started and smiled. "We couldn't get the Kyuubi, yet anyway...so we sealed the two away. We created a new Naruto Uzumaki...one who doesn't need you as a friend." Sasuke shuddered in anger as Naruto carelessly tossed Nagen aside, the orb hitting the dusty ground with a thump. "...I can't float!" the orb exclaimed, and sounds of struggling came from the soul-sphere as it rolled around uselessly on the ground.

The group behind Consecro laughed at Nagen's plight. Sasuke leaned forward and gazed into Naruto's blue eyes, hard with hatred as they stared back. "You left me," the blonde whispered. Sasuke froze as he raised his arm to fling shruikens at Consecro mercilessly. "Three years," Naruto continued lowly. "Naruto..." Sasuke whispered, scared. Scared for himself, scared for Angard, Nagen...

For Naruto.

As Sasuke gazed at the vengeful person across the sunny clearing, he felt a fear unmatched by any emotion he had ever felt before swell inside of his heart like a tsunami when he recognized the emotion in Naruto's eyes. He knew what it was that the blonde felt in there...it was...revenge!

"How could you do this to him?" Angard asked slowly, and Sasuke remembered that the Daemon was involved in this as well, and the pain in his voice went unmasked as the brunette strode forward to stop barely two feet in front of Naruto, towering over the blonde's form and carefully wielding a silver shield on his left arm.

"I told you," Consecro said dismissively, closing his eyes and faking a yawn, eventually peering through one eye cheekily at the Daemon. "We couldn't get the Kyuubi. Apparently the two have become...quite close. So until we find a way to summon the demon...we created the perfect weapon against you. Naruto Uzumaki as you knew him is gone."

A shiver ran through Sasuke's form, and his vision and mind consisted of one thing: Consecro, and ripping the child limb. From. Limb. How dare he defile Naruto this way?! Twisting his mind, his heart, making him an unrecognizable force of nature and forcing him to work for them! Their evil, evil ways that went unmatched by anything on this Earth...

"I will kill you for this," Sasuke snarled, and Vixyed laughed, voice devoid of humor. "Now you know how it feels!" He yelled back and peered around Consecro, eyes frantic with insanity and anger. "Now you know what it's like to lose someone you love!" Sasuke started forward and managed to stalk forward a few steps, but then Angard's arm suddenly shot out to block his path.

"Stay," he whispered, and Sasuke peered around his shoulder to see his now pure black eyes locked with Naruto's. The blonde appeared to be frozen; his hands were clenched by his sides and his eyebrows were pulled into a scowl, but he didn't move from the spot he was in. "If you fight them now, your rage will consume you and you will lose. Remember what Ira told you."

Don't lose sight of what you want...Yeah, Sasuke remembered. Didn't mean he liked it though. "...We came here for Naruto," Angard called, and all the humans in front of them suddenly flinched at the sheer hatred in his tone. "And we will take him. You will not interfere, and you will not come after us in any way. If you do, the Daemons will declare war on human kind."

Consecro's eyes widened, and the legion behind him all took in a sharp breath as they dropped their various barbed weapons to the ground. "Master Angard, you wouldn't," the Damned said in a hushed voice. "And as for you," the Daemon continued as if Consecro hadn't spoken, "You are here by banished to the Hole. You will leave all Daemon residences and immediately begin your services-"

"You can't send me there!" Consecro snarled suddenly, hazel eyes wide with fear and anger as his face twisted into decaying flesh, muscle dripping from under his robes and Sasuke fought back a look of disgust at the sight.

Black tendrils lashed out from Angard and latched onto the boy's arms, and steam rose from where they contacted his skin, and he screamed in agony. "For committing treason against the Elders of the First Division Royals, Consecro, you are hereby sentenced to the Eternal Flame by order of the Elder Sorrow Angard."

Angard raised his arm and pointed at Consecro, and a gaping hole opened under his feet, the black lines on his arms beginning to drag him under as he writhed in their burning grip. "Burn in hell," he added lowly as Consecro's torso vanished into the hole's depths.

The Damned's screams echoed around the trees as his head was slowly pulled under as well, and once he was fully gone, the pit closed and the ground knit back together. Silence fell on everyone, even the four people now huddled on the corners of the clearing and were suddenly edging their way into the tree line, when Angard flicked his wrist and a clear, purple glass cover suddenly walled in the space with more of the Daemon's unusual language etched into it's depths, the height reaching the tips of the leaves on the trees.

"You can't keep us here," Puldrey sneered, but his glare was wiped from his face when Angard's image flickered, disappearing and then showing up to tower over the human. "I can do whatever I want," the brunette said, voice dangerously low. "I'm afraid not," a new voice suddenly announced.

Chills ran down Sasuke's spine as the coldness in that voice suddenly sparked a memory in his mind, and his first thought was to protect Naruto, who was currently standing still, limbs limp and his eyes locked on a spot on the ground. Spinning since he was facing away from the rock Naruto had emerged from, he drew his katana and held it in front of his body while pressing his palm to Naruto's chest to face the hooded man that Sasuke had seen in his vision, pitch black covering his face under his brown hood as he emerged from the hole under the obsidian rock.

Angard turned as well, and Nagen, who was able to fly again, went to hover by Sasuke's head, and as he brushed against the raven's head, a vision of a red headed man with brown and yellow eyes baring a snarl on his lips filled his mind for a brief moment, then vanished once Nagen broke the contact.

"You," Angard breathed out. The hooded man laughed. "Master Angard," he greeted with a sweeping bow, a pale hand and slender fingers emerging from his sleeve as he crossed it over his chest. "It is an honor to meet you in person. I must say, the myths of your accomplishments do not go unnoticed amongst our kind. You are legendary."

"It sickens me to be held in such high esteem by ones such as you," Angard snarled. The man laughed, voice devoid of humor. "I apologize for the unbecoming greeting my pets and servants have given to you," he said, and the hood turned towards the cowering group behind Angard.

"You four. Inside," he commanded, and Sasuke turned his head for a brief moment to see all four, including Vixyed who was fixing a cold glare on the raven, vanish in a cloud of black smoke. "Troublesome humans. They never know how to listen," the man chuckled. Then it seemed that he turned his eyes to Sasuke.

"Ah. You must be Uchiha Sasuke," he hissed, and Sasuke pressed his back even further against Naruto's chest. "How do you know who I am," he growled back. "My dear boy. Your brother's...activities do not escape me. Nor does his younger sibling who left his best friend for three years."

"Don't you dare talk about my brother," Sasuke yelled and if the urge to protect Naruto wasn't his most pressing need, he would be running forward to slice this horrible creature's head off. As it was, the figure was outlined with red and Sasuke tasted copper on his mouth.

Another chilling laugh filled the air, and Sasuke could have sworn the temperature dropped a few degrees. "Very well," he conceded and bowed yet again. "However, I know of you specifically because of your...lovely little friend behind you." Sasuke stiffened. Naruto talked about me...?

As if the man had read his thoughts, he nodded. "He often spoke of you, your leader Kakashi, and your friend...Sakura." He hissed the rosette's name. "At first, he was convinced you three would come to rescue him," Sasuke winced at the obvious jab, "But...when we broke him, he hated you. Oh, the words he said, they would drive you insane if you heard them..."

This time Sasuke couldn't hold back a flinch, and he unconsciously again pressed against Naruto as if the action would contradict the hooded man's twisted lies. "What the hell are you?" Sasuke asked in thinly veiled despair. "You may refer to me as The Chosen One."

Angard barked out a harsh laugh. "You are not 'Chosen'," he snarled. "Humans are not meant to become Daemon. Or Demon! You are deluded for even attempting something of this magnitude! If you turn every last human down there, consequences of the worst kind will happen."

The Chosen One laughed. "You cannot stop us now, Master Angard." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and suddenly his already Sharnigan-enhanced vision sharpened, and purple flames flickered around himself and Naruto. Sasuke looked around himself and saw a towering, purple skeletal figure wielding a long sword and shield, yellow eyes glowing maliciously in its eye sockets.

"...Susano'o," The Chosen One whispered. Sasuke grinned as the fear in the man's voice leaked out slowly. "Maybe he can't stop you..." Sasuke took a step forward, and the hooded figure staggered back as Susano'o swung its sword towards him and barely brushing the deep brown robes. "But I can. And I will." The man was pressed against the obsidian rock, and no-where left to go as Sasuke stalked forward to encase him in Susano 'o's depths, brushing his katana against the man's chest.

"You are arrogant boy," The Chosen One snarled, and then his figure was replaced by more black smoke, and Sasuke leapt back to stand in front of Naruto as the obsidian rock before him slammed over the hole in the ground.

Every living creature (minus Naruto) held their breaths as they waited for an attack, but none came. Warily, Sasuke dispelled Susano'o and deactivated his Sharnigan, turning to face Naruto, Nagen, and Angard. The Daemon's eyes were back to brown and blue, their depths encased with sorrow...and relief.

"I'll go find Ira and Kunae," he stated. "I managed to lock the consciousness the Deceived placed inside Naruto away for a few hours, so right now he's unconscious. I'll bring Nagen with me, so stay here until we get back."

The Daemon walked forward quickly and pressed his palm on the black boulder, purple characters etching into the base, then he leapt off with an orange blur close behind him.

Sasuke didn't know what to do know as he stared at the blonde boy before him, blue eyes dull and red lightning crackling every now and then on his cracked skin. He noticed that, just as it was in his vision, Naruto was just barely shorter than the raven, and he was glad for that.

Pressing his palm again Naruto's cheek, Sasuke tried to tilt the boy's head up, and eventually managed to move his neck so it seemed like his blue eyes were staring into midnight black.

Except they were devoid of emotion.

Sasuke flinched when he gazed into Naruto's blue orbs, knowing that they once had held such sparkling laughter, which changed to hard hatred in a span of three years. Hatred directed at Sasuke. "Naruto..." Sasuke managed to whisper, and then he wrapped his arms tight around Naruto's shoulders, burying his face the junction between the blonde's shoulder and neck.

The Uchiha clenched his eyes tight as tears overflowed from them, tightening his grip and more pain crashing down on his mind when Naruto's arms didn't return the embrace. "I'm so sorry," Sasuke said softly, brokenly, into Naruto's skin, as if the apology would bring the blonde back to him.

Nothing happened.

A strangled sob pressed against Sasuke's lips, but he refused to let it escape, and instead he tightened his arms around the blonde as a hand pressed against his shoulder blades. Head raising quickly, Sasuke studied Naruto's face and saw that one of his arms was pressed against his back.

The blonde's face was still blank, but Sasuke saw a flash of brightness in those dull blue orbs, and he knew that the real Naruto was in there somewhere...fighting to get out. It showed in the arm wrapped around Sasuke's back and the color in his eyes. It showed in the shallow breathing that brushed against the hollow of Sasuke's neck and in the blonde hair that was ruffled in the warm breeze that filled the clearing.

Sasuke again felt tears prick his eyes and despised the weakness he was exhibiting...but he knew that there was a chance of getting Naruto back from the Deceived's clutches. And as he looked into Naruto's eyes, a resolve set inside himself that he wouldn't break no matter what. "I will find you Naruto. I promise."

8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Deep within the darkness of Naruto's mind, the blonde floated amongst images that were too horrifying for his eyes to witness, and he covered his eyes with his arm in a vain attempt to erase the awful screaming that he heard. "Kyuubi!" he shouted again, trying to find the fox demon somewhere in this hell.

Nothing.

Naruto froze in his movements, hovering in the air when a deep voice reached him, shattering through the voices and the images and creating a pinprick of light that he could barely see.

"I will find you Naruto. I promise."

Naruto gazed at the light, the voice so familiar and yet, a stranger to his ears. Who could possibly save him from this torture...? He didn't know. But he sure as hell wanted to find out.

The prophecy The Chosen One had recited then flashed in his ears, and he flinched as he recalled the message.

The boy with whiskers thrice

Hiding the darkest of evil inside

Become the gateway

To Hell divine.