K = Kyuubi
N = Naruto
K/ Kyuubi's eyes strained through the evening darkness that had started to cloud the forest, attempting to find any sort of hiding place he could. He had rather easily managed to incapacitate one of the Paths of Pein and taken its cloak, clothing himself in the black fabric. Naruto was slung over his back, hand around Kyuubi's neck and Kyuubi's hands holding up on the bottom of his thighs. Even at the high speed he was able to move at, it didn't feel fast enough. He couldn't see as well as before, he couldn't move as quickly, he wasn't as agile, and a small chunk of his previous energy was gone, only to be replaced by some of the Uzumaki boy's. While he reveled in his freedom from the other's mind, he couldn't help but be furious over being stuck inside this human form.
It was about forty five minutes after escaping the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path that the demon in human form managed to find the entrance to an old, abandoned tunnel route. He slipped inside and dismantled Naruto from his body, lying the unconscious body in the dirt. The entrance was large enough to allow moonlight in for a small amount of vision, but miniscule enough to keep them hidden. Kyuubi, while he likely would have been able to overthrow Madara and Pein in his original form due to the Mangekyou's lack of effectiveness on him, the combination of the Chibaku Tensei and Madara's general power and stamina wasn't something he was going to risk in the newfound mortal body.
N/ Naruto woke to a splitting headache. All things considered, it was an anticlimax. The parts of him that could remember what happened - fuzzy at best - had not expected to wake at all, but there he was, forcing bloodshot eyes open and just a little surprised to discover that yes, he was still breathing. His throat was raw, as though someone had forced him to swallow sand or worse, and his eyes refused to work properly but he was breathing, still breathing and that was good enough. So what if the world was blurry when he opened his eyes, and so what if he felt like maybe throwing up a little.
Still alive. gonna focus on that. "Nnnrgh." A garbled sound as he forced himself into a lopsided sitting position on the ground. Okay. What had happened? He blinked at his... knees. Those were his knees. His pants. At least he had pants. Where was he? Dimly, he remembered screaming. Heat, pain. Oh yeah, a lot of that. But, still alive, so screw it. Weapons, did he have any?
On automatic he felt for his kunai. Shuriken pouch. Both gone. Okay. No weapons then. "...shit." He changed a look around him, willing his eyes to focus somehow.
He was still breathing, and that was good enough. So what if the world was blurry when he opened his eyes, and so what if he felt like maybe throwing up a little.
K/ Kyuubi had put himself on lookout with Naruto still unconscious, making sure he couldn't sense any other strong chakras coming their way. He had already started to theorize that the two of them were likely still attached, as he could feel his own chakra in Naruto and vice versa. Along with this, he had been extremely weak when he had freed himself from Naruto, who had been close to death. As they had made their escape, the demonic chakra had started to heal Naruto which was, in turn, rejuvenating Kyuubi's health despite him having no visible injury. It only made sense, and it wasn't something he was looking forward to testing. There wasn't any way around it, he would just have to keep Naruto from being killed until he could figure out how to steal back his own chakra.
"Hm?" His glowing orange eyes glanced back over his shoulder as he saw the ninja starting to sit up in the dirt. "Keep quiet," he hissed, voice sharp through the resounding silence.
N/ If the movement hadn't caught his attention, then the unfamiliar voice would have done the job. Naruto froze, hand instinctively moving for the weapon he no longer had and trying to place the voice, then failing. He didn't recognize it. It wasn't Pein, it wasn't anyone he knew in Konoha (but a lot of them were dead anyway and no, now was not the time to think about that. ) He didn't know it, and he didn't know where he was, and he didn't know what had happened but someone was trying to order him around.
Just for that, he raised his voice. "Who's there?" Hand seeking out something he could use as a weapon. Even if it was only a rock. Naruto could be inventive when he needed to, any shinobi could. Maybe he needed to now. "Where am I? What the hell happened?"
K/ "Unless you want to be found, keep your voice fucking quiet!" Kyuubi whispered again, a growl embedded in his throat. His own voice sounded like something in between his original voice and Naruto's. "Madara and Pein are still looking for us, no doubt about it." He was sure that neither of the two men were going to give up so quickly after almost having the Kyuubi in their grasps.
"Honestly, I've lived inside you for your whole life and you still don't recognize my chakra? You're just as dense as I thought," he murmured back, his voice kept to a low murmur. It wasn't like him to be so cautious, but there was no helping it at the moment.
N/ There was an immediate protest in his throat, and anger churning in his gut, so while he heard the words that were said to him, it couldn't be said that he was listening exactly. Instead he was trying to get to his feet, because what did register were words like Madara and Pein and while he wasn't sure who the first was, he remembered Pein well enough.
It turned out that standing was tricky, and so Naruto used the closest rock wall for leverage, stumbling toward it half blind. He still needed a weapon. He still didn't know where he was, or who was talking to him. Even if certain bizarre facts were starting to trickle in, the impossibility of it all far outweighed the obvious hints he'd been given. "Why d'you sound like me?" That was his voice, wasn't it? It was, in a way, his voice but rougher, and it was all wrong because of it. It was also a ridiculous thing to focus on, but Naruto's mind was muddled and still climbing out of unconsciousness.
K/ "I swear, you'd be the only person to wake up, half dead and still mostly unconscious, and ask why somebody's voice sounds like it does," Kyuubi murmured sarcastically in as low a voice he could manage, eyes still looking out of the small hole in wait of some attack from Madara or Pein. "It's 'cause I am you... part of you at least, sadly," he explained, "You at least know who I am now, right?" It would be absolutely incredulous if Naruto couldn't determine the signature of chakra that had lived inside him for his whole life, even in such a state. "I'll explain everything once we've gotten out of here. You were about dead, I had to stop so you could rest... all that jumping around wasn't helping anything."
N/ He tried not to get insulted at all that, he really did, but it was very hard to do as disoriented as he was, and as irritated as he was rapidly becoming. Add in a healthy touch of denial and Naruto's response was to glower. "I don't know what the hell you're even talking about!" What was this 'we' thing anyway? "I don't know who you are, but if you're working for that bastard, then you can go to hell!" Yeah, that was better. Whatever creeping recognition he had for Kyuubi's chakra was disregarded, because it was impossible. Because if Kyuubi wasn't inside him, then he was dead, and he definitely wasn't dead. Case in point, he was heading for the entrance of the cave, (albeit, still using the wall for support) alive and not-very-well, but upwardly mobile at least. "I'm gettin' outta here."
K/ Kyuubi rolled his head back, letting out a small sigh of exasperation. "I thought you were stupid, but right now you're being downright thick headed," Kyuubi shot, his voice sharp even while he whispered. He let the other pass him for a moment before walking backwards, holding the Akatsuki cloak he'd stolen up from the ground as not to trip over it. "If you think I'm letting you go anywhere, there's no chance," he murmured, sidestepping in front of the other's path. "You're weak, and if you die, I die... and there isn't a chance in hell that I'll be dying because of your stupid ass." He shook his head with a stern look, peering back over his shoulder at the entrance. "I had to swap some of our chakra when Pein and Madara tried to pull me out of you to keep both of us alive, happy? I'll give you the long explanation if you'll let me get us to somewhere safe," he said, although it didn't sound much like he intended on not getting them somewhere safe, whether Naruto agreed to it or not.
N/ "Get the hell outta my way." That was his first response. It was the easiest to focus on, the most immediate concern. The obstacle in his path, the person who was saying things and offering information that Naruto's mind refused to grasp. It was hardly that he couldn't, more that he didn't want to. This couldn't be the fox, the fox was a giant mass of roiling hatred and Naruto doubted that it would save him even if it meant prolonging his own existence.(Except he knew it would, it had in the past. It. He. Naruto didn't know how to quantify it.) This person was talking about swapping chakra and Pein, and Madara, and Konoha was still a crater in the ground, and he wanted Naruto to stay put? Hell no. "I don't give a shit who you think you are, you're not keeping me here!" His voice was anything but a whisper, rising instead to a reckless shout. He moves to shove Kyuubi out of the way. He may have been physically weak, but he wasn't about to lie down and obey.
K/ Kyuubi's face was predominantly deadpan, although a bit of frustration showed in his eyes. "Not likely," was his verbal response, although it didn't come for a few moments. "I didn't manage to stay alive after being ripped from your body just to let you kill me," he shot, one hand grasping the front of Naruto's shirt. "You know what my power feels like, now feel it," he growled, stretching his fingers out and sending a blast of chakra out through his palm, sending a weak-bodied Naruto back to a part of the cave that had little to no light in it. With his speed, he'd managed to get there well in time to grab Naruto before he fell to the ground. He had one hand around his shirt collar and the other around his neck, holding him up in the air. "I would have preferred you come with me by choice, it makes things a lot easier. I don't plan on killing you, I don't want to die. If my life didn't depend on you, I wouldn't give killing you a second though but... it does." He sneered, swallowing hard before looking towards the entrance once more; still no sign, but he could swear he felt the smallest inkling of Madara's chakra; it figured he would come, as Nagato was almost out of chakra. "Shit, Madara's on his way," he cursed to himself, heaving out a grunt. Madara on his own wouldn't be able to handle Kyuubi, but in a humanized form with his power limited, he wasn't sure he could both defend himself and defend Naruto.
N/ There was no way he could not recognize that chakra. It had wormed its way inside him when he was just an hour old, it was as intrinsic as his own was on some insidious level, and so he recognized it. Hard to miss when it was blasted into his chest. In the next moment, his back was against the wall, and there were dark spots dancing in front of his eyes, and he was struggling to stay standing, muttering a curse under his breath. Realization was crashing in, and with it a healthy dose of dread. The Kyuubi was free, but stuck in a human body? Naruto groaned, sinking, except he didn't hit the ground. He was being suspended(not 'helped' the fox wouldn't help him.) "N-no way." Yes, way. Talking about killing and his life depending on Naruto and- "What?" Naruto's own hand wavered up, to clutch at Kyuubi's shoulder with a steel-cast grip that belied his current state. There were other things trickling through as well. "Madara's..." If that man was on his way, they'd need to relocate. "We need t'go." Need manifested that 'we'. This was survival, for now. Nothing more. Naruto would figure out what the hell was going on, once he could think clearly. If he had enough chakra he could create some clones... maybe they'd be diversion enough.
K/ "Good, you're finally getting what's going on." Kyuubi seemed to have much more of a sense of urgency than Naruto had, but that could be due to his actual complete consciousness as opposed to Naruto's daze. "Yeah, that Madara. Y'know, the one that managed to control me with a single fucking look." Of course, that was impossible for him to do anymore due to Yondaime's Contract Seal that was set in place god-knows how many years ago, but the idea still made Kyuubi's blood boil. His slitted pupils thinned as he hear a crash from a ways away, a growl coming from his throat. He watched Naruto for a moment, shaking his head as soon as he realized his thoughts. "I know how you think, and don't do it. You'll end up hurting yourself, that'll fuck me up and Madara 'll get us. You're not the type to listen, I know that well enough, but I swear if you don't listen to every little thing I tell you until we're out of here, I'll make you regret it," he threated, his hand tightening slightly around his throat before letting him go. He turned his back to Naruto, leaning over a bit. "Now get on my back, it's the easiest way for me to carry you."
N/ Naruto didn't know what Kyuubi was talking about. Madara controlling him? The statement earned Kyuubi a fuzzy blink, but that was about all. Those were details Naruto's mind wasn't up to processing at this point in time. He could barely register that this person was really the Kyuubi/ Part of his mind still doubted it. Most of it whispered that this was a genjutsu. After all, Madara was a master at mind tricks. Naruto wouldn't put this past him. But the why eluded him. "Che. Don't tell me what t'do, bastard." What he meant was; don't underestimate me. Naruto hadn't survived as long as he had on pure chance and the Kyuubi's chakra. He cast the man a glower at the threat, clearly unimpressed. That the fox knew him well enough to guess the directions his thoughts had taken was disconcerting though. "Wouldn't need many." A defiant mumble. He slapped at Kyuubi's hand with a wince and then found himself staring at the expanse of back presented. There was only one thing he could say. "Oh, hell no."
K/ "I've been alive a hell of a lot longer than you and I've fought a lot of people you wouldn't last nearly as long as you lasted with Pein. If you think you can take me just because you've got a fair amount of experience yourself, you're overestimating yourself," the Kyuubi spat, looking over his shoulder, "You wouldn't even have been able to defeat Orochimaru without my tailed beast ball." His hands were balled up now, his long and rather sharp nails almost cutting into his skin. "If you think anything less than fifty would be able to distract Madara, you're only making your inexperience with the wielder of an eternal Mangekyou more obvious," the Kyuubi said, "Now you have two choices; Get on my back, or you resist and I carry you and slam you into every tree we pass."
N/ Ahh! Stop doing that!" Frustrated and wondering how in the hell this guy was reading his thoughts, Naruto stayed right where he was, blue eyes narrowing at the insults thrown his way. If the fox thought he had an advantage just because he was free, then he was mistaken. He was stuck in a human body. A powerful one, apparently, but- "Yeah, but you've still gotta run from Madara now, don'tcha?" Quiet and nothing less than a very pointed jab. "That's gotta sting, huh?" Running from anyone or anything stung. Naruto knew how that was. Being slammed into a tree wasn't exactly a deterrent either. Sakura had slammed him into walls plenty of times. It wouldn't kill him. Kyuubi would make sure of that. He had to. Naruto wavered, eyes dropping to where those nails were digging into skin- was that skin paler than his own? A shade or two? Did it matter? "...all right. But you let me hit any trees, and I'll yell so loud, there's no way Madara won't know where we are." A pointed threat. For now he's oblige. Later... well. He's figure out how to put the fox back where he was supposed to be. Looking distinctly reluctant, he climbed on board, slinging his arms over those shoulders.
K/ Living in another's body and having absolutely nothing to do but watch their every action and listen to their every inner torment for a decade and a half, give or take a few years, definitely gave some insight to a person; you learned them well, whether you wanted to or not. He was limited to a human body, sure... but then again, so was Naruto when he defeated Pein, so was Itachi when he killed an entire clan, so was the Sage of the Six Paths when he made his numerous achievements, and so was Madara when he'd taken control of the most powerful beast in existence, not including the former ten tailed beast. "Quiet," Kyuubi snarled back, "I wouldn't have to if I wouldn't have to defend your weak ass." He disregarded the insult for now, allowing the other to climb onto his back. "Hold onto my neck unless you want to fall off," he instructed, grabbing the back of the tired boy's thighs, starting towards the edge of the cage. "Fuck, he's closer now," he growled, "You give any sign and I'll let Madara whack you around until your within inches of your death." Kyuubi sucked in a deep breath, already formulating a route in his mind. He closed his eyes, a red aura of chakra surrounding him as it had Naruto when he lost control of his seal. Four tails slid out of the aura, as he figured that would allow him enough speed to get away for now. Madara could transport himself through time and space immediately, but he had to be able to find his target to get to it. He let out a small, feral growl before zooming out of the cave, leaving as little a trail as he could manage while still staying under the cover of bushes and trees.
It was a good half hour before he slowed and he was many, many miles away from their starting point. He looked around and set the wind-whipped blonde down, throwing him off more than letting him gently slide off. "We're safe… for now. I can't feel Madara anymore."