Yeaaa… oO I dunno. I started working on this, so I haven't updated my other fic… Sorry! x: I hope it's enjoyable enough to make up for it... -sweatdrop-

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Chapter 1: Of Your Prison.

In the small apartment, the blonde boy writhed uncomfortably in his blankets. No position was secure, hands gripped the sheets and twisted them, sweat beading down his face as he gritted his teeth together. His heart beat hard and rapidly against his ribs. His stomach burned as he groaned through his clenched teeth, balling into himself. What was happening..! Where did these sudden pains come from! It was nothing natural, no...

His whiskered cheeks were red with the heat of illness, eyes closed tightly, trapping him inside his sleep. His gasping breaths wouldn't cease, as he felt suffocated by the imaginary humidity around him. Uzumaki Naruto would do anything about now just to wake up, because...

"Well, this is interesting, isn't it?" a deep voice mused. Blue eyes finally shot open – not to see the real world, but a dream; for lack of any other word, for it felt too real...

Naruto panted, finding himself on what could've been the ground, but it just seemed all black, and cloudy. It was like an ominous fog plane, of some sort. He looked for the source of the voice, but his eyes were blurred from hot tears in effect of his pain, and he felt dizzy trying to sit up.

He yelled out hoarsely, "Who's there!" immediately breaking out in a coughing fit right after speaking. The deep voice sounded displeased when again it rang out in echoes in the black void of his sleep.

"Pathetic human... Stuck in a seal on your stomach practically since your birth, and just now I loosen enough to just be free in your sleep? Perhaps that makes me the pathetic one."

Naruto gasped, dulled blue eyes widening. "K... Kyuubi?" he whispered. "No way..." He was responded to with a kick to the stomach, rolling across the cloudy ground. "Ugh..!" He skidded to a stop slowly, landing on his back roughly. He coughed some more, blood retreating down his jaw from his mouth, and tears escaping his eyes. 'W... what the hell is going on... I thought Kyuubi... would be secured in the seal...'

He was about to curl up again when a figure came into his view; though strangely, it was a man-form. A tall, muscled man with deep red eyes, thin pupils like that of a fox, wild black hair that graced down to his shoulders... And oddly, he still had the vulpine ears and the nine fox tails, along with whiskered cheeks matching the poor boy beneath him. A strong leg came down on the Kyuubi-carrier's stomach, holding him in place. Kyuubi said nothing, but glared angrily at the boy for being strong enough to still have kept him condemned for 12 years.

"12 years, and all I get is this stupid freedom..?" he growled, long fangs exposed, pushing his leg against Naruto's rib cage. Gasping, the blonde grabbed at his leg, crying out in the pain. If he pushed any harder, he was sure it would break him quite literally. Kyuubi laughed at the boy's futile attempt to push him off. Naruto was clutching as hard as he could, but was so weak that in reality, it felt like he was merely touching the attacker's limb. "I'll torture you in your sleep, Naruto-kun... Until I find a way out of this damnation, I will haunt you..!"

With that, the boy jolted from his bed, shaking violently. Sunlight flowed through his window, onto him and his bed, highlighting the trickles of sweat falling from him all over. He was breathing heavily, fingers twisting his covers again.

'No... No way was that actually real...' His eyes were wide still, and trembling hands lifted up his shirt slowly, finding what proved it to him; large bruises that had formed on his chest and stomach. He stared in disbelief, and even rubbed his eyes – which were still a bit teary – but the wounds remained. Never in his life had Naruto felt so weakened by anything, and this weakness was excruciating.

"C... calm down..." Naruto eased himself, closing his eyes. His teeth grinded together, and he clutched his stomach. The seal on him started to burn again, and it felt like a punch to the stomach.

'Come back to sleep, Naruto-kun..!' A voice echoed all around him.

"No..! Leave me... alone, Kyu... Kyuubi..." Naruto's words faded slowly, but he fought to keep consciousness. "I won't... I won't bend to you!"

Suddenly, his head stopped spinning, and the sick feeling in his stomach slowly ceased. Azure eyes opened again, apprehensively, almost expecting to see the lifeless black dream world again. But he found himself in his bedroom, supposedly safe.

'Wh... What the hell is happening?' Naruto had no clue, but right now... he just wanted the security of being near people... 'Guess I'll... go to training after all...'

"Nee, this is really odd..." Sakura muttered, looking around the bridge Team 7 always met on. Sasuke and Kakashi looked towards her. (Something's wrong with this picture!) She made a strange face, something made of disbelief and impatience. "No one's ever later than Kakashi-sensei..."

"Aa," Sasuke agreed, looking a bit frustrated. Why was it that when the dobe wasn't around he was always so agitated, anyway..?

Kakashi giggled, his Icha Icha Paradise book held out in front of him, saying, "He wants to follow in my footsteps, it seems!" Sasuke and Sakura stared. And stared some more.

"Yea, right..." A scratchy voice erupted through the silence created between the sensei and his students. They glanced over to see Naruto, but... Was it really him?

The hyperactive boy looked nothing like himself. Under his eyes was all ready darkened from exhaustion, blue eyes still dull. His naturally sun-like hair didn't hold its common shine today, and his skin was paled to nearly the shade of Sasuke's. Even his clothes were different – Usual pants, but they were a black hue, and he wore a black tank top with short fishnet sleeves. No, these weren't the usually sunny day colors of their teammate, were they..?

Coughing, Naruto tried to seem his usual okay and happy self, but it was an act even Sakura couldn't buy. His step as he approached them wasn't even the same! It had no bounce, no real energy like it usually would.

Upon seeing their worried, shocked glances, Naruto asked what was wrong.

"Naruto, you..." Sakura stared at him, seeming to be at a loss of words.

"You look terrible," Sasuke muttered. Even he was shocked, and became extremely worried about the boy.

"Eh..? I'm fine," Naruto said; the biggest lie he ever told. But he didn't want to worry his teammates, plus he didn't want to be alone, and they'd probably just suggest he go back home and rest... but he was also afraid to sleep. He almost felt the tears again as he remembered what the cruel fox was doing to him...

Kakashi looked the most concerned though, even putting his book away. He couldn't sense that it was something with the Kyuubi, because the nine-tailed fox hadn't escaped to the real plane of existence yet; however, he knew something was not right at all.

Walking up to the three teens, the white-haired sensei put his hand on his short student's sudden non-puff of blonde hair. Confused blue eyes looked up at Kakashi, and that one glance to his teacher told him everything; not about the Kyuubi, but Naruto's mixed emotions of his fear to be alone, his mental chaos, his confusion...

Kakashi closed his eye in a comforting, gleeful look. "I have an assignment for you and Sasuke." Naruto burst out coughing, though really, he didn't care. Sasuke was, after all, his best rival and best friend... but he'd never admit that.

Sasuke's coal eyes were on Naruto the whole time, though, the only expression he was showing was worry, though. Kakashi, obviously, picked up on that and was allowing Sasuke the opportunity to help the poor boy under his large palm. Sasuke instantly turned to Kakashi, surprisingly, and asked, "What is it?"

Sakura just stared at the males, mainly the seemingly disinterested Naruto. He was shaking... His eyes were zoned out, and his hands clutched his arms as though needing to be held, as Kakashi exchanged the assignment with the suddenly interested Uchiha. The pink-haired girl felt so awkward watching him in obvious pain, and looked down at the ground, feeling helpless. Maybe Kakashi would tell her what was wrong with her teammate..?

She watched the two teenage boys reluctantly as they walked away, Naruto even needing a nudge to move along now and then. Turning back to Kakashi to ask, he just nodded his head.

"We'll walk and talk, Sakura-chan." Reluctantly, she followed him, glancing back now and then at her teammates.

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