Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, or any trademarked items within.
Author's Note – Just an idea that popped in my head after watching Naruto and Battlestar Galatica in the same day. Quite AU in many facets.
Reviews of any kind are welcome but actual constructive criticism is most welcome.
Uzumaki Naruto considered himself a master of holding a smile, no matter what was happening. So when he saw Ino's throat slashed open with a savage swipe and her delicate features contort in shock, his smile didn't falter or even change. No; he continued to sit, smile lightly and answered Neji's question concerning his Jounin test in a few weeks, even as Ino sputtered and spat up blood in agony.
He didn't wince when Ino tried to scream and only a hacking gurgle sounding as a torrent of blood began to spill from her neck. He did not let concern cross his face as she scrambled to stop the flow with one of the table clothes. He did not jump when a clawed hand seized her head from behind and smashed it into her half-empty salad bowl with a resounding crash. And he did not bat an eyelash when the same hand suddenly twisted her head to an unnatural angle with only the chilling sound of vertebrae breaking meeting his ears.
Ino's twitching body lost his focus as he regarded the rest of the so called 'Konoha Twelve' seated at the table. It had lately become a rare occurrence when all twelve of them had been present in the village, so when Sakura had suggested they all go out to sushi restaurant to catch up, they all had accepted gladly. Even the normally anti-social Sasuke had agreed… in a way. Naruto was still unsure if a half-hearted 'hnn' could be considered a note of acceptance, but Sasuke had shown up, so it wasn't something he bothered with.
CRUNCH.
Ino's twitching ceased. No one moved or spared her a glance.
It really was a nice, if somewhat strange place to meet up and swap stories Naruto concluded. The owners were a couple that had recently emigrated from the Land of Water, who while seemed nice enough, had very unusual ideas when it came to setting the mood of their establishment. Namely, very dim lamps on the tables serving as the sole sources of light, large fishnets rung up on wooden beams to separate the tables and incense sticks affixed to the unoccupied sides of the beams. Sakura and Ino both considered it trendy and gave off just the right vibe of the mysterious. Naruto just thought it was freaky and asking for an assassination attempt, but what did he know when it came to restaurant atmosphere? However, the food was great and no one glared at him when he came in, so it was okay in his book.
Naruto swept his seemingly carefree gaze over to Hinata and complemented her dress with a slight smirk, earning him a deep red blush and whispered thanks. Over the years, the eighteen year old blond had noticed the meek girl's attraction to him and had recently taken to spending time with her. Nothing serious, just a few one-on-one training sessions and a particularly cozy evening at the Ichiraku ramen stand, but he knew that his feelings for the girl were not going to stop at 'just a friend.' Naruto felt they had something special and was very interested in seeing where their meetings eventually led too.
That was probably why she was the next to die.
Unlike Ino, it was quick: a single punch from behind; a visceral explosion of gore that covered the table in front of her in red as the offending fist erupted from her chest. The shock and amount of force from the punch killed Hinata instantly, her face frozen in a nervous blush even as her body hanged limply from the appendage that impaled her. Naruto fought down the small impulse to gag as he plucked up a bit of shrimp and popped it into his mouth, smile still firmly in place even as the others still eat and conversed with gusto; unmoved by the fact that twelve had become ten.
Naruto turned to his left next and asked Sasuke on what he planned to do the next day, fully aware that 'training' would be the answer but still needing something to distract him from the fact his motionless, somewhat-girlfriend was currently pouring blood onto her plate of Nigiri. A flash of red, coinciding with the squelch of flesh, and Hinata was dumped onto the table while the assailantmoved back into the shadows provided by the faint, flickering light of the lamps.
Choujo, unaware that his plate was covered in scattered pieces of Hinata's chest cavity, plucked up a piece of fish and stuffed it into his mouth. The sound of crunching bone and the single drip of blood from Choujo's mouth was the last straw for Naruto as a wave of acute nauseous overtook him. Excusing himself from the table, Naruto forced his gait to equal a leisurely stroll to the bathroom even as he felt it stalking him the entire way there. As soon as Naruto entered the men's room, he ran into the nearest stall and violently heaved his meal into the toilet bowl. His frame shook with heaves and coughs until he stilled. He spent a few seconds staring blankly into the soiled porcelain bowl after his stomach finally emptied itself, small dry heaves coming and going.
He briefly wondered if he should save everyone (himself included) the trouble and attempt to drown himself. Surely a most fitting death to match his reputation as Konoha's most surprising ninja, right? The hero of the Fourth and Fifth Shinobi World Wars, the defeater of the Konpaku Threat and the single strongest shinobi in the Elemental lands – found dead in a sparsely lit bathroom stall in his own throw up at the ripe age of eighteen. Lovely irony. It was tempting…
Red swallowed Naruto's vision, blinding him to nothing but the color. Everything else seemed to vanish – the smell of his regurgitated meal, the steady grasp he had had on the toilet, the slight sound of water running through pipes, the floor beneath him – everything swept away by the crimson expanse with no end. He kept his crouched position even as he heard footsteps start toward him from behind, the soft patter of naked feet moving across something loud in his ears. He took the time to analyze the timing and the relative loudness of them, his training dictating it was a gait common to royalty and those gifted with flowing elegance. Measured steps that were unrushed but also left no impression of timidity as the figure steadily progressed to his slouched body. Steps befitting a queen. They stopped directly behind Naruto and he felt his body give an unintentional tremor as he felt the presence lean towards him. He kept himself steady in his awkward position and fought down the instinct to flinch when he felt its hand land on his right shoulder and stay there. Naruto refused to turn the presence and continued to stare forward. Breathing in steady, Naruto summoned as much fortitude as he could before speaking out.
"You're not real."
SNAP.
Naruto stifled his cry of pain and stopped himself from jerking away from the figure, even as it dug its clawed fingers into the flesh around his broken collar bone. It wouldn't do any good to resist. It never did. He felt the invading hand seize his broken bone and give it a slight tug, making the blond hiss in agony. Naruto blinked his watery eyes only to find himself back in front of the toilet in the bathroom stall.
A warning; one he had received many times when his thoughts drifted towards ending his miserable life.
He took a moment to release an unsteady gasp and slowly turned his head to regard his right shoulder. Though it burned and ached with the shadow of pain, it was completely free of injury and the cloth that covered it unharmed. Reaching up with a slightly shaking hand, Naruto flushed the toilet and watched his half-digested food be swept away. His mind was fuzzy and unfocused as he blankly stared at the water running into the bowl to refill it.
With a deep breathe, Naruto raised himself back onto his feet and stumbled over to the row of sinks to splash some water on his face. As the cold water ran down his face, Naruto looked up at the mirror on reflex. Blond hair. Tanned skin. Three ragged scars on each cheek where he had peeled his 'whiskers' off with the liberal usage of a scalpel saturated with acid. Blue eyes.
All normal, if you didn't take the time to look.
A tremor in his left hand. His hair not as 'spikey' as usual. The skin around his eyes a shade lighter than usual. His eyes – dull, full of both hopelessness and a bone-deep tiredness. All the classic symptoms of someone under immense stress of some type, which was why he, Uzumaki Naruto, needed to pull himself together. His friends, though dullards in understanding him or just plain noticing anything about him, were still ninja. One noticed slip and it could all come crashing down.
Drying off his face with a piece of paper towel, Naruto put his 'costume' back on. He straightened his back, pulled his hair back up, quelled the tremors with a low powered paralyzing technique he had learned after years around med-nin, forced his face into its 'jolly' setting and let his eyes reflect an inner ease he hadn't truly felt in months.
He needed to be strong right now. He could break down properly later.
Naruto stopped in front of the table his friends had been seated at. He had found it odd that he couldn't hear them when he had exited the bathroom, but that puzzle was solved now as he stepped on the growing red stain on the carpet.
"Hey guys, I've got to get going. Got to get up early for training."
His friends, splayed around the table in various stages of dismemberment, kept silent in their respect parts of the soaked carpet. Their horror stricken faces frozen in death and conveniently facing towards him, all too visible even in the dim light.
"I know, I know – but I really want to pass that test!" He continued and scrunched up his face into his infamous smile.
Neji's right arm, hanging by a thread of tissue, choose this time to drop to the floor with a slightly wet thud. Naruto gave no visible response even as he felt his composure weaken significantly.
"Well, see you later guys."
His sandals continued to make wet, sticky sounds long after he had exited the restaurant. Naruto had to keep reminding himself it wasn't real.
Naruto closed the door to his small apartment, the worn but well-oiled hinges not making a sound. Noting the late hour, he sluggishly undressed and turned on the shower to run a few minutes to let it warm up. According to his landlady, a bitter crone who lived on solely to torment him, the hot water heater didn't have sufficient pressure to reach all the way to his apartment in a timely manner. Meaning either just dealing with cold water or jacking up his water bill while waiting for the hot water to get to him. Naruto didn't think that pointing out that everyone else on his floor had hot water would help his case any. Or showing the old witch where she had 'adjusted' the pipes that lead to his room when he had only been eight, supposedly too young to notice the difference. There had been times when a younger Naruto had thought that perhaps the old lady could have an accident befall her. A suddenly loosened floorboard proving to be to much for her low stability to cope with on the staircase. Naruto vaguely wondered what his precious people would think of him if they truly knew just how dark his heart had been, but… it probably wouldn't be any worse if they knew about his visions. And their cause.
The water now hot, Naruto stumbled into his shower and kept still, letting the scalding water wash away both his aches and worries. He leaned forward and rested his forearms and head against the tile, feeling genuine relief as he forgot everything and just let his shower do its work. His reprieve was short lived before he felt it. It was here, so close behind him that he could feel its body heat. No opening of the door, sliding of the bathroom window or even the tale-tell 'shinge' movement of the shower curtain – just there. A pair of lithe hands started at his lower back and slowly inched their way to his stomach, the touch both sensual and dangerous as ten sharp nails dragged against his wet skin. When they finally settled over the seal he had carried since birth, visions painfully flashed in his mind.
Trees giving way to desert. A shattered stone temple battered by sand. A group of four Suna-nin. A jewel, radiant and bronze in color. A raccoon with golden eyes surrounded by bones. A tidal wave of blood flooding over the desert and destroying everything. Screaming. Tearing. Slashing. Weeping. Laughter.
The visions left Naruto gasping for air and he had to use his hands to keep himself upright. The blond shinobi noticed a small amount of pink swirling down the drain and numbly realized his nose was bleeding. Something both wet and warm suddenly ran up his neck, which caused Naruto to jerk away from the contact and turn around suddenly to finally face his tormentor, whose tongue disappeared back into its mouth. Even with the spray of the shower head now between him and it, he had a clear view of his shower companion. As with every other time, he found it hard not to be both revolted and aroused.
Flawless porcelain skin that seemed to glow. Long legs that ended in pleasantly plump hips. An ass that seemed to defy gravity. A slightly toned stomach without an ounce of fat. Breasts that were the perfect handful. Arms with just the right amount of muscle tone to be almost unnoticed and dainty hands without any calluses. Long, wavy red hair. Full, moist lips; also red. Angular face with all the hallmarks of upper class breeding. Tall. Taller than the blond; letting off the subconscious context of authority over him. Posture straight and held with an air of power; not a hint of embarrassment or weakness. Only strength.
Naruto's ultimate fantasy woman if he was perfectly honest with himself. But the devil was in the details.
Claws. Affixed to all the digits, all a shade of burgundy. Body, too perfect. Too sharp in some areas and too smooth in others. A fabrication, no matter how alluring. Eyes, black and dull as coal with bright crimson pupils. That was where the illusion really fell apart. Her… its eyes. They were not soulless, lit up with demonic rage or even cold and unreceptive. They were just inhuman. Blazing with thoughts not comprehensible to mortal minds and possessing an alien perspective that far outstripped his. Eyes that had seen oceans of blood spilled and watched numerous generations wither and die. Eyes that stripped him bare of everything and left him feeling like he was that angry, scared eight year old again: all alone and having nothing but the dying embers of hope. The eyes of a demon, his demon. Kyūbi no Yōko, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. And Naruto was trapped, naked, in a shower with it.
His mind sluggish and not knowing what to do, Naruto kept his position against the wall and desperately tried to keep eye contact with his 'prisoner' even when his basest instincts were commanding him to either run or shove the demon against thewall and ravage it. He had heard somewhere that the best way to deal with predators was to stare them directly in the eye and hold your ground, show them no fear. Whether this tidbit of knowledge was true or if it even held water when facing an ageless monster that delighted in reducing villages to ash was lost on him though.
Tense minutes passed as both of them stared at each other in silence save for the steady stream of water impacting the floor of the tub. Naruto slowly worked himself out of his shock and instead grew nervous as the demon continued to do nothing more than observe him, her… ITSeyes continuing to bore into him with an unreadable glint. Seeing that it was rather pointless to out wait something that was immortal, Naruto slowly pushed himself off the wall and thought back on the visions Kyubi had given him. Quickly putting the clues together, Naruto winced and gave his demon a downtrodden expression.
"The Ichibi?"
The demon's flawless face adopted a small emotionless smile, totally devoid of anything resembling happiness. It took a step forward, the muscles moving in unnatural ways even as it placed itself into the stream of water. Cursing his libido, Naruto fought to keep his eyes off its glistening body. A single taloned hand reached up and cupped his cheek, giving him goosebumps as it lightly traced his skin with the edges of its claws. Naruto fought against melting into the unnaturally soft hold on his face, even as it soothed his aches with a mere touch.
"When? Now?"
The smile grew wider and the hand that rested on his cheek moved to run its fingers on the scars he had carved himself, gaining access to the ravaged and still sensitive nerves that rested there. It took everything he had not to tremble even slightly in pleasure. A nagging doubt or two worked to the forefront of Naruto's mind as he pulled himself away from the demon's touch.
"But, tonight there's a festival going on… the guard will be incres-"
Any further words he had were cut off when Kyubi's eyes flashed and the hold returned to his cheek painfully, claws only just penetrating his skin. No matter how much people called Naruto a knucklehead, he wasn't stupid. Years of justified paranoia, heavy combat and interaction with his tenant had done much to stamp out whatever mental limitations he had had as a child. So he wisely clammed up and simply gave a nod of his head before turning it downward in subjugation.
The dead smile came back in an instant, signaling its owner's resumed… pleasantness. Naruto felt a small pat to the top of his head before the demon's presence vanished. The similarity of their exchange with a man ordering his dog to fetch a bone was not lost upon him.
While he left a clone behind to keep up appearances in Konoha, Naruto sneaked out for Kyubi's errand. The temple was easy to find. Sand? Suna-nin? The border with the Land of Wind and from there, Kyubi's not so gentle mental pricks led the rest of the way. He was directed far into the wastes, leaving behind the major roads and trade routes of the land. It was sunset when he got there, the temple proving to be fashioned out a lone gigantic stone, seemingly deposited and carved in the desolate location to make it almost impossible to find. Even for a seasoned Suna-nin, the temple was hidden very well and carved out of sandstone, letting it blend into the landscape.
The temple was squat and hugged the ground, only just big enough to not let the constantly shifting dunes to get the better of it. Bare of any markings and roughly hew from the stone, it was totally unremarkable. But that only made sense really. If a location had to be chosen to store a Tailed Beast, a small temple located in the middle of a desert was a fairly good place to do so. Even if it was stumbled upon by a lucky enemy nin, they would just as likely not see it due to its color blending in with the sand or just assume it was an old ruin.
However, something was wrong. The light from the sun was waning quickly, but it was clear enough to Naruto that who ever had been sent to guard the temple was either some of the best ninja in covering up their presence or dead. No fires could be seen nor any foot prints even as he slunk ever closer to the stone building. There was no lookout and the only sound he could hear was the sound of sand move due to a gentle breeze. His gut dropped at little as he strained his senses but still could not detect anything. However, he stuck to his plan and continued to carefully sneak into the temple, unwilling to drop his guard.
Stepping into the entrance, he soon let his guard drop into a stance of grim stillness. The temple proved to only have a single large chamber; with four separate entrances in the middle of each side, ramps to keep the sand at bay and a raised dais. On the dais itself was the huge bronze gem he had seen, the latest cage of the Ichibi. Three suna-nin lay dead in various parts of the room. One was still in her sleeping bag, several kunai handles making it resemble a pin cushion. The other two were next to the dais, one ripped in half and the other burned horribly almost right down to the bone. An additional blood trail lead away from those two bodies and into one of the entrances that was currently covered by sand. The amount of blood made the last guard's fate a foregone conclusion. They had all been dead for a few days at least, their bodies thankfully covered in the heavy gear and robes common in their nation.
Naruto finally moved again when he felt a molten hot needle poke into his back, his 'tenant' becoming restless at his inaction. As he neared the gem, it became obvious at what had happened. The barely visible seals on the gem had begone to weaken recently, their ink fading along with their power. The Ichibi had taken the opportunity to lace madness within his captors, making them turn against each other. They hadn't notice the subtle change until it was too late. It was partly relieved over that. He never relished anyone's death, but... at least the blood wouldn't be on his hands.
As he stepped up to the dais itself he reached his hand out to the prison and before he could react a single bolt of red energy pulsed out of his outreached fingers and into the gem. The seals on the precious stone burned away instantly at its touch and orange chakra, thick and ominous, enveloped it before it started to fracture. Feeling a great and terrible power begin to well up in front of him, Naruto recoiled backward and turned to dash for the entrance. He made it a few steps before he heard the gem shattering and the world disappeared in a white flash.
The blonde shinobi felt a brief sense of flight before he impacted something hard enough to shake his bones loose and continued to roll at a high speed. He was deaf and blind even as his body slowly slide to a stop. He hissed and spasm blindly as the pain kicked in, his body alight in agony. Getting his shaking somewhat under control, Naruto rolled unto what he thought was his back and yelled as a fresh torture seeped in. Unable to move and only the pain registering in his mind, he forced himself to remain as still as he could manage as he felt Kyubi's power flow into his wounds. It felt like he had been dipped in lava as the healing began, but he felt his broken body begin to weave itself back together. Bones cracked back into place, muscles stitched themselves back together and skin hissed back together.
Several moments passed before he could open his eyes and breathe freely again, coughing and hacking as the last of his injuries faded away. Blinking away the white in his vision, he found himself in a seared patch of sand, his clothes reduced to burnt rags, tiny particles of sand being pushed out the last of his healing wounds and the air dead quiet. The blonde's mind was slow and hazy, the world spinning and confusing even as he labored up into a sitting position.
Gazing up from his body, Naruto gazed lamely at the crater he found in front of him, a giant black indent into the ground. The sand had been turned to glass in the intense heat of the explosion and in the middle of the ravaged dunes was the Ichibi itself. It towered over the shinobi even with the distance between them and the demon's orange glow lit up the night as his massive frame continued to stand still in the middle of the crater. Its eyes were staring at him... and yet Naruto did not exactly feel the monster's heavy gaze upon him. It was almost like it was looking slight to the left of him...
Naruto turned his head slowly to the left only to find the Kyubi next to him, still in the guise of the naked woman, but eyes riveted to those of its brethren. The air was tense as Naruto slowly recovered his mental facilities and continued to sit; waiting for whatever it was they were doing to end as he breathed the hot air slowly. He eventually stared at his hands as the wait grew on, his eyes beginning to hurt from looking at the distinctly unnatural appearance of the two demons for too long. Was this truly his life now? A servant to demons? A plaything? What was he truly in all of this? What were their motivations? Why did Kyubi want Ichibi freed now... and not before? Naruto didn't know the answers. He didn't even know all the questions. He was stuck in something that he probably couldn't even understand, a single pawn in a game played my beings that predated history. All he really knew was that he was helpless to resist. He had tried before, several times. The Kyubi proved to be endless source of fresh tortures the minute he toed out of line.
Even then, he had still tried to subvert the ancient demon and try to tip off his friends to something being wrong with him. An awkward phrase there, a badly explained injury and anything else he could think of to make them curious. But... Kyubi was as clever as it was cruel. After one incident of him almost telling Sakura what was really going on, he had blacked out. He awoke in fire and spent anywhere from an hour to a thousand years roasting in the flames, unable to breathe enough to give voice to his screams. His next memory was standing above each and everyone one of his friends and family. No matter who there were, where they were or how well protected. He saw each of them in their respective beds, sleeping peacefully, while his body was poised right above them with a kunai. The last one had been Hinata, and the kunai in his hand had lowered slowly towards her even as he struggled vainly to stop it. It had finally stopped when it had pricked her cheek just enough to draw blood.
Naruto's next conscious moment was finding himself in bed, a kunai with the smallest bit of blood on the tip of the blade next to him. That had stopped all his resistance and ever since then he had been Kyubi's agent. Carrying out whatever tasks it set for him, no matter the considerations. No matter how random, dangerous, harmful,stupid they appeared or... how many people had to die – he knew he had to obey. All the while he had to perform an act every time he went into public or saw his precious people. It was maddening and draining him of his will. Each day he felt himself slipping away just a bit more, his very soul feeling like it was being chipped away under his demon's gaze. He was so tired and guilty, he just wanted to die.
A booming laugh that almost blew the shinobi onto his back shook Naruto from his thoughts and he saw the Ichibi staring at him. The demonic tanuki's face was the picture of mirth as it gazed at him, sizing up what he saw and apparently finding it all too funny. The Ichibi threw back its head to laugh again before it turned around to leap away, its hulking frame causing the ground to shake. All too soon, the orange glow was gone and darkness enveloped the area again. The Kyubi, still very naked and in the shape of a woman, stepped in front of him. He rose his eyes up to meet her own, two glowing red orbs that would never have their secrets discerned. Naruto felt himself fade into another vision.
Waves. The open sea. The sea turning to blood. Another jewel with another imprisoned Tailed Beast. Three gigantic tails crushing entire villages. Chuckling. Roaring. Open your eyes foolish human!
The blond shinobi hacked and coughed when he was freed, spitting up a wad of blood onto the sand before he snapped his head to stare at the now slightly glowing Kyubi with open horror.
"The Sanbi!?" He yelled.
The Kyubi's smile was positively malicious as it stared down condescendingly at Naruto, its silence only confirming his fears. The blonde could only feel his mind swirl at what it was being asked of him. Another tailed beast? Freed? Why? Why now? What could the Kyubi want...
The shinobi felt all his questions fall to the way side as one shattered his composure. He felt himself shake as he rose his head again to his captor and tried to desperately hold onto hope.
"Is... that it? Only the Sanbi?"
The glow around the Kyubi grew in intensity as the smile on the perfectly sculpted face turned murderous, the eyes now nothing but pure red. It leaned down and both of its hands found his face, holding him tight as its face neared until only inches were between them. The shinobi could only see its its glowing red eyes, everything else gone in their burning intensity. The sheer weight of its gaze making him feel as it would shallow him up.
"All of them Human. You're going to free all of them."