Neh, Naruto? Can I have some of your blood?
I think it all started in that cell cage. We were held prisoners of war during an intense mission on the East side of the Sound Village. Naruto and I fought till we had no chakra left. In my opinion we would have won the battle if Naruto wasn't trying to interfere in my battle constantly, to protect me. I really didn't need protection but what could you expect from him, in fact I would have done the same if I were the dominant one.
Fortunately, the enemies spared us. They considered us a good bate to Konoha. So they locked us up in a cell underneath their grand palace, where no one would believe an underground prison lay.
I wouldn't exactly call it an underground prison; more like a catacomb. These people were savages. Naruto and I couldn't pinpoint what their true intention was- that was the point of this mission- but we knew they were as dangerous as Akatsuki.
But they aren't the main focus of this story. It's what happened underneath the palace, inside the cage that matters. You see, we were locked up along with hundreds of other beings. The catch is that those beings were all dead.
The moment the doors opened, a stench you could only imagine in your wildest nightmares engulfed our noses. At that moment my stomach heaved and I threw up all over the ground before me. Few minutes later, Naruto did the same. They tossed us into a blood soaked cell, after placing chakra-blocker around our wrist, and locked us in. To tell the truth, I just wanted to die. Sitting there, with my clothes drenched in a mixture of my blood and the corpses around us, with Naruto banging on the bars, I wanted to die.
Looking around, there were a couple people cowering in the dark corners of their jail, some crying and others blank of emotion, abandoning hope. Naruto came around an hour later, furious. One look at my expression, his features softened. He sat down next to me, arms immediately wrapped around in a sheltering manner. I softly cried into his shoulder, as he kissed my head, whispering meaningless words of reassurance …
Now comes the survival part. Once every day the guards would come and harshly hand each individual food and water. Let me rephrase that, once every day. The food consisted of a slap of beans and the cup the water came with was the size of my palm. And if that doesn't fall into the category of hell, maybe this will: there were no toilets. One part that really bothered me was that each time food came around, Naruto insisted that I take his share. I declined sometimes, and other times my selfish part took over and I accepted.
For three freaking months!
And this is where it all began. My hunger…no…to be more exact- my thirst. So, once every three days the enemies would bring down a poor civilian. They'd shoot him down, beat him up, what ever, until he was as good as dead. This all added to the awful stench. Blood would spill over to our cage and I either wouldn't care or actually play around with it. For example, I'd write my name, or play a game of tic tac toe with the stubborn Naruto. Every day he'd wake up, vowing that he would get us out of here. Never really happened as he intended it to…
I was about into my second month, when my whole being just gave into the atmosphere. I woke up one day to find that the smell no longer bothered me. I just had gotten used to it. Very well, I thought, better to have come in terms with it than to have not.
I'd sit in my corner of the cage, while Naruto usually slept on the other side. My mouth was as dry as a desert. My throat itched for something wet. I was dying; I needed water. But the stupid guards brought it once everyday. My head felt really nauseas. Maybe I'd ask Naruto for his share…after a few minutes I finally did pass out.
I woke up to screaming and yelling. My eyes fluttered open to meet those guards dragging a reluctant woman to the cell next to us. After a few moments, they took an axe and jabbed it into her gut. She screamed in pain. I gazed away in grief. I could hear them chopping her limbs and slicing her skin open, just like I have for the past month. I anxiously rested my head back onto the red, crusty ground and patiently waited for everything to calm down, once again.
Naruto was asleep, and I found I wasn't. Actually, I found myself dazing into the cell of the woman who was murdered. The sun was setting, and it would be another twelve hours before the next meal came. The meal for that day must have arrived while I was passed out, and poor Naruto must have eaten my share. I don't blame him, although I was a bit irritated.
At that moment, when I was gazing into the other cell, I couldn't quite decide whether the growling of my stomach or the itching of my throat was more a bother. I was too transfixed by the newfound puddle of blood that was slowly leaking its way toward me. It was wet, and sodden. Red and thick. It was everything I wanted, and nothing I had expected.
My body lunged just as the liquid crept into my part of the room. I got onto my knees, palms on the floor, head inches above the ground and tongue stuck out. I licked and licked, swallowed and gagged, and continued this trend till there was nothing left. I found myself licking my wet fingers afterwards.
It tasted like metal, as it always had. But somewhere deep down I couldn't care less. The burning in my throat had decreased into something I could easily ignore. For once in my days at this hell hole I was pleased, and proud of my self.
Only scary part was that the smell of the catacomb room was suddenly very noticeable. My nose cringed, then relaxed. It wasn't because it smelled bad…
…Actually, it was the total opposite.
It smelled good.