AN: Haha. So, I really liked the feedback I received for the first chapter! Six reviews? Haha, that's a RECORD WOOT! (I am not that popular ;D) Haha, so someone asked me for a translation for Shobojo, because it sounded like a Sesame street name in Japan... But, uh, I don't really have one. I saw it somewhere a while ago. I kinda' liked it LOL. So, to that wonderful reviewer, just try and picture a big, scary demon instead of, like, big bird LOLOLOL. Sorry! :)
I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters.
Sasuke once again found himself in the darkness, feeling the water up to his knees now. The Uchiha picked at his shorts and began wading through the thick liquid.
'This... isn't water?' The boy thought, dipping his hand into it and bringing it to his nose. He smelled it, nostrils filling with the familiar scent of smoke. It was that black sludge, and it was everywhere apparently.
"Sho-... Shobojo?" He hollered out, hearing his voice almost become swallowed by the pitch black filth.
"Oh? Sasuke... You have come to see me once again?" the feline's eyes appeared in front of Sasuke, looking to be a few meters away, "I've been exploring your deeply moving, and chaotic, memories. How is such a prepossessing boy, such as yourself, the brother of that horrifically grotesque man?" Shobojo chuckled a little, walking through the smoke smelling muck and approaching his vessel with his black lips curved up in a smile. The black haired boy's eyes flashed red and he struggled to reach the panther.
"Oh... Calm yourself, human. I meant no disrespect." The demon purred and let his paw glide over the surface of the slime. Sasuke felt it harden considerably, legs becoming stuck in place. The Uchiha tugged and struggled, attempting to reach the black feline but failing miserably. Shobojo chuckled and stood closer to the boy, breath smelling of unforetold horrors that he had eaten in his time. Sasuke presumed it consisted of many dead animals, judging by the odor.
"This muck that you are standing in? You believe it belongs to me," the animal purred in his throat, letting his silky voice wash over the boy, "and you are exactly right. I have collected this during all of my changing from human to human. Did you know all of you have this? Quite disgusting, don't you think?" The panther took a few steps back, admiring the boy before him. The Uchiha struggled wildly, finally feeling the slime soften. The boy fell into it and held his breath as warm water swallowed his body. Sasuke flailed and choked for air, lungs only receiving cups of water. He could have sworn that this was black sludge before. What was going on? Those orange eyes appeared again in the murky depths below his sinking form.
"Oh yes. Humans do not breathe underwater, do they? You have lungs. Such a pity," the boy coughed as the water flew up into the darkness surrounding them, leaving Sasuke lying on something hard and cold, "I almost forget how flimsy your kind is. Anything can kill you, and none of you have any defense mechanisms... Excluding running." The black haired boy lifted his head and coughed up water, desperate for air. Shobojo smiled at him and licked his shoulder blade, purple tongue combing through the knots and tangles. The child could see the rough texture of the dark muscle as it scraped itself over the pitch black fur, standing shakily and returning to glaring at the demon. Shobojo lifted his humongous head back up, giving the boy a quick look over.
"Also," he purred and stood up, pacing around the ninja, "I see you are on a team. Team Seven, yes? None of that. Not at all. I will not allow you to put yourself in danger-"
"And what can you do about my decisions? I think with you using my body like a new apartment I'm allowed to make the rules." Sasuke snarled at the demon, suddenly feeling his lungs fill with sticky fluid. He hunched and coughed up the black sludge. Shobojo eyed him with his gleaming orange orbs.
"For one thing, I control half of you whenever I please. Now that I am here, your agility and flexibility should also increase dramatically. There are many things to thank me for, brat." He roared and watched the child hack roughly. The human moaned and dropped his head, feeling sharp pangs in his chest. The panther approached him and smiled above the boy.
"I shall communicate my wishes for you to that blond, nine-tailed brat. He should be able to hear me easily-"
"W-What..." Another coughing fit, followed by a handful of black muck. The feline narrowed his glowing eyes.
"Your teammate, Naruto. I will speak with his demon and ask that his vessel explains it to the rest of your team. Such a foolish idea- becoming a ninja.." The demon sighed and emptied the boy's lungs for him. Sasuke inhaled shakily and looked at the beast with shocked eyes. The words escaping his mouth were astonishing. Stop his training? Never. He still had to murder his brother.
"Ah, yes. Thinking of Itachi, ne?" Shobojo purred to him, smirking as if all knowing. Sasuke glared at him heatedly. How had he known?
"Because," the panther chuckled, answering his vessel's thoughts, "I am part of you. Your past is now mine- as mine is yours. I thought a genius such as yourself could figure that out. Has no one explained my kind to you?" The demon finished his droning, tilting his head to the side in wonder. Sasuke stared silently, panting a little from his previous hacking.
"I... am not quitting my training. Whether you like it..," he breathed out, sharingan blazing in the darkness, "Or not!" Shobojo's grin melted away at the boy's words and he hissed loudly, black spit dripping from his deep purple tongue.
"I have spoken my orders. Either you do it on your own terms, or I force you. Either way, you must wake now..." Shobojo roared furiously and sank into the black sludge.
Sasuke's eyes cracked open to bright lights, wincing and seeing a shadow next to him.
"You're up." Jiraiya muttered as the boy turned his head to look at him. A white glob of messy hair was all his eyes could see and he began to raise his hand to rub them. Clanking was heard and metal bit into his soft, pale skin. He grunted a little with confusion, arching his neck to see his wrists chained to the bed.
"What?" he whispered quietly, "What is this for?..."
"We have evidence that leads us to believe you are dealing with a demon. Are you aware of anything different?" The man asked seriously, leaning forward and placing his hands on his knee caps. Sasuke pulled a little at the cold restraints, annoyance filling him. Then, realization hit him. He'd attacked them the last time he'd been awake. Damn demon taking over like that.
"Sasuke," the sannin grabbed a hold of the boy's chin, making the Uchiha whimper and jump in surprise, "Focus. Are you aware of anything strange? Your chakra has been tainted already." Jiraiya ordered easily. He really didn't like this boy, and that only made interrogating him easier. Sasuke winced and closed one eye, grip tightening considerably.
"Y-Yes. He... told me to quit training." The child struggled to say, the older ninja making it pretty hard to move his jaw. Jiraiya flinched and let go.
"What did he say. Was he human?" He began to spout off, worried now. If this was a tailed beast then they were in big trouble. Sasuke obviously had little to no control over the beast.
"His name is Shobojo... He... I think he was a panther, but it was so dark. I couldn't really make anything out..." The younger male thought hard to remember. He felt a mental wall appear, blocking his thinking process instantly.
'This man does not deserve any answers. Stop talking.' Shobojo's voice echoed in his mind. Sasuke struggled to remember things, but the panther blocked him out.
"He..." He couldn't finish, feeling his tongue grow useless. Obviously the feline did not have any intention of letting him explain further. The sannin watched him curiously. The signs were there. Every single one of them.
"Shobojo? Good. That doesn't sound like any tailed beast. Can you describe him? Did he tell you anything else?"
"He's-... I can't." The boy snarled out, pressing his head back into the pillow. He heard a deep growl echo in him.
'Struggling in pointless. My power dominates yours.' The cat finished and retreated back into his mind. The Uchiha squinted his eyes in frustration. This was going to become a problem. The demon had control over him, and that thought sent chills up his spine. What else did he have power over? Could he really be forced out of training? Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow. He had studied up on demons last night and half of the day and this was beginning to remind him of a symptom.
"He's blocking you? What's happening." He demanded and leaned more towards the boy. Sasuke nodded slightly, gritting his teeth painfully. The man lifted his shirt up suddenly and the Uchiha let out a surprised gasp.
"Wha-at are you-" His tongue refused to move more, making him pull at the metal circling his wrists without success. The sannin hovered above his stomach while making numerous hand-signs.
"Stop struggling. Hold still." The older ninja snarled, pressing his hand down on the seal and ripping a pained scream from Sasuke. The boy thrashed and yanked at the handcuffs. The agony was tremendous and it washed over him like a wildfire. The pain was indescribable. Shobojo roared in his head furiously.
'Ignorant ass.' He hissed and Sasuke felt the cat lunge. His eyesight fogged over and he lost feeling in his body.
Jiraiya flinched as the boy's seal flared with orange chakra, knocking his hand away. The sannin winced and slapped his other hand over the new burn, skin stinging as he rubbed the raw skin. Sasuke sat up swiftly, bearing his now yellow fangs at him warningly. Chakra surrounded him and the restraints fell to the floor, the Uchiha's once perfect, white skin turning pitch black. Growls and black spit left his mouth and he got out of the hospital bed, eyes rolling back and becoming milky white.
"Don't you dare touch my body." Shobojo snarled out in a raspy voice, taking a few steps towards Jiraiya. The man narrowed his eyes and made more hand seals, preparing some type of jutsu. The demon tossed his head back and laughed loudly, deep voice echoing off the plain walls.
"Your weak attempts at subduing me are pointless, fool," the demon sneered and more chakra appeared around him, taking the shape of two ears and a tail, "I can't stand humans like you." Jiraiya finished his signs and ran at the boy, his own blue chakra swirling in front of him. Shobojo let out a roar as he was tackled, clawing at the man's back as they broke through the window. The older ninja snagged the child's frail wrists, twisting a bit and launching the other back to earth. Sasuke's body went soaring to the ground, crashing into the street with a loud snarl. Jiraiya landed on his feet before the cloud of dust, waiting for the demon to emerge from the smoke. People ran away from them, screams and shouts erupting from the shops. The demon launched out of the cloud, leaping at the sannin with claws unsheathed. The man dodged a few swipes of the boy's claws, once again grabbing his arms and throwing him back to the pavement. Shobojo let out another high pitched roar, being cut off as Jiraiya's foot stamped onto his throat. The child coughed out black muck, white eyes growing wide.
"You're weak. I was almost thinking you might be a tailed beast. Now I see you're just a miserable, helpless demon that has to live in a human for protection."
"I am weakened... from the switch I made a day ago... Thank whatever god you may believe in for such.. luck..." The beast choked out and felt the man press down harder. The white haired sannin glared heatedly down at him, seeing people begin to crowd around them curiously. He hears a familiar voice behind him, but refused to look away from the demon.
"Jiraiya! Let him-" She gasped at the sight, making Shobojo chuckle and cough as his throat became compressed. Tsunade glared at him in confusion.
"So he does have a demon? You have him under control?" The blond whispered under her breath, three anbu appearing behind her. The boy opened his mouth in a silent roar, orange chakra diminishing into nothing.
"I don't think he'll be much trouble. More like a pest then a demon." Jiraiya snarled, putting emphasis on 'pest'. Shobojo turned his head to the side, hands lifting up the man's leg and clawing down it. Blood leaked onto his face and chest, wild black hair turning glossy with the fluid. The sannin winced at the burning sensation, pressing more and making the demon flail wildly. He shook his head no and shoved his foot up a bit.
"I will leave if you wish, just don't hurt his body..." He growled slowly, pride obviously being slaughtered.
"Why don't you answer some questions first? Then we won't hurt Sasuke." Tsunade offered, waving the anbu back. Shobojo gave her a emotionless look, then bellowed at her as he exploded in laughter.
"And you think I'd engage conversation with a female human? I can hardly stand males as it is. Don't you speak to me, cunt." He chuckled and threw Jiraiya's foot off. The man stumbled backwards, tensing as he watched the demon get to his feet. The white haired man appeared next to Tsunade, chakra flaring. The woman was also ready to beat the creature into the dirt.
"No need to fret, I am retreating to gain back my strength... Like I said," he smiled at them, "Don't even think of hurting this boy's body." With that said the boy fell to the floor, skin returning to its normal white. The anbu rushed to Sasuke's side, feeling his neck quickly.
"He's fine, Lady Hokage." One said as another scooped the Uchiha into his arms. The child's head flopped back lifelessly, black fluid once again flooding his mouth. His carrier, face covered with a hawk mask, eyed the liquid.
"Lady... Lady Hokage. What is this?" He stuttered out and helped the boy's head up, motioning to Tsunade. The woman walked over and looked into Sasuke's mouth. She flinched and ordered them to hand him over, quickly taking him into her arms and letting the fluid drip out onto the street. Some women covered their kid's eyes, thinking it was blood and not wanting their innocence to be dirtied. Tsunade, making sure Sasuke's throat wasn't clogged anymore and he could breathe, brought the unconscious boy back into the hospital. The child moaned as she ran down the hall, opening his black eyes to see the clean, tile floor zipping under his feet. The blond noticed him struggle a bit and lifted his head up quickly. Sasuke grunted and eyed her tiredly.
"Shobojo?..." He whimpered out deliriously, having just been trapped in his head with his demon for the past ten minutes. The demon had been quite annoying, bringing up past thoughts he had stumbled upon- like his connections in his team. Sakura was a large topic of discussion. Shobojo seemed to think that he had something going on with her. Either that or he accused him of having something to do with Naruto. Sasuke had screamed his head off at such words and once again found his legs locked in the cement like fluid. Though the rest of his memories were a bit foggy, he could clearly hear the panther's deep voice warning him to quit his training. He was brought back to reality as Tsunade pulled him up onto his previous bed, flopping out after realizing he felt terribly weak again. The Hokage helped him into the bed, not wasting any time making him comfortable, and ran back out of the room. Sasuke lie staring at the broken window. Shobojo must have done it. He slowly looked over himself to check for glass shards, seeing none and resting his head back against the mattress again. Jiraiya and a man appeared in the doorway, both carrying large, rolled up scrolls.
"You get the right side of the room, I'll get the left." The sannin explained and the anbu ran towards the shattered window. He ignored the glass easily, grabbing Sasuke's wrists and chaining them to the bed quickly. The boy flinched and groaned loudly, beginning to pull desperately at the restraints and opening his eyes in realization.
"What's happening?" He choked out, feeling a little bit more sludge dripping out of his mouth. It still tasted like ashes. He felt his other arm become forced above his head, in a spread eagle. His foggy mind thought of panicking and he kicked his legs out violently. The anbu grabbed them and forced them down onto the bed.
"Calm down, Sasuke." Jiraiya growled in a very non-comforting way. The Uchiha let out a soft whine as the iron grasped his ankles. Why were they chaining him down so roughly? Shobojo had said he was too weak to take over again. Sasuke tossed his head weakly and spat up onto the white sheets, trying to force the questions coming to his mind out. The child felt his shirt ripped off and he gasped slightly. The older ninja quickly cut their palms, warm liquid dripping onto Sasuke's middle. The younger male shivered as the men began to place bloody marks on him, preparing a seal around his chest. Jiraiya flinched as he saw the boy's eyes turn crimson, ripping a piece of cloth off and tying it around his head swiftly. Sasuke gritted his teeth as they continued marking over his middle, Shobojo screaming angrily inside his head.
Sakura jogged down the crowded street, apologizing to the people she bumped into. Her parents had showed her a recent news report on the television and she had quickly recognized the boy in it to be Sasuke, obviously a bit different than usually though. He had been wild looking, with pitch black skin and milky eyes. The image made her speed up as she headed directly to the hospital. Minutes passed and the crowd began to grow thicker and harder to run through. The pink haired girl heard a man next to her as she squeezed through say something about wondering of Jiraiya was alright.
'Jiraiya?' She thought, but continued to crawl her way to the hospital's front doors. Suddenly, she bursted out of the crowd and into the open street. A gaping hole sat before her in the ground, making the girl stumble to a stop. Chakra marks were scattered on the pavement, along with a few drops of black mud. Sakura waisted no more time looking over the street, running into the building nearby. The kunoichi rushed to the front front desk, asked for Sasuke's room, and received a hasty no.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't see him right-" The nurse gasped as Sakura lunged forward and snatched the clipboard from her hands, giving it a quick glance then rushing off up the hallway. It wasn't too far, she could make it in a matter of seconds if no one tried to stop her. The girl made a sharp turn at the end of the hall, shoes clapping against the tile loudly. Some nurses pressed themselves against the wall as she ran by, not wanting to get trampled by her. Sakura's emerald eyes spotted her teammate's room number. She skidded to a stop and threw the door open, freezing at the sight. Sasuke lie on the bed, blindfolded and chained spread eagle. Blood ran down his sides and onto the bed sheets, trailing all the way down the bed's legs and spiraling out across the tile floor. She flinched as the two older ninja glared at her.
"S-Sasuke-kun?"
"Sakura!" He choked out deliriously, turning his head towards her. The boy began pulling at the chains once again, struggling to free himself. Sakura began to step towards him, but Jiraiya yelled for her to stop.
"Stop! Don't touch him, or the seals on the floor." He ordered sternly, perched on the wall opposite the Uchiha's bed. He was making even more signs up the wall. The kunoichi looked around the room with wide eyes. Blood was everywhere, covering all exposed surfaces. She followed the small seals to Sasuke's chest, where they clumped around the boy's larger seal.
"What's going on? Is Sasuke-kun going to be alright?" She stuttered worriedly, clasping her hands in front of her chest in an anxious manner. The anbu nodded without looking at her, refusing to stop working.
"He'll be fine... Once we get that seal of his contained, that is. Nothing," Jiraiya winced as he cut another small slice of his arm open, drawing more fresh blood, "to worry about. You should go talk to Tsunade-"
"I can help somehow! I could... I-I could...," she racked her brain for the words, not wanting to leave her crush's side, "I can calm him down, a-and help give him medicine, and... do anything else you need to do!" She spat out finally, begging the sannin to let her stay. Jiraiya sighed as he finished his marking, giving Sakura an annoyed look.
"Fine, but don't get in the way," he appeared by Sasuke's bed, "Just don't let your emotions get the better of you. Got that?" Sakura nodded quickly, taking a small step forward and making the older ninja hold up a hand to make her halt. She froze and nodded once again. Jiraiya made a set of hand signs, mumbling something and slapping his bloody palm down on Sasuke's huge seal. The boy lurched and screamed loudly, tears immediately seeping through the blindfold. Sakura tensed at the sight, gaping a bit as the bloody marks began to inch into Sasuke's skin. The Uchiha writhed on the bed, black seal on his chest flaring with bright, orange chakra.
"He's struggling..." The anbu said warily, hawk mask being adjusted on his face. Sasuke cried out again as the marks burnt into his skin, permanent this time. Jiraiya's old seal had disappeared the night before, obviously allowing the demon to take over earlier.
"A-Are you sure he's-"
"If you can't handle it then leave." Jiraiya snapped at the kunoichi, sweating a bit as he forced himself to keep his hand in place. The marks were almost done melting into Sasuke, climbing up the bed and around his seal slowly. The white haired man pulled away with a sharp inhale, catching himself before he fell. Sasuke let out another ear shattering scream and collapsed onto the bed, quivering madly with the pain. Sakura couldn't hold back anymore and she ran to his side, looking over him worriedly.
"Here," Jiraiya said and passed her the key to the handcuffs, "Calm him down." He left with the anbu, shutting the door loudly as they did. The kunoichi quickly undid her teammate's restraints, pulling him into a firm hug afterwards. The Uchiha trembled and jumped at the embrace, blindfold being pulled off gently.
"Sasuke-kun, it's alright now." She said soothingly, rubbing his sweaty back and massaging it slightly. The boy coughed on a raspy breath, trying to stop crying.
"S-Sakura..." He choked out weakly, trembling against her and dropping his head in exhaustion. The girl hushed him and let him lie back down, running a hand through his damp, black hair. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth painfully.
"It... h-hurts..." He whimpered and rolled onto his side, curling up and hugging his gut. The pink haired female continued to soothe him till he finally blacked out, head falling into her hand as he did so. She waited a while, emerald eyes rolling to look over the young ninja's seal. Her mind wandered and she gently reached out to touch it, gasping as it flared dangerously under her hand. Sakura took it back and winced noticeably, worry increasing. She stared at the mark with red, watery eyes.
'Sasuke... What's happening to you?'
AN: Haha, hope that was alright! Yes, yes, I know my updates are terribly slow. It take's a while, alright? Lol. School isn't helping much. I had four tests this week and I made A's on all of them. (Haha, yea. I'm kinda' brilliant.) I still have more next week, along with a few projects I need to work on. So yea, might be up to a week before I update. It shouldn't take longer then that, though, unless I hit writer's block (Which I often do.) So yes, do not fret if it takes some time! Thank you very much for reading. (:
Reviews are adored.
Nat