AN: Sorry everyone for the delay, I had to study for exams But since everything is done now, hopefully I'll have more time to update
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Chapter 1
It wasn't the pounding headache that woke him, even though the pain from that alone was enough for him to wish that he was dead. Instead, it was the feeling of something dry and cold, slithering across his naked chest that finally shook him away from his blissful, dreamless rest. Blue eyes were slowly revealed as he blinked against the low candle light.
Wait… naked?!
The young man shot up, at least he tried to when a firm hand pushed him back down into the softest bed he had ever slept in. Another hand pushed his arms up and tightly pinned his hands together by the pillow. Still too tired and weak from the alcohol and the sleep jutsu, he couldn't do anything except a few half hearted attempts to shake off the heavy weight on top of him.
Where was he? The last thing he remembered was walking back from the sake shop… but what was he doing there anyways? He was underage, and he hated the taste of alcohol to begin with. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, until he realized that any movement involving his head was a bad idea, it only amplified the pain in his head.
"Finally decided to join the land of living?" A deep male voice chuckled above him. "I wouldn't move if I were you. Even though Aoi is rather small, a small drop of his venom is enough to kill five elephants."
The snake hissed in agreement, and the weak struggles for freedom immediately halted. Shivers crept down his naked spin at the feeling of the scaly reptile slithering across his shoulder, until it coiled itself contently around one deceiving fragile wrist, like a breathing bracelet.
The startling sapphire eyes looked up at his captor, the pupils that were dilated from rest slowly constricted in fear. He couldn't stop the shivers again, only this time it was from a cold wave of fear. His heartbeat slowly sped up, till it was so fast and loud that he could almost hear it himself, pounding away at his ribcage. The yellow eyes staring at him held nothing but cold hunger, and he did not like the way the older man was licking his lips with that unnaturally long tongue. He couldn't move even if he wanted to, as the man lowered his head, the tongue only millimeters away from his exposed flesh. He had to do something, to stop this.
"Who are you?"
Orochimaru froze above the beautifully tanned chest, as he regarded the confused boy in surprise. "You do not remember me, Naruto-kun?" He asked cautiously. Even though he knew that someone like the Kyuubi container was too innocent and stupid to devise and enact such a plan, it did not hurt to be cautious. After all, he did not put it past Jiraiya, or even Tsunade to trick him like this.
"Naruto…" a pink tongue shyly wetted dry lips, the effects of the sleep jutsu combined with the shot of morphine dampened what should had been a fearful outburst into mild surprise. "Is that my name?" It sounded familiar alright, but for all he knew, it could be the name of his pet cat or something.
"Well, well, well. This is certainly not what I was expecting," Orochimaru said as he released the hands he pinned down. He turned around as he adjusted his yukata so that it covered his own exposed chest, wanting to see if the young man would take the chance and do anything while he had his back turned. However, he only heard the gliding sound of naked skin against the thick silk as Naruto stretched his tense muscles, he made a sound almost like a purr as some of the stress disappeared with the stretch.
"What do you remember, Naruto-kun?" The Sannin watched in amusement as the boy stretched like a cat, the muscles quivered as his back stretched into an elegant arch, his tanned skin glowed beautifully against the black satin of sheets. It was strange how the blond boy did not seem bothered by his apparent amnesia.
Now that the man was no longer invading his personal space, he was able to breathe a little easier and think a little clearer. Golden brows scrunched together in thought. "I don't know, it hurts when I think," the blond boy practically whined, Naruto closed his eyes and rubbed his face into the silk pillow, and as if to save him, his stomach growled loudly. "Is there anything to eat around here?"
Orochimaru trailed a hand experimentally along the silken cheek, earning a purr in return. Whatever fears the blond felt earlier disappeared as the desire for more rest and food took over. "I see, I will have someone take you for some food then."
"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru called out calmly, knowing the Uchiha had been waiting outside for the past two hours. It must had been torture for the young prodigy to wait so long before he could finally have Naruto alone. Orochimaru almost grinned when the door to his bedroom door was slammed open without ceremony. It had been a long time since Sasuke was this eager to see him.
"You called?" Immediately, the black eyes focused on the half naked form on the bed, they did not miss how Orochimau's own yukata was loosely tied around the waist, his chest generously exposed, a chest that was as toned and smooth as that of Sasuke's own, all thanks to the body switching jutsu, and the poor shinobi who became the sacrifice.
"I'm going to take a bath," as he walked past the younger man, Orochimaru paused, and put his hand against Sasuke's throat, caressing his future container lovingly. "I want you to take Naruto-kun for some food. After that, bring him to Kabuto, I want a complete check up on him… Naruto-kun seems to have lost his memories." His hand dropped away. "Oh and Sasuke-kun, please make sure that nothing happens to Naruto-kun, I will be counting on you to look after him here." The Sanin finished with a quiet chuckle, closing the door gently behind, in contrast with Sasuke's own previous outburst.
For what seemed to be an eternity, he did nothing but stood there, in the middle of the spacious room. His eyes feasted on the figure that was still sprawled across the black silk of Orochimaru's bed. His hands tightened into fists by his sides, his blunt nails bit into the flesh of his palm. Just looking at the naked skin made his blood boil, as unwanted images of what might have transpired between his ex-teammate and his current master sneaked into his mind traitorously.
His anger made him cross the floor in just a few steps. For a couple of seconds, as he stood above Naruto, his eyes carefully took in the soft messy strands of gold that was splashed brightly across the black pillows, the soft fluttering eyelids that hid eyes as blue as the sky, the small straight nose, the round pink cheeks, the smooth warm skin that stretched over the taunt slender muscles, the rosy peaks of the nipples, the faint definition of the abdominal muscles that spoke of endless shinobi training. His eyes quickly moved back up and focused on the pink, luscious lips before his thoughts could turn down another path.
His fingers tangled with the sudden desire to drive his katana through the softly moving chest. His heart sped up with the unfamiliar feeling of betrayal with the idea of the blond idiot in Orochimaru's bed. "Hey, usuratonkachi, wake up." Instead of taking out his beloved katana, his hid behind the familiar wall of insults and indifference. He bent a knee onto the bed to shake the body, not wanting to feel the texture of the tanned skin with his own bare hands.
"Who the hell are you calling usuratonkachi, teme?!" Memory loss or not, reflex was something that could not be erased, as Naruto sprung up, totally awake after the rude remark. "Who are you anyways?" He asked as he regarded the new stranger.
The words in Sasuke's mouth dried up as the black sheets that Orochimaru used to cover the lower part of Naruto's body slid down. In his anger, the blond did not seem to have notice that he was totally exposed. Sasuke quickly turned around as he felt his heart sped up at the quick little peek. Why was he so worked up at seeing another person? It wasn't like he never saw a naked male before. And he had seen Naruto's body before; they often bathed together with Kakashi on missions… Yes, but that was many years ago, his mind supplied wicked. And now, both of you have grown, in more ways than one….
"Hey, I asked you a question," the blond pouted cutely, annoyed that he was being ignored. He didn't even noticed how he was exposed in all of his naked glory.
"Hurry up if you still want to eat. I don't care what Orochimaru wants, I don't have all day to wait for you," Sasuke answered tonelessly as he walked towards the door, he congratulated himself for keeping his voice normal.
"Fine, fine, you anti-social bastard," Naruto complained as he swung his legs over. An indigenous shriek erupted from his mouth as he finally noticed how he was completely naked for the past couple of minutes. Who the hell undressed him? Was he naked for the whole time he was asleep?! He did a mental checklist of his body. His was not sore anywhere (that was a good sign, right?), the only thing that was bothering him was the splitting headache and his lost pride. Gathering the black silk sheet around his waist, as if gathering the tattered pieces of his pride, he tied as a make shift cover.
Naruto stood up quickly, and instantly regretted his hasty action when his world began to spin around him. Firm hands grabbed his upper arms just in time before his legs gave below him. He cursed under his breath at his own helplessness. He tugged tried to tug his arms out of the strong grasp that kept him upright. His stubbornness refused any kind of help from the one who called him a 'usuratonkachi.' Unfortunately, his feet decided at that moment to get tangled in the long sheet that he dragged off from the bed.
Sasuke smirked as he watched Naruto fall backwards, his ex teammate gave him a look of disbelieve as the dark haired boy made no move to prevent his fall.
He knew it, the other boy was not only an asshole, he was a cold hearted bastard as well, Naruto thought to himself as he prepared for the impact his head was about to make with the bed post…which never came.
At the last possible second, just as the golden hair was about to brush the sharp wooden corner, Sasuke jerked the half naked boy forward, the momentum slammed Naruto's cheek against the skin exposed by Sasuke's gi. Both young men froze at the skin on skin contact, their minds suddenly blank expect for the sensation of the other's warmth.
Sasuke could have stayed in that position forever. Ever since he joined Orochimaru, he had been isolated from any physical contact, except for those required medical checkups he went through every month, to ensure that the Sanin's future body was in perfect condition. The unexpected touch was the first attack against the thick wall of defense that had formed since his deflection.
It was Naruto who pulled away first, his cheeks burned were it was in contact with the pale perfection of the other boy's chest. It felt as if every single nerve in his body concentrated itself at that small area, the embarrassment of the awkward but strangely pleasant accident left him slightly breathless, and suddenly too shy to look up into the black eyes that were staring at him with all its heated intensity. "Sorry." He murmured quietly.
"Here, put this on," the Uchiha genius said gruffly as he picked up the spare yukata that was left on the bed, no doubt by Orochimaru. He watched with hidden fascination at this new shyness. The Naruto from his memory was always loud and obnoxious, always over confident about his own abilities, but never this quiet and timid... He did not turn around as the blond pull away this time (mindful of his footing), and took the offered garment. He had to admit, that it was amusing to see Naruto blushing and fidgeting under his eyes.
The yukata was made of heavy silk. The design was a simple one of pale pink sakura against a dark blue background, a rather feminine theme. It looked very innocent, however as the blond boy wrapped it around his body, he discovered quickly that the yukata dropped down at the back, leaving a great deal of his neck and shoulders uncovered. A silvery obi tied the yukata around in the middle, but unlike the normal male yukata, this one was just cut above the knees, with slits at both sides, leaving Sasuke with glimpses the well toned thighs. There was no doubt in his mind why Orochimaru chose this piece of clothing for Naruto.
"Are you sure this is it?" The blue eyed boy asked as he smoothed the material over his backside. "Aren't there pants or something that comes with this?" Needless to say, he felt extremely exposed, he could feel the air perfectly down there, and it was not a breeze that he enjoyed feeling.
"If you're talking about this…" Sasuke picked up a small triangular piece of silk with his finger tip, dangling the indecent piece of underwear in front of Naruto's bright red face. The blond looked like the color of Sakura's dress right now.
"What the hell are you trying to say, teme?!" Naruto screeched out. Pointing an accusing finger at the black haired boy.
"I was not the one who prepared the outfit," Sasuke shrugged. "If you don't want to wear it, feel free to go commando, no one is stopping you." Throwing the panties towards Naruto, it hit the blond in the face, and he did not stay this time to see whether the blond put it on or not. He walked out the door and closed it. Even he would give the dobe some privacy to collect whatever was left of his male ego…
A couple of minutes later, the door was pushed open, and from the way the blond was walking so slowly and awkwardly, it left no doubt in Sasuke's mind that the younger boy was indeed wearing the silken underwear.
Naruto resisted the urge to reach under the yukata and pull off the offending underwear, it was so small and constricting, but the thought of walking around naked under the yukata the idea did not sit with him well, especially if that Orochimaru guy was around. He looked up to see pure black eyes scrutinizing him closely. "Hey teme, I don't even know you're name."
The black eyes narrowed into slits. "Stop playing around Naruto, you know who I am." He pushed himself off the wall and walked down the dark hallway. Even with the occasional torch on the wall, his eyes were so used to the darkness that he could see perfectly. The same couldn't be said for Naruto, who being a child of the sun despised the darkness. The blond hurried to catch up to the raven, and Sasuke smirked as he felt a soft hand grab the back of his gi, using him as a guide in the dark.
"You're such a bastard," Naruto murmured softly in the dark, the shadows were scary and the silk was doing nothing to protect him against dampness. His stomach growled again, the sound so loud that it practically echoed in the narrow hallway. "Where are we going? I'm so hungry."
"I'm taking you to the kitchen right now, and don't you even ask if there's ramen," Sasuke said quickly before the blond could even open his mouth.
"Ramen? Why would I ask for that?" Naruto scrunched up his nose. "Did I use to like that?"
"Damn it Naruto!" The cloth in his hand was yanked away, as Naruto suddenly found himself shoved against the wall. The air disappeared in his lungs as the eyes that looked down at him were no longer black, but blood red. His heart jerked at the present position he was trapped in. "Orochimaru isn't here, so drop your act." The raven leaned closer, brushing his cheek purposefully against the whisker scars as he breathed against a sensitive ear. A part of him registered the shiver that traveled down Naruto's body at the feeling of his warm breath.
"I know the reason why you came here, I can see right through your little game," Sasuke whispered, his lips brushing the sensitive outer shell. "I don't think I need to remind you again of my answer, but if you keep on insisting on being stupid, then…"
He never even saw it coming until it was too late. The next thing he knew, blood was already dripping down is cheek. Fear built up in his chest until he could no longer contain it anymore. A blood curdling scream shook the very foundation of the underground base, as Naruto shoved Sasuke away from his body and ran away blindly, tears of panic and fear leading his instincts.
Sasuke stood there staring after the disappearing blond in shock. He did not anticipate such a reaction from Naruto. His sharingan disappeared, and he reached out to remove the kunai that was deeply embedded in the wall. All he wanted to do was to force Naruto into use his shinobi skills when he flung the weapon at the blond. The Naruto he knew would have caught the weapon easily and would have used it to attack him back, but this Naruto did not even see him throw the kunai until it was too late and he was already cut.
Just what in the seven hells was going on? Did Naruto really lose his memories? Now, even he was not sure anymore.
Oh great, he was lost. Naruto used a hand to support himself as he bent down and panted. His entire body still shook with unexplained terror as he remembered the blood red eyes the black haired boy stared at him with. He did not even know why he was afraid; Sasuke seemed nice enough before, but his body and heart reacted even before he could think.
Blue eyes looked around, but all the walls looked exactly the same, and in his haste to get away, he forgot all the turns that he made, whatever this place was, it was designed like a labyrinth, to confuse and trap anyone who stumbled in by mistake.
"Naruto-kun?"
He yelped as a light hand landed on his shoulder. Fearing the worst, he jerked around, grabbed the hand and bit into it, hard.
Too surprised by the reaction, Kabuto just stood there, letting the Kyuubi container sink his sharp canines into his flesh. Orochimaru-sama came by earlier to ask him to keep an eye on Sasuke and Naruto. He was about to look for the two when he heard Naruto's scream.
Finally realizing that the person who spoke to him was actually not Sasuke, Naruto dropped the hand in his mouth and jumped back. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I thought it was the bastard with the freaky red eyes."
"Did you mean Sasuke-kun?" the older nin pushed his glasses up.
"Yeah, he said I knew him, and that he knew what I was here for," tears began to swell up again the wide innocent blue eyes. He didn't even realize that he was blabbing everything to another stranger. "I really can't remember who he is, and when I told him, he wouldn't believe me… and… and…"
"It's okay, Naruto-kun, you can tell me," Kabuto answered, wasn't this getting interesting.
"And… he attacked me!" Naruto finished as the tears finally dripped down his cheeks. "He threw a knife at me, and it cut my face."
"Ah," a gentle finger brushed away the tanned hand that was wiping away the tears. "That was rather mean of Sasuke-kun. I will let Orochimaru-sama know, and we will have Sasuke-kun punished for sure." How fascinating… the eyes behind the glasses widened as the cut on Naruto's face healed right under his fingertips. This must be the power of the Kyuubi. He remember the last time he fought against Naruto, the blond was still able to move with a broken hip and cut quadriceps… and after his heart muscles were shredded by his chakra scalpel, he still managed to survive… very intriguing indeed…
"Kabuto, get your hands off of him," the cold voice said dripping with venom as a person walked out of the shadows. It wasn't hard for Sasuke to track and follow Naruto after the blond ran off. He wanted to wait a little to see what the dobe would do, and if Naruto would do anything that would give him away, but the plan was ruined when the worst person possible appeared.
"Oh?" It was Kabuto's turn to sound smug. Oh yes, he had the perfect idea… the perfect way to get Sasuke the numerous times the Uchiha had annoyed him in the past. "It seems like our Naruto-kun is quite afraid of you Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru-sama asked me to check up on Naruto-kun, just in case something happened to him…"
"It was an accident."
"Really? I find that somehow hard to believe, especially coming from someone with perfect control, like yourself," Kabuto grinned at the raven's glare. "Let's go Naruto-kun, I'll get you some food and then we'll find out how you lost all of your memories." Without waiting for the blond to answer, the sound nin put his arm around Naruto's shoulder and guided him away.
The blond boy turned his head to look at the raven as he was being lead away. It happened very fast, but Sasuke did not miss it… the smug little smile that lifted the corner of those oh so kissable lips. For the first time in many years, he felt his control slipping.
AN: I'm sorry that Naruto appears to be OOC in this chapter, his weird behavior will be explained in time, and there is also a reason why he's not freaking out about his amnesia. Please read and review, I love reading everyone's comments, and they bring inspiration for new chapters
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I'm so sorry that there was such a long wait.
KYUUBILOVER: Yes, Jiraiya did have something to do with Naruto's present state :p But that's all I'm going to say for now.
Chiisai Shiroi Wolf: I agree that Orochimaru is evil and cruel, but I still like him because he's such a perfect villain XD And thanks for reminding me about the spelling/grammar mistakes, I'll try my best to catch them.