When Naruto woke up, he immediately felt dread building in his chest. His eyes widened as he took in the room, which seemed to be mocking him in its coldness. The lantern hung there, a sad reminder of what had happened.
Naruto emitted his first ever swear word since Iruka-sensei had banned him from them when he was ten. He felt sore all over, and there were bruises on his chest and shoulders from the snake-man's teeth. His legs felt like jelly, and besides the over-all shock at what had happened, he felt a small bit of a relaxing sensation.
Naruto clutched the bed coverings around him as he searched the dark carpeted floor for his clothes. He winced at their state. He hadn't even realized his t-shirt had been torn from his body until then. As he scrambled along the floor, he felt something odd. A chord, now snapped, attached to a glowing blue gem that seemed to warm at his touch. Flashes of a smiling blonde woman filled his mind, and then anger, bitter and unhindered anger. It seemed that Tsunade had done him wrong, but he couldn't remember her being any more than a rude old lady.
The smiling woman in his head didn't seem so bad at all.
Naruto tied the chord carefully; making sure it was secure before placing it around his neck. He felt a small burning in his belly, around the curse-seal. The Kyuubi was displeased with this small artifact. Feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at this, Naruto ignored the demon and zipped his jacket over his bare skin. His underclothes were—well—casualties of the night before. He slipped his trousers on with a grimace, feeling unclean and ashamed.
What had Orochimaru-sama done to him?
Iruka—during his blushing explanation of sex to the eagerly listening Uzumaki—had never said anything about two men having sex. Naruto didn't even know something so strange could feel so good! He wondered if Iruka-sensei knew what he did. The man had been obviously flustered when Naruto had pulled off his epic Harem Jutsu, so he doubted it.
The memories seemed so far away, but at the same time, they felt so close. He knew it had been many years since he had attended the Academy. He remembered being on a team with Sasuke and Sakura. He remembered the Chuunin exams, or at least a part of them. Had he passed? Had Sakura and Sasuke passed? How many memories were missing?
He needed to talk to Sasuke.
Naruto was too afraid to leave the room alone. What if Orochimaru-sama caught him? Naruto would certainly be too flustered to ever talk to the man again.
Mine.
Just remembering the man's tone sent a shiver through Naruto. He had to find Sasuke. He had to find Sakura!
He placed his hands on the door again, and then remembered something. Previously, when he had tried to use his chakra, it had filled him with searing pain. He wondered if it would happen again, but he was hesitant to try. He slowly walked backwards until his knees hit the bed and he sat down, his chin in his hands.
Kami, he was confused.
Naruto sat there, immersed in his memories, until Kabuto opened the door, his hand over his eyes. Naruto wanted to laugh, but his throat felt dry. He stared at Kabuto, unable to move.
"Are you decent?"
Naruto nodded shakily, but then realized Kabuto couldn't see him. Getting that strange urge to laugh again, he mumbled, "Yes."
Kabuto quickly dropped his hand, and Naruto felt the pair of black eyes assess him and the state of the room. The younger Shinobi flinched.
"Do you need medical attention?"
Naruto thought over this question calmly. Did he? There was a dull ache in his backside, but he didn't want to tell Kabuto that. He could practically feel the man's distaste, even if his eyes were full of nothing but pity. He shook his head.
"Well, Naruto-kun. I am here to give you a memory comprehension test, and if that goes well, Orochimaru-sama has permitted a visitation between you and Sasuke."
Naruto's heart leapt into his throat.
Finally. His mind supplied.
"What is the most recent memory you have before you woke up in our care?"
That was easy.
"Sasuke, Sakura, and I were about to enter the Forest of Death. I know we went in….but I just can't remember the details." His voice was hoarse.
"Do you remember anything about either I or Orochimaru-sama?"
"No. I already told you that." Naruto glared at the bespectacled medic-nin.
"No need to be so agitated," Kabuto sniffed, "do you remember Tsunade, the current Hokage?"
"Yes. I also remember a strong negative feeling toward her…I can't explain it. I don't have to see her, do I?"
"Oh, no. Sasuke brought you here. Tsunade has already been informed of your situation," Kabuto said smoothly, his intense eyes of calculation steadily holding Naruto's.
"What did she do to me?"
"Well I don't know, Naruto. I wasn't there," Kabuto said snidely, quirking an eyebrow.
"No need to be so agitated," Naruto mocked Kabuto's deep cultured voice, pretending to push his glasses up.
Kabuto deadpanned.
"Very amusing. Mock the person who's taking you to see your best friend."
Naruto shot up from the bed, stumbling forward a bit at the sudden flash of pain.
"Let's go! Dattebayo!" He said cheerily.
"You sure are in a good mood," Kabuto mused as they walked down the dimly lit corridor. The walls were brown-tinted red, and their shadows flickered against the walls.
"It's easier to feel good then to be sad about everything. If I let myself get sad, I'd never get anything done," replied Naruto as he trotted beside Kabuto.
Kabuto was quiet for a long moment.
"If only Sasuke held the same principles as you. We might actually get some training in instead of mindless bickering. He insists that medical ninjutsu is completely useless," Kabuto clicked his tongue with distaste.
"Isn't it?"
Kabuto glared.
"No, it isn't. I can sever your muscles by touching you, and I can heal any man in seconds. Brute force isn't always the best way to fight. I never lose," Bragged Kabuto.
Naruto was speechless.
"Sever your muscles? What does that mean?"
For some reason, the corners of Kabuto's mouth twitched as if he was enjoying his own private joke. Weird guy.
"It literally breaks apart your muscles. It was…inspired by the Hyuuga's technique of blocking chakra points. It's very debilitating if one relies heavily on taijutsu."
"Hyuuga?" Naruto's mind searched for only a moment, before he remembered Hinata. He remembered crying out in alarm as her cousin struck his precise fingers into her heart, nearly killing her.
"I remember that. Neji was brutal in his match with Hinata-chan," Naruto muttered. Something tugged on the edges of his mind. He felt unexplained warm feelings toward the Hyuuga build in his chest. His lips wanted to smile, but why? He was obviously not the nicest of people if he was willing to hurt his cousin, the shy little kunoichi, and if he talked to her with such disrespect.
"Yes. It's a shame you don't remember the rest. You fought with Neji in the final round. It was rather interesting to watch," said Kabuto vaguely. Naruto's eyes widened.
"I fought with HIM?"
"There's no need to shout." There was amusement in the deep voice.
"Wha-wha—Did I win?"
"It was a draw; you both fought admirably. You have a remarkable talent for changing people, Naruto-kun. I believe, from what Sasuke said, Neji Hyuuga became your friend after that."
"I don't know…He seemed like Sasuke, only more aggressive. I don't think I'd befriend a second Sasuke," Naruto said with a puzzled expression.
"Eh, come to think of it, I wouldn't befriend a first Sasuke! Where is the teme, anyway? This is kind of a long walk."
Kabuto snorted.
"He insisted on rooms as far away from Orochimaru-sama as possible. I'm sure you know why."
A silence fell upon the pair as Naruto's fingers dug into his palms. He hated the unpleasant feeling that rushed through him, a hot and cold feeling that tickled his back and pooled in his stomach. He suddenly wanted to run away, he needed to be alone. A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
"Here we are." Kabuto's voice interrupted Naruto's mini-episode as he knocked on the door in front of him. It was a black door with no handle, and there were no other rooms in the small nook of a hallway.
They waited for quite a while before the door finally slid open.
Sasuke was a lot different from what Naruto remembered.
He had shed the old black shorts and Uchiha emblem shirt and exchanged them for baggy blue pants and a loose white shirt tied with a purple obi. Sasuke had grown; his body lengthened and muscled in comparison to his former short and skinny stature.
What Naruto really noticed, though, were his eyes. They were cold, black obsidian. No emotion crossed the pale face, which had an unhealthy glow in the dim light. The shadows in his eyes seemed to make them even more distant. They seemed disconnected from the rest of him, little cases of black ice that did not melt at the sight of Naruto's weary curl of the lips.
"Naruto," he said, his voice even deeper than Naruto recalled. Sasuke's voice had always been far too grown up for his age.
Naruto couldn't say anything through the sudden dryness in his throat. A cold feeling crept up the back of his neck, and he had to look at the ground in an effort to compose himself.
"I'm willing to leave you two alone for a few minutes, if you can behave," Kabuto's eyes flashed up to Sasuke, his expression one of extreme displeasure.
Sasuke merely stared back. His hand—so fast that Naruto didn't even see it—shot out and yanked Naruto into the room. He stood there for a few seconds before closing the door.
Silence.
For some unexplainable reason, Naruto wanted to cry.
"You shouldn't be here, dobe," Sasuke said, his icy voice suddenly tired. His broad shoulders slumped a bit, and he relaxed against the door, his eyes penetrating Naruto's.
Naruto bit his lip, wrapping his arms around himself.
"I don't remember—I can't—" He stuttered, unable to find the right way to express his feelings.
"How did I get here? Why are you here? Where's Sakura? Where's Kakashi? What happened at the Chuunin exams? What—"
Sasuke cut him off by a simply sharpening of his gaze. Naruto flinched.
"I brought you here."
A weight dropped into his stomach. He could barely breathe.
"Why?"
"I did want to, believe me. I would have been content to have never seen you again, but you are so fucking persistent." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, glaring heavily.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"I came here to train with that perverted snake. You didn't want me to. You have been badgering and harassing me for three years. If you had left me alone, you wouldn't be here. You'd be back wherever Sakura and Kakashi are."
It was the longest sentence Naruto had ever heard Sasuke speak in normal conversation.
It made his throat contract, and little needles of warmth prick at his eyes. He swallowed heavily.
"But—Surely I didn't—I didn't deserve for him to—" Naruto cut himself off. He couldn't tell Sasuke. He wouldn't.
He felt like such a failure.
Sasuke would sneer at him, tell him to be a man. Sasuke had come here alone to be trained. Naruto relied on others to take care of him.
He felt pathetic.
But strangely, Sasuke's gaze softened. He stared at Naruto with the same unreadable expression, his lips turned downward.
"You're an annoying, pathetic idiot. You deserve everything that you get," Sasuke said harshly, in sharp contrast with his gentle eyes.
Naruto knew that statement should have angered him, but all he could feel was calm.
"Sadly, Orochimaru still wants you here. He'll tire of you eventually, and then I'll be free of you. Please try to keep these little visits infrequent, I'm really very busy."
Naruto felt as if he'd been sucker-punched in the ribs. He nodded mutely, staring at the door. He begged Kabuto to come in and save him. Sasuke was going to hurt him, he could feel it. He'd done it before…Hadn't he? Naruto's head hurt.
"Why does it hurt?" Naruto asked numbly.
"What?"
"My chakra. The fox. They burn." He remembered the stinging in his belly before he put on the necklace.
Sasuke didn't reply. He turned away and opened the door, shoving Naruto into the hall.
He ran straight into Kabuto, who smelled like rubbing alcohol and spice.
He wished he could allow himself to cry.
Oh noes! There's no smex in this chapter! :( I'll be sure to rectify that as soon as possible. ;D
I've been in a bit of a funk, I couldn't write and I was extremely depressed. I'm better now, and I can write more often! Woohoo!
I'm sorry that this chapter is kind of boring, it's mostly character development.
See you soon! 'ttbayou!
