A/N- I know you guys want me to put a little more into the story; "make it come to life" as I was told by one of my lovely reviewers (love you all!). I want to really; I have been working with a beta so chapter four should be better mistake wise but as for the other things like vocabulary and description… I don't have time. I'm getting ready for collage and I am working slowly on a plot for a real book, I hate to say it but… this is just a fanfiction. Something to sharpen my skills on, not burn myself out with, I hope I don't sound mean I'm trying to stop the spelling and grammar problems for you!
NOTE
There will be lemons (NO THREESOMES) maybe some flirting for plot reasons. The lemon will come… and the lime will come sooner… and some beast stuff… for Kyuubi… we don't want him left out.
(For all you reading on please see my fic on AdultFanfiction for lemons same story name same authors name.)
Summary- Naruto is not like everyone thinks he is, he hides his true self form everybody. The few who know about the other him know very little. When various events force Naruto to spend time with his team mates in situations out side of the norm he finds it hard to keep up the act.
Parings- SasuNaru, some KakaIru others not decided.
Rating- very much an R rated fic
Warning- sexual situations, foul language, self mutilation, attempted suicide, a very OOC Sasuke. And bitch Sakura!
Spoilers- for anyone who is not up to date on the manga
Disclaimer- …
XxXxXxX
Red Walkways
Chapter Seven
Fangless Monster
XxXxXxX
Bright red hair, red eyes with cat pupils, whisker marks…
"K…Ky…Kyu…"
Naruto choked on his words unable to get the name of the demon before him past his lips.
The fox smirked at the blond's lack of intelligent speech showing off white fangs.
"that's right kit, you can do it, just say K-Y-U-U-B-I" the red head chuckled at his own joke, his wild hair bouncing with the action. (Think Cloud hair from Final Fantasy but red).
"but how?" Naruto muttered.
Kyuubi raised an eyebrow like he couldn't believe he was just asked that, "what? Did you think all demons ran around in their animal forms? We'd run out of room fast if that happened… and if you expected us to stay in our smaller versions and live like animal you've got another thing coming."
Naruto eye brows came to a V looking like he was gravely insulted, "what are you talking about… I know your true form is big but there's only nine of you."
Kyuubi looked insulted this time, "is that what they tell you in these human villages? I assume your talking about the Bijuu, we are the nine strongest demons that are known of… let me see. There's Ichibi no Tanuki, and according to you he's stuck in that Gaara of the Sand kid and they call him Shukaku, Nebi no Inu, Sanbi no Neko, Yanbi no Kuma."
The red head suddenly went silent, his eyes hardened with anger and what Naruto thought might be suppressed tears. He took a ragged breath and continued tripping over the next name.
"the next would be Gobi no Ookami then Rukubi no Uma, Sichibi no Tori, Hachibi no Tora, and me Kyuubi no Kitsune, lastly Juubi no Ryuu." Kyuubi took another calming breath, "then there are other demons, most not note worthy but there were some rising powers like… Karasu no Bi… he would have been on equal ground with any of the nine if he was given the time." ((1))
"Given time? What do you…" Naruto began to question but the words died in his mouth when Kyuubi's eyes hardened further.
"He died." The fox stated firmly leaving no room for question and no desire to inquire as to how his death came about.
The blond nodded, another piece to the puzzle of Kyuubi's past fell into place.
"So there are a lot of demons?"
Kyuubi nodded giving a light smile to break the repressive mood that had settled over the room.
"Yeah, we have our own hidden villages just like you Ninjas but maybe not as many. Ironically the largest is here in fire country bordering on the sea side in the direction the island of wave is in, it's called Youkai no Yobi." ((2))
Naruto was genuinely surprised and that doesn't happen often,
"I should start cleaning up, you wana help?"
The light smile from before reach Kyuubi's eyes,
"Sure… I can do that now can't I ..." the fox became serious all of a sudden, "Naruto… I… I can't thank you enough… I…"
Naruto cut him off from the floor where he was cleaning up the chalk,
"Don't, it was the right thing to do and your reaction only makes that clearer."
Kyuubi nodded; afraid to open his mouth not sure of what might come out against his will. Instead he stayed silent and helped clean, savoring the sensation of touch he had missed for sixteen years.
"I have to go see Tsunade-Baachan tomorrow morning… the look she gave me as she left said any later then that and she'll break my door down."
"yeah" Kyuubi answered absently, "hey kit…"
Naruto stopped cleaning, the tone of Kyuubi's voice caught his attention.
"what?"
"I can go back into the seal can't I? I mean I can go in and out of that area…?" Kyuubi seemed to be on some sort of emotional cliff and Naruto made sure to tread carefully.
"Yeah you can, the seal is still there it's just opened, but it still connects us in various ways. We share chakra in one big system that flows between us and stuff… not that it matters, your chakra plus mine is enough to power a dozen platoons." He kept his voice light and informational as he spoke.
The fox seemed to think on this information for a moment, his brows furled in concentration. His eyes hardened in some sort of preparation… he was ready for the truth.
"And what of my body… what is it?"
A small smile lifted Naruto's lips, so that's what was bugging him.
"It's what it was…" he began.
Kyuubi seemed very surprised by what that statement implied.
Naruto continued after a purposefully suspenseful pause.
"Your body was not destroyed when you were sealed; you were to powerful for that to be done. Instead it was broken down when it went through the open seal and into my body with the rest of you. When I let you out the decomposed parts of your vessel went through the (partly) open seal again reversing the process, and every time you go in or out of your cell it does it again." ((3))
Kyuubi seemed amazed and elated; then his face took on the expression of mock anger.
"Thanks for making my body sound like a science project brat."
Naruto smiled. He knew the fox was playing; it was his way of expression gratitude. Once was enough for one day… even if he couldn't get the whole thing out.
"your welcome."
"hey… will decomposing my body to many times be bad for it…?"
Naruto Shrugged "not sure… you're a demon so it should be ok, not like you'll get cancer or anything… I hope. Why do you ask anyways? I though you'd be happy for an excuse never to go back in."
Kyuubi stopped his work for a moment to look the blond in the eyes.
"I wanted to know because… I'm hungry, and it confused me."
Naruto sweat dropped.
"Of course your hungry… it happens you know."
The fox gave an irritated glare,
"yes but I haven't felt hunger in sixteen years."
Naruto smiled, "then we are going to have to celebrate this hunger with ramen!"
Kyuubi ignored the ramen comment and moved on in the conversation.
"And also it… just seemed like a good place to hide if need be…"
Naruto nodded in understanding, "makes sense."
The cleaning went on in silence for a moment, Naruto stopped to watch Kyuubi pick up his couch and put it where he was told.
"You know I don't get you."
Naruto Quirked a brow at the demon.
"I have been hearing what you hear for a few days and I still haven't figured out why you're not fucking that Uchiha kid."
The blond blushed to the roots of his hair; he took a moment to compose himself after the Fox's more then blunt question.
"We may have a mild physical attraction to one another, but he would never want a relationship, we're rivels."
Kyuubi smirked, "but you want a relationship don't you?" 'mild my ass.'
"That's not the point." If possible Naruto became redder, but his tone obviously stated that the topic was closed.
The red head "hmmed" and nodded.
'I'm going to have to fix this problem.'
"So you gay? Bi?" Naruto thought it was natural to ask after Kyuubi talked so openly about him and Sasuke.
"no, demons don't have gay's and bi's, we don't even have sex's."
Narutos head snapped up to look at Kyuubi, "but you male…"
The demon smiled, "nope, us demons take the appearance of whatever sex we like most, we choose our mates mby strength, or personality, or looks, but not by sex. I could become female but it's not what I'm comfortable as, it's like you getting a sex change, you look like a girl but you don't act like one."
Naruto nodded, "I think I get it, so what about children?"
The red head sighed, "if the couple are "same sex" one will become the other sex temporarily, demon pregnancy's only last a mouth or two depending on the type of demon or the mix they make." Kyuubi stopped for a moment, a thought came to him like a bolt of lighting. "You have all my powers like I have yours right?"
Naruto thought this a random question but nodded.
Kyuubi smiled, "so you can have kids too."
The statement was to utterly blunt and surprising Naruto felt the need to fall over…
XxXxXxXxXxX
The next morning was dull; the sky was overcast and gray… Naruto knew it was not going to be a good day.
He woke early… very early, the sun was just peeking over the horizon when the blonds sea blue eyes cracked open to great the dreary day. He looked down to find Kyuubi in his small fox form curled up on his stomach sound asleep.
The night before they had discovered that Kyuubi is still slightly drawn to Naruto and feels more combatable closer to him, it's a discovery they hope wears off. Naruto suspected it would over time; they had to ease off each other slowly.
A slight groan skimmed the air, Naruto sat up sliding Kyuubi to his lap; the small fox slipped open one eye to glance at the 'kit'. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he went back to sleep allowing Naruto to place him on his pillow.
Naruto stood reaching for the ceiling and cracked his back, then neck, and last the lower joins of his fingers.
The morning routine never really changed, shower, eat, dress and leave, Naruto sighed at the redundant mantra that was his life. The only interruptions are missions whom on a larger scale are themselves redundant.
Door opens… door closes; Naruto walks out into empty Street flooded by the beautiful light of the raising sun. Empty street, the only street he could want, the light lost its beauty and the silence became a vacuum. All life is consumed and beaten in a place like this… and nothing ever really changes.
Naruto blinked away his depressing thoughts; someone was coming out of a house a few down from his apartment.
An old woman shuffled out the door of her quaint little home with its flowers in the window and its welcome mat at the entrance. Naruto had seen this women before, just after the first alteration, she had looked at him as he passed in the street… cold hard eyes, hate, pain, accusation.
Naruto watched as she locked her door, she hasn't noticed him yet. Blue eyes drifted to the old ladies face… calm kind eyes, joy, life, understanding. So different, is this what she would be like if he were like everyone else, is this what she would be like if he talked to her and his name wasn't Uzumaki Naruto?
The woman was about to turn and walk towards him, Naruto leapt onto the roof of the house behind him, avoiding the old ladies stare by only moments. He watched as she walked away with a light smile on her lips and a soft sadness in her eyes. Naruto pulled his gaze from her back and ran the house tops in the opposite direction; he had an old hag of his own to meet this morning.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"So you actually came?" Tsunade looked at her successor, her face painted with mild surprise, it would have been less shocking if he didn't come and left for the mission anyway.
Naruto didn't respond, his breathing the only thing keeping Tsunade from reaching across the desk to check for a pulse.
When he had walked into the office without his normal insult for a greeting she knew something was off that day, and when she looked into his eyes… his eyes. Like deep calm pools of water, but these liquid bodies were anything but relaxing. Like the dead lakes in the mountains their stillness had come to a disturbing point, she had seen this before… and it scared her every time. Deep in her heart she knew this mind state was dangerous to his health, she cried for his pain every night, but she didn't know what to do.
"Yes, I got your message yesterday, I wasn't surprised you wanted to see and I also had a question of my own." Naruto's flat voice passed his lips like sound from a speaker, no emotion. He could feel his insides getting colder as he replayed the old ladies expression in his mind, it mocked him and his pain, laughing at his abnormality and taunting him with normalcy.
Tsunade blinked the fog from her head, "I thought you did, I wanted you here before your mission in the morning to ask you what you were really doing yesterday."
"I was trying to find a way to communicate with the fox, obviously that didn't work out all that well, I was knocked out for hours."
"Obviously" Tsunade drawled dryly.
Naruto continued to lie through his teeth, something he was very good at. A cold hand gripped his heart as he reminded himself who he was lying to. 'It's for Kyuubi, it's for Kyuubi… it's for Kyuubi… and what she doesn't know won't hurt her…'
"I want you to right now, promise me that you will not do anymore practical work on the seal…"
Tsunade stood from her chair and moved in front of Naruto, her blue eyes looked at his blond hair from above, shimmering with emotion.
"Please Naruto… promise me, I don't want to lose you…"
The silence stretched; Naruto's hands clenched in his effort to not meet eyes with the woman above him. He could imagine the way her mouth quivered, how her eyes became like liquid as they always do, when she's clutching for something solid to hold on to.
"Naru…"
"I promise." He gave in.
Tsunade let a small smile lift her lips,
"Thank you."
BANG!
Both occupants of the room whipped around to face the doors that were flat against the wall, Sizune stood between them her breath coming in short huffs and puffs.
"Tsunade-Sama! The Jounin team you sent to Mist is back, one is injured very badly!"
Tsunade nodded, "I'll be right there."
Sizune took her leave, getting ready to prep the Jounin for the doctor.
The healer turned on Naruto, "what was it you were going to ask? Make it fast."
This situation could only help Naruto so he decided to be direct.
"I would like permission to Bring K-chan on the upcoming mission."
Tsunade gave her Ninja a hard look, "why?"
"I am teaching him to fight with me like the Inuzuka do with there dogs, I am in trust training with him and as you know that is the most delicate stage of the process. I can not be separated from him now." Naruto held his breath and waited for her answer.
"Fine" Tsunade gave, if she was not in such a rush she would interrogate the blond on the matter but now was not the time so she let it go.
Naruto let his breath out "Thank you Tsunade-sama." He stood and gave a small bow.
Tsunade nodded back confused by his odd behavior, "I trust you know your way out?"
"Of course"
Tsunade made her exit with haste.
The cold hand crept back over Naruto's heart and squeezed with vengeance, she showed concern for his well being and he lies to her. He could feel himself pulling away emotionally as the conversation drew out, but the pain stood strong against his will. Putting his hands on the edge of the desk he closed his eyes and leaned over it, gripping the wood in an effort to control his raging self hatred.
Naruto slid his eyes open taking a deep breath, grimacing at the pain in his chest… what was that seal? A letter on the desk below him caught his eye; it had a seal that was not of the Hokage… it was from the Raikage of the hidden Cloud. Naruto slowly let go of the desk letting his curiosity distract him from his inner angst, he picked the paper up and read it over. Why hadn't Tsunade told him about this? She normally keeps him posted on important news in the political world because of his status, and this letter is dated for a week ago.
Naruto read the letter again…
Odd…
Some of the words in the letter didn't make sense to him… he didn't know there meaning, was it a code?
He hoped Tsunade doesn't make any deals with the Cloud; they never had very good judgment… look what happened the last time Leaf got involved with them…
Foot steps in the hall told Naruto he had over stayed his welcome, it wouldn't due for someone to find the Demon alone in the Hokage's office reading a letter off her desk/ he spun to the window and was gone in a rush of air.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The Bed creaked as Sasuke put all his weight on it in one swift and graceful leap, landing on his back in a lounging position he moved his arms behind his head. He made sure he was comfortable because he was in for a very long and painful thinking session… after what had happened at Naruto's he could be sure of the painful part.
Nothing that happened at the blond's apartment made any sense; it didn't match up with what happened in the Hokage's office. Enough seemed to correspond to put the other team members mind to rest, but not this Uchiha. There was something very wrong with everything around Naruto lately, especially a certain fox that came from god knows where. Naruto said he found the mangy animal in the forest, but Sasuke would be having tea with Itachi next week if that were true.
The brunet sat up with a huff, a glance at the clock told him it was too late to get any sleep. Training was canceled, Sasuke thought about going over to Naruto's and pressing him for answers, but that would cause more problems then it would solve. They had a mission coming and they already had enough discord between them to shoot the whole objective to hell, anymore problems and they might not go at all then Naruto would really have something to be mad at him about.
A walk… that's what he needed, a nice relaxing walk to clear his mind…
XxXxXxXxXxX
Naruto's walk back to his apartment was taken at a much slower pace then the journey away had been. The streets were bustling with people who were just trying to get from point A to point B and do their work. No matter how rushed and over worked they may have been, they still had time to throw a glare or two his way, he just smiled back yanking that condescending look right off their face's.
He would never be good enough for them, no matter what he did. He worked so hard for a "good job" or just a smile in his direction from people like that old lady, with her soft eyes and bitter sweet smile. He would have done anything they wanted, they say jump, and he asked how high and would you like fries with that? For so long he would have tied the nose around his neck for them… until he realized, they would be the one to pull the chair from under his feet.
Naruto hurt, his emotions had been messed up since he was old enough to give them names, over the years they had become harder and harder to control. His fits of depression came like waves on the shore of mist country, and his mental instability seemed to have taken a dive since he started to mess with the seal. He knew the seal was connected to his mind in multiple ways, and he had taken every variable into account when he had fingered the alterations he had preformed… but, he may have been wrong. If he had been a normal person to begin with this probably wouldn't have been more then a mild case of separation anxiety, but he wasn't normal.
Naruto was hated, despised. Neglected at the best of times, he had been betrayed and blamed, and even now, when things were starting to slowly incline he was still severely depressed. For Naruto Kyuubi had been a constant, he was the reason everything in his life was shit, but he was also the only thing that kept him here, and it wasn't the fox's fault. Kyuubi had been something to hang onto mentally when things were getting to heavy, and when Naruto did snap the Kitsune was the only reason he survived. Then he learned to catch it before it broke, to alleviate the pain another way, and the demon had helped him hide it from everyone even if he didn't know what he was doing.
But now it was gone, the strong presence in his mind had diminished to a buzzing that told him the Fox was asleep; there was nothing big enough to hold onto.
Naruto eyes began to refocus on where he was walking, it was the same direction the old lady had gone this morning when she left her little home. He was walking the same step she had when her eyes were so soft and her smile so sad, her expression was like his when he thought no one was looking.
Naruto continued to walk strait, he knew this road, when people walked down this road to the end they never had a smile. When he himself reached the destination of the small path the main road had dwindled to… he wasn't smiling.
Towering high above him was a large polished rock, and upon it were the names of all who had died heroes of the village. At the base of this hero's home was a small hunched form, a wrinkled hand reached up and caressed a name that was etched into the smooth surface. Flowers lay at the old ladies feet, her only way to tell all who passed of her emptiness, Flowers for her "baby Boy" as she had called him to herself when she mourned as she did every morning since his death.
Naruto took note of where the name rest on the wall of stone… right in the center of the Kyuubi victims.
Then she turned around.
For a moment she didn't seem to recognize him, still lost in a fragment of a memory played out long ago. But soon her eyes became cold and hard.
"How dare you" her voice was like a low hiss of an angry beast.
Naruto took an involuntary step back as she stalked closer.
"How dare you come to this place, a place where people mourn for what you have destroyed!" her voice rose with every word and cracked at the end, angry tears streaked her face.
Closer she came and Naruto froze at her last words… what he had destroyed… his fault.
"HOW DARE YOU!" her voice was an angry roar that slapped him in the face, the shock of her words compelling him to flee… so he ran.
Eyes closed tight, keeping out the painful stairs and keeping in his tears, he ran without direction, only wanting to be faster then his pain.
His sightless sprint had taken him to the only place they couldn't reach him, and the only place he was really in danger, his apartment.
Without moments pause he opened the door and slammed it shut dashing to the bathroom. He stopped for a moment in front of The Door, only staring; it just took that moment to make the last of his will power snap. Its breaking was so strong it felt tangible, like a rib being cracked; its sound should have resonated through the room.
Running full to the bathroom again he shut and locked that door and turned to the cabinet mirror.
The loud bangs of slamming door had woken Kyuubi from the best sleep he had ever had, he sat up quickly trying to figure out who was in the apartment. A quick feel with his mind told him it was only Naruto, but with another moment of connection the fox noticed that something was very wrong.
Jumping from the bed he was in his humanoid form before his feet hit the ground, and was at the bathroom door before the echo of its closing left the air.
Pounding his fist the Fox called for his seal mate,
"Naruto? Naruto open this door!"
No answer.
"NOW!" he screamed, sure that the people down the street heard him.
Still there was silence.
Kyuubi pounded again then reached for the door knob and turned, it was locked.
"NARUTO!"
This time he was answered, a soft sobbing met his ear, and Kyuubi could feel his chakra being pulled away from him.
Without a second though the demon grabbed the knob again turning until he hear a snap that signaled the door was no longer locked.
Inside he saw more then he bargained for, crouched against the shower on the far wall was Naruto, he was curled around himself with one of his razors. His arm was bloody but with no cuts and the blond was hacking at his it like he could cut the pain out.
Kyuubi rushed over and grabbed Naruto's wrist, stopping the blades motion.
"STOP THAT!"
His loud voice seemed to pull the boy back to reality; his glazed eyes seemed to clear,
"Kyuubi?"
The fox nodded, "yeah it's me."
Naruto's eyes clouded over once again, all he saw was the cause of all his problems, the demon that started it all.
Kyuubi saw the change but it was too late, he felt the boy pull all his chakra back into the seal only leaving his body outside in its weakest form, a small fox. Then with even less warning a sharp pain exploded in his shoulder, the demon looked over just in time to see a hand pulling the razor from his flesh.
Naruto stabbed him…
A/N- again with the Glossary, it's like this things that's not of human ability to resist. You see that damn number in the text and you HAVE to scroll down before the chapter end to look at the damn Glossary, no fail.
GLOSSARY
1. Bijuu- I think it translates to "Tail Ten" it's what they call the Ten tailed demons.
Ichi, Ni, San, Yan (Shi), Go, Ruku, Sichi, Hachi, Kyuu, Juu- the numbers 1-10 in Japanese (Chinese) (full name of numbers, some can be shortened like Ichi to Ich.)
Bi –Tail (one way of saying it)
Tanuki – Raccoon/dog a creature from myth said to me a master of appearance and jolly to boot.
Inu – Dog
Neko – Cat
Kuma – bear
Ookami – Wolf
Uma- Horse
Tori- Bird
Tora – Tiger
Kitsune – Fox (duh)
Ryuu - Dragon
Karasu no bi – Raven of Tail
2. Youkai no Yobi – Day of the Demon
3. Like a Pokéball effect… looks like one too with the beam of red light and stuff.
4. Naruto can't handle all the chakra in his body but he can put it back in the seal like Kyuubi did when he first met Tsunade, then it does what it had before, healing him like the Kyuubi was still in there.