Disclaimer: Standard ones apply. Don't own, don't make any money, etc, so don't sue me.
Chapter Eight: Kyuubi
There was nothing left in Kit's stomach and though Kyuubi knew it, she could not seem to stop the organ from continuing its convulsions. On her knees, shaky hands white-knuckling the porcelain bowl, the fox kept her borrowed body bent over the cloudy water below her and watched as the crimson tinged liquid she was heaving joined the mess already present in the toilet.
Never in all her years had the fox ever imagined such a scenario as this when entertaining thoughts of freedom.
An eternity later, the heaving mercifully began to taper off as Naruto's stomach finally called it quits and calmed. Flushing the toilet and its disgusting content away, Kyuubi sat back on the floor on her haunches and simply panted for air as she put a hand to her head to ease the raging headache behind her temple.
"You should go lie down." The clone said. It held a damp washcloth out to her and the fox took it, pressing it to the back of her neck first before using it to wipe her mouth and chin clean. Done, she tossed it over Kit's shoulder into the laundry bin and accepted the prepped toothbrush being offered to her.
Truthfully, the clone was right; Naruto's body was not in any shape to go gallivanting around the forest. Kyuubi knew it and the guilt ate at her spirit just as surely as the pain wracking Naruto's body did. As it was she could barely make her borrowed body move enough to brush her teeth. She really should go lay down and sleep since there really wasn't anything else she could do.
Except that she had things to do.
"Help me up." Kyuubi said instead, trying hard to avoid drooling spittle all over herself as she spoke around the mouthful. She held out a hand expectantly, ignoring the fine trembling running through the appendage.
"No." The clone said flatly, folding its arms over its chest. "Go to bed."
Kyuubi growled as she pulled her hand back and spat her foamy mouthful into the toilet bowl beside her, face twisted into an expression of disgust as she once again was forced to bend over the porcelain container. Since a towel from the obstinate clone was obviously going to be too much to hope for, the fox used the sleeve of Naruto's pajama top to wipe the resulting drool away.
"You can't dismiss me." The clone reminded her, unnecessarily Kyuubi thought. "You only have one clone left in reserve and you never known when you might need that one. It's only Wednesday midday and you've still got two full days to get through. The heavy drinking will start today as the big sake merchants come through and will continue long into the weekend- plenty of opportunity for the cowardly to get a liquid ego boost." The clone made drinking motions to emphasize this point before remarking on the abundance of weapon vendors in the market place set up for the festival.
Disgruntled and not afraid to show it, Kyuubi glared at the clone as she mentally gathered the strength needed to get to her feet with no help. Eyes drifting toward the doorway, she spotted three feline faces peeking around the door frame into the room. They seemed to be staring at her and she stared right back before blinking in confusion as a feeling of familiarity swept over her. Shaking the thought away, she wiggled her fingers in the hope of enticing the kittens over. The brown tabby and the blue came over readily but the grey kitten remained against the door jam, dark eyes large.
"Hello." Kyuubi greeted the pair as they reached her, tentatively extending her unoccupied fingers only to snatch her hand back as a thought hit her. Grimacing, unable to suppress a low moan of pain, she levered herself into an upright position while trying not to touch anything with her hands. Making it to the sink that was thankfully only a foot away, she washed her hands and Naruto's toothbrush thoroughly before retaking her seat on the floor. She scooted a bit away from the stool but remained close as a precaution. Finished, tired out from the sudden bout of activity, she smiled tiredly at the kittens now milling around the clone's feet.
"That's better." Kyuubi sighed, turning her head so that her temple could lay against the cool tile of the wall behind her as she held her hand out to the felines in invitation. "Much, much better." She added in a whisper as the raging migraine between her ears eased marginally.
She shut her eyes and began to run through a breathing exercise Kit liked, taking deep slow breaths despite the burning caused by her actions. Pain could be controlled, you just had to know how to handle it. Naruto had always simply ignored it, pretending it wasn't there while he hid it from others, and though admittedly the method worked, it would be ineffective for Kyuubi for one reason.
Kitsunes felt.
It was a major source of both strength and weakness for Kyuubi's species. Kitsunes felt emotions. They felt their own, they felt those of their Family group, they felt those of strangers and sometimes of the objects around them. Kitsunes were playful by nature because such antics usually had a positive effect on their environment, which in turn made the Kitsune feel good even if the world around them was falling apart. Kitsunes liked to feel good and laughing made them feel good. It had to do with their endorphin production or some such non-sense- a very wise human had explained it to her a very long time ago but at the moment the knowledge escaped her. Maimed, bleeding, dying; so long as they could laugh they'd be in very little pain, despite the severity of the injury.
It was a tradition in their society to engage in a positive activity prior to going into battle. Anything would qualify so long as everyone was able to participate; singing, cuddling, hell even sleeping in a heap together would be sufficient. One rather memorable year stood out in Kyuubi's memory because the leaders of her group had gotten a laphiga, the Kitsune equivalent to a human stand up comic, to perform for the warriors going into battle against a much larger invading Family. The act had been so bad, so absolutely terrible, that her unit had nearly peed themselves rehashing it to one another as they fought and died against the enemy the next day. Of course, the better her Family felt- the more they had laughed themselves nearly silly- while wading through the carnage, the more disconcerted the invading forces became. The enemy had run in the end, tails tucked between their legs, convinced that the Fire Kitsunes were completely stark raving mad.
Kyuubi sighed happily at the memory and smiled, feeling slightly better. The feeling gained intensity when soft fur teased against her sensitive skin as the brown and blue kittens, obviously the more friendly of the three, climbed into her lap. Opening her eyes half way she looked down at them, her fingers hesitantly stroking the furry sides until she grew surer that they would not immediately bolt.
"You're not afraid, are you?" The fox said, smiling warmly as the blue furred kitten tilted its head into her hand to give Kyuubi's fingers more access. It was purring loudly, the vibration thrumming through Naruto's bones pleasantly while the brown kitten remained silent and reserved. Despite the less than friendly greeting, the latter did allow the fox to pet it under the neck, tilting its jaw into the movement when she reached the feline's chin.
"You're friend is, though." Kyuubi continued with a sigh, heavy lidded gaze going to the grey tabby still lingering in the doorway staring at her and the other kittens with wide eyes. "But that's okay, I would be too. I'm not the rightful owner of this body after although I do exist within it."
As if understanding her words the kitten in question suddenly bounded over, ears flat to its skull, fur fluffed to make it look bigger as it crouched threateningly. It growled at her and Kyuubi's eyebrows rose. "Do you think he wonders where Naruto's gone?"
"I think you hit the nail on the head." The clone commented dryly, arms still folded over its chest, one golden eyebrow hidden under the cloth of its forehead protector. "This one has been here the longest and seems attached to me. It's smart; it was running back and forth the other night between the bedroom and the bathroom, wetting a washcloth to help cool me down."
"Did you now?" Kyuubi asked, extending a hand to invite the feline over. The pitch of the tabby's growls became higher and its tail thumped the ground as the appendage lashed, making the fox immediately replaced the hand atop the brown kitten's back. "Thank you; I know Kit appreciated it."
Their own tails twitching, the kittens in her lap turned around to face their comrade but they did not leave their seats. For several seconds nothing happened while the felines stared at one another while Kyuubi and the clone stared at them curiously. The fox inwardly cursed Konoha's council and their stupid, sense-scrambling seal! Any other time of the year she would have been able to listen in on the conversation taking place but now that was not an option. She sighed sadly; Kit finally had friends that he wouldn't have to be afraid of, little fur balls who would have stayed with him despite Kyuubi's presence so long as he provided them with food and attention.
Just when the fox thought things couldn't get any worse for her kit, Konoha went and proved her wrong.
The grey tabby's growls abruptly stopped, leaving them all to watch in silence as the kitten sat back on its haunches. It looked as if it had been struck between the eyes, sitting stunned on the tile while the other two turned around. While the brown one began looking around the room, the blue furred kitten butted her head against Kyuubi's hands for cuddles. Both completely ignored the bewildered gaze of the other feline as those dark eyes flicked over the two cats once more before finally settling on the fox again. The tabby's little chest was heaving as if the animal were about to pass out but the fox resisted the urge to reach out and stroke the feline reassuringly.
"It's okay." Kyuubi said gently instead, concerned voice soft so as not to startle the kitten further. Who knew cat's could be neurotic?
At the sound of her voice- well, Naruto's voice- the grey tabby seemed to snap back from its distressing thoughts. Shaking its head vigorously from side to side, the kitten closed its eyes tightly while its breathing calmed, and Kyuubi was strongly reminded of Naruto's male teammate for some reason.
Dismissing the thought as something hormonally conjured, the fox again turned her head and pressed her temple against the tile of the wall behind her again. The coolness was soothing and helped her think more clearly about what had transpired moments before she had run for the bathroom.
"Sasuke, Hinata and Neji are all missing." She said slowly, closing her eyes as a frown tugged at her lips. "I wonder if Sakura would care at all if Sasuke wasn't included."
The clone shrugged, expression depressed at her implication. "She's a good person..." It said, as if it felt it had to defend her in Naruto's absence.
"She's a bitch!" Kyuubi snarled in response, the instant anger of her voice scaring the kittens from her lap. Just imagining the pink haired kunoichi made the fox want to hunt her down and backhand the female into next week.
Though Naruto had crushed on the girl for a while and saw her as a highly competent teammate as well as a good friend, Kyuubi had a very different view; instead of a helpful ally, in the demon's mind the young woman ran more along the lines of a screeching/ pain-causing/deceptive/ non-family/possible mate only as last resort bitch.
In that descriptive order.
Kyuubi did not like the kunoichi. At all. Sakura's voice could reach- and often did within Naruto's vicinity- nearly eardrum hemorrhaging levels not only in volume but in pitch. Though her kit had become desensitized to it and could listen when Sakura spoke, Kyuubi had not and often spent her time curled in a ball with her paws firmly pressed to her sensitive ears when the two chatted. That was another thing that made her fur itch; no matter how the conversation initially began, whether the topic be about flora, fauna, or fireworks, it inevitably turned to discussing Sasuke (read stupid/self-destructive/soot-in-the-nose/bad for kit bastard). Sometimes this was beneficial but mostly- by a landslide- it just ended up disheartening and angering kit, which of course forced the bright and sunny protective mask Naruto wore back into place.
No, talking to Sakura was a definite exercise in frustration and pain as far as the fox was concerned. Naruto considered her something of an older sister currently, a double edged sword at best. On one hand, this meant that Kyuubi never had to worry about her kit and the pink screech owl mating, a true nightmare if ever there was one, but it now meant that he would seek her out for advice- ADVICE! Arrg!- on certain issues such as courtship.
Sakura couldn't advise her way out of a cardboard box. Having her help Naruto was asking for nothing short of disaster and Kyuubi laid the blame for the shambles her kit's love life had become squarely at the feet of the bubblegum brained twit.
"'Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!'" Kyuubi's impression of Sakura was nearly disturbingly accurate as the fox used the wall to stand. Even panting couldn't detract from the fox's blatant disgust on the matter. "You'd think the world revolved around the Uchiha brat from the way she carries on!"
"But you are still going to keep an eye out for him while you are gone, aren't you." The clone said in a tone that conveyed both anger and happiness over the prospect and her willingness to still look for the missing brunette.
Upright at last, the fox forced her barrowed body to take a shaky step forward. When she remained on her feet, Kyuubi strode over to the clone and growled at it. "Hinata and Neji are both missing as well, unless you forgot. It is possible that these are three isolated cases but I'm betting they aren't. Sakura will base her investigation on the theory that all three are being held together and will use Sasuke's chakra signature to find them all."
"It's not a bad theory, then." The clone said, helping her balance as she began disrobing.
Kyuubi finished pulling her shirt off and flung it in the general direction of the clothes hamper. "No, it's not, but I'm betting that using their chakra signatures isn't going to work unless one of them uses a shit load of chakra. All three of them are good warriors but they are still learning battle finesse."
She glanced up from fiddling with the pant's tie to see that the clone wasn't following her logic. "I mean that no matter the circumstances of the fight, it will get very, very messy. The more messy it is, the more noticeable it will be."
"Unless it's a surprise attack." The clone pointed out and grabbed her elbows as she undid the knot in the drawstring at her waist and let her sleep pants pool around her ankles.
"Exactly." The fox said, slumping against the clone heavily for a moment. Stripping down had drained her strength and she could only remain passive as the pseudo-Naruto sat her back down, the cold of the tile floor seeping through the thin material of Kit's boxers in seconds.
"So Sakura should be able to find them no problem!" The clone said and dusted its hands together before putting a fist on each hip. "They don't need you at all! Now let's finish getting you changed and into bed so you can sleep!"
The fox sighed- she had forgotten that her kit's clones could be as single minded as their creator. "Sakura, or anyone else for that matter, won't be able to find them by trying to sense their chakra."
"But you just said…!"
"All three of them disappeared silently which means that they were ambushed." The fox explained with more patience than she felt. "Since they were all abducted successfully, we must therefore conclude that other measures have been taken to subdue or nullify any means of their escape or detection."
"Umm…."
Kyuubi's patience snapped. "They got jumped and a jutsu is probably in place to mask their presence so they can't be detected!"
"You should have just said that in the first place!" The clone cried, scrubbing a hand roughly through its blonde spikes. "Gods it's like talking to Shikamaru. Or Neji- he likes to use big words too! I don't know what they're saying half the time!"
On the floor by the clone's feet, the brown kitten looked up at Naruto's likeness, its ears flattened back, its pale eyes narrowed. The behavior was odd and nagged at Kyuubi's attention but she ignored it as a tide of frustration washed over her.
"By Inari...!" The fox held her head in her hands to keep from strangling the other blonde. "Go get me some damn clothes!" Kyuubi ordered, grabbing the pajama pants at her feet and throwing them at the clone. "And nothing orange!" She called once it wandered into the hallway.
Kyuubi sighed tiredly and rolled her neck to loosen the stiff muscles as she sat for several seconds in thought. With another sigh she scooted herself over to the small cupboard under the sink, grasped the knob and twisted the metal handle until the lock gave.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. She thought sadly, reaching in to retrieve the small metal lockbox hidden behind the cleaning supplies Naruto stored in the cupboard. Kyuubi sat it on her lap and contemplated the innocuous contraption before finally channeling chakra into her hand. Flexing the now aching appendage she grabbed the padlock, the reverberation of the action tingling through her arm as the lock popped open easily with only a wisp of smoke to mark that the jutsu protecting it had collapsed. Eyes on the box as she lifted the lid, Kyuubi made a backhanded motion at the door, not bothering to look up as the portal swung shut by itself, the sound of the lock clicking into place loud in the small room.
Kit had always hated shots, especially and understandably so after he turned five, so seeing the three syringes laying in their padded container made Kyuubi's barrowed body want to flinch away instinctively. She held it firm though, unwilling to accommodate the action and risk upsetting the container and its precious contents. It wasn't like she was really a fan of the damn things either, but, if she was going to be of any use at all, Kyuubi would need to be able to move freely. That meant not having to be crippled by pain every second which is exactly what would happen if she didn't act fast- she knew from past experience that the carefully prepped solutions would fulfill her needs so that she, in turn, could fulfill Kit's needs.
The fox slumped back against the wall and let her gaze drift to Kit's pale skinned stomach, to the angry red Sanskrit lettering surrounding the seal that kept her imprisoned. They were fail-safes, incantations slapped on by Konoha's council to give peace of mind to the Village's citizens after the seal was weakened ten or so years ago. It didn't seem to matter that, out of all the numerous spells that could have been employed to do the job, the old man and hag had been vindictive and chosen the ones that would be the most painful possible for the Kyuubi vessel. Should they have a repeat of the incident years prior- an incident that they themselves had caused!- and the Yondaime's already damaged efforts to contain the demon began to weaken, Naruto would become just another casualty in the war to keep the fox contained.
Already there were gaps in the delicate black ink, deficits that were proof of the seal's imminent failure and Naruto's demise. Red ink was already trying to flow into the spaces and fill the vacancies but something kept the crimson back, the battle marked by pale amber colored electricity that arced over the gap to keep it empty and untouched. The spell wouldn't hold for long despite how hard the castor worked to give her time; if Kyuubi wanted to get anything done before being sucked back into her cage, a booster would be needed to insure her continued mobility.
There was a meow from her right side causing Kyuubi to turn her head in the sound's direction. The kittens were still in the room with her and the fox felt slightly guilty for momentarily forgetting about them and locking them in with her. The trio had lined up in descending order and, for some reason, the sight made her smile.
"I'm sorry." She murmured and sluggishly raised a hand to pet the biggest one, the brown kitten. "I'll let you all out in a second. There's just something I need to do and I'm procrastinating."
With a pronounced exhale through her nose, Kyuubi turned her attention back to the lockbox and withdrew the appropriate syringe. It was the biggest and she knew that it would be the most painful of the series, knew that the thick blue tinted liquid it contained would burn like fire as it raced through Kit's veins. But it would allow her to be mobile and would hold back the pain when the Kitsune spell failed and the human fail-safes began trying to reinforce the seal. The shot would hurt but it would be worth it in the end.
At least that's what she kept telling herself as she pulled the needle's plastic cap off and positioned the beveled metal tip over Kit's navel.
"I really, really hate this." She whispered before thrusting the syringe downward as hard as she could, burying the needle deep inside Naruto's abdomen. She depressed the plunger to inject its contents and began making small helpless noises as she twitched in agony.
Sasuke watched Naruto- No, Kyuubi in possession of Naruto's body, he reminded himself- swirl the long rust colored coat around appreciatively once more before finally donning the new piece of clothing. It went well with the rest of the blonde's outfit, a set of khaki pants and a long-sleeved white shirt with some sort of swirl pattern on the front done in green embroidery. A black belt had been added to the ensemble and Kyuubi had attached Naruto's weapons pouch to it. To top it all off, Kyuubi had tied a bright yellow bandana around the top of the blonde's head, the forehead protector Naruto loved so much having been tied around his right thigh facing outward.
The Uchiha hadn't thought it possible but his teammate did actually own clothing that wasn't a shade of orange and the surprise of this discovery helped distract him from the fact that his teammate was the vessel for a demon.
The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the most feared demon in all of human history, had not been destroyed as had been taught to them but instead had been sealed within a person.
Naruto Uzumaki.
It still made Sasuke's head spin even though Hinata and Neji had already told him point blank that this was so in the bathroom. His teammate held a demon, THE demon according to some people, but strangely this did not really alter the Uchiha's perception of the blonde. Naruto was still Naruto in Sasuke's mind.
He supposed that his rather blasé attitude to this new information was just because it hadn't sunk in yet and so he was not fully realizing all the implications of this new information. The sky was blue. The grass was green. His teammate shared his body with the demon fox. No biggie, nothing to get excited about. The urge to laugh wildly built within his small frame and Sasuke suppressed it, knowing that if he gave into the impulse he may never stop.
"It fits really well." Kyuubi commented and Sasuke absently noted the differences in speech patterns between the fox and Naruto. It was Naruto's voice but there were now pronounced hints of an accent. Among stressing the vowel sounds, the fox also added more roll to the 'r' sound in words that went beyond normal emphasis, making them sound exotic as the syllables came through the blonde's lips. There was a fluency to the syntax that had never been present previously, lending an almost liquid quality to the blonde's vocabulary despite the rougher aspects of Kyuubi's speech pattern such as the tendency to clip the ends off of words. "He knew Kit would get bigger this year and ordered the next size up."
"You shouldn't leave." The clone was saying, the disapproval in its voice thick enough to walk on. It watched as Kyuubi rolled Naruto's broad shoulders and adjusted the jacket's collar. "It's too dangerous to be out there- you don't know when the spell might end!"
The clone was clearly frustrated with its inability to convince its creator to remain within the confines of the apartment. While Kyuubi played with her.. his...- Sasuke still wasn't sure what gender the demon was- its collar, the clone kept pocketing items from the table and the Uchiha wondered how long it would take before the fox noticed that the things it had so carefully spread out over the wooden expanse were disappearing.
"Put them back." Kyuubi ordered, not bothering to look up from doing up the coat's snaps. It was taking longer to complete the task than it should have been; Naruto's normally nimble fingers seemed to have suddenly become thick and clumsy and the fox kept fumbling each half before they could be fastened together. The fox let out a frustrated sigh and gave up. "Come dress me."
The clone frowned as it finished unloading its pockets; it did this by pulling the lining out, causing everything to tumble to the floor in a careless pile that it further scattered by kicking at carefully. Since reasoning with Kyuubi wasn't working, Naruto's look-a-like had turned to delay tactics in accomplishing its mission. Sasuke was quite familiar with these as the original Naruto used them fairly often, especially when no one else agreed with his ideas. The feline Uchiha watched as the clone dawdled in its task; it was childish, of that there was no doubt, but it could be very effective when used correctly. Before wandering over to Kyuubi, the clone took the time to examine the turned out pocket material for holes, removing any lint it found until the fabric was suitably clean, picking at stray threads, examining his shoes...
Sasuke rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to sigh- the fox may reside inside the blonde but when it came to the clones, they were completely Naruto.
-Does Naruto do this often?- Neji asked, the bigger brown feline coming over to sit beside Sasuke, Hinata a blue blur behind him.
-He can.- The Uchiha said, rolling one shoulder awkwardly in a shrug. -He doesn't do it much anymore but occasionally he will.- He did not add that Sakura usually was the one to put a stop to it with a good hard whack to the blonde's head. The remembered image that popped up made him frown, though, and both Hyuugas noticed.
-Sakura hits him to make him stop, doesn't she?- Hinata said flatly, ensuring that Sasuke got the full exposure to her disapproval about this. Her fur fluffed out to make her look almost as big as Neji, her ears rotating to lay against her skull as she bared her extended canines. -I'm going to have a talk with her when we're back to normal.-
The Uchiha stared at her. So did Neji.
If Hinata's new-found back bone remained intact after they regained their humanity, Sakura was toast
The flapping of wings caught their attention and seconds later Yumi flew into the room through the open living room window, her presence sending the kittens instinctively diving for cover under the table. She circled the room once before swooping low to perch on the back of Naruto's kitchen chair and Sasuke's fear of the giant bird momentarily took a back seat as crimson stained tuffs of fur began to drift to the floor in the wake of Yumi's flight path. Before he could stop himself, the Uchiha found himself crawling out from under his hiding place to examine the fur up close.
"Well, I guess I won't need to feed you today." The clone remarked with distaste, blue eyes eying the red drops dotting the floor. "Though I think a bath is in order."
Sasuke looked over his shoulder at the bird, taking in its bloody appearance critically. From beak to talons, the entire front of the hawk looked as if it had been dipped in red paint. Bits of flesh clung to the bird's claws, stuck in the rough padding until she shook them loose to land on the floor under her. She was a gory sight to behold and whatever fight she had been in, Yumi had clearly been the victor.
The tabby turned his attention back to the tuffs of black and white fur at his feet, leaning down to sniff them delicately.
It smelled strongly of feline...
Oh my God.
There would be no more humans being turned into kittens in Konoha.
Yumi, it seemed, had eaten those responsible.
-She missed one.- Neji said darkly, the brown kitten coming over to sit beside the Uchiha. The Hyuuga reached out and hooked a tuft with needle sharp claws before bringing the paw close to his nose for further inspection.
"She's got a note. Go get the mail for me." Kyuubi said, clearly amused by the face the clone made in response.
The clone grumbled something about slave labor but obeyed, stomping over to the crimson drenched bird to retrieve the note tied to its leg. Without asking, the blonde uncorked the small bottle and shook out the note, pausing briefly to untie the delicate cord wrapped around the rolled piece of parchment. With a glare of defiance directed at Kyuubi, the clone unrolled the paper and looked it over.
"It's for you." Expression faltering, the clone sighed and handed the paper to the amused fox.
"See what you get for being nosey?" Kyuubi murmured smugly, taking the proffered note eagerly. Sasuke watched Naruto's vibrant blue eyes skim over the page's contents, eyebrows shooting up into equally blonde hair as the fox grinned happily at what it saw. Grinning happily, the fox flicked its gaze back to the clone, smile widening as the clone took a defensive step away. It hurt the Uchiha to see that smile because it was Naruto's smile, the trade mark cat-that-ate-the-canary grin that always reflected the blonde's warm personality while at the same time warning of impending mischief.
It was painful to see that smile because the brunette hadn't seen it directed at him in a very long time, not since he'd gotten back from Sound- not since Naruto had dragged the Uchiha home.
Unexpectedly, a pained mewl forced its way out of his tiny throat as he hunched over, instinctively reacting to the fierce ache in his chest before he could stop himself. Though he knew it was emotional pain, it was not the kind Sasuke really didn't know how to deal with. It was worse than physical pain, which would have been easier to handle since he could understand the tangible result of injury. Pain was the body's way of letting itself know that it was hurt and that it needed to protect the affected area. It was acute and could be tolerated because, eventually, pain would fade. But this pain, this continuous non-specific ache spreading throughout his chest…! It felt as if his heart had been grabbed by an invisible hand and squeezed as he thought about the lack of Naruto in his life for the past year.
This doesn't make any sense! He thought, hunching over until his head nearly touched the floor. Why am I so upset just because I haven't seen the dobe for a little while?!
Exactly one year after the Uchiha's defection, Naruto had finally been able to fulfill his promise to Sakura and bring the Uchiha home. Sasuke had been angry when he'd woken up, enraged that the blonde had been able to capture him and drag his unconscious body to Konoha, sure that some dirty trick had been employed during the battle that ensued after meeting one another again. Sasuke had worked so hard, had trained and studied and endured Orochimaru's harsh treatment in order to be able to defeat Itachi.
How in the names of the gods had Naruto beaten him?!
The brunette didn't remember. Naruto refused to tell him about their fight and much of the details were hazy in Sasuke's mind, lost beyond occasional flashes that appeared in his dreams. He knew that Naruto had beaten him quite soundly and had subsequently returned with the brunette slung over his shoulder. Shortly there after, Sasuke had had to deal with the traumatic experience of Kakashi and Tsunade sealing Orochimaru's curse seal, forcing the power it contained dormant and impotent. Sasuke had been under house arrest ever since, constantly being monitored by the Ambu or other agents that reported his behavior to Ibiki, Konoha's resident interrogation expert, who was in charge of the Uchiha's reintegration to village life. As for the blonde, after he had healed up Tsunade had kept Naruto busy with missions, leaving no time to visit the confined Sasuke.
All those months of wanting to see the blonde, of repressing the loneliness due to the restrictions placed on him had been nearly unbearable. Forced to remain in the house where his family had been slaughtered, unable to get away from the memories conjured by the familiar sights and smells, Sasuke had begun to pray for someone to come and talk to him. He'd wished for Naruto specifically since the blonde's loud, obnoxious personality would be able to make him forget about the awful events weighing heavily upon Sasuke's mind. If Naruto would come over then they could spar or talk or yell and ultimately begin to repair the giant rift between them.
During all those months, Naruto had never once stopped by.
Sasuke's mood had not improved at all and he been well on his way to developing a massive case of paranoia and depression right up until the day Tsunade had finally released him from his punishment. The guards watching him were called off and he was now free to come and go as he wished so long as he remained inside the village. The issue about being reinstated as a ninja was still up in the air but he would be allowed to carry basic ninja equipment on the stipulation that he would fork the weaponry over if an Ambu requested it; apparently, Tsunade wasn't naive enough to believe that his presence wouldn't cause some sort of disturbance and for that he thought better of her. This had all happened only a few days ago, just before the encounter that had ended with his current predicament.
It figured that the moment he gave into his restlessness and desire to see the blonde, something humiliating would happen to him.
"Aw, you okay little one?" Kyuubi asked gently as she reached down and picked up his hunching form seconds later. The demon rested the tabby against Naruto's chest, able to hold Sasuke there with one hand, acutely forcing the Uchiha to consciously acknowledge their vast difference in size. Oddly, this bothered Sasuke to no end- he'd hit puberty first, damn it, so he should be bigger than the blonde! But then gentle fingers began petting him behind his ears, began carefully inspecting his still healing shoulder as they stroked his back, and Sasuke felt the profuse ache in his chest lessen, a feeling of warmth taking its place.
He felt Naruto's body shift as the blonde sat down on the floor and, abruptly, Sasuke's feeling of contentment was intensified as Kyuubi also picked up Neji and Hinata, settling the other kittens on either side of the Uchiha. The three of them were cuddled and cooed over by the fox, tickled and stroked until all three of the teens-turned-kittens found themselves purring in one large furry pile. When the fox pulled its free hand away, each kitten was kissed on the head whether they wanted it or not.
Though he hadn't thought it possible while sandwiched between two equally embarrassed Hyuugas and Naruto's heart beating reassuringly near his ear, Sasuke felt inexplicably peaceful.
So much so in fact that even the noisy arrival of another large bird of prey couldn't ruin it.
More's Moment: And there we are another chapter done. I know you had to wait for it but I hope you find it worth it. I know you've had to wait and there is nothing I'd like better than to just sit and write but, like most fan fiction authors, day to day life must come first. Sad but true. As such, there may be a slight delay in the Styx chapter scheduled for this week and the new chapter for Bared Naked probably won't be out for another two weeks.
Teaser: Kyuubi's out of the village and into the woods where she'll encounter Kitsunes, Itachi, Kisame and…
On a side note, thanks to everyone who offered up a name already! The fruits of your labors will come into play shortly. For everyone else, I know it's annoying but I still am looking for name suggestions for characters, especially for everyone's favorite Akatsuki members. Now's the chance to take vengeance or simply have little fun with them- the more ironic the better and preferred though puns or play on words will be equally welcomed. Tired of my whining? If you know an excellent Japanese name translator (or even a Japanese translator) website, please tell me and I'll stop. I need at least eight. This is not to imply that I am holding the next chapter hostage but I will warn you that the more name suggestions I get, the more the personalities involved take shape, the faster the chapter takes cohesive form.
Happy tales everyone!
