Ha. Ha ha ha. I'm evil. I love myself. Suffer, little Uchiha, suffer from your own foolishness! Muahahaha... And people wonder why Itachi's my favorite character. So, anyways, for those of you who are still courageously following this plot to its end, here's a new chap just for you!

Disclaimer: I don't own these little idiots below. But I still make them to what I want to.

Dreams in Hell

Time had stopped. I couldn't move, couldn't even think. The closing sound of the front door echoed repeatedly into my ears, leaving room for nothing else. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. It couldn't-

I took a step back. The closed door towered over me, imperious and terrifying. I could almost hear it's chant.

He's gone.

He's gone, and he won't come back.

He's gone, and he will not stay alone.

He's gone, and this is your fault.

I knew all of that. I knew it.

I didn't eat. Naruto had only taken out what he'd wanted to prepare, and I couldn't bring myself to touch it. Anything else, for that matter. The apartment still screamed his presence -the mess certainly hadn't been mine- assuring me he'd return sooner or later. Maybe this evening. Maybe he had forgotten something. Maybe he'd be hungry. So I left everything as it was. And waited.

Naruto never came.

One week later, Neji dragged me to the hospital. To run tests, he reasoned, because according to him, something definitely wasn't normal.

I had stopped sleeping. I wasn't even tired. On the first night I had spent countless hours staring up at the ceiling, desperate to find oblivion. But my wish had been ignored, and dawn had come before I could even think of closing my eyes.

On the second evening, I'd given up hope; after two hours of inactivity, my body had finally put its foot down, and the rest of the night had been spent completing any unfinished work I needed to attend to. After that, I had spent all of my free time at the gyms. There wasn't any other way to get my mind off unpleasant thoughts. And both Neji and Shikamaru had eventually caught on to what had happened.

Once the tests were made and analyzed, I learned two things; firstly, my blood cells had stopped their maddened multiplication, resuming both a normal quantity and production rate. Thing I hadn't realized at all, since I had lost the habit of daily punctions -seeing Naruto had bit me mostly at night. Secondly, my body was beginning to acquire some vampire characteristics.

This caused me to undergo several additional tests, which led to the conclusion that the dobe had somehow fueled part of his abilities to me.

"Your blood became immune to the virus," Dr Hatake informed me. "You'll never be a vampire. But you don't need to sleep anymore, and you've stopped aging. You're immortal." He grinned at me. "Though you can still die if you hurt yourself, so don't start getting too rash. You also kept most of your human characteristics, so don't go fighting against any of the real vamps, because you won't stand a chance." He ruffled my hair.

"Does this affect the blood-cell production?" Neji asked.

But the pervert shook his head. "This must be more of a psychological problem."

I hadn't returned to the hospital since.

Nights, I learned, were long. Every evening I would brace myself, knowing that even through the most exhausting workout, I would still have time to think.

I had guessed Naruto's intentions a split-second before his eyes had turned crimson. I'd expected myself to become furious. Jealous. To lung out at Sakura and shove her away. To throw Naruto out or return the kick he'd given me. But when his fangs had disappeared into her flesh, the only thing that I was able to feel was the crashing sentiment of betrayal.

I had been unable to look away. Naruto had kept his crimson gaze fixed upon me the entire time, and not once had his eyes shown the slightest hint of remorse. Now, his fulminating glare accompanied me everywhere I went.

"Uchiha." The low growl was distant, but out of duty Kiba kept himself from getting any closer. I turned. "What did you do to the kit?" he asked furiously.

I blinked. Then turned away.

"Uchiha!" The roar startled most surrounding students, and I heard the tall mutt take several steps towards me. "Don't force me to come and get you! Naruto's gone completely berserk, you ass! What did you do to him?"

I turned to this. "He's in withdrawal?" I asked the werewolf.

"No, asshole, he's just acting like the jerk he turns into every time he fights with someone. The only person he's acting decently with is Sakura, and that's only because he needs to feed." I almost winced. "So what did you do to him?" Kiba asked, growling.

"He's the one who left," I remarked. "I didn't kick him out. Don't blame me for what he did."

"Don't fuck with me."The werewolf advanced again, and my breath suddenly rasped. "He left because of something, and I'm pretty sure you're that reason."

"So if you think I'm such a bastard, why are you running after me?" I asked, making sure my voice remained frigid despite the fact that I barely breathed. "He doesn't need me anymore, does he?"

The taller man glared. His dark brown eyes were pure fury, but he didn't speak immediately. When he opened his mouth, his voice was cool. "You're right. I was going to ask you to fix this, but maybe you're not what he needs." He stepped back, and I resisted the urge to cough as air returned to my lungs. "Forget this." Turning heels, he left the same way he had come, and I resumed my own path mechanically.

I couldn't allow myself to think. Naruto wasn't part of what I had to take care of anymore. Nothing was, really. If I had any luck, I wouldn't hear from him again.

The cool air felt somewhat refreshing against my damp skin. I had been running for hours, without feeling nearly as tired as I should have been as a normal human. The sky was dark, although the moon sometimes poked out from behind the clouds, bathing the land in silver. It was a soothing view. The streets were quiet, dead. The only sounds came from my feet hitting the concrete, and the sudden ringing of my cellphone startled me. Checking the time, I frowned. It was almost three in the morning.

"Uchiha, you better tell me you're indoors." Shikamaru's voice was not the usual slow drawl I had been accustomed to. The tone was urgent, breathless, and slightly worrying. "Where are you?"

"Downtown," I answered, puzzled. "Did something happen? Why are you awake?"

His curse startled me even more. "You idiot," he breathed. "If you want to run outside, at least try to make an effort and stay indoors on full moons! Especially after pissing Kiba off during the day!"

I stopped dead. "He broke out?"

"He went through the fucking wall," Shikamaru snapped. "No one got hurt yet, since he seemed to have an intended target, but we need to find you before he does. Where are you?"

I looked around, suddenly alert. "Mayflower street," I read. But there was no way I was staying where I was. Especially when I heard the howl. Swearing, I snapped the phone shut and began to run.

Fear. I hadn't felt that in a long time, I realized. I had completely forgotten how mind-numbing the sensation was. Instinct took over, and my legs seemed to move on their own accord as I dashed across the street.

Stay in the main avenue, or slide into the smaller streets? The werewolf undoubtedly saw much better than I did; would the thinner alley be a sufficient disadvantage to keep him away from me?

I didn't know, but I had to choose; soon he'd be close enough. Every second his furious howl got closer, and I could almost tell exactly how far he was.

I ran, and part of my brain deemed that the streets were, indeed, the safest idea. At least, he wouldn't be able to charge at me there. How big was he anyways?

Don't look back.

Light dimmed almost immediately as I turned left, twisting my path deeper and deeper into the moonlit maze of the city's streets. I had no idea of where I was going, and didn't exactly care. Thankful that at least I didn't tire from the excessive use of my legs, I kept running full speed, wondering how long I was going to hold.

I slammed into him. My throat let out a strangled rasp and my breath died, just as the creature above me released its first dangerous growl. My insides were on fire. I looked up into the golden eyes that stared at me, seeing no trace of remote humanity inside the molten orbs. Kiba snarled.

He was huge; the alley wasn't big, but it still was something to note that his shoulders were almost trapped by the walls on either side of him. He had to be almost six feet high up to the shoulder, and nearly twice as long. There wasn't anything human left in his features; what I had in front of me was merely a very big, very angry and bloodthirsty wolf.

Immaculate fangs appeared as the enormous jaw opened, and my feet decided to move again. I had to breathe. Darting back and to the side, I gulped air, ignoring the burn as it entered my lungs, and kept running. If the furious snarl was any indication, I was going to hurt a lot more in a couple of seconds.

I tumbled back onto one of the big streets and swore. But there was no changing directions now, now when Kiba was so close behind me. And yet now he wouldn't have the tight passages slowing him down.

For the second time of the night, my body slammed into another, more humanoid one this time. I really needed to look where I was going. Looking up, I let my eyes widen.

"He's coming," Naruto growled. He wasn't looking at me. Azure orbs did not detach themselves from the street I had just exited, and his entire body was alert.

The howl shook the air before the werewolf appeared. My ears and instinct both screamed, and I did my best to shut them down as the blond stepped forward and pushed me behind him. The street became silent again, and a cub-sized paw emerged from the darkness. Kiba stepped forward, ear pressed flat against his skull, his eyes never leaving me. He stopped, however, nostrils flaring when Naruto's scent reached him. And snarled at the vampire.

The roar that followed froze me down to the bone. There wasn't -there couldn't be- anything human, in that noise. A sound like nothing I had ever heard, hateful and murderously aggressive. And it came from Naruto.

His eyes weren't blue anymore. They weren't even red. Both irises had turned pitch black, and gave no sign that they recognized the werewolf for who it was. He stood, half crouching, with every inch of his body clearly stating that he intended to go for the kill.

"Naruto." My voice, albeit a little breathless, was dry. The blond blinked, and Kiba leaped.

I nearly tripped over the sidewalk as I stepped back, watching Naruto collide without any restraint with the gigantic wolf, groaning under sheer weight. Even with his inhuman strength, Kiba had to be heavy. But reason was back.

"Get out of here!" he shouted at me. "I can't hold him-" The left paw swooshed, and Naruto's feet were swept from underneath him. He fell, and the werewolf charged.

"NO!"

I was thrown into the air. The giant paw slammed into my side, knocking out both my wind and balance, and lifted my off the ground before my body began soaring on its own. For a couple of seconds, I was flying, no longer attached to any kind of material support, and then I heard a deafening crash on my right.

I landed on the concrete, hard. Gasping as my leg and arm fired up in pain, I ordered my throbbing head to rise a few inches so that I could see what was going on. And stared.

Naruto had thrown -literally thrown- the werewolf into the closest wall. The structure had almost collapsed with the impact, and yet neither the vampire nor the wolf seemed to notice. Well, Kiba was hardly in any state to worry about that particular detail anyways. The blond was holding his throat with a single hand, pinning him against the deforming surface. Even from where I was, I could tell the irises were midnight black again. I had to find my voice.

"Dobe!" Heh. Even in the state I was in, it still carried far enough. "Don't do something you'll regret, you dumbass!"

The blond head turned towards me. Then back to Kiba. The frown appeared again, but the irises were resuming their usual shade. I sighed, wincing ever so slightly as I did so. This was going to hurt hard and long if I knew anything.

A gunshot tore the air, and Naruto leaped back. Glancing towards the source of the sudden noise, I noticed several cars parked a few yards away from us. Not too far, either. And the shooter...I squinted, but soon recognized the figure. It was Shikamaru.

Kiba's body became limp, and the werewolf collapsed upon the concrete as the humans drew near. Naruto, however, hurried to my side. He swore.

"Teme, can you hear me?" He sounded human again. Crouching, he placed a careful hand over my shoulder, and gently pushed me onto my back. I coughed, and several droplets of blood escaped my mouth. Biting his lip, the blond helped me sit up, azure eyes still dark. "Are you alright?"

"Take his shirt off," Shikamaru advised, heading towards the werewolf. "He must have some fur left on him."

The idiot didn't bother to remove it the normal way, tearing at the cloth vigorously and ripping it to shreds. But on the other hand, I could breathe normally again. "Are you okay?" he asked again. "Answer me, bastard."

I handed him a cool stare. My lungs were better, but the same couldn't be said for the rest of my body; the side on which I had landed burned dangerously, and I wouldn't have been surprised to learn several of my bones had broken.

"So you're talking to me again?" I asked, making sure my voice was as composed as usual.

He stared at me, obviously shocked. The bottom lip whitened as he pressed harder onto it, and he didn't answer, swiftly picking me up instead. He headed back towards Shikamaru, halting far enough to keep me from rasping out again, and holding me as though I weighted no more than a kitten.

"Shika?" he called out, his voice suddenly soft.

The genius didn't move. He stood perfectly still on Kiba's immobile side, staring fixedly at the fur edging out from between his fingers.

"Is he alright?" Naruto asked. "I didn't mean to-"

"You did what you had to," came the blank answer. "And so did I. He'll be fine."

"What did you shoot him?"

This time the other man moved, and held up a large syringe. "Paralyzing substance," he answered tiredly. "Ask Haruno for the precise contents."

The blond nodded. "Will you be okay?"

Apparently Shikamaru was just as surprised as I was to hear the question. He blinked, and turned around fully. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, confused. "I didn't get hurt-"

"You shot him," Naruto replied, serious. "Even if he doesn't remember, it won't change what happened." He posed his gaze on the limp mass. "I didn't want to hurt him either," he added softly.

But Shikamaru shook his head, somber. "You were protecting your human," he stated matter-of-factly. "And he knows what to expect from me; in those kinds of situations, where he's threatening someone, I can't allow myself to hesitate."

"But that doesn't mean you like it," the blond protested.

The genius snorted. "No, it doesn't," he admitted. "But I think we all agree that it's nicer if we're both feeling a little guilty, Kiba hasn't bitten anyone and Sasuke is alive, and still human."

Naruto nodded condescendingly. "Fine. But I'm still apologizing tomorrow."

"You do that." Shikamaru yawned. "Not that I'm exhausted, but would you mind helping us put him on the truck? He's as heavy as hell, and he won't change back before dawn. I wouldn't mind getting a few hours of sleep."

I felt the body stiffen slightly as Naruto hesitated. He looked at me. "Can you wait for a second?" he asked me. I shrugged -in a more mental than physical fashion- and he quickly glanced around until he spotted a bench, upon which he put me, before returning towards Shikamaru.

I couldn't make out the contents of their discussion, though I guessed the dobe was inquiring on whether the other human had come alone. But apparently the others were merely waiting for the genius to signal that everything was safe; as soon as he did so, they emerged from the vehicles and all proceeded into lifting and carrying the werewolf to the biggest pickup of the lot. Naruto was doing the most impressive part of the work; he groaned and complained about the weight, but in truth seemed to have little difficulty carrying nearly all of Kiba's mass over his shoulder. The others merely helped with the dangling limbs.

I took the time to inspect the range of my injuries. It wasn't as bad as I had feared. My right arm, leg and waist were all ripped from the concrete -wearing shorts hadn't been the best idea of the night, though certainly not the worst- but at least my ribcage was intact. I hadn't twisted anything either. However, my right leg assured me, even as I sat, that there was no way I was walking on it before it got taken care of properly. The interior throbbed and burned, and I hoped that even if the bone was broken, nothing had been moved to an improper location.

"It's broken."

My head snapped up. Naruto had just managed to cross the distance separating the truck from my bench in a soundless, astonishing speed. And suddenly I couldn't breathe anymore.

"Your shirt!" Nara scolded as he climbed into his seat. "You really want to kill him?"

Blue eyes widened, and the blond removed the article of clothing meekly before throwing it over his shoulder, and leaned forward to pick me up.

"Don't."

He froze, puzzled. "Don't what?"

"I don't want your help," I stated icily. "I don't want to owe you anything."

"You're going to freeze to death if I leave you here," he replied, suddenly annoyed. "Aren't we past that stupid fight? You almost died, Sasuke! What is wrong with you?"

"So to get you to speak to me again I need to go through near-death experiences," I stated cynically. "I'll remember that." I didn't know exactly why I was getting so angry. But it seemed as though waking from a month's worth of slumber, my fury was finally bubbling up to my lips. "Get lost."

Naruto stared at me, his face oddly blank. Then he sighed, and despite my recoiling figure, lifted me into his arms and began to walk. "You're not in any condition to argue," he informed me in a soft, controlled voice. "And the lack of sleep must be getting to your head. It took me some time to adapt too."

"Let me go," I growled. "I don't want to hear your bullshit, I don't want to see you either, I didn't need you to come after me-"

"Idiot." He froze, and I froze. Because the irises weren't blue anymore. The voice was suddenly trembling, Naruto's control dimming with every word. "Stop talking. I'm not in a good mood tonight, and I don't want us to get in another fight, not over something that's bound to be a stupid reason. So shut the fuck up."

"Let go of me," I snapped.

He looked away angrily, and began walking again. "No."

"Let go of me!" My voice was strained. He didn't react, and I did the only thing my brain managed to think of; gripping his shoulder and neck, I lifted my body the few inches necessary to lean over and sink my teeth into his collarbone.

To my utmost surprise, the dobe crumbled to the ground and screamed.

Well, honestly, what would you guys have done? The teme's weird... Enjoyed reading? Tell me about it! I like this chapter, I want to know if you did too...Pretty please?