At first when they'd set out, it had been with Sasuke firmly held captive by Gaara's sand. The moment they'd stepped foot outside the prison however, the red haired ninja had freed him, his cold blue eyes holding Sasuke despite his initial instinct to bolt. For a few seconds it seemed as though Gaara would say nothing to him, just hold him there with cold anger held inside that perfectly blank face.

"Your chakra has been bound inside your body. You will find you can do none of your jutsu, not even your sharingan as you are now." The man's voice was as cold as his eyes, stating the facts with as little passion as an iceberg might have for the ship it brings down. "Which leaves you your taijutsu which though impressive is not enough. So, I will free you, and you will follow me. Otherwise I will tote you there by the scruff of your neck. Which do you prefer?"

Sasuke glared at him, and he could have sworn he saw a trace of a smile on the other man's face as he turned away. What could he do? As he took off after Gaara he caught a glimpse a dark mark on his wrist. He held his wrist up to his eyes, he didn't recognize the strange mark, or it's twin upon his other wrist. If he had his guess there would be others that he had yet to see. Some variation of a seal, or a curse mark perhaps. Whatever it was, it was responsible for his inability to touch his chakra. He tried, but it was like trying to grasp at smoke; he reached for it only to find nothing there.

Dark eyes glared daggers at Gaara's back, but the shinobi seemed unfazed by the attention. Sasuke didn't understand him. Naruto yes, perhaps. But not Gaara.

Not the half-cursed Leaf Village who had made a demon of his brother, and of him. Could they really let him go out like this? Or was Gaara doing this alone? He wasn't sure which end seemed less likely. Idly he rubbed the black mark on his skin.

Considering his unknown length of time in that prison, he felt surprisingly good. The only wounds that bothered him were the ones he'd caused himself. Other than that... Well in a way he supposed he could thank Gaara who it seemed had been the one feeding him and tending his wounds. Yet another reason why he did not understand the man. In one breath telling him how he wanted him dead, in another tending his injuries and freeing him from prison. For some reason his usual sarcastic smile had found it's way to his lips.

He hadn't smiled... not since the day he'd blinded Sakura. It was the fact that even now he was comparing Gaara to Naruto. Though he did not know Gaara, he'd never really met the man before today, he'd known from the first moment he'd seen him that Gaara was like him. Yet somehow in his way... Naruto had changed Gaara. Done something to this person that should have killed him to make him someone to give even someone like Sasuke another chance. Naruto... He could still remember the last time he'd seen him. Turning away with tears on the edges of his cheeks.

It almost seemed the nature of their relationship. All he had to give was pain. His hate and his anger.

He wanted... he needed something. Anything to vent this terrible anger in him on. But it wasn't just anger. It was the edge of dark tears he couldn't let himself cry. He was in the end after all, a Uchiha. For the last few years it had been Itachi, the Leaf, Madara... Now he only found his loathing turned inward. After all if not for him... No it was better not to think of it. Instead he considered again his options of escape.

Only to realize... ...he didn't want to escape. He'd expected Naruto to kill him. Or if not Naruto, then the Leaf; even if they chose to let him live he'd expected some guard or assassin to have taken his life by now. He'd been waiting for it, wanting it really. Not that he could admit that truth to anyone but his darkest self. Now that he was alive though what would be the point of running? Even if he could escape from Gaara which he doubted. The shinobi was more than skilled with his sand jutsu. Sasuke could still remember Lee fighting against Gaara's sand all those years ago. No, he wouldn't get far at all. And Gaara had already proven he wouldn't kill him...

For now his only option was to wait. Wait and follow Gaara toward whatever fate the other man intended for him. Then when the time came he would make his escape.

Naruto picked himself up a bit brokenly, stunned from the tree that the tall lanky man he'd attacked had thrown him into. It seemed like no matter how many clones he threw at the man, he was always a step ahead of him. While he'd learned from training to learn from his clones the only real thing he'd learned was that the man was insanely fast, and surprisingly strong. Oh, and he healed. The few scrapes and cuts that Naruto's kunai had left in their wake had already healed over. What was more frustrating to him though was that he was certain that if the man had wanted to he could have easily avoided the kunai. It was like the man WANTED to be stabbed.

The blond looked over at the tall man, blinking to clear his vision, then blinking again when he realized what the man was about to do.

Then suddenly Lee was screaming. Screaming far more than he should have been considering that all the man had done was bite him on the shoulder. Naruto was half frozen for a second, then quickly he acted, summoning a rasangan in his right fist with the aid of his clone and flying toward the tall man as quickly as he could move. He didn't understand it. Lee was frozen tensely, his body frozen against the taller man making no effort to free himself as his screams carried on and on.

"Rasengan!" Naruto cried out, thrusting it toward the man. In the space of an instant the man lifted his hand, catching the rasangan with his own bare hand. Naruto made a choked sound as he heard the man's hand shatter under the force of the impact, him trying to force it forward but the other man's feet digging into the soft earth as though his hand had not been torn to pieces.

The attack died out, and Naruto jumped back. The man had only moved that much. Just his hand. Hadn't let go of Lee for even an instant as his hand was ruined to stop Naruto's attack. Languidly he did move, lifting his hooded eyes toward Naruto. His lips were stained red with Lee's blood, his eyes sleepy as though he'd just woken, just the edge of a smile touching his mouth. Gently the man flexed his broken hand, the fingers snapping and popping. Naruto could only watch in sickening fascination as the bones reset themselves.

"Are you jealous too my little golden fox?" The man smiled and gently tossed Lee toward him. By reflex Naruto caught him, and his friend made a soft moaning sound. "It was just a taste. Trust that I have not forgotten you. In fact... I mean to taste you next."

Lee blinked his eyes, and Naruto felt his concern lift. Already it seemed he had recovered, and as Naruto glanced back up to prepare himself to defend Lee a slew of ninja tools appeared out of nowhere turning the tall man once more into a pin cushion. Lee stirred again, drawing Naruto's attention from the morbid sight of the tall man covered more with metal than anything else.

"Are you alright?" He asked cautiously.

"Yea..." Lee didn't sound as confidant as he was obviously trying to look, flashing a somewhat tilted smile and trying to regain his feet. Naruto helped him though he wasn't sure it was wise. Whatever the man had done, it seemed that the effect of it was not long lasting. Or that Lee was just that fast at recovering, considering it was Lee; Naruto wouldn't have been surprised. "He can not stop the power of youth!"

"What happened?"

Lee shuddered. The man had leaned back under the weight of the weapons, then slowly began drawing them from his body and dropping them to the ground below. "It was... it was like he poured acid in my veins. It hurt... It must have been some sort of genjutsu, but I didn't see him cast it."

Naruto stared at his friend, then let out a surprised sound as he was suddenly and without warning lifted into the air. It was the tall man, though he'd only glanced away for a moment it had been enough. Lee was surprised too, but he didn't let his surprise last long, swinging his leg around trying to sweep his taller opponent. His kick landed solidly, but it was like kicking a tree. No... a tree would have shuddered. The tall man never even blinked, his eyes firmly on Naruto whom he held with ease.

"Who are you?!" Naruto demanded trying to free himself from the man's iron grip.

"My name is Kol, my little golden fox. Let us try another fun trick shall we? I want to see..." The man leaned toward him slowly, and Naruto panicked, headbutting the taller man. Skull collided with skull, and blood dripped down their foreheads. Naruto saw a wisp of smoke rise from Kol's wound as it healed quickly, the man laughing lightly. "So modest my little fox!" The other man's hand grabbed a hold of Naruto's blond hair tightly. "There is no need."

Damn that man was WAY to close to him now, close enough he could see Kol's pupil contract slightly, could feel the vibration of Lee's attacks though he could not see Lee past Kol. "We will share this moment you and I together. I will feel as you feel." Then he felt the sharp sudden pain in his flesh as the man bit into his neck, a pain quickly swallowed by the sensation that followed.

Naruto expected pain, braced for it.

Yet it was a surprised sigh that escaped his lips as the world faded to white around him. His body... In the whole of his life he had never felt this. Like... A tingling vibration of pleasure washed over his body from head to toe. He was dropped into it and quickly, all to quickly found it building. He panted heavily, his body breaking out in a hot sweat. What was happening to him? He felt as though his very skin might explode in a white hot heat. It was almost unbearable, unbearably good... Unconsciously he made a sound not unlike one of pain and distantly he heard someone call his name...

Kakashi panted a little, grimaced a little as he faced off against this man with red hair. He didn't dare let that hand level in his direction, and his opponent seemed to know this, using it to his advantage to keep him at bay and away from his companion while his companion dealt with the other members of the team. More than once he'd risked near disastrous glances over at the boys, applauding silently Ten-Ten's silent backup. But it was doing the boy's little good against a man who seemed able to heal any damage done to him. Naruto made a soft forlorn sound and once more he glanced over.

Now Naruto was in the man's hands, Lee's attacks seeming to have little effect on his opponent and Ten-Ten dared not attack at a distance with everyone standing so close together. In an instant he deduced the current state of the battle over there, and decided to make a break for it. He threw a kunai at Rin, not hoping to hit, but as a distraction so that he could subtly make the hand signs for a clone. Then as his clone moved to attack, he ran.

Blinding pain shot through his head, and he stumbled to a stop, grabbing his eye and opening his natural one to get a look at his opponent. Sure enough Rin was standing there quite calmly, his hand stretched out toward Kakashi.

"I took a risk, that this one here was a clone." The clone just to the man's right hand side disappeared in a puff of smoke, Kakashi swayed slightly the pain in his head; his eye such that he couldn't keep it going any longer. "That eye of yours really is interesting... I bet the original injury was quite painful." Rin stepped closer to him, and Kakashi felt the warm sticky sensation of blood beneath his hand and between his fingers.

Desperately Kakashi threw another kunai, ducking and rolling toward his opponent who hopped quickly back and in the process lowering his hand for just an instant it was enough. The moment his hand lowered the pain stopped and Kakashi shifted again to stay out of the dangerous area. His own hands lowered he tested his sharingan grateful to realize no permanent damage had been done. Only a line of blood beneath his eye showed that he'd been injured at all.

"That must be some good genjutsu you have there Rin..." Kakashi said carefully, trying to needle the man a bit by using his name familiarly.

It seemed to have worked at least a little because the man's eye twitched slightly. "It's not a genjutsu. But really... I'd heard better of you Kakashi Hatake. The copy ninja. Son of the White Fang of the Leaf Village. I hardly expected you to spend this whole time running while my... companion kills your little team." The man'd eyes shifted color slightly, turning green then gold. He made a small motion. "Come one Kakashi. I was just starting to get interested in our little fight. Don't bore me eh?"

-MLE

I'm having some difficulties getting the horizontal lines in, if anyone has advice it's greatly appreciated; thank you.