Ruin

I got tired quickly and soon Naruto had to carry me. I snuggled into his chest, soothed by the beating of his heart. We were now going through the forest that led to my village. We were nearby the Village Hidden in the Leaves as well.

"Naruto, do you think we should tell Kakashi and Sakura that I'm okay?"

I felt him shrug. He said nothing.

When we made it to my village, the moon was high in the sky. I steered Naruto through the streets, avoiding pieces of rubble here and there.

"So, I'm starting to sense why this place is called the Village Hidden in the Ruins," Naruto stated with a grin in his voice.

The way my village was designed made it look like it was in complete ruins from the outside, but when you entered it, everything was absolutely pristine. That was the draw of the village. It helped teach the lesson that you had to look past the appearances you see at your first glance and see what is really on the inside. I know it sounds clique, but for my village, it's the inside that counts.

We made it to the steps of the village 'palace' or at least, that's what it was called. There, I had my room underground and the Elders lived in one of the highest rooms. Naruto set me down gently. He left his arm around my waist as we looked up at the gigantic building.

"We should wait till morning," I said. He grunted in agreement. He sat on the steps that led up to the main doors and I rested my head in the crook of his neck. I was immediately asleep.

I woke up when I felt Naruto shaking me. "Ruin!" he hissed in my ear.

"Huh?" My eyes were protesting as I tried to open them.

"We need to hide! There are guards coming this way!" Hearing that, I was suddenly alert and we rushed behind a nearby pillar.

The sun was just beginning to peak our from behind the nearby mountains as several guards lined up at the staircase.

"What are they doing?" Naruto asked me.

"Uh, guarding," I said as if it was a total 'duh' answer.

Naruto's cheeks flamed as he hurriedly asked a different question. "I mean, why are they guarding this building?"

"That is where the Elders live and where I lived as well."

He nodded in understanding and turned his attention back to the guards. He was in ninja mode now.

"You ready, Ruin?"

"For what?"

"We're going to take them down," he said to me like it was totally obvious.

"Um," was all I could say.

"Come on! This is your chance to really test yourself." He paused as he watched the guards. "Okay, get ready." So I did.

It was a few moments later when Naruto whispered, "NOW!" when we sprung at the guards.

They responded with swords, but Naruto was already on them. There were seven in total, and Naruto had already knocked out two. I wanted to at least take one out. I took out my cutting kunai and sprung forward, blocking the guard's sword and going in between his legs to come at him from behind. I made some quick hand signs and whispered, "Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu."

A clone of myself appeared in front of me, and now I had a partner to fight with. We took the guard out easily. I high-fived my clone and then it shrunk down into a puddle. Naruto had taken out the other four and we were able to get through.

"Those guards weren't very hard to beat," he pointed out as he sprinted up the steps.

"I never said we were the most elite when it came to skills, we just know how to live in style."

Naruto grinned and pushed open the doors. We were not met by anyone as we ran up the steps to the all too familiar corridor that led to the Elders. I found that odd, disturbingly odd.

Stop!

I stopped. The deep menacing voice was there again. Why couldn't it leave me alone?

Naruto looked back at me with a confused expression. I started running again and we entered the room of the Elders.

There they sat, Tiyo and Riyo, the Elders.

"What may we help you with, you filthy child?" they asked in unison.

My skin prickled with rage as I thought about all the lies I had been told in my life and it was all because of them. I had to say something.

"You killed my parents!" I screeched.

They laughed. "Those fools, they brought it on themselves. Especially your father. He knew it was risky getting involved with a Messenger, but of course he did not listen to everyone's warning." Then they snapped their greasy fingers, and guards appeared all around us. They caught Naruto and me by surprise, so we were unable to fight back.

"Take them to her room and bolt the door." Right as they started to carry us out. "Knock them out too." And the lights went out.

When I woke up, I was met with the familiar smell of burning wax and old parchment. My room. A new door had been added in front of the beads that used to be my 'door.' Now it was a metal door that glowed with some sort of special seal. Naruto lay next to me. I crawled over a bit and saw that he had several cuts and bruises on his skin. Blood had begun to pool slightly underneath his arm. These wounds were fresh.

They will heal soon. Watch. The wounds were instantaneously healed.

"What the--?"

I am Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox demon that is sealed away inside Naruto. I've been the one speaking to you.

"How?"

Because of your powers, I am able to transmit my thoughts as a vision to you, though you only hear my voice. If I wanted, I could show you what I looked like. But that is not important at the moment.

"Why did you try and make me kill myself? Why did you say all those horrible things?"

The fox sighed. I resent this silly boy for being my prison. I wanted to give him pain, and if it caused you pain, I felt no guilt. I am a demon, that is all.

I sighed and glared at nothing in particular.

But right now we must work together, for the sake of my own life. While you were unconscious, they performed some sort of jutsu on Naruto, and now I cannot seem to wake him up. If he does not wake up, I will die.

"What does that have to do with me?"

You love him, the demon said in disgust. Fine. If you're okay with Naruto dying, so be it.

"No! What do I need to do?"

And the fox explained.

A few minutes later, I had an empty ink well, my kunai, and my paint brush.

"You're sure about this?"

You don't have to trust me, stupid girl. Worthless as you may be, you have worth for this little moment. Just do as I told you!

So I did. I let the kunai bit into my thigh and made the blood drip into the ink well. I mixed it with the small drops of ink that were still in the well. I carefully unzipped Naruto's jacket and pulled his tank top. I dipped my brush into the mixture, and did as the fox had instructed. Directly over the spot where Naruto's heart is, I wrote:

Heart that beats

So slow and still

Beat faster

Do my will

Then I painted on his eyelids these words:

Eyes that see

So much and so little

See my face

Do my will

Then I whispered a small prayer. I did the hand signs that the fox had told me to do and focused with all my might. I heard a gasp.

Naruto was back.

"Oh thank God!" I flung myself down on him as he gulped in the precious air.

Thank you, girl.

I sat back on my knees and whispered to the fox. "I did you a favor, and now you have to do me one. Never speak to me again."

Gladly, it hissed, and then it was gone.

"What happened?" Naruto mumbled as he tried to sit up but fell over. I propped him up on my lap.

"They did some sort of jutsu on you to try and keep you knocked out. I woke up you up," I explained.

He glanced down at his chest. "What does it say?" he slurred.

"Nothing, just part of the whole waking you up thing."

He leaned back his head to look at me. He seemed pretty drunk at the moment. "You," he said, pointing at me, "are a smart girl."

I laughed at this. He was obviously reacting to some sort of side-effect of the jutsu. It was pretty funny.

Naruto tried to stand and kept falling over. On the fifth or so time of trying, and failing, he just remained on the floor. "What are we going to do, white head?"

I tried not to bristle at this. He was obviously going through something. "Just sleep for a bit." And so he did.

When he woke up a few hours later, I could tell that he was all over being drunk and back to his usual silly yet serious self.

I recounted what he had done and told him with a laugh, "You called me white head."

Naruto's cheeks pinked instantly.

I heard a metallic screech and the door swung open. "Up! Get up!"

I stood immediately but Naruto stayed where he was. "Naruto!" I hissed. He just ignored me.

This was not a good time to be so stubborn.

A guard walked over to me and clamped restraints around my wrists, forcing them behind my back. Another guard came up from behind Naruto, who tried to fight back, but was easily beaten. I think this guard was ANBU Black Ops. They were the only real ninjas in our village.

As we exited the holding cell and began down a musty hall, Naruto demanded to know what was going on.

The guard glanced over his shoulder at Naruto and me. He grinned with a scary glint in his eyes. "We're taking you down to be executed."

This chapter is kinda all over the place, but that's because it is a transition chapter and some stuff needed to be explained, like the whole 'creeper voice' thing. We are almost at the end, kiddies! Only a few chapters left.