Beast: Ki Tsu Ne
Chapter Seven
Three

Three
-6. death and regeneration: a. Greek: number sacred to the dead: invoked three times and mourned three days; b. the Threefold Great Goddess is goddess of death and regeneration;

Naruto gave a dry, racking sob. Sasuke, his last chance, the one he loved, wasn't coming back. Naruto dug the paring knife into the flesh of his wrist. The metal burned as he dragged it across his milky wrist. Three times. Three times he forced it into his flesh. Naruto's blue eyes blinked closed. Red was the last thing he saw. The red from inside his body. The same red hue that Ki Tsu Ne's eyes were.

Sasuke slammed the door back on it's hinges, snow blowing in with him. he called. No answer. Naruto should be here. He might be in his room. Where was his room? Sasuke moved into the hallway. The door that led to Ki Tsu Ne's room was ajar. Sasuke stepped cautiously in. The room was a little larger than his own, but furnished just the same. Exactly the same, minus one thing.

Naruto lay, curled up, on the bed. His arms were brought close to his sides and his knees were tucked under his chin. his hands framed the copper mirror. The red of the bedspread was stained an even darker crimson. Sasuke choked at the sight of Naruto's savaged wrists. He crawled onto the bed beside the other boy and carefully pulled his wrists towards him. Sasuke grimaced. he didn't know where any bandages were. He pulled off his shirt, ripping it into strips and tying them around Naruto's wrists. Sasuke pressed his fingers under Naruto's chin. There was still a pulse. He put a hand over his mouth. Still breathing.

Sasuke carefully moved Naruto's limp body and tucked him under the covers. Sasuke didn't know what to do. he hated feeling helpless like this. The mixture of his feelings of helplessness, worry and sorrow, were causing tears to prick the corners of his eyes. Sasuke leaned forward on the bed.
I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry i left you. I know I shouldn't have. You and Ki Tsu Ne were so nice to me. I shouldn't have left. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's my fault. Please, Naruto, I came back, that means that you have to come back too. Please don't leave me. I know how you feel when I left. Please... please... Sasuke trailed off s he forced down a wail of despair.

Sasuke lay like that, half on Naruto's body, half on the bed, for a good while. His watch beeped. 9 pm. Naruto twitched. Sasuke pulled back and went to sit near Naruto's head.

Naruto's face was twisted into a look of pain and he was biting his lip. Sasuke watched in amazement as Naruto's whole body arched under the covers. Russet fur began to cover his features, his nose and mouth began to lengthen into a fox's snout, sharp claws scrabbled and ripped through the covers. Naruto's sky-blue eyes snapped open and they turned to crimson.

Sasuke gasped at the transformation. There, where Naruto had lain just moments ago, was Ki Tsu Ne. His captor had been his friend an ally as well? Ki Tsu Ne -or was it Naruto?- spasmed and then lay still. He rolled onto his stomach, pushing his head up and blinking. The cuts on his wrist had been healed completely.

The fox's eyes locked with Sasuke's.
Ah, ah... Sasuke... said the fox. His voice was so like Naruto's. How could Sasuke not have noticed?
Ki Tsu... began Sasuke, only to be cut off by the fox.
No. My name is Naruto, the fox cast his crimson eyes down, I'm sorry.
Sasuke put his hand under the fox's soft chin, he pulled his head up so that he looked Sasuke in the eyes. Sasuke said only two words,
Tell me.