Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fiction. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke, Kakashi/ Iruka pairing Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike

Chapter Four Absorbing The Demon

Naruto opened his eyes. He knew he was awake. He could see the small, intricate cracks that lined his ceiling; he could feel a breeze coming in through the open window. The smell of autumn reached him once again, a similar scent, reminiscent of last night when he had fallen. The only thing was, he couldn't move. His whole body was frozen in some sort of paralyses, and he felt panic rise and take over his whole mind. Then, he heard the chuckle.

"Are you sure you're really even awake?"

He couldn't turn his head to the source of the voice, even his eyes rebelling against any movement. Naruto recognized the tone, though, and a shadow once again formed in front of his face. He felt weight settle on his upper body as the person straddled his chest; and he stared into the blood red eyes of the darkly sexual man from his dream. The strangers face was desperately close to the petrified boys and a large smile decorated the handsome features, giving it an evil malevolence that left Naruto hot and cold all at the same time.

"Funny how ancient stories stick in your mind," came the whispered comment. If the boy could have moved he would have shuddered at the heat of the man's breath. The words were nearly alive, as if crawling their way around his cheek and into his ear. Deep and seductive, almost reminiscent of Sasuke's own voice earlier. Fingers ran under his shirt and tickled his ribs lightly, and slowly.

"They tell tales of demons who would sit on peoples chests and feed off of their nightmares, languishing in the pain and mental suffering of their sweet, innocent victims. Or maybe the soft, sensual, and darkly hidden sex desires that these choice few dare not confess. Do you suppose I'd fit the incubi role well, Naruto-kun? Sitting here as I am within you and revelling in these emotions that drown me consistently."

Again there was a deep chuckle of amusement. Another hand caressed his cheek.

"Human beings are so fanciful and lovely, I think I'm going to enjoy being one once I'm free."
Naruto managed a soft noise in the back of his throat. This, being, was within him? Oh no, it couldn't be, but; it was. The horrible revelation was almost more then the boy could stand. Somehow Nine Tails had developed into a, Naruto would be hard pressed to say that this alien beauty sitting on him was human. But the shape was almost right, if ungodly attractive. How had this happened? Whispered words and hot breath once again tickled his ear, giving him the answer.

"Do you know what its like feeling trapped and moulded into something that is completely different to your every awareness? So strange that you must adapt or else lose yourself completely." Suddenly, Naruto wasn't on his bed anymore and no one was on top of him. He was in a dark narrow space which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. He scratched the sides trying to find space, trying to breathe, and finding nothing. Then the voice echoed in the obscurity.
"The walls are closing in, and you fight, Naruto-kun. Just like any animal would. And do you know, boy, I'm going to fight now. I'm losing myself daily as you grow and absorb more of me into your own powers. I can't take it anymore, because, you see, I've absorbed part of you into my personality as well, becoming more then what I was, so much more. I will tell you now that I am far better at manipulation then you; I've had centuries to practice. And at the present, with this weak time for you, even as you're just about to enter the last stage of adulthood, while your emotions expose you to me and leave you weak against the heat of lust, hatred, and loneliness, I will dominate this body. I may not be able to fight from the outside, but you must be wondering to yourself by now-" And again Naruto was on his bed with the man, which he now knew to be the demon within him, sitting on top of him, still grinning and still taunting, nose to nose, red eyes to blue.

"Why aren't you hungry, Naruto?"

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The howl was long and painful as it ripped through Naruto's throat. He leaped out of the bed and landed hard on the floor, shaking almost as much as an epileptic would. He clutched his head in his hands, ignoring the discomfort of his wounded limb. He could move now, he could breathe, and the latter he did in deep shuddering gulps. That meant he was still alive, right? Or, at least, awake.

What the fuck, had that been? It didn't make sense for something so chaotic as a demon to try and mould itself into something as sanely constructed as a human. They just couldn't handle all the guilt that was a part of every basic individual psyche. But, for Nine to have been in him for so long, could it be possible that as self-defence the thing had managed to adapt, just as it said? That didn't really bode well for the future of Naruto, or anyone else that got in the way. He would have lay there on the floor thinking a lot longer on this whole demon taking over his body thing if a knock hadn't suddenly begun at the door.

"Open up Naruto, I come bearing gifts and a few guesses." Naruto mentally groaned. Damnit, of all the worse times for things to go on as naturally as they usually did. And he damned himself for not changing a single thing.

He got up, plastered a smile on his face, and answered the door for Iruka-sensei. Who promptly grabbed his nose with his free hand and gave it a little twist.

"Owd, Iruka-se'sei dat was by dose!" Carting in the ramen he had picked up, Iruka just pushed past Naruto.

"That's for keeping me waiting forever at the door! I thought you'd might have actually managed to do something worse to yourself!" Naruto just blinked at him rubbing his nose.

"I fell asleep-"

"Oh, really?" Iruka interrupted and turned from the table and with a concerned look and advanced on an unprepared Naruto. The boy decided he had been caressed, fondled and otherwise molested enough for one day.

"No, wait, I'm okay! Really!" Ignoring the pleas of an obviously distressed Naruto, his teacher grabbed his face in both hands and moved it this way and that, looking for any signs that his ward was still suffering any maladies after the fall he'd had. Meanwhile, Naruto was trying frantically to back pedal at the same time getting his legs caught up in Iruka's. This, of course, caused both ninja's to lose their balance and fall into a laughing, embarrassed pile on the floor. Just as they were catching their breath and attempting to disentangle themselves a hand reached down and grabbed the cuff of Iruka's jacket and lifted him off Naruto gingerly.

"Would this be a bad time?" Both Naruto and Iruka were frozen in horror. Slowly, Naruto peeked around an unmoving Iruka to stare at a highly amused Kakashi. He sighed softly, at least having the assumption that he was doing something sexual with his guardian got him out of thinking about those really big issues; like how to deal with a rogue sexy fox demon inhabiting his body. Iruka, still hanging by his jacket shook his head, frantically trying to remedy an obviously embarrassing situation, and making matters decidedly worse.

"Naruto tripped me, and we fell and, well-" Kakashi's shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter as Iruka's explinations became even more lame. Then suddenly, both the older ninjas blinked and looked down at the empty space that Naruto had once occupied. Then their heads turned towards the kitchen where a young boy sat spooning the entire contents of most of their dinner into his bowel.

"Naruto!!" An innocent face blinked at his two hungry companions.

"Well, you two just seemed so wrapped up with each other I thought I would pass the time getting a well deserved and needed meal." Naruto was amazed at his own light heartedness. The truth was that all the food on the table was making his stomach twitch painfully, but he also knew that he had to make himself eat it. He would not succumb so easily to this new attack. Watching his two teachers blush was pretty amusing however.

"Iruka-sensei." He said through a mouth full of noodles. A cheesy grin spread across the older ninja's face as he sat down in the seat next to Naruto and across from Kakashi.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"You owe me dinner."