Another post! I'm soo proud of myself! Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers who actually did review, and for that, Naruto is gonna live! Yaaayy! Did you really think I could be cruel enough to kill off Naru? (Author makes innocent eyes) anyway, keep up the reviews! Feedback is always welcome!

Momochi Zabuza and Fei-sama: Thank you sooooooooooo much for actually listen to me blab on in my e-mails! Eternally grateful to you guys!

Chapter 12: Fox vs. Snake

Kimimaro's forest-hued eyes clouded over with disbelief and desperation. Naruto…he had saved his life. No one before had ever saved his life…not even Orochimaru. Kimimaro felt the beginnings of tears course down his eyes. Naruto had saved him….Naruto was dead because he had saved him….the shock coursed its way through the Kaguya's body, and he slumped towards the lifeless body before him, his whole form shaking with heartrending sobs.

Neji and Sasuke, seeing the Kaguya's reaction, knelt beside Naruto as well, rivers of moisture running down their cheeks. Sasuke leaned forward and stroked Naruto's cold face gently, murmuring his name over and over again. After all Naruto had done for them…it was because he came to rescue him was the reason he died. Sasuke wept into his hands, feeling a deep depression come over him.

Orochimaru watched in silence as the three mourned their loss, all weeping at the sight of Naruto's body. The normally calm face had strange workings passing over in the features, and Orochimaru's amber eyes were filled with an emotion that even he couldn't place. Clasping a hand to his heart, a single sphere of salty fluid coursed its way down Orochimaru's face. No one had ever cried like that for him before. But seeing even the most ice-cold man he had ever taken in crying over the body of the kitsune awakened something in the snake-sannin that he had never felt before.

Kabuto watched as Orochimaru continued his mental struggle. Ebony eyes narrowed behind rimless glasses as the medic-nin watched his master fight with himself. Orochimaru looked very very weary, like a man who had tired of life and the world. For once, Kabuto could see actual emotion in Orochimaru's eyes. He silently laid a hand on the snake-sannin's shoulder.

"Orochimaru-sama, shouldn't we…?" A change seemed to come over the snake sannin and he became once more a cold, calculating entity.

"I will take care of it. Kabuto, go and set up the necessary equipment for the experiment." Kabuto nodded and disappeared.

Kimimaro jerked back in shock as a huge snake wrapped itself around Naruto's limp form and brought it back to Orochimaru's arms. A sinister smile formed on the white features of the snake-summoner as he cradled Naruto's body in his arms. Bending his head, he nuzzled Naruto's neck, his tongue caressing the other's shoulders and collarbone. A blinding rage filled the Kaguya and he slowly extracted his spinal column once more. Every word that he spoke seemed to penetrate the air like shards of steel.

"You will never defile that innocent boy as long as I continue to live. Let him go." Orochimaru's smirk widened as he gazed mockingly at Kimimaro.

"Oh, I'm not "defiling" him as long as he doesn't fight back. Besides, this boy means a lot to me, and I have no intention of killing him…just yet." With that, the snake-sannin disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kimimaro clenched his teeth and slowly stood. Neji and Sasuke looked towards the Kaguya questioningly. Kimimaro pierced both of them with a determined gaze; they nodded and followed the Kaguya as he briskly walked down an intricate series of corridors. It was a long time before Neji spoke up hesitantly.

"Naruto…isn't dead, is he?" Kimimaro shook his head.

"He is in a near-death state which is why there was no heartbeat when we checked. Orochimaru has taken him for the Kyuubi sealed inside of him." The Hyuuga nodded.

"What will become of him?" Sasuke asked. Kimimaro's mint-hued eyes glazed over with worry.

"Orochimaru will most likely extract the chakra of the Kyuubi from him, if not the fox itself. Thankfully, Naruto isn't dead, just completely paralyzed. The Kyuubi's chakra should have gotten rid of the toxin by now, but the effects still remain." The three lapsed into silence once again as they continued their way down the maze of hallways.

Somewhere

A flash of light penetrated the darkness.

"Unh…where… am I? This… is not the same…"

More flashes of light continued to pierce through, this time all of them a yellowish-green shade.

"Why…?"

Cornflower eyes slowly opened as Uzumaki Naruto regained consciousness. Uncurling from the fetal position he was crouched in, he looked around dazedly. The world appeared oddly green and seemed to be rocking gently up and down….

The fox-child shook his head groggily and looked down at the rest of his body. Eyes widened in shock, and he tried to jerk back but failed when he found that his entire body was numb. Orochimaru had somehow gotten rid of his clothes. Damn snake-pervert. Pressing his hand to the glass barrier that restrained him from escape, he noted that there were many odd metal tubes connected to his body. The kitsune looked up as a clank was heard, and Orochimaru entered the room. The snake-sannin remained silent, leaning against the wall opposite the blonde. Naruto pasted what he hoped was a perpetually unemotionless expression on his face, and the two stared each other down in silence.

Orochimaru tilted his head to the side, expecting a string of profanities from the blonde as soon as he entered. Contrary to his assumptions, the kitsune merely stared at him with an almost…serene look in his eyes. He looked perfectly calm and not at all surprised that he was encased in a test-tube which rendered him completely vulnerable. Orochimaru had to give him credit; that boy could stay calm even when captured. He had to admit that it took some of the fun out of the hunt, but breaking this boy and seeing him grovel would be ever so enjoyable. Orochimaru would look forward to that later.

The snake-sannin slowly straightened, walking with a measured pace towards Naruto. The blonde merely looked at Orochimaru with a calm, collected expression on his face as if Orochimaru were just dropping by for a cup of tea, despite the fact that he was completely exposed and utterly helpless in the presence of a ruthless killer. This unnerved the snake-summoner only slightly, but Orochimaru managed to keep his composure as he continued towards the blonde.

Further scrutinizing the kitsune that stood so boldly before him, Orochimaru could understand why the Uchiha was attracted to the boy. Naruto had a curious catlike tilt to his eyes that had an almost sensual hint to them, and the undertints of dark maroon that contrasted the clear azure shades made them unlike any eyes Orochimaru had ever seen before.

Golden eyes roved over the rest of the body, lingering slightly on the crotch (an aftermath of Jiraiya's tactics, he supposed, but Jiraiya was definitely not one to ogle those of the same gender) before settling on the face. Yondaime had picked a good container for the Kyuubi; a very fine container indeed. He had a finely chiseled chest, well toned muscles, and magnificent facial features. A few thoughts (fine loins) flitted through Orochimaru's head as he drew level with the glass barrier that separated the two.

"So you have awakened." Naruto contined to survey Orochimaru as if he were a drastically interesting specimen.

"You know what I mean to accomplish, do you not?" Naruto crooked his head forward in the most miniscule of motions, but his steady expression never wavered a bit.

"Very well then. I did hope to abolish the troublesome task of explaining myself. Enjoy your stay for the moment; Kabuto will call when he finishes setting up the equipment." Orochimaru turned and glided out of the room, shutting the door with a sharp snap.

Naruto calmed the raging nerves that threatened to do away with his composure and closed his eyes. Calling up the Kyuubi, he spoke with the fox.

"Kyuubi, how long will it take for me to fully recover?" The fox's answer rumbled in Naruto's mind.

"You are almost fully cleansed of the poison, but the paralysis is yet to be worked on."

"Do you think we can get out of here?" Naruto could almost feel the smirk rolling off the fox in waves.

"My grace was not given so that one meager little snake could enslave me and my vessel."

"Good, cause we're going to need it." Naruto felt Kyuubi shift slightly in his cage.

"The snake's companion is arriving."

There was a snap as the door opened, and Kabuto slid in holding something similar to a very large syringe. The tip of the needle was oddly different, with two prongs on it instead of one. Kabuto set the needle down on the table and turned towards Naruto, a bemused smile on his face.

"Just make yourself comfortable; you won't live very long." Naruto snarled.

"Where's Orochimaru?" A soft hissing voice came out of the darkness.

"Funny you should ask for the one who has harmed you."

Sapphire eyes shot towards the voice and an unexpected grin broke over Naruto's face. The merest trace of surprise flickered over Kabuto's face before it was covered by the usual professional interest.

"Oh here you are, Orochimaru. I've been waiting for you." Orochimaru closed the door quietly and stepped towards Naruto.

"And why is that?"

Naruto gave no answer, but the look in his eyes signified that he really did want the snake-sannin in the room. Continuing to grin at Orochimaru, he silently chanted a few words under his breath. Orochimaru simply looked amused, and resumed waiting for an answer from the blonde.

A sudden tremor rocked the room and the door burst open, expelling Neji, Sasuke, and Kimimaro into the room. Sasuke had Chidori and Sharingan ready, while Neji had Byakugan activated and Kimimaro had fully extracted all of his bones.

"Let Naruto go." Orochimaru turned and was about to respond when he was interrupted by Naruto.

"No, it's okay guys. I think you should watch this."

Naruto lowered his head and curled into a fetal position, his bangs falling in front of his eyes. He began to jerk, with sudden seizures that racked his body like a windblown leaf in a passing breeze, gentle at first, but each tremor jerked his body even harder than the last. The low snarl from before came roiling out of Naruto's throat, only this time it was a full-fledged growl emanating in a deep bass voice. Naruto's hands twitched spasmodically as he held them in front of his face.

Neji and Sasuke instinctively recoiled, a little unnerved at the sight of Naruto's hands. Veins fat with blood snaked their way up the kitsune's forearms, standing out like blue wire cords. The muscles in Naruto's arms were stretched taught and risen like breadrolls, and the tendons in Naruto's wrists writhed chaotically as Naruto continued to jerk. Claws slid down over the cuticles of the blonde's fingers, ending in a feral point at a good foot from the tip of each finger.

Jerking even more violently now, Naruto began to thrash in the greenish liquid he was immersed in, his body coiling in on itself. With one last spasm, Naruto threw back his head and howled an unearthly grating howl to the heavens, the veins on his neck visible like sinister electric-blue wires. It was then that the blonde dropped his head and looked straight at the occupants of the room.

Orochimaru gasped and scrambled backwards into a nearby table. Naruto's eyes were slitted eyes, like the bright mad eyes of a rabid fox. Granted, Orochimaru had seen them before when the brat was fighting off his guards, but he saw a considerable amount of control in them then. These eyes, although the same shade and color, had a twisted hunger and crazy intelligence to them, radiating evil and bloodlust that far surpassed any measure of maliciousness Orochimaru had ever encountered before. In the very moment Kyuubi had looked at him through the eyes of Naruto, he knew that the fox would stop at nothing to kill him, and not even death itself would stave the onslaughter that was yet to come.

There was a terrible cracking sound, and the test tube containing the blonde ruptured and expelled its contents onto the ground before it. No longer was any trace of the blonde visible in the body; it was Kyuubi now, and Kyuubi was the one who would bring about Orochimaru's downfall.

The snake-sannin watched with a mixture of awe and terror that a form was rising out of the boy. Waves of unholy red energy emitted from the body, solidifying completely into a majestic fox. Though Orochimaru knew the fox was not one to be underestimated, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer power of the Kyuubi and briefly entertained the thought of possessing such energy. Smiling evilly, he drew a few seals across his hand and summoned a large brown snake. Manda had gotten angry with him a few days ago, and it wasn't worth the risk now.

The snake reared and hissed at the gigantic fox; a rather stupid thing to do really, for Kyuubi towered over the snake as if it were a worm. Kyuubi let out what sounded like a snort of mockery, then lowered his head and glared straight at the snake which flinched but stared back. The slit in Kyuubi's eyes grew narrower and transformed into a cross in his eyes as he penetrated the snake with his gaze. The snake was faltering now, and with a last and final scream, it burst into flames and collapsed at Orochimaru's feet. Kyuubi straightened once more, the cross in its eyes changing back to a slit.

Orochimaru was truly amazed. His snake, one of the best snakes he had since Manda had been eliminated so quickly and effortlessly. Golden eyes widened, and he turned to face the Kyuubi.

"Kyuubi! How is it that you can destroy my snake with but a glance?" The fox looked down its snout at the snake-sannin with a regal expression on its magnificent countenance as it spoke in a deep baritone voice.

"I do not think you are worth the time answering. However, as I am about to end your miserable little existence, I will tell you that all foxes, whether demon or not, possess a strong gaze in which they can channel their energy out of."

Orochimaru gasped and smiled even more maliciously. To actually possess that strange bloodline as well…was this a dream? He knew full well of the Kyuubi's awesome powers….if the fox would protest, he would simply have to end it as quickly as possible. There was only one thing to do. Orochimaru pulled out a strange scroll with sinister black markings all over the contents.

"Kyuubi….this is where you'll be finished, once and for all."

Oooo, cliffy! Thanks again go to Momochi Zabuza and Fei-sama! You guys are the greatest pen pals I've ever encountered! Arigato! Author gives out Neji and Kimi plushies to both.