A/N: Ahoy, maties! Stumbled onto a writer's block, so don't expect much from this chapter! But I found some time to write a short quickie! ALL THANKS TO YOUR REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own the storyline.[That was my first decent disclaimer yet...waiiit...does this note make the disclaimer indecent now? ;/]
Warning: Yaoi and swearing! Characters don't possess the ability to wash their mouths out with soap. Evacuation from this fic is highly recommended to those who don't like yaoi =]
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"..." normal speech
'...' thoughts
Dobe = dead last
Baka = idiot
Youkai = demon (NOTE: Not too sure about that translation...I think 'akuma' would be more accurate, but 'youkai' sounds cooler :P Anyone wanna correct me on this one?)
Bolded text – setting
Italics – emphasized thoughts or words; can also be flashbacks
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Chapter 12 – Hell's Cradle
Konoha – Sasuke's Apartment
"Youkai...youkai..."
Sasuke looked up from his cooking and immediately dropped the knife he was holding and bolted to the living room.
"Youkai...youkai..."
Onyx eyes drank in the sight of Naruto mumbling to himself, eyes downcast and figure slumped.
Sasuke walked over to the short Genin, purposely making each of his steps accentuated and stern. Firmly, he grabbed a hold of Naruto's shoulders and hissed, "What did they tell you?"
Faded azure orbs, worn out from the abuse of tears, were lifted to meet Sasuke's intense visage. "Youkai..." Naruto answered dryly, his voice cracked and broken as his heart was.
"What?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing and moving in closer to catch what Naruto had muttered. His reply was lost in the raspy sniff that followed afterwards, and so the answer was left unheard to the Uchiha.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway and Iruka appeared abruptly in the open doorway. "Naruto!" Iruka said as he walked over. "Don't run off like that again. Remember what Tsunade-sama told you."
Sasuke looked at Naruto, then at Iruka. There was something wrong. Something they didn't want him to know. This thought only gave Sasuke more determination to find out what was wrong with his kitsune. With narrowed eyes, he seethed at Iruka, "What's wrong with Naruto?"
"There is nothing wrong with Naruto, Sasuke," The Chuunin replied, a bit too harshly. "Nothing that Tsunade-sama wants you to be concerned with. Sasuke, listen to me: you need to watch Naruto carefully and closely. He needs you more than ever now. I would do it myself, but I have work at the Academy..."
The Uchiha drank all this information in, but pushed it to the back of his mind. "Why doesn't Tsunade want me to know what's wrong with Naruto?" he asked severely, his voice rising. "I have every right to know."
In the dimly lit room, shadows began to creep across the simple and neat area. Through the window, the fierce flash of the sun could be seen dipping behind the mountain, singing its last serenade as it plunged Konoha into a sea of aestival essences. Even as the bittersweet, titian flambeau dwindled like an offending voice into an anathema whisper, Iruka didn't reply.
But Sasuke continued to stare down Iruka, eyes never faltering. Finally, Iruka looked at Sasuke in the eyes and said quietly, "Please don't make this any harder, Sasuke-kun. I know you have every right to know, but I can't tell you."
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed offensively at the Chuunin's answer.
"Sasuke," Iruka continued, "promise me you'll look after Naruto. He needs your help and support more than anyone else's now."
All this time, Naruto had kept mumbling to himself the one word that sucked his sense of purpose from him. They told him it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but feel like a lone pariah all the same.
"Jiraiya told me that you knew about Kyuubi before," Tsunade said as she stared at him, "so I might as well tell you again. This isn't the brightest thing to do, but you have to know sooner or later in your life. You've grown, Naruto, and I have faith in you. So I'll tell you now, what's inside you..."
He felt himself shrivel dry from the inside, as if the demon's fire had left his heart out to dry. Ever so faintly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, which only seemed to make his body feel heavier than before and added to the weight on his heavy heart.
Sasuke nodded firmly at Iruka, whose eyes were wide and pleading. With a beaming smile of gratitude, Iruka took one of Sasuke's hands in his own and said, "Thank you."
The Uchiha, feeling uncomfortable with holding hands with his former sensei, immediately withdrew his hand after a short handshake.
Iruka turned to Naruto afterwards, grasped Naruto shoulders gently, and said, "Remember what Tsunade-sama told you, Naruto. Promise me you won't say anything."
The blonde appeared to not have heard him, but after Iruka called his name again and bent lower so he could look Naruto in the eye, the blonde nodded his head slowly. Iruka gave a sad sigh and hugged the limp frame of Naruto tightly before saying quietly, "I'll visit as much as I can. If you ever need anything, you can either find me at the academy, office, or my house."
Naruto didn't even nod this time. It all came so quick. At least he had stopped mumbling now. But the demon living inside him, the thing he had been oblivious to, seemed to give a small growl as his stomach prickled.
The door closed shut and Sasuke stared at Naruto, still slumping and looked like he was going to crumble at any moment.
'I'll take care of Naruto, but that's not going to stop me from finding out what's wrong,' Sasuke thought bitterly in his mind, remembering the request that Iruka had made. The Chuunin's words were nothing to him. He was going to know whatever he wanted to know. No one ever held authority over him, and no one was going to start now.
"Come into the kitchen," Sasuke said, and started walking. When he looked back however, Naruto was still standing at the same spot. "Naruto?" Sasuke called, trying to make his voice sound indifferent.
Naruto followed Sasuke slowly into the kitchen, and he flopped onto a chair at the table. The pot on the stove had overflowed, and the boiling water was dripping silently onto the floor from the stove. Quickly turning the heat off, Sasuke began cleaning the mess, all the while waiting for the right time to pop the question he wanted to ask.
"It's not fair..." Naruto muttered. Sasuke didn't know if the delirious blonde was talking to himself or not, but he knew this was his chance.
"What's not fair, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, all incentive of cleaning up gone. The blonde looked at him, looking as if he was seriously going to answer him at that moment, but shook his head and answered, "No...I-I can't."
Mentally cursing at this answer, Sasuke gave a quiet grunt and resumed cleaning. After he was done, Naruto asked loudly, "You said you'd be there for me, right Sasuke?"
Sasuke turned to Naruto, gazing at the flaccid blonde behind stray strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes while he was cleaning. Still keeping his stoic expression, Sasuke nodded.
When Naruto saw Sasuke's nod, he felt his lips curved into a half-hearted, teary smile. "Just checking, baka," Naruto answered.
It wasn't fair for the village to judge Naruto, even with something close to the Apocalypse residing in him. But the seal on his stomach had already marked him as an object of circumvention. He had not even been given a choice.
'I don't even remember myself,' Naruto thought furiously in his mind, 'and yet they still hate me before I can even remember them.'
He had not heard the whispers of the villagers earlier that day, but the heated glares and looks of disgust were not easy to miss. 'I'm not a demon,' Naruto thought firmly. 'I'm not what they think I am.'
'Or are you?' a tiny voice in the back of his mind chimed in. Was it true? Were the villagers right for hating him? If what Tsunade said was true...
'The Kyuubi is inside you, so you are both in one living entity...'If what the Kyuubi was really what she said...
'...a demon that almost destroyed Konoha, and caused the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage...'
Then...
'Stay away from my son. We don't need your help.'
'I'm not so different after all,' the thought finished in Naruto's mind. Naruto raised his hand and gazed at it, as if the very sight was a part of the demon's true form. Maybe the villagers were right. They had every right to hate the very demon that had made their past dark with despair. He wasn't worthy to be around them. His blood, heart, and mind were stained with the blood of their loved ones. He was a hellion risen from the ashes of the greatest of massacres.
A steamy bowl of noodles clattered in front of him, jerking him from his brooding thoughts. Naruto looked up to see Sasuke scrutinizing him, not moving a muscle.
'I don't deserve to be around Sasuke either,' the tiny voice chimed in again. Naruto quickly shut the lurid thought away. 'He would hate me too...if he knew.'
"Eat," Sasuke stated simply, and it wasn't a request. The blonde shook his head dejectedly. The Uchiha remained emotionless in the face, but the tone of his voice indicated otherwise.
"I didn't spend so much time cooking for nothing," Sasuke said coldly as he sat down across from Naruto. "Now eat."
'What is so horrible that even the old Naruto wouldn't tell me?' Sasuke thought as he finished his last sentence.
Naruto didn't think that his heart had any more unharmed space to be stabbed at, but the stinging feeling in his chest told him he did. Involuntarily, Naruto winced slightly at the Uchiha's cold reply.
'I guess Sasuke could hate me for something else then,' the blonde thought. No matter who it was, everyone seemed to have a reason to hate Naruto.
Sasuke mentally kicked himself for being the insensitive bastard Naruto had always called him. He had an image to uphold, but around Naruto, he knew it would be useless. "It's ramen, your favourite," Sasuke explained in attempt to lighten Naruto's heart.
Deciding that he shouldn't be more of a burden than he already was, Naruto picked up the chopsticks and began digging in with less enthusiasm than Sasuke anticipated. When he had taken his first bite, Sasuke began eating as well.
Naruto lifted a bundle of noodles in the bowl, revealing a cooked shrimp underneath. An image flashed through Naruto's mind.
He had only managed to stuff a shrimp into his mouth before Temari walked in and taught him how to use the chopsticks. Gaara remained still, leaning against the wall the whole time.
His hands fell limp at the memory. Naruto still felt betrayed by Gaara's empty lies, but a small part of him still wondered about the red-haired sand-nin. Naruto's heart was filled with sorrow and self-pity, but somehow, Gaara still managed to reserve a little space for himself.
With a bitter smile after his small epiphany, Naruto noticed Sasuke staring at him again and decided it was best to tuck in again.
Wind Country – Wilderness
"Gaara! No!" Baki bellowed.
Temari's retch of disgust and horror could be heard among the pitter-patter of rain pelting the ground.
With a maniacal grin, Gaara turned his face upwards, towards the sky, letting the blood wash over him. He felt free. The screams of pain were such a sudden rush for him. The drops of ruby fell on his face, staining it a lush erubescent tint. Gaara basked in the all-too familiar fragrance that had been denied from him for only too long. He had no tears, but the sand made the sky cry for him. It cried liquid sunshine tainted scarlet.
The blood stopped ended in a lazy drizzle, and Gaara slumped over once again, still smiling at the beads of cruor that dripped slowly from him, leaving thin lines of vermilion in their paths.
Kankuro was shaking in disgust. He was covered and drenched in blood, and the smell of raw flesh had seeped into his clothing. There was no cover in the area they were in; the land was flat and barren. That left no escape from the repulsive downpour that had inevitably occurred a few moments ago.
A glance at Temari sent a wave of jealousy through him. The girl had unfolded her fan and held it over her head. It was certainly big enough to cover her whole body. He, on the other hand, was drenched to the skin.
"Ugh!" Kankuro retched as he tried to wipe blood off his face. The smell was thick and sickening, but the sight of his twisted sibling savouring it was enough to send a spell of nausea through him. Mentally, Kankuro cursed Gaara for his morbid existence.
Baki approached Gaara, and faced him. "I told you not to kill anyone," he seethed. "Do you have any idea what you might have done?"
Gaara only looked at him with wide, crazed eyes. For a moment, Baki thought he saw the imprisoned priest inside him flash behind Gaara's eyes. "Don't disobey me again, Gaara," Baki said gruffly. "I won't hesitate to stop you if I have to."
With that, Baki brushed past him and continued walking slowly.
A sharp pain shot through Gaara's head as he painfully clutched it with one hand. 'No...' he thought to himself. He had to keep track of himself. He couldn't afford losing himself like that again.
But he wanted to see the garnet vital fluid so badly. Now that he had gotten a taste of it after so long, it seemed like it was only appetizer. There were three very good candidates cleaning themselves off right in front of him...and they all had blood, so why can't he just...
'No,' Gaara told himself. It took a considerable amount of will power to do so, but he forced the sand, thick with blood, into the gourd on his back.
He hadn't intended to kill that unfortunate couple. The pair had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. But he needed to let out all the pent up anger accumulated inside him. Shukaku had fought for dominance, and he had given it to him. Gaara needed to see the familiar sight of blood, since the one thing that seemed to have a chance at life to give to him was far away. He had only resisted feebly against Shukaku's demand for livestock.
The bad thing was that the demon still wanted more. But this time, Gaara suppressed his craving and continued walking along with his disgruntled siblings.
'Soon,' Gaara reminded himself again. 'Soon, I'll taste the last of the Uchiha blood...'
Konoha – Sasuke's Apartment, Bedroom
Naruto rolled over on the bed and stared at Sasuke on the floor. The pale boy sleeping on the floor had his back turned to him, the steady rise of his form indicating his slumber.
Pensive, Naruto rolled back to look at the ceiling again. He hadn't wanted to sleep in the bed, since it was Sasuke's apartment, but the boy kept insisting that he did.
'That was pretty nice,' Naruto thought sleepily, 'for a cold-hearted bastard.'
He was about to smile at the thought, but stopped himself. Naruto had forgotten he was a demon...any gesture of kindness was undeserved when it came to him. Why should he be insulting Sasuke like that when he should be burned at the stake for being what he was?
The Moon's midnight serenade sent shadows dancing across the ceiling to a slow ballad. The serene passion of the Moon's rays slowly lulled Naruto to a daze, despite his restless mind. One thought stayed in his mind stubbornly though, and it hung there uselessly in his otherwise empty mind...
It seemed that everyone had a reason to hate the blonde. Whether it was the Kyuubi or the burden of caring for him his existence seemed to bring, there was always one reason or another.
Wistfully, Naruto turned his head to the side to look out the window again. The moon welcomed him with its rays that seemed to hug him as it sang a quiet lullaby.
Before the Moon cradled him into a mercifully dreamless sleep, one last thought of the kitsune sent him on his way:
The image of Gaara and the shelter from the village's hate he seemed to offer when Naruto was living with him.
"Gaara..." Naruto whispered as he drifted off to sleep. He hadn't meant say the red-haired genin's name, and Naruto didn't know he did... which was unfortunate for our poor amnesiac, because as Naruto fell asleep, Sasuke lay wide awake on his side and had heard the blonde call for a certain sand-nin.
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A/N: Blah :P So how was it? Were the descriptions bad? So horrifying that it makes you lose sleep? Hah, sorry about this uneventful chapter...but I really needed to elaborate on some of the emotions that needed to be described for the plot! Without insight on how the characters are feeling (and hopefully I wrote them right), I don't think my story would be that great :P Well, I hope you liked this chapter anyway, even though time was tight when I wrote it XP
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Review Responses:
Kamikakushi: Wahhh o.O! Is my fic really that great? Aww, I feel so...special! :D -munches on pocky- I LOVE POCKY!!!!!!!! I absolutely adore them! I AM THE POCKY QUEEN! :P They're sooo good :D Fankies! ;D And I'm not taking that genius comment back! As a matter of fact...-gives Jai's ego lots of sunshine and water so it'll grow big and healthy- =] Hmm, there was very little Sasuke-feeling-bad (which hardly counts as angst :P) in this chapter, but I'll try to stuff as much angst as I can in the next chappie! :D In my opinion, any character compared to Sakura is my favourite character :P Maybe I'm just being fangirly, with my passionate hate for Sakura an' all...meh –shrugs-
RuByMoOn17: Your reviews help oodles! :D Anywhos, of course I don't mind some GaaNaru! :P I'm a GaaNaru-addict myself! But there isn't any in this chappy, but I promise there will be after the next couple of chapters! =]
Kyuubi-chan: I said the exact same thing during the times when they showed Naruto as a cute lil' kid in the anime episodes :P And don't worry about not reviewing! Getting one review from you is enough to give me a heart attack from happiness!!!! XD If my memory serves me correctly (and lets pray that it is o.O) "Nandemonai" means "It's nothing" in Japanese =]
inari-chan: hmm, yes it does, doesn't it? -smiles at the thought of the cuuuute pairing- Anywhos, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I loved writing the part where Naruto does all sad :P I hope you liked this one too :D
Kutsu: I love torturing characters, especially Sasuke =] But making Naruto all sad was fun too :P Blah, ignore me, it's just me and my morbid imagination again XP I'm happy to know that last chapter wasn't a total waste after a long delay! I was on the cerge of burning that last chapter! XP
The BirdFox Hybrid Productions: XP I hear ya, I hear ya! But I'm still working on how to stick Neji in here somewhere, somehow! It's a cute pairing, I must admit :P -goes fangirly-
Tipsy-Dragon: Death to the evil villagers! :D Aww, Iruka and Naruto are gonna be okayyy :D -pats plushies- And I agree with the super-killer Gaara thing! Death to Sasuke!!! XP I'm really not sure if I have any time to write this anymore ;/ Even for this update my time was pretty tight! -looks at Tipsy's wings- Wish I had some ;--; Anywhos, I guess we'll have to wait and see if I can continue this or not! Aww, poor Seto -throws more confetti on him- That'll make you feel better!...By the way, are you still gonna come get me Tipsy? o.O -looks scared-
tracy-kin: o.O Thanks XP Now my hospital bills have sky-rocketed ;/ Lassie won't be able to help me out of this one XP Hehe, I love the word nonchalantly :D It sounds funny =] Sure, I'd love to have a chapter where reviewers can kill evil mothers and citizens :P -ties up evil mother to a pole- Have fun! XP I'm not a manga reader, but I saw snippits of Chapter 225! I love the last line! I hope you got my review o.O It's a great story tracy-kin! Way better than mine could ever be XP And yes, I have to agree that Naruto is so yaoi-able :P HAHA, I love that line you put...adds such a nice NaruSasu touch =]
Anime Ambreen and Poke' Manic: Yay! That chapter was good! I hope the damn bunnies didn't make the characters go OOC again ;/ Cuz if so...MOM! WHERE'S THE SHOTGUN?
kashisenshey: I just had to make a sad chapter :D For sake of the NaruSasu-ness! :D Naruto should stomp on Konoha in the anime! Stupid villagers :[
Saiera: -evil cackle- Naruto won't be sad for too long... :]
Polka Dot: I think Naruto should too! Especially in the anime! But he has to same some poor, helpless citizens for Gaara to kill :P Stupid, stupid Konoha X( -waves 'Naruto villagers' flag-
Crystal-Chan2: Yea! Naruto and Gaara are soulmates! But Sasuke and Naruto look soo cute together too...even though Sasuke's an idiot :P -hands tissue to Sasuke and then gives him a good kick- No one's saying it's your fault Sasuke...Yep, no pressure...-gives Sasuke another kick just for good measure-
Ramen-sama: -turns into Gollum- Yeees, masterrrr :P Trust me, a 2 year old can write this story better than I have! The evil bunnies and their typo causing powers! Gyah! -tries to throw rocks at them- Actually, I think I better save these for the government :] So many governments, so many choices :D
Naruke: O.O;; -watches as mean lady dies- I'll make sure not to make you angry in the future XP Heh, glad you liked that scene! I enjoyed writing it :D I like torturing characters...-hides behind pot lid- Don't hurt me! O.O
Koushirou Uchiha: Blah, real sorry for the delay! The Kyuubi had to make a slow yet dramatic entrance! :P Poor Naru-chan indeed ;---; -hugs Naruto plushie- Glad you're enjoying it so far! I hope you liked this chappie too =] Not one of my best, but I tried XD
Psycho-kyugurl: I totally agree with you! Gaara is Naruto's other half! :D I really need to chuck some well-deserved GaaNaru moments here don't I? :P But maybe in the next couple chapters or two...but for now, make way for angst! (or supposed-to-be-angst...I'm a horrible angst-writer :P) Thanks for reading and reviewing two chapters =] Hope you liked this one too!
Iceheart19: Ooo, I know they're not supposed to speak of it out loud :P But I just had to put that in, just for good measure :P I had one of the villagers say "Quiet! They'll hear you..." or something like that in the last chapter, to make it more believable XP Not very good, I know ;--; I like writing depressing chapters :D Every fanfic needs one I say! Looks to me like Naruto's luck is only gonna get worse -evil cackle-
Jewel-Chan: Aw shucks XD I never really expected anyone to notice this fic at all when I first started! But THANK YOU! :D It's great to get one of your reviews! -bounces off the walls in happiness- Your review really helped with this chapter, even though it was a little rushed =] I'll try to keep writing! -does Gai pose-
ANiMePeRfEcT: Blah, I don't think my fic's all that much =] But I'm glad you think so! Well, at least this chapter was updated sooner than the last one! Hope you like :D
Kaelas: Stupid woman indeedy =] Naruto really needs to kick some villager-ass in the anime! Grr :[ Hope you liked this chappy :D
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A/N: Yayy! So many reviews! I can't believe I'm getting so many! Over 150!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I gotta celebrate this! -blows on kazoo and confetti flies everywhere- THANK ALL MY READERS AND REVIEWERS FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really helps my writing! :D Hopefully next chapter will be written soon, but I'm not too sure :/ Cuz someone in this household decided it would be amusing to flip to a channel playing Fefe Dobson and put it on really loud so I can hear it from upstairs. So now, my mind is slowly numbing with the pain and misfortune of enduring such torture, and my mind will probably remain impaired for the next couple years. In other words, I am slowly being rendered useless and will be unable to write chapters because Fefe Dobson music is weirding my mind. (No offense to Fefe Dobson fans! I just don't favour the girl with the misspelledasdflkjaf poodle name very much.)
Tsuki (r gooing kraise3 frume m00sic,,,]