If it wasn't for Sasuke acting like the bravest mother-fucker on planet earth, I would have ran for the hills a long time ago. But lo-and-behold, I don't wanna' be outshone by a Witch with a superiority complex.
At the sight of the malformed flesh-monster before us, I unsheathe my sword and swing at its face. The blade cuts through him like a rock through a river. The monster remains unperturbed as it lunges at me. It knocks the Shard Of Light out of my hand and it goes flying through the air turning the room dark in an instant. I swear under my breath and hear the monster come in for another attack. I jump backwards, into, where I assume is the center of the room. My palm squishes into the bloody-innards of a freshly dead body and I can't help but scream.
Behind me, I hear the experiment repeat it's testament underneath a screech.
"wHy DiD yOu dO tHiS tO mE, rAsA!?"
Sasuke calls from the darkness.
"Naruto, find the shard!"
"How!?" I scream back in frustration. "I can't see shit!"
SLASH!
My body trembles head-to-toe and I'm suddenly aware of a thick warm substance around my arm. My other hand flies up covering the now gushing wound. A wave of pain launches me to my feet just in time to avoid another swipe. The monster must be inches away! I can smell it's rotten breath from here!
I go to work crawling across the floor while avoiding the sounds of the wailing beast. Multiple times, my hands slip on a pool of blood landing me face-first near a dead body. Stifling my gags I make it all the way to the end of the room.
"No use! I can't find it!"
That's when Sasuke triumphantly declares,
"Naruto, I found the shard! Where are you?"
But I don't get a chance to respond. The monster tackles me to the floor. Despite being 90% water, the dude is remarkably strong. He pins my arms to the floor spitting as he screams.
"I CaUgHt yOu rAsaAAaaa!"
"I'm not Rasa, you freak!"
Kicking my foot on his chest I manage to pry my fingers into his face and gouge out some of his teeth. They feel like lumps of play-doh in my hands. I pull, making the bones fall freely as blood gushes from the monster's mouth. He screams again, holding his face and back peddling the way he came.
"It Huwrts iT hUwRtS!"
I can hear him in the distance as he goes back to stalking the hallways.
"S- Sasuke?"
"I'm here, Naruto."
His gentle hand grips my shoulder. Slick as a whistle, he pushes the crystal into my palm and we are enveloped in light. At the sight of my blood soaked body and mangled hair, he gasps.
"You're hurt," he points at the huge claw marks on my shoulder.
"I'm fine. We need to get out of here."
"Not yet, we need to kill that thing, Naruto."
"W- why? Are you insane?"
"Because, the Shard Of Water is fused in his body. I saw a glimmer of it in his back before the lights went out."
"Dammnit, Sasuke, we're not monster hunters."
"We are now." He applies pressure to my shoulder. "So? Lead the way."
With new-found determination we creep into the hall following the blood trail. It leads us into a room we've never been in before. It's filled with empty steel cages. Food bowls vacant of substance litter the ground.
"This is where Rasa was keeping the prisoners..."
Sasuke comments. The idea sends a shiver down my spine.
"rAsAaAaAaAaaaaa…."
The cry comes from the other side of the room past a doorway engraved with a stone angel.
"We need to launch a surprise attack." Sasuke suggests. "Use your sword to carve out it's back, and I'll pin it down with ropes of dark magic."
This is the only time I'll let him boss me around…
We take up either side of the door. When we are ready, we knock on the wooden frame causing a subtle- "Hm?" to erupt from the other side. I turn off the shard of light, and we wait in growing anticipation for the monster to come lumbering through the door.
The door- BURSTS!
Out runs the monster. It's shadowy-blob misses us entirely. I allow a thin ray of light to emanate the room. The thin curve of the monster's back is facing us directly. Just as Sasuke said, a beautiful blue shard is lodged in his spine which is breaking through thin layers of skin.
"Now!"
Sasuke wrangles the monster like a hog. It screeches in defiance and Sasuke has to dodge his flailing limbs. Like a superhero, I dodge a kick and vault off the nearby cage. Landing on his back, I dig my sword into its spine. Blood explodes in my face obscuring my vision. I'm about to exclaim- "I'm going to fall!" but Sasuke beats me to it,
"I can't hold him down!"
Wherever Sasuke's ropes have tightened, the beast's flesh is rotting away. But it's not doing much damage. Sasuke's dark magic absorbs life essence, not water. The man roars and throws me off of him. I hit Sasuke head-on and we tumble into a heap on the floor.
The monster grabs Sasuke by the foot and dangles him in the air. Before either of us can fight back, it bites Sasuke in the neck area causing him to scream bloody murder. The beast rips away. With the last few teeth it has left it has managed to tear away a chunk of Sasuke's soft flesh.
"yOu nO tAsTe lIkE rAsa?"
Coming to his defense I swing my sword into the beast's arm chopping the limb in half. I catch Sasuke bridal style making a beeline for the main laboratory. Leaping into the room we stumble into the table. Sasuke flops onto it, holding his neck as blood gushes.
"Sh- shit!" I help him cover the wound, but it's no use...he's bleeding out...
Sasuke coughs while gargling blood. He points his forefinger back the way we came. The man is running at us on his hind legs, screeching as he comes.
"rAsAAAAAAAA!"
It tackles me in the chest sending me flying across the room. I recover quickly, bounding to my feet.
"Alright, you oversized tumor. Enough is enough!"
He attacks me with a flurry of swipes. I parry every one with the edge of my blade sending shockwaves of recoil up my muscles. I'm forced to back away with every blocked blow. Slow and steady, the beast berates me until I am back underneath the Church Hall, where Sasuke and I initially fell through.
In this claustrophobic hall. All I can see from the Light Shard glowing in my hand is a set of teeth chomping at my face. I kick him in the jaw and he groans in displeasure. My back hits a dirt wall.
For fuck sakes. I'm trapped!
A blob of dark magic hits the monster in the stomach sending him flying straight-upwards. It breaks through the hole landing on the other side. Sasuke is several feet away from me, crawling on his hands and knees. His one hand is out while the other is still firmly clenching his wound.
He falls face first. I run at him and pick him up, placing his head in my lap.
"S- Sasuke...no!"
His face is pale and his eyes are glazed over. He coughs again. No matter how hard we press, the wound won't close in time to save his life.
A wave of grief washes over me. By all means, I shouldn't be so upset at the idea of a Witch dying. I only met Sasuke a few days ago after all...but for some alienating reason, I get this sensation that this has happened to me before. I've watched Sasuke die in my arms, and could do nothing about it.
Reaching the end of my rope...I bring the shard of light to his neck and focus, tapping into its energies.
"N- Naruto...it's ok...go...on…"
His words fade away as his eyes shut. I place all my energy into the crystal, all worldliness slips away from me.
"Please….help us." I whisper to the shard. "Please...please…"
From beyond my sealed eyelids. The light grows so brilliant it threatens to blind me. I gasp, being forced to cover my eyes, I keep my mental attention pinned on it. Curiosity lets me open my eyes and creep open a small bit. The light is so powerful, it begins burning Sasuke's wound closed!
He squirms in discomfort and stifles a gasp. Breathing heavily as he does. The brilliant rays dry the blood into a crust that falls off his neck. Now in full view, the wound is burnt shut.
The light disappears completely. I'm left in the dark. Both of our labored breaths are heavy in our chests.
"Sasuke...are you alive?"
Thank the gods, he responds with a weakened voice.
"Yes, dork. I am. Thank you."
That's when the experiment screams from above us. Our eyes raise up towards the hole.
To our astonishment, Temari and Kankuro peek their heads out of the hole. They throw a rope down that- floops! Next to us.
"Naruto! Sasuke! Grab on, we'll get you out of there!"
I pump my fists.
"Hell ya! Sand Siblings for the win!"
Scooping Sasuke in my arms once again. I grab the rope and the siblings pull us up. Once in the church, they take Sasuke and drag him towards the nearest pew. My eyes follow back towards the noises of the monster. It has leaped out of the front door. It's previously dark silhouette is brilliantly lit under the moonlight, making it look all the more intimidating.
Gaara is dancing around the beast, blasting arrows from a bow into its hide.
"A little help here-"
Gaara cries.
"-we can take it down together!"
Temari, Kankuro and I rise to our feet. Sasuke tries to follow, but he tumbles to the floor. He quickly realizes that he won't be joining this battle and falls back onto the bench catching his breath.
"Go on-" Sasuke winks at me. "-kick his ass."