Naruto yelped for the umpteenth time in the last minute. Kiba smacked him resoundingly in the back of the head.

"Be quiet!"

"What do you want me to do? This hurts and I can't even move!" Naruto snapped.

Glaring briefly, Naruto settled back down to a slumped sitting position, his back facing the larger man. The dog-nin had attempted for hours to convince his friend to go to someone for medical treatment when the announcement was made. Naruto was officially a missing-nin with a substantial bounty on his head, a larger fee than for even Itachi. He was pronounced to be dangerous and violent. Every soul with a blade was after his blood save a select few who couldn't grasp the concept of a bloodthirsty Naruto. Kiba. Iruka. Neji. Hinata. Shino. Shikamaru. Chouji. Lee. Perhaps Sasuke if he could forgive the blond for what he had done.

In the distance, Gaara and his siblings frowned in disbelief. Temari and Kankuro thought that the blond was too innocent a soul. Gaara knew what had happened. No one had said a word to them, but they knew. Gaara knew. He could feel it in his bones.

"OW!"

"Hold still!" Kiba corralled again. "My parents can't find you here!"

Reluctantly, Naruto settled back down on awkwardly folded legs, length and joints shifting by the day, to allow the brunette to continue torturing him. His back was only getting worse. The wounds grew deeper and more infected by the day. Any stitches placed ripped free within the hour. Red and amber were beginning to show through the deep wounds, accented by the blue striations streaming from the lacerations that had appeared from nowhere. Although horrified that his friend seemed to be rotting, Kiba was gently trying to keep the gashes cleaned and bound. Another swipe of a washcloth found him holding a handful of melting skin and he bit back on his gag reflex. The blond winced, forcing himself to remain still and quiet.

Kiba frowned. "There are bones in here." He pressed at the injury, grasping an ivory white tip that appeared and pulling it free with ease, a few amber and crimson wisps following, seemingly connecting to the bone, silken and for now unstructured. Naruto gasped and hunched his shoulders against the pain. His expression turned hopeless.

"Can you… remove them?"

"Bones?" Kiba asked incredulously. "These are bones! Either I remove them trying not to hurt you, or they're supposed to be there and I'm hurting you."

Naruto dropped his head. "Are they supposed to be there?"

"No… I mean I don't know. How should I know?" he asked, frustrated.

"Then pull them out," Naruto grated, ignoring the fiery pain radiating from his wounds. The first one slid for a millimeter before the tissue around it held it back. It twitched pointlessly. Kiba frowned and decided to treat it like a Band-Aid. He got a good grip and yanked.

Naruto shrieked, curling away from him.

Kiba's commands for him to hold still and be quiet were lost on his ears. He could only hear rushing air, blue eyes blanking as old memories flashed behind the brilliant orbs. He could feel only pleasure as he rested, pleased eyes trailing to the cerulean skies above and the vibrant greens and rich browns below. Slick air soothed his body and he closed his eyes in rapture. He cried out in glory. These were his people. This was his land.

Naruto gasped, the vague memory vanishing on gossamer wings.

"Now what?" Kiba demanded irately.

"I have to go!" Naruto hissed forcefully at him, scrambling out of the tub and making a break for the door.

He was stopped abruptly by his friend's mother and aunt, their dogs presents and growling. Reflexes had him drop into a fighting stance, though he looked rather pathetic. He was wearing only boxers, bleeding from numerous places, and trying to protect Kiba somehow from his own relatives. He couldn't even stand straight, dropping to all fours because his legs had become twisted and malformed. He could still hiss, growl and spit, and he took the opportunity to prove it. He issued a deafening roar that reverberated through the whole house and held the attacking dogs at bay.

"Kiba!" his mother cried out, attempting to pass the blond.

"He's fine. I wouldn't hurt a friend," Naruto growled, surprised by the guttural quality to his voice. In the corner of his eye, he could see the terrified boy. He changed tactics. "I made him stay," he lied, kicking his friend unobtrusively when he started to deny the claim. "He can go if I can go."

"And what would you do?" his aunt asked carefully.

"Just leave," Naruto panted. He was already in too much pain. His mind was muddled and he couldn't keep track of time. His boast that he could defeat the two Inuzuka women was a complete lie. Akamaru could best him. Lines of blue were already running from his back to across his chest, proving that he was no match for any battle.

Deciding to bluff, he took a menacing step forward. It might have frightened the two older women if his leg hadn't split and chafed off a mass of flesh larger than his hand. Light flashed before his eyes and he closed them instantly. He didn't want to hurt these women. He sank to the floor. He barely noticed the tension dropping in the room.

"You're dying," Kiba's mother said softly.

"I can't die!" Naruto snapped. He blinked when sudden odd memories faded from his mind, blue eyes turning introspective. "Can I?"

Although perplexed, the woman continued. "I don't know what you did, but the seal is broken and you can very well die." It did not escape Naruto's attention that she had a kunai in her hands and a vicious dog at her side. At an unspoken command, the duo rushed the downed teenager, followed quickly by Kiba's aunt and dog.

"NO!" Naruto bellowed, slapping his aching hands to the floor. A blowtorch of flames shot towards the two women and dogs, forcing them to scatter. Eyes misty, he stepped back to Kiba while his mother and aunt reconvened a good distance from him. "Help me," he begged. "I don't know what's happening."

Kiba slowly shook his head, giving up on his former friend. "Figure it out on your own."

"Kiba…"

"You attacked my mother and aunt," he said thickly. "You're lucky I'm not out for you're your blood as well."

"Kiba… Leave," Naruto breathed. "I'm going to kill them."

"Why?" Kiba demanded. "They're not fighting!"

"Neither am I," Naruto huffed, starting to curl in on himself in agony. Something was very wrong and he didn't know what to do to fix it. Agony ripped through his back and legs and he cried out. Cracking noises ripped through the room, lost on deaf ears as the blond lay prone.

"I'll leave," Naruto rasped. "Just… let me get up." As he uttered his final word, blood gushed from his back, soaking the floor. The two adult dogs stepped away. Akamaru just whimpered, uncertain and scared. Kiba looked at his mother and aunt pleadingly. This was his friend, in pain and dying.

"You know who he is," Kiba's mother stated softly.

"I know," his aunt answered. "But we can't let it happen again."

Kiba's mother looked at him sternly. "He can stay, but it's your job to take care of him. If he becomes violent," she paused, eyes saddening. "Take his head. That's the only way to end it for him."

"Mother…"

"This is not a debate!" she snapped.

With that, the two women left the room with their dogs in tow. They knew the danger. Only hope left the blond with Kiba, praying to everything they'd ever believed in that this time would be different if someone stayed with him.

----------

To Be Continued…

Sorry for the long time in updating. I've been spending all of my time trying to find a job. Forgive me and R&R?