Chapter 21

Harry couldn't help the little smile from blooming on his face. His subordinate was growing exponentially. His new power, so similar to that of the Power Gem, was bolstering his own abilities nicely. Soon it would become an integral part of his fighting style. He was right of course, he rarely was wrong when it came to his men. Not after so long with them. Samuel was so compatible. He didn't have an innate superpower of his own so there was much room for the seed to be planted and grow. And grow he did, splendidly.

Samuel reloaded his gun, aiming it at his opponent. With the speed Harry was moving at it took a moment. The bullet wreathed in red energy flew at the man, heading for his head. A gold shield appeared on contact, rippling with the force of the bullet. Two more impacted in quick succession. A fourth shattered the barrier to pieces. Harry grinned, shifting his body so the bullet barely grazed his jaw. He raised a hand. The ground between them shattered in the wake of the wind serpent that shot out of his hand.

Samuel braced himself, putting away his gun to draw a katana. He channeled power into it and slashed upward. A lance of power barreled toward the wind attack and tore right through it. His eyes widened when out of the dust Harry came out with hand poised over him, lightning sparking between his fingers. He barely dodged the attack, spinning to the side. Harry let himself fall to the ground, following the motion of his thrust to flip around on his hand. The energy collected in his palm was channeled through his body and out from his foot mid flip. Samuel deflected the electricity with his sword. He took out the gun again and shot several times.

Harry avoided each and every bullet with what seemed like inhuman speed. In reality he was reading Samuel's body language, the minute changes in his stance and the shift of his eyes to predict where he would shoot next. Any shots that got through were blocked by the shield. Once he got some breathing room he put his fingers together. Moisture was sucked from the air and condensed to water bullets that shot at Samuel. Samuel crossed his arms and, with immense focus, projected his power out into a crimson dome that blocked the attack.

He brought his katana up to be poised over his shoulder, lowering his body to center himself. Red energy condensed at the tip of his blade. Once it was big enough he thrust his blade forward. A beam of power careened toward the other man. Nonplussed Harry swiped his hand through the air, gathering a significant amount of water around him in the form of a dome. In the blink of an eye the water bubble had gained incredible density, enough to stop most attacks or at least divert them. And yet…His pupils contracted when Samuel's attack went right through his defense. It hit him right in the chest, sending him toppling head over heels across the arena.

Samuel dropped to a knee panting harshly in fatigue. He grinned, sweat pouring down his face. He did it. He managed to get a hit on Harry. His muscled were screaming in protest and he was sure he won't be moving very well for a couple of days, but he did it. He forced himself to walk towards his leader, expecting the man to already be getting up. A cold shiver ran down his spine when he didn't. "Harry?"

Harry lay on the floor, eyes wide and pupils shaking. He jerked suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream ripping from his throat. Samuel couldn't move a moment, shock making his heart stutter erratically. Another strangled shout of agony was torn from Harry. His hands went to clutch at his hair, pulling hard enough that Samuel thought he would rip at it. What was going on? Did he do this? Was it his fault? "No." he heard the younger mumble. His body was trembling uncontrollably. Samuel went to kneel beside him yet he didn't know where to touch or how to help? "Harry." "No."

Behind Harry's blown eyes played a scene he'd never thought he'd be caught in. "I wonder if you will revive every time? Can you really keep this up forever will you finally give out? I'm eager to find out, unless of course you tell me what I want to know." Thanos, the Mad Titan, was towering over him. His crimson gaze sending chills through him, every nerve screaming run run run! Run and not look back. He bit his tongue so hard blood ran down his mouth and throat. His eyes were shifting wildly in their sockets trying to make sense of the situation.

He was in a deserted wasteland where nothing survived. He couldn't remember getting here. Across his laid out form he could see Naruto bound by heavy shackles. Kyuubi chakra was leaking out of him aimlessly yet he couldn't weald it to help him. Alex was unconscious some distance away, a gash over his eye leaking blood. His gaze returned to Thanos who had stepped closer. He grabbed him by his collar, leaning close enough that he could smell his breath. "I'm sure you think this ability of your makes you tougher, but I can see you tearing at the seams. Will you keep your secrets or will your mind break first?" Thanos grabbed his neck and squeezed. His whole body was caught by the gesture, bones snapping one by one.

He screamed again, body contorting to get away from the pain until his neck finally gave in. Calm settled over his mind a moment then sensation rushed back into him. He panted, feeling like he wasn't getting enough oxygen in his lungs. "Harry-sama." Then he understood. He wasn't the one being subjected to this torture. 'Suigetsu.' It seemed Suigetsu, Naruto and Alex were unfortunate enough to encounter Thanos while attempting to retrieve the Soul Stone. They had been captured and now…now something more than their lives was at stake. He could feel Suigetsu's sanity slipping after being subjected to one painful death after another, unwilling to betray those he cared about and unable to die. "Ready to talk yet?" Thanos asked mildly. The reality stone flared and suddenly he felt like he was boiling in a vat of acid.

"Harry-sama, let me die. Please." Grief clutched at Harry, twisting his face into one of rage even in his pain. 'Hold on. Please, hold on a little longer.' Suigetsu was already slipping, barely holding on by a threat. If this didn't stop he was going to go mad. Harry took control of Suigetsu's body completely. It was extremely easy; the bluenette had already opened himself up so he could communicate with him. Harry glared at the Titan through Suigetsu's eyes, expressing all his fury and hatred though this one action. Thanos perked up, feeling a change in the child he was questioning. "You're someone else." It was a statement. "I'll kill you. If it's the last thing I do I promise you, you'll pay with your life for hurting him." He growled. Thanos smirked condescendingly. "Then come." Spikes materialized out of thin air and pinned Suigetsu into the ground. He coughed up blood and life left his eyes. Then just as quickly his heart started beating again. "Ung." He groaned, curling into himself. Thanos stooped over him. "You can't come here yourself? Should I do the same to the other two? What would it take for you to hurry up? I don't have time to waste."

He spat in Thanos' face. The Titan's visage darkened, bringing down a fist to crush Suigetsu's face. Using his significant power, his connection to the three and his status as Master of Death, Harry willed his men to himself. They disappeared with a loud crack of displaced air.

Samuel jumped when three figures appeared in the room with them. He recognized Naruto, Suigetsu and Alex. Suigetsu in particular was worse off than the rest. Harry slumped lifelessly on the floor, his vitals wavering. Samuel turned back to him. "Harry, are you with me?" he asked frantically. "Imperium!" The artificial intelligence responded immediately. "A healer is on the way." He clutched at Harry's limp hand. He was growing colder, and his pulse was slowing. He knows they can't truly die, but there was an exception to that rule. Should Harry's soul be out of his body for too long it wouldn't be able to return, and should he die too many times the stress on the soul would shatter it. He didn't know what was going on at the moment. From what he could tell from observing Harry he had died at least three times already. He didn't know what would happen next.

Naruto crawled over to Suigetsu's still form. The bluenette's breaths were coming in harsh pants, eyebrows scrunched up in what he could only assume was pain. He grabbed his hand in his own. Suigetsu squeezed back weakly. He almost sobbed in relief. "I'm sorry." Tears gathered in his eyes. "I was too weak, I'm sorry." There was a small pop as a healer appeared. It was Binky, a house-elf trained to specialize in healing. He surveyed the situation with sharp gold eyes. He rushed to Suigetsu's side. "Hey!" Samuel protested. Binky didn't turn as he addressed him. "I'm sorry, master Samuel. Suigetsu-sama's condition is more critical. Also, master Harry has linked his life force with master Suigetsu's. Stabilizing master Suigetsu would help master Harry too."

Naruto raised shocked eyes to Harry's weakening figure. "Harry-sama. He…" he bit his lip as his voice started to shake. "Even now he's suffering for our sake." He bowed his head to hide his tears. Samuel could tell how frightened he'd been. It must have been really bad if Harry had to pull them from worlds away. The strain on his magic must be adding to his current condition. Binky was working on Suigetsu as fast as he could, delivering one potion after another along with healing spells. Soon, Suigetsu's body couldn't take more potions. The elf gritted his teeth in frustration. Though the worst of Suigetsu's wounds had been sealed up his vitals weren't stable yet.

"Master-Naruto, I need you to transfer chakra to master Suigetsu." "Huh?" Naruto raised his head, confusion evident on his face. Binky took Naruto's hands, Suigetsu's dropping to his side. He placed them over the injured man's chest. "Your chakra is most compatible with master Suigetsu's body. It's temporary but if you can channel chakra into him he might hold out until he can get the proper care." Naruto nodded and did as told. Binky nodded, feeling Suigetsu stabilizing a bit more. Naruto had to focus hard so none of Kyuubi's chakra leaked into his friend. Binky came over to Harry. Samuel moved back to give him room. A moment later Binky sighed in relief. "Master Harry is getting better, but they need more than the first aid healing I could give here. Please help me transfer them to the medical wing." The two were all too eager to comply. Binky took Alex's unconscious form and quickly followed after the two.

~Scene Change~

Itachi ran down the hall as fast as he could. When he heard the news he couldn't believe it. What terrible luck, and in the end Harry was caught up in the chaos. He slammed the infirmary doors open. He could see multiple nurses bustling around the room. Two beds were placed close to each other, the other which held Alex's unconscious form was off to the side out of the way. He spotted Samuel sitting on one of the empty beds watching the healers work. Naruto was by Suigetsu's side, one hand holding Suigetsu's and the other over his chest. On closer inspection he could see the blue glow of chakra disappearing into the unconscious shinobi's chest chest. Suigetsu himself was wrapped up in bandages yet he seemed to be recovering well. The heart monitor was going steady so Itachi thought he could breathe easier there. Harry on the other hand…

He rushed over to the raven. Some nurses moved aside to give him room. "Master Itachi, it's good you're here. I need your hand." Binky greeted. Itachi quickly read over the health report the elf handed him. "I assume this is the most recent." Binky nodded. "Master Harry doesn't have any physical injuries himself but his health is still deteriorating. I had hoped healing master Suigetsu first would be enough but that's not the case. We hooked him up on life support. Our healing spells are having little effect. I am hoping you'd have better luck." Itachi didn't need more to be said, instead he placed his palms over Harry's body. Healing chakra glowed a faint green on his palms. He poured as much energy as he could into this effort, hoping against all odds that this would make a difference.

Binky gasped as his monitoring spells registered a change. "It's working." He said. Samuel perked up. "Is he really?" No one responded to him, too busy with their tasks. He settled back down on the bed. The door slammed open again and in walked Zack. He was still in his school uniform. "Uncle Harry, Suigetsu, Uncle Alex! Are they fine?" he asked in concern. Samuel got up to stop the boy from advancing any further. "Calm down Zack. The healers are doing all they can. I think we should go out and give them some space. Zack shook his head. "No, I want to see. I can't just leave." Samuel sighed at the determined glint in the boy's eyes. He pulled him to the bed closest to the door. "Then let's sit here where you can see everything. We can't disturb anyone and you can observe." Zack followed his father's lead, settling down for what he felt would be a long day.

~Scene Change~

"Are they alright?" Sasuke asked his older brother anxiously. He was outwardly calm but Itachi knew him well. The older man took a seat at the kitchen table. "Alex's wounds were nothing to be worried about. He was just knocked unconscious. Naruto wasn't hurt at all. The problem is Harry." "It's that bad, huh?" Sasuke asked pouring them both coffee. Itachi took it thankfully but didn't drink it yet. "He's fine right now but I can't say for sure how long that would last. Binky said his life force is tied to Suigetsu's but I don't think that's all." "What do you mean?" His fingers tightened over the mug. "Although Harry is fine now Binky believes he would soon relapse and get worse. I agree with him. I think Harry's not with us yet."

Sasuke's brows drew in confusion. "I don't understand." Itachi's lips were set in a grim line. "Naruto told us Harry took over Suigetsu's body before they were brought here. I don't think he's back in his own body yet." Sasuke drew back in shock. "You mean… Is Harry-sama still in Suigetsu's body?" Itachi nodded. "And you know what happens when it takes too long for the soul to return to its vessel." Of course Sasuke had heard. It was probably one of the most important details in Harry's confession about their immortality. "What do we do?" "Nothing." The admission felt like a death omen.

They both started at the opening of a cupboard. Liam had entered to take out packs of instant noodles. Imperium appeared on a chair opposite Itachi. "Can I have those too." She announced. Liam raised an eyebrow but took out an extra pack. "You're an AI; how can you eat?" he asked. The lack of his usual cheer didn't go unnoticed by the others in the room. Imperium scoffed. "I'm no ordinary AI, I'm master Harry's masterpiece." The mention of Harry's name made the mood dip even further. Liam prepared four bowls of noodles and placed two of them in front of the brothers. He sat next to Imperium who was poking her food. "You've been up all night Itachi and I don't know if the both of you ate before getting here." The two nodded in thanks.

Sasuke picked up his chopsticks and addressed the currently silver-haired Imperium. "How do you even digest your food?" "Magic." She summarized. Sasuke and Liam gave her a deadpan look. She slurped up a mouthful and said around her chopsticks. "I'm made up of a combination of magic and muggle technology, but mostly magic. The bodies I create are complex illusions. To make these illusions more realistic I manipulate the environment around me with magic." Liam hummed. "Ah, right. Harry gave you the ability to use magic." "I can call on ambient magic due to a combination of runes and a series of rituals used on my core." "Well I knew that, but it still doesn't explain how you can digest food." Sasuke said. Liam bit his fork contemplatively. "Is it also an illusion and the food isn't really eaten or just splatters to the floor?" "Gross." The younger Uchiha mumbled. Itachi finished his noodles and stood to leave. "She vanishes the food with magic as soon as it lands in her stomach." Imperium snapped her fingers happily. "That's right!"

"Still…" Liam wasn't so sure it made sense yet. Sasuke watched his brother leave his bowl in the sink. "Where're you going?" "To the infirmary. Imperium please keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, like spaceships suddenly appearing out of nowhere." "Sure." She confirmed, slurping up the last of her food. She perked up. "Oh, Alex's awake." Sasuke stood, with Liam hurrying up to do the same. They all followed Itachi out.

~Scene Change~

Alex stared down fixedly at the white sheets. They had told him what state his comrades were in. It was his fault. He should have known they would come across the Titan himself, he should have been more cautious as the one leading their small group. "Do you think you lost any memories at any point? You took a hard blow to your head." Binky asked. Alex replied in the negative. "I remember everything." His whole countenance was somber. "We arrived on Vormir. There was someone there who could guide us to the stone, but we couldn't get to it. To acquire the stone we were told someone dear to us had to be sacrificed. A soul for a soul. There was nothing we could do so we were to return back to the ship. He was waiting for us." He clenched his fists. "Suigetsu attacked him first. Thanos used the infinity gems to bury him in the ground without much effort. I wanted to use the portkeys but I couldn't leave Suigetsu behind. Naruto went to engage Thanos and I went to help Suigetsu. Naruto didn't even last a minute. He was caught up in chains that could bind him even with Kyuubi's chakra. I managed to get Suigetsu out but I think I was attacked from behind. I don't remember anything from then on."

The other six; Alfred, Sasuke, Liam, Naruto, Samuel and Zack were silent for a moment. Alfred was twiddling with his wand a bed over. "How did he even know you were there?" Alex shrugged. "Experienced seers can detect when they are being scried on and even reverse the connection. Maybe the infinity stones did the same to protect their wielder?" The explanation was shaky at best. "What happened after uncle Alex got knocked out?" Zack asked, wanting to know exactly what happened. Everyone focused on Naruto.

The blonde made himself comfortable. "Thanos trapped Suigetsu in binds like those he had around me. He was pretty interested in Kurama's chakra and he asked me a bunch of questions about it. Of course I told him where he could shove it and I guess he wasn't that interested after all. He started asking me why we were looking for the infinity stones. Again, I told him to fuck off. Somehow he left me alone and went to Suigetsu instead. He asked him the same questions and Suigestu refused to answer. So he started hurting him." Naruto's eyes were now dark, reflecting more clearly the trauma of those few minutes. "He first cut off Suigetsu's fingers one by one, saying that if neither of us answered him he would do worse. We laughed in his face. I was pretty unsure I wanted to see that but Suigetsu was so sure of himself. I didn't want to betray that."

Everyone was listening intently so Naruto continued. "Thanos didn't want to kill us; he knew we knew where the other infinity stones were and he wanted that information. We didn't tell him where they were. He switched targets to me but with Kyuubi's chakra any damage inflicted on me was healed in minutes. 'I'm going to torture your friend to death if you don't tell me where the gems are' he said. That's when Suigetsu let slip that we he is immortal. He wanted to shake him up, I think." Naruto laughed humorlessly. "Obviously it didn't work. With one shot he sliced of his neck. When Suigetsu came back with all his injuries healed he was happy. Excited even. He bound my friend down and killed him over and over, asking the same questions. He hacked off his limbs until he bled out, squeezed him until his bones broke, drowned him, burned him, skinned him, tore him to ribbons, rotted him from the inside out. I lost track of how he was killed again and again, and I couldn't do a thing."

The blonde took a moment to gather himself. He realized he had fisted his hands so tight blood was dripping onto his pants. Alfred placed a hand over his. He swallowed, loosening his grip. "By the time Harry took over Suigetsu was already tired of it, I could tell. He was becoming more unresponsive after each resurrection and his eyes…his eyes were so lifeless. He was just gone." "He'll be back." Zack assured with certainty. "Uncle Harry will get him back, then he will return to his own body and everything will be fine again." Naruto smiled wanly. He was so jealous of the boy, because he didn't have that kind of hope after what he'd seen.