Chapter 6

Now, it's only Kiba, Hinata, Rocklee, Ino, Shikamaru, Kabuto, Naruto, Sakura and I left...and I get the sinking feeling those numbers will start dwindling fast.

We rejoin with the others in the front of the cabin. We hastily bury Kakashi and Neji. The spirits of the group are suddenly diminished. It's as if we are waiting for somebody new to take the role of 'leader'..Shikamaru steps up.

"It's not a good idea to stay in that cabin. Especially, now that Naruto and Sasuke are marked by these…'beasts' or 'spirits'"

He pauses.

"Even worse, these monsters have our scent. I assume, that's how they are finding us so easily. Stay in one place too long and we're dead. So we need to keep moving forward."

This seems to irk Ino. "Moving where?"

She snarls.

"This forest is infinite. We've been walking for weeks with no sign of salvation."

The tailend of Ino's sentence tapers off into a whisper. Kabuto joins Shikamaru's side. It seems they are taking the roles of the intelligent ones in the group.

"Shikamaru is right." Kabuto fixes his glasses. "Let's keep moving"

. . .

Another day of aimless walking. As the sun begins to set, I spot Shikamaru once again glaring at me in the corner of his eye. He slinks into the back of the line and whispers in my ear.

"Your ropes are off now-" he glances down my arms to my bloody and bruised wrists. "-but don't think that changes anything."

He points at my curse mark.

"You've got this weird mark as well…"

My response is equally sour.

"Naruto is marked by one of these spirits too, didn't you see his whiskers? Where's his suspicion?"

This causes the Nara to smile.

"I'm not suspicious of Naruto because I know his story. I know his personality and his character, I trust him with my life. The only reason why I'm starting to trust you, Sasuke, is because you saved Naruto's life back in that cabin...I'm actually grateful."

Shikamaru shrugs, as if the point is inconsequential.

"You're in my good book for now Sasuke, but if I figure out you're gunna' be a danger to one of my friends-"

I cut him off.

"You'll what?" I whisper between a snarky grin. "Kill me?"

He chuckles.

"Nah-that's too much of a drag."

. . .

This time, I'm given Kakashi's equipment to carry. It's a large black backpack that fits awkwardly over my slim shoulders. Inside is a slightly torn red sleeping bag. We set up camp. The moon hangs high in the sky, I enter my tent. Zip up the entrance, and curl on my side.

Across the small clearing I can hear my fellow companions snoring and sleeping. Occasionally, Choji's shadow crosses my tent as he's on patrol.

I lick my dry lips and hug my empty stomach. An intense feeling of dread berates me causing my hairs to stand upright. My toes curl and my muscles tense. My fingernails crawl across my track marks...I stare at the purple and green marks with a mixture of hate and lust.

Right now, my body is screaming for heroin. I need pleasure. It feels like I've been starved of my addiction for so long. It's so weak of me to want it so badly. But I can't help it! I need to simulate the feeling…

My fingernails dig into the skin on my arms until the tender flesh breaks. Dark red blood stains the blanket and I stifle a half-erotic gasp.

That's right...pain. It helps me forget my family.

My hand lingers up to my shoulder where the five tailed monster bit wound has closed but the healed layer is thin. It's like peeling a sticker off a wall; as I tug on the flesh until it stains my neck and jaw.

I swallow hard. My brain is turning fuzzy. I've experienced withdrawal symptoms before, but not as intense as this. It's as if I'll do anything to make the craving go away.

I'm so pitiful…my self hate is overwhelming.

Back in the real world, my therapist told me I have both a superiority and inferiority complex. It's a tough mental game, forged when my abusive father killed my-

The thought stops mid sentence as I grab my track marks and scratch until more blood appears. The liquid soaks my palm. My face twists into a frown and I'm certain my eyes are wild like a madman.

No. Don't think about it! Don't think at all!

"Sasuke?" A soft female voice whispers my name outside my tent. Their appearance shocks me so bad my entire body jolts.

"H- hello?" I hide my arms under my sleeping bag.

"It's me, Sakura, can I come in?"

My initial reaction is to say 'no'. But my head is in a daze, and my body is craving...pleasure.

"What do you want?"

"I need to ask something, Sasuke-Kun."

I wave my hand ushering her in before hiding it again. Her head pokes in through the entrance. Her large green eyes remain pinned on my face as she slips her entire body into the small space. Her pink crop top shows off her slim figure and four pack of muscles.

I never realized how fit she was….

Sakura zips the tent up behind her.

"You don't look well, are you ok Sasuke?"

She crouches on her knees. Something about her aura makes her look meek and sheepish.

"I'm fine." My voice is cold and stoic. "What do you want?"

Sakura pauses to sort out her next sentence carefully.

"I'm going to offer you something, ok? No strings attached."

Her voice wavers.

"See. I have this feeling that I'm going to die in this forest...very soon. I don't know why. Perhaps it's some sixth sense?"

She shrugs.

"Either way. If I'm going to die...I want to go out doing what I love one last time."

Sakura bats her eyelashes in my direction.

"I heard that Shikamaru told you we're all damaged goods, right? We don't know why we are so similar, right now that's not the point."

"So what is your point?"

"I'm a Nymphomaniac."

Her statement is bold. It takes me a moment to remember what the word means.

"You're...a sex addict."

Her brows furrow. Perhaps she sensed some judgment in my reaction.

"Don't sound so surprised. You're the same, aren't you?"

"I'm a virgin." I send her a confident smile. "So, no. We aren't the same."

"Wrong. Again."

She crawls on her hands and knees towards me. My mind is still fuzzy and my body is not my own. I allow her to reach under my bed sheet and grip my wrists. She pulls my arms into the open. Revealing my hidden damage…

"Track marks...you do heroin, right?"

"Why does it matter what drugs I'm into? Sakura, I'm not in the mood for-"

"I know what it's like to want to forget the horrors of your past life."

Her sincerity stops me in my tracks. My eyes widen for a brief moment before I return to my usual poker faced persona.

"My family is rich and powerful but my addiction made me a freak. My parents wanted nothing to do with me and sent me to live with my grandma Tsunade. All these years I've been using sex to avoid the pain of being abandoned. I get what you're feeling...I know what it's like. To cling onto an addiction to ease your loneliness after the pain of losing certain bonds."

Her wordy backstory has me feeling all sorts of things. For brief moments, I'm remembering the love of my mother and brother; only to be followed by the sting of having an abusive father.

With my mind reeling I manage to find one simple question to ask her.

"Do you think...having addictions makes us weak?"

"No…" she whispers as she leans in for a kiss. "...just lost."

Sakura's lips fold into mine and I easily succumb. The bodily pleasure isn't as powerful as the one I get from heroin but it's enough to ease the craving and make me forget about the pain. Sakura pushes my chest and I fall backwards onto the tent floor. She rubs her hand down my stomach and unbuttons my skinny jeans. She reaches further down, gently rubbing between my legs and finding the base of my dick.

Instinctively I blush and turn my face away. Obviously, she's done this before. Perhaps hundreds of times. She's confident and ready to go, which is good news for me. Despite all my big-talk I'm admittedly timid when it comes to physical affection...

As if Sakura is reading my mind, she whispers.

"I'll do all the work. Don't worry."

My stomach is twisting and turning. The haunted memories of my past are slowly sinking away causing a rush of relief. Suddenly, I'm not so scared anymore. My bloody hands travel up her crop top and tease her hard nipples.

The wind howls.

Sakura and I pause. Her face has gone pale. She glances at the tent wall...the shadows of tree limbs dance across the fabric. I see the hairs on her arm stand on end. This sudden wave of fear is a major boner killed.

"I never thought I'd sleep with a girl…"

I readily admit to try and steer her attention away from the strange fearful sensation emanating from the haunted forest.

"...I'm bi-sexual. Preference for boys."

This causes her to smile.

"Well. First time for everything, Sasuke-Kun."

I throw her under the sleeping bag. We forget about the ominousness for a few more minutes. Her tongue wraps around my own and I flip her onto her back.

My body is heating up...the pleasure is returning….

A deep monstrous cry rings throughout the forest.

"Buuwarrrrr….."

Sakura and I leap onto our knees. I scurry to the other side of the tent, opening up my bag and finding Kakashi's old knife. Sakura fixes her loose clothes and tip-toes towards the tent flap.

Meanwhile, I'm forced to tuck my erection between my legs and tighten my jeans to stop it from coming up.

Fuck, these monsters can't leave us alone for five seconds can they!?