Everything was dark, everything was pain. Naruto opened his eyes, met with darkness that was dimly lit by red-orange light. The floor beneath him was covered in a thin layer of water that reached up to his ears. The blisters and burns on his back and torso seared with stinging pain, but Naruto found it hard to move. He was exhausted, his human body trying to keep up with the healing rate of Kurama's demon spirit.
"Kit," a deep voice called, softly. Naruto felt warmth growing around him, something lifting his head from the water, then his body. Replacing the cold wet floor was something warm and soft, something that felt like fur. Naruto turned his head, able to see the figure of the demon his body housed laying behind bars, as if imprisoned. He realized that what he was now laying on was one of Kurama's tails, being brought gently over to the bars.
"Kurama?" the blonde asked, his vision blurred from the pain. Kurama's eyes were locked on Naruto, his red furred face holding concern.
"You need to wake up." Kurama stated, watching as Naruto gingerly sat up. They watched each other, Naruto directly in front of his demon fox, on the outside of the bars. He reached a hand out, placing it softly on Kurama's snout and stroking his soft coat.
"I'd like to stay with you, for now." He replied, enjoying the calming presence of the creature that had been with him since he was born.
"No, you must speak with the others. But, if you break my seal," Kurama spoke, his growling voice filling the room. "I can be closer to you. We can be one."
"You know I can't, Kurama." Naruto responded, unhappily. Kurama snorted, turning away from the blonde. Naruto gently patted Kurama's cheek before a jolt through his body turned everything black once more.
Naruto woke with a start, sitting up part way before the pain in his body shot through him and forced him back down. He was met with three pairs of eyes, watching him closely.
"Are you okay, Naruto?" Kiba asked quietly, taking a tentative step closer to his friend.
"Tired," Naruto mumbled, his eyes falling shut again. He felt someone touch his forehead with a couple fingers, making him open his eyes again. Sasuke stood over him, inspecting the gash on his forehead.
"That wasn't from you." Naruto said, eyes soft and not accusing in any way.
"What happened? Why are you here? And what is this place?" Shino suddenly babbled, starting to pace and talk more quietly to himself. Sasuke watched him briefly, realizing that the medication he took before bed was probably now wearing off.
"You don't need to worry about us." Naruto replied. Angry black eyes stared down at him after he spoke, a scowl on Sasuke's face.
"We are worried. Now, tell us what's going on. What is this place?" he demanded, subconsciously placing a cool hand on Naruto's warmer one. A small sigh escaped the blonde, shifting uncomfortably before attempting to sit up. Sasuke gripped his hand and pulled him gently until he was upright, watching the pained expression on his face. Naruto reached behind him to tug the collar of his shirt over his head, feeling another set of hands aid him and pulling it off. Kiba gave him a sad smile, gently laying the shirt down on the bed. Shino froze as he paced, inspecting Naruto's back and chest from afar.
"Dirty, so dirty! Did you clean those?" he asked, a bit loudly.
"Yes, Shino, Gaara has been cleaning them." He replied, crossing his legs on the bed to sit Indian style. Sasuke sat beside him hesitantly, Kiba and Shino choosing to stand.
"This place," Naruto started, "Is where I've been raised, Gaara too. Konoha is a mental health hospital, yes, but it's also a laboratory." He finished, eyes already growing tired from the effort of speaking and moving.
"A laboratory?" Kiba asked, tilting his head slightly. Naruto nodded, wincing as pain shot through his head.
"Yeah. They've been doing tests on me and Gaara for years, trying to figure out if they can fully suppress the demons in us, and trying to see if they can control them." The blonde answered, looking up at Sasuke. They watched each other for a moment, Naruto's eyes cautious but curious.
"What exactly are these demons?" Sasuke questioned carefully, watching Naruto's face closely. The blonde looked at him for a moment, then up at Kiba and Shino. Kiba gave him a small, reassuring smile.
"There are nine of us, well," his eyes dropped to his lap. "Now I believe there are eight. But the demons are exactly that, demons that once ruled huge kingdoms and would randomly attack human villages. Each demon has a different number of tails, which indicates it's strength." Naruto explained, looking up again when Shino began to pace.
"So where do you and Gaara rank in the nine?" Kiba asked, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes genuinely curious. Naruto shifted uncomfortably, fussing absentmindedly with his wounds. Sasuke frowned, lifting a hand and gently pulling Naruto's from his injured skin.
"Dobe," he muttered, earning the blonde's attention quickly. They looked at each other for a long moment, Naruto's eyes widening very slightly before he turned his attention back to his general 'audience'.
"Gaara has Shukaku, and he is the one-tail." The Jinchuriki finally said, eyes again downcast when he continued.
"And I have Kurama, the nine-tails." Naruto finished, hesitantly looking at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. Said boy's eyes were wide, his face showing surprise and discomfort.
"What?! Why is he already protecting you if you're stronger?" Kiba shouted, overly excited but also appearing a bit angry. Naruto winced at the volume of his voice, but shrugged slowly.
"That's just Shu and Kurama's dynamic." He offered in a smaller voice. Shino then walked to the door, grabbing the handle and abruptly opening it.
"Have to open the door, have to shut the door." He instructed himself, before closing the door again.
"Shino, stop, someone will hear you!" Sasuke hissed, though not gaining any response from the boy.
"Open, close it behind you." He said again, opening the door, however, it revealed three people this time. Orochimaru smiled, holding a hand against the door to prevent Shino from closing it again.
"Well, did I ever say you were permitted to have friends?" he asked with the smile glued to his face. Sasuke looked at Naruto, seeing fear filling his blue eyes. The blonde got up, pulling Shino away quickly and stepping in front of him.
"Don't touch them. Just let them go back to their rooms, Shino needs his medication." Naruto said firmly, though his hands trembled at his sides. Orochimaru moved to the side slightly, allowing a silver haired man to walk by, carrying a barely conscious Gaara. Naruto's eyes followed them as the silver haired man dumped the redhead onto his bed. Sasuke stood, grabbing Kiba's arm to pull him closer.
"We have to leave, and we have to find Tsunade." He whispered urgently to the triangle-cheeked boy. Kiba nodded in agreement, looking for an opportunity to run.
"You will all be given punishments for not only leaving your rooms, but also trespassing in this part of the hospital." The silver haired man said with a grin, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Kabuto, would you escort these three to their rooms?" Orochimaru's smile grew, making Naruto stiffen visibly. The blonde backed up, keeping his friends close behind him and away from Orochimaru and Kabuto.
"Do not touch them." Naruto said again, eyes becoming angry. The other two exchanged a look, one of curiosity and malice.
"Naruto, it's okay, we'll just walk back with him. No big deal." Kiba eased, placing a hand on his friends shoulder. Naruto shrugged his hand off, turning his head to look at the three behind him. Crimson eyes met each of his friend's individual gazes.
"He's lying." Naruto growled, his voice beginning to deepen. Orochimaru took a few steps forward, Kabuto holding the door and blocking the doorway. The pale man reached a hand out toward Sasuke first, in what appeared to be an attempt to take his arm and begin leading him away. In a fraction of a second, Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed Orochimaru's, the room growing hot.
"Do not touch him." He growled. Sasuke took a step back, watching carefully but feeling his heart beat faster in his chest. Beginning to form around Naruto was what appeared to be visible energy, flowing around him like hair that was tinged red. It swirled up his body, encasing him completely before the room grew almost unbearably hot.
"Ah, Kurama. Why do you care so much about this boy?" Orochimaru asked slowly, his golden eyes meeting Naruto's. In response, the boy growled harshly, yanking the older man away from his friends. Kabuto moved forward then, no longer blocking the door but going to take Naruto's other arm to make him release Orochimaru.
"Now is our chance," Kiba whispered, earning nods from bother Shino and Sasuke. As they were about to make their escape, something in the room shifted. Heaviness claimed every person's body, as well as the heat. Sasuke began to sweat, looking back at Naruto.
Beginning to cover his body was something that could be described as bubbles of fur. The bubbles were mixed with black and red, quickly covering his body, even his face. Orochimaru and Kabuto released the boy suddenly, quickly stepping back to leave space between them and the demon that was trying to come to the surface.
"Sasuke," a small, grainy voice called, barely heard through the heavy air. The raven looked over to see Gaara watching him, his eyes filling with agony and exhaustion. Sasuke moved slowly over to the boy, leaning down to listen to him.
"Don't let…Kurama overtake him… Stop him," Gaara managed, eyes falling closed.
"Me? I barely even know him, I didn't even know he had Kurama until now!" Sasuke argued, panic settling in his mind. Gaara lifted a hand and lightly touched Sasuke's chest.
"Trust me," he mumbled before his arm fell and he slipped away from consciousness. Sasuke looked up from Gaara's sleeping form to watch Naruto. The boy was completely engulfed in the black and red 'fur', large circles of white light where his eyes were meant to be, and his mouth an outline of that same light. Long, fox-like ears had grown from his head, and four tails swayed around him. He no longer appeared human; he truly looked demonic.
Naruto growled viciously, raising a fist and letting it fly toward Kabuto, said man having barely enough time to move an inch away to avoid the hit.
"Quickly, Kabuto, press the blue button," Orochimaru ordered urgently, nodding to the hallway. As he ran to the door, it was as if Naruto teleported. He had moved so quickly to stand in front of the door, that Kabuto ran directly into him. The boy grabbed the assistant's shirt, raising him up in the air before tossing him at the wall like a bag of garbage. His body slammed hard, causing the wall to crack behind the force.
"Naruto!" Sasuke called out, noticing that at the sound of his name, the boy quickly looked at him. Kiba was standing behind Sasuke, his hands over his ears and tears in his eyes.
"S-Sasuke, we need t-to leave," he whimpered. Sasuke looked back at him, anger raising in him at the fact that something, regardless of what it was, was making Kiba so upset. Shino was pacing beside them, messing with his hands. Naruto made a small sound, something that Sasuke would assume was equivalent to a whimper. He watched the boy slowly sink to the ground, sitting down much like a dog would, tails slowly sweeping back and forth. Orochimaru watched curiously, noting the interaction between the two. Taking the chance, the man reached out and grabbed Naruto by his arm, yanking him up abruptly and reaching for something in his coat pocket.
Naruto struggled, trying to pull his arm back. His tails thrashed wildly, as if attempting to strike his assailant. Sasuke felt his heart drop in his chest as Orochimaru pulled a syringe from his pocket, filled with a dark blue liquid. Acting on instinct, Sasuke ran forward to try and stop what-ever Orochimaru was about to do; but he was too far away. He watched the needle plunge into the junction between Naruto's shoulder and neck, and then be drained quickly. The boy was released, falling to the ground. Eyes wide with panic, Sasuke watched the blonde writhe in pain on the floor, his body spasming from the agony of what-ever was tearing through his body. The 'fur' was receding, and his body was returning to normal, very slowly, but the screams of pain did not diminish. Naruto reached a hand out to the black-haired boy, his face clearing to reveal his eyes. Blue orbs filled with the most intense pain Sasuke had ever seen, stared at him. Tears were running down his face, and Sasuke moved to reach a hand out, until something sharp pricked the skin on his shoulder.
Blackness immediately clouded his vision, and he felt his body fall to the floor as Naruto screamed his name, pain and fear thick in his voice.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke woke slowly, blurriness making his eyes unable to focus very well. He stared up at a familiar ceiling, something soft under him that he recognized. Turning his head slightly, he saw his bedroom door; he was back in his room.
'How did I get here? Wait, did I do something last night..?' he brought a hand up, mind hazy. Sitting up slowly, he heard a tentative knock on his door before both Kiba and Shino stumbled in.
"What happened last night?" Kiba asked, his voice thick with sleep. Shino did not speak, clearly tired as well.
"I don't really… I don't know, we went to see Naruto and Gaara but then I'm not sure." Sasuke looked down at his hands, trying to piece together what had transpired. With a quick glance at the clock, Sasuke sighed and stood up from bed.
"I have therapy with Kakashi in half an hour,"