Tainted Embrace

Hiya! Once again I appreciate the reviews, lol. 2 or more reviews for the next chapter again please. I apologise now for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

A.N. Another warning, this chapter contains yaoi and violence. A bit of drabble but big plot at the end, lol. Oh, and italics means that's someone's thoughts or emphasis.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4 - Murder

Sasuke woke shortly after noon. He found himself in the exact same position as when they went to bed that morning after night duty. The blonde was still wrapped around his waist, his head resting on the Uchiha's chest. Sasuke smiled at his now peaceful face. What Naruto had told him the few hours prior to his wakening deeply disturbed him. He didn't think he would have the strength to stay sane if he was shown images of the Kyubi murdering and slaughtering innocents. He felt a small sense of pride at how well his lover had been holding up under all his stress. Now that he had been relieved of duty for the time being, he might have the chance to get back into his normal routine.

Sasuke slowly stretched his arms above his head, trying not to move too quickly and wake Naruto. He was in a bit of a predicament. How was he going to get up from under the blonde without waking him from his much needed sleep? Sasuke sighed and gently pried the other's hands from around his waist. He untangled his legs from the sheets as well as his lover and while slowly sitting up, holding the blonde in place, rolling out from beneath him and lying the body back down on the bed. Naruto's forehead creased into a frown and Sasuke stopped moving, watching his lover tug at his pillow from the sudden disappearance of warmth. He smiled at the gesture as he stood, still wearing the clothes he had changed into that morning. He tip toed out of the room and closed the door.

Sasuke made his way into his kitchen, filling the tea pot with water and putting it on the stove. He was going to treat the dobe this morning, something he didn't too often, but he usually got something good in return so it was worth it. He went through the cupboards and the fridge, picking out some of Naruto's favourite foods and preparing them. He stood at the stove, stirring pots and flipping pancakes. He had to re-boil the water in the tea pot before setting plates and cups on a tray and laying the hot food on them. Quickly pouring the tea and mixing in the milk and sugar, Sasuke picked up the tray and carried it back through to his bedroom, shoving the door open with his hip. He found the blonde just waking, rubbing his eyes and sniffing the air. His blue eyes lit up as he saw the other enter the room.

"Sasuke-kun, you didn't have to go through all that trouble - hey, get back here!" he called as Sasuke turned away from him to go back out the door, a smirk on his face.

Mockingly he said, "Do make up your mind if you want the food or not, it's getting cold."

"Well hurry up then," the blonde laughed, waving his hands forward to get the Uchiha to come closer. Sasuke smiled and placed the tray over the blonde's lap after he had sat back against the wall. Coming round to the other side of the bed, Sasuke lifted the covers over his legs and pushed his pillow back so he wouldn't have to lean on the cold wall.

"If anything is dropped on my bed, you'll be cleaning it up," he told Naruto after picking up one of the pancakes and nibbling at it.

Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth and frowned at him. "Well what if you drop something on the bed?" he asked.

"You'll still be cleaning it up," the dark haired shinobi replied, a smile on his lips.

"Teme! That's not fair," the blonde grumbled, and so took extra care to not drop crumbs or spill tea. Naruto was surprised to find he was so hungry. He ate the porridge and the toast and shared the pancakes with Sasuke, spreading butter and syrup over the warm food before stuffing them in his mouth. "Where's the ramen?" he joked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but let out a small smile. "That's for dinner." Naruto beamed at him. The food was gone before he knew it and the couple sat with their cups in their hands.

"That was good. You should cook more often," Naruto informed him with a grin.

"Where do you think the plates of food have come from at dinner time?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow. Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Sasuke finished his tea and placed it on the tray before speaking. "Anyway, you should go home and pack some clothes of your own, you can't keep borrowing mine."

Naruto smiled, remembering he was wearing Sasuke's grey trousers. His smile widened and he said, "Yeah, your clothes are getting a little short. I think you're shrinking."

Instead of some sort of retort, Sasuke leaned over and kissed his cheek before getting up and making his way to the bathroom. Standing at the door he said, "And when you get back you can do the dishes, including the pots in the kitchen." He smiled sweetly and closed the door, and Naruto could hear the shower being turned on.

The blonde groaned at the plates and bowls on his tray and carefully stood, carrying it through to the kitchen. At least the pain he was feeling before he went to bed had disappeared. He felt Sasuke really did help. He quickly drew on his slightly damp clothes from last night and left the house, jumping onto the nearest roof and heading towards his own apartment. He glanced down at the villagers below, noticing how there was fewer people about than normal, and more shinobi standing guard. He sighed at the situation the village was in. He wish he could do more to help, but instead he was 'on vacation'. Naruto came to a stop in front of his door and fumbled in his wet pockets for his keys. Finally getting the door open, Naruto went to his bedroom, avoiding the laundry and books on the floor. For a moment he thought to stop and clean up, but it would just need doing again when he got back, so he didn't bother

Naruto dragged a suitcase from under his bed and started piling in clean clothes, sometimes having to look around the house for items he wanted to take. He didn't know how long he would be staying at Sasuke's, but he didn't mind anyway. He liked being there. Once he was packed, he removed his damp shinobi clothes and in turn replaced them with baggy, beige trousers with multiple pockets and a light blue buttoned shirt, the sleeves going to his elbows, and tucked his head protector into one of the pockets. He tied his side pouch back on his belt, and had left his katana at Sasuke's. Briefly going into the kitchen, he grabbed a couple of instant ramen and chucked them in his suitcase. He stood for a moment, trying to think of any thing else he would need after placing his tooth brush and razor in the side of the bag. Deciding he could come back if he needed anything else, Naruto zipped up the sides and lifted the suit case, almost falling over from its unexpected weight. Carrying it over his back, he maneuvered through his rooms and locked his door. He had to use chakra to get from rooftop to rooftop.

When Naruto returned to the Uchiha mansion, he found Sasuke in his room with a towel around his slim waist, another in his hands drying his black hair. He smiled at the dripping wet body, noticing Sasuke still had small bite marks on his neck from the previous morning. "Looks like I just made it back in time," Naruto said.

Sasuke turned, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes, and found the blonde leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and a grin on his face. He couldn't help but smirk at the look in the blonde's blue eyes, and glanced to the rather large suitcase behind him. "How much did you bring with you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

The blonde shrugged. "Enough to keep me going," he smiled innocently.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and went to his wardrobe, and like Naruto, chose to wear more casual clothing rather than his shinobi clothes. He pulled out some dark jeans and a deep red t-shirt, and turned to the blonde still watching him. "Are we forgetting something?" he asked.

Naruto looked confused. "No."

"Dishes," Sasuke replied, a smile growing on his features at the blonde's reaction. Naruto huffed and turned out of the room, stepping over his suit case. Sasuke could faintly hear him say, "Spoil sport."

The Uchiha returned his attention to his clothes and after drying, got changed. He pulled on his black boots and side pouch, slipping a few extra kunai into the boots for safety. With the killer still on the loose, one couldn't be too careful, and Sasuke planned on going out. He went into the kitchen to find Naruto at the sink, bright yellow gloves on his hands, and bubbles forming into a mini mountain, running over the sides and onto the floor. He sighed. Sometimes Naruto really was hopeless. While he finished up, Sasuke pushed the suitcase further into his room and picked up his keys. Naruto had just dried his hands when he returned to the kitchen.

"Come on, let's go," he said, walking towards his front door.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked as Sasuke locked his door.

"For a walk," the Uchiha replied, taking the blonde's hand and making his way out the main village and towards the Hokage mountain. Realising their destination, the blonde smiled and hugged the other man's arm, almost skipping. They were going to their favourate place.

Night had descended on the village of Konoha like a blanket, blacking out everything and giving it a sinister kind of feel. The only light available were the stars in the sky and the bright moon that had just started to wane. The streets were quiet save for the odd cat or dog. Dark clouds drifted about lazily, dotting around in a random pattern. Multiple pairings of shinobi were cast around the buildings, not to far from each other in case of an emergency. One certain pair were standing silently, keeping alert for anything. They only occasionally talked, being to tensed up to start a real conversation even though they had known each other for years. Both wore the customary jounin clothes, but one man was much older than the other by at least fifteen years.

The older man was starting to grey and had a permanent frown on his forehead. He stood a few meters from his partner, his eyes searching the dark streets and the nights sky. It was around the middle of their duty, having taking the second shift. Suddenly, the older man felt a gaze on him. Without bringing attention to himself, he looked about, trying to pin point the owner. The other shinobi hadn't noticed. A shiver went down the older man's spine as the gaze turned to one of hate and blood lust, and an overpowering sense of dread filled him. His body wouldn't move. Someone else was controlling him. His voice didn't work either, and he couldn't warn his partner. And then he felt it. Another presence.

A low laughter filled the cold air, and the older man froze. He struggled to look over to his partner and found the poor man rooted to the spot, his eyes wide. It was then that the older man saw the dark chakra encircling them, holding them both in place. A shadow across the street suddenly moved of its own accord, and a tall, hooded figured stepped out. In the faint light, the shinobi could only just make out the long, deep red jacket the figure wore. It covered all it's body, right down to it's boots. The figure seemed to have an air of menace around it, making the well trained shinobi shake with fear. Something wasn't just quite human about it.

The figure almost casually walked up to the older man, lifting him off his feet with a single hand. There was nothing he could do to stop the figure, he couldn't even cry out or scream. The face of the figure was hidden by the hood, but it turned towards the other shinobi. "Watch carefully," it said. It's voice was cold and malevolent, but the older man knew if he could see it's face, the figure would be wearing a sick smile.

The figure returned it's attention to the man he was holding, and slowly the older shinobi began to feel weak. The dark chakra floated over him, and seeped into his body. The man gave a shudder as his eyes rolled in his head. The dark chakra started retreating, pulling out with it his own, light blue chakra. Suddenly, as if someone and turned on his pain receptors to full, he silently screamed and started to thrash about, cuts and gashes splitting apart his skin. He could feel his very life draining away. The pain was so extreme his vision turned to black and white. He could only feel the pain; there was nothing else. He felt the torture would never last, and begged to whatever God there was that it would end. Blood poured from his wounds as his chakra was absorbed, and he felt his very soul was being torn apart. The figure drank in the new chakra, it's low laughter never ending. The body in it's hand gave a final convulsion before becoming still, the chakra flow ending abruptly. It dropped the corpse and took a deep breath, savoring the feeling to the full extent. The dark chakra hadn't left the younger shinobi, who was now gaping at the figure, tears running down his face, his body shaking like a childs.

The figure stepped closer to him, making the man tremble. "W-why are... y-you doing t-this?" he managed to drag out. He didn't know where his strength came from, but he had said it.

The figure laughed. "To escape my prison."

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It might start to get a little confusing from now on so if you have any questions just ask.

KCT