Tainted Embrace

Hi! Thanks for the reviews again, 2 more for the next chapter please. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

A.N. Just as another warning, this chapter does contain reference to yaoi and violence. Italics means that's someone's thoughts or emphasis.

Happy reading!

Chapter 7 - Dominance

He had everything packed. Sasuke stood in his bedroom before his large bed, his back resting on the mattress. He didn't know how long he would be gone, a couple days maybe, so had packed an extra set clothes. He had filled the bag with food and water, a medical kit and a blanket. The Uchiha had donned his full ANBU gear, with dark navy trousers and sleeveless shirt, matching boots and the silver amour that covered his torso. His katana was strapped over his back, his side pouch wrapped around his waist, full of kunai, shurikan, and other survival accessories. The last thing he put on was his head protector, and he now stood holding his lover's protector, gripping it tightly in his hand. Slowly, he reached up and tied the second protector around his upper right arm. Sasuke shouldered his bag, making sure it was secure before glancing around for anything he had forgotten to pack. There was nothing.

As the Uchiha made his way out the village, he looked in the general direction of Naruto's underground cell, a look of longing in his dark obsidian eyes. He would do what ever it took to find Jiraiya, he wouldn't give up until his lover was safe again. Tsunade had given him a small report sheet on the frog hermit's latest locations, and Naruto had given him a few other villages not on the list. Sasuke pulled the paper from the pocket on the side of his trousers, unfolding it and reading again for who knows how many times that day. He was to start in the Land of the Waterfall, a small country to the north-west of Konoha. It would take him at least a good few hours using a steady flow of chakra to get there. He didn't want to tire himself completely by rushing, but he wanted to get there as quickly as possible. The village he was aiming for wasn't too far from the border either.

Sasuke turned and walked out the large gates of the village, a moment later launching into the trees and jumping from branch to branch at high speeds.

Just wait Naruto, I'll be back soon.

Sasuke swore under his breath. This had been the fourth village he had been too. He had been travelling for over two days now, resting late at night and rising early in the morning. He was tired, and he was starting to run low on chakra after using it almost constantly for a long time. Every time he visited a village, he went through the same routine. He would stop briefly to catch his breath and maybe get some food, and then would go round the town, asking questions and giving descriptions of the frog hermit. He had even bought a cheap cloak to cover the intimidating weapon on his back. He couldn't hide it completely, but at least the katana didn't draw as much attention anymore. It was much easier to talk to people when they weren't staring at the sharp blade and dress of the tall man before them.

Sasuke sighed and made his way out of the village. He had been thorough, not wanting to miss Jiraiya by not looking around everywhere. It was just a matter of patience; something he was running short of. He took to the tall trees, their dark, thick branches covering him from anyone travelling below. He made no noise as he jumped and landed, gracefully leaping through the air. He hiked his bag higher on his shoulders, and took out the sheet of paper from his pocket again, turning it over to look at the map. He was relieved to see the next village was close by, and it was on the list of possible places Jiraiya could be. It was called Takigakure: the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. He would have to be careful here, if he asked too many questions or made himself look suspicious, the village's shinobi might notice and take interest in him, something he didn't have time for.

It took him under an hour to get there, and when he came into view of where the village was meant to be, he was met with the sight of a giant waterfall. It was breathtaking. Sasuke could see a faint rainbow hovering over it, the foam bubbling merrily where the body of water was met by the flowing curtain of clear liquid. Team 7 had been here before on a mission, but Sasuke's memory of the place was a bit vague. It didn't take him too long to find the entrance and enter the village after showing the guards a document signed by Tsunade. The Uchiha walked through the town, noticing a few things that triggered his memory. He was going to start in the usual places; places where the perverted hermit would lost likely be. He started towards a promising building, but halted when he heard two women outside the door talking.

"...It's beautiful, and a great place to relax. All the girls like going there at this time of year..." one of them said.

Sasuke smiled to himself. That would be the place he would expect the hermit to be. He listened for another minute and found it was at the west side of the village, at a small lake with its own mini waterfall. He set off immediately. His pace quickened as he skimmed past buildings, and finally came out into a forest. Following a path, he saw a wooden notice board at the side, telling him the place he searched was up ahead. He came out to a small stretch of grass before it turned to pebbles and then water. The path continued to his right, and so he started his look out for Jiraiya. He searched for almost an half an hour, going around the peaceful lake, avoiding getting to close to the laughter of women about the place. He was about to return to town when he heard a quiet, gleeful giggle. He looked around and noticed a bush move on its own.

Sasuke frowned and went over, brushing past the greenery and was met with the sight of an old man crouching down behind another bush, with a mane of bright white hair, peaking through a gap out into the lake. Sasuke felt relief flood through him. He had finally found the pervert.

"I should have known better, finding you in a place like this," Sasuke said loud enough for the women on the lake to notice him. Jiraiya jumped up and in surprise, fell back, revealing himself to the women. They shrieked and started to run to shore, grabbing their towels and covering their scarcely clothed bodies and retreating into the trees.

"No, don't go!" Jiraiya whined as he crawled towards them on his hands and knees. He held out his hand imploringly to stop them but the last woman left the area. The hermit hung his head and let his arm drop, moaning to himself. With a sigh, he stood and whirled on the man who had interrupted him. "You spoiled my information gathering! You... you...," the legendary shinobi trailed of as he recognised the dark haired man before him, his eyes widening. "Sasuke? What are you doing here?"

Sasuke folded his arms and gave the older shinobi a serious look. "I need your help. You need to come back to Konoha with me."

Jiraiya gave an uncertain smile. "Ah, well, the reason I left in the first place was because I pulled a prank on Tsunade that she didn't take too well, so she won't want me coming back any time soon. She's got one hell of a temper and punch, that woman. Best to stay away."

Sasuke narrowed his black eyes. If he was going to convince the shinobi to come back with him, he was going to have to be blunt. "Three shinobi have been killed, and the murderer is the Nine Tailed Fox. The Kyubi has been taking over Naruto and he can no longer control the beast. If you don't come back, Naruto will have to stay in some prison-like cell for the rest of his life so the Fox can't kill anymore people and break the seal. If you don't come back, Naruto will most likely die." Just speaking about losing his lover made his heart flutter.

Jiraiya stared at him for a long time, his face now attentive. "How has the Fox gotten this control over him? He can't weaken the seal unless Naruto is in one of his tailed states, and in the last three years he's only used it twice." His voice was skeptical, a frown on his brow.

"He's absorbed the chakra from the men he killed and used that to weaken the seal. The last time he did that it left Naruto throwing up and terribly weak. He was about to kill a fourth man when I interrupted him. If it happens again it might be too late."

Jiraiya stood silently for a while, mulling over the information, worry etched into his aging features. "That's quite plausible... How did you stop the Kyubi? And how is this prison going to stop a beast of that power?"

"I didn't technically stop him. He said he would wait and take pleasure in watching us suffer first. Naruto is being held in this cell with special metal bars that absorb chakra, so the Fox can't take over him," Sasuke informed the shinobi.

Jiraiya shifted his weight to his other foot. "So if I strengthen the seal the Kyubi would lose the control that he has gained?" Sasuke nodded. The hermit sighed. "If it's as bad as you say it is, strengthening the seal will be a painful process for Naruto, but it's better than the alternative. What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Jiraiya turned and walked out towards the lake, and Sasuke followed, frowning as he saw the hermit bite down on his thumb, drawing blood.

A moment later the shinobi ran through a series of hand seals and shouted out, a large poof of smoke flared around them and was suddenly replaced by a giant frog. Sasuke stepped back in surprise. It was huge. He had seen Gamabunta once a long time ago, and although this frog wasn't as large, he was still big.

"Alright, climb on. The faster we get there the better," Jiraiya said and jumped onto the back of the frog. Sasuke was reluctant to follow the white haired shinobi, but complied anyway. He had never been on a frog before, and after hearing Naruto's account of his first ride on Gamabunta, the Uchiha was starting to rethink his actions. "Hold on!" Jiraiya shouted.

Sasuke only just sent enough chakra to his feet in time as the frog tensed his muscles and launched into the air, soaring through the cool breeze. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat temporarily, and felt his stomach lurch and rise as they started to fall back to the ground. The frog slammed into the earth, making Sasuke's knees shake and threaten to buckle. He didn't have time to compose himself before the frog took off again. Sasuke knew he was going to regret this afterwards as he wobbled unsteadily on his feet.

Naruto lay on the unfamiliar bed with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with bored eyes. He had been in this cell for almost three days. Sakura or Iruka stopped by whenever they could, often two or three times a day. He had enough food and finally got some much needed sleep. Although he was getting sick of the blank walls that surrounded him, he was glad he convinced Sasuke to let him stay. He had regained most of his colour, no longer being pale and faint. He didn't have dreams when he slept, and the bags under his eyes had faded. He felt stronger than before, but still got dizzy spells now and then. The Kyubi's presence in his mind was so small, Naruto occasionally thought he was gone. These metal bars must be doing a good job.

However, the past three days had been miserable and depressing. Naruto still believed he held some responsiblity in the three shinobi's death, and for mentally scarring another man. He was unable to do anything to stop the Fox, even when he figured out who the murderer was, the Kyubi instantly knocked him out within seconds. He had so much control over the blonde, it scared him. He was almost afraid to leave the cell. He waited in anticipation for his lover and the pervert to return, often pacing up and down the small room. There wasn't much for him to do, and he was starting to get impatient. He found himself sitting on the bed, growing angrier and angrier by the second, then suddenly realised what he was doing, shocked at how frustrated he was becoming at almost anything.

Naruto sat bolt upright when he heard a low laughter fill his head. But how could this be? Wasn't the bars supposed to suppress the Kyubi and his chakra? So how he could hear him?

Did you really think these pathetic bars could hold back my power? The Fox laughed again. Foolish boy...

Naruto clutched his head as pain shot through him. He recognised the pain. It was the same as the time when the Kyubi knocked him out in the Hokage's office. He felt the Fox's chakra slowly seeping into him, and he felt the Kyubi's conscience push back his own. Naruto realised the Fox wasn't even going to wait until he was unconscious to take over his body. Fear stung at him as the blonde struggled to fight off the invader, rolling onto his side and curling into a ball as the pain increased. He couldn't let him take control. The blonde knew the seal was at its weakest; possible one other killing and the Fox would be free. A shudder went through him at the thought. A moan escaped Naruto's throat and he scrunched his eyes closed. He was losing this battle. The Kyubi was too strong, and he was too weak. The last thought that ran through Naruto's mind before he lost control was of Sasuke.

The Kyubi laughed a cold laugh and sat up, looking over his clawed hands. He stood, once again his hair a redish brown, his eyes blood red and black, his whiskers thicker and teeth sharper. He picked up the long red jacket that had been tossed over the small table in the cell and threw it on, leaving the hood down. As he approached the metal bars they creaked and groaned, finally snapping as if from overload of chakra. They bent at all angles, and had been charred black. The noise alerted the guards outside, and one of the shinobi glanced through the spall window in the door that separated them from the cells. The guard saw nothing; in fact, there was no one in the room. Frowning, he motioned to his partner and they drew their weapons.

The two shinobi froze as they saw red chakra leak out from under the door, sneaking along the floor and swirling around them. Laughter echoed behind them and the twirled, finding the demonic figure smiling cruelly at them. The chakra suddenly closed around them, slipping into their bodies simultaneously. Both jerked at the pain and let out screams which rebounded off the stone walls. A few cuts appeared over their limbs and torso before they were unexpectedly released. They fell to their knees on the ground, panting and shaking in fear and distress. One shinobi managed to look up and saw the figure with wide eyes, rapture on his face.

"Finally... It is done..." the figure whispered to no one and turned, blasting the second door open and flowing out of the room, leaving behind the two confused shinobi.

Ooh, he escaped, lol.

Thanks for reading, please review!

KCT