HI!...again, this chapter is shorter than usual im sorryyy

Hope you enjoy, for as short as it is...and I had writer's block!! (pouty face) Feel sorry for me please...lol

"This thing must've gotten to us while we slept…because before then, Naruto was completely normal. The chakra embodied a planted, hidden puppet, induced a temporary genjutsu to separate Naruto and I sometime during the morning…and it was that simple. The thing to remember here is…There most likely isn't a source of intelligence behind this still. This is lingering artificial intelligence. These are old traps…this is an old forest." He picked up his pace, then remembered to activate his Sharingan, temporarily choosing to ignore the risks of agitating his curse seal in favor of using control methods he'd learned from his Anbu elders.

"Now. I can't use it constantly but…any chakra other than mine or Naruto's will alert me as long as I use it. This won't happen a second time…" He moved even faster, knowing he had no time to waste.

"Please Naruto…if you've fallen into the same trap…please realize it's not me…please…"

Chapter XXXV

Find Me

As the day wore on, the quiet forest grew hotter and more humid. By noon the climate was more like a rainforest than a regular one. Sasuke didn't care. Reason had been slowly but surely replaced by uncharacteristic panic, and none else mattered but his missing kitsune.

"Naru-chan! Naruto!" he was perched high in a tree, yelling, taking short breaks from using the Sharingan every now and then because it was starting to drain his physical strength, and once he was out of that, his mental strength and his chakra would be next. He neither heard or saw any type of reply. He shimmied down the tree to about 8 feet and quietly dropped the rest of the way to the ground, standing close to the tree trunk and taking deep breaths so he could clearly think.

"I can't let what's happening distract my thought patterns…I've retraced every step, past where we'd camped overnight…he shouldn't be too far away—" His thoughts came to a halt as a noise came to his attention. He was deathly still and quiet, his eyes closed to fine tune the direction of the distance noise, extremely grateful at the moment for his unusually acute sense of hearing. It came again.

"There…" He looked to his left. Commotional noises were coming from a clearing in the far distance.

----------

His breathing was coming in short spurts—not so much from physical exhaustion, but from mental fatigue. Naruto backed to the tree trunk behind him and slid to the ground against it, realizing he was shaking, and couldn't go on much longer as he was. The figure in front of him looked like Sasuke, for a short while had behaved like Sasuke…but right now it was clear that this was not his fiancé. What he was unsure of was if it was actually another body, or if something was making Sasuke behave unlike his usual self. Naruto had long since noticed that Sasuke had begun to act just like he had when he'd left alone to look for Orochimaru, and the memories were horrible; it was impossible for him to forget what Sasuke had been at those moments. So at the moment, it was easy for him to recognize that Sasuke had been repeating a lot of the same things he had said then, which, of course, were out of place in their current situation.

"This doesn't make sense…" Naruto said once he'd caught his breath. Sasuke was standing in front of him, just staring at him—Naruto used the opportunity to attempt finding out what exactly was happening.

"It doesn't have to make sense.." Sasuke was saying. Naruto had of course felt uneasy the entire time, but the feeling he had now made him stand up sharply. Sasuke wouldn't stop staring at him, a strange eerie look in his eyes.

"Hand me your kunai, Naruto…" Sasuke was asking quietly. Naruto started to shake his head, then paused.

"Why…" he stayed glued to the tree trunk behind him apprehensively, and pressed even further against it when Sasuke took a step closer.

"I have to end this before I do something I regret…" Sasuke said. Naruto shook his head. "End…what…" he stopped leaning on the tree and stepped right up to Sasuke, their noses nearly touching. Naruto stayed alert, refusing to let his guard down as Sasuke's arms came up, and around his waist.

"If you won't kill me before I hurt you…then…" Sasuke paused there, and Naruto pushed him away immediately.

"You're not Sasuke! You're really not…" Naruto realized all at once.

"Sasuke told me to hurt him only if the curse seal took over his mind…And you! there's nothing wrong with you! You're just…saying these things, but when Sasuke is under the….curse mark's influence…" Naruto slowly stopped talking, because as he'd been speaking about the curse mark, the one on the form of Sasuke in front of him had begun to multiply itself simultaneously. Naruto cautiously kept his eye on the seal, his hand frozen over the kunai in his supply belt. What appeared to be the Sharingan began to form itself in the copy's eyes.

"It sounds like…you want something to be wrong with me." Sasuke said in a low tone. Naruto wanted to shut his eyes as the curse marks now grew to cover the entire left side of the Sasuke clone's body. Painful memories were being unearthed, and he could feel his hand over the kunai beginning to shake as his mind immediately went back to the last time he'd seen Sasuke that way. The time in the rain; the simultaneous relief and dread that he'd felt that day. And then, he remembered something he'd almost forgotten about. The self-inflicted cross shaped scar on Sasuke's forearm. Naruto looked sharply, and just as his eyes met with the figure's arm, the scar, having not been there before, spontaneously appeared, very suddenly.

"What? What the hell is this…" His heart began to pound in his ears as the unreality of the situation set in. Far beyond unnerved, Naruto made a rapid move for his kunai, but before he even raised it, the clone had gripped his arm and his hand went numb, the kunai dropping to the ground.

"Sasuke—" he gasped automatically, then realized that his mind was believing something that wasn't actually there. It was as if he couldn't help but see the fake image as the actual Sasuke.

"I can't…I can't hurt it…it looks exactly like him, I can't—" The grip on his arm grew even tighter.

"Kill me…please kill me…" The image began to beg.

"No!" Naruto screamed in response as pure reflex. His breathing rate was picking up again. "Why's this happening…what is this…" Naruto murmured. The Sasuke clone was standing there numbly, the curse seals having covered its entire body, and Naruto was feeling sick—feeling himself mentally self-destructing. Just as he was about to break down into a state of torn emotions, he heard his name being called in the far distance. He looked in all direction, not knowing which direction it was coming from..

"Sasuke..?" he murmured to himself. The Sasuke in front of him forced his attention suddenly, by physically turning his head.

"Don't…your mind's playing tricks on you.." Naruto nearly held his breath, and stayed still. Sasuke touched his face, gazing into his eyes intently—realistically. "What will you believe, Naru-chan…what's in your head…or what's right here in front of you…?" Sasuke whispered. He kissed Naruto softly, and Naruto's eyes fluttered closed.

"I want to trust…what's in front of me." He answered, reaching up to finger the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. "But…what happened to you wanting me to kill you…" Naruto asked, opening his eyes again.

"By now, the curse seal would be taking over your mind…But…we're not fighting. Maybe you're operating on my memories. Like…when we didn't fight that time in the rain.." Naruto said calmly, remaining still. The possibility of being taken advantage of briefly crossed his mind, but he immediately forced it out—it was too disturbing a thought, and would break his focus. The image made no sign of being found out, but instead made a sudden movement, pinning Naruto to the tree trunk behind him, and Naruto froze, wide-eyed, fearing that his dreaded thought was about to make itself literal.

---------

Meanwhile, Sakura's jaw had hit the table.

"What…?" she asked, knowing she'd heard right, but needing the confirmation. Kakashi nodded slowly.

"Yep. Naruto caught Sasuke's curse mark. I'm not going to tell you how, I'll let you put it together." Kakashi said. Sakura shifted uncomfortably, then put the imagery out of her mind.

"Naruto's chakra shouldn't accept that…the Kyuubi—"

"That's what really put Sasuke in the hospital awhile back. We told you that it was Kyuubi's seal weakening because—"

"—Because it would have exposed their secret…" Sakura finished, staring thoughtfully at the table. Kakashi silently nodded, then looked out toward the window.

"Then…if Naruto has to do anything serious on the mission, won't the curse mark activate? Like Sasuke's does?" She questioned. Kakashi again nodded.

"Naruto's, though it's not the original, is actually more sensitive because of Kyuubi's chakra. So Naruto has a far greater chance of actually loosing it than Sasuke does."

"But Sasuke has…four curse marks." Sakura countered.

"It doesn't matter. Sasuke's been taught more about controlling them, and his body is resistant. Naruto has better control over his chakra than he's ever had, but even still, Kyuubi's chakra is too strong for Naruto to get a hold of sometimes."

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Naruto froze in place, and it seemed like he was watching Sasuke reach for a kunai in slow motion, yet he wasn't able to bring himself to counter.

"It looks…so much like him…is it?" Naruto knew in his right mind that it wasn't, but the affect that the mimic had on him was already nearly permanent. He heard a voice then, a far off one.

"Kill it!! Kill it now!"

The voice was yelling. Naruto blinked and reacted, avoiding by a mere inch, the stab of the kunai from the Sasuke in front of him. He used chakra to scoot backwards up the tree trunk, pushing off of it and landing behind the clone, who immediately turned around, a sadistic smirk emerging.

"Why can't you hurt me Naruto…" It asked quietly. Naruto shuddered, shakily reaching for the second kunai in his belt. The scream in the distance grew closer, calling his name.

"Naruto!!" Naruto looked, and he could see a shadow moving in the far distance.

"Sasu—" He suddenly remembered that he'd been under attack just a few seconds ago and started, whipping the kunai out from his supply belt, and before he even could blink, the Sasuke mimic was right in front of him. His reflexes counterattacked, and he halted, flinching as his blade hit and blood splattered.

"Now…why couldn't you have done that before…" It murmured, blood spilling over its lips, dripping down its chin to the grass. Naruto caught the body as it fell, the slice, which had been slashed through its neck, gushing blood. Naruto stared blankly into thin air as his breathing picked up pace, and hyperventilation began to set in quickly.

"This can't be Sasuke…I know it really isn't…but…it's bleeding…" Momentarily, Sasuke came crashing through the brush into the clearing, only a few yards from him. "Naruto…Naruto!" Sasuke ran toward him and paused, staring for a few seconds. Naruto appeared traumatized, much like he himself had been a few hours before. Naruto's skin was pale, and splattered with spots of blood from the illusionary body. Sasuke went and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders, shaking him a few times and making him drop the fake body, and as it hit the ground, the illusion of Sasuke and the blood vanished. Naruto wouldn't blink.

"Hey…HEY!" Sasuke began to shout, more harshly shaking him. He paused, quieting when Naruto blinked once.

"S—Sasuke..." Naruto murmured. Sasuke tried moving into Naruto's dazed line of vision, trying to get him to focus.

"Look at me. Look at me!" He ordered, turning Naruto's head with his hand, and as soon as he touched Naruto's face, Naruto reacted, snapping his head to look, and backed up, the kunai out held.

"What are you…?" Naruto questioned suspiciously. Sasuke calmly held his hands up, praying that Naruto wasn't too traumatized to recognize him.

"Naru-chan…it's me. No more illusions, its really me. Here.." Sasuke slowly reached into his pocket, where he had kept the small bag the engagement ring had been held in. He held it out to Naruto.

"Illusions based on your memories wouldn't have this…it's my mothers. You didn't know what I kept your engagement ring in." Sasuke explained calmly. Having heard the right things, Naruto dropped the kunai immediately and nearly tackled Sasuke to the ground in an embrace, but he didn't say anything.

"Thank God, Naruto…" Sasuke gasped, hugging to Naruto with relief, stroking the blonde hair as Naruto clung to him.

"What…what happened.." Naruto asked hoarsely once he'd recovered himself.

"I'll explain…Let's get some distance from that thing, then I'll try to tell you." Sasuke pulled Naruto away by the hand, and Naruto turned to look back. All that remained there was a solitary, featureless white puppet, lying crumpled in the grass.

----------

They had gotten a good enough amount of distance back in the original direction, and Sasuke began to explain things in more depth.

"It's a mind illusion…a temporary one that separates travelers and projects their own mental images onto a sort of…almost intelligent programmed chakra from the original ninja who set the trap. It's been driving people away from these borders for years." Sasuke said. They slowed and stopped when Naruto didn't say anything. Sasuke stared at him and realized something was wrong simply from the way Naruto's eyes looked.

"It was reading two different thoughts…mixed emotions." Naruto said randomly. Sasuke peered at Naruto questioningly.

"What do you mean…" Naruto stared at the ground first, then up at the sky.

"If it had been going on my memories of you alone…it wouldn't have attacked me with the kunai right after asking me to kill it…" Naruto still looked down as he spoke. "You didn't attack me that time in the rain, you—never mind; I don't like thinking about it." Sasuke realized the need to just let Naruto talk it out, and simply listened, coming to walk beside him closely.

"Sometimes when I'm by myself…I start to hear two sets of thoughts…I hear mine, and I hear Kyuubi's." Naruto was saying. "I'm pretty use to it by now…I grew up with it.." Sasuke linked his arm with Naruto's.

"So…it was this that confused the mimic…" Sasuke reached with his other hand to touch the curse mark on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto looked up sharply.

"What?"

"Don't you remember that time that—"

"—that I put you in the hospital." Naruto finished hesitantly, shaking his head at himself. Sasuke walked even closer to Naruto. "Yeah…what I'm saying is that Kyuubi's memories of me are mostly my invasive chakra from that seal." Sasuke pointed out. "So…it attacked you from Kyuubi's memories…and asked you to kill it based on your memories of knowing I'd want to protect you." Sasuke said, joining his hand with Naruto's as he spoke. Naruto nodded numbly.

"Yeah…" Sasuke watched the expression on Naruto's face.

"What's wrong Naru-chan…" Sasuke stopped them from walking and turned Naruto to face him. Naruto closed his eyes.

"It stings…" he breathed out, his hand going to his shoulder over the mark.

"You were under stress." Sasuke commented, gently moving Naruto's hand from the mark, and saw that it was starting to flare up, easily. Without a second thought he stepped in still closer, using his hand to make Naruto look up at him before kissing him, pulling him closer by the hips.

"What're you doing…" Naruto asked, letting a tired smile show. Sasuke touched his forehead to Naruto's.

"Remember when we figured out that my being with you was keeping my curse seal in check…it should work with yours too." Naruto showed that he readily agreed by kissing back, then paused again to lean back against a nearby tree, Sasuke closely in front of him, not allowing any distance.

"We should rest…we're not in a decent enough mental condition to cross the border." Sasuke reasoned, and Naruto nodded slowly, his arms coming up to rest on Sasuke's shoulders.

"So…can you make me feel better...?"

They made love on the forest floor against the tree, exhaustedly falling unconscious from mental and physical fatigue shortly after.

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The pitch black darkness of the woods at night was penetrated by a single campfire. Beside it, Naruto sat against a tree stump, taking his turn to be on watch for a few hours, since Sasuke had stubbornly insisted on being awake until nearly morning. It was around 4am, and the exhaustion of repeatedly using the Sharingan had him in a dead, nearly unconscious sleep. Naruto wasn't doing very well himself; his own curse mark had ceased bothering him for a short while after finding Sasuke, but now it was a persistent bother.

"Why does it still hurt…Why does it still sting…" Naruto looked down, where Sasuke was laying in his lap, his arms crossed, as if he were still guarding in his sleep. Naruto smiled and ran his hand through the midnight dark hair.

"You have four of these damn marks…how do you handle that?" Naruto murmured quietly. He flinched slightly, as the mark was nearly throbbing.

"I can handle it…I can for sure handle it…I have to." He leaned back and stared up at the sky, his hand brushing Sasuke's chest. "I'll handle it for you…That'll make me deal with it…" Naruto soon found himself watching the sun rising through the trees, and the campfire began to die off around the same time. In a little while, Sasuke would wake up at 6am sharp, like clockwork, whether he felt horrible or otherwise. That was how he always was on a mission, unless the circumstances called for night travel. So Naruto watched Sasuke's eyes open exactly at 6.

"Hey..." Naruto murmured as Sasuke sat up and gazed at him.

"You look so tired..." Sasuke immediately said. Naruto shook his head, smiling it off, standing up energetically and tugging Sasuke up with him by the hand.

"I'm fine! I'm...fine."

He's lyyyyingggg to you Sasuke...

Next chapter; Sasuke and Naruto reach their destination and find the unexpected.

-!Kitsune!