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Chapter 2

Combat

"Like I said, it is not of any interest anymore. You'll kill me either way."

Naruto looked down his chest and plucked at his linnen shirt. He knew what was hidden beneath the fabric. His chest looked like a battlefield, as the rest of his body.

With so many scars and wounds he was totally unable to bring on a serious fight. They would reopen…

One thing was pretty clear… In this state, he'd be no match for Sasuke.

"I won't kill you."

Naruto froze in his movement. "Then I'll kill myself."

"I won't let you." Answered Sasuke with a stern look in his eyes.

The blonde gave an angry growl and clenched his fists. "Shut the hell up! Why would you not kill me? All this time we fought out battles of life and death and now you tell me you're not going to kill me? Please!"

He laughed.

"I want to have you for myself."

Startled, Naruto fell silent and studied his erstwhile friend's face. But like always, it stood emotionless.

Pokerface. He hated it.

"Pardon me?"

"That's right. You'll come with me. Isn't this an alluring offer, since you love me so much?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Did Sasuke hate him so much that he wanted to torture and kill him afterwards?

He took a step backwards, suddenly wary. He had wanted a quick death. He definitely fancied the chasm death instead of slowly being ripped into pieces by Sasuke. It was not to put past the raven…

Damn.

Quickly, he took a glance backwards, in the direction of the ravine. Eight metres, he calculated. Would he reach it before Sasuke...?

"Forget it." Came the answer to his unfinished thought. The raven had followed his gaze.

"I'd already captured you before you'd take one step."

Naruto cursed inwardly. In a flash he measured all the options he had left... He was short of chakra, because the last battle had disturbed most chakra flows in his body.

They hadn't recovered yet... So drawing out the ninetail's wasn't possible either. Nor was he able to perform any jutsus.

Shit shit shit... Damn you, Sasuke!

There was only left one opportunity. Hand to hand combat. Maybe he stood a chance, maybe Sasuke also had suffered under their last battle.

Maybe he could distract him and then get to the chasm somehow... Maybe he could string him along till someone in the village noticed his absence and came looking for him.

God, so many "maybes". He thought bitterly.

Sasuke was probably looking for information about the Leaf village. Naruto thought of the dreadful methods which were used in Konoha to extract information of a captured

enemy. No, never he would want to endure something like that.

Naruto took a deep breath and then moved his body into an offensive postition.

The other, who had followed the change of his body language, addressed him a superior smile.

"So you're not surrendering, huh? Though you know you can't win this."

"Yeah, well, let's see about that." The blonde hissed while rotating his shoulders to loose them.

Attentively he observed Sasuke, who had lowered his hand to the grip of his sword which was fastened at the height of his waist.

The sword... Suddenly, Naruto knew what to do. Maybe it would work...

He cleared his troat. Let's hope that Sasuke has at least something of fairness left.

"What? You plan to beat me up with that sword? At least combat me hand to hand, since I don't have other weapon than my body."

Surprised of the fact that his oponent actually followed his suggestion, he watched Sasuke taking off his weapon and throwing it down into the grass.

Good. This had worked... It wasn't that far away, either. Five, six steps, he counted. If he could get a hold of the sword...

"You know" The raven's words interrupted his train of thoughts. "You could just come with me, that would save us the fighting part." His eyes were glowing in a bright crimson colour now.

Naruto shook his head. "I gave you my life. I won't let you have my death."

"I told you, I'm not going to –"

But the blonde raised a hand to shut up his opponent. "Don't." He passed into a crouching position. "Just bring it on."

With a snarl, Naruto pushed his feet off the ground and made a jump forward.

The abrupt movement sent a sudden explosion of pain through his whole body. His muscles burned like they were set on fire and for seconds he lost his sight.

In spite of his pain he covered the distance parting them quite fast. Sasuke prepared himself to intercept the first attack. Naruto lifted his leg, as if aiming for the raven's face. That provoked his opponent to protect

his head with one arm. But instead of completing the attack, he jumped in the direction of the sword. He reduced his momentum with a summersault to not hit the grass face first.

That sent a second wave of pain through his body and his breath went so heavy as if he had run thousands of kilometres. Every single part of his body hurt like there were sharp knives being slammed into him.

He was sure he felt something wet running down his chest.

Some of the wounds must have reopened. He thought. Damn. That hurts.

He grabbed the sword next to him with a last effort. Where was Sasuke?

He noticed his linnen shirt was blood sodden. He felt sick. Without hesitation he drew the silvery shining weapon and, with a quick movement, tended to his stomach.

"NO!" he heard Sasuke scream.

He had no time to wonder about his exclamation, because suddenly the raven was on top of him, sitting on his chest. His legs were pinning Naruto's arms down. Sasuke had wrested the sword from him

and was holding it in one hand. Blood run down the weapon. But it was not his own. The raven had gripped the blade with his bare hand.

Naruto looked at him with eyes wide open. The pain was now no longer endurable, it came and flooded his body again and again. He choked and tasted blood.

"Shit!" He heard Sasuke say, but it sounded distant. The whole world was diffuse and cloudy, like a picture out of focus.

He felt how the pressure on his arms faded and there was Sasuke, bending over him. His face was so close. Naruto smiled. "r eysw aso buful." He managed to say.

Most probably Sasuke would kill him now. He would accept it gratefully. It would ease his pain.

And he already meant to hear the humming sound of the chidoris lightning. He imagined how the raven's perfect, pale hands would pierce through his chest and blow out his life.

Then, finally, his body gave in and released him into the dark world of unconsciousness (or death?).