A/N: Hello
everyone and welcome back!
Rated: "M" gore /
adult situations / torture / violence / language
Welcome to Chapter 15 of "The Collector" – A Hard Fought Battle
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Deidara loomed over Karin's unconscious body, being careful not to step in the small pool of blood that was forming around her head. The blow had been hard, but not deadly. Gripping the sharp stone tighter, his fingers were itching to finish the job. But he wanted to relish in tormenting her, doing it slow and painful, just as she did to him. An insane smile spread across Deidara's lips. He could see how this could be so entertaining.
However, before extracting full revenge on Karin, there was something else Deidara needed to do. "It's not like she's going to go anywhere," he smirked to himself. Turning wild eyes to his left, he saw the wicked ECT unit. Reaching out to shut it down, Deidara jerked the knobs so hard they cracked completely off. Even in silence, the machine still mocked him. Its lights and dials glowed menacingly, like the eyes of a snake, daring Deidara to attack it again. Anger flooded through him as he shoved the machine off the wheeled cart, sending it crashing to the floor. He heard flesh tearing as the wires were ripped free. Crap! He'd forgotten that someone had been attached to the damn thing.
After landing a swift kick into Karin's side for good measure, Deidara stepped closer to her latest victim. Shock and dread filled him as he recognized his friend's shaggy red mane of hair. It was one thing to have the shocks administered to him, but to see it done to someone else, especially when that someone was Sasori, had made it so much worse. "Sasori?" he whispered, voice cracking. Seconds passed with no response. "Sasori?" he called again, his voice more urgent.
One bruised eye cracked open, revealing a dull amber orb. It squinted slightly in attempt to focus. "Who's there?" Sasori said warily. The dusty blond reached out to cup his friend's face between his hands. Sasori flinched at the contact, fear coursing through him. "Wasn't that crazy bitch done yet?" he wondered in exasperation.
"Sasori, it's me. Deidara." The dusty blond answered reassuringly.
"Deidara? Thank god you're alright," Sasori murmured. "I though maybe…ugh!" Sasori's body exploded in pain. "Everything hurts so bad," he muttered.
"I know," Deidara replied grimly. "But I'll get you'll out of this." He pressed up against Sasori, getting close enough to lay his friend's head gently on his shoulder. With the same rock he used to knock out Karin, he began to smash it against the chain links that extended from Sasori's collar. After a few solid pounds, the chain snapped and Sasori's body fell completely against Deidara's. The dusty blond winced at the impact, his ribs threatening to crack completely. At the same time, it felt right to have the two of them be so close again.
"You're hurt," Sasori said, concern for his friend overriding that of his own situation.
"It's nothing," came the hasty reply.
"You were never good at lying."
"I've been through worse," Deidara said dismally. "Now for these other chains." He bent down slowly, carefully lowering Sasori with him. They took longer than the neck chain, but the ankle chains too gave way after a couple of hard smacks from the rock. Deidara pushed the broken pieces aside, then pulled his friend close to him. Tenderly, he began to stroke his fingers through Sasori's hair. "For these other cuffs we'll need something much stronger," Deidara said, one hand reaching for the cool iron around Sasori's wrists.
"I don't care about those." Sasori muttered. "Deidara, I…"
Deidara brought his fingers to his friend's lips. "Later," he said softly. "Try not to focus on the pain."
"Fine then. How about I focus instead on what I'd like to do with you when we get home and out of this mess," Sasori said with a small smile. Deidara paused, his cheeks turning crimson. After everything that had happened, Sasori still wanted to be a part of his life. Why? Deidara decided he'd figure it out later.
The priority now was to stop Sasori's bleeding. The dusty blond removed his jacket and began tearing strips from it using the sharp edges of his rock. He then took the pieces and wrapped them around Sasori's neck and chest. With the leftover portions, he folded them and wiped gently at Sasori's face, clearing away the blood and grime. After Deidara was satisfied, he scurried across the room to get Sasori's tunic. He carefully pulled it down over his friend's head. "At least you look a little better," Deidara said encouragingly.
"Thanks to you," Sasori replied warmly. "I was really worried about you." The redhead reached up his hand, rubbing his fingers across the newly acquired scars on Deidara's face. His brows furrowed. "What happened to you?"
Shame and disgust filled Deidara at the thought of what Suigetsu had made him do. "There was a cave-in," he said quickly, averting his eyes.
Sasori was skeptical, but he'd play along for now. "That's right. I remember there was a loud roar that caused the walls to shake. Karin said it was her pet or something." Sasori began to stand, easing himself up alongside the wall. He faltered briefly, but Deidara was there to help steady him.
"Easy, Sasori. It'll take some time for these wounds to heal. But it'd be better to get you topside for some real medical attention. Lean on me and we'll go."
"What about the woman?" Sasori questioned.
"Karin? I knocked her out," came the smooth response. Deidara and Sasori turned to leave. That's when Sasori felt his friend's body stiffen, then tremble with rage.
"What's wrong?" Sasori asked quietly.
"She's gone." Deidara deadpanned.
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Naruto let out a roar as chakra exploded from his body. It shattered the earth talons that held him prisoner, instantly turning them to dust. Rising to his feet, Naruto narrowed his blood red eyes on the fight between Rhage and Sasuke. He was about to surge forward to help his friend when he doubled over in excruciating pain.
"Gah!" Naruto cried. He wrapped his arms around himself, dropping to his knees. The power he felt was incredible, but he was scared shitless. He'd never let the fox have this much control before. Inside his subconsciousness, Naruto peered up at Kyuubi. "What the hell is going on?!" he demanded.
"Shut up and let me work kid," the fox replied, rubbing its paws together eagerly. Kyuubi wrapped Naruto within its clawed hands, cocooning the teen inside. "I've waited a long time for this," it said, lips spreading into a wide grin.
Back on the outside, Naruto crouched lower to the ground. Chakra and power raced through his body threatening to burst from it. He screamed as something raced down his spine, exploding at the tailbone. Risking a glance back, Naruto could see nine wickedly long tails flicking back and forth. They shot out in a fan formation, then came back in around each other, coiling over each other until Naruto was completely covered in the center.
Rhage had picked up on the change in chakra levels and found himself mildly amused. Pausing briefly in his onslaught of Sasuke, he said mildly, "This should be interesting."
"Damn it dobe," Sasuke thought bitterly to himself, "Don't do stupid shit for the likes of me." He too could feel the intense chakra pulsing through the area. He'd fought with Naruto before when he tapped into Kyuubi's powers, but it was never anything like this.
Although he couldn't see what was happening, he could hear it; bones were snapping and shifting position, low guttural growls and mewling noises were heard, nails were scratching viciously against the sides of the furry prison.
Suddenly, a stream of red chakra burst from Naruto, straight up into the sky, illuminating the area. A rough laugh was heard as the tails uncurled themselves revealing a fox type creature with blazing red eyes and razor sharp teeth. It stood on all fours, roughly the height of a very large wolf. Digging its needle like claws into the wet ground, it set about to casually stretching out its limbs. Shaking itself, the fox's fur fluffed out, blood red against the stark white of the snow. Taking a look around at itself it shrugged saying, "Smaller than I would've liked, but it'll do." A soft 'clink' was heard as something small landed at the fox's feet. Shifting its gaze downwards, it brought its nose close to the object and sniffed. "The kid's headband. And here I thought it would have melted by now. Eh." the fox kicked it away. Its eyes followed the object as it sailed through the air and landed near Sasuke and Rhage. "Ahh…so there you are." Lowering itself to the ground, its eyes glittering with the anticipation of an attack. "I did promise the brat I'd get rid of you. Who am I to say no to such a privilege?"
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"Hang on!" Sai shouted. Ino huddled closer to the ladder, as did Sakura. All three were holding on as tight as they could against the impact of the chakra that had come crashing down onto them. It was gone as quick as it had come, but it left a heavy impact on the group. "Was that from the monster you told us about earlier, Sakura?" Sai asked curiously.
The pink haired anbu was shocked. It couldn't be true. Naruto? She shook her head to clear the nightmarish images that filled her mind. "Sakura?" Sai pressed.
"I don't think so," she replied hesitantly.
"What?! You think Karin made more of those monstrous things?" Ino cut in fearfully. "We have to get as far away from here as we can! Now! We've seen the exit, so let's move!"
"Wait! Ino!" Sai said, his voice muffled as the girl started climbing over him to get further up the elevator shaft. "There's too much weight on one spot. We have to keep it evenly distributed or something's going to…" Snap! All three froze on the spot. Snap! Snap! Snap! All eyes swung to the ladder and watched in horror as it began to rip away from the wall. They had climbed a long distance and nothing but certain death awaited them if they fell now.
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Jiraiya yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Sleep seemed like a distant memory these days. Rubbing at his eyes, he took a sip of his now cold, cup of coffee. It tasted disgusting, but he kept at it. Frustrated, he flung his empty cup across the room, where it hit the far wall, shattering into tiny pieces. "Where are they? What's happening to them?" Placing his head in his hands, he could barely make out the files upon files of the people who had gone missing in his village.
"Jiraiya?" a voice called from the doorway to his office. Jiraiya raised his head slowly to see a lean raven-haired male stepping inside the room. "I came to see if there was any news about Sasori?" the man said with hope in his voice.
"No, Itachi. There is nothing about him or the others," the older man replied regretfully.
Itachi rubbed at his temples. He was really worried about his friend. Although he promised not to get involved, he couldn't be idle any longer. "This situation is getting out of control. We need to get help from the outside." Itachi insisted.
"Do you honestly think anyone will want to help us?" Jiraiya countered. "Especially after we've isolated ourselves for so long? Chances are, most villages don't even know we're out here."
"The village hidden in the leaves," Itachi said quietly. "They will help us."
"Konoha?" Jiraiya laughed a humorless laugh. "Why even bother mentioning them? It's not like they are even involved." Jiraiya strode outside to his patio. He leaned on the steel railing that overlooked the town and the hundreds of acres of woods that surrounded them.
"Well, actually," Itachi began slowly, following the elder outside. He was hesitant to say anything about Sakura, Deidara, or talk about anything that had happened with Sasori. But it had to be done. "You see…" Suddenly, a giant beam of red chakra shot out from the furthest west woods. Its glow was eerie and foreboding, even at this distance.
"What the hell?" Jiraiya uttered.
"That's chakra." Itachi said, clearly impressed by the sheer mass of it.
"Indeed. But it's the location that bothers me," Jiraiya muttered.
"Sir?" Itachi questioned.
"Come on, Itachi. Not a minute to lose." Jiraiya said hurriedly, rushing from the patio. Itachi looked back at the fading chakra light, then turned to followed the elder out of the office. He didn't know what Jiraiya was thinking, but at least it was something.
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Rhage shoved Sasuke aside as he took a stand against the fox. "Don't think I'm done with you," he called over his shoulder. The raven moaned painfully in reply. Oddly enough, though his senses were heightened, Rhage had trouble analyzing this new opponent. It seemed to be demonic, animalistic, and yet, human? Rhage's snake tail hissed in agitation when he chose to crouch down into a defensive posture, bringing his wings up around his body into a protective shield.
"Not sure what to make of me, are you?" the fox mocked. "Well, you can figure that out after I have you wriggling beneath my paws," the kyuubi roared, leaping at Rhage. It landed hard against the creature, sinking its sharp teeth into the leathery wings. Rhage tried to tear the kyuubi from him, but after a few strong thrashes, his wings were ripped completely from his shoulders. Blood splattered onto the kyuubi as he slid off Rhage and rolled back into the snow. Shaking itself free of snow, the fox spat out the wings. After only a moment, the wings turned ashen and stiff, dying from their lack of chakra.
Rhage staggered upright, surprised by such power and fury. He was only on his feet for a second before a heavy, thick furry tail slammed into him, pushing him to the ground. As if one wasn't bad enough, eight more hits followed in quick succession, each more vicious than the last. The kyuubi grinned wildly, clearing enjoying itself. It had smelt blood and wanted more. After a thorough pounding with its tails, the kyuubi recoiled them back behind him and strode eagerly up to its opponent. Its smile quickly died as there was nothing but an empty hole to greet him. "You think you're so clever, do you?" the kyuubi scoffed, seeing a burrowed tunnel that led back into the surrounding forest. Sidestepping the hole, the kyuubi moved to follow topside before it hesitated.
Glancing over its shoulder, the kyuubi focused on where Sasuke lay. Even from this far distance, it was able to see the irregular rise and fall of the raven's chest. The kyuubi's eyes softened for a moment. "Maybe I should.." Shaking its head, the kyuubi snorted and took off to pursue its prey.
Once inside the woods, the area was much different from the open snowdrifts. The fox felt cramped, crushed by the weight of the dense surrounding foliage. It grew annoyed seeing its usually quick and swift movements slowed by the many low intertwining branches. Recklessly, the fox swung its tails around, smashing the trees to little more than slivers of wood. "You can't hide from me!" it bellowed.
Rhage sat motionless hidden within the snow. He knew his body had taken quite a beating, but he merely shrugged it off. After all, whatever was broken could simply be replaced. At least, he thought that was how it worked. He absentmindedly rubbed his human hands together. He felt over the bite marks of the teen that had bit him. The wound wasn't healing as it should. "Strange," Rhage thought. He waved if off for later.
Rhage sent out his chakra 'feelers' to help give him a better idea of what he was up against. He could pick up on chakra patterns, read them as sensing a living being's body heat. Creatures usually had one signature chakra, but not this one. Inside, two patterns clashed with one another, fighting for control. Rhage needed to take a hold of one of those strands to gain an edge. He frowned, seeing the fox's chakra was so intense that even he couldn't break into it. But on the other side lie something he could manipulate. Rhage smiled, thinking back on how much fun it was bringing that redhead's fear to life. Time to play again. Bringing his human hands together, Rhage started to chant softly. The kyuubi cocked its head, seeing the forest shimmer out of view, with a new, familiar location taking its place. The fox recognized immediately what was happening, but its consciousness was pushed roughly aside, making way for the one that had come to know this place as his home.
"Konoha?" Naruto said curiously. Looking down at his hands, he saw they were tanned and covered in flesh. No more fur or claws. "Finally!" he sighed, "I'm me again." Rubbing the back of his hair with his hand, he furred his brow. "But how'd I get back here?" A clap of thunder boomed in his ears. Rain began to fall against his skin, not too hard, but enough to give him a cold chill. He rushed inside the gates, pulling his orange and black jacket up over his head.
Once inside, he headed for Hokage tower. Normally, he was in awe of such a place, but today, it looked desolate and drab. Naruto tried the door, but it was locked. He knocked loudly shouting, "Hello? Tsunade?" There was no response. "That's unusual. There's always someone."
Feeling uncertain, Naruto left the tower in search of the Hokage. As he ran through the village, he noticed that the place was dark and empty. "Where is everyone?" he thought anxiously to himself. "I know it's raining, but it's only water." He sprinted past building after building until he was just nearing the outskirts of the village. It was there he finally saw people who stood silent and solemn beneath their umbrellas.
Slowly, Naruto approached the sacred place. The Memorial Stone. In respect, he dropped his headband from his forehead, having it settle around his neck. His hair fell into his eyes and he brushed it away with his arm. "I wonder who…"
"I'm surprised to see you, Naruto" Tsunade said resentfully. At the mention of Naruto's name, every bystander turned, narrowing his or her eyes onto the blond. Naruto shrank back slightly. It'd been a long time since he had received those types of looks. Even now, he still hated them, the nasty glares that haunted his dreams.
"It's not my fault that the Kyuubi is inside me," Naruto mumbled bitterly.
"Why even bother showing up?" Sakura spat at him. Her green eyes were full of fury, yet were red and puffy as if she'd been crying.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto began, reaching out to her.
"Don't touch me, you monster!" Sakura recoiled. Naruto's face fell. She'd never called him that before.
"Enough," Tsunade interjected. "Let him see the repercussions of his actions." The hokage took Naruto roughly by the shoulder and shoved him towards the smooth marble stone. The people standing nearby cleared a path for him, muttering rude comments and making indecent gestures as they did so. Naruto tried to stand tall against it, but inside, he was hurt. And here he thought he'd proven himself. Doing his best to ignore the badgering crowd, Naruto approached the stone warily. There seemed to be numerous names recently etched into the stone's marble surface.
"What happened?" Naruto asked, confusion crossing his tanned face. Before he could finish reading the names, his eyes widened as he saw Sasuke's sword, the sharp blade stuck into the ground while the black hilt swayed above. There were flowers and ribbons hanging off of it, though most of it was soaked from the rain.
"Why is this here?" Naruto demanded. "It should be by its owner's side."
Tsunade raised a brow. "And indeed it is." Sakura began to whimper, then burst into tears. Dreading the worst, Naruto turned slowly, his hands running over the last name to be inscribed onto the Memorial Stone.
"Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto murmured softly. "But how?"
"You should know, you put him there! And everyone else too!" Sakura accused. "How could you?" she sobbed.
"This can't be," Naruto grew desperate. "I didn't do anything!"
"Oh, but you did," Tsunade shook her head solemnly.
"That's impossible!" Naruto said anxiously, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"It was bound to happen," Tsunade said with a heavy sigh. "The elders were right, you are a problem. One that should have been locked up with the key thrown away all those years ago."
"Tsunade, I.." Naruto's distressed voice was drowned out by the villagers who had grown rowdy and angry. Kunai and swords were withdrawn and aimed at Naruto. "Murderer! Monster!" they chanted hatefully. They surged forward, pinning Naruto against the cool, wet stone. The voices grew louder, angrier, and vicious. The blond tried to tune them out but he was rapidly falling into a deep pit of despair. He was back at square one where people feared and despised him, Sakura hated him, and his best friend and lover were dead. How could it all have gone so terribly wrong?
Rhage smirked. This was going perfectly, although he'd been lucky to get his genjutsu in before the fox's consciousness had time to react. This human was a lot of fun to tear apart. His attachment to his friend was strong, and that was his weakness. Stupid humans. Bonds. They were nothing but leverage.
The kyuubi staggered, fighting for control back over Naruto's body. He was sure he'd subdued the annoying brat. Apparently, he'd have to make some adjustments. But he couldn't do anything if his lesser half was trapped inside a wrapped genjutsu. That left the fox vulnerable and very pissed off. There was little he could do when Rhage attacked viciously, talons ripping and tearing along the fox's sleek body. Blood and twisted flesh fell to the ground, darkening the snow, and making it slick with gore. The wounds were deep and the fox felt the sharp stab of pain every time it moved.
Reaching with his human hands, Rhage placed them around kyuubi's neck, tightening them as he went. "Whatever you are is not worth my time," Rhage said blandly. "I will finish you, then attend to more pressing matters." His snake tail hissed happily, its tongue darted in and out in glee. Rhage swung around in attempt to snap the fox's neck. Though Rhage was careful not to get bitten by the sharp fangs, he didn't realize that he'd placed himself in great danger. From the jaws of the fox, an powerful blast of chakra was released, aimed directly for Rhage's human torso. It sent the creature flying backwards, spiraling out of control. The chakra beam pulsed for nearly twenty seconds with such intensity that it had completely disintegrated Rhage's body. But it wasn't just Rhage that was obliterated, half of the forest was gone, leaving nothing but small charred remains.
The kyuubi grunted in pain. He hurt, a lot, and even with his incredible chakra healing abilities, it would take a good day or two to recover properly. "Screw these human attributes. When I have full possession of this body, these wounds will be nothing to me," he snarled. Not even bothering to see the damage, the fox chose instead to limp back outside, away from the woods. All he wanted to do now was lie down and rest. But before he did that…blazing red eyes turned towards Sasuke.
Sasuke had managed to get on his hands and knees. His body was so battered and bruised that he'd gone numb with the pain. He didn't care anymore. What mattered now was finding out what happened to Naruto. He felt around the snow, hoping he'd feel the indentation of a footprint, or something that would tell him at least where his friend had gone. "Dammit! If I could just see," Sasuke growled in frustration.
"Why bother? You'll be dead within minutes," the kyuubi smirked, pressing its paws against the raven. Sasuke fell back into the snow, feeling the sharp tips of nails digging into his chest.
"What have you done with Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, his voice raw and hoarse.
"Naruto no longer has control of this body." The kyuubi swiped a paw hard against Sasuke's cheek. "You nearly cost your dear friend his life back there. Do you have any idea how much you influence Naruto?" Another swipe of the huge paw came fast against Sasuke's face. "Hell, you've been a thorn in my side since Naruto met you!" the fox snarled, its mouth starting to foam. "But with you out of the picture, I can finally reign supreme!" The fox laughed manically, then growled in irritation. "This pain is starting to ruin my fun," it mumbled. "No matter. At least I can still enjoy your suffering." With that, the kyuubi bit down hard into Sasuke's shoulder, its fangs digging into the raven's pale flesh.
Sasuke bit his tongue to keep from screaming. He wouldn't give the fox the satisfaction. The raven refused to believe that his friend was gone for good. Naruto would never give into the demon fox, ever. The fox continued ripping into Sasuke, cutting him up further, sending his body into new torrents of pain. An evil wave of doubt washed over Sasuke. But what if it was true? Surely, the evilness of this creature held nothing of who or what Naruto really was. Could Naruto really be gone? If so, Sasuke couldn't live with himself or without his friend. Closing his dull gray eyes, he hoped it all ended soon. Perhaps in the afterlife he'd do a better job of being a friend and not fuck it up like he did in this lifetime. He awaited death, though it never came. But something else did.
-- END CHAPTER 15 --
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