This chapter is for BloodyDeath106, JustAnotherRandomPerson and all the other reviewers who unintentionally/intentionally/aggressively sparked it. (also for my sister for putting the gun to my head -_- )

This chap has a lot of blood-mines included- and that was your warning least be heeded.

Disclaimer: Naru-kun and Sasu-chin belong to Kishimoto-sensei.

The Washing

Chapter IV

"-uto-san!" a voice bubbled through the wall-like haze of a terrible dream and I whimpered, "Naruto-san! Naruto-san!"

I opened my eyes to Chiyo's face that looked almost unkind from the serious concern that burdened it. She was looking down at me like she expected a conniption from me or something, but it was probably justified because I was panting and sweating like I had just ran a few miles. Adrenaline was fueling a steadily high pulse in my temples and my throat was sore from screams that still rung in the room.

Chiyo released my shoulders, which I hadn't realized she was holding, quite tightly, before. "Are you okay?" she asked me with a soft but heavy voice.

I swallowed; the sweat that was beginning to soak through my clothes was making me feel a little chilly. "I'm fine, it was just-just a bad dream."

Chiyo nodded slowly still studying me, "It's the third time since yesterday." She was right, I woke up in a similar state yesterday morning too, and when I took a nap later that day. But I didn't know what to tell her, normally people have nightmares for a reason, a reason which Chiyo was implying right now, but mines didn't have any I could think of.

"Yeah, they're sort of annoying." I tired to present a grin for her, it came but it was pretty forced, "Maybe I shouldn't watch those X-Files reruns anymore." I chuckled and Chiyo frowned but then sighed after like she was letting the subject drop- or at least allowing me to change it.

"Okay." She shook her head as she sat up, "Would you like a bath?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like that."

She went to the closet, getting out my towel and I pulled the covers off so that I could take it and then head for the bathroom. My mind was still active with the remaining whispers of the dream, the least relevant parts already dissolving from memory leaving me the foggy remains of panic and flashing images of blood. And it's eyes.

I tried to wash off the weary feeling with a hot bath but it went nowhere. Since I last drank from Sasuke I had been feeling very- different. I ran a fever most of the time and everything hurt me, from my foot falls to the gentle press of my bed covers, it was like I was suddenly super sensitive. Even the drops that fell through the shower felt like bullets against my skin, I hissed and took it off quickly then switched to the tub. This sensitivity and fever only dulled when night fell, it went away completely when Sasuke came close. His touch was the complete opposite actually; I think my body was heightening itself to favoring it because when he was around everything went right again. When he wasn't my mind was dazed in lamenting over missing him, heavy eyed and drunk with impalpable pain, my thoughts ran circles around me all about him until I couldn't keep track of time anymore and I was left just staring off for hours.

This is what happened this morning as I sat in the tub, the water becoming blandly cold, my head lent back over the edge, as I silently relived the parts of the dream I remembered. At some point Chiyo knocked on the door and asked if I was alright (I knew she was making sure I hadn't drowned or something).

"I'm okay, sorry, I'm coming out now." I said back at the closed door and sighed as I took up a handful of water and masked it over my face to wake myself up then pulled the rest through my hair. I felt bad, I must be worrying Chiyo with the way I was behaving, but I refused to admit that this had anything to do with the Saikaimokuyoku. It was just too subtle, too much forged within myself. I don't know, I guess I expected the things Sasuke warned me about this convergence to come directly from somewhere I could name, point at and fight back at with everything I had, but this that I was going through made me feel like I was being consumed by something from inside.

I got up out of the tub carefully, wincing when my feet touched the floor and I felt like the little mermaid with the blades cutting into them. I wondered if I should tell Sasuke about this, but that would just make him worried- yeah, I realized recently that the vampire wasn't just admiring me when he stared (which was what I do when I stared at him) he actually studies me like a hawk and get's anxious about anything perceivably abnormal- if I told him about how sick I was when he wasn't there he might hold back on the Saikaimokuyoku. It frustrated me how little blood of his blood he would give me, like he didn't believe in me at all, he would always pull me away too soon and when he did the compulsions I felt, the jerking aggression that flared out of me, like wild reaching arms, clawed and desperate, it frightened me.

But I just wanted more.

Chiyo left the room to allow me a chance to dress then I sat in bed and waited for her to bring my breakfast. I didn't feel up to eating outside in the verandah today, the sun made my eyes burn- another thing I should question Sasuke about, he told me only the older vampires 'can't abide the sun'. When she returned she placed the platter on my lap and I thanked her. As usual it looked good, a traditional breakfast: rice, miso soup with tofu and green onions, Nori, grilled salmon and Tamagoyaki with tsukemono. Truthfully the sight of the food made my stomach reel and my mind recoiled like an animal from the surge of frustration I felt, similar to what I'd feel when I was stopped drinking by Sasuke, and I couldn't understand why.

Disgusting

"It's not, it's food."

It's disgusting! Don't you want more? Tell the stupid old bitch to get you some!

"Shut up!"

"Naruto-san?" Chiyo was staring at me, at my hands that were clamped around my ears, fork still between my fingers, my grimaced face. I unclenched my eyes and looked back at her as I released a shaky sigh.

"Sorry." I muttered an apology. I couldn't believe I said that, it was in my head but I still thought it anyways- about Chiyo. And it hurt too, like something, sharply rough, callously clenching around my head in anger, it physically and mentally hurt.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, the miso was just a little hot."

My eyes were watering. Chiyo went back to putting fresh clothes in my dresser and I wiped them dry with my arm then went back to trying to convince myself to eat but the only thing that I could bring myself to feign appeal for was the soup.

We don't want that.

I ignored the thought, even ignored how it didn't seem to stem from me but wisped up as an invention of its own. Because that would be a frightening thing, uncontrollable thoughts. I swallowed the warm food and something coiled and thrashed in me like an animal in pain-

Like ash, it tastes like ash! Spit that putrid shit out!

I felt then as if my throat had closed up, I held it as I coughed the spoon full of soup into my other hand. Bent over the plate I used a napkin to cover my coughs and held the free hand up at Chiyo to show I was okay when she glanced up at me again.

I decided I wasn't hungry.

That night Sasuke came and went quickly. Appearing like a sleek dark spirit through the window, floating through the welcomed darkness of my bedroom and sharing a swift sanguine kiss with me. Easing all the pains and aches, pushing any doubts or worries I had during the day to the corners of nonexistence and absorbing me in lusty red world that we created between us every night. But like I said, it was brief. Soon his hot lips pulled away from me-

"Sorry, love, no more."

-and the gloriously ringing high that was so intense weeks ago was gone in seconds, replaced by that thrashing, angry yearning, that coiling snake- the hot angry beast-like thing- that muttered silently one word. But Sasuke didn't hear it, he was gone already- a meeting or something like that- and I spent the rest of the night in bleak dreams.

Today I couldn't eat much either, something in me just wouldn't let me do it in peace. It was really becoming frustrating and I seemed to feel that way about everyone, even Sasuke. He knows I want more, I mean I make it pretty obvious every night when I beg for him not to pull away, but he does anyway! I decided that I needed to get to out of that bedroom because I was feeling much better now, besides the acute sensitivity, and there was no way in hell I was spending another day watching rerun soaps-I was beginning to like them, that's really frightening.

Chiyo told me that I could go outside but Sasuke wouldn't want me leaving the grounds which I knew already without either of them saying, but I had no intentions of partying, I just wanted to get outside. Today was perfect for that, wet and overcast, grey, burly rainclouds blocked out the sun so that it looked like mid-evening, and it would be like this all day too, I could smell it. when I stepped outside I spent at least a half an hour experiencing the new atmosphere, the clumpy wet air perfumed lightly with grass and earth, the wind heavy with the musty scent of the forest that was a few miles away, I could smell some animals too- horses?

I didn't notice what I was doing until I was in a field, half a mile away from the chateau, with my bare feet in the moist earth and my eyes close as I tried to listen to the gentle raindrops against the surface of a lake that I couldn't even see.

"What the fuck." I muttered, I opened my eyes and shivered- though I wasn't at all cold, another surprising thing given that all I was wearing were jeans and a thin t-shirt in this weather.

I sensed something else behind me, a pack of four dogs. They had been discreetly following me since I stepped outside and they were becoming bold now that I was still. I tried to remain calm so that they would to, I leanrt enough from my Dad who worked a lot with animals to know that dogs mostly mirror your own energy- also something told me that that would be the right thing to do. Soon enough they were gathered casually around me, one even allowed me to pat it's head and I remembered Chiyo mentioning that one of the security measures of the Uchiha grounds were dogs, Norweigian Elkhounds I think they were.

Do you smell that?

I released a shaky sigh as the thought gripped me just as suddenly as the new rusty scent that wafted weakly up my nose. I shook my head as if I was trying to get something out.

In the forest. In the forest. In the forest.

The chant went on and on until I was left clutching my head and the dogs were alert on me again, probably wondering if I was mad and if they should rip me apart for it.

"Okay." I whimpered, it was becoming painful, an impalpable hurt that verberated through every part of me, "Okay! OKAY!"

I took off, ignoring the daggers under my feet and the sting of the wind against my reddening skin, in the direction of the forest, a looming canopy of green made even darker due to the rain. The dogs followed behind me growling and darking, kicking up a loud noise of excitement. When I ran faster their ruckus seemed to wane and when I looked behind I saw that it was because they couldn't keep up with me. I might have stopped just from the shock of that-

I definitely couldn't run that fast a few weeks ago.

-but the chant compelled me on until the scent became heavier and I came upon a lump on the ground. It was a horse, it's shallow breathing came slowly and it's wide glossy eyes held a diming silent panic that I could hear like shrieking in my ears, louder than the fading cant, louder than my own rationality because all it seemed I could focus on was the disgusting gashes in it's tigh and at the bottom of it's neck. Wood, it looked like, probably from a fence that it had jumped- maybe it was scared and tried to jump over it, it was young horse, they tend to do that. But the blood was like a swollen fog engulfing the entire area in a red viscous stink, a bubble dome of noise in my head that screamed for me to drink.

Yes, yes, drink it now.

"But it's not even dead."

Who gives a shit! We want it. We want more.

"Shut up! That's disgusting!"

The dogs were barking at my back, whimpering and shuffing through the dead leaves and mud, somehow I know they are afraid of me. Right now I'm afraid of me too, of the clawing in my head and me shouting at myself as I near the still horse, kneel down beside and spread my hands through it's blood soaked fur. With wide eyes I, muttering cursed at It, I plunge my hands into the wound and they melt into the red hot, twitching muscles, the blood seeping endless out and over ot's neck into the mud and rain. I pulled my hands out and felt the heat flow down to my elbows, my arms and shoulders and scorching a raw path down my throat.

Good. Good. So good.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I jumped out of a nightmare and found myself sweating in bed. It was a creepy dream; It was chasing me through the halls of Sasuke's chateau. It squeezed it's large blood red mass through the narrow corridors after me with a veracious desperation that scared the shit out of me.

It was so real.

My heartbeat throbbed in my chest and reverberated all the up to my temples, i had to calm down. I wiped the sweat off my face with my shaky hands then paused when I noticed something- I felt okay. Well besides the shrieking panic still fresh around me, I felt no pain, no burning red eyes, pins on my skin or those never-ending pangs of hunger. I felt like Sasu-

"Sasuke." I could feel him in the house, downstairs inside the morning room and- I closed my eyes as I tried to feel him, Sasuke stinging, electrified energy, without touching him. Grope through the meaningless, bendable space that I knew I could make not matter to me, and see the image that I knew was there, that was gradually emerging. Yes, he was with Chiyo. She sat at an elegant, pale marble table, there was water can rested beside her- she was probably just watering the plants in the morning room a moment ago. I could hear them talking, actually I wouldn't call it hearing, just knew what they saying.

"He came back covered in blood and mud," Chiyo said gravely, her shaky voice echoed hollowly in the silent room, "rambling about something in the forest. It took a while to calm him down, in the end I had to give him medicine to get him asleep. It worried me very much the entire thing, he's been behaving- strangely."

Sasuke didn't answer at first but I could of felt him opposite her, his body making a slender silhouette in the dark room "You think this is the Saikaimokuyoku." He finally stated.

"I'm not sure my Lord, it could be but I've never see-"Chiyo's words halted when Sasuke lifted his hand, signaling her to stop. And then I understood that he knew that I could hear them, I could feel the tug of his mind, the feeling of being held away without being touched, as if he had taken my hand and gently pulled me out of the room. The image was now gone. I pouted at being thrown out, but looked up when I heard the door of my bedroom softly close and Sasuke stood in front of it.

His dark knee length jacket was unbottuned and it exposed a wind ruffled shirt, I could smell weak wisps of the city on him. There was no red in his eyes, they were two onyx rocks, a cold darkness that gleamed it's own light amongst the shadows he stood in. I chuckled nervously because he hadn't said a word or moved yet, something told me he didn't really know what to say.

I ruffled my hair nervously, "It wasn't as bad as Chiyo-baa made it sound."

"It scared the hell out of my dogs."

"Ha, think they'll ever talk to me again?"

He smiled, well he smiled enough for Sasuke which wasn't very much but enough for me. "Why are you so far away?" I put my hands out, I wanted him in bed with me, I wanted my kiss even though I knew the frustration will haunt me. "You don't come much lately, so when you're here we shouldn't have any space between us." I intentionally made it sound like a command which seemed to amuse Sasuke, he rose one of his sharp eyebrows challengingly.

"Some problems are arising in Konoha and unfortunately I'm required." He told me as he took his jacket off and approached the bed. I pulled the covers away so that he could slip in beside me.

"What kind of problems?"

"You don't have to worry about that." Sasuke held onto me and I was enveloped in his natural scent blended with the stale city, fresh wind and something much richer when he opened his mouth to speak then to press kisses on my neck. It was blood. I understood after a while that the reason Sasuke felt so warm when he touched me was because he fed himself before seeing me every night- I told him that he could have toad skin and I'd still be all over him but I guess it's a self-conscious vampire thing.

But his feed, probably from moments ago, wafted a lusty, dank aroma that made every muscle in my body clench, spurred frantic memories connected to that scent and kindled the ghost of the taste of blood in my mouth. I imagined it instantly filling my mouth, scorching my throat and burning from the inside, like it did with the horse.

But much better. Yes, much, much better than that revolting animal.

The thought came as a flicker of pain and I cringed, but Sasuke didn't notice. He was talking about something else, the heat of his voice licked my ear and poured more of that scent around me and for the briefest moments I wondered if he can hear me. Though right now my thoughts seemed to be possessed by one steady mission, couldn't he hear the chanting that screamed as loud as lights in my head? Couldn't he at least hear the faint crying for help somewhere behind the noise? The solitude was crushing, the realization startled me and I felt myself shrinking in an indescrible way, though it was similar to how powerless I felt in forest with the horse, right before the decision was made beyond me to drink from it. The moment before the moment when It took over and my feet fell free of the ledge.

Sasuke kissed me and I felt It move, greedy and grasping like It did after me when I was running from It in the dream, but now I was the narrow corridor that was choking it in., creaking and straining, cracking at the edges and bursting at the weak spots as it's blood red mass carelessly shoved on. Before I could stop myself I held onto Sasuke's head, wrapping both arms from behind roughly and pulled him close with a strength that I didn't know I had. I opened my mouth and bit down without care for where, his tongue or lips, as long as it bleed it didn't matter.

Sasuke grunted when I bit him and I felt him try to pull away but he couldn't even move because of my grip around his head. I heard my name rumbled through his mouth and into mines, it sounded patient but commanding and I tried to regain control of myself, to rationalize, but it had begun and I knew this wouldn't end until It was satisfied or was stopped by force. My fingers dug into the back of Sasuke's head and neck like claws and his blood seeped out as a ring between our tightly clashed mouths while I drank like my life depended on it. I knew I was hurting him, I could feel him trying to push me off and I felt his mouth called out to me to stop, I also knew he was being gentle and that he could tug me off of him easily if he choose but know Sasuke he was probably more afraid of hurting me.

Inevitably the blood took me over and I become intoxicated with it and like a calming animal It's chokehold on me eased and Sasuke's pulling became more effective. He got me off for a second, a line of blood and saliva between us, and I glimpse the mess of cuts and slits that I had made of his lips, but I moved back in and sucked on until he finally pinned me down.

"Calm down Naruto." Sasuke brushed my face with his free hand, he had me clamped down between his legs and I watched him through glazed eyes sit up and wipe the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. The nasty bruises were healing immediately but the blood had stained the white collar of his shirt and speckled his floorless skin. it alarmed me that I had done that to him but at the same time the sight fanned a deep desire for more of him at the same time, I reached out for Sasuke but he just looked down at me- appearing surprisingly calm after being attacked like that. But the concern was in his voice, "Naruto."

I growled in response, it just came out, a desperate sound born in my chest but emitted from my throat and Sasuke bent down over me, took hold of my two hands and pinned them down beside my head. The want for him was panicked and excruciating, I screamed from both the pain and frustration and fought against him futilely. Through tear filled eyes I watched his dark eyes fill with those tangles of red and Sasuke's callous desire clench the room, it overflowed and receded then again burst through like it always did in that shoreline dance for control that he is always at the brink of. With one last painfully indefinable look at me he came down on my throat with his teeth and I moaned when those hot blades entered me, sliding through my skin and instantly making me hard. My body coiled and my heart beat quickened as if to joyfully feed deliver as much blood for Sasuke as possible, my limbs lost all of their power and I floated away in a new and welcomed chant of Sasuke's voice telling to 'sleep'.

Thanks for reading!

I have nothing to do with myself these days so updates may be faster- reviews greatly move the processes along, they are the wind beneath my finger tips (^_^)y