The Darkness Within the Light
Chapter 5
Fire and Water
Okay...sorry this took so long...blame anime, manga and school...:)... Happy Holidays...this is my gift to you...enjoy...oh and comment...I like comments...they motivate me ;)
Oh and sorry this is kinda stupid...but I'm sorta making up the details as I go :)
-Naruto-
Harsh winds blew the never ending rain wildly through the small village. It swirled around in strange ways, as if different winds were fighting for control. The storm was so bad, people were trapped inside. The small faces of children peered out dew covered windows. The storm was holding out...and it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon.
In a small cottage near the edge of the village, Tsuki watched in dismay as the strange young man she had taken in coughed up blood...again.
His face was extremely pale and a trickle of blood ran down from his mouth. He was breathing in short, heavy gasps. Another harsh cough sent more blood into a half-filled bowl, which he gripped with pale hands.
"Nari-kun..." she said worried, she barely knew the boy...but she didn't want him to die...and it was hard for her to do nothing...to not know what was going on.
He tried to sit up, but winced. "Damn it! Th...things w...were s...supposed to...be like t...this...'tebayo!" he gasped between coughs.
"Don't waste your energy...you'll..." Tsuki trailed off.
"I...have to...l...leave be...before..."
"You're in no condition to go anywhere!" argued Tsuki standing between him and the door.
"I...If I stay y...you could...d...die..." growled Naruto, his voice usually harsh. His shadowed eyes were red and he was glaring at her, trying to make her understand.
"Wh...what?" stuttered Tsuki, flinching away from him. She took a step back. "Wh...what do you m...mean!?"
Naruto shook his head. "I...I can't..." He stood up on wobbly legs. His hands suddenly flew up to his head as a fiery pain shot into his head. He cried out in pain as the burning made it's way through his body.
"N...Nari...y...you're scaring me!" whimpered Tsuki, taking another step back.
Naruto looked up, red eyes glistening with blood-lust. "Get out of my way foolish human!" he growled, his voice demonic.
Tsuki stood petrified with terror. "N...Nari-kun..."
In a flash he had a clawed-hand on her shoulder. She yelped as his powerful chakra burnt her skin. He grinned and tightened his grip before pushing her roughly aside. He smirked as he stared back at her cowering on the floor. "Be grateful human! You have been spared..."
With that he flew the door open and darted out into the storm...leaving a horrified Tsuki behind.
He ran on all fours, through the small village, hardly noticing the rain as it sizzled on his chakra. He grinned, showing his fangs...how he wanted to sink his fangs into flesh...to taste human blood...it had been so long.
Part of him, a tiny flicker of the real him...was the only thing keeping him from spring into a random house. That part of him was confused...why did he have only one tail...and not nine? He didn't know or care at the moment...the only thing that he cared about was that the Kyuubi had gained control...and he hadn't even had the chance to put up a fight.
Damn it!
You knew this would happen... growled the Kyuubi.
Naruto glared at the Kyuubi's conscious from behind the cage. It's bars were considerably closer together...impossible for him to simply walk out.
How does it feel? came the loud, echoing thought. To be trapped in that damned cave?
Naruto's eyes flashed red. "I may be in here...but you're still stuck in my body...which means...unless you want to die...you'll have to come back eventually...my body can't handle this for very long..."
True...but it is only a matter of time before I will have total control...
"Not if you kill us, dattebayo!"
I plan on doing on such thing! Your body will build immunity to the strain...and I have patience...
Naruto hesitated, knowing that the Kyuubi was right. Finally he asked the question, his voice hard. "What happens to me after that?"
The Kyuubi laughed, mocking him. You will suffer as I have...
"Which means?" asked Naruto, confused.
All in due time...all in... the Kyuubi's thought broke off.
"What's wrong?" asked Naruto.
No response.
"Damn it tell me!?"
There was no sound except the sound of water hitting a puddle. The noise seemed to echo... Drip, drop, drip, drop
Naruto paused, and started to finally feel like his old self. "Things weren't supposed to be this way! I'm supposed to be the one in control!" He stopped, thinking. "Yeah! I'm Uzumaki Naruto...not some demonic fur-ball! I can do anything...even become Hokage! Even save Sasuke, dattebayo!"
Naruto blinked his eyes open to find himself on all fours, frozen in his tracks. In front of him were two very familiar faces.
"Run away from home have we?" asked the first man.
Naruto rose out from his crouch and shrugged. "I guess..."
"Self imposed exile?" asked the fish-faced man.
Naruto laughed and bit bitterly. "Am I really so easy to figure out?"
The second man replied, his tone emotionless. "You are predictable...you always do what's best for everyone but yourself..."
Naruto turned his still red gaze on the man, who returned it with his own crimson gaze. "I don't really care about myself anymore."
Kisame laughed. "Is he really giving up! We must have the wrong kid Itachi..."
"He's figured out he can't run..." replied Itachi, with the same tone.
"I never said that, I'm not going down without a fight, dattebayo!"
-Sakura-
Sakura paced inside the cave. "When is this damned storm going to end!" she yelled.
Everyone stared at her, they all looked tired and irritated, they had gotten little sleep the previous nights...and to make things worse...as of yesterday...they had run out of food.
Chouji's stomach growled so loud it made Lee jump five feet in the air. "I need food!" he moaned.
"You wanna go out in that be my guest!" said Kiba, pointed out into the storm.
"It's starting to weaken..." said Shikamaru. "The wind isn't as strong...we could keep going but...phenomena...and hypothermia...we could get sick...and be delayed even further..." He too started pacing, debating quietly with himself.
"Naruto's out in this too..." reminded Neji, quietly.
They all stared out the cave, instantly worried for their friend.
"He'd be smart enough to go into a nearby village..." said Sakura softly.
"He'd also be stubborn enough to not go to a village..." argued Neji.
It was quiet for a long moment...even the wind seemed silent as the small group of ninja buried themselves in their thoughts.
Suddenly Akumaru let out a low growl. The large dog was instantly on his feet, his fur bristling. He faced the entrance...his posture aggressive. Kiba was instantly beside him, sniffing. He turned to the others. "We're not alone...but..." he sounded confused. "He smells like water..."
"Rain," said Shikamaru simply.
"No...it's way too strong...if it was just the rain...his human scent would only be slightly weaker...this guy...he smells more like water than human..." said Kiba. Akumaru barked in agreement.
"How observant of you..."
Everyone turn to see a man leaning against the wall of the cave. His wet hair was silver, with a slight blue tint to it. He was grinning, revealing rows of sharp teeth. On his back was a zanbato.
Sakura's eyes widened when she saw the sword. "That's..."
"You recognize it?" he asked, his grin growing. "So you still remember...that far back..."
"Sakura..." said Kiba quietly.
She didn't take her eyes off the stranger. "Who are you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know..."
"Sakura!"
"What?" she asked turning around.
"His scent..." said Kiba, not meeting her gaze.
"What about it?"
"There's a scent a few days old...it smells like..." Kiba looked at the ground. "Sasuke..."
Sakura's gaze hardened. "Oh..." she said, trying to keep her emotions in check. That's when she noticed he was still looking nervous.
"What else is there?"
"He also smells like...someone else..."
"Who?" asked Sakura, starting to lose control of her emotions.
Kiba gulped. "Naruto..."
Suigetsu grinned at the pitiful group of ninja as he waited for them to put together the pieces. Sasuke's plan...as usual had fallen into pieces. Naruto had been careless...which had caused them to resort to this.
Suddenly the soul female, Sakura he presumed spun around. "Where...is...Naruto!?"
He grinned, it was obvious that she was trying to stay calm...but soon all those emotions would come gushing out. He shrugged. "Who says I know?"
"You're scent..judging by it...you have been around him in the past two days..." said Kiba.
"Ah...smart puppy..." said Suigetsu smirking. "I tell you what...I'll make you a deal..."
"Don't agree to anything!" said Chouji, instantly.
"Wait...let's hear what he has to say..." said Shikamaru. "It could be useful..."
Nobody dared argued with Shikamaru.
Suigetsu laughed. "Very well then...here's the deal...Sasuke-kun needs to find away to Itachi...the only way he can do that now...is by breaking into the headquarters...unfortunately...it's too well guarded for the three of us to distract everybody, while Sasuke-kun finds Itachi..."
"The three of us?" asked Shikamaru.
Suigetsu sighed. "Karin, Juugo, and I...anyway as I was saying...you help us distract everyone...I'll tell you where Naruto is..."
"And if we refuse?" asked Sakura.
"Well you'll never find out where poor Naruto is..." said Suigetsu. "Although I must admit...it was very entertaining watching him...he's fun to mess with..."
Sakura's fist rose up in the air, but somehow she calmed herself. "And what does Sasuke have to say in all this?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?"
-Naruto-
It was dark...really dark...that's all he could remember when he blinked his eyes open. He stared around. Where the hell am I?
The room was dark...and cold...it seemed lonely...like him...like his life.
Done with your beauty sleep? came the venom-filled voice.
Naruto's stomach growled. How long have I been out?
...about three days
"Three days!"
Slowly his eyes adjusted. He squinted through the darkness trying to see. After awhile he gave up...his vision wasn't going to improve anymore...all he could see was himself. He looked down, his clothes were covered in blood...the only question was...who's blood was it?
He gulped, not wanting to know the answer.
Do you remember anything?
No... thought Naruto, not bothering to speak out loud. What happened?
Suddenly his forehead started to burn. It felt like it was on fire. He could also feel old, dried up blood on his forehead. Well that explains some of the blood... He thought wondering how big the cut was...and why it wasn't healed yet.
I've been doing the best I can! snarled the Kyuubi I can't heal all of you at once!
How bad have I been hurt?
You don't need to know...all you need to know that if it wasn't for my healing abilities...you'd be dead...
Yeah...yeah...I get the point you old fur ball!
You should be grateful the Yondaime put me in a brat like you!
Yeah...you're really helping me now...my life's perfect!
It could be worse...
How so?
She could be dead...
"Don't even think that you bastard! If you ever...just don't even think about that damn it! She's not dead...and she won't be dead anytime soon!" yelled Naruto, not even realizing he was yelling out loud.
Everyone dies eventually Naruto...
Once again I'm sorry I took so long...it's not very good...but I needed this to get the real plot going...I didn't originally intend it to go this way...but half-way through last chapter I changed my mind...so that's why it doesn't flow very well with the rest of it...well anyway...please comment.