A/N– I do understand why some people don't like the errors in my chapters, but I must remind you that this is my hobby. This is not something I am selling and thus don't care if it bothers you. I also to allow betas, I cant stand the thought of someone doing anything to my chapters.

By the way, as much as I love having you add me to favorite stories or author list I would like it if you also took the time to review. It helps me keep motivated!

Summary-Naruto is not like everyone thinks he is, he hides his true self from everybody. The few who know about the other him know very little. When various events force Naruto to spend time with his team mates in situations outside of the norm he finds it hard to keep up the act.

Parings-SasuNaru, some KakaIru others not decided.

Rating- very much an R rated fic… or M… guess that's what it is now… -- bah

Warning- sexual situations, foul language, self mutilation, attempted suicide, a very OOC Sasuke. And bitchy Sakura! –– well she had gotten better in resent chapters.

Spoilers- for anyone who is not up to date on the manga –– that's sorta true now.

Disclaimer– storm knocked to power out while I was writing this… thank the lord for auto save!

It was brought to my attention that the self mutilation scenes I have in this story are rather vivid and the feelings of Naruto are described in much detail. I was told that I should extend my warning to people so that they don't end up doing it to themselves. I am no stranger to this act, though mine was never serious, and I can tell you it is not a problem solver. In many cases it can relieve emotional pain but causes a bunch of other problems you just don't want to deal with. I truly hope no one turns to this as an answer because of my story, self harm is never an answer it is only an addition to your current problems. If you know someone that is or you think is hurting themselves report it to a proper adult or parent, but under NO circumstances other then life or death force that person to get help, do not make them desperate. Thank you for taking the time to read my long winded warning. This is all fiction and you will soon see that self harm did nothing good for Naruto. Please save me the guilt and refrain from following his example.

Heart,

Sami.

I am getting serious about the reviews, I do enjoy it when you add me to your favorite authors and stories and such, but if you take the time to do that I would like you to take the time to review as well. Its what keep me writing.

XxXxXxX

Red Walkways

Chapter Eleven

I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!

XxXxXxX

The fog of darkness started to clear from Sasuke's gaze, red eyes looked down at him. There in front of him was a horse sized fox with four tails. Where did he come from? Sasuke would off looked around to see if Naruto was scared or to figure out where the fox had come from, but his eyes were locked on those red ones. No sudden movements… those eyes, they seemed to be thinking… intelligence.

"K…K-chan?" Sasuke didn't care if he stuttered, there was a Giant fucking fox staring him down!

The red eyes blinked, then the fox's head swooped down. Sasuke flinched, he cursed at himself for not reacting as he should, to scared by this fox's demonic chakra. He waited for the pain of fangs in him but it never came. Instead there was a wet feeling. Sasuke opened his eyes in shock, and was faced with a big, black, wet nose nuzzling him? The breath Sasuke let out felt bigger then his lung capacity.

"you are K-chan aren't you?"

The fox backed up until he was next to his bond mate. Naruto looked resigned. Sasuke was about to start asking questions or possibly accusing out of anger, but Naruto cut him off, he hated not knowing about the boy across from him that has captured his interest so thoroughly. Sasuke wanted to know everything about him.

"I have accepted that you, and you alone knew more about me than anyone else I have ever known, except him."

Naruto put his hand on the side of Kyuubi's large rib cage.

"I never trust anyone at face value, and I never believe that what people are telling me is the whole truth. I myself almost never tell the whole truth, and lie when I feel it is beneficial for my well being or someone I care about. But right now I am telling you the last of what I have kept secret, because I have too. I am trusting you because I have too."

Naruto turned to Kyuubi, "this is not a fox I found in the forest, this is Kyuubi. I am probably the most intelligent Shinobi since the fourth, my father. I have been researching the seal and put it into practical use. Kyuubi isn't evil, and he didn't attack Konoha for no reason, he didn't even mean for it to become what it was. I have been doing research for most of my life, many of the biggest breakthroughs in jutsu were my doing."

Naruto took a deep breath. He was going to explain the connection that's now between him and Kyuubi, expecting Sasuke to be curious. Before the next word left his mouth Sasuke turned around and walked out of the clearing. Narutos heart stopped… rejection.

Kyuubi moved to go after Sasuke, anger rolling off of him. Naruto retrained him with the seal.

"Don't, that's his choice…"

Naruto started after Sasuke, back to camp. When he could see the boat he could tell that Sasuke had bedded down for that last couple hours they had until morning, Naruto did the same silently.

XxXxXxX

Only two hours later the group started to rise. Naruto didn't sleep that night. He was right not to put his trust in anyone completely. Sasuke knew everything about him…almost. Even Kyuubi doesn't know about that, the door and what it holds behind it. And that is more proof that this was a mistake, Sasuke thought him a disgusting person who sides with demons and lies.

Naruto sat up, his eyes were missing their shine, dull like the shadows cast in the forest. Even his hair didn't seem as spiky. He looked to where Sasuke had slept, the space was already empty. He didn't bother looking around. If he was already packed then he obviously didn't want to talk to Naruto.

Kyuubi growled, the stupid Uchiha kid was messing everything up. He would have to have a talk with him… a LONG talk.

Naruto finished packing up all his sleeping gear. Kyuubi jumped to his shoulders and stretched out. They were walking back the way they came. It was going to be a long walk for Naruto, everything felt harder then it was. He had only recently admitted to himself that he was falling for Sasuke and it was already over. He knew Sasuke would never be with him but having him as a friend was good enough for Naruto, now he didn't even have that.

Sasuke was just ahead of him, waiting for everyone just before the path. Naruto walked by him with the others just behind, he didn't bother to look at Sasuke, he didn't think he could live on if he saw the eyes on the beautiful face glare at him like everyone else in the village.

Sasuke looked up when Naruto passed, he tried to make eye contact to see what he was thinking but Naruto never looked his way, probably having a laugh to himself! Unfortunately Kyuubi did look his way, and those red eyes send a glare that Sasuke could almost feel. What does he have up his butt? Naruto plays Sasuke like a fool and the fox gets mad at him?

Sasuke snorted to himself and turned to follow the others, pulling up to the back of the group. He made sure he was a few feet behind everyone. He couldn't believe Naruto had been playing all of them so bad. He never imagined he was so smart or that he was so close to the demon he carried, he was like a different person. Who was Naruto? Sasuke was so angry he couldn't let himself feel it while on this mission. He thought he knew Naruto, he thought the blond had opened to him and they could be there for each other… maybe more. But apparently he was being played all along.

Naruto could practically feel Sasuke in the back of the group, only because he couldn't stop thinking about him. It made his walls come close to breaking. He couldn't risk losing it while on this mission. Naruto fingered his kunai. Bad idea…but that never stopped him before.

Kyuubi could feel it. Naruto had been blocking some things from him since the Youkai no Yobi. The fox thought he would give the kid some privacy, since that was hard to find with their unique situation. But this feeling was something Naruto couldn't hide completely even when he was trying, like now.

"Naruto I know what you are thinking. And if you do it I won't heal you…"

'I don't need you too, I have control now… remember?'

Kyuubi cursed to himself, he knew there was a down side to this arrangement, he could feel it when he agreed, but he was so excited about being outside that he over looked it. How was he going to protect his kit? If he tried to physically stop him he will draw all his power away… he had to find a way to fix this now. He looked over at Sasuke again.

Sasuke felt eyes on him, he looked up from the ground and met Kyuubi's gaze again. There was anger still but it wasn't why he was looking. The old fox was trying to convey something. Sasuke didn't know if he should trust the demon but he felt an urgency in his eyes. He opened his mind as much as he could, the slight burn that comes with the sharingan crept from the back of his eyes. His vision bled red.

Kyuubi could feel Sasuke trying to receive his message, it was a good sign that he seemed to still care enough to want to know. A shiver went down his spine when the red started to leak into those dark onyx eyes. Kyuubi never understood why the power from those eyes always felt a bit demonic. He pressed his message to the front of his mine and knew that Sasuke got at least a feeling of what he was trying to say.

Sasuke felt the demon moving a certain idea forward. It felt like he wanted to talk privately. Sasuke wasn't so sure about that, what would this demon say that Naruto hadn't already. What could he do to make it any better?

Sasuke looked around. They were hours from the village they had passed on the way to the shore… but once they get there Sasuke would see what the fox wanted from him. Sasuke and Kyuubi continued to stare for a moment, then they both nodded.

XxXxXxX

Tsunade sat at her desk. Just that morning Jiraiya brought his case to the elders and no one had contacted her yet. She didn't know what that meant, did they reject him and didn't want to bring it up to her because they didn't know she knew about it. Maybe they were going over her authority as she sat there and were making plans with the cloud… they could be making the biggest mistake of the history of the village.

Tsunade stood at that though knocking her chair to the ground, she wasn't going to sit here and let that happen! She was about to march around her desk and strait to the elder council room. Before she could even get around her desk the doors to her large office were slammed open. With a forceful gate Jiraiya walked in with two elders on his heels, stumbling after them was Shizune, sputtering like she had tried to announce them only to have been pushed aside.

Tsunade walked back to behind her desk but did not sit, nor did she offer them seats. Jiraiya knew her lack of hospitality was a bad sign. He also knew that she could tell by their entrance that he got what he was after.

Her eyes were blue steel, she tipped her head slightly down, a shadow cast from her brow over her eyes. The blue iris glowed from the shade like a demon. Jiraiya took a unintentional step back.

XxXxXxX

The sun was setting and night was flooding the valley the group of nin was trudging through. The village they stopped in on the way to the shore was only a mile off and they were making good time. The delicate looking diplomat didn't complain a peep over the high speed of travel, confirming the groups hypotheses that she would be a formidable ninja. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately it seemed there wouldn't be a chance on this quiet mission for her to demonstrate.

Soon over the horizon came the top of the tallest building in the village, the churches steeple. The sun had completely set the moment the steeple broke over the crest of the hills, making the white wood flash for only a moment letting the travelers know their destination was in sight. There was no moon that night, the sky was an inky black and their were no stars.

Naruto felt a shiver when he looked up into the endless black of the over cast sky. The new moon always make Kyuubi antsy, he doesn't like the darkness. The stars being absent tonight only added to the fox's unease, making Naruto uneasy.

Coming out of a narrowing of the valley, the edge of the village came into view. There was no one guarding it like last time, and open village full of trusting people. The same people Naruto felt a strong affection for the first time they came through. He wanted to keep them safe. He wanted them to never know what he was. So they would never hate him like his village and Sasuke.

Sasuke… Naruto shook his head. Don't think about that… or your kunai.

The group made it to the same inn they had used before. The owner was happy to see then and greeted them with a big honest smile that Naruto returned whole heartedly. The owner gave them the same rooms, this time Evelyn was rooming with Sakura, Kakashi got his own room, and Naruto got Sasuke for "economic reasons".

Once the rooms were paid for Sasuke left after throwing his bags into the room. Kyuubi jumped off of Naruto and gave him a meaningful look "follow me and die". Naruto want stupid and knew what Kyuubi was going. He was happy the fox cared but Sasuke was a lost cause. He finally saw him for the monster he was and came to his senses like everyone always does.

XxXxXxX

Out side the inn Sasuke leaned against the front wall of the building waiting for the fox to come out. He looked up when a shadow fell over him and caught familiar red eyes, but they were set in a tall red head with whisker marks like Naruto. He was momentarily shocked that the demon had a humanoid form at all, he recovered quickly and made a movement for the fox to lead.

Kyuubi nodded and started off down the street, Sasuke pushed away from the wood of the inn and followed at a sedate pace. The fox led them to a small tavern where he could get a stiff drink to help him through this. It was also the quietest one in the village he could sense.

Sasuke followed him in without question and picked a table in the far coroner without waiting for Kyuubi. Kyuubi on the other hand picked a table near the middle and glared at Sasuke until he got up and came over to him. It was a hell of a glare, though the darker boy didn't even flinch, just moved tables

"You should know the number one rule to being inconspicuous is not to seem like your trying to be inconspicuous."

Sasuke just stared at Kyuubi silently.

"Ok… so no idle chit chat for you."

Sasuke stared.

"Well I brought you here to talk about Naruto."

Sasuke made to get up and leave, Kyuubi flared briefly with incredible rage he was keeping in. he reached out and grabbed Sasuke's arm and slammed him back into his seat with a power that made even Sasuke take notice and comply.

A young pretty waitress came to their table.

"Is everything alright here?"

Kyuubi gave a charming smile flashing his fangs. The young lady didn't seem to notice them, but blushed.

"Yes everything is fine."

The waitress fumbled with a small notebook in her pocket.

"Well in that case would you like to order anything?"

Kyuubi once again flashed his smile, Sasuke looked disgusted.

"Why yes, me and my friend here would like a cannon ball."

The girl scribbled then nodded with another blush she rushed off.

Kyuubi turned forward. "Whats with the face Sasuke-kun? Don't like girls gushing over you? Well you need to learn to play on people emotions. You could use all those fans to your advantage if you just got over your disgust. I'm not exactly in love with it either."

Sasuke disgusted expression deepened. Kyuubi chuckled.

"What do you expect? I am a demon."

Sasuke just got a sick and angry look.

"You are a bastard who killed many people in the village I live. You are the one that corrupted Naruto and made him like he is. I see it now. You are the one that taught him to play with people like he played with me."

Sasuke practically spat at the fox when he ended.

Kyuubi's face lined with anger for a moment, Sasuke leaned back in his chair in a laps of control when fear took over. Then the fox settled.

"You know nothing of what happened that night, and not even Naruto knows all of it, though he was willing to listen and understand unlike you. He tried to tell you but you just wanted to believe that I was a killer and he was is a monster I made him. What you should know is that Konoha captured me in a moment of weakness and tried to harness my power and destroyed themselves, and Naruto only played people for his survival… and he never played you. Think about his life, would you trust anyone with your whole self if you were him? He doesn't even do that with me. I can feel him hiding things but I don't pry out of fear of breaking him! My god you stupid child, he was opening to you more then anyone in his entire life, even if out of necessity, and you turned you back on him! The damage you caused may be irreversible!."

Kyuubi was standing at the end of his rant looking at a stunned Sasuke. The waitress crept over and set the drinks on the table nervously. Kyuubi glanced at her and sat down calmly. He reached over and threw back half the strong drink in one mouth full. Sasuke reached for his own drink for something to do besides looking stunned, he cringed at the taste. He felt like an ass, he was to focused on himself. He felt hurt when it became obvious last night that Naruto was still keeping things from him… but he didn't turn it around and think about why that was. He just sulked in his own self pity. Why didn't he understand? He knew pain and what it was like to be treated different from other people. He was held up while Naruto was pushed down. He should of seen the reasons… but he didn't

Kyuubi sighed. He shouldn't of yelled at the kid like that. He had problems of his own. His whole family was murdered by his brother. He had his reasons for being the way he is… sorta.

"Look…" Kyuubi caught Sasuke out of his guilt. "I didn't mean to yell, I know you have reasons for being hurt the way you are. I just meant to take you here and tell you his side. He would never do that, he just excepted the fact that someone else has rejected him and its all his fault and there no excuse."

Sasuke tilted his head, his eyes still on the fox, darker then before. "I just thought he was acting that was because he was using me and had no use left…"

Kyuubi shook his head. "No ones using you, Narutos just…"

The old fox went pale. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted to know what could make a ancient demons blood drain like that, he stiffened ready for an attack.

"No…"

Sasuke heard the soft whisper, Kyuubi's voice broke like he didn't have the strength to comprehend what was happening. He shot from his seat, he was on his feet for only a moment before the floor came to meet him. Sasuke jumped from his seat and was by the demons side, his skin was cool and wet to the touch. What could do this to a demon? Suddenly there was a soft heat and a dim light and by his feel was a small fox. Sasuke picked it up in his arms ignoring the confused patrons of the bar.

The young waitress ran over so see what the fuss was about. She watch the man from before turn into a fox.

"Hes not human is he?"

Sasuke glared at her and held Kyuubi close protectively.

The waitress smiled "don't worry he won't be hated here, we get all sorts through this town. Let me see him for a moment."

Sasuke didn't know what to do about Kyuubi so he reluctantly held the small body out to the young girl. She touched his head, Kyuubi's fur was damp and cool and he was breathing hard like he had just been running.

"He's a powerful demon who has had his chakura sucked out its seems… but that's not possible. Its almost like something was pulling it away…"

The young girl looked confused but it all became clear to Sasuke very fast. He pulled the fox close to himself again to keep it warm.

"Thank you." he breathed to the girl giving her a small smile, taking Kyuubi's advise. The girl blushed a bit and bowed.

"good luck." the words didn't even reach Sasuke who was already out the door and halfway back to the inn.

XxXxXxX

The room was dark. Sakura and Kakashi already had their doors shut and seemed to be sleeping. His own room was also closed but he could feel that Naruto was not asleep.

The room stank of demon chakura and...blood. Sasuke wanted to rush into the room but didn't know what to expect. Kyuubi was coming around in his arms, pulling his own power back right out of the air.

Sasuke put the small body on the couch to his right, he still didn't have the strength to move around.

The closer Sasuke got to Naruto through the darkness, the more he wanted to run at him and away. The first glimpse he got was of blond hair, then a face half covered by the hair. Eyes shadowed. Sasuke couldn't tell what they were feeling. Naruto was hunched over at an odd angle in the middle of the wood floor, Sasuke couldn't see why… then slowly his arms came into view. One was limp at his side. Bloody but all the cuts were healed over already. The other arm was in front of him, the forearm flat to the floor facing up, pinned there with a kunai strait through and into the floor.

Blood cold in his veins, Sasuke ran forward and grabbed the kunai. He started to pull it out when Naruto moved. He put his hand over Sasuke's and pushed the blade back into the floor.

Both boys on the floor, each with a hand on the blade that was in Naruto. Both looked up and met eyes. No words were needed. Sasuke started to slowly pull the Kunai out and Naruto didn't stop him. The blade left his arm and the bleeding stopped quickly. Eye contact was broken when Naruto blinked. His eyes showing life for the first time since Sasuke had walked into the room. He reached up and touched Narutos face.

"Give Kyuubi back his power."

Narutos eyes became glassy and the demon chakura left the air. Footsteps behind Sasuke let him know that Kyuubi was OK, He crouched next to Naruto and pulled him into his arms. Sasuke could see the silent communication between them and felt a sting of jealousy. Naruto looked up at that very moment and caught his eyes. They told Sasuke that the relationship between him and Kyuubi was nothing to feel threatened by. Then told him that he was going to be OK for now and that they needed to talk. Kyuubi seemed to have heard this inside Naruto because he let go of the blond and gave him his own look that told him he was in for a shit ton of lecture, but left the room.

Sasuke looked at the floor, he didn't know what to say to Naruto, he did notice that there wasn't to much blood and that it would clean up off the polished floor easily. He stood up and went to the bathroom, he came back with a towel and a bowl of water and started cleaning. Naruto stood calmly watching him work. Sasuke finished in silence and stood. He walked over to Naruto and stared him in the eyes.

He reached up with one arm. Naruto was ready for it, he wasn't sure if Sasuke was going to hug him or not, what he didn't expect was what he got. Sasuke slapped him so hard he fell to the floor. Then as quick as he hit the floor Sasuke was on him, hugging him, and yelling at him. Naruto was very confused to say the least.

"Stupid! Your so stupid! If you ever do that again I will kill you myself! Didn't I tell you to come to me if you felt like that again!. I am stupid! This was my fault! I am so sorry!."

Naruto could only understand every other sentence that Sasuke yelled at him. He sat up and put his hand over Sasuke's mouth to stem the flow of words. The room went quiet.

A/N– there done!! I will try to get the next one out soon!