Sanctuary

by More Than I Appear

Chapter 9 where Kyuubi comes clean to Naruto about previous activities, gets vengeance on Kana, then makes a deal with Pallas. Elsewhere, the Akatsuki get their hands on the first of the jinchuuriki.

8. Chapter 8

A/N: No, I didn't fall in a hole somewhere and no, I didn't abandon this or any of my other stories. I actually have five, yes five, different versions of this chapter on my computer that didn't seem to really do what I wanted. That said, this chapter starts off with a bang right on the heels of chapter seven. Since we have several POV changes, each time we jump views, I've put in a line to indicate any POV/ scene changes so hopefully that should keep the confusion to a minimum. Hopefully. Thank you all for waiting for this chapter and please enjoy! If you've got the time, leave me a review telling me what you like about this chapter. What do you think I am doing right? What do you think I am doing wrong? Let me know- it makes me a better writer.

This chapter is dedicated to Trulywicked, the second place winner in the fanart T-shirt design contest! You can find the lovely drawing here, ninjatoadsatemybaby!

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Chapter 8

Voices. Water sloshing. Chaos. Confusion. Pain. Someone touching him, turning him over- unfamiliar. A groan. Screaming. Screaming, screaming, screaming…

Dark eyes fluttered open as Itachi Uchiha roused, forced to consciousness by some dim memory. He tried to concentrate, to bring it to the forefront of his mind so that the memory could be examined and the urgency known but he couldn't- it refused to come forth. He lay there, feeling as if something was missing, vague shapes drifting in and out of focus above him as he floated.

Floated? A small wave slapped his cheek, further highlighting this fact, and Itachi sat up, water streaming off his body. He felt stiff, incredibly so, and sore as well but he forced himself to stand, driven onward by the innate knowledge that he was needed by the person screaming. It wasn't compulsion, not really, and Itachi let it lead him forward on his stumbling, clumsy way down a flooded white, white hall, glass hidden by water crunching beneath his bare feet as he headed for the source of the screaming.

An eternity later, only moments in reality, the Uchiha reached his destination and stood in the doorway of a blindingly white room as pandemonium took place inside. It was a small patient's room and part of Itachi wondered if it was possible for steel gray walls to burst at the seams. So many people! There wasn't enough room in the place to accommodate all the doctors and nurses running to and fro between the room's sole bed and a cart set up with vials and syringes positioned out of harms' way in a corner. And the yelling! The Uchiha thought his eardrums would rupture there was so much, the words indistinct and jumbled as the speakers fought to be heard above the hysterically screaming from the figure at the center of it all.

The bed was hemmed in on all sides by metal railings that disappeared in and out of view as the medical staff moved around and for the first time Itachi realized that the blonde had been tied down. The hard restraint seeming to swallow the dainty wrist pulling against it, the one arm the blonde had free lashing out in an attempt to stop the hands that tried to force needles into his flesh. The person was screaming at them all, begging them to leave him alone, asking why they were hurting him. He didn't know where he was, what was happening, and he was absolutely terrified by the lack of answers he received from the cold-eyed doctors with grimly set jaws who continued to inject chemicals into him, to hurt him, to tie him down.

Even restrained, Naruto should be able to fight back with more than just his body and the Uchiha frowned, scanning the room. 'Drugs,' came the dimly offered thought but it was pushed aside as dark eyes settled on a familiar spiky object, recognizing the distinctive and unique curve of the scales that formed Samehada's blade. Not far from the bed, the sword was being held awkwardly by a young male dressed in scrubs splattered with blood, the source of which was the male's own hands. Samehada did not take kindly to being used by anyone other than Kisame and the young male was paying the price for this mistake, his hands perforated by spikes from the sword's handle. Samehada was undulating back in forth, behaving more like a serpent than a sword, trying to get away as it continued to absorb Naruto's chakra, his strength, leaving the blonde defenseless and at the mercy of the doctors.

For a moment, just a split second, in the Uchiha's mind's eye, the hospital room disappeared and became an interrogation room and the doctors replaced by ANBU officers standing over a much smaller unconscious Naruto. In the memory Itachi was not alone as Shisui, face red with rage, and the Hokage, radiating displeasure, were on either side of him. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the memory was gone, replaced by reality as history repeated itself.

Anger and bloodlust filled Itachi, making him both cold and hot as each demanded he do something, demanding vengeance on the blonde's behalf, and this time Itachi welcomed them, embraced them, called them sweet names and wrapped himself in them as he rushed forward into the room. He let them consume his legendary self-control and lost himself, glorying in the destruction he caused, enjoying the way the world became fractured images and disjointed sensations.

White coated bodes flying. Limbs breaking under his hands. Steel colored walls being splashed with drops of red as he took Samehada back. Metal bed railings twisting, broken. The hard plastic of the restraint cracked and broken on the white tile of the floor while Naruto clung to him, still crying and screaming incoherently. People running, screaming, stampeding out of the door and away from them, the sound of it all lost as wood broke and plaster crumbled, flaking outward over him like brittle snow, massive red claws slicing through the furthermost wall, destroying it and leaving a ragged hole illuminated by short-circuiting wiring. A large golden eye surrounded by silver-white fur peering through the new exit at Naruto.

A blonde figure at his elbow, weighed down by a overstuffed bag, urging him forward toward the beast, leading the way. Another person joining him, Kisame, running beside the Uchiha as he raced outside into the predawn air, through the opening, arms full of Naruto, the blonde wrapped in a sheet, Samehada's scales digging into his back as he ran. More shouting, more running, a massive form running beside them as wind howled. More, large pale shapes darting amongst the trees, keeping up with him as he ran full out. Shouts, the whistle of kunai hitting the ground around them. ANBU masks like miniature moons in the branches above, hunting him, hunting them. Explosions so close by his skin blistered, burned by a wave of fire as he shielded the jinchuuriki, his hearing momentarily gone do to the ringing in his ears from the blast. Naruto's small body warming, radiating heat as red chakra licked along his skin, the teenager spasming, convulsing, violet eyes rolling back into his head. The ground groaning, rumbling, giving way beneath them, the dark earth opening up to swallow them all at Naruto's command…

A large red clawed white paw reaching out to catch them as they fell, toppling in after them as they tumbled, unable to stop. Plummeting downward but not into darkness- into silver liquid then blue sky filled with white clouds, cool against Itachi's skin as he fell through them. The sun high in the sky, as bright and as golden as Naruto's hair. Falling, buffeted by wind, blocking all sound, an unfamiliar landscape below getting nearer and nearer as the gap between them and it closed… Naruto shaking in his arms before being ripped away by the wind and quickly lost to sight… Gusting wind slamming into him like a wall, slowing his fall, cold as ice and sharp like a blade… Passing through silver liquid again then blue as far as the eye could see, roiling and swirling as it rushed up to meet him, to engulf him as he hit… Darkness.

When Itachi woke, he was on a beach, fine sand making its way into uncomfortable places as he shifted, sticking to his damp skin in large patches. He coughed, sputtering, his chest aching as his body purged itself of the salt water he'd swallowed. His arms felt heavy and rubbery but he forced himself to his knees, scanning the area automatically as his instincts kicked in. As he rested from his minor movement, the sound of the ocean was loud in his ears though the regular rhythm of the water's movements was soothing in an abstract way as the Uchiha fought to turn his head as wet sand scraped against metal. Samehada was laying next to him, the sword's scales clattering angrily as it undulated, leaving a trail as it fought its way to its owner, Kisame, who was further down the beach. Another body was next to the former Mist ninja and beyond them both lay the hulking form of one of the largest animal Itachi had ever seen.

A preliminary scan assured the Uchiha that he had suffered no permanent injury though, as he then looked down at himself, Itachi paused, one pale hand moving to rest on his chest, experimentally giving the extra flesh there a light squeeze. Frowning deeply even as his eyebrows rose, he patted his lap lightly and found that he had lost his penis somewhere. He, like Naruto, had somehow switched genders in the space of a few minutes. Or was it hours? How long had he been unconscious?

Though the sun had been strong while they were falling, on the ground it was weak due to the thick cloud cover blanketing the sky overhead. Curls of mist snaked their way across the beach like the questing fingers of the fog from which the mist originated, obscuring their surroundings, creating the illusion that there was nothing around them beyond the beach, as if the narrow strip of sand existed in and of itself within its own pocket of the universe. It gave the Uchiha little hint as to where exactly they all were beyond the fact that they were in a country bordering the ocean.

More importantly, where was Naruto? The Uchiha looked around for any sign of the sheet the blonde had been wrapped in. The beach was at a slight slope toward the water Itachi could hear even if he could not see it under the fog and nothing within the Uchiha's vicinity resembled neither the jinchuuriki nor the almost blinding whiteness of the cloth Itachi had last seen him in. Activating his Sharingan did not help the brunette at all in locating the blonde. Naruto was not on the beach and worry, an emotion he had become ill acquainted with during his absence from Konoha, started to gnaw at Itachi as he looked in the direction of the water still hidden beneath the fog. Heart beating wildly, the Uchiha got to his feet and began staggering his way to the shore line.

His anxiety was thankfully short lived. Itachi felt a familiar presence behind him and when he turned toward it, his Sharingan detected traces of charka, the energy faint but real as it fluttered in the form of a flame embellished long coat. The Uchiha calmed, looking fully upon the translucent figure standing slightly above him at the top of the beach's incline. Feelings of affection and loss chased each other within him as old memories began slowly bubbling to the surface of his mind, memories of dinners, of building baby furniture for Naruto, of a smiling Shisui and laughing Kushina

There, clear among the mist wafting in the air, stood Minato Namikaze waving a hand lazily in the air as he looked at the brunette expectantly.

Itachi immediately began making his way up the incline toward the Fourth Hokage.

---

"I wanted to talk to you." Naruto said softly, eyes flicking up to Sasuke's face from the floor.

Gagged and bound to the chair he sat on, Sasuke could only narrow his eyes at the blonde, glaring as he waited for the other to get to the point. Absently, he began working his wrists, trying to find some slack in his bonds only to have them tighten and elongate as the rope pinning his arm transformed into a manacle that covered his entire forearm.

"I…" The blonde swallowed, the sound painfully loud in the still landscape, and looked down at his hands. "I meant to tell you the last time I saw you but… I…" He again glanced up at Sasuke.

The Uchiha glared harder, frowning behind the gag as he waited impatiently for Naruto to hurry the hell up and free him.

The blonde's eyes widened briefly before quickly darting down, his narrow shoulders slumping as the jinchuuriki seemed to hunch in on himself, fingers tightly clenching into the fabric of the white robe he wore. Heedlessly wadding the material, the blonde stayed in that position for several more minutes before finally raising his head to look at Sasuke once again, immediately revealing that he had been crying silently while his face had been averted.

"I love you." Naruto said voice soft, blue eyes still raining tears over his cheeks even as he smiled, baring all his teeth in a poor imitation of his usual mad grin. "I…I've loved you for a long, long time. I was so afraid to tell you…" He sniffled, the picture of misery as he pulled at his sleeve and wiped his eyes, unsuccessfully trying to clean himself up. Making a desperate, frustrated whine, the blonde gave up and simply fisted his hands in his bangs, hiding his face from view as he continued in a voice thick with tears. "I didn't care about your name or your family fortune or any of that stuff. I loved Sasuke for Sasuke and I wanted to make you happy… You were all I had left! I would have given you anything- would have done anything you wanted! I could have had your babies! I…!"

Kyuubi's words whispered through Sasuke's mind, each one as sharp-edged and painful as a piece of glass, the slivers seeming to work themselves deeper into his brain, and the brunette felt his eyes widen as realization hit home. "Would gender still matter if I told you that he could have both conceived and carried your brood? It was the only thing Naruto wanted to do… Do you have any idea how long it took him to work up the courage to finally admit he loved you?"

Naruto released the grip he had on his hair, his eyes closing as he swallowed again, hands falling limply onto his lap to be wet by his flowing tears. "You were all I had left. They took everything else and I…"

"You became his whole world while you were gone and the only thing that kept him going was the desire to bring you home. Then you showed up as if nothing had happened, strong and healthy and Orochimaru-free."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Naruto said quietly, and part of the Uchiha dismayed over how defeated the other sounded, how broken and tired. The blonde opened his eyes then and looked at Sasuke, smiling sadly in a self depreciating manner, making the Uchiha's heart freeze in the process. "I was selfish. I wanted you to pick me, to love me, but… No one loves monsters. You shun them and you kill them but you never love them. I should have known that by now." He swallowed thickly, and Sasuke watched helplessly while the blonde's lips quivered as Naruto tried to repress another sob.

"While you became buddies with that disgusting pervert of a child molester, Naruto was abandoned by this village. He was tossed away like trash, left to hide in his apartment because the village blamed him. They blamed him for not being able to bring you back…"

Naruto sniffled quietly, wiping at his eyes again with his sleeve. "Before I… leave… I wanted to thank you… for being my friend all those years ago. It couldn't have been easy, having such a weak teammate." He laughed, a harsh, brittle sound that tore at the Uchiha's pounding heart as effectively as a kunai. "It took me a while to accept that fact but Jiraiya… beat it into me…"

"He did everything Jiraiya asked of him but it wasn't enough and the old pervert sent Naruto home in shame. He wasn't worthy of being a Sannin's student. …Naruto spent the remaining two years studying and training by himself."

"I'm sorry I got in your way." Naruto's soft voice jerked Sasuke's attention back to the blonde and the Uchiha began shaking his head frantically in the negative, teeth working at the gag as he struggled frantically to free himself from the chair. "I think we're leaving soon and after that…" The blonde paused and swallowed hard, trembling. "I wanted to say goodbye before then. If it's not too much trouble, can you tell Baa-cha… can you tell the Godaime that… that it was an honor filling in for her little brother? I'd say 'hello' on her behalf but… demons don't go to heaven." He sniffled, and tried to smile but it crumpled as quickly as it appeared as a sob broke the strained silence between them, the sound quickly muffled as Naruto fought to swallow his misery down. "It was… really nice of her to pretend we were family…"

He sobbed, then quickly smothered it, again attempting to contain his pain, wiping at his eyes again in an effort to hide the new tears. "She won't have to send out anyone to recover my body. Tell her not to waste anyone's time- I doubt that… there'll be anything left to find anyway."

"…now only the desire to die remains." Sasuke couldn't get the gag off but he began trying to speak around it as he tensed his encased forearms and pulled upward. He used his weight and began rocking the chair from side to side, fighting all out while attempting to communicate with the blonde through his muffled protests.

But Naruto seemed not to hear him, his eyes fixed on something behind Sasuke's right shoulder as a small genuine smile played across his lips, expression vaguely peaceful. "Itachi promised I could sleep through it but I don't think he can speak for everyone else." He sniffled again, smile sliding away as the tears cam back, his blue, blue eyes unfocusing, becoming distant with memory. "Akatsuki can't do anything to me that the people of Konoha haven't done already but I still want it to be painless… It's not a big deal though."

The pain and anxiety in his voice belied his words, making them ring false in Sasuke's ears; he wanted it to be painless and he wanted it very, very badly.

The legs of the chair made loud thumping noises as they slammed repeatedly into the floor. Sasuke threw his weight back and forth, making the chair rock dangerously as he tried to get the blonde's attention. The Uchiha couldn't get free no matter what he tried, a fact that didn't make sense since this was his dream…!

Wasn't it?

"I'm sorry for being selfish." Naruto said softly, standing slowly, his expression pained as his eyes once again fixed completely upon Sasuke. "You won't see me ever again, I promise." Moving as if deeply injured, the blonde stood and crossed the short distance separating them to stand over the brunette as he looked down into the Uchiha's face.

"Congratulations on your engagement." Naruto said, forcing his features into his infamous grin, the expression marred only by the tears that continued to trail over his tear-reddened lined cheeks. "I don't have anything worthy of a wedding present but you can help yourself to everything in my apartment. Or you could just torch it all, too. I won't be needing any of it any longer." The blonde looked up and away, obviously trying to hide the pain provoked by the idea of the person he loved making a giant bonfire out of all of Naruto's earthly possessions. He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, but his voice still came thick and strained anyway. "I, I never had a family…"

A light seemed to go off in Naruto's mind and the blonde looked sharply at Sasuke with an intensity that surprised the brunette. The smile that suddenly graced Naruto's face was so joyous that Sasuke was taken aback and immediately put on edge as he watched the blonde warily.

"But you did." Naruto said, expression an odd mix of sadness and excitement. Sasuke felt a chill go down his spine. "You had a family and I can give them back to you, temporarily at least."

He could what?

Naruto wiped at his eyes again in an almost absent manner as his whole demeanor became solemn while he looked at the perplexed Uchiha. "After Jiraiya…" He paused, expression faltering, face momentarily becoming haunted before he managed to lock it all away again. The blonde took a shuddering breath to steady himself then continued. "After I came home, I created and tested a new jutsu. You can't actually go back in time but it can enable you to see past events…" And here Naruto shot the brunette a guilty look as the blonde scratched the back of head sheepishly, a blush creeping up to become lost in the already red cheeks while a small smile made his lips twitch. For a second it was the old Naruto peeking out from the miserable façade and the momentary glimpse made Sasuke's heart ache painfully.

"I wanted to see your parents." Hand still behind his head, those blue eyes unfocused again, the smile slowly fading away as tears again silently fell, the blonde's breath hitching quietly as he continued softly. "I was selfish. I wanted to see what our children might look like and, one night, while I was dusting your living room… I… I just…"

Sasuke stared at him, his attempts to escape momentarily forgotten as thoughts whirled in his head. His home had been spotless when he returned, a fact that had completely surprised him since there had been no one to handle the upkeep in his absence. He had been fully prepared mentally to be greeted by a pile of debris when he stepped through the gate but he'd nearly swallowed his tongue as he had stared at his childhood home. The floors had been swept and oiled. His refrigerator and kitchen cabinets had been stocked with essentials. All the laundry had been done, a monumental task given that Sasuke had never had the heart to throw away his dead parents clothes though he had personally enjoyed destroying Itachi's. The bedding had all been washed and the sheets on his bed changed, the old ones laundered and put away in the linen closet with the rest of the clean bedding and towels, the little sachets hidden among the folds of fabric to keep insects away adding a spicy scent to the air when the door was opened. He'd found the same sachets in all the chest of drawers, wardrobes, and closets all over the house, the scent warm and inviting, covering up any the persistent mustiness that continued to linger even though the house had been aired out. Looking out onto the back yard from the spotless porch, it was evident that the cleaning had extended outside as well since the small verdant patch of lawn had been cut neatly and the water of the small meditation pond was clear with no hint of algae. Thunderstruck, Sasuke had turned back inside to continue his exploration of the house, opening doors, reacquainting himself with the previously abandoned home that someone had lovingly readied in preparation for his return.

The fact that the house was still standing, that it was clean, that someone had obviously spent considerable time and effort fixing the wear and tear that years of disuse had wrought had touched Sasuke deeply though he didn't understand why. He had felt profoundly grateful, indebted to the person who had taken care of his home, and this was why he had endured Sakura's constant visits after his return since she had confessed to be the one responsible.

But, if the blonde was telling the truth, all this time it had been Naruto who was responsible! Naruto who Sakura had said was still mad at the Uchiha for leaving, who hadn't wanted anything to do with Sasuke now that the brunette was back. All the work, all that monumental effort…! It had been Naruto all along, not Sakura…

"You're mom was really pretty. You look a lot like her." The blonde said with a smile, startling Sasuke from his moment of revelation. "If you and Sakura have a daughter, she'll probably look like your mom…" Naruto sniffled quietly, a fist coming up to once again scrub furiously at his tearing eyes. "The jutsu… I only used it once but it uses a lot of chakra, so be careful..."

Naruto winced, one hand suddenly flying to his stomach as he partially doubled over. He blinked, straightening again, looking surprised as Sasuke watched him with open concern. The blonde opened his mouth to speak only to slam it back shut as a look of agony marred his features before fully doubling over, hands hugging his middle as he fell to his knees in front of the Uchiha.

The sound of labored panting in his ears, Sasuke pulled desperately at his bonds, his right arm suddenly coming free with a snap as the metal opened. Immediately he ripped the gag off, hurling it away angrily as he pulled to free his remaining wrist. Though his ankles remained lashed to the chair legs, with another snap the brunette's upper body was free and Sasuke's hands descended on the blonde, hovering anxiously for several seconds above Naruto's shoulders. "Naruto? What is it? What's wrong?"

There was no reply, only continued harsh panting as tremors started to ripple through the blonde's hunched body. Helplessly Sasuke guided Naruto's upper body up and forward, encouraging the other to lay his head on the brunette's lap so that one pale hand could run through the blonde hair while the other fought to free the Uchiha's legs. Fear was flowing through Sasuke's veins, burning like acid as his heart hammered in his chest, the combined effect making him shake despite his efforts to keep calm even as another tremor made its way through his friend. Not again! He didn't want to watch Naruto die anymore; Sasuke doubted his sanity wouldn't survive it.

"I think…I think they started…" Naruto gasped out against Sasuke's knees, huddling tighter against the brunette's legs as his body again tensed up.

The bonds on his legs wouldn't release and the harder he pulled at them the less damage he made. It was like being inside a well constructed genjutsu but no matter how good the illusion, no one save another Sharingan user could beat him at this particular game.

'I want out of this chair!' Sasuke thought, momentarily stomping down the fear screaming through him to concentrate on that single thought. A second later he felt his ass hit the ground as the chair vanished and, with no solid support to lean against any longer, Naruto fell forward onto the Uchiha, trapping Sasuke's legs between their bodies and pushing the other backward. Shaking off the surprise of his abruptly granted freedom, the brunette quickly pushed himself up while working his legs out from under Naruto as gently as possible, letting the longer limbs sprawl out on either side of the blonde once they were free. Sasuke pulled Naruto against him, urging the blonde head to rest on his shoulder while he checked for injuries.

"You… Uchihas. Always so… impatient for power." And even though it was said in a fond tone, Sasuke felt guilt stab through him like a blade.

"Fight it!" Sasuke commanded angrily, fighting to keep his growing despair away. "Fight them, Naruto! Don't give up- you can't give up! You're going to be the next Hokage so keep fighting!" Not able to find any obvious injury, the Uchiha could only wrap his arms around the blonde in a tight hug. He vaguely realized that he was rocking the other slightly.

Sasuke felt the blonde's nose press against the skin of his neck as Naruto shifted his head slightly, the passage of air tickling the Uchiha's collar bone as the blonde breathed. He realized that his friend was crying again as dampness began spreading over the pale skin of his upper shoulder and Sasuke began rubbing small circles on Naruto's lower back as he felt his own eyes prickle.

"Fight, Naruto?" The Uchiha cursed the lilt in his voice that transformed his reiterated order into a question. "Please fight them. Don't let them take you away!"

"J-jutsu…" A hand pushed weakly at Sasuke's chest, the palm that splayed against his pale skin occasionally trembling in time to the bouts coursing through Naruto's tense frame before moving away to wrap around his middle once again. Immediately warmth pooled inside the Uchiha's ribcage, the sensation dissipating gradually as it spread throughout Sasuke's body.

Startled, he resisted the urge to rub the area Naruto had touched, wondering what the hell had just happened but more concerned about his friend's welfare to demand an explanation. "Teach it to me later, once you're back home-"

"Never my home," Naruto said, lips brushing against the Uchiha's skin as he continued between sporadic gasps and pants. "Home is where you're wanted. No one wants me there. No one wants a demon. My parents didn't want me. Kakashi didn't want to teach me. 'Ruka… I was a mission to Iruka. Sakura hated me. You left…"

It felt as if someone had shoved a sword through Sasuke's heart and was gleefully twisting it to and fro, causing as much damage as possible, distracting him as he tried to process what Naruto was telling him. Just what the hell had happened while he'd been gone?!

"The only one who wants me is the Akatsuki…"

"So you just went with them?!" Sasuke shouted, fury suddenly overcoming him at Naruto's show of self pity, appalled at how pathetic his friend sounded. This wasn't Naruto- it couldn't be his Naruto! The very idea that this dejected individual was all that remained of the blonde made his blood boil and his temper flare. Kyuubi was wrong! The Naruto Sasuke knew was stronger than this, stronger than any thing, person, or tradition! Naruto, his Naruto, was in there somewhere- all he needed was a wake up call from the brunette, just like when they were genin. "You quit? Things were bad in Konoha so you just, what, gave yourself over to the enemy? Did you gift wrap yourself, too, Dobe?! They want to kill you! How could you even think of doing something so stupid? What's wrong with you?!"

He expected an immediate angry retort. He expected Naruto to start screaming and yelling, calling him 'teme' and all sorts of other things as the blonde threw a hissy fit over Sasuke's insults. What he got was silence, complete and utter silence. Naruto made no sound but the Uchiha could feel fresh tears trail slowly down his back and Sasuke immediately regretted his rash outburst.

"Dobe, I'm sor… " But his apology was lost as the expanse of empty white landscape around them began to fracture loudly, creating huge jagged pieces that fell away and revealed dark patches underneath. It wasn't just the floor cracking but also the sky, raining broken shards of white opaque glass around them like lethal snow and Sasuke pulled the blonde as close as possible, hunching over his friend to shield the other from injury.

"We have to get out of here!" The Uchiha shouted but the order was immediately swallowed by the cacophony around them. Several feet away, another piece of white- this one as wide as the floor of Sasuke's bedroom- smashed into the floor and splintered, the shards spraying outward at high velocity. Being so close left little chance of escape and the brunette could only crush the blonde against him as he turned them both, hoping his back would prevent the assault from reaching Naruto.

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke asked, gritting his teeth as pain lanced through him, the pieces imbedded in his back seeming to work themselves deeper as he spoke. He looked down at the blonde when there was no response, panic spiking through him as the other remained limp against him. Giving into the fear, the Uchiha gripped Naruto's shoulders gently and pushed the other backward so that Sasuke could look the blonde full in the face.

He couldn't suppress the gasp before it escaped.

Naruto's body was riddled with cracks, fine, spider web-like lines that radiated outward in ever increasing patterns. He was still in one piece and the sad blue eyes that stared back at Sasuke were as yet untouched, but as those lines continued to devour the blonde the brunette knew that it was only a matter of time before his friend began fracturing like the landscape around them. Even as he made this realization, a small triangular piece of Naruto's cheek fell inward to reveal a patch of dark emptiness.

Terrified of causing more damage, Sasuke quickly released the blonde and froze, staring in dismay.

"What's happening to you?" He asked, his voice small and childlike as his emotions rioted within him. Fear was there in a great quantity, drawing strength from its very familiar cousins Betrayal and Despair, but so was Anger and Loss amid a storm of raging others that Sasuke couldn't even begin to understand. Wide-eyed, rendered mute, he watched as cracks spread over Naruto's shoulders and the areas slowly began collapsing inward, crumbling soundlessly as they deformed the blonde's body.

It was a watershed moment. Suddenly Naruto's back and chest were meeting the same fate, collapsing inward, more and more of the blonde being destroyed as the damage progressed in widening concentric circles. As his legs were devoured, Naruto abruptly dropped several inches and would have toppled if Sasuke's hands hadn't darted out to steady what little remained of him.

'I want this to stop.' The Uchiha thought, imaging the blonde whole and healthy, concentrating on the image as if his life depended on it. He wanted it more than anything at that moment and he tried to impose his will on the dream. 'I WANT THIS TO STOP!'

Unlike when he was bound to the chair, this time his orders went unheeded and the landscape around them continued to break apart and Naruto's body continued to collapse in on itself. The blonde's body was just a bare outline, rapidly disintegrating, and Sasuke could do little but watch in horror as his friend's body broke down into a pile of glittering dust between the Uchiha's thighs.

"Stop…" The brunette finally found his voice and tried to make it an order but it came out more as a pitiful request. "Please, Naruto, stop this!" He pleaded, ignoring the hit to his pride since Uchihas never begged for anything. But as the pile of dust continued to accumulate, as Naruto literally fell apart like some hollow clay puppet in his lap, the larger pieces making muted hollow sounds as they broke away and fell to the floor, disintegrating, until all that was left of the blonde was a mountain of sparkling particles.

The shattering world around him froze, as if someone had hit the 'pause' button, shards of opaque whiteness hanging suspended in the air all around him, their sharp edges glittering brightly in contrast to the large patches of darkness that now made up most of the landscape.

"It's okay Sasuke." The reassurance whispered through the brunette's head quietly, softly, as if the blonde was standing right behind him, whispering right in his ear. Warm breath ghosted over his ear and the Uchiha quickly turned, searching franticly but finding nothing as he scanned the area for Naruto. "Everything's… okay. I'm ready to go now."

"NO!" Sasuke roared, his heart twisting painfully in his chest. He had to do something, had to say something because this was it and deep down the Uchiha knew, knewbeyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was his last chance to fix whatever rift there was between the blonde and himself. "Naruto, come home- whatever was wrong I'll fix it, I swear! Don't go! Please don't go- I... I NEED YOU!"

The last came out as a desperate wail but, as the last note died away, he already knew that it was too late, that the blonde's presence was no longer around him, and the knowledge settled heavily on his shoulders. He sobbed and sank his hands into the pile of dust covering his lap, clutching handfuls uselessly of Naruto's remnants, feeling the shiny grainy substance cut into his palms. Naruto was gone; Sasuke had chased away the only person who had, perhaps, ever truly understood him.

Agony bloomed in the Uchiha's body, haunting him as he fell into another nightmare.

---

At the sound of a whimper, Tsunade looked up from the paper work on her desk and stood, making her way over to the Uchiha where he lay on a cot in her lounge where she'd been keeping him since catching a nurse at the hospital being a bit too interested in his recovery. The Godaime checked him and found nothing wrong but turned the dial on his IV to release more of the mild sedative and painkiller cocktail. Sasuke's face relaxed and the shaking caused by the continuous chakra infusions subsided into a mild tremor. Satisfied, the blonde returned to her desk and sat down heavily in her chair, feeling her age as she looked out the window, her eyes glued to the tree they had found the blood soaked blanket on.

'Help is coming, gaki. Just hold on a little longer.' Tsunade felt her eyes tear and let the moisture slid down her cheeks unheeded. Her thoughts turned to sealed scroll in the top drawer waiting for Sasuke when he woke fully healed.

The council and its plans to marry the brunette off would have to wait until Sasuke returned with Naruto.

---

Awareness returned in pieces as his senses awoke, small separate fractures that gradually eased him into the waking world. The air was faintly perfumed with the mildly musky scent of incense. The low murmur of distant voices, voices that were both familiar yet not, told him that he wasn't alone. The vague tickling sensation of something stuck to his face and the bothersome impression that something was blocking his left nostril. The feel of cloth against his eyelids, gently soaking up the wetness pooling there.

Naruto wasn't completely sure if he was ready to wake up yet but there was the vague sense of the passage of time, indistinct and undefined, making him feel as if he had already been asleep for a long time but simultaneously as if he had only just settled down for a nap. It completely skewed his sense of time and Naruto couldn't tell if he'd been sleeping for only a few minutes or if he'd been unconscious for several hours, days or weeks. All he knew for certain was that events of the world had continued on without him there to witness it, as it had when he hid in his apartment after Sasuke's rejection, as it would long after the Akatsuki killed him.

He sobbed before he could stop it and rolled over onto his side, finding the movement harder to complete than it should have been. Ignoring the stiffness of his legs Naruto curled up and pulled the blankets closer, taking comfort in the warmth still clinging to the fabric. He felt very alone, both physically and emotionally, and though the emotion was a familiar one, part of him found this realization odd, as if someone should be next to him. His hand reached out, fingers stiff as they smoothed idly over the space beside him, feeling the shallow indent in the mattress.

Naruto felt his eyes tear, the liquid sucked away as whatever was covering his eyes absorbed it. Irrationally irritated by this, he pushed at the cloth, fumbling with it because his fingers didn't seem to work correctly until finally it slipped upward and fell away. He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it as pain stabbed straight into his brain, making him groan and snap his eye lids shut as fast as possible. When the pain didn't abate, he moved until he filled the cooler vacant depression next to him and turned his face into the mattress, inhaling the foreign scent of his bedmate and trying to ignore the memories of Sasuke it seemed to invoke.

'Sasuke…' He sniffled and felt himself sob, pressing himself harder against the bedding when the tears didn't stop. What had he been thinking, believing Sasuke would want someone as tainted as Naruto was? Naruto didn't understand why he was crying, didn't understand why it wouldn't stop. He had no right to be upset; no right to at all since Sasuke had told Naruto he didn't want him and there was nothing else to say on the subject. Despite this, Naruto had still wanted to say goodbye and tie up the little loose ends his abrupt departure had left behind. Sasuke was probably celebrating at that very moment with Tsunade and Iruka and Kakashi… Naruto was gone, the monster would soon be nothing more than an unpleasant memory. Honestly, what was there to cry over?

'You're being silly. Let it go already, whiner.' But still pain festered in his heart, making the organ seem to swell, choking him from the inside out, and Naruto could do nothing to ease it except curl up tighter and cry.

---

The sound of chanting greeted him the next time Naruto woke. Someone had visited him while he'd been asleep as there was a damp cloth over his eyes and the blankets had been smoothed over and tucked around his straightened form. The sensation of something in his nose was gone, as was whatever had been creating the feeling of something being stuck to his face, and the absence of both was comforting. However, there was a tightness around his temples that hadn't been there before and, reaching up, his questing fingers encountered small cloth covered bars that he belatedly realized were barrettes in his damp hair. Cautiously, Naruto sat up, swallowing down the groan the movement triggered as he held the washcloth in place by leaning his head back. He felt sore and stiff, unusually so, and his stomach did not like being upright at all. As he reached up to touch his hair again, he absently rubbed the area surrounding his navel in an effort to sooth the pain away while he brought his other hand back down to sniff his fingers, smelling the lingering traces of shampoo.

He'd been bathed. He sniffed a corner of the large T-shirt he wore. His clothes had been changed. Naruto blinked, unsure what to make of these facts or the idea that a stranger had had their hands on him while he lay helpless.

Pain blazed along his spine as Jiraiya shoved himself inside the blonde's abused opening, forcing Naruto to take the elder's length all at once. It wasn't the first time, or the third, or the seventh and the will to fight had been beaten out of him by then. Ashamed, humiliated, Naruto stared up at the ceiling as he lay passive, praying that it would end soon, that when his sensei finished this would be the last time and would leave Naruto alone.

Naruto barely managed to reach the side of the bed in time as nausea burned its way up his throat from his roiling stomach and out his mouth. It felt as if an inordinate amount of time passed as he lay sprawled across the mattress, unable to move as his stomach heaved violently, feeling as if his eyes were bleeding as blood roared in his ears, pumped faster than it should have been as his heart pounded in his chest. When nothing remained in his stomach and the stench of vomit could only provoke dry heaves, Naruto slumped weakly against the mattress, convinced that his head was splitting in two.

"Ai-sama? Hey Pallas, we need you in here!"

The distant sound of a door creaking warned him he was no longer alone. Light spilled across the blonde and though the voice was not loud, it still felt as if someone was screaming right in Naruto's ear. The double whammy of sudden blaring noise and the glaring light sent spikes of pain directly into Naruto's brain via his ears and eyes, making him feel ill all over again. His stomach heaved, twisting violently as it cramped, but the blonde resisted the instinctive urge to curl up and merely moaned pitifully as he put a hand up to block out the light.

Someone else stepped into the doorway, mercifully blocking out some of the light. "What are you…Whoa. Go grab a mop and bucket to clean up the mess." More footsteps, soft and slow as they entered the room, and Naruto forced an eye open tiredly to see who was approaching him.

Holy fuck, he had a twin sister! Her eyes weren't as blue as his were but her hair was almost the same shade of blonde and if they stood side by side no one would know they weren't related at all. 'Family..!' But he dismissed the idea a second later as idle fantasy; monsters didn't have family. The resemblance was uncanny though and he stared at her openly, unable to bother being furtive about it.

"Hello Ai-sama." The woman said, speaking as slowly as she walked. One would think she was approaching a wild, skittish animal not a sick teenager. "My name is Pallas. I've been helping Itachi and Kisame take care of you."

'Itachi. Kisame.' He felt a twinge of abandonment that neither was with him or close by but he smothered it until the flare of hurt faded back into nothing. 'Seriously, it's not like they could spend all their time looking after me; they're S-class missing ninja and probably had to go do like…S-class missing ninja stuff…' That, or they had gotten fed up of playing nursemaids and had foisted him off onto this woman the first moment they were able. No body wanted monsters around, what made Itachi or Kisame any different?

He sniffled before he could stop it and hid his face in shame. 'Loser. I'm such a fucking loser. Don't have anything to cry about and still the tears come.' When he spoke, his throat was raw, his voice hoarse. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up."

"Nah." The woman said, amusement creeping into her voice. "My brother has been complaining all day that he's bored. It'll be good for him to have something to do." A hand very carefully descended onto Naruto's head and there was a tension in it, as if she were ready to pull away at any moment.

Naruto felt his lip tremble and wondered what it was that made people unwilling to touch him then immediately regretted thinking of such a pathetically stupid question when the answer was so glaringly obvious. He wondered if she knew about the Kyuubi. He wondered if the Akatsuki pair was paying her to show small gestures of affection. He wondered if he should tell her that she didn't have to bother, that she didn't have to touch him, that he wouldn't tell on her and she could keep their money.

He said nothing, silently pulling his head away, out of her reach.

Though she continued to talk softly and her tone remained pleasant, she didn't try to touch him any more than necessary after that as she helped him clean up. Naruto retreated into himself and let his consciousness slide away to the Kyuubi's cell, crawling awkwardly through the hole in the bars to reach the familiar dais the fox inhabited.

Kyuubi's crimson red fur had acquired an unusual golden glow and Naruto looked the demon over for several minutes before approaching, admiring the color change even if he didn't understand it. The fox appeared both asleep and in pain but it shifted from its curled position, moving its left foreleg to reveal its chest in open invitation for him as he came near to gently caress its muzzle, smoothing any ruffled hairs back into their proper place. This earned him a small lick, as close to a kiss as Kyuubi could ever give, and Naruto smiled even as his lower lip trembled, hiding the tell-tale sign that he was about to cry by closing the gap between them and pressing his cheek against the fox's bared chest.

'There's nothing to cry over.' He told himself sternly even as fat tears flowed over his cheeks. 'There's nothing wrong. It's all okay.'

Dimly he realized that the chanting he had noticed earlier had stopped and for the first time wondered if maybe they were in the Akatsuki hide out. Maybe it was the Akatsuki chanting a jutsu, preparing for the ceremony or whatever that was needed to extract Kyuubi? Maybe that was where Kisame and Itachi were.

An odd sense of excitement rose briefly within him, there and gone in heartbeat, as the full implications swept over him. This was it. This was where he would die with Kyuubi. This was where he would finally be freed from the pain, where everyone's dreams would come true. Here, soon, his tale would end, the last chapter of his life would both be written and the book closed. It would be a secret known only between those involved, like an exclusive party just for him and the Akatsuki, no one else.

Warmth spread through him even as he cried, even as he let out a small broken bark of laughter. An indefinable something filled him up as he tried to picture the Akatsuki members wearing party hats and blowing noise makers, as he pictured himself wearing his own hat, and slowly he determined what the emotion was, that this was what it must feel like to belong, to be included in something. It was foreign and unfamiliar but it was good and he decided he really liked the feeling of being in on something, even if it was as inconsequential as this. He had always been different, always the outsider looking in through the window, never the one allowed inside even when he's been on Team Seven before it had disbanded. That knowledge had always been in the back of his mind, tainting anything and everything, but here, here he was the one a part of something not the one apart from it. It was different, real, and it added a sweetness to everything that went beyond explanation.

Naruto buried himself against Kyuubi's fur and chewed his lip in an effort to stop his tears. He was glad he'd gotten to say goodbye to Sasuke and hoped that the young Uchiha passed along his message to Tsunade.

"I'm sorry." The blonde whispered into the fur, shoulders heavy with guilt, shame and regret. He finally got to be included in something and all he'd have to do was condemn them both to death. He really was a very selfish person. "I'd free you from this if I could." And he would have in a heartbeat- Kyuubi was innocent of any wrongdoing. It was all Naruto's fault.

The blonde sincerely hoped Itachi remembered his promise as he hugged the Nine-tails tightly. "It'll be over soon. No more pain. We'll be at peace soon."

Hating himself for how weak he was, Naruto buried himself in Kyuubi's fur and sobbed as quietly as possible so as not to wake the other.

---

"Welcome back Itachi-san, Kisame-san." The monk said as he stood on the wide porch and held the door to the temple open for the returning pair. In response the Akatsuki pair paused in their ascent of the stairs that led up to the temple entrance and bowed respectfully at the man before continuing on their way up.

"Thank you, Minamoto-san." Itachi said quietly, silently helping the other shut the large heavy door. "Have you been waiting for us since we left?"

Minamoto was a small man made smaller still by the saffron and white colored robes he wore that seemed to swallow him. He was bald, something that was common among the monks, but his dark eyebrows were peppered here and there with silver-grey. He was not young or old in appearance and had a generous amount of laugh lines around his mouth and eyes that did nothing to help the former Mist ninja in pinpointing his age. Initially upon seeing the man, Kisame had put his age around fifty five, but after seeing the monk spar with a group of student monks, the Akatsuki member wasn't so sure. The monk had been the one to see them off hours earlier as they had gone out help round up some of the temple's wayward livestock and had pushed the huge heavy door of the main temple open for them as if it weighed nothing, saying clearly that the small man was stronger than he looked.

Well, he did belong to a sect of warrior monks after all.

Minamoto didn't reply immediately, preoccupied with sliding a large, steel-reinforced beam into place across the entrance, officially locking the temple for the night. "No, no. I actually just let Tatsumi-san and his group in from patrolling the grounds not long ago. I spotted you two coming and, since I was already here, decided stayed put." He smiled, his whole face moving with the expression and instantly looking ten years younger.

"Thanks," Kisame grunted, impatient to get going so he could change and shower. The pair had been gone much longer than anticipated and the former Mist ninja wanted to get back to Naruto as fast as possible. He didn't like leaving the blonde with the brother and sister duo unsupervised at all for any length of time for several reasons, one large one being the Kyuubi whose presence the Akatsuki pair had yet to fully disclose to Pallas and Kana. It was a need-to-know topic only and, in Kisame's opinion, neither of them needed to know.

"There was some excitement earlier with Ai-sama." Minamoto said casually as they walked in a group away from the foyer and into the main hallway. "Seems your mistress got a bit sick… Got the shishi all in a tizzy…"

Whatever else the monk had to report was lost to the squeal of metal hinges being torn asunder and the scream of wood splintering under the force of some large object. Said large object turned out to be Kana as seconds later the trio had to throw themselves to the floor as the tall man flew by over head before hitting the floor several meters from their position. Kana bounced twice before skidding to a stop, nearly thirty yards from where his journey had started at the other end of the hall.

"Foo-kun!" Minamoto said anxiously, climbing to his feet and hurrying over to the prone form. As the monk reached the brunette, Kana stirred and sat up, muttering a very flat "Ow."

Resilient little bastard.

Kisame's attention was drawn by Itachi, the Uchiha already on his feet and sprinting down the hall toward the source of the destruction, which unfortunately happened to be the apartments given to them for their stay. The former Mist ninja shot to his feet, following, and was only several steps behind the brunette when Naruto stumbled out from the wrecked ruins of the large double doors that marked the boundary of their quarters.

The blonde was weaving as she determinedly moved forward and her legs were shaking from being forced to hold her weight. It was like watching a new born fawn trying to walk for the first time, awkwardly struggling to stand on uncertain legs, fighting to coordinate the spindly appendages. The chakra that winked in and out of existence was an odd red-gold hue and made the air boil around Naruto said that he was far from something as helpless as a deer, but the image stayed stuck in Kisame's mind, reinforced when the blonde stumbled and fell to the carpet only to shakily get back up to lurch forward. Eyes made crimson by the Kyuubi's presence settled on the Akatuski pair and just like that, Kisame could no longer move forward.

It was as if all that chakra had wrapped around his body like an invisible hand, encasing him from the shoulders down while the demon looked him over, eyebrows knitting together as she did so even as her eyes widened slightly. Unlike Itachi whose appearance had been left relatively unscathed by their previous exposure to the Kyuubi's chakra, Kisame's body had gotten a complete overhaul. His once distinctively blue skin was now normal flesh tone, if a bit on the tan side, and the almost colorless irises of his eyes were now a pale green. The bone structure of his face had remained predominantly intact with the exception of his jaw which had narrowed, no longer needing to accommodate the set of sharp angular teeth he had been born with. Kyuubi's chakra had remodeled is mouth, making his teeth straight and even, and Kisame had picked up the habit of running his tongue over them repeatedly because they felt so odd.

Then she turned her attention to Itachi, her frown quickly turning into a nasty smile, as if she had been successful in pulling off some great joke. Maybe she had, though, since it had been the demon's chakra that had changed Itachi's gender. The Uchiha still had pale skin, dark eyes and dark hair but Itachi's ability to father children had been taken away. The clothing they wore, loose outfits that had been generously given to them by the monks of the temple, were all an identical shade of blue and cut in a style similar to that of the tan ones worn by the temple's students. The outfits were on the large side and pulled askew with the most minimal activity, making them all appear asexual and badly dressed.

The demon chuckled, or tried to as it quickly turned into a cough, the force of which nearly tipped the blonde over, and she put her hand out as if leaning against a wall. Since she was in the middle of the hallway, this mime act of leaning against thin air was something of a neat trick and Kisame looked to Itachi in silent question. The Uchiha shook his head, informing the former Mist ninja that no hidden jutsu was in play but Itachi tensed minutely and Kisame quickly returned his attention to Naruto as the blonde's stance shifted and he leaned against the invisible wall heavily, free hand settling on his belly and rubbing as if something there hurt.

"Ai-sama," Pallas said, approaching the other slowly from behind. Though she was being cautious, her back was straight, her manner authoritative as she approached the other blonde. She had gone into No Nonsense mode. "Ai-sama, lets go back to your room. You'll feel better once you lie down. Kana will stay out here; he won't touch you again."

Both Itachi and Kisame looked over their shoulder in mutual disgust and irritation at the tall brunette in question. Kana had been immediately forthcoming about his identity if not about other details, like what the fuck he really was, and had answered all their questions concerning his run-in with Naruto with a patience that was damn admirable. They had asked him multiple times, individually and in concert, but his story never changed and the Akatsuki pair was forced to believe that he at least believed his tale of the events was the truth. That didn't mean they trusted him with Naruto and one of the rules of his continued allowance to remain with them was that, short of a dire medical emergence, he was not allowed to touch Naruto. Until now, Kana had been alright with this arrangement and had followed it to the letter.

"A Koma-inu?" Kyuubi groaned, drawing Kisame's attention again. "No wonder I feel so awful…" She put a hand to her mouth in a manner that suggested that the blonde would shortly be sick.

Kisame was beginning to really hate the fact that everyone around him seemed to know what Kana was. He wondered vaguely if he could ask Naruto to ask the Nine-Tails for a complete explanation.

"Kana isn't making you sick." Pallas said gently, remaining calm, several feet shy of her patient. She didn't move toward Naruto, making the former Mist ninja wonder if she still could or if she, like the Akatsuki pair, had been frozen in place as well. "Let's go back to inside…"

It was possible that whatever Kana was affecting the Kyuubi but the more likely culprit was something a whole lot smaller and much more troublesome. Pallas had said that keeping the jinchuuriki calm and inactive was vital to his health since he was already so fragile. Naruto had been asleep all week and they had used this to their advantage to pump his unresisting body full of fluids and high calorie food in an effort to replenish his under nourished form. Even with their efforts he had physically shrunk several inches, a feat that had had Pallas' jaw on the floor, and lost ten precious pounds because his metabolism, and thus his healing ability, had remained in overdrive for the three days immediately following their arrival here.

Kyuubi lurched forward, tottering determinedly past where the Akatsuki pair remained glued in place until Kana jogged toward her. The Kyuubi turned its attention on the tall brunette, and Kisame could feel the demon's chakra surge as the Nine-tails frowned deeply. Kana continued toward her, his long, ground eating strides quickly closing the gap between them and, to his credit, he didn't touch her; in fact, he deliberately kept several feet between them, watching the blonde expectantly. When both their skin began to glow faintly and Kisame felt his eyes widen as he watched.

"Get lost." Kyuubi hissed at the tall male, again shifting to lean against a wall only the demon could see. One hand again returned to settle over Naruto's stomach, rubbing small insistent circles as a grimace crossed over the boy-turned-girl's features. Kana took a step closer, making the glow being emitted by the blonde's skin become brighter, and a growl filled the air. "Get away from me, little doggy. I have no wish to play with you."

"Foo-kun," Minamoto said, taking a step to the side so that he could be seen from behind Kana. He'd been so quiet that Kisame had thought he'd left. "Perhaps antagonizing the young lady is not the best idea?"

Eyeing the monk, the demon looked over its shoulder at the Akatsuki pair and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"We've been staying here." Kisame said, shrugging awkwardly as he looked over his shoulder at the blonde. Chakra or not, staying in this position was beginning to hurt and the muscles of his back and neck let him know loudly that they were not meant to stay in such a way for this long. The former Mist ninja frowned and flexed his ankle to see if whatever the demon had done had worn off.

"Monk-san, let me introduce you to Ai-sama, my mate." Kana said, turning to face the other as he moved to stand beside Naruto, ignoring Kyuubi's resulting warning growl. The brunette looked as if he'd won some sort of lottery, grinning and smiling, so obviously happy about something that it immediately put Kisame on alert. "She'll be carrying my pups once the one she carries now is born."

From behind him, the former Mist ninja heard the sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh as Pallas smacked her forehead with her palm and sighed heavily.

If the fox didn't beat him to it, Kana was a dead man, er, dog-thing, once Kisame got free. By tacit agreement, it had been decided that Naruto's pregnancy was to be kept from the jinchuuriki for as long as possible so as not to stress the fragile teenager unnecessarily. Kisame doubted Naruto would take the news well and he bet the Kyuubi would take it very, very badly.

Kyuubi abruptly stood erect, rigid as the demon looked up at the tall brunette in open horror before turning its attention to the Akatsuki pair. The blonde's jaw worked soundlessly for several seconds before the demon finally managed to speak. "Puh…Pup?"

"We have a lot to discuss with you, Ai-sama." Itachi said. The Uchiha shifted, clearly testing if he had mobility. "Much has happen-"

"No." Kyuubi said flatly, the blonde's expression blanking out eerily. "Just… No."

Itachi shifted again and this time so did Kisame.

"Pups are good news!" Kana said excitedly, clearly puzzled since no one else seemed to share his enthusiasm. "You're going to be a mothe…"

He didn't get the chance to finish as the demon turned its attention on him fully, expression ugly, as if Kana himself was responsible for the pregnancy and the former Mist ninja filed this information away for later analysis. The air became thick as Kisame felt the blonde's chakra swell and then the brunette went flying across the hall to smack against the opposite wall with a loud crack, pinned in place by the Nine-Tail's chakra.

"No!" Wobbling, Kyuubi began shouting, as if denying it would change the fact that Naruto was with child. "No, no, no! You're lying! I'm not… we can't… the bastard's… Noooo!" She screamed, her legs collapsing beneath her. Kisame realized that the demon was sobbing, breathing raggedly as both arms wrapped around the blonde's middle, and he wondered vaguely what the problem was. Naruto being pregnant was a big deal, no one was saying otherwise though only Itachi and Kisame knew exactly how big a deal, but the Kyuubi was acting as if it was a death sentence and practically having a meltdown.

Minamoto, to his credit, moved to sit beside the demon but Itachi and Kisame shook their heads vehemently, warning the old warrior away. If Kyuubi lost it, there was no telling what would happen to the monk, the temple, or the whole damn island the building sat on. The most powerful of the jinchuuriki, there was nothing beyond the Kyuubi's power, nothing. It could blow them to hell and back in less time than it took Kisame to blow his nose. Even if it was in compassion, touching Naruto with the demon firmly in control could inadvertently provoke the Nine-tail's wrath and Kisame made shooing motions to warn the monk further back.

Honestly, after seeing Kana go flying, twice, one would think that the monk would have enough sense to not want to be within a hundred feet of the blonde. But Minamoto was made of stronger stuff apparently and, despite Kisame's continued efforts to wave him away, the older warrior sat down on the floor beside the blonde, a small smile playing at his lips. He didn't speak or move to touch her, merely sat and smiled while next to him the small body was wracked by harsh sobs.

The monk casually looked to his right, toward the other end of the hallway, and made a vague wave in that direction. Kisame followed the motion and realized that Kyuubi's rampage had not gone unnoticed by the other residents of the temple. Tatsumi, a captain in the ranks as far as Kisame could tell, and his squad had crowded into the hall, everyone armed to the teeth and ready to charge forward. They watches Naruto carefully, like any good hunter would watch a dangerous rapid animal but at Minamoto's wave, though, they relaxed, standing down and sheathing their weapons but not leaving.
"Ah." Kyuubi said, drawing everyone's attention back to it, the soft gasp of surprise the only warning something was amiss before the blonde abruptly tipped to the side. The monk moved like lightening, catching and guiding the blonde as the other fell, easily pulling Naruto into his lap instead of letting him hit the floor.

Released, Kana hit the floor with a loud thump and both the Akatsuki members and Pallas nearly followed suite as their feet were suddenly unfrozen, the abrupt return making them wobble. Immediately Kisame and Itachi pivoted, letting gravity pull them forward, using the momentum to smoothly turn and launch into motion, running toward Naruto's prone form.

---

Concern and frustration warred within Kisame as he sat on the bed and watched Itachi help Pallas splint Naruto's ankles, silently dismayed as he glimpsed the mottled flesh while it disappeared under the new bindings. The area already looked painfully swollen despite the ice Pallas had been applying, proving that both joints were broken and useless until they healed. Kisame and Itachi had both become accustomed to carrying Naruto around to the point that it was almost second nature but it was still mildly annoying

The unconscious jinchuuriki had been lain so that his back was against the former Mist ninja front in a semi-reclined position, an IV catheter in his arm. The NG tubing had been reinstalled down the blonde's nose, the end looped around his left ear and taped carefully in place so it wouldn't move when either Naruto or Kisame shifted position. Pallas, clearly frustrated at this new set back to her patient's recovery to the point that she was near tears, had deemed both supportive measures were necessary after taking stock of the damage wrought by Kyuubi's impromptu power display.

Both of Kisame's arms were wrapped around Naruto's waist, his large hands splayed over the blonde's lower stomach in an almost possessive manner as they glowed, hunting for the spark that marked Naruto's pregnancy. Finding it and feeling it fluctuate, Kisame immediately started feeding it healing chakra until the little spark burned bright and strongly again. Reassured by the feeling of the quick regular pulse beneath his fingertips, Kisame let out a quietly held breath as he relaxed against the pillows behind him. This cycle had been repeating itself with startling frequency since Kyuubi's appearance and the Akatsuki member was beginning to wonder if the Nine-Tails was actively trying to make Naruto miscarry.

Being of the Mist, Kisame was naturally sensitive to all aspects of water and when he had sensed the small knot of unknown density, he'd thought it was another wound or a clot and had subsequently brought it to Pallas' attention. Since then, he had been serving as a human ultrasound machine since the temple unsurprisingly didn't have one and there wasn't a hospital in the immediate vicinity.

There was a knock on the door and Itachi adjusted the sheet pooled next to the jinchuuriki, spreading it to cover Naruto's naked lower body since the pajama bottoms he'd been wearing had been removed for ease and simplicity when the damage to his ankles had been discovered. Naruto still wore the large sleep shirt Itachi had dressed Naruto in after his bath was long enough that it reached the blonde's mid thigh but that was not sufficient cover by itself, especially with Kisame's hands under it. When the blonde was fully covered, Pallas gave assent for the person to enter.

The bedroom door opened silently revealing a dark head as it cautiously peeked in. "How's she do…"

"Get out, Kana!" The order came from three throats simultaneously in identical angry tones, snarled out in a move so well orchestrated, one would have thought that the spontaneous delivery of the words was choreographed.

The tall twenty something year old hovered in the doorway, expression alternating from anger over being chastised and guilt for being partially responsible for the current situation. He dithered, shifting on his feet but neither leaving nor pressing forward into the room, and Kisame growled irritably reaching for something to throw but Pallas beat him to it. She pulled off her slipper shoe and hurled it, hitting the wall right in front of Kana's nose. He jumped, startled, and shot his sister a glare before doing as he was told, closing the door softly behind him.

"Your brother is not allowed in here. At. All." Itachi told the doctor, his voice not quite able to achieve its usual flat monotone, though whether from emotion or due to its recent feminization Kisame didn't know. "He is not to be anywhere near Ai-sama."

"What exactly is she?" Pallas exploded into movement, standing up and angrily hurling her medical supplies into the bag she kept them in, the dwindling amount having been pilfered from the clinic they fled. She glared at the Uchiha, her fists clenching and unclenching, as if she just wanted to haul off and hit him. "She did something to Kana to get him all excited before all this…"

"She 'got him all excited?'" Kisame said, impressed with how calm he sounded while feeling so angry. His hands still splayed out against the skin of Naruto's belly protectively, fingers absently playing over the new ridge of scar tissue just under Naruto's navel. "Your brother can turn into a huge dog and brushes off damage tat would kill normal people. He knew the names of most of the knives and swords in the temple arsenal and seems to suddenly think that he and Ai-sama are going to get married in the near future like some psycho stalker. He doesn't seem worried at all about the baby she carries now or how it occurred after Ai and he 'talked.'" The former Mist ninja irritably made air quotes with his fingers and continued to talk over Pallas' sputtered indignation that Kana did not turn into a dog. "He admitted to touching her then and, now after touching her again, she nearly kills herself and miscarries trying to get away from him!"

"Get away?!" Pallas said, voice rising. She stood over him in what Kisame assumed was an attempt to intimidate his with her not so impressive height. Pallas wasn't terribly tall like her brother but she wasn't as small as Naruto's current four foot something either. The doctor was very firmly average in her height and her attempts to use it to frighten Kisame made him want to laugh as Pallas continued to rage. "Get away?! She hurled him through a pair of barricade doors! Barricade doors, you idiot ninja meathead, and she didn't even touch him to do it! Her healing ability… is unnatural! She's can't be human…"

"Shut up." Itachi had been watching the exchange silently, content to let them squabble but her last comment seemed to have crossed the line with the Uchiha.

"No!" The irate blonde said petulantly, glaring at the brunette. "She's not human, at least not a normal one, and I don't care what Kana says but she is not a goddess…"

"It has been my experience," a familiar voice said seconds before Minamoto pushed the door open, a tray laden with teacups and a small steaming kettle in his hands. Smiling, he entered without waiting for permission. "That even legends of gods and goddesses have to start somewhere. What better place than with young men and women gifted with extraordinary abilities beyond normal comprehension?"

"I thought you were a Buddhist." Kisame said, an eyebrow rising. "Doesn't that rule out believing in anything else?"

The monk set the tray down on the side table located on the far side of the room. "I am a good citizen of Water Country but that doesn't mean I don't like visiting other places."

Kisame didn't understand the comparison.

"Once not long ago, Koma-inu were thought to be unnatural." Minamoto continued, pouring tea for them, steam wafting up to hide the older man's face for several moments. The monk looked at Pallas. "It was why there are so few of you today, is it not?"

She paused, looking thoughtful as Minamoto handed her her cup.

"What the hell is a Koma-inu?" Kisame asked, exasperated. Neither Pallas nor Kana had been forthcoming with answers regarding what Kana really was the entire week they had been together and this had annoyed Kisame to no end. However they, in turn, had not pushed for answers regarding Naruto, and Kisame had refrained from pushing the issue, allowing them their privacy since they were allowing the Akatsuki pair theirs. Now that Pallas was had begun demanding information about Naruto, the unspoken agreement between them was broken and now Kisame's curiosity was making a comeback of epic proportions.

Minamoto blinked in surprise as he carried over the tray, walking slowly so as not to spill the hot liquid. "Koma-inu, shishi, cerberi, Foo-dogs, Imperial Guardian Lions, Lions of Buddha… They are known by many names world wide but all are fundamentally terms for the same type of animal. They are, in essence, mystical guardian beasts. Due to their nature and temperament they were usually found protecting sacred sites and those who dwelled there."

"So they're guard dogs." Kisame said flatly, truly unimpressed.

"In a sense." Minamoto said, nodding, ignoring Pallas' sound of indignation as she tried to swallow the hot tea and protest at the same time. "Most guard dogs though do not have the power to keep demons and evil away though,…"

Alarm bells began ringing within Kisame's mind and he accepted the tea stoically, too busy trying to keep his expression neutral to do anything but hold the fragile cup in his hand over the side of the edge of the bed. If Kana's powers abilities were interfering with the Kyuubi's regenerative abilities then it would explain why Naruto wasn't recovering as he should…

"…Or redeem angry spirits." The monk continued conversationally as he handed Itachi a cup as well.

Kisame's train of thought went off a cliff. "They can what?"

"According to some tales, they can neutralize negative energy and redeem angry spirits." Minamoto said, sitting down on one of the large sitting cushions throughout the room and taking a sip of tea. While the monk's eyes were elsewhere, the former Mist ninja chanced a look at his partner, wondering what the Uchiha made of this sudden idea. Itachi's eyes were a bit wide, dark eyebrows creeping into his hairline, and Kisame felt marginally better to know that his fellow Akatsuki member was as thunderstruck as he was about all this.

"Redeem," Kisame couldn't completely keep the note of urgency from his voice. Triggered by the monk's words, his thoughts began racing as his brain suddenly fought to put together a puzzle he hadn't even known was there. He felt as if he were on a precipice; an idea was forming in his mind and it stubbornly hovered just out of his reach. A few more inches- a little more information- and he would have it, solid and real in his hand. "Redeem how? What happens to the angry spirit once it's been redeemed by a Koma-inu?"

The monk stared at him over the rim of his teacup but he answered the question and that was all Kisame cared about. "No one knows for sure. Some stories say that, once free of the bonds of anger, is allowed to go to heaven. Other tales say that Koma-inu eat the angry spirits."

'But what if the angry spirit is a demon's spirit? What happens then? Can a demon be redeemed? If it can, does it become it's opposite…?" Kisame could feel his heart pounding, as if his body had realized where his thoughts were taking him even if he didn't truly know. He thought furiously, adrenaline spiking through him as he tried to put everything together. He had to think, and think hard because… somehow it was very important. Not only for Naruto but for the baby the blonde now carried and also for Itachi and Kisame both.

He was nearing the edge of the percipience, his hand outstretched. Closer and closer, almost, almost..! 'What was the opposite of a demon? What was the equivalent of a demon for good? An angel?' Imagining the fox with little cherub wings was a strange image that felt wrong, as if he were on the right track but had misinterpreted the message…

"…And I don't care what Kana says, she's not a goddess…"

…His fingers closed over something…

"Kisame-san?" With a start, Kisame jerked back to reality, blinking, suppressing a frustrated yell as the thought slipped through his fingers and disappeared.

Minamoto chuckled lightly. "You were thinking very hard and seriously about something there." The monk chuckled again and sipped his tea. The former Mist ninja suddenly wanted to hit the older man. "Do you know an evil spirit, Kisame-san?"

'You have no idea, old man.' The former Mist ninja made a face, pursing his lips and screwing his eyes shut as if he had tasted something sour. He wondered if Itachi would have a theological discussion with him later because Kisame was sure he'd never be able to come up with the answer on his own now. Something brushed his lip and his eyes popped open, darting down comically to see what the hell had touched him.

Blue eyes narrowed in concentration were studying him and Kisame realized that it was Naruto's fingers touching him, tracing the Akatsuki member's jaw, delicately reaching up to touch the other's mouth lightly before moving away. This was the first time Naruto had seen him after Kisame's transformation and so he held still, allowing the other to continue as he would, too busy staring at the blonde's eyes to really think about what was happening.

Naruto's eyes were still blue, the same pretty sky blue they had been the first time Kisame had met him years ago, but now there were small golden motes of some sort sprinkled throughout the iris around a dilated elliptical pupil. The blonde blinked slowly, his strange eyes disappearing as his eyelids closed, and the blonde retracted his hand to let it lay limply on the former Mist ninja's chest, as if the minor bit of exploration had exhausted him. Kisame gripped the wayward hand lightly with his own and carefully brought both back to rest over the blonde's stomach, trapping the dainty palm under his larger one.

Blue eyes fluttered back open slowly, mouth having to work briefly before any sound came out. When it did, it was rough, raw, as if the Kyuubi's earlier screaming had somehow damaged Naruto's throat. "Aum?"

Kisame blinked, puzzled. It wasn't a word, he was positive of that much. Feeling foolish, he repeated it back to Naruto who had angled his head to look at the Akatsuki member. "Aum?"

"Now that is interesting." Minamoto looked thoughtful, peppered eyebrows drawing together slightly as he looked at Naruto. The monk scratched his cheek but his gaze never wavered from the jinchuuriki.

Pallas snorted, irritated. "The tube prevents her vocal cords from closing completely. Until she gets used to it her words will come out weird." Waving her hand in a dismissive gesture, the blonde reached for her medical bag. "I'm sorry but Minamoto-san and Kisame-san need to step outside while I conduct a…"

"In a minute." Kisame said, glaring at her. If nothing else, the Akatsuki pair needed to brief Naruto on their cover story now that the teenager was awake.

Itachi shifted on the bed, moving so that he could get off. "Get out, Pallas."

Unsurprisingly, she sputtered, indignant, but Pallas did eventually leave the room, stomping out the door and slamming it shut behind her despite the fact that Minamoto was still there.

"Quite a live one, isn't she? She'll make quite the Koma-inu when she awakens." The monk commented, climbing to his feet. He gathered the tea cup Pallas had left and took the others from the Akatsuki pair and set them back on the tray. "I understand the need for privacy between you and your mistress but alienating the only one who can put Ai-sama back together may not be the wisest course of action. I suspect that you'll be needing her help after your talk."

He was right, unfortunately, and Kisame knew it even if he did not say it allowed. Isamu and Bob had said that Pallas had experience in dealing with rape victims and the Akatsuki pair would need her when they broke the news to Naruto about the attack and the pregnancy that had resulted from it. The blonde was probably going to loose it like the Kyuubi once they told him about the baby though it was possible that the fox had beaten them to it. If that was the case then Naruto was taking things way too well….

As Itachi pulled open the door to let Minamoto, Kisame hastily pushed all sharp objects out of reach of the blonde jinchuuriki.

The Uchiha shut and locked the door. "Naruto-kun."

Naruto, who appeared to have dozed off during everyone's departure, roused and turned his head to look in Itachi's direction. He made a sound of acknowledgement low in his throat, wincing before he waved halfheartedly at the Uchiha in greeting once the brunette returned to sit on the bed. The hand that Kisame had pinned beneath his own fluttered and the former Mist ninja released it, watching while Itachi received the same treatment he had gotten as Naruto's fingers delicately touched the Uchiha's face. The blonde's hand lowered and hovered uncertainly for a second over the mounds of Itachi's breasts before finally breaching the space between them and copping a feel, expression curious.

Though Itachi allowed it without any form of protest, Kisame did not miss the faint blush that stained the pale skin of the other's cheeks and the ex-Mist ninja had to turn his head away before the Uchiha caught sight of his smile.

That smile soon faded though as Kisame tried to think of how to start this particular conversation. A lot had happened while Naruto was unconscious and though most of it was inconsequential some was not. Kisame determined that plunging headlong could do more damage than good and he deemed it best to start with an assessment question,

"How you feeling?"

Itachi, apparently fed up with being felt up, had trapped Naruto's hand between his two and the Uchiha stared at Kisame as if the other had asked the stupidest question in the world.

The blonde angled his head so that he could awkwardly regard him, blinking, making his new eyes disappear from view. His mouth moved but nothing more than slurred gibberish came out. Looking frustrated, Naruto frowned deeply, trying to force some sort of understandable speech through his lips to no avail. He shook his head and tugged his hand free of Itachi's grasp, wiggling his fingers.

Kisame sighed in defeat and irritation. He hated yes or no questions.

"Good." Itachi said suddenly, and there was a note of something in the other's voice that sounded suspiciously like relief. "He says he feels good. No pain. He's ready to go."

'He says?' Eyebrows in his hairline, Kisame blinked, realizing belatedly that Naruto was communicating with his hand. It wasn't uncommon for each village to have its own sign language system as a back up but most did not extend beyond combat situations when verbal communication was not an option. Though at one time there had been one standardized system of sign language, many regions had done away with it as an outdated custom once a single dialect had been chosen as the official language throughout the larger countries.

Itachi's hands moved, making gestures that Kisame couldn't make heads or tails out of, dark eyes focused on Naruto's reply. The elder Uchiha's eyebrows shot up.

Kisame felt strangely left out. "What? What did you ask him and what did he say?"

"I asked him where he learned to sign. He says he's been borrowing books and reading a lot."

"Time well spent." Kisame grunted, ruffling the blonde head and mussing the long hair. Naruto smiled, leaning into the touch, clearly enjoying it. "Good job, though I'm surprised it wasn't your senseis…"

The blonde stiffened instantly though Kisame couldn't understand why. He would have thought Naruto would have enjoyed the compliment but here the boy-turned-girl was, rigid, trembling, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. For a second he feared the blonde was going to start bawling but then slowly Naruto relaxed again, as if he'd taken the emotions affecting him and stuffed them away, though perhaps 'relax' wasn't the correct word since Kisame could feel the blonde's pulse thudding quickly.

"'My senseis taught me many things.'" It was the way Itachi said it that let Kisame know that the Uchiha was as equally confused about the teens response. It wasn't a typical reply to such a passing comment and the way Naruto reacted was truly odd. Maybe his teachers had been cruel? Funny, Jiraiya was a known pervert though cruelty seemed a bit of a leap…

"Naruto-kun, did Jiraiya do something to you?"

The blonde didn't respond and, really, he didn't have to. At the mention of the Sannin the trembling had returned, the already pale skin paling further into a distinctly unhealthy color that shone as Naruto began sweating copiously. Keeping one hand firmly on the blonde's belly, Kisame gently closed his freehand around Naruto's neck, feeling the pulse there beating wildly like some trapped animal.

This wasn't good not only for Naruto but also for the baby. The former Mist ninja took his hand away before it could agitate the blonde further and began threading his fingers through Naruto's hair since the jinchuuriki had seemed to like that earlier. Unfortunately, it wasn't helping calm the teenager as Naruto continued to minutely tremble, tense and stiff as he tired to surreptitiously crawl out of Kisame's lap. There wasn't anywhere for the blonde to go and the moment he seemed to realize this, he began pulling the sheet up over himself in an attempt to hide.

Kisame glanced at Itachi to see what the Uchiha made of the behavior and realized that the currently Sharingan-eyed brunette would be useless for the time being.

Too busy plotting Jiraiya's demise, no doubt.

"Okay." The former Mist ninja said, stretching out the word while working hard for his voice to be calm and low. He let Naruto disappear beneath the sheet without protest though Kisame didn't allow Naruto to remove the hand that covered the blonde's belly. Kisame reached out to touch the hidden head with his unoccupied hand, hesitating as he thought better of the action and pulled back. "Okay, but we're here if you want to talk or anything."

The words were lame but Kisame felt that they needed to be said nonetheless. Whatever Jiraiya had done must have been horrific to provoke such a reaction from the once carefree blonde but Kisame could not fathom what point there would be in the Sannin torturing his student so severely. What would Jiraiya possibly gain from it? What exactly had he done to make the blonde this was and was their a chance it could be reversed? Naruto was a mess- mentally, emotionally, and physically- and had been so before the Akatsuki pair had found him. Whatever potential he had had as a ninja had been derailed by years and until he healed completely there was no way he would be able to function in combat…

Unless… unless that was the exact outcome Konoha was hoping for. Kisame had seen repeated proof that if Naruto became stressed enough, the Kyuubi would come to his rescue and protect him. Put the blonde in the path of an oncoming army and it would be a bloodbath of epic proportions as Kyuubi possessed the blonde and sought revenge. No, not just armies… Countries. Continents. No one would stand a chance against the jinchuuriki and all would fall before the Nine-tail's efforts to protect Naruto. The entire balance of power would shift globally as Konoha employed its ultimate weapon and took out the other big five countries, assuming power over all.

And stuck in the middle, helpless to defend himself or his baby, frightened out of his mind if not already outright insane from it all, would be Naruto.

Kisame's mind boggled and silence swelled within the small room. "I think I need some sake." He said at length then remembered that there was no alcohol in the temple.

A shudder passed through Itachi as the Uchiha fought down the emotions possessing him and came back to the conversation. The Sharingan faded into the normal bottomless dark of the brunette's eyes, one pale hand reaching up to absently tuck a wayward lock of hair behind his ear. "Naruto-kun, are you hungry?"

He pulled lightly at the sheet, slowly revealing the blonde. Naruto allowed the action, not stopping the other until Itachi tried to pull the cloth past the jinchuuriki's shoulders, and then the teen waded the excess sheet in his hands, gripping it tight to keep it in place. The blonde shook his head weakly then tried to pull the sheet back up to hide beneath again.

"No." Kisame trapped the blonde's hands, preventing the action, and looking down at the teen as Naruto looked up at him fearfully. "You've got to eat, hungry or not. Naruto, you're sick and you're eating for two. You need to eat and rest so you can get better." The former Mist ninja sighed and resisted the urge to run a frustrated hand through his hair. "There's a tube in your nose that goes down to your stomach that we've been using to get food into you. I'm going to sit up now and you're going to sit in my lap while Itachi feeds you dinner. If you get tired, sleep. If you have questions, ask them, but you can't hide until you've eaten."

Itachi was looking at Kisame strangely which wasn't terribly surprising since Kisame didn't usually make it a habit of ordering the other around. Out of the two of them though, when it came to Naruto's care, Kisame was in charge more often than not- probably because he was the only one willing to listen when Pallas went into lecture mode. Whatever the reason, Itachi let him have the authority about Naruto's care, apparently content to sit back and help as needed, if needed. It was weird, very weird to have the Uchiha assume a subordinate role, but it worked so Kisame didn't worry over it.

"Pallas took her bag with her." Itachi reported after climbing off the bed once more, his unhappiness over this development plain. "I'll have to go to the kitchen."

Kisame sighed but wasn't terribly surprised; Pallas had a nasty tendency to be spiteful when annoyed. The former Mist ninja released Naruto's hands and pinched the bridge of his nose, smothering the urge to sigh. "Top shelf in the auxiliary pantry. Check the expiration date though, I had to chuck one earlier because it expired. If there aren't any more cans, we'll have to mix some from scratch."

Itachi nodded, face expressionless though his back was stiff and straight as he shut the door behind him. Despite his seemingly limitless innate ability to be good at anything, the Uchiha had no luck operating a blender. Kisame truly didn't understand the problem- how hard was it to fill the glass container, put the top on and hit a button?- but when Itachi tried to do anything with the simple kitchen appliance, it ended badly for anyone within a ten foot radius.

"We're in a temple." Kisame said abruptly to Naruto after several moments of silence had passed. Small talk had never been something he was good at and since Itachi was usually so quiet, Kisame had never had to hone his conversation skills. "In Water Country. We've been here a week with two other people, Pallas and Kana."

At the mention of the tall brunette, Naruto tensed.

"So you did run into him?"

Naruto shifted nervously.

"I'm not upset," Kisame murmured gently, forcing himself to relax, idly running his fingers through Naruto's hair. "Just confirming what Kana said." The adrenaline from earlier had faded, leaving him mildly fatigued, and the former Mist ninja sighed inwardly at how quickly his body had become out of shape in just a few days.

The blonde turned carefully onto his side but didn't stop once he'd achieved the position. Instead he kept going and once Kisame realized that Naruto was trying to turn onto his belly, the former Mist ninja aided him in getting comfortable, leaning back further so that the blonde wasn't laying awkwardly, eyes on Naruto's face for any signs of pain.

Kisame pulled a pillow out from under his back and tossed it carelessly against the wall the bed bordered, shortly repeating the action with another pillow so he could lay horizontally. He made sure Naruto's IV line wasn't tangled or crimped and craned his neck so that he could check to make sure Naruto's ankles were still splinted. When Naruto awkwardly reached for the sheet, Kisame beat him to it, pulling it up to the blonde's shoulders and covering the majority of them both.

"Good?" The Akatsuki member asked. Naruto nodded from inches away, blinking his blue, gold flecked eyes down at Kisame, his body stretched parallel atop the former Mist ninja. So that the blonde wouldn't fall should he roll over and also so that he could continue to keep track of the baby's heart beat, Kisame put his hand on Naruto's lower back, feeling the small line of scar tissue to the left side of the teenager's spine and absently playing with it.

"I don't know how to sign." Kisame told the other slowly, thinking as he spoke. "So me understanding you will be a bit difficult if you want to tell me anything." He waited until Naruto nodded in understanding before continuing. "Okay, so you did meet Kana." Another slow nod accompanied by more tensing. "Did you know him before?" Naruto shook his head and Kisame nodded slowly, trying to figure out the best way to proceed. He needed Naruto's side of the story to either confirm or disprove Kana's version but he knew that pushing wouldn't work.

Kisame took a breath and slowly let it out through his nose as he came to a decision.

"I'm going to tell you what Kana told us. If you think anything is wrong, let me know." Kisame said then belatedly remembered that ordering Naruto around probably wouldn't be appreciated by the blonde. "Please. Itachi can translate when he gets back." He waited because the teenager looked uncertain but then continued when Naruto eventually did nod his permission to begin. Kisame began from the beginning, telling the story as Kana had told him, starting with the events at the bar. It wasn't until Kisame reached the point where Kana had grabbed him did Naruto become distressed.

Thinking that he had hit upon a flaw in Kana's story, Kisame pounced. "Is he the one who attacked you? Did Kana hurt you?"

Naruto was alternating between nodding his head and shaking it rapidly, each movement too fast, his eyes unfocused and lost in memory. The blonde reached up and touched his shoulder with his free hand, cupping the area and shielding it, as his pulse beat rapidly against the skin of his throat. He was breathing shallowly and beginning to sweat, small trails of liquid running over his pale skin to drip onto Kisame's chest.

It was not quite the response Kisame had been looking for and the former Mist ninja inwardly cursed, knowing that he should have foreseen the possibility of triggering a panic attack given the subject matter.

"Breathe, Naruto or you're going to hyperventilate." Kisame cupped Naruto's cheek with his free hand as he spoke, startling the teenager back to the present but had to let go as the blonde jerked. Immediately Naruto's knee pressed down into Kisame's crotch and even if there was a soft mattress below them Kisame's eyes went cross eyed with the pain of having his manhood partially crushed.

The former Mist ninja resisted the urge to cup himself and instead sank his teeth into his lower lip to keep from swearing, his free hand clenched in a tense fist at his side as Kisame breathed through the pain. When he'd recovered enough, he forced an eye open to check on Naruto, finding the blonde looking frightened but also vaguely resigned, as if afraid Kisame would hit him, but would still just sit back and take it should the other strike him.

Kisame wasn't an expert or anything but his senses screamed that this submissive acceptance to violence indicated just how damaged the jinchuuriki was.

He put a hand on Naruto's head, feeling the other flinch slightly but ignoring it as he began ruffling the blonde hair. "It was an accident. No harm done." Kisame continued to pet the blonde, watching as the fear gradually left the teen face. He momentarily moved his hand to touch the shoulder the blonde had been clutching previously.

"They're memories, Naruto. They're past events and those people cannot hurt you now." He paused and mentally tested several words before deciding there was no way to really be delicate about this. Blunt had always been Kisame's style anyway, and, honestly, there were just some things that needed to be said in as straightforward a manner as possible and this was a situation where pretty words would bring hollow comfort if they brought anything at all. "Naruto, whatever happened to you, you didn't deserve it. Senseis or strangers, you are not at fault for what happened and it is okay to be upset if they did something to you."

Naruto's shoulders shook and the blonde head lowered until it rested on Kisame's chest completely. Small hands grabbed at the former Mist ninja's shirt, fisting the material tightly as sobs shook the jinchuuriki's frame and Kisame's hand moved from the teen's shoulder to Naruto's upper back, rubbing circles of comfort as the blonde shook, and muttering small sounds of comfort against the blonde head.

Naruto cried and Kisame wrapped his arms around him, holding the teen tightly, providing the warmth that the blonde's small body seemed to lack.

It was a strange sensation for both of them.