Kyuubi Capers - Chapter 4

When Naruto awoke, he found himself wondering why he felt like all of his most wildest dreams had come true.

Then he realized that he was naked, and he was lying on top of Sasuke, who was also naked.

He remembered everything that had happened before he'd gone to sleep.

Naruto felt like all his most wildest dreams had come true.

For once, he felt like he'd gotten through to Sasuke. He'd told his friend how he felt. Naruto couldn't be sure how long it had been since he'd began loving Sasuke, especially given that his memory was scrambled. But now, for the first time, instead of chasing after Sasuke and waxing idiotic about what close friends they were, he'd told- uh, shown- Sasuke the truth.

And Sasuke hadn't run away. In fact, he'd reciprocated.

Naruto, aware of his nakedness, did a cursory look around for his clothes. They were nowhere to be seen. Well, if they'd fallen down into the goop, they were gone forever.

He didn't notice that his movements had woken Sasuke up.

Sasuke's eyes were open, and he was staring up at Naruto with a blank expression. It wasn't quite the declaration of undying love that Naruto had hoped for, but then, this was Sasuke. He made a move to get up, but instead of throwing Naruto aside like he would have usually done, he simply nudged him gently with his leg, silently communicating his desire to stand.

Maybe some person who had talked to Naruto about this subject in the past was right. Maybe Sasuke really did just need a good fuck.

Naruto obligingly climbed off, and Sasuke sat up, looking around for something he couldn't find.

"Where are my clothes?"

"No idea. I can't find mine either." He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter." He'd never been shy about being naked. Certainly not around Sasuke, and certainly not after they'd just had sex. He suppressed a gleeful smile.

I had sex with Sasuke!

Sasuke, however, did not seem to share his enthusiasm for nakedness.

"Yes it does matter," he snapped, and he brought his hands up and went through a few basic seals. He did them quickly, but Naruto easily recognized the signs for the transformation jutsu.

Sasuke transformed into… himself, with clothes on.

"Oh, come on," Naruto whined. Sasuke smirked. Naruto didn't miss, however, that he hadn't recreated the clothes he'd worn while traveling with Orochimaru. Instead, his clothes looked similar to the Uchiha style he'd worn in Konoha, complete with the large family crest on the back.

Something else was different, too.

"You were able to use chakra," Naruto observed.

"Yeah," said Sasuke. "…Thanks." Naruto looked at him, confused. First of all, despite his memory problems, he was confident that Sasuke had never once thanked him for anything. Secondly, he had no idea what he had to do with Sasuke's being able to use chakra.

"What does your chakra have to do with me?" Sasuke stared at him. His expression was as blank as always, but Naruto could feel the incredulity.

"Naruto," he said slowly. "How much do you know about medical ninjutsu?"

"Enough to know that you're not a medic-nin," he shot back. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but only slightly.

"There are a few ways to restore lost chakra," he explained. "Most involve using complicated jutsu, or long periods of rest. But, um," he said, and though his expression didn't change, a tiny blush was appearing on his cheeks. "Two people can, uh, share chakra by, uh…" He trailed off, leaving Naruto to fill in the blanks, which he did easily.

His face drooped into a frown.

"Sasuke," he asked pathetically. "Did you only have sex with me for my chakra?" At the out-loud mention of their earlier activities, Sasuke's blush deepened into an ugly scarlet. Naruto found himself imagining how that ugly blush would look as it spread over his neck and chest.

"Don't be an idiot," he spat, avoiding Naruto's eyes. "We don't have time for this." Naruto stuck his tongue out. But Sasuke had said "we" and not "I." From him, that practically was a declaration of undying love. For the time being, Naruto would take what he could get.

Sasuke activated the Sharingan and looked around, moving his head back and forth, giving his eyes time to fully focus.

"Everything in this chamber is moving, very slowly, in that direction." He pointed into the black, towards a place that seemed to Naruto to be entirely random. "That's where our exit will be." Naruto was either not thrilled with that news, or that theory, or both.

"What if that's just where all the slugs live?"

"It's still a step forward. Our alternative is staying right here and…" Sasuke trailed off, clearly embarrassed. Naruto remembered that, technically, they were both naked.

"Let me know if you need any more chakra. I've got so much, I'm giving it away." Sasuke's face remained stoic, but his blush was creeping back onto his face. Without saying another word, he turned, jumped down off the ledge, and marched off in the direction he'd pointed.

Like before, he was out of sight very quickly. This time, though, Naruto was confident that he could find him again.

"Hey! Wait!" he shouted. "At least let me send clones first!" He shot through the signs for the Shadow Clone jutsu, flawlessly and effortlessly, just like he always had. An army of Narutos sprang up before him, just like always.

The only difference now and when he hadn't been able to do it was that he'd decided he was going to do it.

Unfortunately, he hadn't thought about the fact that because of his current state, every single one of his clones was also naked.

Oh well.

He sent the lot of them racing off in the direction that Sasuke had gone. He was sure he heard a shout of surprise and dismay before a few clones came rushing back to him.

Sasuke had punched through them.

"OW! That hurt, you bastard!" Naruto hopped down and chased after them himself. Using chakra, he walked on the surface of the goop on the ground, but his feet were still sticking to the surface, and he found himself having to tug them free with every step. He was able to keep a quick pace, however, and in no time, he was catching up with Sasuke.

He didn't even say hello. Bastard.

"Besides the ones you messed with, none of my clones have disappeared yet," Naruto told him. "So I guess we don't have to worry about monsters." Naruto frowned. "This place is huge, Sasuke. None of them have even hit a wall yet, and they're running full-speed."

"We're in a dimension created by a Tailed Beast," Sasuke said. "I imagine he can make this place as large as he wants."

"Dimension?"

"You don't honestly think that something this big would fit inside the actual Kyuubi, do you?" Naruto went through his memories of Kyuubi, most of which were refreshingly clear. He conceded Sasuke's point.

"…I hadn't thought about it."

"Hn."

Naruto forced himself up next to Sasuke, and they walked side-by-side, balanced carefully on top of the slime. Time passed. They continued that way in silence. More time passed. Naruto had no idea how long- he had no idea how long they'd been stuck here- for all he knew, it had been thousands of years, and everyone they knew was dead.

Not like he could remember them, anyway.

While they walked in silence, he tried to go through his life story again. The version he could come up with was unbearably short. There was no one, then there was Sasuke, then there was no one. Even the details of his time with Sasuke were beginning to slip. They'd only stayed so long because Sasuke was physically in front of him.

My name is Uzumaki Naruto, he thought. I come from Konohagakure. I'm sixteen years old. He tried to think of more details. I have blond hair?

He wanted to beg Sasuke to tell him everything. He didn't, though. Sasuke wouldn't even know most of it. He couldn't be 100% positive, but he was pretty sure he'd never even told Sasuke about Kyuubi.

Well, if a thousand years had passed, at least they'd have each other.

Sasuke didn't appear to share any of Naruto's concerns, but then, he'd never been one to show anyone else what he was thinking. The only thing that would be bad for him would be if old age had gotten Itachi before he could. He said himself that he'd severed all of his other bonds.

But now, he'd created a new bond with Naruto, right?

Right?

"Sasuke?" No answer. "What are you thinking about?"

"What to do when we get where we're going." The answer was deliberately vague, and Naruto had no interest in pushing for an explanation.

"Oh," he said instead.

And so, they walked.

Naruto had no idea where they were going, but Sasuke seemed to. He always had a plan- Naruto remembered- while Naruto nearly always improvised. Sasuke's Sharingan was active, and he moved with aggressive purpose, as if he were following a road. As far as Naruto could tell, every pool of goo was just as stagnant as the next pool of goo, but then, he didn't have super special magical eyeballs. If Sasuke said there was movement, then there was movement. He had no reason to lie.

Suddenly, he stopped.

"This is it." Naruto looked around. Where they were standing looked the same as everywhere else.

"This is what?"

"The center. All of the chakra is flowing here."

"So, what do we do?"

"We disrupt it." Sasuke moved through some seals that Naruto almost recognized. A ball of electricity exploded in his hand. Naruto both loved and hated that little ball of electricity- he couldn't quite place why. Something to do with nostalgia, but also Sasuke shoving a hand through his lung.

"What happens then?"

"This dimension should fracture," Sasuke explained, "and we'll be able to get back to the real world."

The real world.

Naruto's broken memory struggled to wrap itself around the concept. As far as he was concerned, this was the real world. His memories of the world outside were shaky at best. All he knew was that out there, Sasuke had run away from him, and here, Sasuke loved him.

Well, he was willing to have sex with Naruto here. And given what his usual treatment from Sasuke was like, Naruto was willing to take what he could get.

"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. "I mean, what if it goes wrong?" Doubts were springing up inside of him like weeds.

"Then we're still stuck here, and we come up with a new plan," Sasuke said impatiently. Chidori was sparkling in his hand.

"But what if we get hurt?" Naruto pressed. "I mean, who even knows what's going on out there? Wouldn't it be safer-" Sasuke cut him off. His blood-red eyes were cold. When he spoke, it was like ice.

"I'm not staying here with you, Naruto."

I'm not staying here with you, Naruto.

He'd heard those words before, or at least felt them.

His memories of Sasuke were painfully vivid. The Valley of the End came rushing back to him. He heard Sasuke's voice, telling him he didn't care about Konoha.

He heard Sasuke telling him that he was going to kill him.

He felt Sasuke's Chidori forcing its way through his chest.

I'm not staying.

Not here with you.

Naruto.

Naruto snapped.

All of the hurt and confusion and pain that had knotted itself up inside of him burst out, transforming itself into raw fury. Kyuubi's chakra surged out of him, burning the skin on his stomach. The vicious power amplified his rage.

"Bastard!" he screamed. "You stole my chakra for this?" His voice was strained- his teeth were changing- his fangs were growing out, and his face was twisted into a snarl.

Sasuke didn't look the least bit surprised. He turned to face Naruto fully, Chidori at the ready.

"I thought something like this could happen," Sasuke said smugly. "Hello, Kyuubi."

"Don't call me that!" Naruto roared. His fangs grew longer. Massive claws erupted from his hands. "I won't let you leave me again! I won't-"

"What are you going to do about it?" Sasuke taunted. Chidori chirped and crackled.

"I will break every bone in your stupid body-"

"I'd like to see you try." Naruto howled with hysterical rage. His body crouched into a feral position. Kyuubi's chakra was covering him completely, peeling away at his naked skin. He barely felt the pain. Kyuubi's hatred for the Uchiha was overtaking his own. Rasengan began to pool together in his open claws, black and sinister.

"Come at me, Naruto," Sasuke ordered. His eyes were bright with triumph.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice.

He lunged, going straight for Sasuke's heart. His intent to maim and intent to kill bled together. Sasuke raced toward him, prepared to counter Rasengan with Chidori.

They connected.

Everything exploded.

The deadline for the fic contest got extended, so I have a couple extra days to polish the last few chapters. Of course, I also now look like a total douche for posting this on ffnet a week early. Is there an etiquette for that sort of thing? I've never done a fic exchange.

I feel like the title of this fic is too goofy to match what's actually happening. But I also love the phrase "Kyuubi Capers." So. Dilemma.