"Run," echoed through his mind on a never-ending loop.

Naruto couldn't remember why he was running or where he was going, all he knew was he couldn't stop. As his lungs burned and his muscles trembled in protest, he pushed forward to the point of exhaustion. And just as he was about to collapse, he found newfound strength to keep moving forward.

'Don't look back,' he told himself, terrified of what frightened him to the point that he'd run for his life. Naruto wasn't a coward, but whatever was on his heels was terrifying enough to get even his flight response kicking into overdrive.

Naruto's feet were hitting the ground hard and fast, but the scenery began passing in slow motion.

A hot breath ghosted over his ear. "Pathetic."

Out of instinct, he quickly spun his head around only to be thrown into a dark stuffy room. Chains rattled and small voices cried out ominously. Naruto tried to find the source but seemed to never make any progress. The voices cried out to him from the darkness, but he couldn't understand them. His head felt like it was underwater and there was nothing he could do to resurface.

A familiar voice spoke from behind him. "Do you really think you of all people can keep them safe?"

With wide eyes, Naruto whipped around to come face to face with a shaggy haired brunette and an all too familiar scarf. "Konohamaru?" Naruto's voice trembled.

The boy hopped off a familiar looking stage and walked towards him but this time his voice wasn't his own. "Am I?"

Naruto watched as the boy turned to dust only to swirl and morph into Yūkimaru before his eyes. Naruto clenched his fist and swallowed harshly. "It's going to be different this time!"

"Please," another voice jeered. "You're going to get them killed too."

Naruto found himself freezing at the voice before rage started bubbling up. "You're why they died," Naruto snarled as he looked back at a familiar head of blond hair.

"Just think of all the people who are dead because you exist," Minato turned a crank and chains rattled to life as Naruto found himself suddenly bound, being hoisted up off the ground.

"NO!" Naruto struggled against the painful bite of the metal bindings. "You caused it all!"

"Don't delude yourself," Minato snarled, his malevolence crashing over Naruto like a tsunami sized wave.

Crack.

The snap of a barbed whip sliced through Naruto's back like a warm knife through butter.

Crack.

Naruto's back and shoulders were sliced open over and over again, but Naruto bit his lips furiously to the point they bled, refusing to let the screams that percolated in his throat escape. He wouldn't give this monster the satisfaction.

"You're not real, you're dead," Naruto defiantly panted as his bloodied lips turned up in a vicious snarl.

"Are you sure?" Minato smirked wickedly.

The dark room transformed into a familiar building and his bindings melted away.

Nine Tails.

The light shone from the stage, directly into the crowd. It frustrated him because he could see while simultaneously being blinded. All he caught were the tail edge of a blue scarf, a flash of orange pig tails and the briefest shine of glasses. The club was both packed yet empty to his eyes, he could hear the roar of the crowd but saw no one. With a blink the club was eerily quiet. A quick look around and the floor was riddled with blood and on the stage were four bodies covered in white, blood-soaked sheets.

"You can't stop it," came Konohamaru's voice.

"I will!" Naruto's voice quivered as he fell to his knees and pounded the floor with his hand.

"You can't!" came another angry shout.

Naruto looked up and came face to face with Minato. "Watch me," he growled and spat in his face.

Smack.

Naruto toppled from the backhand that collided with his face, falling painfully off a stage.

"You will always be a worthless sack of shit!" Minato bellowed at him between a succession of brutal kicks.

Naruto grabbed Minato's foot and pulled him down, so he crashed to the floor with an agonizing thud. Naruto climbed on top of him and started pummeling him with his unyielding fists. Blood flew as Naruto hit him over and over again; only stopping when movement ceased.

Naruto froze when he sat back. Under him wasn't Minato, but a pulverized Yūkimaru. Naruto scurried off, his body bending over as he retched.

Maniacal laughter echoed behind him. "See, you're nothing but a monster. Is that how you keep those precious to you safe?" A sardonic snort followed. "Pitiful."

Naruto looked back to see the body rise, swirling into dust once again.

"Is it true?" A frightened female voice called out from behind him. When he turned, he was back in his old living room and Guren was bound, sobbing on his couch. "You're going to get my son killed? How could you? I trusted you to keep him safe!"

Naruto rushed over to her to untie her. "No!" He shook his head vehemently." I promise I won't let harm come to him—to any of them," he promised with a shaky voice.

"Don't touch me you monster!" She screamed as she tried to wiggle away from him.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Yūkimaru's voice whispered in his right ear.

"After all, they've unfortunately already met you," Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon's voice echoed in his left ear. "Look how well it turned out for us."

"No, no, NO!" Naruto bellowed as he fell forward clutching his skull as the voices pierced through his skull.

A hand grasped his hair by the scalp and hoisted him up with a dark chuckle. "You can't save them; you can't save anyone."

"You don't know that you're dead!" Naruto growled with tears prickling his eyes.

A figure he couldn't make out crouched down beside him and a wave of warm, disgusting breath cascaded over his ear. "You'll never get away from me. You can keep running away but I'll still be there. I'll be hidden in every corner, behind every turn. I'll be hiding in every shadow, every reflection. After all, I am you."

Naruto opened his eyes to find Minato in his face. "You will always have my blood running through your veins," A vile smirk pulled at his lips and when Naruto blinked, he was staring at malevolent crimson eyes, he was staring at himself.

Naruto felt something churn in his stomach before he lost it.

"You're not me!" Naruto bellowed as a surge of power shot out of him with every intent of letting the imposter taste his fury.

When Sasuke bolted up, he noticed the coffee table was in shambles as if a bomb blew it to pieces. When his eyes finally landed on a screaming Naruto his blood ran cold. Naruto's large hands had sprouted black, vicious looking claws that pierced the couch, and his body had a reddish-orange fog that encased him. The mark on his cheeks had become much bolder, his unfocused eyes were glowing an ominous crimson and his teeth, he had long, menacing canines protruding from under his upper lip. Sasuke had never feared Naruto, but right now he'd be lying if he didn't say he was at least a bit intimidated.

As Naruto continued to agitate, the bright fog around him began to bubble violently and Sasuke did the only thing he could think of; he went to grab Naruto so he could shake him awake. As soon as Sasuke's hand made contact with the red fog, he jerked his hand back in unimaginable pain.

"Fuck!" Sasuke cursed as he clutched his hand close to him. From just that brief touch, his pale hand was littered in gruesome blisters.

As Sasuke inspected his hand, he couldn't help but worry for Naruto who was completely encased in the fog. He didn't notice that Naruto was unaffected by it, he was too panicked at needing to snap him out of it.

The strange haze began receding backwards and began forming what appeared to be tails, the ground began to quake as more reddish fog was pushed backwards and without thinking, Sasuke threw himself onto Naruto's lap; straddling him. He expected his flesh to burn as he took Naruto's feral face into his hands, but it didn't this time. It was almost as if it recognized him. Sasuke was running on instinct when he leaned in and kissed the bow between Naruto's furiously furrowed brow. "Shh, I'm here," he moved down to kiss his left cheek. "I'm here, love," he kissed Naruto's right cheek. "It was just a bad dream," his lips pressed over Naruto's parted ones. "Come back to me Dobe," he pressed their foreheads together. "Please come back to me," he gently begged, looking pleadingly into those tormented crimson eyes.

Sasuke fought through his inner turmoil as he held onto Naruto like both their lives depended on it. Sasuke had never felt relief like he did when those haunted eyes started to fade back to that pulchritudinous blue he loved so much.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was ragged and rough as recognition washed over his eyes.

"Welcome back," Sasuke's voice was gentle and filled with adoration.

"What—what happened?" Naruto asked, still slightly dazed.

"You had a nightmare," Sasuke said.

"Oh," Naruto frowned and took a pause to recollect himself and take in his surroundings. He realized he must have fallen asleep during the documentary. The television was shut off, so either Sasuke shut it off or they'd been sleeping long enough for the television to shut itself off. As he looked from the television back to the handsome man in his lap, he noticed the splintered wood Sasuke's body had been obscuring and his eyes widened.

Had he? Before he could continue that train of thought his thoughts shot to Sasuke. He pushed Sasuke back far enough so he could quickly inspect him. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Naruto's voice quivered with urgency.

Sasuke scoffed trying to play the situation off like he hadn't just had twenty years taken off his life. "I'm fine Dobe." But as Naruto grabbed his injured hand he hissed.

"Your hurt," Naruto's face scrunched up in agony. He hurt the love of his life because he lost control. Something he hadn't done since merging with Kurama.

Sasuke pulls his hand away. "This?" He gestured to his burnt hand, "it's nothing for you to worry about."

"But I hurt you!" Naruto gripped his hair tightly.

"Naruto—love, look at me. Please," Sasuke coerced gently using his uninjured hand to lift Naruto's chin to meet his gaze. "I'm alright. Really."

Naruto didn't look convinced but nodded, nonetheless. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No, just my hand," Sasuke said.

"Can I see it?" Naruto asked tentatively.

Sasuke shrugged before holding out his blistered hand out for Naruto to see.

Naruto growled when he saw the injury. "These are second degree burns!" He was so pissed at himself for hurting Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged again, not wanting Naruto to feel worse. "It'll heal."

Naruto grumbled something unintelligible before Sasuke gasped. "Your eyes."

Naruto's eyes were no longer blue or even crimson for that matter. Staring back at him were glowing golden orbs with a strange plus-like pupil in the center. Naruto instinctively brought a hand up to momentarily cover them. "Sorry, they do that."

Right now, Naruto reminded Sasuke of a frightened wild animal, ready to bolt at any moment. Sasuke used his uninjured hand to lower Naruto's larger one so he could look at him. "They're beautiful," Sasuke whispered tenderly.

Naruto furrowed his brow for a second before looking back down to Sasuke's injured hand. Naruto didn't comment on the compliment, but he mumbled, "you might feel some warmth." Almost instantly, an intense heat engulfed his injured hand but surprisingly it didn't hurt. It actually felt incredibly comforting and safe. When he finally dared to drag his eyes from Naruto's troubled face and look at his hand, he noticed that same red fog was covering his burnt hand, and even more shocking was that all the blisters were disappearing. Naruto was, he was... "You can heal me?" Sasuke's voice was nothing short of awe filled.

"I cured your Itachi's cancer, does me being able to heal a burn really surprise you?" Naruto's voice muttered sheepishly.

"Yeah, but knowing and seeing are two totally different things," Sasuke's voice was tinged with wonder as he held his hand out, twisting it as he squeezed his fist and flexed and wiggled his fingers; testing it out to see if he truly felt no more pain. Feeling no trace of pain, he looked at Naruto with astonishment. "You're amazing."

Naruto's golden orbs flickered before fading back to his pulchritudinous blues. Naruto frowned. "I hurt you."

Sasuke wasn't sure if he was saying it to him or himself, but he didn't want Naruto going down this self-deprecating path. "Naruto I'm-"

"Don't tell me you're fine. I could have seriously hurt you." Naruto's voice was raw, his face scrunched up in pain. Naruto had never unintentionally hurt someone, for him to have hurt Sasuke in his sleep? It was unspeakable. Naruto felt like scum.

Sasuke cupped his soft cheek. "But you didn't," Sasuke paused for a moment, remembering the weird fog. "What is that red haze?"

Naruto looked like he was warring with himself whether he deserved the comfort Sasuke was giving him. In the end he closed his eyes and sighed as he leaned into Sasuke's touch. "It's my energy."

"Your energy?" Sasuke's tone was expecting a further explanation.

Naruto lifted his hand to rest it on top of Sasuke's. "That 'red haze' as you called it, is the physical form of the raw energy flowing through me. It's usually not seen unless I manipulate it. I have both Kurama's and my energy; they may be mixed inside of me, but they are two separate sources. I use my energy all the time, but I can also switch to using Kurama's. But I can also mix them together and when I do you get the haze."

Sasuke slowly nodded. That all sounded incredibly complicated. One other thought occurred to him. "I know your eyes can switch from blue to red, but why were they golden?"

Naruto opened his eyes to gauge Sasuke's expression. Seeing nothing that would suggest Sasuke was judging him, he continued. "That happened because I was sharing my energy with you so I could heal you."

Sasuke was visibly shocked. "I have your energy now—wait, does that mean Itachi does too?!"

Naruto couldn't help but feel amusement. After hearing all of that, that's what Sasuke wanted to know? A deep chuckle vibrated through Sasuke as Naruto gently squeezed his hand. "No, what I mean is I used my energy to switch my healthy cells with your injured ones, see?" Naruto let go of his hand so he could show his newly blistered hand to Sasuke.

Sasuke gasped. "Wait—" The blisters on Naruto's hands could be witnessed visibly receding before his eyes.

"I heal quickly," was Naruto's aloof response; like this sort of thing was just normal for him. Sasuke mentally scoffed at himself, of course it was normal to Naruto.

There was so much to digest that Sasuke didn't know what to say. How much more did he not know about Naruto? Sure, he met some giant mythical creature that was part of him, and he knew that he cured his brother's caner—

"Itachi's cancer—you—does that mean-" Sasuke's voice wasn't as stable as he'd like to think it was.

Naruto grimaced at the memory. "Yeah, that was bad. It took nearly a week for me to get up to full speed again after that."

Sasuke looked down at Naruto's hand —which was now almost fully healed— and tried to comprehend just how bad his brother was. That burn from Naruto's energy hurt like a bitch, but after a few minutes it was almost gone from Naruto's skin. For Naruto to be recovering for almost a week? That was a testament to how close he had been to losing his brother.

Sasuke tried not to think about Itachi's cancer, it was gone and that's all that mattered. But what if Naruto hadn't returned when he did? Itachi would probably be dead. Itachi was always so perfect, a little annoying but he was his brother, he always seemed so untouchable. Sasuke would never tell Itachi, but he was his biggest role model and the one who kept him grounded after Naruto disappeared. If it weren't for Itachi kicking his ass on the regular, he'd be seen as worse than a man whore to the media. Sasuke couldn't picture a life without his intrusive older brother, and because of the amazing man whose lap he was in, he didn't have to.

"Thank you," Sasuke was definitely aware that his voice wasn't steady now.

"Hey," Naruto's thumb gently stroked Sasuke's flawless cheek. "You have nothing to thank me for," Naruto's deep voice was as delicate as silk.

Unable to help himself, Sasuke leaned down and took Naruto's surprised lips into a slow, tender kiss. Naruto was more than happy to participate as their slightly dry lips slowly moved together in perfect harmony. It wasn't fueled by lust; it was just a deep desire to be close to one another and share much needed affection. When Sasuke pulled back, he pressed their foreheads together. "Just accept my gratitude Dobe."

"Aw, there's my surly bastard," Naruto cooed, earning him a playful slap upside the head.

"I'll show you surly," Sasuke leaned in and bit Naruto on the neck, hard.

Naruto groaned. "I don't think that's having the effect you expected."

"Oh?" Sasuke asked coyly, but the smirk pressed into Naruto's neck was anything but. "And what effect is it having?" Sasuke bit again before licking then sucking roughly on an exposed bright red tattoo that climbed up the side of Naruto's neck.

"The kind of effect your ass isn't ready for yet," Naruto practically growled as Sasuke rolled his hips, so his firm ass rubbed against Naruto's growing bulge.

"Who said anything about it being my ass that needed to be ready?" Sasuke purred seductively as he nipped at Naruto's ear lobe.

Naruto shuttered as the sensation mingled with Sasuke's implications. "Oh, it's like that is it?"

"Hn," Sasuke's hum drawled out, but the hardness pressing into Naruto's abdomen proved he was more than a little excited.

"Well, I best not keep you waiting then, hm?" Naruto gripped under Sasuke's thighs firmly and hoisted them both from the couch. Sasuke eagerly wrapped his legs around Naruto's tapered waist as Naruto set out for their bedroom. The splintered table could wait, right now there were much, much more pressing matters to attend to.

Sweaty and sated, the two lay in bed, Naruto's head on Sasuke's chest as he ran his fingers through his soft blond locks. "You need a haircut," he absently stated as he took in how long Naruto's hair had gotten.

"Mhmm," Naruto agreed lazily.

After the nightmare debacle and their late night —or early morning depending on how you look at it— coupling, it was now closing in on 4 AM and while Naruto didn't need a lot of sleep, he was definitely feeling the mental exhaustion, but he was reluctant to fall asleep again and Sasuke could tell. One sure way to knock Naruto out was to massage his scalp and play with his hair, so Sasuke took it upon himself to offer what comfort he could, but something was still nagging at him.

"Naruto?" Sasuke softly called. Naruto's breathing had evened so he wasn't even sure his love was still awake. If Naruto was asleep, he'd put a pin in it for tomorrow. Sasuke may not have work tomorrow but as the night's excitement wore off, he was definitely feeling the dryness of his own weighted eyelids.

Naruto's sleepy hum came immediately though. "Hm?"

Sasuke frowned, though he wasn't sure if it was directed at Naruto for still being awake, or himself from disturbing the exhausted man with his busy mind.

Not getting a response right away, Naruto twisted his head so he could look up as his concerned love. "What's on your mind?" Naruto's gruff, sleepy voice rumbled.

After a moment's pause, Sasuke finally asked what had been weighing on his mind. "Why did your energy hurt me the first time but the second time it didn't?"

Naruto's eyes were blank for a split second before a peculiar look crossed his face. "Kurama says it's because I recognized you."

"But you didn't the first time?" Sasuke asked carefully. He didn't want to make Naruto feel bad, he was just curious.

"I—when I have those dreams, they are reality to me. I didn't think you were even you," Naruto's quiet voice was somber.

"You want to talk about it?" Sasuke asked gently as his finger continued to card through soft locks of blond hair. He was nervous, he'd never asked Naruto about them before.

Like a lot of people, Sasuke experienced some not so pleasant dreams. Sasuke would never admit it but the first horror movie he watched with Itachi had given him nightmares for weeks. It was about a deranged killer clown from some backwoods town that massacred any traveler who passed through. The clown would stuff his victims' remains into a shed hidden in the woods like some gruesome tomb. What really got Sasuke though —aside from the whole clown thing— was at one point in the film the shed had reached maximum capacity and when the clown opened the door, entrails and dismembered limbs started spilling out the door.

If Sasuke could have nightmares from some crappy horror flick, he can't even begin to fathom the nightmares Naruto must have for them to bleed into reality when he wakes. Naruto has never talked about what's happened to him and what he's been through. Sasuke only knows from what he can gather from seeing the scars on Naruto's body and all the awful news that circulated after Minato's suicide.

Not only was Naruto abused in all types of manners, but he was being recorded all the while. Not only did he have to live through hell, but after finally breaking free, he had strangers reviewing and making statements about it, making some of Naruto's darkest secrets public knowledge. Not everything that was found out was released to the public and it's that thought that curdled Sasuke's stomach most nights. If what was released to the press was considered acceptable, he couldn't wrap his mind around the things that Naruto went through that the public were actually kept in the dark about. It's no wonder Naruto is so keen on being Kurama.

Naruto sighed. "No."

"You sure? They seem to be getting worse," Sasuke said as delicately as possible.

"It won't be an issue anymore," Naruto responded curtly. Sasuke could tell Naruto was putting up his walls.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, genuinely confused. The nightmares didn't happen every night, but they happened often. Why would they suddenly not be an issue?

"Kurama's going to monitor my sleep and keep me from dreaming," Naruto answered, but his tone showed agitation.

"Why didn't he do that before?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Could Naruto have been sleeping soundly all this time?

"What's with all the questions all of a sudden? You never bugged me about it before," Naruto responded defensively. This was not a conversation he ever wanted to have. Sasuke had been so great about not pushing him to talk, he wanted to know why the sudden change.

Sasuke's own annoyance started to rise. Did showing concern really make him such a nuisance? "Oh, I don't know, maybe because they've never been that bad before. Maybe because you've," Sasuke paused in shock, because resting on the tip of his tongue, threatening to topple out was, 'you've never hurt me before.'

Naruto sat up, putting some space between them. Whether Sasuke said it or not, Naruto's dull gaze was proof that he knew. "Say it," he demanded.

Sasuke tried to reach out to him, but Naruto only shifted back further. "Naruto, I-"

"I hurt you," Naruto interrupted with a dead voice. He felt so stupid, of course Sasuke wasn't going to be okay like he claimed to be after something like that. Maybe he was just a dangerous monster who was destined to hurt everyone around him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, don't you dare put words in my mouth," Sasuke growled. "I don't care that I got hurt, get it through your thick skull that you mean more to me than anything in this world. I just wish you'd talk to me, maybe then you'd finally find some peace."

"Find peace? I'm perfectly fine!" Naruto bit out through clenched teeth.

"Clearly," Sasuke snorted sardonically.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Naruto narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Oh, I don't know," Sasuke's voice was tinged with sarcasm. "Have you even visited your mother's grave yet?"

"Don't" Naruto warned in a tone that sent terrifying shivers down his spine.

But Sasuke, being who he was, didn't stop. "You haven't. You're still letting him control you. When are you going to realize it's okay to ask for help?!"

"You know nothing," Naruto growled out terrifyingly slowly.

"I wonder why that is?" Sasuke shot back, because he wasn't scared, he knew Naruto would never hurt him on purpose. When Naruto finally looked up at him, he may have second guessed for a brief moment, because staring back at him were those menacing crimson eyes again.

Naruto watched as Sasuke's Adam's apple bobbed as he harshly swallowed and how his body unconsciously shifted back. "Are you scared of me now Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed as he steeled himself. "As if." He'll admit that the eyes were a bit unnerving after what happened earlier, but he truly knew deep down that no matter what, Naruto would never do anything to purposely cause him harm. Naruto was probably the perfect person to wield such a power. Even after everything he'd endured, he was still profoundly kind right down to his core.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at him with scrutiny, looking for any hint that Sasuke was lying. After seeing Sasuke's breath even and in control, and his body relatively relaxed Naruto finally allowed his eyes to fade back to blue before getting off the bed. "Maybe you should be," he whispered.

Sasuke sat there unable to speak as Naruto's naked figure searched for his discarded clothes. When Naruto was dressed, Sasuke finally found his voice. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded, his own ire shining through.

Without uttering a word, Naruto continued towards the door.

"Naruto!" Sasuke bellowed, feeling a sense of dread building within him.

Naruto paused and without looking back he mumbled, "You should go."

I the blink of an eye he was gone, and Sasuke was left alone wondering what the fuck just happened?

That's all I have for this one. I know I'm still updating slowly, but it has been so much easier on my psyche. So I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to be kind to myself. 😊

I'll see you in the next one.

-GrimTopography