Posted: August 18, 2007

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Warnings: Shounen ai, spoilers for anyone not keeping up with the manga, & AUish. Anything involving Akatsuki and bijuus after the timeskip is completely irrelevant to this story, and as such, never happened. Actually, this applies to everything after the timeskip except the part where Naruto, Sakura, and Sai meet up with Sasuke.

General: Takes place after chapter 308 for those of you thatare keeping up with the manga.

Thank yous: goheh-remix and Nox (betas) as well as everyone who has reviewed SF. Much love!

Summary: The invisibility started with one silly wish upon a star. Good thing Sasuke's doormat personality, Sai's attempts at matchmaking, and a mission gone wrong were all quite normal in the life of Naruto Uzumaki... Wait. What? SasuNaru


Previously:

""No..." he managed to whisper in terrified wonderment as another bar disappeared from his stomach and appeared on the ground. "You can't..."

But as another bar appeared on the ground and his entire right arm dropped limply at his side, Naruto realized that Itachi could do anything he desired..."


Surface Flaws

Chapter XII

Excuse me, too busy
You're writing your tragedy
These mishaps
You bubble wrap
When you've no idea what you're like
So let go, let go
Jump in
Oh well, what you waiting for?
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

- Let Go (Frou Frou)

The air was moist and the dimly lit hall was so quiet that the resounding splash as a water droplet fell felt deafening. Without considering, Naruto began to walk forward, uncaring that his feet sloshed noisily in the thin layer of water covering the ground. There was another drop and the blonde shinobi turned a corner, stopping with a small gasp of surprise as he realized that the Kyuubi was blocking his way. The demon stared at him; one vibrant red eye so dark it looked black nearly was the size of the boy's entire body.

The cage that normally confined the Kyuubi was missing three bars, Naruto noticed detachedly, and the beast had managed to slide its head through the open space. The blonde couldn't decide whether or not he was glad the body had not followed.

Sighing wearily, Naruto stared at the Kyuubi and furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what on Earth was going on outside this cage, which existed in his mind. "He's freeing you?" The shinobi asked, rubbing his eyes against the overwhelming heaviness that was pulling at them.

The demon snorted, sliding its massive head forward along the ground. It ignored the water that boiled and steamed as it neared the child, creating an ominous cloud of smoke that obscured the glowing red of the animal's eyes. "No, not freeing me."

Though some part of Naruto registered the danger, he couldn't quite feel the urgency that the logical portion of his brain was trying to impart unto him. "Oh?" he prompted.

Naruto's eyes fell to half-mast as the beast drew dangerously close; the water around the boy's feet began to dissipate into a thick cloud of steam. The blonde stumbled backward, his feet dragging through the water, as he nearly lost his balance.

"The idiot is merely attempting to transfer me," the demon said, barking out a laugh as it continued, "I have no doubt he will be absolutely surprised when I do not follow his plans."

The corridor shook, dust and bits of chipped ceiling falling into the water, and another bar disappeared.

"I'm going to die." It was said as a statement and yet, Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with muted curiosity. Everything was weighing down. His eyelids, his arms, even his jaw was pulling down, trying to drop open and minimize its distance from the ground. He couldn't feel the fear he knew he should be experiencing, nor could he feel the panic that was causing his heartbeat to quicken. "How?" he finally asked, around a deep heaving breath.

"By transferring the seal to an external location and then into his own body, of course." The Kyuubi grinned and the yellowed daggers that were its teeth glinted ominously. "He doesn't realize that the seal will be weak enough for me to break when externalized however - especially because he is arrogant enough to try the jutsu alone."

"Don't hurt them..." Naruto exhaled in a sigh, his head lolling tiredly to the side as he fought to stay standing - fought to draw in proper breaths.

"Your friends?" The fox's grin grew and he slinked forward a bit further, nearly touching Naruto. The boy felt his knees giving way under him. "Don't humour me, boy. I'll send them right along after you to the land of the dea-"

The words died in the air as Sasuke's form appeared beside Naruto. The blonde almost registered feelings of surprise but it was as if there was a thick net dividing his mind from his emotions. As it were, he merely blinked, the motion sluggish as his body continued to slow down in contrast to his steadily increasing heartbeat.

"Sasuke," he murmured, not noticing the hand the other had secured around his waist, holding him up. "You need to leave... take S'kra." His words slurred and the blonde let out an elongated yawn.

"We aren't leaving without you," the Uchiha insisted, pulling Naruto away from the Kyuubi, who was smirking at them. Naruto lifted his head and peered at Sasuke through the corner of his eye.

"S'gonna let it go."

Sasuke stared quizzically at Naruto. Fear rolled off him in waves, disturbing the steam that the Kyuubi's overwhelming heat was creating. "What? You aren't making any sense."

"And kill you. He's gonna kill everyone when the bars disappear." Naruto fell into Sasuke and let out a soft gasp of pain as the room shook again, another pole disappearing from the Kyuubi's cage.

"Naruto, you need to try to tell me what's happening," Sasuke said, setting the boy down on the ground and holding his face in his hands. The blonde's eyes fell from his comrade's face and stared drowsily at the shimmering, clouded water beyond him. He wasn't sure what else there was to tell Sasuke. "Naruto, look at me. Please?"

"He's taking away the bars."

"What?" Sasuke pulled Naruto closer so their faces were inches apart and clenched his jaw. Naruto wondered briefly if the streak of clean skin on the Uchiha's otherwise filthy face was the trail left by a tear. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay? Alive."

Naruto found his head being pressed firmly against Sasuke's chest as the boy held him close. The brunette's breathing was uneven with fear and his pulse flickered it was racing so fast.

"Not going to live..." the blonde whispered into Sasuke's chest and then, "You and Sak'ra have...t-to go." His voice caught in his throat and Naruto swallowed, burying his face into Sasuke's warm chest - burying into the sudden feeling of life.

"I'm taking you out of here, Naruto." Sasuke's hand tangled in Naruto's hair and the brunette whispered something under his breath.

Before they disappeared from the corridor, Sasuke cast Kyuubi a quick glare, promising he would not let the beast take Naruto's life.

-----

The hard bark of the tree was pressed against Naruto's back and bottom when he found himself back in reality and out of the chamber within his mind. The towering bars were still before him, only instead of two there were now five. The boy clenched his eyes shut as the weight that had been tugging at him when he was inside his mind lifted. Released was the suppressed panic and fear that had previously been nothing but a dull thrum in his core.

The blonde ninja tried to stand but found that both his arms were hanging uselessly at his sides and his one foot wasn't registering any feeling. Drawing a shuddering breath, the boy glowered at the dark figure standing before him and tried to push his body into a standing position.

Eventually he managed by pressing his back firmly against the tree and straggling his way up until he was standing nearly level with Uchiha Itachi. It appeared there was only one now: the original.

Naruto matched the man's amused look with a heated glare and said nothing - didn't show any acknowledgement that while he had been occupied with Kyuubi he had lost control over his second arm as well his right foot.

He couldn't find words to express the anger that was chaotically shaking through him. Instead, he snarled at the man, and leapt from the branch, trusting in the minimal chakra he had left to soften the blow of landing.

As he fell, Naruto felt a ripping pain in his left foot and cursed under his breath, staring at the steadily approaching ground. When he landed, it was with a loud crack. The boy grimaced, not due to pain, because he couldn't feel the foot or arm he had broken, but because he knew both Sakura and Sasuke had heard it.

His pink-haired teammate was staring alertly in his direction, her eyes wide. Beside her, Sasuke was glowering up at Itachi, his lips moving as he spoke to Sakura. Naruto wondered what Sasuke was saying and tried to quell the hysteria that was mounting within. Why the hell hadn't Sasuke listened to him? He had told the boy to take Sakura and leave.

Sasuke's lips stopped moving and his gaze wandered toward the towering cage in the center of the clearing and then to Naruto. The blonde stared back, and for a moment it felt as if Sasuke could truly see him, not just the form of the little chakra he had left. He tried to sit up, but his arms wouldn't move. And fuck if this wasn't frustrating because Sasuke and Sakura were still in the clearing, despite Naruto's pleas for them to leave.

"Guys," he said, his voice shaking with urgency as he wiggled his body, trying to move closer to them - needing to be closer to them. They had to leave. Naruto watched them with painful clarity and suddenly realized the monotonous static of their thoughts was silent.

He couldn't even listen to see if they were planning on leaving.

"Fuck," he cursed quietly under his breath. There was another jolt of pain and his entire right leg went numb. By this point, the numbness was becoming a pain in itself and Naruto was having trouble fighting back the cloud of white that was slowly invading his vision.

But he had to.

He couldn't close his eyes until both Sakura and Sasuke were safe and gone. His eyes wandered to Itachi, who was still standing on the branch high above in the tree. The man smiled, teeth glinting ominously in the red-tinted world he had created.

"They're not going to die," Naruto whispered, glaring defiantly at Itachi, even as more chakra was torn viciously from his body, leaving his second leg useless.

There was a loud sound that resembled a crack accompanied by a burst of blue light and Naruto felt part of the Kyuubi's essence parting from him. Alarm was now taking over, along with a pain like no other. It was a pain so consuming he could feel it even in his senseless arms and legs. It chipped away at his bones and gnawed at his muscles. It grabbed his lungs in a tight fist, stealing his breath, and pounded on his heart like a drum, speeding the tempo of his heartbeat to its liking.

It sank its claws into the seal upon his stomach and twisted, and tore through his skin, effectively shredding the ink markings that contained the beast within.

He gasped, fighting for breath and trembling against the consuming sensation. The cold, dampness of sweat beaded on his forehead and rolled down his cheeks. He coughed and slowly let his head fall sideways so he could stare at the large gleaming eyes of the Kyuubi, which were smirking at him from the cage that now only possessed two walls.

A soft hand brushed Naruto's face, and the boy's body contracted against the icy touch, startled. Sakura was beside him now - when she'd gotten there, he had no idea - and was gently stroking his cheek. She gazed down at him with a kind expression, even though she couldn't truly see him, and nodded her head.

Sasuke was beside her, examining Naruto with his sharingan as his lips blurred through some sort of explanation. His face was steely and - Naruto smiled as his eyes caught this - Sasuke was holding his blonde teammate's hand in both of his, rubbing his thumb desperately over Naruto's fingers. The brunette stopped speaking and turned to look at Sakura; he was waiting for an answer it seemed.

The coolness of Sakura's hand brushed against Naruto's hairline and the boy joined Sasuke in looking at her. Even now, while mulling over what seemed to be a very important decision, she was smiling down at him. It was terrifying, seeing that heartbroken smile on Sakura's face. But even worse, it was agonizing to know that it was only there to comfort the friend she couldn't see.

Naruto knew that inside she was terror-stricken - probably even worse than he was - and that only made him feel more horrible. He didn't need the ability to hear her thoughts to know how distressed she was. The tears in the corners of her eyes and the concerned tension in her eyebrows were evidence enough.

And somehow she managed to hold onto that reassuring smile. All for him.

Naruto felt a pull in his stomach, and his heartbeat quickened in fearful anticipation. He was being pulled in a thousand directions by the curse that had plagued him for far too long.

A blessedly cool tear fell to his cheek and Sakura murmured, "It's all right," and choked on a sob. "You'll be okay," she reassured him. And in that moment Naruto realized she could see him again.

He tried to speak, but could only manage to say in a toneless breath, "run."

It was useless however, for his words fell on deaf ears, and all control he had over his spine vanished, taking with it the last scream his body could produce.

-----

From within a two-sided cage containing only six bars - two on one side and four on the other - a large bubbling red paw emerged. Following it was the snout of a fox. Its teeth gleamed in the afternoon sun, dripping saliva in large viscous globs.

With languid pacing, the terrifying creature emerged from the cage - revealing its head in its entirety. Two red hot eyes like coal skimmed over the clearing. It paused for a moment on a blonde boy laying motionless in the arms of a sobbing girl, then a glaring brunette, whose gaze was so lethal the animal almost felt its hackles rise, and finally upon an arrogant man concealed within a black and red cloak.

The beast's lips curled upward, revealing its teeth in even more clarity, until it wore an expression similar to a malevolent grin. Then, in the amount of time it took to blink, the animal swiped at the man with one massive paw, taking out five trees in the process. There was a deafening crash as each tree fell to the ground - and then a suffocating silence.

Another bar disappeared and the beast further stepped out from its cage. The group of three children were now on the other side of the clearing, and out of the beast's mind.

It had no business with them.

Monstrous glowing eyes stared at the cloaked figure, taking in the suddenly strained expression on its face and smelling the stark scent of its sweat. So the man in the cloak was at least smart enough to be scared...

A low growl rumbled through the forest, quaking the earth and taking down three more trees.

Amid the dust rising from the earth, the Kyuubi spotted Itachi, his hands soaring through a whirlwind of seals, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Consumed by his arrogance, the legendary fox demon snorted and sat back, watching in amusement. Eventually, the man's hands stopped at their final seal and a single word was muttered under his breath.

A catastrophic eruption of chakra exploded around the beast and the missing bars on the cage returned one by one, forcing him back into the enclosure and pressing him deeper within his confines. Furious beyond mortal comprehension and blinded by his wounded pride, Kyuubi beat against the bars as they appeared too quickly for him to fight down.

From the corner of his eye, the beast saw the trio of children standing, preparing to leave, and then he saw nothing but the damp, red-lit corridor beyond a set of bars.

-----

Ten steps out of the clearing, red eyes snapped open and a lifeless body vaulted into animation.


A/N - So there you have it! FINIS!!! END SURFACE FLAWS!

Lulz, just joshing. Chapter 13 is currently in the final stages of being edited, so you can expect it in a week at the latest. ZOMG GAIZ I WANT 105705971907 REVIEWS AND THEN ILL UPDATE KAY?

Also, many apologies for the long wait. Maybe it's not apparent, but this chapter was absolute hell to write. I know that's not an excuse but it's the truth. Hopefully you guys all enjoyed!! Things'll be wrapping up mighty soon now! Only 3 chapters left to post!!!!

Also, reviews give me fluffy feelings so feel free to leave some! ♥♥♥