Title: Disadvantaged Children
Rating: T
AN: I didn't post an author's note in the previous chapter, because I really wanted to let the last scene sink in. But really, we all knew this would happen. Seriously, I've been hinting at it for the last couple of chapters. Poor Naruto. I keep throwing him in these terrible situations.
I really hope you guys liked Kiba as much as I did. I pretty much tried to make him the most likeable character in the entire story. Whether or not that worked is besides the point. Kiba is Naruto's most treasured person and, remember, Naruto already thought that Kiba had died beforehand. Think about it. He has to lose Kiba all over again.
I'd be pretty pissed, too.
This bonus chapter is dedicated to DA's version of Kiba Inuzuka. His loveable grin shall be sorely missed.
Fall
Kyuubi is famished.
My body twists and turns, but only when Kyuubi commands it to. Scents attack the demon everywhere, along with the blinding lights and the sensation of being born again. It stumbles, unused to the feeling in his human legs, but that alone doesn't stop it.
I'm not Uzumaki Naruto, anymore. I'm a bystander, who doesn't think for fear of angering the demon.
But it knows. After all, something must have happened in order for it to have been let out. And right now, Kyuubi is headed for revenge.
No one confronts it, because the hallways are empty. It's still night outside, but the moon doesn't tame the beast. Instead, it only enrages him further. It's been so long. And it needs to feed.
Doors are ripped from their hinges, paintings are slashed, and walls are shaken. I don't do anything, because I don't want to feel anything except the rage. That hot rage, pouring down my throat like acid. But it's not my throat anymore. It's Kyuubi's.
Kiba.
Kyuubi howls, a long and painful howl, that upsets the Mansion. The demon is impatient. It's out for blood, it wants to kill, but there's no one.
No. There is one person.
The beast inside of me grins when it catches a whiff of my thought. Stretching muscles, it starts to run, faster and faster and faster. It runs forever, watching and observing and basking in freedom. My body shivers from its dark intentions.
I'm nowhere.
The door, when Kyuubi skids in front of it, is quickly knocked down. My body arches and I can hear every spine cracking into a feral position. In a distant place, my conscience floats in silence, knowing that the whiskers in my face are darkening, as well as the red shadows in my eyes.
Anger, hurt, bewilderment all melt into one. Kyuubi growls, because each human emotion attacks it with the intensity of knives. The demon isn't used to this, isn't used to feeling the betrayal that clenches the heart into one exploding bloody mass. And suddenly, it remembers.
The last time, I let you out because of him. Gaara.
A whole new wave of pain attacks Kyuubi again, causing it to withdraw into a shell and scratch its face. The animal remembers.
Don't fail me this time, fox.
Each recollection hits Kyuubi and it whines, a high pitch that causes the windows to shudder. It pants, until the rage returns and feeds it energy.
It swipes everything in the room, knocking down furniture and desks. Everything smells, the same musky scent that poisons the fox. It's infuriating, to remember and not do anything. With a snarl, Kyuubi begins to streak my blood on the walls. My hands are covered in blood, but it doesn't matter, because this is Kyuubi's moment of glory.
A noise, then pieces of memories snag everywhere. I'm blinded by the nauseous sweet smell of blood and by Kyuubi's dead thoughts. The crimson haze shrouds around Kyuubi, and it claws desperately.
"Naruto?"
The monster recoils, long enough for me to capture the dark, cold orbs and pale face.
That's him. Uchiha Sasuke. That's who you need to go after.
Kyuubi doesn't need any more encouragement. Drool drips on to the floor, but blood soon mixes in with the saliva. My hands tremble, but Kyuubi steadies them with blood thirst. Without warning, it attacks. I watch, floating above in the air, as Kyuubi is a whirlwind of claws, bites, and punches. Things are knocked over to make room for battle, and it's difficult to make out who is who.
Kyuubi's brutality is countered by Sasuke's surprising agility, while its claws are deflected by the boy's own bare hands. It's frustrating, because Kyuubi can't inflict harm, can't draw blood. Sasuke falters and there's a startled fear in his eyes.
"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?!"
Kyuubi grins, a frightening twist of evil and depravity, and punches Sasuke in the stomach. It nods with satisfaction as the boy skids all the way across the room, blood dripping from his nose.
More.
Sasuke blocks, weakly putting up his arms, as Kyuubi continues its rampage, kicking, biting, scratching. At one point, the blood-stained boy struggles to get to his feet, but Kyuubi snarls and reels his arm back, about to punch Sasuke straight in the face.
Don't.
The demon pauses, a will of war in his head, then chooses to spit instead. The saliva streams down Sasuke's cheeks. Sasuke's dark eyes flash with comprehension.
"You know, don't you? About Kiba?"
Helplessness is suddenly replaced by a frightening rush into my own body, and it's me who stares into the perfect face, not Kyuubi. My own bloody hands, my own blood thirst, my own blood trickling into the floor.
And I remember.
Loneliness pervades me, as well as the weight of heavy sorrow. I had lost Kiba, again. And here was Uchiha Sasuke, able to stay calm with a smirk on his soft lips.
Dirt, trees, sun. Dogs about to shred, about to rip, until they're stopped. A small smile.
"Keep up, slowpoke."
I roar with anger and thrust both of my arms forward, almost snapping Sasuke's neck when I bring his face inches from mine. He had done this. He had caused this.
"BRING HIM BACK."
Sasuke winces as I shake him, but his voice is firm when he answers.
"No."
Red invades my vision, and Kyuubi's laughter stales the air.
Help me.
Kyuubi replies by seeping energy into me, the rush of power becomes an addiction. With ease, I lift Sasuke into the air and throw him into the wall, smirking when the impact causes him to cough up blood. I would avenge Kiba.
I hover over Sasuke, fists clenching. "What did he do to deserve the Island?"
Sasuke never wavers. "He picked a fight with Orochimaru. I expelled him."
Rage has numbed everything in my body, and it becomes easier to pick Sasuke up by his shirt. It becomes easier to pound him into the wall with each word reverberating throughout the room.
"You piece of shit. You've killed him. You've killed my only reason to live.""
He's silent, and I shove him into the wall again and again. "I'll rip you into fucking shreds, Uchiha Sasuke. BRING HIM BACK."
He stares at me, but I shove away the empathy I find in them.
"I can't."
Kyuubi is begging, pleading to take control, but I can't rip myself from Sasuke's gaze. Everything inside me screams in pain, pain from pushing away the demon, but I can't do it. My blood is boiling, the heat is stifling, and I'm losing the battle to preserve my sanity.
Kyuubi is right there, I can feel him, shoving away my consciousness, trying to take control..
Until Sasuke's soft voice intrudes.
"I'm sorry."
Even though his words make me angrier, they shove Kyuubi out of my mind and back into the dungeons. Regret and remorse have an even greater power over the demon than simple and basic human emotions. I snarl, but my strength wanes, free from Kyuubi's touch. I falter, and watch as blood streaks my hair.
A clearing. Two kids staring up at the endless night sky.
"Makes you think that there could be someone out there, some higher power. Don't it?"
I punch Sasuke, feeling a grim satisfaction when he grunts.
"Bring him back."
"No."
Renewed anger gives me speed. I kick Sasuke and watch as he drops to the floor. Get up! Why aren't you fighting back? You fucking coward! Get up!"
I grab his arm, wrenching him to his feet, and growl in his face.
"Bring. Him. Back."
I know the answer before he says it.
"No."
Every second ticks closer to Kiba's death. I can feel the pressure, the loss of a treasured person. Kiba was going to die. And I couldn't even stop it.
Solemn words. Love.
"I'm just glad, y'know? That I'm here, with you, and not out there."
I can't stop the sob any more than I can stop my next punch. "Please. Please."
Sasuke staggers, but he still shakes his head, eyes closed in a calm silence.
He doesn't block my next kick, which causes him to collapse into a heap on the floor. I'm desperate, now, and all I can see is my best friend, dead in the Island. I'm choking from the despair, from the knowledge that I had caused Kiba's death. Again.
My hands tremble, like the silent tears in my eyes. I can't think, because I'm blinded by the throb in my heart, the hatred within. Rationality flies out of me when I pause, then gently grasp Sasuke's neck with both hands. I'm not thinking, because adrenaline won't allow me to.
I needed Kiba. I would do everything, anything to get him back.
Sasuke isn't surprised to find my hands wrapped around his neck, ready to strangle him with no remorse. He can see the hesitation swirling in my body, but he doesn't defend himself. He only stares, passively, black eyes clashing with blue eyes. I fall to my knees, my hands never leaving their position. We're so close to each other, that I can count every eyelash and every breath that he takes, just as he can see every tear gathering, but refusing to fall. My whisper twists, like my hands.
"Expel me. Let me leave with Kiba. I'll protect him."
My heart drops when Sasuke fixes me with weary eyes.
"I can't do that."
I've forgotten how to feel. My hands grip his neck tighter, leaving murder as the only choice.
Years pass in that small room, years that I spend staring into Uchiha Sasuke's face. Every wisp of his hair, each fleck in his eye, each lost second.. I memorize them all. There are no bruises on his face, only the tainted smear of spit. His breath is even, because Uchiha Sasuke is unafraid of death. He stares at me, with an equally intense sense of time, but I can't read him. Instead, I fall deeper.
Abruptly, I realize that I've lost all tension in my vice-like grip, and that the blood is draining back into Sasuke's face. I don't have enough strength to summon up the pure rage, because I can't breathe. Gently, almost as if I were a baby, Sasuke takes my hands and removes them from his neck. His cool touch gives me air.
"He told me to tell you that he loves you." Sasuke pauses then continues with a sad smile. "I'm sorry."
Purpose is a distant thought, lost behind a mountain of fatigue. Nausea suddenly envelopes me, and I pitch forward, clutching the deep ache in my stomach. My hair covers my face, and I see red streak blond. I hear a sharp intake of breath from Sasuke, and then I fall forward, blood and all. I wait for the ground, but only find the jumble of arms, legs, and warmth.
Before my vision fades, I see miracles. I see changing colors. I see eyes like mine.
"I'm sorry, too.. Sasuke."
And life becomes a dream, one in which I can never wake from.
Warm brown eyes. An impossibly wide grin.
"You'll be okay, won't you, Naruto-kun?"
AN: ;.;
