Now, this chapter is gonna be a little different from the rest. It's going to be a mix of Naruto and Itachi, as our Teme hasn't woken up yet. Plus, a treat. *wink wink*
Also, this fair doesn't actually exist. Fiction!
Itachi
Itachi was calmly watching the mound on the ground in front of him, waiting for his little brother to wake up. He knew he could fool him into thinking Naruto was still here, because he'd been doing it while the venom was being chased out by the antivenom he'd gotten from Viper.
But what to do about the real blonde? From what he'd seen so far, he'd have a tough time seperating him from the 'group' they usually hung out with. He knew the blonde was easily scared and simple to control, but he still had to be retrieved. Sasori was only good until the fireworks started a few hours ago, and-
There was yelling outside, and a loud crash interrupted his thoughts. His eyes snapped into a glare and he watched the door for the noise to stop. Another bang rang out and he glared harder, controlling his impatience with difficulty. A scream echoed under him in the lower levels of the hotel, and a deep growl came next.
"Where is he? Where is Sasuke?"
Naruto POV-five minutes ago
I run up the alleyway, and emerge into a huge neon river of people and sound. Kyuubi guides me down the road, and people stop and look at me, some hurrying away quickly. I sprint into the hotel he points me at, and we spring into the lobby on all fours, looking around.
My vision is tinted pink, and getting redder as we both tire, and I know soon it'll be Kyuubi's job to get Sasuke back for us.
"Where is he? Where is Sasuke?"
Standing on the wall I've knocked down, bricks crumbling under my thick, hardened white claws, I look quickly around the room, immediately smelling his collogne in the stale air, and follow it down to the elevator, prying the doors open and jumping into the shaft. People scream behind me, and I hear footsteps under me, trying to see what I am.
I'm in the alleyway again, and the rain is freezing. My body is covered in fresh blood and pain is crushing me, and I'm jumping back and forth between the elevator walls, prying open another door where the smell comes from a few floors up. Here the comfortable scent is stronger, and I sprint down the hallway and smash down a door.
A click as the metal gun pointed at my skull fires, and I spin with the force, crushing the pellet with my teeth and crouching. A man in a brown suit is looking down at me. Otherwise, the room is empty, but I can tell Sasuke was just here. They moved him.
Leaping at the man, I slam him into the wall and jump over him back into the hallway, not bothering to watch my back. Before I can do anything, Kyuubi spins me and outstretches my nails to slash at the overcoat's hands.
Ignoring his screams as the gun, hands still holding it, falls to the ground, I run to the stairs and see blood spotting the floor.
Sasuke's smell is leading up.
What the hell is going on?
Itachi lifted the cardboard and trash away from the sleek black metal and opened the door, shoving Sasuke into the back and jumping into the front control panel. Quickly, he dialed one of the hitmen he'd employed before, and told him to meet at the amusement park he could see in the distance.
A gunshot rang out below, and seconds later a reverberating scream came and crashes echoed. Just as he lifted the copter off the ground, blades whirling, the roof door sprung open, and a blur was skidding to a stop. Blonde hair and blue eyes flickered to a stop and glared at him. The dangerous white nails were sunken into the heavy cinderblocks and thin pink lips were pulled into a snarl, gleaming teeth letting a roar slip out.
"Sasuke!"
What. The. Fuck. Is that?
Rocketing the control stick forward, the black-haired man watched the monster leap into the air and fall just short of the bottom of the chopper.
Calm took over as it missed, and he took in fully the other's looks. Why, it was Sasuke's little loverboy. He'd seen the pictures and the teen himself. But what had happened to that sweet little face? A laugh bubbled up. After all this, he still won, and now he could get the boyfriend too.
But the laughter died as red clouded over the eyes and the boy dropped to the ground, limp.
Kyuubi- 20 minutes ago(treat)
The mass of emotion I'd bundled up and caged with me apart from Naruto was throbbing and suddenly I couldn't feel him anymore. We hit the concrete and lay there. Peeling myself from the wall, I fit my consciousness into his shape, and stretched my arms, flexing the now hardened nails into the soft stone.
Memories of my own were awakened, of blood and fire and rage, and I silently admitted how melloed out I'd become. Huffing, I stood up in his skin, feeling the cool air brush 'my' hair and sooth 'my' face. Then, as a shock hit the air, I leapt to the left and dodged the bullet, snarling reflexively at the machine Naruto calls a 'Helicopter'.
The length of black hair that swerved in the air currents blocked him from me, but I'd seen this 'Itachi' that was Sasuke's brother. Kit had told me about how he'd betrayed his kin and slaughtered then in night-dark.
Bunching the muscles I had at my disposal, I shot into the air, slamming harshly into the steel, nails sinking in deep. The machine swung low and bounced for a moment, before suddenly dipping and I was scraped off by the edge of the roof, skidding down the bricks before catching an awning.
Another gunshot rang out, and the lead smashed my shoulder to bits, blood soaking my shirt. But the pain didn't last even a second, healed immediately by my out-of-control energy. Naruto's blood and veins sang with me as we clawed back to the roof and watched the black speck as it lowered into the 'Amusement Park'. I had to search for the word in the kit's thoughts.
The bright lights pained my eyes as they were, but I jumped quickly onto the next roof and followed it, blocking the insistence that 'he could do it' from Naruto where he slept in the water drip-dropping by my cage.
I could feel him gathering my excess energy, and fed it slowly to him, squatting on a building above the bright-human noises, waiting. Naruto was yelling at me, and I was watching Itachi step out of the machine above us on a large structure that stretched far up into the sky, towering over the entire park. Screaming came from the box that slid up and down it.
Sweat and too-sweet sugar smells, mixed with sour milk and blood was blowing in circles all around the place, and I snorted, trying to focus on the helicopter rising back up, leaving Sasuke and Itachi behind.
Naruto was still screaming for me to get Itachi and save his stupid little mate. But at the moment, I was a little peeved that this mortal had forced me to such lengths. Even making me take over the blonde's body. He was going to pay for getting me this riled up.
He was going into a door on a platform, which meant I'd have to go up again. Sinking in my claws again, I flexed the tail I knew didn't show, feeling it attached to me in spirit. Climbing down head first, I ignored the stares and shouts that the humans aimed at me, shoving people aside. I kept my eyes on the huge tower, and jumped onto a stall. It held my weight so I started jumping from stall to stall instead, since it saved time.
Now there were people in black and yellow shouting at me to get down and come quietly. I snarled at one as he got in front of me, and pushed him off the building. Voices screamed and things were passing over my head, missing me entirely. Looking up, I saw a small metal box coming down the side of the tower. I could clearly see the older Uchiha through the glass walls and jumping higher, onto one of the moving carts called a 'roller coaster'.
It swerved and bucked and I thought it was trying to throw me until I saw the sparks from the rails and knew it couldn't stray from them. Riding from one to another, I leapt across the tracks and clawed my way up the thin structure of the tall coaster, jumping onto a different one from the opposite edge. I went on until the rides quit rumbling and the people started to yell below over the sounds and smells of fear and anger.
Sweat was slicking my fingers as I jumped to the building housing throwing darts and booze that rode the outskirts of the fair. The hot scent of sex and vomit wafted up from the street and then I was at the metal doors of the tower, rain trickling down my face as I stared at the blank deadend for a moment. Finally it shifted back, and my heart stopped hammering so hard.
Naruto was waking up slowly, stretching to fill his body. But I wasn't done yet, so I gave him only a little room, trying to hold onto the loose gravel under me and steady myself. It crunched in my palms and I felt good, compact earth under the thin layer of slippery pebbles laid out for the huge crowds every other week.
I could sense Itachi's sour energy overhead, and sized up the place. Then, steeling myself, I leapt into the air and my skin stretched taut, gripping my hard nails, curved by red, into the smooth metal. It was net-worked and webbed above me, but close together and straight.
And then a screaming load of humans plummeted down at me from a thousand meters in the air.
Plip. Plip. Plop.
I could hear people screaming and I felt my body moving up and over and then down again, fingers aching from my nails sinking constantly into metal and brick. But here they were stubs and I was shaking, sitting...sinking into the grey-green water that rose up from inside Kyuubi's cage in waves. My teeth were dull, the usual canines only slightly sharper than normal. My body hurt everywhere, and I knew I was finally feeling everything from before.
Arms wrapped around myself, I had a sudden rush of terror and saw a flash of a huge wieght slamming down above me, and then it was gone, replaced by cool calmness that seemed to radiate constantly. Kyuubi had absolute faith in his abilities and only wavered because he was vulnerable in my body. But now I was awake and thinking, calmer than I had been in hours.
Maybe I shouldn't have rushed ahead like that, but I had no doubt that it had happened and felt right. When I was chasing Itachi, there had been no hesitation.
Plip. Plip. Plip.
I closed my eyes, and saw metal shredded by my claws and the screaming people getting off the ride, scattering like ants when you stomp on the hill. Nails sank into the structure, and I was moving up, vision cut drastically by a dark maroon haze at the edges of my sight. Smells assaulted me and I could feel a tail swerving out where there wasn't one. Nine of them writhed together and around my legs, soft fur soothing my raw nerves.
Then I was facing a deadend, rain pouring down my back and shouts ringing out behind me- and my nails sunk further into a ledge and I was back, completely underwater and watching bubbles rise from my clothes and hair.
Sighing, I finally rose out of the water and hovered there, watching the water rise. What would happen when I ran out of 'air'?
Deciding to take a chance, I gulped in air, held a lungful, and dove into the black-green darkness, more bubbles snaking from my nose as I went. I saw the surface of stone, but reached out and a bright light exploded. Memories rushed by me and swamped my mind.
Sasuke laughing at me tripping.
Sasuke kissing me and holding me while I cried.
Sasuke watching in amazement as I shoveled waffles and eggs into my mouth.
Sasuke leading me by the hand as the bright lights swam by, an angry woman shouting after us.
his hands. his hair. his skin soft as moonlight. him watching me brushing my teeth. him talking to me and shutting the door in Kakashi's face. his being there to look at me with warm, melt-me eyes. existing with him in the dark dorm room and talking about anything that came to mind.
I was watching things flash by and was catapulted away by Kyuubi's feeble attempt to concentrate on keeping me out.
Scrunching my face up, I swam head-on into the stone, lungs burning and eyes wide open. Sunlight slammed into me and-
Laughter like pale birdsong was washing through my ears and mud was splattered all over my clothes and hair. Sasuke was trying to get up and kept slipping in the mudpit we'd made by accident, water-fighting with the hose. His hair was miraculously still spiky and I was lying in the mud, suctioned to the ground by the rich black goop.
He slid around and fell again, and I belted out, snorting at his angry face, beet red.
"You know we look insane, right?" he muttered, and I laughed harder, lungs on fire. I couldn't seem to pull enough air.
"Oh god I can't breathe!" I cried out, and he screwed his face up, finally giving in and laughing with me.
More mud splattered on both of us as I tried to sit up and squished back into the deep mud, sinking a little bit, my chest aching without air. Together, we managed to crawl out of the slick portion and onto solid ground. Grabbing the hose that was still squirting water into the mud and making it rise up to swallow us, Sasuke sprayed off the mud and stood, helping me up too. After we were both freezing and shivering, cleaner, he shut the water off and looked around.
What had started off in an attempt to clean his car, had turned into a full-on mud spattered battlefield, car covered in the thick mud, the cat hiding under the left rear tire, and the lawn was a complete disaster.
Still, I was trying to shift so my lungs could get air. Suddenly, I fell into the mud again and the world faded, memory-
leaving me as I floated up and out of the light. The water woke me up somewhat and I tried to paddle up, but I couldn't see and the water was all black everywhere. So I let my remaining air go and followed the bubbles, breaking the surface in time to pass out again.
Kyuubi
I was still clawing my way up to the platform I'd seen the dark-haired man disappear into the doorway from, and could feel Naruto starting to wake up.
He was in his subconcious, and floating up to the surface.
Suddenly I was being swamped in memory and then-
I was gone, engulfed in bright and blank and suddenly in Naruto's body again. But I was in the dark, trapped as he woke up and relived a memory. Encaged again, I whirled, roaring in frustration.
NOOO! Stop-go back!
Naruto
I was looking at the metal under my nails, vision flashing regular to crimson and back again. Suddenly I was falling, dropping into red and yellow and twinkling glitter before I slammed into the black asphalt and the world stopped.
Shikamaru ran from the bike, letting it drop and skid on the road. Kiba hopped off right behind him and was soon ahead, kneeling by the limp figure in the crumbling dent.
They'd watched him fall from near the top of the tower and crash into the fair ground street.
But instead of a mangled corpse, he had bruises on both eyes and his hair was orange and he was spotless. From head to toe, there was nothing other than the strangeness of his newly-colored hair and the black-purple depth on his lids and under his eyes.
"What the hell is this?" Kiba muttered. People were gathering around them and murmuring. Those who weren't throwing things and shouting, that is. They too, had seen the monster with glowing red eyes claw up the tower and fall into the street. There was an empty place all around him, and Shika had to crawl down the edge to pick up the slack body.
"Where do we take him? What now?"
Kiba had smelled death around him when he'd first gotten there, but now all he could smell was tangerines and soft night air. They were halfway to the bike when a black jeep pulled up. Stone jumped out and grabbed the pale, limp orange-haired teen, putting him in the backseat.
"Stone! What are you doing here?" Shika cried, and climbed in, Kiba right behind them.
"Got a call from the Boss to drive you guys over to her place. Says she'll explain when we get there," he said in his deep monotone.
"Boss?" Kiba said, but the brunette didn't answer, driving calmly into the city and downtown till they were outside a big apartment of flats. Suddenly a familiar voice called from a balcony halfway up and Gaara yelled, "Come on. You guys gotta see the news!"
They all hurried up and the door was opened by Kakashi, a frown transforming to relief when he saw Naruto, then back to a frown. But he didn't say anything and simply lead them to a dull red couch, where Sakura was sitting, her face angry, looking up with hollow eyes when the door opened. Then, before they could stop her, she grabbed the orange and clung to him, putting him where she could hold him.
"Where's Sasuke? Didn't you find him?"
...?
"Shikamaru? What happened to Naruto? Why is his hair orange? Did he get hit in the nose? Why isn't Sasuke with you guys?"
She stopped when Shika didn't answer and looked at the TV. A blonde headed woman was staring at it from the arm of the couch, rocking back and forth, fists clenched together.
"So. Did you see him? When he was like this?" she froze the screen, and there was an picture of Naruto on a roller coaster's metal, nails embedded in the iron like butter. Two coal red eyes were burning holes in them as they looked, and he could feel the anger even though this was pre-recorded. A voice came on when she played it and the red-eyed Naruto spidered up the rest of the ride, leaping from there to a different ride until the picture went fuzzy.
It clicked off, and all that was left was twelve people staring at the black, reflecting screen. Silence ruled the room as blaringly as silence can, and the only sounds were the fans revlolving overhead and the clock ticking on the wall.
The blonde stood and turned. Her eyes were concerned when they skated over the unconscious orange-haired Naruto. Then they switched to Kakashi, measureing.
"How much do you know about what happened?"
Nobody said anything for a moment, and then Shika spoke.
"Who are you, anyways?"
Sorry this chappie's cut/paste sloppy, guys. I'm in a very remote locatikon:P Will fix this sign off when I get to a different computer. Had to put up the chapter though. Review!