I own nothing.
"Slumber, Naruto-kun," a melodious voice lulled the blond slowly. "Sleep and let your troubles drift farther and farther away."
Naruto saw nothing around him but water and kelp. There was no one anywhere. Suddenly, he felt the urge to sleep.
"Hn-no, no," Naruto tried saying but his mouth failed him. It was only in his mind that the words formed.
He couldn't hear Sasuki's reprimanding voice anymore and that worried him. He felt the numbness start to slip in a while ago.
What if he had sunk so deep in the water that no sound could reach him from the surface? What if they thought he was joking around again? What if they didn't try to lift him from the water? Would he die now?
Wait. Why wasn't he drowning?
"Shush, Naruto-kun," the voice said again. "Just rest."
"Why should I listen to you, dattebayo?" Naruto said or rather thought. "I don't even know your name."
"My name? It's irrelevant but if you want to know, it's Shingetsu," the voice sing-songed. "I know how exhausted you have been... Since your parents' demise. I know how much you would like to just rest,"
The voice paused.
"Maybe something more," it continued. "See your parents earlier."
See your parents? Naruto would like that.
"Rin," Naruto thought to himself. So it was in his mind the voice spoke. Naruto struggled hard to keep his mind awake.
"Mmm," the voice answered slowly. "All of your troubles... All of it started when she... When Rin came to be."
"No," Naruto tried feeling his chakra. "It wasn't Rin's fault, dattebayo!"
"Mmm," the voice make no effort to argue. "But it makes you no happier... Knowing how you have such a despicable monster within you."
"Kurama is not desp-despicabable," Naruto said with a yawn. He couldn't feel even his chakra anymore. "It's just that... Nobody understands him, dattebayo."
"Mmm," the voice slowed down even more. "But Naruto-kun... You are far too tired to understand him yourself... Are you not?"
Naruto wanted to say no but it was as if even his mind had started to numb.
"There, there," the voice said sweetly. "Just rest for a while."
"The water causes paralysis," Itachi told whoever was listening. He knew Sasuki and Gaara were.
"When will it wear off?" Sasuki asked, a bit of panic evident in her voice. She had been the one to start screaming for her older brother once Naruto had started sinking.
"We have no means to know if it even is temporary," Itachi answered. "But if the rumors were true, I would say it would be in about three days at least."
"'Niki?" Rin seemed to ask curiously. She had woken up when Itachi passed her to Gaara to check on Naruto. She's been reaching out to her unconscious blond brother for a while now.
"It must be what the rumors are centered in," Itachi said. "People going here and not coming back until days later."
"What of those who come back?" Sasuki asked. "Do they come back like nothing happened?"
"Jiraiya-sama told me nothing about that," Itachi answered.
"Gyaaah! I almost fell asleep!" Naruto exclaimed in his mind.
"And fall asleep, you must!" the once-sweet voice hissed angrily, losing patience.
"I can't! Itachi-nii and the others are probably worrying about me now, dattebayo!" Naruto looked around to see that he was laying down on what seemed to be ground. With kelp everywhere.
And he was still breathing.
"Forget about them!" the voice snapped harshly.
"I can't do that either!" Naruto said as he stood up and started walking around. "They're family."
There was a pause. Naruto kept wandering through the underwater forest.
"They've hurt you time and time again," the voice finally said.
"And I've hurt them, too," Naruto thought. "But family forgive each other no matter what, dattebayo."
Another moment of silence ensued.
Suddenly, something gripped Naruto's arms and ankles. Looking at his wrist, Naruto realized that something to be hair.
Thick, strong, silvery hair.
And just as suddenly, Naruto was pulled towards the source of the hair. And then there was darkness.
For what seemed like a long while, the darkness stayed.
Plop.
Naruto heard the small drop of whatever liquid fell and the splash it made on the surrounding water. The blond boy's hand twitched slightly, the way it does when he wakes up, and felt the dampness around him. He must have fallen asleep after all.
Plop.
Hng.
Naruto opened his eyes after he heard the second sound. Just as he had thought, the bars were the first thing he saw and behind them, Kurama lay sleeping. Naruto got up and walked towards the bars.
"Kurama," Naruto felt giddiness rise from his heart at calling the fox by his name. He felt a little too happy despite the situation but he felt happy nonetheless.
Kurama opened one red eye to glare at the blond and let out a huff.
'That kid is too... Optimistic,' he thought as he closed his eyes. 'No matter. Soon enough, my hatred should take over him. And when he does, I'll free myself from this cage.'
"Kurama, dattebayo," Naruto called again.
After Kurama let out another huff, Naruto added, "I don't think you're despicabable."
"Suit yourself," Kurama answered. "Go away, brat."
"Well," Naruto sat down on the water. "I don't exactly know how I even got here, dattebayo."
Kurama let out anouther huff, an exasperated one, this time.
"That witch got you," Kurama whispered. Then he opened both eyes and began stirring. "Well then. Maybe I should try and take over you now that you're paralyzed and deeply asleep."
"Nii-san," Sasuki yelled as something red and seemingly bubbling enveloped Naruto.
It was happening again.
Itachi handed Rin over to Gaara again and rushed to Naruto just as the blond opened his eyes to reveal red with black slits instead of blue.
Rin seemed to want to scold the raven for handing her over so roughly and for taking her farther away from his brother.
Itachi quickly activated his sharingan to try to control the kyuubi that was undoubtly trying to take advantage of the situation.
Naruto got up and a tail soon began forming behind him.
"Damn Uchiha," Naruto saw the sharingan yielder and stated in a dark voice that didn't belong to him. He looked beside him and saw a confused Sasuki.
Just as he was about to raise his hands that now had claws, Itachi shunshined and took Sasuki to where Gaara and Rin was. The damp sand around the lake started to dry itself off and with it, Gaara tried to distract Naruto as best he could while holding Rin. The little girl had stopped blabbering and froze in fear.
Itachi faced Naruto again and unfortunately for the Kyuubi, Naruto looked into his eyes.
Soon, Naruto's eyes took the form of Itachi's sharingan. And after a few seconds of silence, the red, bubbling chakra evaporated from Naruto's form and he once again fell unconscious.
"Stay here," Itachi ordered everyone who was listening to him as he approached the blond with caution.
"What happened, dattebayo?" Naruto suddenly sat up and scratched his head.
"You tell me," Sasuki started walking fast towards the blond.
"Well," Naruto laughed nervously. "I know the water numbs my body..."
"What else?" Itachi asked. Naruto began retelling what he knew of what happened.
"I see," Itachi said. "You have just completed our mission here, Naruto."
"Really, dattebayo?"
"Yes," Itachi answered as he pulled out a scroll. "Jiraiya-sama wanted to know what happens exactly when people disappear in this lake."
Itachi started writing. "One reason why we don't know what happens is the refusal of those who do come back to talk. Now, we know that it's because of the woman's, Shingetsu's, persuasion that those near the victim were bad for the victim himself. Perhaps it was a genjutsu. Also, we have proof that Orochimaru may also be involved, if only indirectly. That Shingetsu may be one of his experiments,"
"Nonetheless, the kyuubi has also helped unknowingly. If he had not gone on a rampage, you might have stayed unconscious for another two days at least."
He finished writing and tied up the scroll to a crow he summoned. He gently took Rin from Gaara's arms and said, "Our mission is completed."
"We finished earlier than expected," Sasuki said.
"A lot earlier, dattebayo!" Naruto said. "How about we treat ourselves to real beds for a job well-done?"
Naruto waited for an answer. They did do well on this mission. Even if it didn't go as planned.
"It only seems appropriate," Itachi finally responded with a smile. "We will reach the nearest village before nightfall if we leave now."
"Alright!" Naruto said as he pumped his fist into the air. Rin, seemingly knowing of what was happening, let out a happy giggle of her own. "But, hey?"
Itachi, Sasuki and Gaara simultaneously looked at Naruto.
"You all care for me, right?" Naruto asked honestly.
"I wouldn't have joined you if I didn't care for you," Gaara was the first to answer. "You're my first friend."
"You are like the little brother I never had, Naruto," Itachi decided to say after a while. Rin muttered gibberish right after Itachi finished talking.
"Sasuki?" Naruto turned to face the girl who hadn't spoken yet.
Sasuki crossed her arms and turned her head dramatically to the side. Then she said, "Idiot."
"I know you love me, though, dattebayo," Naruto brushed off the insult. He didn't see the blush that formed on Sasuki's cheeks. "Okay, I'll just tell the Shingetsu lady this and then we can go."
Naruto ran towards the lakeshore and cupped his small hands over his mouth.
"Oi, lady," he shouted with his eyes closed with effort. "My Tou-san and Kaa-san, they're not here anymore but I can still feel their love. And Rin's here, too. I'll protect her, dattebayo. Sasuki, too. Itachi-nii and Gaara, also. They care for me. They're family,"
"Kurama may still dislike me, but I'll work on that, dattebayo. And when, we're bestfriends, I'll come back here and show you!"
And just as fast as he ran to the shore, he was back to where he stood with Sasuki and the others.
"Let's go, dattebayo!" And with that, they were off, feeling a certain aura of happiness and a feeling of security not one of them could explain. A feeling that overcame what tragedies each of them had experienced before.
Perhaps it's their families who had passed on watching over them. Perhaps it's of the new family that was only forming. Whatever the feeling emanated from, each of them welcomed it.
Two years later, these feelings remained, and even became stronger with time.
Sorry for the latenesss... I lost my precious internet connection and now I have to connect to unsuspecting wifi connections-.-