The castle began to tear up even before Sasuke and Naruto reached the second landing. Ahead of them, stones blew away, and the ground leveled, throwing Sasuke forwards and Naruto back.
As Naruto hit the whirling stone of the castle floor, he could see the rest of the castle break up below, and he could see the waters of the swamp crashing upwards, drowning the statue garden. Of course, he thought; such a Lovecraftian entity as the monster they'd been trying to summon would live in an ocean.
The floor he was on tilted horribly and he tumbled backwards, fingers scraping along the stone looking for purchase. He was going to hurl off and fall a good two hundred feet into that dark ocean, wasn't he?
Fragments of the castle spun up past his sight. A hand shot out from one of them and snatched hold of his wrist. His arm went taut painfully and he crashed into the side of the stone. It was Iruka-- the man wrenched him up onto the stone floor, and hugged him, crying, "Naruto, thank god you're safe!"
Naruto fell to his knees, his stomach threatening to empty its contents on the flagstones. The sky was tumbling into a tornado above them; below the dark ocean was crashing upwards, engulfing what was left of the castle below. "I think we made the castle angry," he said.
"Apparently," Iruka said. "No big, no big, been through stuff like this before--"
"Really?"
"No, not really." He looked around, looked up, to where the floating fragment they stood on was flying towards the top of the tornado. "This isn't good."
"Sasuke," Naruto said, getting to his feet. "Have to find--"
Their piece of castle smashed into a falling rooftop, and Iruka and Naruto went hurling forwards.
ooo
"All right, gang," Shikamaru said, standing up at the roof blew apart over him. "This is what we trained for."
"I don't think any of my workouts covered this sort of thing," Ino said.
The piece of stairs they stood on rocketed upwards, taken by the wind. Shikamaru and Ino fell to their knees, holding on as the roaring gale crashed into them. They flew through a tumbling spire of flying bats, and left it feeling confused. Bats?
"Ino--" Shikamaru said. "Listen--"
"I can't hear you, Shikamaru," Ino shouted over the wind.
"If we die here, I'd like us to not die hating each other."
"What?"
The stairs crashed into another piece of the castle and they fell forwards, rolling along the side of a rooftop, along filthy shingles. Shikamaru smacked into the base of a gargoyle, held on, looked up into the blonde hair and blue eyes of Naruto. "You're not Ino," he said.
"Should I be?" Naruto said.
A voice spoke, clearly audible over the gale: "You've ruined everything, guys. And I had everything so well planned."
Shikamaru looked up, saw Orochimaru floating over them, staring down with a malevolent grin.
"Where is Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted.
"I think some comeuppance is in order, don't you?" Orochimaru hissed. He raised one hand, snapped his fingers.
Scythe-puppets exploded out of the side of a gable, scissor-marionettes wrenching themselves out of the side of a tower. They flew across the shingles, coming at Naruto, flying at Iruka and the others. Ino ducked to the side, lost her balance, grabbed hold of a gargoyle to stay on the roof.
"We can't fight!" Ino shouted. "Not in this fucking tornado!"
"What's wrong?" Shikamaru said, landing on his two feet with apparently perfect balance. He drew his sword, crackling energy exploding around his arm. He grinned. "Just gotta have steady feet!"
He cut through the first three puppets, spun, tore upwards through the second. A scythe-puppet swept at him, slicing downwards. He rolled, came up, decapitated it. It swung forwards blindly, at Iruka, who grabbed it and hurled it bodily into the wind of the tornado.
"These are--" Shikamaru said, parrying the swipe of a scissor-marionette, and countering by disemboweling it. "These are Sasori's puppets."
Sure enough, Zombie-Sasori and Zombie-Deidara came sweeping in, riding on a fragmenting piece of drawing room. The drawing room crashed into the side of the tower, and the two of them leapt off.
"Really?" Shikamaru said. "You guys suck."
Deidara hurled a clay-bomb and the rooftop exploded.
Naruto went flying. He grabbed hold of a piece of a spire, held onto it tightly as he could as the wind grabbed hold of it, shooting him upwards towards the sky. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Orochimaru flying along beside him.
"Why couldn't you just have gone along with it?" he said. "You could've had great sex, could've summoned an elder demon, could've gone out for pancakes afterwards--"
Sasuke, Naruto thought as he looked ahead; have to find Sasuke.
There he was: atop what was left of the uppermost tower; Itachi held him in his vampire arms. Sasuke looked resigned. No.
Naruto waited until the piece of spire he clung to had slingshotted above the platform Sasuke stood on. He kicked out and fell through the window downwards. "Sasuke!"
Itachi blurred and Naruto crashed into the black flagstones, skidded along the edge.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted. "Stay out of this!"
No, Naruto thought as he scrabbled to get to his feet; can't let this happen. "Sasuke-- can't let him turn you into a vampire."
"A deal's a deal," Sasuke said. "If he turns me into a vampire, I can get us all out of this mess."
Not.
Going.
To.
Happen.
Naruto went into the air, flew at the vampire, who covered Naruto's vision with darkness and slammed him into the stone.
You don't see, Naruto, the vampire hissed; you don't understand the power Sasuke will possess.
Below, Naruto could see massive tentacles emerging from the dark ocean below -- the Cthulian monsteroid. The tentacles were lifting, searching out the rest of the castle, seeking to drown them, to dash them against the water's surface. He rolled, came to his feet. "Sasuke!" he shouted. "No!"
Itachi took Sasuke into his arms, opened his mouth, let his fangs show.
"Itachi--"
The vampire shot upwards into the tornado sky, a cloud of darkness. Orochimaru floated above him, driving wave after wave of dark energy into the vampire. itachi coiled the energy around him, and vanished into a swamp of shadow; dragging life and heat into him, a local black hole.
"You're so dramatic, Itachi," Orochimaru said.
The snake-master shot at the vampire, pierced the black hole, and the sky filled with shimmering light as the two combatants hurled downwards.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, running across the black stone to his boyfriend. "Sasuke--"
"Listen, Naruto," Sasuke said, standing up to his full height. "I don't think there's really any way we're both getting out of this in one piece."
"Sasuke--"
"So I'd rather save you."
"Sasuke--"
Above, Itachi coiled outwards, and black energy struck Orochimaru dead center. Orochimaru seemed to double over for a moment, and then imploded in a crackle of static.
The vampire shot down and landed on the blackstone. "Now," he said. "Where were we?"
No, Naruto thought.
And this was where they were to end it? Here, at the end of the world, massive monster tentacles careening upwards in an apocalyptic tornado? His boyfriend, his love, looking at him with these sad dark eyes, willing to join the ranks of the undead to save his life? And his own friends below, possibly dead.
"Sasuke," Naruto said.
"Please don't argue with me anymore, Naruto," Sasuke said softly.
Nearby Itachi boiled with cold and darkness, waiting.
"Sasuke," Naruto said. "I've been thinking. I'm not a normal man. I haven't lived the life of a normal man. And-- there are these spells of mine. These fugue-states where I get so angry."
"Naruto--"
"Maybe I'm not a boy with a demon trapped inside him. Maybe I'm just a demon in a boy's body. Maybe-- I think--"
"Naruto, don't--"
"I'm not going to let you die, Sasuke," Naruto snarled.
The first of his tails had arrived on scene, appearing out behind him. His eyes turned red, and he crouched downwards, staring at the vampire.
Itachi watched him.
Naruto flung himself at the vampire and the two of them fell from the side of the tower, tumbling and fighting down towards the oceans below.
Sasuke ran to the edge, screaming his boyfriend's name. He looked up, where the sky was tearing itself to shreds, and then leapt off, falling down after his brother and his boyfriend. Inside him, he felt something clawing at his insides, wanting to get out.
Down into the darkness of the cold ocean. Naruto had four tales now. He clawed at the vampire, who turned the water to ice around him, and whose dark energy cut deep gashes into Naruto's sides.
A massive tentacles shot upwards, carrying them up out of the ocean surface and up into the sky. Naruto grabbed hold of the rubbery flesh of the monster, snarling. He snatched his way up the tentacle towards Itachi, who turned and clubbed him off, where he spun and tumbled back towards the water.
Someone caught him from one of the fragments of broken castle. He climbed up, stared at Sai, Sakura and Kakashi. He glanced down at Hinata, who was busy setting up another witch-circle. He realized he barely recognized him. No time now for recognition. Despite their protests, he grew a fifth tail and leapt off the stone fragment, back towards the gigantic tentacle.
Itachi stood on its edge, black cloak fluttering around him. Naruto landed, spun, kicked three times. The vampire ducked backwards, a psuedopod of dark energy extending from his shoulder and striking Naruto in the chest, hurling the boy back outwards. He smashed into the wall of a piece of castle and out through the other side, onto a rooftop.
The vampire was quick, landing in front of him in a heartbeat, and walking towards him slowly. Something in the vampire's eye unfurled and then--
Impossibly, Naruto was strapped to a chair in the middle of a dark plain. Itachi stood in front of him, a menagerie of torture devices in his hands. The vampire smiled--
Snap. Back to reality. Naruto gasped, staring up. Itachi turned around, surprised, and stared at what he saw.
Sasuke stood at the edge of the rooftop. He was surrounded by dark energy, and fluttering raven feathers falling around him. A dark inky tattoo had started at his neck and was slowly spreading across his skin.
Good god, Naruto thought; all that hate in his eyes--
"What do you know?" Sasuke said, in a voice that wasn't his own. "I guess I'm a demon too."
Itachi looked like he didn't know what to say.
ooo
Shikamaru struck the stone steps first, rolling along downwards towards Temari, who caught him. Oh shit, she thought; oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.
Ino hit next, but she was luckier, not rolling down the stone, but crashing up against the wall and staying there. Even as the steps pirouetted through the wind, even as gigantic rubbery tentacles rose around them, they were unconscious.
Deidara and Sasori landed on the steps above them, staring down at her with blank eyes.
"Oh no," Temari said.
They walked down the steps with identical pace, matching each other's steps perfectly. Deidara was already creating another clay bomb.
Shikamaru had that sword, didn't he? Temari rooted at his unconscious form now. She grabbed at his limbs, patted down his waist. Fuck, was it some weird psychic supernatural power that let him summon that blade from nowhere? There wasn't some weird sort of -- shit, she expected some little lightsaber thing, or something--
There was a ring on his finger. It was red. She slipped it off as fast as possible, slipped it on her own finger, stood up. "If you think I'm going to let you push me over, you've got another thought coming, buddies."
But of course they kept coming, being zombies.
She shook her hand. How the fuck did she activate this goddamn sword?
Deidara dropped a clay bomb from one palm into the next.
Goddammit, she thought; I need a sword and I need it now!
She swung and red energy exploded around her arm, the sword shooting into existence, appearing in her hand. She slashed at the stone steps themselves, and the sword cut the stone cleanly. The steps broke apart and Zombie-Deidara and Zombie-Sasori vanished from view.
The steps lurched and Temari fell onto her back, Ino flopping onto her. Shikamaru tumbled back, and fell off the stone. Temari screamed his name.
ooo
Scorched with light. Naruto stared at Sasuke, brimming with shadow and darkness, watching their hopes for a happy future fly away like crumpled ash. There was so much anger in Sasuke's eyes, so much hate.
"Do you see?" Naruto heard Orochimaru say. "Do you see why I wanted to invite him over so badly? Look at him now."
"No, Sasuke," Naruto said.
"You don't understand, Naruto," Sasuke said, hunched over, the black tattoos spreading over his skin. "I can kill my brother now. I can kill anyone. We can kill as many people as we need to be safe, as many people as we need to be happy."
"No," Naruto said.
Itachi stood there, black cloak billowing around him.
"You ready, Itachi?" Sasuke snarled. "You ready, you fucker?"
Itachi said nothing. He blurred forwards, a pseudopod of dark energy careening towards Sasuke's head. Sasuke moved, a blazing blast of flame, and Itachi fell forwards in three parts, exploding away into nothingness.
Sasuke began to laugh.
"Sasuke," Naruto said, staring at his boyfriend.
"Maybe we should release this demon thing, Naruto," Sasuke said. "I'm tired. I'm tired of always running away from things. I'm tired of not excelling. Right now. Oh, right now I could excel. Both of us. All three of us maybe. You, me, that monster below right now. We could just-- we could just take over the whole frigging world, couldn't we?"
"If I let you."
"What?"
"I can't let you out like this, Sasuke. Right now. Do you know what I see when I look into your eyes?"
"Majesty?"
"Just hate. Hate. That's all."
"I-- I do hate--"
"Sasuke--"
"My whole family--"
"Sasuke--"
"This demon inside me-- And you're not going to stop me, Naruto."
"I'm going to. Because I can."
"Naruto, I love you, but if you don't get out of my way."
Naruto stood there, on the rooftop, wind shuddering at him. As the sixth tail grew, he saw Sasuke sprint across the rooftop and shoot into the air, all that demon energy shooting downwards.
The rooftop exploded.
Naruto crashed into Sasuke, and knocked him upwards. Sasuke's eyes went wide.
That's right, Naruto thought; I'm at six tails. I've only ever gotten to seven before.
Sasuke shot up like a meteor, crashing through four fragments of castle. He landed atop a spire, turned and flew downwards. Naruto met him halfway. The shockwave destroyed several of the castle pieces nearby, bits of stone rocketing around them.
Down into the ocean, the water bursting away from them at the speed they were traveling.
Naruto, Sasuke thought.
A seventh tail. Sasuke exploded out of the water, Naruto pursuing.
Sasuke landed against the castle, stumbled backwards, went to one knee.
"Naruto," he said. "Oh god, Naruto--"
ooo
Ino and Temari managed to make it to the piece of castle where Hinata had completed the witch-circle.
"Where's Naruto and Sasuke?" Iruka said, standing up.
"Above," Temari said. "I don't know where anyone is, anymore."
Sai and Sakura watched the rising tentacles of the ocean-monster. "We're not going to be able to last for much longer."
ooo
Shikamaru's eyes snapped open, but it was too late. He banged against the side of a rooftop, spun off, glanced against a windowsill and started the long fall down to his doom.
The hand that caught him was surprisingly strong, and almost effortlessly pulled him up onto the side of the windowsill.
Shikamaru blinked. "Jugo?"
The other young man grinned. "Missed me?"
"Jugo, you-- you rescued me?"
"Looks like."
"That seems really out of character."
"Does it?"
"Well, yeah. I mean--"
"Well, listen. If you died now, that would mean that I can't murder you later, right?"
"Hum."
"Right?"
"Yes, I guess I can see that logic."
"Exactly."
"Jugo--"
"Yeah?"
"I'm almost touched by that."
"Almost?"
"Almost. Come on, let's start climbing. Have you seen Sasori and Deidara?"
"Nope."
ooo
Sasuke stood up, raven feathers bursting out from his back. His skin was almost pitch now, his eyes yellow. The ground shuddered around his feet.
Eight tails now stood out behind Naruto. "Now what, Sasuke?" he said. "You going to make me lose my humanity for good?"
"Naruto--" Sasuke said.
"I love you, Sasuke," Naruto said.
"Naruto, I--"
"I'm not going to lose my humanity for you."
"What?"
Naruto let his arms fall to his sides. He let the tails fall downwards, let them shrink back into him. Human again, he stood there. "I love you, Sasuke," he said. "And if there's only two ways out of this -- either my killing you or you killing me -- I'd rather you kill me. I'd rather you live."
Sasuke stared at him.
ooo
"Naruto!" Iruka shouted from the platform. "Naruto! Sasuke! You have to hurry!"
Shikamaru and Jugo stumbled onto the platform, and Ino and Temari ran to pull them into the witch-circle.
"Busy day," Kakashi said.
"Naruto!" Iruka shouted. "Should I go after them?"
"We're going to have to leave soon" Sai shouted.
"We're not leaving without Naruto!" Iruka screamed.
"Too late!" Sakura cried.
One of the tentacles was falling towards the stone. Hinata clapped her hands before it struck.
The only sound next was the sound of the forest, and Iruka's strangled scream of anguish.
ooo
Sasuke opened his mouth to say something.
He stepped forwards towards Naruto, who stood there, wind buffeting him. Sasuke reached out and took Naruto into his arms and held him. He held him as the darkness leaked out away from his skin.
"Naruto," he said. "I'm sorry--"
And there they were, holding each other on the fragment of a haunted castle and it spun and spun in the wind of a massive tornado, while monster tentacles gathered the air beneath them.
"I've screwed this up," Sasuke said. "I've screwed all of this up. You shouldn't be here. I never should have gotten you into this situation."
"Don't be silly," Naruto said. "If I'm here with you-- well, I guess this is the place to be, right?"
"I guess we're stuck here then," Sasuke said.
Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes, and smiled. "Well. I'm glad you're here anyways. Here at the end of all things."
Sasuke laughed. "Yeah."
Pieces of the castle were starting to fall all around them, clapping into the ocean. The tentacles were still rising ponderously, hideous things.
Naruto looked down at where Itachi's presence had made ice over the stone. He saw himself in it, and saw Sasuke's too.
Sasuke laughed, looking down at it.
"Think Itachi's dead?" Naruto said.
"I don't know," Sasuke said. "Vampires are hard to kill." He shifted uncomfortably. "I can't believe I went all demon on you, Naruto." He looked down at his reflection. "I guess sometimes the real monster is the one in the mirror, eh?"
"Mirror..." Naruto said.
ooo
"He's gone!" Iruka shouted into the night. He fell to his knees, his voice strangled. "All my fault."
Kakashi knelt down beside him, touched his shoulder. "Iruka--"
Iruka looked up at him. Kakashi was smirking. "Let's see if he's learned."
ooo
"Sasuke!" Naruto said. "The spirit-world! Iruka once told me people could come and go from the spirit-world if they want it badly enough!"
"What?" Sasuke said.
Two tentacles were rising on either side of them, prepared to dash them to bits.
"Sasuke, do you trust me?" Naruto said.
"Well, yeah-- I do--"
Naruto leaned in, kissed him, then grabbed him and threw himself downwards. They hit their reflection-- and fell into it--
ooo
Sasuke felt coldness-- the fluttering of chill against him--
-- and then:
The shattering of glass.
Iruka turned on the spot; everyone did. Shikamaru gave out a small cry of pain and surprise.
The back windshield of Shikamaru's car had broken, and lying on the road, in the pieces of it, were Naruto and Sasuke.
Everyone gathered stared at them, mouth open.
The only sound was the wind, and the rustling of leaves.
Sai said, "Holy shit."