Howling Love ::.

Chapter 12 xx Stop

The Uchiha was torn between two choices of epic proportion. He felt like a deer caught in the headlights, his mind unable to process information as the two sides came barreling at him. He felt his chakra roaring to life through his veins, preparing itself without having to be told for the possible fight waiting just around the corner. His adrenaline started pumping, his thoughts scattered again.

He strained to collect himself, his hold around the kunoichi in his arms tightening slightly.

Again he was able to retrieve his thoughts for enough time to look over them, and his brow furrowed in his deep concentration. The two overbearing options seemed obvious enough; he could run or he could fight. Running would pose a larger probability of keeping Sakura out of harms way, but it also came with the possibility of being outrun and then having to fight.... He couldn't deny that he wanted to fight Katsuo.

Sasuke needed to fight him; he needed to rip his revenge from the masochistic and vile excuse for a man that had torn him apart so many countless times.

His own verdict had unconsciously flickered towards staying and fighting it out.

He glanced down at the broken kunoichi pressed again, suddenly at a loss. He couldn't force that decision on her, because her life was balanced quiet precariously on the potential outcomes. So he gazed down at her warily, searching her wary expression for any sort of answer he could get from it. Her quiet emerald orbs met his eyes slowly, fear evident in their gem-like depths. He hoped desperately that his question was evident enough across his expression, for he just hadn't the heart to ask her with words.

She surprised him though when her head nodded slightly, and then she curled closer to him before giving a weak flinch when it jarred her injuries.

So Sasuke took a careful step back, his steaming obsidian eyes locked bitterly on his enemy. He set her carefully down besides a nearby tree, his expression tightening as she winced from the movement. He stood straight afterwards, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. A contented smirk suddenly flashed across his features and he took a brief saunter forward, katana whipping out in front of him at its usual lightning speed.

Sakura tried to prop herself up with her good arm, but only succeeded in falling awkwardly against the tree again. So she tiredly gave in to it, her eyes glued to the duo in awed transfiction.

The raven looked completely in his element; standing in the offensive combat position that he had so easily assumed. His katana was poised, his crimson eyes darting, and his expression calm and calculated with that cocky smirk so perfectly placed across his lips.. The man she presumed was Katsuo stood across from him, standing evenly and just as arrogantly. His eyes were a soft hazel color flecked with a vibrant, lime-green that seemed to glow greedily, matching the cocky grin that he had plastered across his tanned face. His hair was a wispyr blond that swirled about his head like a crown before twisting neatly into a short braid that he had slung over his right shoulder.

Definitely not how the Haruno had imagined him. She'd pictured someone much older, and perhaps more muscular as well. Katsuo was lean and fit-looking, but hardly muscular. His shinobi get-up was jet-black and sleeveless, exposing the rippling muscles in his arms. Hundreds of separate summoning markings were permanently tattooed to his skin all along their lengths, skimming only the top of this man's extensive jutsu library. He cast this dark, foreboding aura around himself that seemed extremely intimidating to the kunoichi, which, needless to say, didn't help to qualm her growing concern for the Uchiha.

She never wanted to see him get hurt for her sake. That would be too much for her to bare.

The enemy drew a large nodachi sword from a sheath tethered to his hip, his smirk doubling in size. He gripped the thick hilt of his blade in both hands before swinging it easily in a blatant display of his apparent skill. Sasuke didn't seem to have noticed.

"It's a shame that you had so much dead weight holding you back, Sasuke-kun," purred Katsuo finally, his voice deep and silken as he cast a disapproving glance in Sakura's direction. His eyes glinted sharply as if amused. "I wouldn't have been able to catch up if you'd just left her behind like any other sensible shinobi would have, but then again, you are one of the biggest weaklings in the bingo book."

And then it started.

The ear-splitting, metallic clash of two lethal weapons pierced through the trees, followed by the distinct, electrical chirping of the Uchiha's signature move and an odd, grating sound that accompanied the enemy's jutsu. Bright swathes of bright-cyan and an unhealthy orange splashed across the clearing as the two opposing chakras collided and crackled. Sakura fought to keep her head up, to watch and support the raven as much as she could, but after waves of intense nausea began wafting through her system, she no longer had the energy to fight it.

She slumped to the ground with a dull thud , her eyes fluttering shut. She was just too damn weak.

Sasuke managed to land a solid hit, causing his blond opponent to sprawl roughly against the nearest tree. The Uchiha didn't react to the momentary victory and remained in place, breathing hard as he fought to collect some his last strains of energy. He was exhausted, and apparently so was Katsuo. What had once been an elegant display of jutsu's and strategic fighting had turned into no more than a fist fight. They'd been fighting for what seemed like hours, and neither of them had enough chakra left to continue expending as they would have liked.

Both of the shinobi were drenched with sweat and had obtained an unhealthy amount of bruises and scrapes that littered their battered skin. While Sasuke was harbouring a badly twisted ankle and a few minor burns, half of Katsuo's face was unrecognizable due to him barely escaping one of the Uchiha's fire moves.

Sasuke slumped to the nearest tree, leaning heavily against its charred bark to get at least some of his weight off his right foot. He hadn't the slightest idea how he'd gone and screwed it up so badly, but it hurt like hell and that was all he really cared about.

Katsuo hadn't bothered to rise from where he'd fallen against a tree across from him. He had his head thrown back as he stared listlessly at the lightening sky, an obnoxious smirk still plastered across his expression.

Sasuke's face hardened as he glowered at the blond. Even through exhaustion his hatred towards this man was unmeasureable. He wanted him dead, wanted him to feel the pain and terror of that cold dark cell hundreds of feet below the ground...

His anger was suddenly consumed by mute horror as he felt it.

It was reeping across his skin like living ice that seemed to choke the life and warmth from his very being. It forced its burning touch through his limbs just beneath the surface of his skin, ripping and shredding as it went. He let out a auible groan as his hands shot up to claw at the little mark on his neck that had begun to grow to swiftly, expression pained. His cursemark had chosen to act up at precisely the wrong time. It hadn't bothered him in ages, why the hell now?!

He felt it claw down his back and at the muscles in his arms, and his head began to swim as those usual dark thoughts began to sift around through his head.

He suddenly couldn't think straight and, knowing it was the only way to escape, he reluctantly willed the mark to spread faster, just to spare him the firey pain. It quickly obligued, and before he could react, his skin had turned that sickly gray color that went with his other form, and that familiar, unworldly rage and resentment abruptly seared through his surging veins.

It wasn't really him, but at the same time it was. The curse seal doesn't really change a person, it merely takes pre-existing feelings that from the deepest regions of your being and amplifys it until it completely consumes you.

Usually, Sasuke let these feelings take free-range when he was fighting in this form, but now.... He glanced back at the pinkette, who lay curled against a tree a few yards away. Her eyes were clamped shut, her skin clammy and pale, her breathing labored....

If he let himself go now, she might get caught in the fray. Or he might chase so fervently after his revenge on his enemy that it would be too late to help her, too late to get her the medical attention that she so desperately needed.

The youth's head felt like it was going to explode. He clenched his teeth, his now sharpened canines cutting harshly into his lip. He felt the muscles and skin on his shoulders ripple and swell as his wings began formed, and felt his hair growing longer and shaggier about his head. By then he knew it was too late.

He just wasn't strong enough to hold it back.

Sasuke turned his eyes on Katsuo now, his once conflicted frown turning up into a deranged smirk. The blond jumped warily to his feet, flipping out a chakra-infused kunai as his eyes took in the feral edge to the Uchiha's expression. They widened as they saw what had become of the highly-esteemed Uchiha, shock written clearly across his features...

And then he too smirked, resting his arms on his hips arrogantly.

"Your true colors are finally revealed. I'll admit, it is pretty impressive, but was it worth the life of your petty companion?" He cast a dry look at the kunoichi before flicking his gaze to the Uchiha, his hues glittering.

Sasuke lunged, his wings propelling him forward at an inhuman speed as both of his hands sprang up with blue lightning.

His hands closed around the man's throat, slamming the guys body against the nearest tree. His goal was in reach, he felt so powerful; so inconceivably powerful... He tightened his grip, and he feel the weak struggles of his prey began to slacken as his life was strangled out of him slowly and painfully.....

He heard a feeble little cough and he whirled, keeping one hand tightly around Katsuo's neck as he scowered for whatever enemy had dared interrupt his moment of triumph.

Sakura was staring at him, her mouth held slightly open, her eyes wide with shock. Her lips moved faintly as if to say something, but no sound emitted from her throat. She looked like she was fighting back tears as she choked up words. He stared at her in advent shock, his coal-black eyes frozen.

"Stop it... Sasuke-kun....stop...please."

Just kill him. Just do it, don't listen to her. Give in to hatred, just kill him. Just do it.

His grip slowly subsided before he roughly tossed the man to the side. Right then, he felt more like an animal than he ever had as a wolf. He felt like some sort of idiot hunter whose prey had just slipped out from under his nose. He felt cheated and spiteful, and rage started building like fire in his throat...

He hastily turned away, his teath ground harshly together behind closed lips. He then swiftly approached the kunoichi on the ground, his liquid obsidian searching her expression for any sign of consciousness. She was completely out, and when he pressed a finger to her brow, he found that she was burning up with an unusually high fever. He swore loudly before scooping her up; careful not to jostle her more than he had to.

The raven heard Katsuo moving about somewhere behind him and he turned to glare bitterly at the man he'd so easily let slip through his fingers. He took one last, fleeting glance at the man before he charged his feet up with chakra and spread his demonic-like wings, and with all of the strength he had left, he slammed his wings down, propelling himself into the air.

With a couple beats he was above the tree line—but barely. His wings couldn't take the extra weight, and he was straining just to keep aloft. He clung to the winds that whipped through his clothing, trying desperately to find one strong enough to keep him and the kunoichi up... He felt muscles and sinews in his wings give several, gut-wrenching snaps, followed by unworldly pain, but he bit his lip and climbed higher, battling gravity with all he had left..

Out of nowhere a current picked up, pushing him easily forward as it rolled over his skin. At first he teetered off balance and dropped a few feet, but as it pushed him forward he eventually righted himself out. He then shot off easily with the new boost, rocketing off towards the faint signs of a village he could see in the distance.

The current kept up at a good pace, and he rode its winding course through the sky with as much speed as his chakra-deprived body would allow. He focused his efforts on Sakura as much as possible at that point, for she wasn't at all in good shape. She moaned and twisted in his arms frequently, her face a sickly pale while her eyes, when she opened them, were sallow and bloodshot. The bandages they'd used to make her makeshift splint were dyed a rich crimson, and her whole body was wracked with constant shivers and trembles, though her fever continued relentlessly.

the Uchiha youth tried to keep her awake, knowing now that rest wouldn't be enough to save her, and that she needed to keep her heart beating for as long as possibly, which meant staying conscious.

"Sakura, stay with me here." He said quietly before he lightly tapped her cheek. Her hoarse breathing hitched as her eyes cracked open warily.

"Sas....uke?" It was an almost incoherent mumble, but he responded to it regardless.

"Hn."

"Always...so.....talkative." A small wisp of a smile crept across her lips, though it quickly died. Her eyes slowly began to close once more, and he touched her cheek again.

"Stay awake. Ask me questions or something, keep your mind occupied." His voice was low and serious and lined with an inescapable fear. She sensed it and curled tighter against him.

"Any....question?" Her whisper, as quiet as it was, had just an ounce of surprise to it. He forced a reluctant smirk as he nodded.

"What happened..... to you....before..." Her eyes started to close again and he prodded her. They fluttered open again and she slowly continued.

"Before......Katsuo.....tricked....you." She coughed in a breath, snuggling in deeper against his chest as she waited for an answer to her fragmented question. His expression darkened.

"Something else." He felt her move her head slightly sideways against his chest, a feeble attempt at shaking her head, and it didn't take much to make him cave. He hadn't the slightest idea how to answer her question, but words slowly bubbled to his lips and he spoke them. He told his story in choppy pieces, his tone sporadic between cold and dark, and soft and gentle. This was the first time he'd told anyone, and if felt strange to be so willingly spilling his story to another person. But he continued anyway, knowing that if anyone ought to know, it was her.

A/N: :D Originally I tacked on his story at the end, making this chapter a whopping 4,000 words. I decided that that the story could use a bit more fleshing out and could definitely stand as its own chapter, so I decided to take it out. So expect a relatively speedy update because I have the majority of it written already.

Thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter, you guys are all very sweet. :]

I have a lot going on school wise for the next couple weeks due to the approaching Finals Week, so please be patient for updates! :D

Thanks for reading and please REVIEW!

-- xxIndigo