Primal

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Naruto talking to Kyuubi in bold.

Kyuubi talking to Naruto in bold italics.

Chapter 7

Naruto had never been more angry in his entire life. Did Suki have a death wish or something? She had just run off while she was in chakra cuffs! Was she trying to get killed?!

"You'd be wise to grab her and then use the Seal to return to the Leaf. This village is dangerous. I'd level it to the ground, if your Mate wasn't inside it." Kurama says.

"You still haven't explained exactly what that means!" Naruto snaps at him as he looks around.

He knew that his eyes were likely red. Naruto could feel that his teeth had become sharper and so had his senses. He hadn't Gone Full Kyuubi yet, but he was close. He was too close to losing control to put up with Kurama's cryptic nature.

"You're the most oblivious human that I have ever met. That is certainly saying something because most of your species tends to be pathetically dimwitted." The Nine Tails replies.

Naruto growls in irritation. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Kurama's games. He had to find Suki and the blonde wanted to know what the Hell a Mate was once and for all.

"Just tell me!" He snaps at him.

"Humans have different terms for it. The closest approximation in your species would be husband or wife. Mating goes much deeper than that, but that's the easiest way to explain it. I believe that Suki understands about Mating Bonds. That's likely the reason why she's avoiding you." The fox demon explains.

Naruto''s eyes widen. That couldn't be true, could it? That's why he wanted to bite her so much and why she was avoiding him?

"There's no way that she's my Mate. There has to be some kind of mistake. She doesn't like me that way." He says.

Kurama rolls his eyes. Humans had to make everything difficult. They had to rationalize things. Why they couldn't just accept when they found their Mates, he would never know.

"You almost Marked her twice. There's no mistake. Learn to trust your instincts. That and you should duck." Kurama warns him.

Naruto quickly ducks and it was a good thing he did. He was being attacked by a group of Sound Ninjas. That just wasn't right. He was in the middle of a conversation!

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" He shouts as a dozen or so clones form.

He didn't know if Suki was actually his Mate. At the moment, it didn't matter though. What mattered is that he had to find her and get her out of here!

Meanwhile Suki stiffens. She could hear Naruto's voice. Damn it. This wasn't supposed to happen!

"I have to go talk to him." Suki says, once Kabuto undoes the cuffs.

"Of course. You better hurry. Our ninjas will tear him to part, if he doesn't ask the Nine Tails for help and that would be rather unfortunate." The silver haired medic says.

Suki quickly darts off. She'd deal with Kabuto later. Right now, she needed to prevent a bloodbath.

"STOP! He's with me!" Suki screams as she races towards the Jinchuuriki and Sound Ninjas.

All the Narutos and Sound Ninjas suddenly stop fighting. Their eyes were suddenly fixed on Suki in surprise and the Uchiha takes a deep breath. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to convince the idiot to go back to the Leaf, but that's exactly what she was going to do.

"If your name isn't Naruto, leave! Lord Orochimaru has put me in charge of this village during his illness." She thunders at them.

"She can be really bossy." Naruto observes.

"All Uchihas tend to be that way." Kurama replies to his host.

The Sound Ninjas retreat. Naruto was almost certain that they were going to tell Orochimaru about what was happening. He didn't care though. His priority was getting Suki out of there, not beating up Sound Ninjas.

"Loser, get out of here." Suki orders him as she activates her Sharingan.

The youngest Uchiha could only hope that it wouldn't come down to a fight. Unfortunately, she was almost positive that it would. That was the nature of her relationship with Naruto. They communicated best when their fists and jutsus were flying.

"I'm not going back without you. I don't understand it. Not completely anyway, but now I know why you keep running away from me. Kurama finally explained about Mates. How long have you know?! Why didn't you tell me?!" He yells at her.

Suki stiffens. Damn it. The Nine Tails told Naruto. How on Earth was she going to explain this?

"Because I knew that you'd take it the wrong way." She whispers.

"You're supposed to be my wife! What other way is there to take that?! Which doesn't make any sense because you sure don't act like you are in love with me!" Naruto says.

Suki flinches at that. He was right. She didn't act like it, but that didn't make it any less true. She really wished that she wasn't in love with him, but she was.

"Naruto, just go. I can prevent them from attacking you."" The raven haired ninja tells him.

"Not this time! I'm not going to let you do something stupid and get yourself killed! I finally get it. Well at least a little bit." Naruto says as he walks over towards her and Suki takes a few steps back.

"If you're thinking about Marking me, don't. Don't be stupid." She warns him.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Suki regretted them. This was Naruto. If you told him not to do something, he'd do it.

"Well seeing as you have called me an idiot at least a million times, I guess you should be used to me being stupid." Naruto says as he tries to grab Suki, but she takes off running.

"Damn it!" She mutters under her breath as she runs as fast as her legs could carry her.

She had always had an edge when it came to speed, but Naruto had the Nine Tails. His stamina wasn't even human. Her only hope was to outrun him long enough to lose him.

The youngest Uchiha should have taken into account that Naruto's favorite jutsu (other than the Rasengan) was the Shadow Clone Jutsu. She didn't just have to outrun one Naruto. She had to outrun a lot of them.

"Chidori!" Suki cries out when one of the clones gets too close.

This was ridiculous. There were way too many of them. She was going to need a little help.

Once she had distracted the clones with her Chidori, she quickly summons Aoda. Aoda had to be faster than Naruto, right?

Naruto growls and summons his massive toad in retaliation. Suki grumbles at this move. Damn Jirayia. The Sage had taught Naruto how too summon toads. Their Summons would be locked in a stalemate.

"Aoda, go!" Suki says, sending her snake off.

There was no point in having a battle of the Summons. Besides, that move might confuse Naruto enough, that she could get away. Why did he have to be so damn stubborn?

Sadly, Naruto didn't fall for it. The clones come charging at her. Suki throws kicks and punches at them. One by one, they disappear.

Clones were easy to deal with. Well most of the time, they were easy to deal with. Most people didn't have Naruto's nearly unlimited supply of chakra.

"This is bad." She mutters to herself.

Was it possible that Naruto was trying to wear her out with clones? It wasn't a bad strategy. Though she normally didn't associate the word strategy with the blonde.

"When you bite her, make certain that you inject her with chakra." Kurama reminds Naruto.

Unbeknownst to Suki, Naruto, and Kurama. They had an audience. Kabuto was watching. He quickly flickers back to Orochimaru.

"Lord Orochimaru, Suki is engaging Naruto in combat. I suspect he is trying to Mark her. What are your orders?" He says.

It was a shame. Orochimaru couldn't even go to the battlefield. He was far too weak for that. A transfer was going to have to take place and soon. Otherwise, he feared for the worst. Orochimaru didn't have much time left.

"Don't interfere. I have every confidence that Naruto will tap into the power of the Nine Tails to Mark her. Instruct all of our people to stand down. I do not want them to engage Suki or Naruto." He hisses.

Every moment of his life was now spent in extreme agony. It was only sheer force of will that allowed him to keep his sanity. Orochimaru knew that he was close to achieving immorality. He could feel it. The Nine Tails and Suki were the key to unlocking the secret of eternal life. The Sannin could feel it in his very bones.

"Of course." Kabuto says as he heads off to carry out Orochimaru's orders.

The medic could certainly see why such a union would interest Orochimaru. It was rare to watch a Tailed Beast's host choose someone as their Mate and even rarer to get a real chance to study said Mating. Honestly though, he thought that Orochimaru was taking an unnecessary risk.

He was gambling that Suki would be able to find Itachi and he could use Itachi as his vessel. He was also hoping that Suki and Naruto would successfully Mate and produce at least one child. There were simply too many variables to make this a wise decision in his eyes.

"Well if I question his decision, that won't end well for me. I'll have to trust that Lord Orochimaru knows what he's doing." Kabuto whispers to himself.

He quickly summons the other Sound Villagers and gives them the order. If Orochimaru didn't want them to disturb Naruto and Suki than they wouldn't be allowed to do so. It really was as simple as that for the moment.

Meanwhile Suki was still fighting clones. She had formed some of her own to help with the task. Unfortunately, this was one Jutsu that Naruto was just better at. That was because he had far more chakra than she did.

"Damn it! Naruto, why won't you just quit?!" She snarls at him.

"Because I love you and I don't want you to die!" The blonde snaps at her as their clones clash.

Suki freezes when she hears those words. He had said it. He hadn't said because they were friends this time. He had said that it was because he LOVED her.

"Do you really mean that?" Suki whispers.

Naruto bites his lower lip. He couldn't believe that he had said that! Suki was his friend. He didn't love her THAT way. Well at least he didn't think that he did.

That was until the words came out of his mouth. As much as he wanted to deny it, they felt true. Maybe Kurama was right . Maybe Suki really was supposed to be his wife. It explained a lot really.

"Yeah. I mean it." He says as he tries to get closer to the real Suki.

"I love you too. That's why I can't take you with me. I want you to be safe. Naruto, go back to the Leaf. I'll come back. I promise." She says.

Naruto really wanted to believe that. He really wanted to believe that she was going to survive the battle with Itachi and that she'd come back. The blonde couldn't be sure of either of those things though.

Kurama was right. He was going to have to Mark her. It was really the only way to protect her from doing something stupid. Besides, she had said that she loved him. That meant something.

"I'm not going to take that chance." Naruto tells her as he slams the other ninja into the ground.

Suki snarls at him and the two were soon struggling for control. Naruto felt Suki charge up a Chidori all along the length of her body. This time though, he wasn't going to let go. She was going to have to do a lot better than that to get away.

Suki had always enjoyed fighting with Naruto. It was probably unhealthy,, but she loved being pushed to her limits. As desperate as she was to save him from his own naivety, part of her reveled in the feeling of his body against hers.

The feeling of the dirt underneath her or against her skin. The small rocks digging into her. The harsh pain that followed every blow, only to be replaced by the satisfaction of landing her own hit.

"You're not going to win this time!" She growls at him.

The Hell he wasn't! Finally, Naruto manages to pin her. Suki was still struggling underneath him, but he clearly had the advantage.

"Looks like I did win. I won't Mark you, unless you want me to. It's basically a marriage. That wouldn't be fair." Naruto says.

Suki blinks as she looks up at Naruto. His eyes were still red and his teeth were noticeably sharper, but he was actually at least somewhat in control of herself. That fact was nothing short of a miracle really.

"I want you to. I just don't want you to feel what I feel. I don't want to put you through that. I don't want you to Mark me and then die, if I die. You don't deserve that." She whispers.

"Then you just have to not get killed. It's that simple." Naruto says with a grin.

"You really are such a loser. Life isn't a fairytale." Suki says with a wistful smile.

Naruto knew that life wasn't a fairytale. He had apparently fallen in love with a girl that had tried to kill him. That definitely wasn't a fairytale.

It might not have been romantic, but his feelings for her were real. They might have been subconscious for a long time, but suddenly it all made sense. In a twisted way, so did Suki's actions.

"Maybe not, but it doesn't have to be a tragedy." Naruto says as he covers part of Suki's creamy neck with his mouth.

Suki shivers at the feeling of his lips and teeth against her skin. Naruto was Naruto. Even half under the influence of Kurama, it seemed like he wanted permission.

"Do it." She whispers in a voice so low that it was a miracle that Naruto had even heard her.

She couldn't do it. Not after he said that he loved her. Not with his eyes looking at her with such sincerity. This time, she couldn't push him away.

Suki knew that she should. She should push him away for his own good. This was Naruto though. He would keep coming back. Maybe in the end, this would actually keep him safer than trying to keep him at a distance.

To encourage him further, she bites down lightly on Naruto's neck. That ought to get the message across. Apparently, no further prompting was needed.

Naruto bites down hard. She could feel his fangs beneath her skin, but for some reason didn't hurt. There was something incredibly erotic about the feeling.

"Nhh!" She cries out as she bites down on his neck hard, after Naruto's chakra began flooding into the small puncture marks that his teeth had made.

She couldn't describe it. It was like her chakra was being fanned or caressed at the same time. Her first natural affinity was fire and Naruto's was wind. In the back of her mind, dimly she realized that might actually be what was happening.

Naruto groans in pleasure when he felt Suki's teeth sink into her neck. He could feel her chakra spreading throughout his system. It was hot like the fire that he associated with her. He wasn't sure why, but the fire felt really, really good. Almost indescribably so.

"She's going to fall asleep, once the Mark takes full effect. After that happens, take her back to the Leaf. Use the Seal you created." Kurama instructs him.

"Got it!" Naruto says as he watches the Mark form on Suki's neck.

It was just like the one in his dreams. The blonde takes a moment too admire it and to ride out the high that came with his own Claiming. That's when he realizes that Suki had indeed fallen asleep.

Naruto smiles. It was nice to see Suki sleeping. For once, her guard was completely let down and she looked so relaxed. He almost felt guilty about picking her up and racing off towards the Seal.

"Let's get you home." He whispers to the sleeping dark beauty who was currently nestled, surprisingly sweetly in his arms.

Sweetly. That was one word that he never would have used to describe Suki before. Then again, he had never expected to be demonically married to her either. All in all, it was a day filled with surprises really.

Unfortunately, there was one more surprise in store for them. He could sense chakra signatures rapidly approaching them. ANBUS.

"Great. Now I have to try to explain all this to them." He says with a sigh.

"Naruto! Are you alright? Is that Suki?!" One of the ANBU demands.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I got Suki. I knocked her out. She's okay though. It'd probably be better, if I explained this one to the Hokage. It'll be less confusing that way." He reasons.

The blonde could see that the ANBU were skeptical. After a moment or two, they reluctantly nod their heads in agreement. Naruto mentally sighs in relief.

Thank goodness. He really didn't want them to overhear what he was about to say to Granny Tsunade. That would be super embarrassing. Not to mention, Suki would probably kill him. If she thought that he was going around and telling everyone about their "marriage," well she'd likely turn into one angry Uchiha.

"Alright. Let's get you back." They say.

"No worries. I can use the Seal that I made to get us back to the Leaf. Pervy Sage taught me the Flying Thunder God Technique." He explains as he takes them to the Seal.

The ANBUS seem rather relieved at that explanation and Naruto takes them back to the Leaf. It was annoying that they followed him to Tsunade's office, but he knew better than to argue with them. They were just following proper protocol.

"Naruto, what did you do this time?" Tsunade demands when she notices a sleeping Uchiha was in his arms.

"It's a really long story. Um can you send them away? It's kinda personal." Naruto stays brightly.

Tsunade sighs and gestures for the ANBU to leave. It didn't take them long to depart. None of them were particularly eager to earn the wrath of their Hokage.

"Alright kid, you better start talking now." She says.

"Well it's a really long story. I went after Suki when she snuck off. We were fighting at her place. She was crazy and took off with the cuffs still on her!" He exclaims.

Tsunade groans. Yes, that was certainly crazy. She would have expected Suki Uchiha to be smarter than that.

"Unfortunately, that wasn't entirely unpredictable. What happened next?" The busty blonde asks.

"Well I got there. Some Sound Ninja tried to fight me. Suki showed up and scared them off though. We started fighting and eventually, I marked her. I guess it's the demonic version of a marriage. She let me do it though. I didn't like force her or anything creepy like that! I'm not Orochimaru!" He insists.

Tsuunade shakes her head. She knew that Naruto didn't Force Mark Suki. That just wasn't who he was. He was stubborn, but he wouldn't actually take away someone's free will like that.

"I believe you. Well take her home. You should be with your Mate now. I know enough about Mating to have a vague idea what is going on. As STUPID as it was of you to Mark her, it can't be reversed. We'll just have to make the best of it." She says with a sigh.

Naruto growls at the Hokage. He didn't like her saying that about his Mating. He barely understood what Mating meant, but his Mating was NOT stupid.

Tsunade blinks. Naruto had just growled at her. He had growled at her in a way that sounded far too similar to an animal for her like. Almost like a fox. That wasn't a good sign.

"It wasn't stupid!" He snaps at her.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean it that way. I just mean that it wasn't a wise decision to attach yourself to someone whose main goal in life is to kill their brother." She reasons.

Naruto sighs. He hated to admit it, but Granny Tsunade had a point there. It was hard to believe that Suki could sleep so peacefully in his arms and be motivated so strongly by hatred.

Well it wasn't just hatred that motivated her. She wanted to protect him too. Suki just went about it in a really messed up way. That was all.

"It's okay. I get it. I'm going to take her back to the Uchiha District now. I don't think that she'll try to run again. Well at least not without me." Naruto says as he carries his "bride" back to her District.

It still gave him the creeps. The place was so dead. It just didn't suit Suki. She might have been angry most of the time, but she was ALIVE. He half expected a ghost to jump out at them or something. Really, the Uchiha District was that spooky.

"We're definitely getting those curtains and flowers." Naruto mutters as he carries her back into her house.

He wasn't really sure which room was Suki's. So he just lays her on the couch and smiles. She hadn't woken up once during their trip. That had to be a sign of trust, right?

"She really is beautiful. How didn't I notice that before? Probably because we were always fighting," Naruto thinks to himself.

If Naruto had known what was about to happen, he wouldn't have been so relaxed. Kisame and Itachi were now getting closer and closer to the Leaf Village. A certain Uchiha knew that he was running out of time and he wanted to ensure that Suki was the one to kill him.

That would bring her some sense of peace. That and it would make Suki a hero in the eyes of the Leaf Village. Killing him would give her the opportunity to start over and write a happier chapter in their Clan's history.

There was just one problem. He had to live long enough for Suki to kill him. Right now, he wasn't entirely sure that he was going to manage that.