Disclaimers: Naruto is someone else's, this is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.
Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, angst, hopefully some decent jokes, and (of course) beautiful SasuNaru love.
Chapter 29: Breaking and Entering
"Kiss, even when others are watching.. Run, even when it feels like you can't run anymore."
-Alysha Speer
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Several Narutos stationed themselves near the entrance to the hallway, while others took up the rear. A separate group of shadow clones lined up shoulder to shoulder, facing the cell.
"Alright, on the count of the three." Naruto watched his team all nod, and gave a small nod back.
"One."
The Narutos grinned, blue light flickering in their eyes as the raised their hands in unison.
"Two."
Their mouths opened as canines elongated- a hint of Kyuubi's chakra flaring up within them.
"Three!"
"Rasengan!!" The shadow clones threw their arms forward, sending handfuls of chakra flying towards them. The wall of the cell exploded in a brilliant flash of light, sending bits of metal and wood flying everywhere.
Sasuke quickly moved his body over Naruto's, shielding him from the debri. He winced as a sliver of metal stabbed into his shoulder, but held his position.
He would not let Naruto get hurt again.
"Sasuke!" He looked down and saw Naruto's wide blue eyes staring up at him. Naruto grabbed his arm, trying to pull him out of harm's way. "Sasuke- stop! Why are you-"
The Uchiha bit his lip hard as blood trickled down his back. "I'm fine, Naru." He tucked a stray blonde lock behind his ear, and smiled softly. "You worry too much", he whispered as the final bits of debri settled to the ground.
Naruto decided to quote Sasuke back. "You give me too many reasons to worry."
Sasuke smirked as he rose to his feet, and pulled his blonde up to join him. "Come on. Let's get the fuck out of here."
Naruto glanced over at the squad that freed them. "I need all of you to scout the area. Find everything you can on the curse or any secret jutsus."
"Right!"
"Let's move!"
The squad in front blasted out the door at the end of the hall and jumped into the next corridor, clearing the way. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and the two raced after them. Chakra rushed through them the moment they left the cell and they immediately funneled it down to their feet, quickening their pace.
Naruto growled a deep low growl as the nine tails energy unfurled in his gut, the warmth of it moving down his arms and pulsating behind his eyes. He gritted his teeth to keep himself in control, forcing down the rage that had been building since the Akatsuki recaptured them.
For now.
Sasuke, on the other hand, felt nothing but rage. The Akatsuki had crossed a line- his brother had crossed a line.
They would not get away with it.
The group raced through the winding corridor, when Naruto suddenly stopped- forcing Sasuke to stop with him.
"What is it?"
Naruto jerked his head over to the side, staring down the darkened hallway adjacent to them. "That way."
The two immediately launched into a sprint, following their new course. "What did they find?" Sasuke asked, knowing that the shadow clones must have alerted Naruto to something.
"A lab" Naruto breathed out, "and a symbol engraved in the wall."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "A symbol."
"Yeah." Naruto glanced over at him. "The one that made the Hourglass Curse."
"Why would they engrave it in the wall..?"
Naruto shook his head, feeling just as confused and unsure as Sasuke was.
"Naruto- this might be a trap."
The blonde tightened his grip on Sasuke's hand, fighting back the concern swirling in his gut and crawling up the back of his throat. All of it felt too.. convenient. He knew a set up when he saw one, and this definitely felt like one of them, but they couldn't just ignore this. They needed answers, and this was the only clue they had.
"I know."
The two came to a stop in front of a large metal door embedded in rough rock wall- similar to the one that had barred their cell. It was left slightly ajar from when Naruto's shadow clones had gone in earlier.
They could see just enough inside the dark room to make out a metal counter covered in miscellaneous medical equipment and test tubes.
There was no sign of the clones.
Onyx eyes slid over to study a very determined, yet slightly apprehensive, blonde. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do", Sasuke muttered.
Naruto grinned, and the shadow clones that had stayed with them did the same. "No promises."
Sasuke wanted to smile back, but a cold weight dropped in his stomach, pulling his expression down with it. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into something they shouldn't. Sasuke dropped his gaze to their clasped hands, and raised them to his face- gently placing a kiss on the back of Naruto's hand. He lifted his gaze to lock onto Naruto's deep blues, letting all of his love flood his inky black stare.
"Me too" Naruto whispered, offering a small smile.
They exchanged a look and then closed their eyes. Naruto's shadow clones spread out, surrounding them, keeping them covered as they focused on their chakra. Sasuke opened his eyes first, fixing his crimson gaze onto Naruto, watching closely as his lids slowly opened- revealing golden orbs. Sage Mode.
Sharingan spinning in anticipation, Sasuke placed a hand on the door and pushed it the rest of the way open, grating his teeth as the rusted metal screeched in protest. They stared inside the murky room for a moment then, hand-in-hand, stepped inside.
Naruto felt a rush of relief when they found that the room was empty, but knew that didn't mean they were out of the woods just yet. His eyes danced across the terrifying torture instruments scattered everywhere and the dark splattered stains tossed across every surface.
Just find some answers quick, and get the fuck out of here, he told himself. Don't stay here longer than you have to.
"Naruto."
He looked up and followed Sasuke's gaze over to the far wall. The symbol engraved in it was unmistakably the same as the one used to curse them.
They slowly moved towards it, checking their surroundings as they went. "Why though..?" Naruto whispered.
They paused in front of the inscription, not sure what to do next. Naruto cleared his throat. "Should we..?" He reached out his hand, but Sasuke quickly shot out and grabbed Naruto's wrist, halting his progress.
Naruto turned to look at him, eyebrow raised.
The Uchiha shook his head. "I don't like this."
"Sasuke-"
"Naruto. Something doesn't feel right."
The blonde sighed. "Do you have any better ideas?"
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn't mean we should-"
But before he had a chance to make the dobe see reason, Naruto pulled his arm back, forcing Sasuke a step behind him, and shoved his free hand forward, slapping his palm against the symbol on the wall.
"What the hell are you-!"
A piercingly bright light shot out from under Naruto's hand, blinding them. Naruto flinched and tried to pull back, but his hand wouldn't budge. He could feel his shadow clones pop under the onslaught of the violent light, and his sage mode slipped away along with them.
Some strong, invisible force shoved Sasuke back, and his grip on Naruto's wrist slipped free. He quickly channeled chakra down to his feet, locking them in place, but something was still managing to push him away, and he could feel himself sliding further back.
"Dammit, Naruto!"
Sasuke kept his eyes averted, avoiding the painful light, as he grabbed the rope tying them together. He tried to yank Naruto over to him, tugging harder when it didn't work on his first attempt.
"Wait!!" Naruto screamed, panic rising in his chest and echoing in his voice.
Sasuke froze.
"I can't- nnnn!! -get.. loose!" Naruto grabbed his wrist and pulled, desperately trying to jerk his hand free, but it wouldn't budge. "What the hell is this!?" he screamed.
Sasuke managed to get himself closer, and quickly wrapped an arm around Naruto's torso. Naruto looked over at him with wide, horrified eyes. "Sasuke, what are you..?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth against whatever barrier was trying to force him back and, not knowing what to expect, slammed his hand down on the wall next to Naruto's.
The light emanating from beneath Naruto's palm stabbed into his fingertips and rushed up his arm. He cried out as its glowing tendrils worked its way through his body and then over to Sasuke's. The rope between them disintegrated as this new glowing connection took its place. Sasuke's body stiffened against Naruto's as the energy surged through him, and he clenched his teeth together to force back the pained sounds fighting to break free. He tightened his grip around Naruto's waist, waiting for the sensation to stop. It was similar to the rush of electricity and warmth that he felt when the Hourglass Curse was first put in place, but this was harsher, more pain than pleasure.
"Ahhh!!" he cried out, unable to hold back. "F-fuck! Why is it still.. Nnnn!"
"I-I have an idea", Naruto breathed out. Sasuke nodded, ready to follow his lead.
"By day and- nnnn!" Naruto groaned in pain and bit down on his lip hard to regain control. Don't think about it. Just focus on the words.
Sasuke realized what Naruto was doing, and gave a quick squeeze to show him that he was with him on this.
Naruto nodded and the two recited the final part of the curse from memory: "By day and night, the curse will tear apart body and soul unless the host's counterpart-"
Sasuke's hand moved up from Naruto's waist and wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him in. He roughly shoved his lips against Naruto's, forcing him to stay there even as a sharp spark of electricity flickered between them.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped.
They both opened their eyes to find that the light was gone, no longer blinding them nor rushing through their limbs. Their hands were finally released from the symbol on the wall, and the barrier forcing Sasuke back had simply disappeared.
Sasuke pulled back, freeing Naruto's lips, as they both let their hands slip away from the wall. "Naruto? Hey- are you ok?"
Naruto stared off into space for a few more seconds, then blinked everything back into focus. "What-what the hell was that?!!" he shrieked.
Sasuke studied him for another moment, concern furrowing his brows once more, before shifting his gaze back to the symbol on the wall. "I think that's the original curse", he said. "The actual original curse."
Naruto stared at it then glanced around the room. "The one the guy used is like the travel version of this.." he thought aloud. "The curse requires blood.. and a lot of energy." He eyed the stains and test tubes surrounding them. "Someone must have found a way to make this curse stay open.. like a portal. With enough human sacrifices and.. whatever all of this stuff was.."
Sasuke sighed. "Great. That's just great." He dragged his fingers roughly through his hair, eyes burning with barely contained rage. "So all we managed to do was restore the original curse."
"Sasuke-" Naruto started, not really knowing what to say.
"Dammit!" Sasuke shouted. "We're just back where we started!!"
Naruto moved his fingers across the torn bloody remnants of his t-shirt, twisting the soiled cloth in his hands. Guilt rushed through him, growing with Sasuke's anger. "Doesn't that make it easier to break though?" he asked quietly.
"I really fucking hope so."
Sasuke looked down at the blonde, noting his drawn face, battered body, and tired blue eyes.
Just as long as it doesn't break you with it..
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Author Note:
Bearlikespie- I thought about that. I really did. But then I decided I would just keep going with the shadow clones being able to hold their own form & power. Let's assume that Naruto is just that good at this point. ;) lol
TheFoxandHerShadow- I'm so glad that you're loving this so far! I hope you enjoy the rest of it too :)
Thank you so much for the feedback everyone! I love hearing your thoughts, and I would love to hear more. I appreciate the ideas and questions and comments- gives me inspiration and motivation to keep going!
Alright~ let's keep the story moving! Angst horse- lookin' at you!