Chapter XVI

Fangs in the Flesh

Memories of the night before come flooding back. Naruto's sudden attack; the way he threw himself on me with anger and aggression; the latter astride on me; his powerful hand on my crushed and stabbed trachea; his piercing gaze as sharp as the purest of diamonds, probing me to the deepest of my intimacies; his absolute hold on my mind and my body at the mercy of his hypnotic eyes…

I have cold sweats.

I don't know how he will react this time. The possibility that this animosity towards me is still there can't be ruled out. Nevertheless, I don't think he did it on purpose and intentionally with the aim of hurting me; his brain altered by a feral and impulsive temperament must play on his judgment and his ability to make decisions. Maybe he wanted to make sure that I couldn't run away and therefore escape his spell? Maybe he was upset, explaining the brutality he showed? I can't say and I don't care. Right now, that's the least of my worries.

This third visit and this task that I've been entrusted with worry me; the fears intertwine with this chaotic tornado that are my thoughts. I will have to offer him my chakra, but how? But above all, is this really what he needs? Unable to flee my duty, I shake my head; I can't go back. Now isn't the time to let fear or those anxious thoughts dictate my actions. Naruto needs help, needs me.

This time, I immediately went to where my student is. I'm so concerned that I haven't even looked at the screens in the observation room. The day has long gone and Naruto must be waiting for me… If I think back to yesterday's incident, maybe not after all. Well, I will see in due time.

When the mechanical noise sounds, I cross the metal door behind which is Naruto. On the other side, silence is king. Strange. I approach the iron bars, scanning my eye around the cell. I don't take long to see him, to see Naruto. On his side, he's lying on the sheets of his bunk. His azure-blue irises and blond hair contrast in the almost complete darkness. Besides, he's already watching me.

To my surprise, after looking at me up and down, Naruto smiles. He jumps out of bed, keeping his hands behind his back. He walks to me, his curious eyes wandering over me, then his expression devoid of emotion returns. He takes a few steps back and stops. He waits for a movement on my part with patience.

Am I dreaming? I'm speechless. His unpredictability hasn't left him despite the loss of his memory. The Naruto I know is still there, somewhere under this shell he forged to protect himself.

After the time of a breath, I pull myself together. Meanwhile, I notice that Naruto is hiding something behind his back. What does he have in mind? Is he trying to lower my vigilance? That I lower my guard in order for him to attack me once my back is turned and then run away? With my last visit ending in an impromptu assault, it hardly surprises me that such questions cross my mind.

I'll get my answers soon…

With him, I have to expect everything.

Carefully, I set foot in the jail. Naruto seems restless to me; he barely stays in place. His ebony tail twirls a few times, and I don't detect any annoyance in it. Once I'm inside, my student approaches me, avoiding my gaze. Knowing the old Naruto, he wants to ask me something, but he's too shy to do it. At least, I am convinced of that.

"What is it, Naruto?"

A silence.

His eyes are glued to the floor, and his foot spins uselessly in place. Not wishing to rush him, I patiently wait for him to speak out… Mah, in his own way given the silence in which he is.

The blond finally looks at me and then reveals what he was hiding. Palms outstretched towards me, he shows me his headband. Confused, I raise an eyebrow. Faced with my inaction, Naruto waves his hands insistently and his eyebrows furrow more and more after each movement now rotten with impatience. He wants me to take the headband for obscure reasons…

"Okay, okay. I get it," I nod, grabbing the forehead protector.

Naruto turns to show me his back, and his eyes never leave mine. I try somehow to understand what he wants from me; his silence doesn't make my task easier. I stand there, like a fool, working my brain while the feral boy grows impatient, wagging his tail; at that, he begins to growl. Irritation wins him as it does with me. It's useless to ask him to be clearer; he won't answer me, that's understood.

After an indeterminable time, Naruto brings his hands up to his face and roughly mimics a gesture: tying up something.

Naruto wants me to tie his headband.

I feel silly, his request was so simple.

But above all, why does he want me to do it?

Not trying to figure out why, I sigh and comply. Slowly and nervously, I apply his headband to his forehead and his locks as he used to. By doing so, Naruto calms down, making it easier for me. I glance over to make sure the said headband is in place before tying it to the back of his head. I let the two strips of damaged and scorched fabric that reach his shoulder blades rest on his tattooed neck. The teenager turns around to face me.

What I witness next warms my entrails frozen with darkness.

Eyelids closed, Naruto smiles … but this time, I can see his teeth and oversized fangs. That's not quite it … however, I recognize Naruto in this smile; I'm convinced that it's indeed him, there, in front of me. Unconsciously, I imitate him in my own way. Although this is ephemeral, I'm bathed in light; his glow chases away the pessimist back into a corner of my mind. However, this is only short-lived.

The reason why I'm here … anxiety soon sets in and I'm slowly agonizing over it again. This nightmarish dream comes back to life at the same time. Immersed in my thoughts and in search of courage to untie my vocal cords, I take a few steps with the blond on my heels. Ready, I turn around.

"Naruto. This strange dream… It was you who cast a spell on me, right?"

The effect is immediate.

My student suppresses a start and paralyzes on the spot. Out of survival instinct, he fiercely avoids eye contact with me by making himself very small. His face betrays an obvious guilt that multiplies like stubborn weeds; to that, a hint of shame.

Now I'm sure. He is the creator of this horrifying nightmare which sometimes makes me choke with my own saliva.

"Mah, you don't have to worry about that. I'm not mad and I don't blame you, Naruto. Is this a way for you to communicate?"

A silence, a fleeting gaze and a remorse.

I wait for an answer, whatever form it takes, but the blond remains silent as a grave. He's devoured by regrets, I feel it. His bending and unbending toes convey his stress and anxiety. At first glance, he fears to have done something stupid with me.

Me who was hoping to have found a method to communicate with him… I'm empty-handed again. I deduce that he used it as a means of last resort since he trusts me. After all, he spoke to me with an open heart and expressed many things to me, both abstract and concrete. Hunger must tug at him even though he doesn't show it. There's also the pain that he must hide like a wild animal that showing the slightest weakness is fatal.

"If I understood correctly. You're chakra hungry?"

My words capture his attention, but nothing more. In order not to waste time, I transform my words into images. I raise my left arm to eye level and mould a large amount of chakra into it. Naruto stares at my forearm immediately; his gaze is so piercing that his eyelids have stopped blinking. Goosebumps creep over me as my student raises his head, burying his irises in mine, as if asking my permission.

"If that's what you need, take it, Naruto. I give you my chakra," I offer, holding out my arm.

I feel like time has stood still. Naruto doesn't react, visibly lost in his thoughts and contemplating the infinite void in which his vision is lost forever. Am I wrong? I don't know… Although this situation only lasts a few seconds, it goes on for hours. In his company, I am stripped of all my time markers.

After this eternity, Naruto snaps out of his disturbing stillness, swallowing. His azure-blue irises glow like fireflies in the night. Gently and trembling, he grabs my arm and scratches it with his sharp fingernails. My pulse quickens despite myself; I'm unable to hide my apprehensions and he feels it. In response, he lands his gaze on me. He hesitates and his forehead is sweating.

"Don't worry about me, Naruto," I reassure him, trying in vain to calm myself down. "Go ahead. My chakra is yours."

A cold sweat breaks out on my temple. I fear he will withdraw; I don't want him to bite me, of course, but I have no choice. He's a walking skeleton who escaped from his grave; he needs to eat to get better, to regain weight. Unfortunately, I have so little to offer unlike him if we reversed the roles…

My student finally opens his mouth and approaches his monstrous fangs to my skin. I jump when the tips touch me. Then, an awful sharp pain sends an electric current through all my nerves as they dig all the way into my flesh, causing me to flinch and moan between gritted teeth. As these holes release a few scarlet drops that stain the stones below, my strength is leaving me.

Like that dream that haunted me deep inside, Naruto sucks in and drains me of my chakra.

I've been bitten by animals before, but this pain is excruciating and nothing is alike. I feel as if a fire is entering my epidermis, my veins and my meridians, which is boiling my blood and my chakra; this suffering heat is spreading more and more in my arm like a venom; my body, which has become too heavy, is prey to terrible twinges; I shiver and start to sweat, now feverish; my breath quickens and shortens on the way; my forearm, enslaved by spasms, burns me, as if I were plunging it into a bucket of white-hot inferno.

I struggle not to struggle and push his fangs away from me. My legs weaken, pulled to the ground by an invisible force like a powerful magnet. I hold on, I endure… I can only suffer in this sensory hell from which there's no escape. By the force of my will, I embrace the agonizing pain, tolerate it as if my life depended on it.

My vision is completely blurred; I'm losing consciousness… Fortunately, Naruto finally withdraws his fangs from my flesh traumatized for life by this unspeakable abuse. As he walks away from me, I crumble on all fours, now unable to support my own weight. Mechanically, I grab my arm that—apart from the unbearable pain—I no longer feel. My frantic, jerky gasps don't allow enough oxygen into my organs. The sounds die down around me, although I hear my student's breath as frantic as mine.

A familiar, mechanical sound thunders in an echo.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" the voice belonging to Shikamaru cries.

Naruto immediately responds with a high-pitched hiss before quickly hiding under the bed. He continues to hiss and growl like an aggressive, yet frightened beast. I note that he's not fully covered. His hair is shaggy and puffy to its climax. His clenched hands are visible and his twisted fingers with which he claws the ground squeal in a particularly unpleasant sonic shambles.

In the darkness, I gaze with dread at his face distorted by wildness and lit by his own brilliance of his blue eyes. His fangs stained with hemoglobin, and in full view give him the appearance of possessing the Nine-Tails. I don't recognize Naruto and this sudden image of him makes my blood run cold.

To my amazement, Shikamaru enters the jail. This agitates Naruto more, who is pounding the underside of the bed with his tail now.

"Easy, Naruto," the youngster whispers in a shaky voice. "I ain't your enemy."

Carefully, Shikamaru comes to lend me a hand. He puts my arm, which isn't numb, on his shoulders and helps me up. All tottering, I gladly accept his help; given the pitiful state I'm in, I wouldn't have had the strength to go out on my own.

We keep Naruto in our line of sight and analyze his actions. He keeps his positions and no flames on the horizon. The anguish overtakes me since we part on bad grounds. I hope that Shikamaru's intervention hasn't destroyed all my efforts so far.

It isn't until I'm out of the room that Shikamaru inquires about my condition.

"To say I'm in pain would be an understatement," I painfully mutter.