Hey everyone, it's Shadow Spirit Dragon-Wolf and I've hacked into Jess' account and she has no idea I'm updating this chapter today even though she was supposed to, but when she comes to update she'll be so confused hahahaha! No, I'm just kidding really. Her computer is messed up so I said I'd update for her instead.I hope you all like the chapter she wrote and leave her some very nice reviews (actually just kidding, you don't have to do that. We don't mind either way).

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. This is just for fun, no profit will be made from this (and I don't want to either). This is purely for my and the entertainment of Naruto fans.

Dedication: To my beautiful, amazing, intelligent, girlfriend Phillipa (Shadow Spirit Dragon-wolf) for being there for me through not only my writing (both fanfiction and my original story) but real life in general. You have been my inspiration and my support through everything.

Warnings: Violence, explicit sexual conduct (no rape!) homosexual relationship, relationship with a large age gap, struggles with belonging, self-hatred, obsession, self-harm, self-experimentation, human experimentation, mental disorders, a dark view of the "afterlife", (bonding of) pain and isolation, self-worthlessness, and male pregnancy.

Pairings: OroNaru, canon pairings (except, obviously, NaruHina).

Summary: Sometimes, the deepest scars are the ones no one can see, but in a world moving into the light even the oldest inner wounds can be seen

Enjoy! :)

Chapter Twenty-two: Tangles

Naruto

Four months have passed since I've made my desire known to Oreo that I want him to come home with me. I know he's still iffy about it. I can't blame him. He's never felt like he belonged. The people who did support him are dead. Well, with the exception of Granny Tsunade who's in Iwa.)

Nagi, Kurama, and I had a long talk and we decided it would be best if we let Oreo do this at his own pace. Of course, I don't plan on him waiting so long he thinks I'll forget.

Every so often I'll ask him how he feels about returning home. He has days where he outright refuses to even go in the direction of the village and some where he will me to come with him to the outskirts of it. And then there have been times where Oreo disappears for a few days and comes back with gifts he can only get in Konoha. When I ask him about it, he just tell me that he needed to get out. I don't pressure him into giving me more of an answer. I trust him.

Oreo and I trade blows with our swords.

"Your skill in kenjutsu has improved immensely."

I grin. "I'd hope so. It would be a shame if the great Orochimaru slacked with his instruction."

Oreo scoffs. "You should be honoured I'm training you."

"You should be honoured I get that pastry."

Oreo blushes. "You're so strange."

"But you love it!" I grin widely as we sheath our swords. "ninjutsu training?"

"Indeed. What do you have in mind for today, Kit?"

I gaze at him for a bit as we both take a break. He's been so helpful in my training. There must be something I can do…. Wait! That's it!

"Hey, Oreo?"

He bites into a piece of fruit. "Hmm?"

"Would you like me to help you learn the Rasengan?"

He swallows. "Sure. I understand the concept of it. I just can't get the chakra right. I think it's because I lack a good supply of it."

"Well, after we eat and rest up, we can try."

"Sounds good to me," Oreo says, grabbing another piece of fruit from the bag and biting into it, "because I'm starving."

"You've been "starving" for a while now. Are you alright?"

"I've just have days where I want to eat more and other days where I don't want anything."

Yes, and I have to force you to eat.

"Do you know why? Are you sick?" I ask, reaching up and touching his forehead with the back of my hand. I frown. "A slight temperature."

"I'm fine, Kit."

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"Mean what?"

"Well, you eat so much, but then you're in the bathroom for hours and then a while later you want to eat again. And this isn't the first time you've had a fever. The fever isn't major right now, but I don't want it getting worse. And…"

"And?"

I look at Oreo for a bit. "Well, Oreo, you're becoming a chubby Oreo Snake."

"I…" Oreo puts his apple down and stands up.

"Wait!" I say, grabbing his wrist.

Oreo looks down at me.

"Sit down, Oreo. We're taking a break."

Oreo sits down on his rock and sighs. "I'm fat. I need to train."

"Oreo, you do train! That's what I don't get. Yes, you're eating more than you usually do, but even so, you exercise enough to burn that shit off, right?"

"Yes."

"So then why are you getting fatter? I mean you're having issues getting into your clothes now."

"I can get into my kimonos without any issues. This," he says, pulling out his purple rope, "is a bit uncomfortable."

"Well, take the pretzel off, silly!" I laugh.

"Pretzel?"

"Purple rope pretzel!"

"What am I going to do with you?" Oreo sighs melodramatically as he reaches behind him and starts untying it.

"Love me?" I grin widely, getting cutely in his face.

Oreo chuckles and licks my face. "I suppose I have no choice."

"Nope!" I grin, moving back some and popping some nuts in my mouth.

Oreo tosses his pretzel rope down. "Well, that's a bit better," he says, standing up.

I watch him stare at the flock of birds flying overhead. The sun shines down on his beautiful silky black hair and his Oreo cream skin. His eyes close and he takes in the sun beating down on him. Sunny days like these are his favourites to come out and train or just relax on his rock to sunbathe.

(And I've grown quite fond of sunbathing as well. It's a nice thing to do together, after all.)

Food pushed to the back of my mind, my eyes travel his body. He's definitely showing signs of weight gain, mostly at his tummy. Perhaps he needs to eat something else? At least he isn't eating Ramen, but…

"Can we go out for ice cream after training?"

I blink. "Say what?"

"Ice cream," Oreo says, turning to face me.

"Umm… Oreo…" I say, clearing my throat. "You… you don't eat ice cream…"

"Well, just because I don't eat it, doesn't mean I don't want it," he pouts, crossing his arms.

What is with his strange mood swings and cuteness all of a sudden? This is the first time he's craved ice cream though.

(Well, cute sometimes. Most of the time he snaps at me and locks himself in our room and throws a fit if I even attempt to enter.)

"Well, alright…" I say slowly.

"Yay!" he cheers.

"So cute!" I beam, tackling him to the ground, and kissing him.

Oreo responds for a bit then breaks the kiss. "I thought you were going to teach me the Rasengan? A kit shouldn't lose focus so much," he smirks.

I whack him on the arm then stand up. "I hate you," I laugh.

He grins. "I know."

"Well, let's get started. First, what do you know about the Rasengan?"

"It's a concentrated ball of condensed chakra with destructive power aimed at a single point then exploded."

"Um… yeah, something like that. Anyway, do you know the steps to create it?"

Oreo lifts a hand and counts on his fingers as he speaks. "Rotation, power, and confinement. Rotation for the chakra to spin in a ball, power for the destruction the jutsu causes, and confinement so the chakra won't go everywhere and disperse itself for smaller, less effective, blows."

"Yup! Now then," I say, making a shadow clone. "I've gotta go get the supplies."

Oreo arches a brow. "Supplies? What do you need to make a Rasengan? It's just concentrating your chakra in your palm."

"Well, yes, but…" I trail off. Well, this is Oreo we're talking about. Perhaps he can just do it? "I suppose you can try it. I mean there has to be a reason you haven't been able to do it."

"Low chakra supply and not a good enough body are my guesses," Oreo says, gripping his right wrist and concentrating.

"Hm. That may have something to do with it."

"I would think with a more stable body and the chakra boosts you give me every so often will let me master this jutsu."

"I'd think so," I smile.

(And your lack of trying to control everything and just letting it flow. Or… well, most things.)

Oreo smiles then focuses once again. I watch as air swirls into his palm into a tiny blue ball. He's doing it! I knew he could! He just has to keep focusing and building his chakra up!

And just when Oreo is getting somewhere, he faints.

XXXX

Orochimaru

I slowly open my eyes and meet Naruto's eyes. "K-kit? Wha...?"

What happened? One minute I'm focusing chakra for the Rasengan and the next I'm... I look down… in the bed?

He grips my hand. I look up at him once more. He's sitting in a chair. A glass of water to the side.

"Are you alright, Oreo?"

I try to sit up. Naruto stands up to support me.

"I… I think so… What happened?"

Naruto moves onto the bed and wraps an arm around my waist. "You just collapsed on the ground all of a sudden. You've been out for a few hours. I was worried you were getting sick. I started healing you and trying to bring your temperature down, but it didn't wake you up."

"How odd," I muse.

I wonder what's going on. I've been wanting food I usually don't eat, I eat more, and now I'm fainting. I was fine during kenjutsu training, but when I started concentrating chakra for the Rasengan…

"Naruto, I need your help with something."

"Sure, Oreo, what do you need?"

"Let me know what you sense," I say, focusing my chakra.

Naruto watches me in Sage Mode. "A strong amount is collecting… everything seems to be… but… wait…"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. It just vanished."

"Chakra doesn't just 'vanish', Kit."

"Well, I know that," he frowns. "I can sense it in your body, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know. I can't see chakra, so I just don't know, Oreo. It's acting weird."

"Let me try again. Perhaps a simple jutsu," I say, working on focusing my chakra once again.

This time, I decide on a small wind-style jutsu. I can feel chakra building up. When I attempt to use the hand seals, I lose the chakra.

"What is going on?!" I hiss.

"I don't know. It's so weird. It's like something is blocking your chakra."

"No… this… this can't be happening," I whisper, staring down at my hands, trembling.

Naruto wraps an arm around me, pulling me close. "We're going to figure this out, Oreo. I promise. Maybe you overdid it today? Let's try again another day."

"Okay…"

I just don't understand this. My arms aren't sealed, so that's not the issue. I can feel my chakra flow and the build up of it as I focus it just fine. But when I try to release it, that's when it seems to… vanish.

"This is just so weird! I mean where the hell is your chakra going, Oreo?"

I clench my fists, staring down at them. "I'm not sure. Perhaps I'm ill."

"Lie down," Naruto says, gently pushing me down. He places his hand over my forehead. "Hmm. Seems your temperature has increased a bit. I'll get you a cool washcloth. Do you want to change clothes?"

"Yes, that would be nice," I say, sitting up and getting off the bed. My body trembles and I become dizzy. I look up to see that I've fallen into Naruto's arms.

"Careful, Oreo," he says gently.

I nod, and with his help, I manage to get changed into something a bit more comfortable.

"That better, precious?"

"Yes, thank-" I push him out of the way and race to the bathroom and vomit.

"Oreo?" he asks, opening the door slowly. "Are you alright?"

I cough uncontrollably. "Don't come in here, Kit," I gasp, saliva running down my chin.

"Oh, hush. No need to be all shy, silly."

"But…" I start coughing uncontrollably once again and vomit. I feel my hair being gently pulled back. I pant heavily, sweating coating my body. "Kit…"

"Shh," he says softly, keeping my hair back with one and rubbing my back with the other. "Just take it easy."

"I… but you…"

"No training until you get better, Oreo."

"But we… have…" I shake, coughing and vomiting once again.

I feel as if my organs are slowly turning to acid. This strange tightening in my abdomen. It's so…

Naruto reaches down and rubs my stomach. "It's really tight here. Does it hurt?"

"Y-yeah," I gasp.

"Poor Oreo! Are you done in here?"

"I… I think so…"

Naruto holds me close as he picks me up. He runs a damp washcloth over my face, clearing it up. He carries me to our room and gently places me on the bed. Once he's settled me in by putting a clean, damp washcloth over my forehead, making sure I have some cold ice water, a bucket at the bedside, and fluffed up pillows and blankets, Naruto leaves to get some medicine for nausea and vomiting.

"Here," he says, helping me sit up and giving me the medicine, and steadying the glass of water for me.

I swallow then fall back against the pillow, panting slightly. I stare up at the ceiling and begin to chuckle.

"Hmm? What's so funny?"

I turn my head towards him, watching him put the medicine beside of the water.

"I was just thinking about the time where I got mad at you for trying to help me drink water."

Naruto laughs. "I remember that! You had just woken up for being out for like a month and tried to grab the glass with your tongue!"

"Well, I did manage to do that," I scoff.

"Oh, yes, but you were spilling water everywhere. It was defeating the purpose."

"Well, that's why I let your stupid helping me drink water slide," I say, settling on the bed more, closing my eyes.

"What about now?" Naruto asks.

I open an eye. "Hmm?"

"Is… is my help stupid?" he mutters, looking down.

I lift his face up by pushing my tongue under his chin. His eyes meet mine.

"Not one bit," I smile.

Preview

Kurotsuchi

"Is he as weird as people say he is?"

"No. He's weirder."

Next update date: November 18th

I hope y'all enjoyed! Until next time :).