Binding Loose Ends

Additional warnings: At least another chapter before the appearance of any citrus fruits whatsoever. I erred on the side of caution in the other warnings. Sympathy for the devil. Oh, and I've never written a fan fiction. So since it's my first time, be gentle?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and co.
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Orochimaru’s smile was at once gloating and surprisingly gentle. “It’s time for us to become one, Sasuke-kun.” Orochimaru turned toward him, and in that moment Sasuke was free from doubt. If this was the only way to surpass his brother, the only way to avoid that other path, then so be it. Dimly, he heard shouting and the sounds of fighting growing closer, but all that seemed meaningless. Sasuke let go of his heart, sudden understanding blazing through him. There was a brief clash of wills as the foreign intelligence invaded his soul, then a retreat into darkness.
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“Sasuke!” Naruto roared. His last shadow clone vanished as the Sound-nin stabbed it in the gut, but that gave Naruto the opening he needed for a punch to his enemy’s head. Naruto bared his teeth and rushed forward. Kakashi had fallen behind, his hands full with Kabuto, but surely Sakura-chan and Sai followed only a little behind him? The approach had been more difficult than even they had anticipated: after the fight with those that had barred the entry even Naruto was once again running perilously low on chakra. He forcefully pushed the fears that this encounter would end as the previous ones had aside; this time he would succeed in bringing Sasuke back, no question. They had no more time for failures.

The dim hallway suddenly opened into an enormous cavern. The two figures standing before the monstrous snake carving were impossible to miss. “Sasuke!” Naruto hollared once more as he prepared the technique he and Kakashi had developed. He would SHOW Sasuke you didn’t need to sell your soul to become powerful, and then-- a wave of chakra too enormous for even the relatively insensitive Naruto to miss rolled throughout the cavern. Naruto stared in horror as Orochimaru collapsed and the body that had been his first and best friend turned towards him with a hungry smirk and eyes that flared red. Too late. He couldn’t be too late again! “No. No! Fight him, Sasuke-bastard! You DON’T need him!”

The thing wearing Sasuke’s body approached fast, sword drawn, but after months of training and the previous encounters it no longer seemed instantaneous. Naruto rushed forward, his Howling Rasengen for once coming easily to his hands. Rasengen met sword, and he pushed, baring his teeth in a feral grin as a notch appeared in the blade. He looked up to meet the eyes of his opponent, only to see nothing but an elongated neck…

The warm lips on his neck, the sudden piercing of sharp teeth caught him off guard. Naruto fought to remain conscious. “Now who’s number one at surprising people, stupid?” a mocking voice asked. Stupid, Naruto agreed for once. Stupid to have expected a Sasuke-like attack. Stupid to have come so far and arrived once again a few seconds too late. Stupid to have failed at bringing his best friend back in the first place. Naruto knew despair greater than any he had ever felt before. Then, he knew nothing.
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For a moment, Sakura thought everything was going to be alright again, seeing Sasuke and Naruto embracing, Orochimaru’s crumpled body a distance beyond them. Then Sakura noticed how still Naruto was in Sasuke’s arms. Her heart stopped when she caught a glimpse of a strange bruise on Naruto’s neck. He couldn’t have…but the wave of chakra pulsing around Naruto felt similar to that she had felt in the Forest of Death as she cared for Sasuke. Not identical (was that a bad sign? Did it mean Naruto…) but similar enough. “Let him go!”

The figure she doubted was Sasuke eased Naruto’s limp form to the ground. “A little late, aren’t you, Tsu- Sakura? Isn’t coming in too late Naruto’s job?”

If the seal on Naruto’s neck hadn’t convinced her that the person in front of her was Orochimaru wearing Sasuke’s face like a suit, the slip did. A part of her was surprised by how calmly she accepted that. She realized that while she had always hoped, it had been a long time since she had expected wholeheartedly that they would bring Sasuke back, though she had managed to conceal that from Naruto. Somewhere over the years she had started to accepted Sasuke’s loss; losing Naruto was another matter. Sakura gritted her teeth and aimed a sharp left hook at the source of that sardonic voice. The figure smirked and deftly dodged her blow. He had anticipated the punch.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the side kick that landed on his abdomen and sent him flying. Sakura spun, keeping herself between Naruto and the one who wore the body of the boy she’d loved. She and Sai had to buy Naruto time enough to stand back up. Things looked bad, but this was Naruto! Surely it was only a matter of time before he was back in the fight and if not… if not then with Kakashi’s help they’d get him out of there. Their enemy was between her and Sai. That was good. Now if she could keep his attention long enough for Sai to finish the drawing he was furiously completing... “What do you want with Naruto? You can’t possibly think he’ll join you, too. He’s stronger than that.”

A familiar look of affront appeared on the pale face before her. The implications that statement had in regard to Sakura’ opinion of Sasuke’s strength were obvious. Was some part of Sasuke surfacing, or was Orochimaru merely nettled by the suggestion that his host was somehow lesser than her unconscious companion? Sakura sternly put that thought aside. If Orochimaru suspected that she hoped, it would be that much easier to use Sasuke’s once treasured form and voice against her. Who knew how much access he had to the minds of his hosts, what memories he could dredge up to torment and confuse them if he chose?

“Oh come now. Do you think I only have one kind of seal at my disposal? Besides, what do-“ the rest of his retort was cut off as a man-sized stylized mongoose launched itself at his back, chittering furiously. He side stepped and aimed a low kick at it, but the animated drawing managed to avoid his foot and whipped around to bite at his torso. He scowled. The thing was just fast enough to be a nuisance, and Sai was busily preparing more. He aimed another kick at the one he was fighting, this time going for the top of its head. It dodged low; he used the kick to push off the ground. His hands formed familiar seals as he jumped. “Katon: Art of the Phoenix Flower!” The ink creature wailed piteously as it burned. He smiled. Now for the source of the nuisance.

An eel flowed out from Sai’s page, fast and sinous. Perfect. His left arm coiled bonelessly around the eel, entangeling it. His arm stretched impossibly long until it brushed the offending page. “Flowing Chidori.” Paralyzing energy sparked from his fingers. Sai fell with a grunt. “Aren’t you the one who tried to deceive us before? What’s more, you have a nasty habit of interrupting conversations that don’t concern you.” With his right hand, he casually reached for his sword.

“Wait!” Sakura took a step forward, mind racing. She had to save Sai, but she was clever enough to realize that stepping away from Naruto was probably exactly what Orochimaru wanted. How, how, how? She hadn’t had any time to plan and she wasn’t the tactician, dammit! It was Naruto, loud oblivious Naruto, that had the brilliant flashes of inspiration that pulled them out of impossible situations. But he hadn’t stirred and now it was all up to her and she didn’t know what to DO. “Tell-tell me what you did to Naruto. What are you doing, complaining about interruptions when you’re the one not finishing your sentences?” she finished with a little more force.

The dark head turned towards her, one eyebrow raised. He held back the smile that wanted to form at the sound of the desperation in her voice. He just needed her to take a few more steps, but she was being irritatingly cautious. He’d have to push harder. “Jealous? We can continue our conversation once I’ve made sure we won’t be interrupted again,” he said mildly, sword swinging free of his scabbard as he turned back to Sai.

Sakura’s brow furrowed in determination. She kicked the ground, sending a shock wave strong enough to nearly bowl over the one person besides her still standing. It had to be now, while he was off balance! Sakura covered the distance between them and struck hard at the base of his neck even as it began to stretch out. She felt the hit connect a fraction of a second before fangs sunk into her own neck. Sakura’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh,” she said and fell to her knees before collapsing entirely.

He let himself smile as he retracted his neck. He raised his sword arm again. No one was more surprised than he when instead his left leg raised, unbalancing him. He landed in an embarassingly ungraceful heep. She’d scrambled his nervous system below the place she’d hit on his neck? Not only had she dared to try that technique on him, she’d managed to pull it off? This is what he got for not striking the instant she entered the room but, honestly, who would have expected her to be more trouble than Naruto? He glanced up irritably at the pained gasp of laughter from Sai. The boy was slowly rising to his feet.

“Won’t let you…hurt them. Some…value…their bonds.” His hand reached for his knife. Sai gasped at the sudden sharp pain on the right side of his chest, and stared down in disbelief at the sword sticking out of his body. Apparently Sakura’s technique hadn’t disabled him for very long at all.

“That’s right, you’re the replacement friend, aren’t you?” the other boy drawled. “Thanks, but your services won’t be required anymore,” he added, giving the sword a cruel twist before withdrawing it. They both looked up at the feel of the familiar chakra approaching: Kakashi was on his way. The body of the boy Naruto and Sakura had sacrificed so much for turned away from Sai, and slung one of them over each shoulder. He spared one glance back at Sai, voice low and menacing. “That’s twice I haven’t bothered to kill you. Don’t expect to be so lucky a third time.” He vanished.

Suddenly Kakashi was bending over him. He must have lost consciousness momentarily from the pain. It hurt to speak. “Gone. Took them. What-what is this pain in my left side? Hurts…worse than the sword wound. Is this…loss?” Kakashi said nothing in reply, his eyes unreadable.
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Kabuto staggered in, breathing heavily. Kakashi fought like a possessed thing when he thought his team was in trouble and he had only gotten stronger in the last three years; it had been a struggle to delay him that long. It was lucky Kakashi had been more interested in going to the rescue than finishing him off.

“Took your time getting here.” Speaking of possessed things…

“Sorry, but Kakashi was a bit troublesome. Did the plan come off?” he replied, stepping further into the sterile room to see a dark head bent over two fair ones in the center of a complex ring of seals.

The other straightened up, smiling. “It worked.”

“Good. I knew just the idea of possessing his old teammates would keep your new subconscious relatively docile.”

“It seems funny, considering the dismissive way he spoke about them.”

Kabuto smirked in return. “Yes, but even geniuses are layed low by their hearts sometimes.”

Kabuto approached the sealed area cautiously, examining the two unconscious prisoners. “Even you would be hard pressed to go after the genuine articles, though. It’s lucky that the apprentices bear so strong a resemblance to their masters, isn’t it, Sasuke-kun?”