Tenebroso
Tenebroso 14
Title: Tenebroso
Author: ofphenwa
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Dub-con, incest, violence
Summary: Having obtained what he desires, Minato keeps a stranglehold of his most precious treasure, Naruto. Should Naruto be taken away from him, Minato will gladly burn the world down in his dark madness. Is there an end to the nightmare?
A/N: Here’s the latest chapter of Tenebroso. Sorry for the long wait, readers. I was both very busy and struggling with a bout of writer’s block. This chapter also proved to be a beast to write. Please review. ☺
Tenebroso 14
When morning finally came, the first rays of the sun peeking into the bedroom through the blinds and spilling over onto the bed and stained everything orange, Naruto rolled off the bed with an easy grace. It should have been impossible to move gracefully, much less even stand considering what he had endured during the previous night. But he had no injuries, not even any phantom pain to hinder his movements.
He walked to the bathroom, stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. Steam began to fill the room and mist up the mirror. Hot water ran down his naked body, causing him to sigh in relief. Soon, his skin was red like a cooked lobster and he reached for the soap. When he was finally clean, Naruto turned off the shower and reached for his towel to dry off. Slinging the towel around his waist, he went to the sink and wiped the condensation off the mirror so he could see what he was doing and not accidentally cut himself as he shaved. The razor felt cool against his skin as he slid it across his jaw.
Naruto’s jaw felt smooth and free of stubble after he rinsed off the shaving foam. He then brushed his teeth and spat the minty foam into the sink. Having finally completed his morning ablutions, Naruto was clean and fresh now. But he still felt so filthy. Unable to look at his reflection any longer, he quickly returned to the bedroom to get his clothes.
Opening his closet, he picked out his blue shirt, beige pants and a pair of orange boxers – he was off-duty today. Dropping the towel to the floor, he slid on the boxers, pulled on his shirt and pants. Zipping and buttoning his pants, Naruto could see Minato still fast asleep in the bed behind him through the mirror’s reflection.
With an unreadable expression, he quietly closed the closet and picked up the towel from the floor to hang it back on the towel rack in the bathroom. Then he left the apartment altogether, not wanting to face Minato when he finally woke up.
Minato slowly woke up to an empty bed with Naruto nowhere to be seen. He had a slight headache and he felt thirsty. Stretching into a yawn, he wondered briefly where Naruto might have gone before dismissing the thought. He would see him around eventually.
He froze as he caught the faint stale scent of blood and sex. A cold chill went down his spine as he quickly ripped the blankets off the bed and saw a large brownish-red stain on the bed-sheets, together with numerous smaller whitish stains. His mind easily connected the dots even though he could not remember a single detail.
Minato stared at the incriminating evidence in mute horror. His headache was forgotten in the deluge of vivid memories that suddenly unfolded in his mind like a film reel. Clapping his hand over his mouth, Minato dry-heaved, unable to believe that he had done such a terrible deed to Naruto. He didn’t know if it was made worse by the fact that Naruto hadn’t fought back at all or not… (Was it the seal’s doing…?)
“Shit…!”
Wrapping the bedsheets around his waist, Minato immediately ran out of the bedroom to look for Naruto. It was a futile attempt. Naruto was nowhere to be seen in their flat and he had not even left a note to tell him where he had gone. His only reassurance was that Naruto’s belongings were still left behind in their flat but even then, it was tenuous at best. Hissing in agitation, Minato decided to rush to the Hokage Tower. The crystal scrying ball would help him to find Naruto quickly as long as he was within Konoha. He could only hope that Naruto hadn’t left the village.
Naruto eventually found himself sitting on one of the benches near the Konoha Ninja Academy and watching the little kids play in the schoolyard. The academy students’s loud noises were filled with happy innocence and it was nostalgic. It was almost impossible to believe that he had been one of those little children who never held a real sharp kunai yet.
As his eyes lazily drifted over the children, Naruto vaguely recognized some of them as the younger versions of some of his colleagues. Was that Inuzuka girl over there supposed to be Kiba’s elder sister? No, wait, she was too young – in three years, she should be starting her first year. Naruto noticed a boy in a white shirt and shorts quietly sitting on a swing away from the rest. He was absorbed in a book in his lap. The boy had a familiar ponytail and Naruto couldn’t help but wonder to himself, “Iruka…?”
As if the boy could hear his soft whisper, reminding Naruto of Iruka-sensei’s chakra echolocation technique, he looked up in his direction with a curious expression. Naruto couldn’t help but grin as he recognized the familiar horizontal scar across the boy’s nose and the young features that would eventually mature into the masculine adult face he knew well.
Naruto nodded slightly towards the young Iruka with a smile and as Iruka blinked at him in faint suspicion, Naruto took the opportunity to show off a little. With a wink, he drew upon Sage chakra and made himself seamlessly disappear from Iruka’s sight without a single wisp of smoke. Iruka’s jaw dropped open in awe, “Holy crap! That’s so cool…!”.
Naruto smiled as he walked away from the Konoha Ninja Academy, pleased and warmed by Iruka’s reaction. It was good to see that one of his precious people was doing well – as far as he knew, Iruka’s parents should still be alive as Madara never attacked. He hoped that the rest of his friends would also be well.
After Naruto walked past a grocery shop, he ducked into a little alley and navigated the maze-like dark backstreets with ease, thanks to his childhood years as a prankster. He finally emerged from the dark streets into the red light district that was separated from the civilian and shinobi districts by a large river that wound through Konoha. Naruto knew this entire district intimately like the back of his hand and it would be a good place to hide for a while…
“Oh right, I almost forgot.” Forming a hand-seal, Naruto immediately changed his appearance, making himself appear paler and red-haired like a traditional Uzumaki. In addition, he also disrupted his chakra signature to prevent Minato from easily finding him with the crystal seeing ball.
Meanwhile, Minato restrained the urge to throw the crystal sphere out of the window in pique when it failed to show him Naruto’s location like he had hoped. After all, that sphere had dated from the Shodaime Hokage’s era and a priceless piece of Konoha’s history. Despite his frustration, Minato felt quite impressed that Naruto had cleverly eluded the scrying ball’s detection.
Looking away from the ball and out of the window, Minato gazed down on the sprawling village beneath the his office, in vain hope that he could catch a glimpse of Naruto on the streets even though he did not possess the Byakugan. Clenching his fist on the glass window, he whispered desperately, “Just where are you, Naruto…?”
Unbidden, his chakra stirred and reached out for Naruto without Minato’s awareness. Sighing in resignation, he was about to give up when he felt a faint echo in his chakra senses. Minato immediately recognized the familiar echo as Naruto’s chakra resonating with his own. No one else’s chakra had such an intimate and familiar connection to his, thanks to their blood connection. His eyes widening in realization and relief, he smacked his forehead in chagrin, “Of course…!”
It was probably the first time that Minato actually felt grateful that he was Naruto’s biological father. He would never have been able to find Naruto otherwise as Naruto was far better than him in stealth and infiltration and could stay hidden for as long as he wished. Latching onto Naruto’s chakra trace with utmost focus, Minato followed the trail.
“Finally! Yes! I’ve done it!”
Jumping to her feet and pumping her fists in the air in victorious joy, Kushina could not help but dance a little jig in her study, almost carelessly knocking over the pots of ink scattered around on the floor. Yelling at the top of her voice in elation, “Finally! All those weeks of reading and analyzing! All that medical stuff! Fuinjutsu! REPORTS! NO RAMEN BREAKS! No more! I’ve done it! I’m DOOOOONEEE!!”
Grasping the large scroll to her chest, she looked quite a sight with her red hair mussed up, ink streaks on her cheeks and stained hands as she laughed like a maniac. Kushina raised the scroll to her face and snuggled it like it was a precious baby, “Oh, you wonderful seal, you’re my masterpiece! Ero-sennin will be sooo jealous…”
The adrenaline high finally leaving her, Kushina slumped to the floor and passed out with a loud snore. Her immense energies were finally exhausted after such intense fuinjutsu experimenting and studying over a prolonged period of three months with barely a break, not even for her favourite food ramen. It was the fastest time ever recorded for inventing a new seal of S – rank status. The previous record had been a year for Minato’s Hiraishin.
In a red-lit room filled with smoke and the stale scent of alcohol, a man with crimson hair sat at the bar counter with a small shot glass filled with an amber liquid in his hand. Beside his hand, there were at least a dozen other identical shot glasses. As the impressed bartender watched him, the man downed the glass in one shot and placed it together with the empty glasses. His low voice demanded quietly, “One more.”
“Damn, are you trying to kill yourself or something? This drink’s really potent stuff from Iwa.” The bartender commented as he poured out another shot glass for the stranger. As the customer lifted the glass to his lips once more, he wryly smiled and replied, “Nah, it just takes a lot to get me buzzed.”
“And you want to forget something, shinobi-san?” The bartender enquired as he collected the empty glasses for washing. The nameless shinobi’s eyes darkened in answer. He finished the drink and as he stood up to leave, he placed enough money on the counter to pay the bill.
“I gotta go. Thanks for all the drinks.”
The bartender watched the stranger approach another man at the door. They talked quietly for a few moments before they both disappeared in smoke like all ninjas do. He mused to himself, “Weird guy.”
Hidden away from everyone’s eyes in a dark alley, both Naruto and Minato finally dropped their disguises. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto tersely asked, “How did you find me?”
“Chakra resonance. You can’t hide your chakra from me and neither can I hide from you,” Minato explained quietly, “This is because of our blood connection.”
“…I see. Something so basic, huh. I didn’t expect that.”
Naruto wasn’t looking at Minato as he leaned against the wall behind him, his body tense but not hostile. Minato took a deep breath and apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry for what I did to you last night. I should have never done it.”
“I already know that.” Naruto flatly replied, his emotions unreadable. Minato refrained from stepping closer and asked, “What can I do to make amends?”
Naruto stiffened and it looked like he would bolt but thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he turned his face to look at Minato with a sad expression, “You don’t have to do anything. It…it wasn’t your fault. You needed it. I…I just need some time away.”
Minato grimaced, feeling a stab of guilt. Naruto was really too forgiving and kind for his own good. But then again, this was also one of the reasons why he adored Naruto. He finally said, “Alright… How much time do you need?”
“I don’t know.” Naruto wasn’t looking at him again, his eyes distant and his voice faint. Minato didn’t like it, the implications of his vague reply sending cold fear spiking in his gut. He couldn’t have Naruto leaving him. Hiding his uneasiness with ease, Minato softly asked, “Can I kiss you?”
Naruto hesitated, surprised by Minato’s request. He stared at Minato scrutinisingly before he nodded slowly, “…Yes.”
Relieved that Naruto wasn’t rejecting him, Minato slowly approached him as though he was a wild animal, trying not to startle him with any sudden movements. Finally standing close enough to feel Naruto’s breath on his skin, he placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder and leaned forward to gently kiss the younger man in a chaste manner. Naruto remained stiff and unresponsive but Minato wasn’t surprised or disappointed by his behaviour. It was to be expected, considering what he had done to him much to his shame and regret. The fact that Naruto was even allowing him to kiss him; was already more than enough.
Finally breaking the kiss, Minato withdrew slightly and opened his eyes to see Naruto. As Naruto’s blue eyes slowly opened to meet his, he was pained to see the lingering fear in those beautiful eyes. Naruto had never looked so vulnerable or so beautiful before this moment in the red sunset before him; reminding him of the first time he had met the blood-stained younger man among the golden sunflower fields of Kusa. Minato could not bear to see Naruto look at him with fear and he wanted very badly to go back in time and prevent his mistake. An idea struck him then and he grasped it without hesitation, wanting to help Naruto forget his fear.
He murmured, “I’m so sorry, Naruto.”
Before Naruto could respond, Minato swiftly knocked him out and caught him before he fell to the ground. Concentrating, he activated the seal and began to lock away Naruto’s memories of the event so they would no longer trouble him. It was easily done in a matter of minutes. When Naruto reopened his eyes, his eyes were clear and he grimaced, “…Ow, my head! Urgh, I’m never touching another drop of alcohol again!”
Minato smiled fondly and suggested, “Shall we go home? You should sleep off the hangover.”
“Yeah, sounds like a good idea.” Naruto blearily rubbed his forehead, wondering why he felt like he had just woken up from a bad dream. Minato held out his hand, waiting to take both of them home. He took it with a smile.