Black as Blood

XVII

The sun was just rising over the desert when they approached, Sasuke and Orochimaru halting just before the sand. Naruto stopped just beside the elder males, blinking in confusion at the sudden stop.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, blinking when Orochimaru knelt down, hands pressed together in a prayer fashion. Sasuke followed suit, urging Naruto down and to assume the same position. Naruto only looked confused.

“It’s a holy place, Naruto,” Orochimaru said finally as the three rose to walk into the desert and the bone forest that grew there, the stark white of the calcium wrapped in lush green vines with tiny white flowers in full bloom.

Naruto looked at Sasuke who shrugged and gestured for him to follow, the blonde a step behind Sasuke as they followed Orochimaru through the maze of bone. Vines concealed the paths, but Naruto could see that someone had been through before as there were flower blossoms littering the sandy floor. They were silent as they walked, as though not to disturb the calm tranquility of the place. He watched the bones grow thicker as they moved closer to the center of the white forest, swallowing a little as he looked toward Sasuke.

“Kimimaru is buried in the center. We don’t know how deep, though.” Sasuke said.

“So how is the resurrection going to work?”

“I’m going to ask Manda to dig up Kimimaru’s body,” Orochimaru replied. He looked toward the younger boys, head tilting. Sasuke watched Orochimaru and pulled Naruto back when the former Sannin gestured for them to move, in order to give Manda room when he appeared. Orochimaru shifted then, hands forming seals, a little bit of blood, and he was calling the large snake, Manda appearing before them in a coil, looking mightily irritated. His head raised and lowered, swung side to side as if looking for something.

– No sacrifice this time? – Manda asked, sounding mightily annoyed. Orochimaru stared up at the mighty summon, Manda lowering his head down to Orochimaru’s level to stare into matching yellow eyes.

“No.” Orochimaru replied. “Not this time. There’s something I’d like you to do for us.”

Manda twisted to stare at Sasuke and Naruto, forked tongue flicking out to taste the air briefly, chuckling when Naruto visibly fought back a flinch. Sasuke stood still, eye blazing with the Sharingan, and Manda had to applaud the boy for the show of strength.

– I want some form of payment. – Manda said, turning his gaze back to Orochimaru. The former Sannin tensed, fighting to keep the panic from his face.

“And what would you want?”

Manda’s attention turned then to Sasuke, tongue flicking out again to taste the air. – I want a pact with him. –

Orochimaru looked floored at the request, but then Manda had always confused him, never really knowing what the large snake summon wanted. Orochimaru looked toward Sasuke, not quite pleading with him. Sasuke looked up at Manda for a moment and remained silent, looking over at Naruto then. The two stared at each other for a long while before Sasuke finally nodded. Orochimaru relaxed then, nodding, and Manda shifted his weight to begin to burrow beneath the sands, disappearing for a few moments before reappearing, jaws tightly clamped around something. Orochimaru lifted his arms then, waiting, and Manda let his jaws open, a body sliding out between sharp fangs into the former Sannin’s waiting arms. Kimimaru’s body was hardly touched by decomposers, flesh only dried out from the excessive heat and dryness of the sand. Mummified, almost, pale skin drawn back across bones, eyelids sunken into the sockets, a macabre feigned sleep. Manda’s attention turned to Sasuke then, lowering his head to the boy’s level, waiting for Orochimaru to approach with the sealing scroll. The snake’s yellow eyes were alight with pleasure when Sasuke took the scroll from his former sensei and opened it under Naruto’s watchful gaze.

– Your arm, just like Orochimaru’s. – Manda said, making Sasuke pause in biting his thumb to obtain the blood for the pact. – Cut your wrist, –

Sasuke blinked, staring up at the massive snake summon before turning his attention to his wrist. Slowly, Naruto offered a kunai, Sasuke’s fingers wrapping around the hilt ever so reverently, the blade drawn across the veins in the wrist so quickly Manda thought the cut hadn’t even been made. Then wonderful ruby blood began to well, Sasuke quickly dipping his fingers to sign his name, Manda watching the pact become complete. Naruto was quick then to bind the wound on Sasuke’s wrist, wrapping it tight to stay the blood flow.

“Pleased now, Manda?” Orochimaru asked softly, cradling the mummified body of Kimimaru closer to his chest. Manda turned to Orochimaru and nodded, giving what constituted as a smile for the large serpent.

– We’ll be in touch, – Manda replied, coiling again as if to strike, making the three nin beneath him tense until the snake faded into nonexistence, leaving Naruto, Sasuke, and Orochimaru alone. Orochimaru turned to the younger ninja then, head tilting to indicated the body in his arms. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances, each nodding after a while, turning back to Orochimaru.

“Here, then?” Naruto asked, gesturing to the forest of bone and sand. Orochimaru nodded, kneeling down to set Kimimaru’s body on the sand, stepping back to allow the boys to do their part. Naruto was nervous despite the reassurances being given him by Sasuke. If he couldn’t summon Kyuubi before, could he now? He let out a breath. Just relax, do your best. It wasn’t like Orochimaru would be expecting him and Sasuke to pull off the resurrection first go.

His electric blue gaze found Sasuke’s black and yellow one, the brunette giving him a gentle smile, taking a position at Kimimaru’s feet as Naruto assumed much the same before Kimimaru’s head. Naruto swallowed and followed Sasuke through the motions of the seals, watching ice form on Sasuke’s body as Shiro Koori appeared before him, calmly standing, waiting. Naruto watched his lover, straining against the seal Yondaime had performed on him, struggling to free Kyuubi in much the same way as Sasuke freed Shiro Koori. Flames licked at the ground beneath his feet. He could feel the seal breaking. It wasn’t supposed to break!

Naruto broke the seals with a frustrated growl, the flames dying. He looked back at Sasuke, watching the brunette watch him, those eyes centered on his face. He couldn’t give up. Sasuke was counting on him.

– Oi, Kyuubi. – Naruto said, standing before that cage in his mind, watching the nine-tailed demon as he watched the young man.

– A key, – Kyuubi replied, reminding Naruto of Orochimaru’s words from the night before. Naruto’s eyes widened. A key. A seal was just a big lock, right? In order to unlock it, a key was needed. Naruto came back to himself then, staring across at Sasuke, who stood alone now, Orochimaru off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest, hands gripping his upper arms in an effort not to show his disappointment.

“A key,” Naruto whispered and Sasuke cocked his head as though he had heard the words. Naruto only smiled and brought his hands to position again, Sasuke doing the same. As one, they performed the seals, as one their chakra resonated, Sasuke’s with Shiro’s, and finally, Naruto’s with Kyuubi’s. Shiro’s form appeared amidst a swirl of snow and ice, the wolf standing as he and his vessel watched the flames of Kyuubi engulf Naruto. The blonde watched in amazement as before him, the flames swirled into one huge fireball, the fire spitting out in a thick ring as Kyuubi appeared, nine tails curling over his back and around his hind legs, his golden gaze directed at Shiro. Naruto watched, almost expecting Kyuubi to start a rampage, but his seal hadn’t broken. Kyuubi was under his control still, Naruto could feel it.

– Naruto! – Sasuke called, the blonde jerking his rusty gaze over to the deep black of Sasuke’s. The blonde gave a smile and a nod, both turning to their respective biju. Kyuubi moved forward as Shiro did, Shiro dropping his head down to Kimimaru’s feet as Kyuubi bent his own muzzle to Kimimaru’s hair. As the wolf breathed a cloud of ice, the fox breathed a jet of flame, the two elements meeting over the body of the bone manipulator. The ice and fire met in a flash of orange and blue light, the combined elements swirling over Kimimaru’s body as it convalesced, enveloping the body as the light became a deep, dark, bloody red.

Shiro threw his head back and howled then, Kyuubi following with a sound of his own, Sasuke and Naruto struggling to keep their chakras synchronized with their biju, to give them power to complete this rebirth. The bloody red chakra swirled down into nothingness when their howls died down, Shiro and Kyuubi exhausted as they stood before their vessels, Sasuke and Naruto slowly releasing the seals and their chakra to allow the wolf and fox to rest, Shiro giving a wolfish smile to Kyuubi before he vanished a swirl of white, the fox heaving a sigh as he returned to his cage in Naruto’s mind. Orochimaru moved then, kneeling beside Kimimaru’s body. Sasuke moved forward as Naruto did, staring, watching, waiting.

Kimimaru breathed.

Orochimaru let out a sigh of relief, staring up at his former apprentice and giving him a grateful smile. Sasuke could only lean on Naruto and smile back, shifting his weight as Naruto leaned on him. Kimimaru’s eyes opened, the young man blinking in confusion, whispering something only Orochimaru heard, the elder man’s head dropping to be level with the paler’s ear, whispering soft words to him. Orochimaru stood then, Kimimaru cradled in his arms, bridal style, his yellow gaze falling on Sasuke and Naruto.

“Mission completed,” Orochimaru whispered, inclining his head toward Sasuke. Sasuke repeated the gesture, allowing their bond to finally be broken. Naruto and Sasuke watched the pair vanish, Naruto moving to tilt Sasuke’s head up, claiming a kiss.

“Let’s go home, ne, Sasuke-teme?”

Sasuke smiled. “Yeah. Let’s go home, Usuratonkatchi.”