Want
folder
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
3
Views:
1,246
Reviews:
12
Recommended:
0
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Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
3
Views:
1,246
Reviews:
12
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
Naruto doesn't belong to me. He belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not making any sort of profit from this work of fiction.
But You Taste Good...
Title: Want
Author: Stab My Sanity
Rating: M
Type: MC (WIP)
Date Submitted: 8/30/09
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. He belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not making any sort of profit from this work of fiction.
*
*
Chapter 3: But You Taste Good...
*
*
Sasuke watched the first stars appear and soon the pale orb of the moon was visible against the dark purple sky. Not yet night, but no longer day. The time between both: dusk.
There was a sudden thunderous roar behind him, followed by a crackle, and Sasuke whirled around. His mouth fell open in shock as he discovered Naruto making his way across the seals, staggering, stumbling, but coming closer. He shouldn’t even be able to move after stepping onto the first seal!
His hair hung into his eyes and his arms were by his side, claws flexing slightly as he came to a stop outside the barrier.
“Dobe?” Sasuke called, shocked.
The Jinchuuriki stumbled and stood still, panting. Each breath was a soft hiss.
“Dobe? Are you all right?” Sasuke asked, slightly worried.
“All right? I'm perfectly fine. More than fine. I'm excellent.” The last was almost growled and when the other turned, Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock.
Red demon eyes burned at him lips were pulled back over the canine teeth, and sharp claws flashed up and toward him. His reaction was one out of instinct. He threw up his arms, brought his Kusanagi before him, and tried to fend off the furious creature that had once been Naruto. Now it was nothing but a demonic force, a source of anger and evil.
Claws clashed against his sword and he shuddered under the impact. A second blow bit deep into the flesh of his left forearm and he screamed in pain as deep gouges were torn down to the bone. He went down on his knees, almost instinctively folding up around the injury that bled heavily between the folds of his sleeve.
Naruto chuckled darkly. “Human,” he growled. “Weak, despicable human.”
He raised his blood-covered claws, smiling. It was sinister, evil and Sasuke felt sick as the demon began to lick off the red fluid, smacking his lips. “But you taste good.”
He couldn’t fight him. Naruto was too strong and his only weapon was the Kusanagi. Sasuke wouldn’t use it, though. Never against friends…again; even if his friend was currently
“Time for you to die Uchiha,” the demon hissed.
Through a haze of tears of pain, Sasuke saw him approach and he couldn’t see anything of Naruto in the feral mask, the satisfied smile and the murderous eyes.
“Naruto,” he whispered, his right hand closing around his sword. “Sorry.”
And he swung at the demon.
Naruto jumped back, deeper into the cave, laughing. “You think that can stop me, human?”
“No, but this can…”
And he rushed towards the demon, his Kusanagi held tightly in his grip. For a moment, Naruto was frozen and then he jumped, his chakra influenced talons colliding violently with Sasuke’s Kusanagi.
Sasuke risked a glance (when had he closed his eyes?) and leaped backwards as the opposing chakra created an explosion and large crater between them.
Both shinobi landed on opposite sides of the fresh hole, pausing their battle momentarily to take a breather.
“Dobe, stop allowing Kyuubi to control you! You're stronger than him!” Sasuke shouted.
A howl was his answer and the demon flung himself towards the Uchiha again, his talons poised for action once more. Good and evil clashed violently with a loud sound and Sasuke grunted as the Jinchuuriki’s powerful and dangerous chakra forced him to leap away.
Breathing heavily, Sasuke absent-mindedly wrapped the tatters of his shirt around the deep, serious wounds that leaked past every bandage and then he shut out the real world.
He cut himself off from his body, from the pain, from the exhaustion that would soon come. And he redirected his energy into his sword as he charged at the demon once more.
*
Naruto as a human was an impressive opponent. He was strong, fast, resilient and a good fighter. His weapons were dangerous, but as long as he was human, he was still in control. There was no killing frenzy, no blood lust; there was only the anger and the heat of the battle. He could tell friend from foe. As Kyuubi, there was little left of the man Sasuke had fallen in love with. There was the wispy cornstalk blond hair, the electric baby blue eyes and the mysterious whisker markings, but except for that, nothing reminded of Naruto. This was a demon now, a creature of evil, of destructive powers and the need to slay. It was a thing in battle rage, hunting for blood, going for the kill. Red eyes shone out of a feral face, long fangs gleamed from under pulled back lips and the claws were deadly tools.
Sasule had felt them bite into his flesh, cut through muscles and tendons to the bone. They had severed blood vessels and he was losing a lot of the vital fluid, but right now it was the least of his concerns.
Wincing under a new barrage of attacks, he blocked another blow that was concentrated on his face. He had fought such demons before, had held up against their murderous onslaughts for hours, sometimes for more than a day, but never against such a ceaseless attack, never while he was weakening physically. Hunger and thirst wouldn’t be a problem; blood loss and pain were.
A howl echoed through the cave and Naruto threw curses at him, foul names, taunted and insulted him, but the avenger let it all cascade off him. The outside didn’t exist, only the battle mattered. His mental battle reverberated under the assault and the pain in his head was close to the one in his arm. It was a migraine of epic proportions, but pain was nothing that mattered.
What did matter was keeping Naruto in the cave as long as the full moon was in the sky. As the moon set, the curse would lift and Naruto would be his old self again. Until then, he would keep the others safe, would keep Naruto safe. Sakura would gladly kill the demon, or another shinobi might be stronger and do the same. He wouldn’t risk it. He was Naruto’s protection.
Perhaps at the cost of his own life.
He was vulnerable. There was no one to guard his back. No Sakura, no Kakashi, no one…should a shinobi or other creature pass by and decide to take a bite out of him, he was easy prey. His senses were turned inward, to the battle.
The raging continued.
Sasuke grimaced slightly as the next attack seemed to cut through him, into him, slice his soul apart with his mind. The moon was still in the sky. It was hours till dawn.
I won't let you hurt yourself, Naruto, he thought. Never.
*
The full moon rose to its highest point this night, then began its descent once more. A few clouds dotted the night sky, passing over the yellow-white moon.
As the moon phase neared its final stage, the battle within the mouth of the cave began to weaken. The demon trapped inside howled as the first signs of exhaustion appeared, clawed hands lashing for the figure leaning precariously against the wall just inside the cave.
Sasuke showed no signs of hearing the howls or the promises of a slow and painful death; he didn’t listen to the ugly names Naruto still called him. He might be unconscious, meditating, and except for the deathly pallor and the soaked left sleeve he looked almost peaceful.
And then he dropped his weapons and fell to his knees.
The demon screamed its victory, clawed hands curled for slashing into the fragile human form. Sasuke was defenseless, completely exhausted, and when those deep ebony eyes opened, they didn’t seem to take in much. A sad sigh escaped the white lips and then the avenger crumbled in on himself.
And the moon finally set.
*
He didn’t know where he was or how he had come here. He didn’t know why he was standing in the mouth of a cave, at the edge of the forest they had traveled through the last few days. He didn’t know…
--why Sasuke lay at his feet.
“Sasuke?”
Blood. He smelled blood; Sharp, metallic, fresh…a lot of it; coming from the unconscious avenger.
“Sasuke!”
And from his own hands…
Naruto sank to his knees and rolled the slender man onto his back, then almost jumped back. The dark colored shinobi clothing was literally soaked in blood. The left sleeve was shredded, haphazardly bound together to try and stem the blood flow, and it was caked with the vital fluid. Sasuke’s face was ashen, his eyes closed and there was barely a pulse visible at the slender neck. His breathing was labored and each breath sounded like it could be the last; weaker and weaker.
“No…” Naruto whispered. “No…”
Trembling fingers tried to determine the seriousness of the wound. As he lifted what he could of the crusted and sticky sleeve, his stomach turned into a knot of foreboding knowledge-until it clenched in realization. Deep gouges had torn the flesh, right down to the bone, and he knew what could do such terrible harm.
Demon claws.
His claws.
Blood was clinging to them and it didn’t come from touching the injury.
“No…no, no, NO!!” he screamed the last word, shaking his head in denial.
He couldn’t have…He hadn’t…!
But Sasuke bore the evidence of his demon side, his unleashed fury and evil.
Shaking with fear and horror, he quickly picked up the other man and looked around. He needed help. A medic-nin. Anyone with medical knowledge, with healing powers.
Naruto bit his lower lip, then remembered the village they had come through days ago. There had been a healer, an old woman who had looked so strangely at him. He needed her help and he would do anything, anything at all, to get it.
*
His strength was waning. The weight of Sasuke felt like it had increased a tenfold. Blood clung to his clothes, was the only smell lodged in his nose. Naruto gathered his last energy reserves and cleared the final line of useless trees, standing in front of the small village they had passed through. It consisted of five houses and there were mainly women and children, with two men, as well as the old woman.
Now they stood staring at him, the children hiding behind their mother, and the men looked warily at him. Naruto made his way to the house of the healer woman, then stopped, muscles quivering. He felt blood run over his hands, heard every raspy breath from the man in his arms.
The old woman stood on the porch of her home, the crinkled features neutral, the eyes taking in the Jinchuuriki and his precious cargo, and Naruto gathered everything inside him to speak the next words as the world started to white out at the edge of his vision.
“Please, help him…”
The sharp eyes met his blue ones. “What is it to you?” she asked; the voice strong.
Naruto licked his lips. “Everything,” he whispered. “Whatever you demand, I’ll do it. Please.”
His legs quivered more, but he hung on to the limp body, willed life into the soul that had held out against a demonic attack. He wouldn’t disgrace himself by collapsing in front of this woman.
The woman healer gazed silently at him and then she nodded at the two men who had kept silent guard behind the new-arrival. Naruto moved back as they came closer, crouching a little, feeling his body tremble more. No one would take Sasuke from him. No one! A warning growl left his lips.
The healer chuckled. "Still fight left in you, young one?"
He glared at her, his back now to one of the wooden posts of the porch. He was glad for the support, but he couldn't fight anyone with the unconscious body in his arms, and Naruto wouldn't put him down. Sasuke’s life depended on him.
"Bring him inside so I can look at his wounds."
Carefully, keeping an eye on the two men, he followed the invitation, stepping through the entrance into the hut, the precious cargo in his arms heavier and heavier.
The healer pointed at a mat on the floor. "Put him there."
Naruto knelt down, arms shaking as he laid Sasuke onto the clean mattress. His vision had started to blur and his trembling grew worse. Those sharp eyes looked at him again and suddenly the feature softened slightly.
"You are safe," the healer whispered. "You can let go now. I will help him."
As if those words had flipped a coin inside him, Naruto felt the world darken and he slid into unconsciousness.
*
The world snapped back into place from one second to the next. There was no phase of disorientation, no slow waking-up, just the sudden awareness of everything around him. A hard floor underneath him, covered by a mat, the sharp smell of herbs mixed with old blood and new, interlaced with pain, and the air was heavy with a tangy smell that he had never sensed anywhere before.
Blue eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. His body protested the moves as prior exhausted muscles were just coming back into action, coiling, ready to spring.
Naruto gazed around the hut he was in, noted the fire dancing merrily in the fireplace, the assorted pots and cups everywhere on the floor, and his nose crinkled as the strange, tangy smell intensified.
A voice murmured softly and he caught movement, his head snapping around. It was the healer whose name he still didn't know. She was bent over the still form of Sasuke, her fingers smearing something over his left arm. Naruto’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he briefly bared his teeth and his hands tightened into fist to prevent his self from grabbing a knife-which he preferably wanted to dig into this woman.
-- Who dared to touch Sasuke.
He froze, blinked at the thoughts and emotions rising unbidden inside him, and forced himself to relax.
She was helping his friend; no need to be… what? Angry? No, it was something else. Watching the wrinkled hands glide over the smooth skin suffused him with… jealously?
Naruto bit down hard on that emotion and pushed it away, but his eyes were drawn to the free expanse of smooth, muscular chest, the slender neck, then they traveled down what could be seen of the flat stomach.
Suddenly the healer turned and looked at him.
"This is your doing?" she asked without a greeting.
Naruto couldn't meet her eyes, as much as he felt the defiance rise inside him. Those four words had shattered what emotions had risen inside him and had brought back the events of the last night with a clarity he had hoped to never achieve. He might not be able to remember every detail, but he remembered enough, especially the blood rage, the desire to gouge and kill and dismember.
He just stared at the floor as he nodded slowly.
"You injured him gravely, Jinchuuriki.”
As if he didn't know it! His clothes were still flecked with blood; it clung to his hands and claws, to his very skin. He could taste it, smell it… feel it everywhere. The blood of the one person he had let closer than anyone ever before.
He just nodded again.
"His life force is weak. He lost a lot of blood. My remedies can close the wounds, but there will be marks. Wounds inflicted by demons always leave marks."
Naruto swallowed heavily.
"As they left marks on you."
He raised his head, staring at the old healer. "I wasn't injured," he whispered, voice rough and shaky.
"Oh yes, you were, Naruto. Your wounds might not be physical, they might not be on the outside, but they are there. And they will leave scars, like there will be scars on Sasuke’s skin."
How did she know his name? They had never talked. The woman had kept back, just watching.
He opened his mouth to say something and then shut it again, his eyes drawn involuntarily to the thickly bandaged limb. His gaze traveled up the lithe, muscular body, then averted as he arrived at the pale, almost gray face.
He had to go.
"You are part of the healing process, Naruto. You must stay."
He shook his head. "I inflicted these injuries."
"And you will heal them." The healer rose and opened the door. "You will not leave. This place is barred from demonic intrusion. No demonic blood shall enter or leave until the healing process is over."
And with that the door was pulled shut, closing him and Sasuke in. Naruto stared at the door, then felt anger rise briefly. He growled and walked toward the door, only to be repelled. Surprise shot through him and he tried it again, with the same result.
He was locked in.
With Sasuke.
No demonic blood shall enter or leave.
"Wonderful," he muttered and sank to the ground again.
His eyes strayed to Sasuke. He gazed at the still form for a long time and then almost hesitantly came closer until he crouched next to him.
Hair hung into the smooth forehead and Naruto reached out to comb it back and then stopped.
His hands.
Claws.
Claws that had injured Sasuke.
Naruto shuddered and pulled back his hand, clutching it with his other.
He had hurt Sasuke with those claws.
There was still blood on them, on his clothes… and he almost ripped the orange and black outfit off himself. Dressed in his undergarments he sank to the ground, shivering — but it wasn't because of any physical cold.
*
*
TBC
*
*
AN: Okay, let me explain some things about this chapter. When Sasuke and Naruto were battling, Naruto never got hit by the Kusanagi, not because he was able to avoid the hits, but because Sasuke couldn't bring himself to actually cause harm to the moron. When they're battling each other as rivals and whatnot, yes he can cause Naruto harm without a second thought because he would never cause life threatening injuries (minus what happened in the Valley) but when he's in his demon state, it's a different story.
Again, thank you to everyone for leaving such lovely reviews! I wish I could answer ya'll, but I'm not sure how I can do so. I'll also be posting a new story soon and taking down the other two, not including this one. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter.
Author: Stab My Sanity
Rating: M
Type: MC (WIP)
Date Submitted: 8/30/09
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. He belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not making any sort of profit from this work of fiction.
*
*
Chapter 3: But You Taste Good...
*
*
Sasuke watched the first stars appear and soon the pale orb of the moon was visible against the dark purple sky. Not yet night, but no longer day. The time between both: dusk.
There was a sudden thunderous roar behind him, followed by a crackle, and Sasuke whirled around. His mouth fell open in shock as he discovered Naruto making his way across the seals, staggering, stumbling, but coming closer. He shouldn’t even be able to move after stepping onto the first seal!
His hair hung into his eyes and his arms were by his side, claws flexing slightly as he came to a stop outside the barrier.
“Dobe?” Sasuke called, shocked.
The Jinchuuriki stumbled and stood still, panting. Each breath was a soft hiss.
“Dobe? Are you all right?” Sasuke asked, slightly worried.
“All right? I'm perfectly fine. More than fine. I'm excellent.” The last was almost growled and when the other turned, Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock.
Red demon eyes burned at him lips were pulled back over the canine teeth, and sharp claws flashed up and toward him. His reaction was one out of instinct. He threw up his arms, brought his Kusanagi before him, and tried to fend off the furious creature that had once been Naruto. Now it was nothing but a demonic force, a source of anger and evil.
Claws clashed against his sword and he shuddered under the impact. A second blow bit deep into the flesh of his left forearm and he screamed in pain as deep gouges were torn down to the bone. He went down on his knees, almost instinctively folding up around the injury that bled heavily between the folds of his sleeve.
Naruto chuckled darkly. “Human,” he growled. “Weak, despicable human.”
He raised his blood-covered claws, smiling. It was sinister, evil and Sasuke felt sick as the demon began to lick off the red fluid, smacking his lips. “But you taste good.”
He couldn’t fight him. Naruto was too strong and his only weapon was the Kusanagi. Sasuke wouldn’t use it, though. Never against friends…again; even if his friend was currently
“Time for you to die Uchiha,” the demon hissed.
Through a haze of tears of pain, Sasuke saw him approach and he couldn’t see anything of Naruto in the feral mask, the satisfied smile and the murderous eyes.
“Naruto,” he whispered, his right hand closing around his sword. “Sorry.”
And he swung at the demon.
Naruto jumped back, deeper into the cave, laughing. “You think that can stop me, human?”
“No, but this can…”
And he rushed towards the demon, his Kusanagi held tightly in his grip. For a moment, Naruto was frozen and then he jumped, his chakra influenced talons colliding violently with Sasuke’s Kusanagi.
Sasuke risked a glance (when had he closed his eyes?) and leaped backwards as the opposing chakra created an explosion and large crater between them.
Both shinobi landed on opposite sides of the fresh hole, pausing their battle momentarily to take a breather.
“Dobe, stop allowing Kyuubi to control you! You're stronger than him!” Sasuke shouted.
A howl was his answer and the demon flung himself towards the Uchiha again, his talons poised for action once more. Good and evil clashed violently with a loud sound and Sasuke grunted as the Jinchuuriki’s powerful and dangerous chakra forced him to leap away.
Breathing heavily, Sasuke absent-mindedly wrapped the tatters of his shirt around the deep, serious wounds that leaked past every bandage and then he shut out the real world.
He cut himself off from his body, from the pain, from the exhaustion that would soon come. And he redirected his energy into his sword as he charged at the demon once more.
*
Naruto as a human was an impressive opponent. He was strong, fast, resilient and a good fighter. His weapons were dangerous, but as long as he was human, he was still in control. There was no killing frenzy, no blood lust; there was only the anger and the heat of the battle. He could tell friend from foe. As Kyuubi, there was little left of the man Sasuke had fallen in love with. There was the wispy cornstalk blond hair, the electric baby blue eyes and the mysterious whisker markings, but except for that, nothing reminded of Naruto. This was a demon now, a creature of evil, of destructive powers and the need to slay. It was a thing in battle rage, hunting for blood, going for the kill. Red eyes shone out of a feral face, long fangs gleamed from under pulled back lips and the claws were deadly tools.
Sasule had felt them bite into his flesh, cut through muscles and tendons to the bone. They had severed blood vessels and he was losing a lot of the vital fluid, but right now it was the least of his concerns.
Wincing under a new barrage of attacks, he blocked another blow that was concentrated on his face. He had fought such demons before, had held up against their murderous onslaughts for hours, sometimes for more than a day, but never against such a ceaseless attack, never while he was weakening physically. Hunger and thirst wouldn’t be a problem; blood loss and pain were.
A howl echoed through the cave and Naruto threw curses at him, foul names, taunted and insulted him, but the avenger let it all cascade off him. The outside didn’t exist, only the battle mattered. His mental battle reverberated under the assault and the pain in his head was close to the one in his arm. It was a migraine of epic proportions, but pain was nothing that mattered.
What did matter was keeping Naruto in the cave as long as the full moon was in the sky. As the moon set, the curse would lift and Naruto would be his old self again. Until then, he would keep the others safe, would keep Naruto safe. Sakura would gladly kill the demon, or another shinobi might be stronger and do the same. He wouldn’t risk it. He was Naruto’s protection.
Perhaps at the cost of his own life.
He was vulnerable. There was no one to guard his back. No Sakura, no Kakashi, no one…should a shinobi or other creature pass by and decide to take a bite out of him, he was easy prey. His senses were turned inward, to the battle.
The raging continued.
Sasuke grimaced slightly as the next attack seemed to cut through him, into him, slice his soul apart with his mind. The moon was still in the sky. It was hours till dawn.
I won't let you hurt yourself, Naruto, he thought. Never.
*
The full moon rose to its highest point this night, then began its descent once more. A few clouds dotted the night sky, passing over the yellow-white moon.
As the moon phase neared its final stage, the battle within the mouth of the cave began to weaken. The demon trapped inside howled as the first signs of exhaustion appeared, clawed hands lashing for the figure leaning precariously against the wall just inside the cave.
Sasuke showed no signs of hearing the howls or the promises of a slow and painful death; he didn’t listen to the ugly names Naruto still called him. He might be unconscious, meditating, and except for the deathly pallor and the soaked left sleeve he looked almost peaceful.
And then he dropped his weapons and fell to his knees.
The demon screamed its victory, clawed hands curled for slashing into the fragile human form. Sasuke was defenseless, completely exhausted, and when those deep ebony eyes opened, they didn’t seem to take in much. A sad sigh escaped the white lips and then the avenger crumbled in on himself.
And the moon finally set.
*
He didn’t know where he was or how he had come here. He didn’t know why he was standing in the mouth of a cave, at the edge of the forest they had traveled through the last few days. He didn’t know…
--why Sasuke lay at his feet.
“Sasuke?”
Blood. He smelled blood; Sharp, metallic, fresh…a lot of it; coming from the unconscious avenger.
“Sasuke!”
And from his own hands…
Naruto sank to his knees and rolled the slender man onto his back, then almost jumped back. The dark colored shinobi clothing was literally soaked in blood. The left sleeve was shredded, haphazardly bound together to try and stem the blood flow, and it was caked with the vital fluid. Sasuke’s face was ashen, his eyes closed and there was barely a pulse visible at the slender neck. His breathing was labored and each breath sounded like it could be the last; weaker and weaker.
“No…” Naruto whispered. “No…”
Trembling fingers tried to determine the seriousness of the wound. As he lifted what he could of the crusted and sticky sleeve, his stomach turned into a knot of foreboding knowledge-until it clenched in realization. Deep gouges had torn the flesh, right down to the bone, and he knew what could do such terrible harm.
Demon claws.
His claws.
Blood was clinging to them and it didn’t come from touching the injury.
“No…no, no, NO!!” he screamed the last word, shaking his head in denial.
He couldn’t have…He hadn’t…!
But Sasuke bore the evidence of his demon side, his unleashed fury and evil.
Shaking with fear and horror, he quickly picked up the other man and looked around. He needed help. A medic-nin. Anyone with medical knowledge, with healing powers.
Naruto bit his lower lip, then remembered the village they had come through days ago. There had been a healer, an old woman who had looked so strangely at him. He needed her help and he would do anything, anything at all, to get it.
*
His strength was waning. The weight of Sasuke felt like it had increased a tenfold. Blood clung to his clothes, was the only smell lodged in his nose. Naruto gathered his last energy reserves and cleared the final line of useless trees, standing in front of the small village they had passed through. It consisted of five houses and there were mainly women and children, with two men, as well as the old woman.
Now they stood staring at him, the children hiding behind their mother, and the men looked warily at him. Naruto made his way to the house of the healer woman, then stopped, muscles quivering. He felt blood run over his hands, heard every raspy breath from the man in his arms.
The old woman stood on the porch of her home, the crinkled features neutral, the eyes taking in the Jinchuuriki and his precious cargo, and Naruto gathered everything inside him to speak the next words as the world started to white out at the edge of his vision.
“Please, help him…”
The sharp eyes met his blue ones. “What is it to you?” she asked; the voice strong.
Naruto licked his lips. “Everything,” he whispered. “Whatever you demand, I’ll do it. Please.”
His legs quivered more, but he hung on to the limp body, willed life into the soul that had held out against a demonic attack. He wouldn’t disgrace himself by collapsing in front of this woman.
The woman healer gazed silently at him and then she nodded at the two men who had kept silent guard behind the new-arrival. Naruto moved back as they came closer, crouching a little, feeling his body tremble more. No one would take Sasuke from him. No one! A warning growl left his lips.
The healer chuckled. "Still fight left in you, young one?"
He glared at her, his back now to one of the wooden posts of the porch. He was glad for the support, but he couldn't fight anyone with the unconscious body in his arms, and Naruto wouldn't put him down. Sasuke’s life depended on him.
"Bring him inside so I can look at his wounds."
Carefully, keeping an eye on the two men, he followed the invitation, stepping through the entrance into the hut, the precious cargo in his arms heavier and heavier.
The healer pointed at a mat on the floor. "Put him there."
Naruto knelt down, arms shaking as he laid Sasuke onto the clean mattress. His vision had started to blur and his trembling grew worse. Those sharp eyes looked at him again and suddenly the feature softened slightly.
"You are safe," the healer whispered. "You can let go now. I will help him."
As if those words had flipped a coin inside him, Naruto felt the world darken and he slid into unconsciousness.
*
The world snapped back into place from one second to the next. There was no phase of disorientation, no slow waking-up, just the sudden awareness of everything around him. A hard floor underneath him, covered by a mat, the sharp smell of herbs mixed with old blood and new, interlaced with pain, and the air was heavy with a tangy smell that he had never sensed anywhere before.
Blue eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. His body protested the moves as prior exhausted muscles were just coming back into action, coiling, ready to spring.
Naruto gazed around the hut he was in, noted the fire dancing merrily in the fireplace, the assorted pots and cups everywhere on the floor, and his nose crinkled as the strange, tangy smell intensified.
A voice murmured softly and he caught movement, his head snapping around. It was the healer whose name he still didn't know. She was bent over the still form of Sasuke, her fingers smearing something over his left arm. Naruto’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he briefly bared his teeth and his hands tightened into fist to prevent his self from grabbing a knife-which he preferably wanted to dig into this woman.
-- Who dared to touch Sasuke.
He froze, blinked at the thoughts and emotions rising unbidden inside him, and forced himself to relax.
She was helping his friend; no need to be… what? Angry? No, it was something else. Watching the wrinkled hands glide over the smooth skin suffused him with… jealously?
Naruto bit down hard on that emotion and pushed it away, but his eyes were drawn to the free expanse of smooth, muscular chest, the slender neck, then they traveled down what could be seen of the flat stomach.
Suddenly the healer turned and looked at him.
"This is your doing?" she asked without a greeting.
Naruto couldn't meet her eyes, as much as he felt the defiance rise inside him. Those four words had shattered what emotions had risen inside him and had brought back the events of the last night with a clarity he had hoped to never achieve. He might not be able to remember every detail, but he remembered enough, especially the blood rage, the desire to gouge and kill and dismember.
He just stared at the floor as he nodded slowly.
"You injured him gravely, Jinchuuriki.”
As if he didn't know it! His clothes were still flecked with blood; it clung to his hands and claws, to his very skin. He could taste it, smell it… feel it everywhere. The blood of the one person he had let closer than anyone ever before.
He just nodded again.
"His life force is weak. He lost a lot of blood. My remedies can close the wounds, but there will be marks. Wounds inflicted by demons always leave marks."
Naruto swallowed heavily.
"As they left marks on you."
He raised his head, staring at the old healer. "I wasn't injured," he whispered, voice rough and shaky.
"Oh yes, you were, Naruto. Your wounds might not be physical, they might not be on the outside, but they are there. And they will leave scars, like there will be scars on Sasuke’s skin."
How did she know his name? They had never talked. The woman had kept back, just watching.
He opened his mouth to say something and then shut it again, his eyes drawn involuntarily to the thickly bandaged limb. His gaze traveled up the lithe, muscular body, then averted as he arrived at the pale, almost gray face.
He had to go.
"You are part of the healing process, Naruto. You must stay."
He shook his head. "I inflicted these injuries."
"And you will heal them." The healer rose and opened the door. "You will not leave. This place is barred from demonic intrusion. No demonic blood shall enter or leave until the healing process is over."
And with that the door was pulled shut, closing him and Sasuke in. Naruto stared at the door, then felt anger rise briefly. He growled and walked toward the door, only to be repelled. Surprise shot through him and he tried it again, with the same result.
He was locked in.
With Sasuke.
No demonic blood shall enter or leave.
"Wonderful," he muttered and sank to the ground again.
His eyes strayed to Sasuke. He gazed at the still form for a long time and then almost hesitantly came closer until he crouched next to him.
Hair hung into the smooth forehead and Naruto reached out to comb it back and then stopped.
His hands.
Claws.
Claws that had injured Sasuke.
Naruto shuddered and pulled back his hand, clutching it with his other.
He had hurt Sasuke with those claws.
There was still blood on them, on his clothes… and he almost ripped the orange and black outfit off himself. Dressed in his undergarments he sank to the ground, shivering — but it wasn't because of any physical cold.
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TBC
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AN: Okay, let me explain some things about this chapter. When Sasuke and Naruto were battling, Naruto never got hit by the Kusanagi, not because he was able to avoid the hits, but because Sasuke couldn't bring himself to actually cause harm to the moron. When they're battling each other as rivals and whatnot, yes he can cause Naruto harm without a second thought because he would never cause life threatening injuries (minus what happened in the Valley) but when he's in his demon state, it's a different story.
Again, thank you to everyone for leaving such lovely reviews! I wish I could answer ya'll, but I'm not sure how I can do so. I'll also be posting a new story soon and taking down the other two, not including this one. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter.