Demons Have the Most Fun: A Cautionary Tale

Hello Assassin’s Kiss here, after a terribly, terribly, looooooooonnnnng time. I’m so sorry, my writing muse went on vacation without telling me and so I’ve been zoning out since the last time I updated. I never, ever, meant to go away that long but I had writer’s block. Every time I tried to tackle how Naruto should and would respond to a situation, because what he wants to do and what he needs to do are two different things, I’d get stuck and then give up and fiddle with something else.

 

I still don’t own Naruto but this is still a gift fic for Ivy Moon, wherever they are. I will like to give special thanks, dedicate this chapter, and glomp Kei-chan for pestering me to finish. I was teasing her with tidbits of other stories both old and new via text messages but she insisted that I at least update this first so thanks for dropkicking me in the right direction. I finally put this story up on fanfiction.net but now I think I regret it because it didn’t do as well as it did here. But I hope that you guys here haven’t given up on this story and me. I look forward to your comments because I missed them dearly, not just because I’m a review whore, but because I really believe reviews are a way a writer and the reader connect over a story. Yes, this addict is mushy like that, now dig in!!! XP

 

Demons Have the Most Fun: A Cautionary Tale

‘How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away, somehow

….One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more’

 

~A Thousand Years by Christina Perri

 

//Recap//

“You damn sure will taste your blood, teeth and my fist if you even think about killing my boy, Ebisu,” she hissed out, amber eyes narrowed. She was simply livid at the idea that not only didn’t they invite her and her master to the hearing, but they also dared to try and kill what was rightfully hers.

“Jiraiya, what do we owe this pleasant surprise to? I would have sent you an invitation if I knew you were this eager to see your former friend sentenced.” Danzo ground out his words between a biting smile even as he discreetly signaled to Ebisu to activate the chair.

Chapter Five: Never Give a Demon an Old Flame

 

Danzo tried to slyly signal the Shinigami to begin the activation of the chair. But he doubted the death god was willing to risk being bodily injured the way Ebisu looked warily at the busty woman. His suspicions were confirmed shortly after they were made when Ebisu reluctantly handed the deputy headmistress, Naruto’s leash.

 

“As if you would have willingly invited me to the party unless I crashed it Danzo. You could take your invitation and shove it up your—” Jiraiya began bitingly before he was justifiably interrupted.

 

“We came because we have one piece of vital evidence that might tip the scales on this trial,” Tsunade quickly reiterated. She would not allow herself to be thrown out of the courtyard when her foolish master had something very important to say that could free her boy. But the way the two idiots were prepared to go at it, it was obvious to her that they had already forgotten why Jiraiya had forced his way inside the courtroom in the first place.

 

‘And they say women are emotional in stress-like situations,’ she huffed to herself. She then shook her head hoping her Master would make nice before she looked down at the blonde she was straddling. ‘Kyuubi you came back to me. No, Naruto now.’ She corrected herself automatically in her head even as she released him from the deadly collar.

 

Tsunade then helped to free him from the wooden vines before she once more hugged the blonde, pleased when he began to awkwardly hug her in return. She had almost been afraid that he might reject her presence. Then she pulled back slightly in order to pluck his forehead. “Gaki.”

 

“Don’t pluck my forehead you old bat! You could have given me a concussion with that freakish strength of yours,” growled out Naruto. “And what the hell is with your getup? Do you always walk around in negligees and track pants?” he scuffed. He eyed the blonde demoness up and down in her lacey undergarments, his arm wrapped securely around her waist, baring his fangs in annoyance when she plucked him again out of spite. It seemed to surprise everyone who could hear the two blondes, that Naruto didn’t seemed more perturbed by the woman’s brand of affection. 

 

“Idiot, only you would get yourself into this much trouble after being reborn,” she grumbled before kissing his brow. She snorted when he grimaced before she looped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his own. “But at least you didn’t forget your own mother,” she sighed contentedly, taking solace in this single moment.

 

She couldn’t hide the bloodcurdling chill she felt the first time she hugged him and he didn’t return it. She knew she couldn’t have any children because she was a demon but this… this arrogant, blood-thirsty knucklehead was her son. She had forged a connection with him over the centuries that was as fine and as intricate as a spider’s web; but Tsunade had been afraid that the time had finally come when his renaming had erased their delicate bonds. Each time they were reborn it was a gamble whether they would remember old ties or be forced to start from scratch if either remembered the other afterwards. Heaven forbid if both of them forgot and stood facing each other one day as enemies. (1)

 

“We have Minato’s ‘Death Note’,” proclaimed Jiraiya proudly. He sneered at the dumbfounded council before turning towards his demon that, standing now, was already pulling the precious stone that had been hidden until now between her breasts by a black, stringed necklace. (2)

 

“A ‘Death Note’? Are you sure?!” came the sudden thunderous exclamation from Danzo. Disbelief liberally colored his words as he looked in denial at the smug Tsunade sauntering towards them now. She was proudly holding up a simple blue crystal which had a small silver ball to either side to help disguise the fact that something that precious could and had been worn as some type of jewelry.

 

Sarutobi snorted and shook his head inwardly at the idea that the ‘Death Note’ had been brazenly hidden right under his nose. As many times as he had stolen glances and openly ogled the demoness’s chest, just as many perverts probably had over the years, he had never thought… ‘Incredible.’ And he didn’t doubt that it had been safely protected all this time because the only one stupid enough and/or brazen enough to try to grope the massive melons of the volatile demoness to possibly discover it was Jiraiya, her master.

 

“Minato would have assigned it to us if it was real.” Homura insisted this and his childhood friend Koharu nodded her agreement vehemently.

 

“Well apparently he didn’t trust you enough with the last recorded moments of his life, which frankly I’m not surprised about. But as you must know, I was just as surprised and dismayed when I found this on the day of Minato’s murder. It only confirmed what I had feared would one day happen,” he sighed out sadly, his triumphant smile dimming at the thought.

 

“What my prestigious colleagues’ probably meant to say is that they don’t doubt your words so much as they are perplexed that you didn’t bring such critical evidence in earlier when we first charged Kyuubi of the heinous crime,” Sarutobi diplomatically breeched. It was the first time he had spoken since his fellow councilmen had unceremoniously dethroned him from the final verdict.

 

He too had to admit to himself that he had been skeptical at first why a ‘Death Note’ would be given to someone outside the council. But he also staunchly believed that what Minato was pushing for was in the peoples’ best interest. This in turn had garnered him enemies, including those from the council, and had thereby been the reason he was assassinated. The fact that Minato couldn’t trust him with the precious ‘Death Note’ only confirmed his fears that he had allowed the council to make him a virtual pushover in his old age.

 

“The ‘Death Note’ had explicit instructions not to open until Kyuubi returned to us and was put on trial. Minato was afraid that this would happen and he wanted the evidence of his Guardian’s innocents to be fresh in everyone’s minds before he was sentenced,” Jiriaya explained, carefully.

 

“Well, we’ll need confirmation that it is real. It could be a forgery,” Danzo said resolutely, sitting down. He couldn’t believe that the blonde brat was making his life difficult even from the grave.

 

“I thought you would say as much. That’s why I made sure to wake up and have the inventor of the ‘Death Note’ system on a video conference call with us,” Jiraiya readily retorted. He then snapped his fingers so a large screen materialized in the middle of the room. “The inventing wizard, Chiyo, will confirm for all those in the court who doubt me when I say that what Tsunade holds in her hand is real.”

 

The large screen floating in midair suddenly turned on to show a tall, willowy, blonde wearing slim glasses, sucking on a lollipop while playing some type of online tactical videogame. His long locks were scraped back into a somewhat messy bun and his bangs were pinned back by so many hairpins. He seemed so focused  on playing the videogame that, even when he one-handedly peeled the other side of his men’s army green jumpsuit from his right arm to reveal a white wifebeater t-shirt, he didn’t realize that he had an audience. That was until the image of the council took up the rest of his television screen.

 

The blonde seemed irritated by the fact that his game was being interrupted by the video conference call. “Who the fuck is…” The blonde growled out, jabbing his lollipop at the television set, then stopped when he suddenly realized he recognized someone on the screen. “Oh, hello Kyuubi baby, I bet you don’t remember me, do you? Such a shame, un? ‘Cause I certainly remember you,” he said in a sultry timbre. Then remembering why they were there in the first place he turned his head to yell over his shoulder. “Hey Chiyo, you old crone! Get up. They are ready for you!”

 

The willowy blonde then let out a labored sigh of frustration and stood up when it looked like the old woman wasn’t coming fast enough. He tossed the videogame controller onto the sofa seeing it as a moot point to even hold it before leaving the viewing area of the video conference call. He returned shortly after, carrying a short, ancient woman back to the video conference window. She was protesting and flailing all the way before she was sat carefully on the sofa despite her unceremonious arrival.

 

“Now shut up you old bitty and tell the people what they want to know so I can get back to my game, un,” the blonde ordered, jabbing his hand at the screen. “Whatever game there is left to salvage now,” he muttered under his breath.

 

Chiyo looked scathingly at her grandson’s Guardian before sitting up properly to peer at the dumbstruck people in court. “Excuse me for Deidara’s rudeness. My grandson, Sasori, indulges the little twerp too much to actually discipline him,” she began in her gravelly voice. The small woman then shoved Deidara out of the screen before continuing. “Jiraiya, tell that slug woman of yours to put the crystal on the tray I’m sending to you,” she ordered just as the silver tray materialized in front of him.

 

“Mad you can’t age as gracefully as I have Chiyo?” questioned Tsunade as she looked sneeringly at the old woman. She delicately placed the pendant on the tray not surprised to see the tray disappear just as quickly with their precious evidence. She might hate the old woman but Jiraiya trusted the scientific wizard to be able to lay everyone’s fears to rest.

 

“Maybe if I sold my soul to the devil I could cheat fate too and remain young and beautiful but I chose not to be a parasite,” scuffed the old woman, waving off the buxom blonde. As soon as the tray materialized in front of Chiyo, the inventor held it between her thumb and index finger. She peered at it critically with her beady, little eyes before murmuring some small chant under her breath. Suddenly, in small script was written the name of the life that had been recorded, the keeper of the ‘Death Note’, and the instructions on when to use it. She nodded her head, clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth in approval before stepping from the screen to do another test to confirm its authenticity.

 

It seemed to barely take less than five minutes before she returned again and placed the crystal down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. “It is as Jiraiya says it is. I would bet my reputation on the fact that this is real. I’ll send Deidara now with the crystal so that he can start the hologram up. And I must admit I’m a bit curious to see how this turns out, so keep me posted,” she requested before the screen suddenly turned off and disappeared.

 

A few minutes later the blonde, named Deidara, walked through the mirror portal, rolling a machine in front of him. He was grumbling all the way; his men’s jumpsuit, with the logo ‘Red Sand’ and a red hourglass underneath, was now properly on his shoulders instead of hanging from his waist. He paused momentarily to look at Naruto and smirked. “You are already in trouble, un? You’re such a naughty boy,” he tsked, wagging his index finger. He couldn’t help but admit to himself that things had been boring without the reddish-blonde causing mischief.

 

“I’m sure if you can find a way to get me out of this situation then I’d be more than happy to show how much I appreciate it,” suggested Naruto in a seductive purr. He was now free from his bounds and standing beside Tsunade, who hearing her son, smacked his shoulder.

 

“Tease,” Deidara retorted over his shoulder even as he kept on moving. He smiled innocently at the ebony-haired little boy, who was glaring at him from his older brother’s clutches, recognizing him as the blonde’s new ball-and-chain. He could still fondly remember Kyuubi’s last master, Minato, at that tender age and would have politely dismissed the little twerp just as he had Minato except that something had given him cause to pause.

 

The demon’s once bored gaze took on a glimmer of alert excitement as gray orbs zeroed in on the edges of the mostly hidden mating mark on Sasuke’s neck. “Who gave that to you?” Deidara demanded, pointing his lollipop at the boy. He had already taken an unbidden step towards the child, abandoning his cart, when he noticed the older Uchiha drawing his brother closely to him while his Guardian shifted closer, as if to protect them both.

 

Sasuke sat up a bit straighter with his head held high, not realizing the possible danger in front of him because he was too focused on no longer being ignored. The ten-year-old knew he should have been appreciative of the old man and busty blonde crashing his Guardian’s hearing because they had evidence that would redeem Naruto. But the longer they stayed, the more irritated the small Uchiha became by the whole matter. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe his speech was earth-shattering but he had truly believed that it had been sufficient enough to sway the court to his and his demon’s favor.

 

All this time, since the gatecrashers arrival, he had been sitting limply in his Aniki’s arms as a brooding lump of flesh; he spent the time glaring daggers at the woman who had continued to straddle, hug and kiss what was rightfully his. And when he was prepared to struggle out of his brother’s vice-like grip and demand that the old hag get off of his demon, he found yet another rival blonde to contend with. The same blonde, who finally acknowledging his presence, was also the same who had flirted so shamelessly with his Naruto off and on the video conference call; blatantly flaunting the fact that he knew his demon longer and more intimately then he himself did.

 

So when Deidara rudely addressed Sasuke, the small Uchiha chose to ignore the fact that it was an order and not a request. He just slowly pulled to the side the collar of his pajama top so that anyone within viewing distance could see the three swirling tomoe marks encircled in a band of intricate lines. Puffing his small chest out, Sasuke felt very smug and validated by the fact that he owned Naruto’s ‘Demon’s Proposal’ when no one else did. “My Naruto gave me this mark and with this no one can come between us.” The small Uchiha declared proudly, daring anyone to say differently.

 

Deidara raised an eyebrow in amusement before turning his head to address his fellow demon. “Naruto, congratulatory drinks are in order after this for tying the knot, un?” the blonde said jokingly over his shoulder. He had once more dismissed the man child once he had gotten his information because Sasori’s Guardian was too preoccupied with the task at hand and the utter shock he felt at the idea of the fiendish creature finally settling down with anyone.

 

The jumpsuit­-wearing demon once more guided the bulky machine that he was carrying on a trolley, to stand in the middle of the room before he popped his cherry lollipop back into his mouth and got to work. Despite Deidara’s call for silence as he worked quickly and efficiently to activate the ‘Death Note’ hologram, all gathered around buzzed in excited, hushed tones at this new piece of controversial evidence.

 

The juries’ bitterness at being awakened at such an ungodly hour from their slumber was quickly dissolving as they realized that this could easily turn out to be a not so easily open-and-shut case. Their eyes once more stole lingering looks at the handsomely devious fiend then looked quickly away before he could freeze them with his cold, amber gaze.

 

Their voices grew a bit louder and a little bit bolder as the gossip mill continued to churn until the jury began to sound like a nest of angry bees instead of the distinguished body of Summoners that were to unfairly represent Naruto’s peers. Even the Council had turned their impressive mauve wing-backed chairs slightly so that they could give each other meaningful looks as one or another tried desperately to figure out when their deceased Kage no Ô decided that they were no longer trustworthy enough to be keeper of such delicate information and evidence.

 

 “I am so sorry …”

 

Those four, not-so-simple words accomplished what the banging of several gabbles and the irate cursing of Deidara could not; and that was utter and complete silence. Everybody stiffened as one as they finally heard the first words that streamed through the ‘Death Note’. That simple confession from the voice of their fallen leader carried such bone-tired weariness, pain, and regret that it fell heavily in the hearts of the many gathered.

 

Curiosity piqued, all shocked eyes turned as one to eye the blonde, who proudly patted himself on the back for getting the decade old piece of technology to work. Then their awestruck gazes flickered upward to the ten-foot hologram of the man that was so beloved by his people.

 

“Aniki…”

 

Iruka barely managed to choke the words out as he looked from his vantage point in the witness stand at the life-sized hologram of his adopted brother.  His eyes shimmered and burned with unshed tears that threatened to blur his vision until he roughly wiped them away with the back of his hand.

 

The hologram image flickered a few times before steadying as the old piece of technology stabilized itself. The frantic, thumping sound of Minato’s own dying heartbeat was soon heard as the spiritual energy coupled by his own pulse helped to activate the ‘Death Note’.

 

“I’m so sorry Iruka… I promised you I would take you to see your favorite baseball game but I guess… things changed,” confessed the hologram apologetically. He still managed to look fondly at where he believed his brother was with his crooked, whimsical smile.

 

The brunette instinctively moved so that he could stand in front of his brother so those eyes that could no longer see him could be directed towards him now. He appeared almost to age backwards before every ones’ eyes as they saw the trembling, helpless youth of yesteryears who was unsure of his place in the world, instead of the young but confident headmaster. The brunette trembled on the spot, wanting desperately to embrace the hologram but knowing somewhere in his troubled mind that he would only embrace air.

 

 “I… don’t… I wanted you. Not that stupid game… I…” Iruka began to argue brokenly. He quickly wiped his tears again with the back of his hand even as he was cut off.

 

“What kind of big brother am I? You are crying again, aren’t you?” questioned the hologram. “I wish I could wipe away your tears and tell you things will be okay… I… I… hated that I can’t even keep a simple promise like that for you… Not just that, I promised that I would protect you from losing anyone precious to you and here I am already hurting you with my death.

 

“I… I wished I had more time. I kn… knew this would happen… th… that I would become a martyr for my cause but I wa… wanted more time.” Teeth clenched so hard that jaw muscles fairly jumped as the blonde remembered himself long enough to try to restart things properly while displaying a fist showing his Kage no Ô signet ring for all to see.

 

“I, Minato Arashi NamikKaze, the fifth Kage no Ô of the Konoha Precinct, use the power of my current station to authenticate this ‘Death Note’. Let all in the Council recognize that these words are true and are not falsified by someone who is not me by the signet ring that I wear currently,” came the composed and melodious tone. It was a marvel how the man could find the strength in himself to speak intelligently and with such authority when his face was so etched with pain.

 

“I’m sorry to say that I did not get a good look at the killer because I was attacked from behind. The fact that I can access my ‘Death Note’ at this point in time lets me know that my fears are valid. I am dying with n… no real chance of recovery,” he breathed out. He had to squeeze his eyes close momentarily as the words began to sink in before he opened them again to push on.

 

“He did not kill me. I know the Council being the stubborn, pig-headed organization that it is, with its outdated beliefs and superstitions, will lay the blame heavily on Kyuubi for fear of exposing weakness in their own government system. I know all of you … I’ve worked with all of you and you will try to use my ‘Guardian’ as a scapegoat to put to rest the citizens fears before seeking the real killer out in the cloak of daggers and secrets you lovingly shroud everything in.

 

“I didn’t get a good look at the killer as I said before but I would know my Guardian from any line up or crowd. I do, however, know that my killer was a demon because of the inhuman way he moved and even though it was a glimpse, I’m pretty sure I saw red hair and unusually colored eyes. They seemed so cold and filled with a killing intent. He told me before stabbing me that… ‘That this moment is necessary to begin the Revolution,’ whatever that means. I’m sorry that is all I co… could give you,” he sighed out the last part in frustration. He then paused to sit up some from the slump position he lay in against something solid; but it was hard to tell since the ‘Death Note’ didn’t display inanimate objects.

 

Minato had started to wet his lips a bit with his tongue before continuing when he abruptly froze. The quiet that seemed to lie heavily over the courtroom like a heavy blanket ready to suffocate the occupants somehow intensified as all in the room waited expectantly for Minato to continue. But whatever made the Kage no Ô freeze like that and forget his recording seemed to be coming towards the blonde and fast by the way the sound of Minato’s heartbeat began to pick up. Then suddenly the courtroom heard the sound of a door slamming open before the sudden appearance of the accused killer.

 

The hologram Kyuubi moved so fast that one minute he was standing at the invisible door and the next he was wrapping strong, capable arms around the blonde. Back against what probably was the Kage no Ô’s desk, since they were in the study, the blonde fiend dragged the human closer to his chest. His hand pressed against the bleeding wound, hoping to staunch the blood even as he buried his face against the crook of the man’s neck.

 

Minato appeared to stay as still as he could; only moving one arm up so he could blindly pet Kyuubi’s bowed head. His other covering one of the arms already wrapped securely around his middle. It was obvious the kind ruler wanted to give his Guardian time to gather himself even as tears slowly ran down his own cheeks, ‘Death Note’ forgotten.

 

It was a minute or two before Kyuubi finally pulled his face from the man’s hair, lips brushing a kiss against the palm of the hand that tried to comfort him. He continued to cradle it, moving it to cup his own cheek even as he revealed eyes that brimmed with garnet tears. The blonde’s red-rimmed amber eyes seemed to stare for a lifetime at something that no one in the courtroom could see. Then he worked his jaw and allowed a crooked smile to smooth across those sinful lips and transform his face from one of anguish to that of cruel amusement.

 

“Do you think you can escape me that easily Minato?” snarled out Kyuubi harshly against his left ear. His voice was a husky, rich timbre that seemed to vibrate with his growing frustration and desperation as his clawed fingers nearly spasmed to clench tighter on what was rightfully his. It was clear that he was in pain, looking down at his blonde master even as he tenderly brushed his lips against the man’s temple.

 

His eyes were now hooded scarlet slits that looked intently at his silent master as he continued in a steady hiss. “I don’t care if you do die. It won’t keep me from you. You are Mine, damn it. Not even death will save you from me.” He was obviously frustrated at not just this situation but the way that Minato had remained quiet and mostly lifeless until now.

 

“Kyuuubi…” Minato finally began weakly as he tried his best to turn in his Guardian’s arms to look at the distraught, blonde fiend. But he only succeeded to turn his head weakly, each movement taxing.

 

“I’ve been in this body too many times. Nibbled on it, licked and stroked it; felt it’s velvety center wrapped around my cock like a fucking vice and you expect me, ME, to give you up because of some would-be assassin?” He paused to wait for a response that would never really be heard before he pushed on in his outrage.

 

“I’ll drag you to hell with me and damn your soul if it means that I can get just another taste,” he purred out dangerously, already plotting. It seemed that he could not hear or refused to hear the plea in his master’s voice as he continued on in his tirade. Kyuubi only stopped talking so he could re-position Minato more comfortably in his lap so he would be able to look at his possession better.

 

“I… It must be really hard for you to admit that you might actually like me… more than like me. You might even love me…” Minato began, pity and regret saturating his words.

 

“Humans use that word too carelessly. They love the taste of this or they love the look of that. Don’t be so surprise that I might doubt your sincerity,” Kyuubi replied dryly, making a wry face.

 

Although it was hard for the courtroom to not see that the demon felt something for the blonde human other than lust. Even if it was simply evidenced by the drying traces of scarlet tears that ran down his cheeks and creamy throat to disappear into a now ruined charcoal grey dress shirt. It was doubtful that until now anyone gathered there, who had seen the arrogant fiend in his past life, could ever believe or had ever seen the demon capable of such vulnerability and insecurity amidst all his angry declarations.

 

“I… it doesn’t matter I love you. I mean it… I love you with everything in me and I’m glad you were the found who found me in the end,” the dying blonde insisted, peering at his Guardian through heavy lids. He then suddenly jerked forward slightly to cough up a gob of blood onto the floor. His body only prevented from lying next to his own fluids by the arm that refused to let him go.

 

“Damn it Minato, don’t you dare leave me. I forbid it,” growled out Kyuubi, suddenly all gnashing, sharp teeth. He stood abruptly, cradling the blonde carefully in his arms even as he looked frantically for something to help him. He took a few steps forward and then paused, unsure of what to do.

 

“And I… I’m so glad we met. I tho… tho… thought I was going to be alone in the world but yo… you found me, you made me what I am today. I… I truly was afraid you really were going to ha… hate me up until… until the very end,” Minato continued laboriously. The words crackled at the end as he wheezed, unable to keep his breath for too long. His eyes remaining closed, his face twisted into a grimace after taxing his lungs so much.

 

“Fuck the sentimentality you aren’t going anywhere,” cursed Kyuubi. He paused to lean out what could have been the door, as if he would recall something out there that might help before he returned to his previous position. One handedly he shrugged off his suit jacket, holding Minato securely to his chest with his free arm before pressing the expensive fabric against the bloody wound that had spread despite his hand pressing against it to staunch the bleeding.

 

“I fe… feel so luc…ky just kno… knowing you,” Minato rasped out, before erupting into another fit of violent, bloody coughing.

 

“Minato,” Kyuubi hissed warningly. He was completely coming undone; worry clearly coloring his expression despite his best efforts even as he walked to the opposite side of the invisible room as if wondering how long it would take him to get to the hospital.

 

“You ca…can’t stop death,” Minato murmured mournfully as if he wished the demon could.

 

“Watch me,” snarled out Kyuubi resolutely, finally coming to a hard decision.

 

Before the blonde could question his demon’s words, fangs suddenly sank their way into the flesh of Minato’s neck. He then released just as suddenly as he had clamped on before he took a vicious bite of his own wrist and dribbled their combined blood against Minato’s neck “We share one heart, one soul, one destiny. You will die when I die and then not even death will part us for long.” He hissed the words out in a guttural tone, his body starting to glow with the power of his words. He repeated what seemed to be the same words in an ancient dialect long forgotten, the glow fading, before he began to delicately lap up the damage. He ended the cleaning process with licking the last traces on his healing wrist, forgotten blood dribbling a line down his chin.

 

Kyuubi then looked down at his master and began to softly call for Minato to open his eyes but the man looked so waxy and pale. The demon shook him gently and then shoke a bit more violently, calling for his master to “open his damn eyes” and still nothing. Kyuubi shook his head in denial even as his legs gave out under him. Scarlet tears starting again, he began to cover his master’s face in desperate kisses even as the Death Note hologram began to flicker as Minato’s heartbeat came further and further apart as it finally started to falter.

 

“Minato…. Minato please… I need you. Don’t you dare… Don’t you dare leave me when I… I…” Even now Kyuubi couldn’t say those three little words, instead the hologram pleaded to the seemingly lifeless form. His image flickered on and off like the flame of a candle in a gusty wind.

 

“Damn it… Damn that idiot. How could he do this to us? How could he…”  The voice asked tightly under his breath. It was so similar and yet so different from the frantic hologram demon that only the Guardians with their exceptional hearing could hear it in the courtroom.

 

They turned from the hologram to look at the reincarnated demon that had remained silent up until now. Some, like Kakashi, shifted closer to their unknowing Summoner’s, their weapons drawn in case of a possible attack. Tsunade, on the other hand, gasped and reached out for her son, who had been trembling violently. His garnet tears rolling down his cheeks, probably without him even knowing it. She would have wrapped her arms around him to comfort him but instead she jumped back defensively at the sound that abruptly burst from her son.

 

“EEEENNNNOOOOUUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!” The roar crawled out between lips that were already starting to curl up in disgust, revealing sharp canines. But before anyone could realize the danger they were in one of Naruto’s shadowy tails, which been slowly unfurling from his backside, whipped out to smash down against the ‘Death Note’ machine. A small crater formed where the sputtering hologram had resided and the wind from the collision had blown out the flames from the candelabras lighting the courtroom.

 

There was a pregnant pause that seemed to drag on for eternity in the darkness before two or more individuals began to scream and cry in panic. They were immediately hushed by their neighbors as the jurors and some of the councilmen began to shift uneasily in their chairs while their Guardians prepared themselves for a possible attack. No one tried to escape though, not yet anyway. They were frozen in fear like fainting goats, unable to fathom what the unstable demon might do next now that he was free and clearly wronged.

 

The air felt suffocating and tense especially now that their vision was reduced to the weak moonlight pouring in through the ceilings doomed window, creating a natural spotlight for the silhouetted demon. He was truly nightmarish with the light throwing half his body into shadow and the other half into relief, as he stood hunched over, hand over his eyes and shadow tails wreathing around him. The tails seemed clearly agitated as they twitched at any potential threat even as their master remained sightless. One or two occasionally snapped forward warningly when it looked like someone would try to flee from their seat.

 

Naruto took in a shuddering breath, nostrils flaring as he tried to calm down the need to rip away the dumbstruck faces that he knew were hidden within the darkness. They had truly fucked him over and part of him, a huge part of him, felt he had every right to just paint the room red with the human pollution in the courtroom.

 

‘How… in the hell did I allow myself to fall so hard?’ he thought then suddenly began to laugh mirthlessly. If he had remained docile and hadn’t taken the precaution to form his mating bond with the small Uchiha then he knew he would have surely died even before the court could’ve learned the truth. It was so fucking hilarious that everyone, including the man who had admitted that he had trusted his Aniki’s life to him up until his murder, seemed to be against his rebirth when clearly he had seemed to have done everything in his power to save his former master.

 

 ‘....he must have really loved him. My former self must have really loved him to do something so desperate… so stupid and forbidden… It goes against nature… against everything that I or the Shinigami belie—,’ he thought before suddenly straightening at his epiphany.

 

His hysterical laughter died at the realization of who was the true mastermind behind this never-ending night dragging out with unnecessary interrogations and an almost execution. He still didn’t rule out Danzo possibly killing that Minato guy but it wasn’t him that had let Ibiki and Anko in to interrogate him so thoroughly despite them saying it was on the mummified man’s orders.

 

The mastermind had been so utterly brilliant that if it wasn’t for the fact that Naruto was beyond frustratingly pissed, he would have actually tipped his hat to the arrogant bastard nearly succeeding in killing him. Instead he briskly wiped his tears away, his fingers conjuring up twin shadow katanas as his suit melded back to its previous Japanese inspired look. All the while a sneeringly, ruthless smile spread across his lips.    

 

“I have played around long enough with you human filth. Clearly the ‘Death Note’ should and has exonerated me of these unlawful charges and proven my innocence. But I know… Oh yes, I still know you meat puppets are too hell-bent on destroying me to clearly hear and Ebisu… You fucking, spineless bastard I know you are the one behind this goddamn night dragging out the way it did! You knew… you knew all along that he was still alive and yet you allowed them to take me through this song and dance because you wanted to know how,” he snarled out as he pointed one of his katanas at the already retreating Shinigami.

 

Many people, despite the growing threat in the middle of the room, turned to their neighbors, murmuring curiously why the demon would believe that Minato was still alive when he was obviously in his last moments on the ‘Death Note’. His pulse was getting weaker, not stronger.

 

Ebisu straightened, eyeing the mirror portal, longingly before he scowled and stood a bit straighter. “We do not appreciate demons interfering with souls that are destined to die,” Ebisu said waspishly but promptly. He pushed up his glasses with his middle finger, unconsciously flipping the demon off in his agitation.

 

He didn’t see any point in denying the fact that he had orchestrated tonight’s entertainment with well-placed words in Danzo’s and his cronies’ ears. Not when Naruto already knew what was going on even if the others hadn’t yet. ‘The less they know, the better,’ he thought prudently before speaking once more. “Besides… I despise you and your kind and if that means getting rid of one less parasite after wringing out the truth, then so be it.”

 

Naruto snorted, shaking his head in bemusement before he began to twirl his wicked blades around like they were mere batons as he began to warm himself up. “It seems obvious I’ll have to kill you and your little death buddies before I go looking for Minato. I don’t care what my past self was thinking. Minato still owes me his soul and I’m about to collect WITH INTEREST,” he snarled out, smiling now with all teeth.

 

“This is preposterous. A very well-known coroner, Haku had confirmed his death,” spluttered out Danzo going pale behind his bandages. He thought he was going to have a coronary with how everything seemed to explode in his face with the arrival of the cocky demon.

 

“I know Haku… I… maybe he’s different but my brother had suggested possibly using him in the school’s services…” trailed off Iruka feebly. He had never asked or seen his brother’s coroner but he had seen his brother’s lifeless body and there could be no way, no way at all that he was actually alive all this time without him knowing it somehow. ‘And if he is, why hadn’t he come back to me?’ he questioned, doubt filling his heart and mind.

 

“You actually used that traitor?” questioned the Shinigami, addressing Naruto and not Danzo as he narrowed his gaze. All thoughts of retreat were practically forgotten as he zeroed in on this new tidbit of information. It was a bit of a sore spot that such a talented death god had turned rogue to join one of the filthy parasites that their society despised so much.

 

“He has proven blindingly reliable throughout the centuries. Good at masking deaths, which really comes in handy since he was one of your brightest,” cooed Naruto triumphantly. “Want to know how I turned him, it was quite challenging,” he purred, licking his lips lasciviously. (3)

 

“I… I’ve gathered up enough information.” Ebisu spluttered out, flustered at the demon poking at a sore point, especially since Ebisu had been preparing to make Haku his successor.  “It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t attend your execution but maybe we’ll have better luck next time,” Ebisu offered briskly.

 

His body began the process of phasing out that it did when he first appeared in the dungeon at the school. But before he could complete the process his form abruptly solidified as he realized that the courtroom had been charmed so that the only way in or out was through the mirror portals or the double doors that Tsunade had burst through earlier. Grimacing, he calculated his closest exit before summoning his Scythe to block the shadow tail that was determined to pierce his heart.

 

“Like hell I’m going to let you escape without slacking my blood lust with spraying your entrails everywhere!” Naruto snarled out, his other shadow tail snapping forward to break one of five mirrors near him before beginning an onslaught of attacks so fast that most could only hear the sound of metal clinking against metal.

 

WHERE SASUKE IS NOW

 

Seeds of doubt had started to sprout everywhere at the interaction he saw between his hologram Guardian and his former master. He may have been ten but even he could see that in Naruto’s gruff way he had truly loved Minato, no matter how quickly he may have denied it. Unconsciously Sasuke fingered a strand of his ebony hair wondering insecurely if he should perhaps bleach his hair since his demon seemed to have an obvious preference for blondes.

 

‘So why did he choose me?’ he thought bitterly, nibbling worriedly at his bottom lip. He had thought that maybe their mating mark was predestined. That him summoning Naruto and Naruto choosing him wasn’t just some act of desperation and that the feelings of longing and acceptance he felt from his Guardian were real and not entirely products of the mating mark. But as he continued to watch his past Naruto and the present Naruto both coming undone as he had his little crisis, he didn’t really know what to believe anymore and that chilled him even more than the lights going out at his Guardian’s sudden attack.

 

“Shit!” Itachi cursed above Sasuke’s head as he drew closer to his demon even as the remnants of Naruto’s mirthless laughter died away. “He’s snap, hasn’t he?” The elder Uchiha son whispered softly to his Guardian even as waved his mother and uncle to stand closer to him and his little group.

 

“I think the reality of his betrayal was too much for him. They were going to kill him and now… now this…” Kisame trailed off as he readjusted his Samehada. He was alert and very worried by the outcome because even when he was battling Naruto, he hadn’t seen the blonde move so fast and that was without the assistance of twin blades.

 

“Wait! What’s happening? Why is he… is Naruto going to be okay?” Sasuke demanded his brother to answer him as he looked up at his Aniki. He had been too lost in his own self-pity to fully realize that his Guardian was hurting right now and needed him. But his demand for answers fell on deaf ears as the others prepared themselves to fight back in case things turned ugly.

 

BACK WITH NARUTO

 

Ebisu nimbly hopped from place to place as if he were following steps that only he and the demon in front of him knew. Occasionally his eyes would widen in surprise and he would barely dodge a tail coming from behind him but with the help of his scythe the Shinigami didn’t believe he was in any real danger.

“I’m going to fucking filet you, you cocky bastard,” howled out Naruto. He hated the fact that everyone had seen him at his most vulnerable even if it was a past life. Not only that, it really got under his skin that the Shinigami wasn’t taken his attacks or death threats seriously. It was as if Ebisu was just indulging the irate demon.

 

“Aren’t you forgetting your human and their family? Wouldn’t want one of your tails to accidentally attack them or my scythe to accidentally slip and lop something off, now would we?” mused Ebisu aloud. He spun elegantly around to kick away a shadow tail before he elbowed another that had threatened to curl around his neck like a noose. He didn’t like the fact that he was working up a sweat and was finding it less amusing and more tedious by the minute.

 

“You wouldn’t dare!” snarled out Naruto, narrowing his red-rimmed orbs. He would have spared his master a glance but he didn’t want for Ebisu to seize the opportunity to slip through one of the mirror portals. So relying on his bond letting him know that his master was anxious but safe, he quickly used his dexterity to break another mirror, diminishing the chances of escape.

 

Ebisu actually snorted as he adjusted his glasses once more even as he sidestepped one of the katanas that sliced a bit of his hair off. “It would be a pleasure to take away something that you find precious parasite. I doubted that the day would ever come and now… now that it has it would be a pity to waste it before you lost interest again,” he tsked thoughtfully. It had truly been fortuitous that he finally had something truly precious that would utterly cripple the fiend once it was gone.

 

Quickly, without a backwards glance, Naruto raised a shadow dome big enough to encompass not only the Umino and Uchiha group but also the jury. The frantic, panic screams that were heard as the shadow dome closed over their heads were quickly muffled as they were surrounded in the protective cocoon. They might not know it now but it was done for their own benefit to protect them from what was happening on the outside. He would have probably even encompassed the council in the dome as well if he hadn’t hated them and was close to running on empty.

 

 It was spite and the need for blood and revenge that pushed him on despite his body already flickering in and out just as badly as the hologram him had been moments ago. He had never received Minato’s soul at the end of their contract and had expended more energy than he even had, so the ability to maintain his demon body without reverting to his loathsome human one was becoming damn near impossible. If he didn’t watch himself he would even bypass the whole human transformation and go into complete hibernation. And that was what Ebisu was betting on.

 

 “Damn it all! I’ll kill you first before you put your fucking hands on what’s mine,” Naruto hissed. He put on a burst of speed even though his movements had already started to become sluggish with the gnawing of hunger that threatened to eat away at his sanity.

 

“Promises, promises,” Ebisu quipped. He darted towards a salvageable portal mirror before back stepping when a Katana sliced the air where he once stood. He frowned at the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood as the third of the five mirrors were destroyed.

 

“I will end you!” Naruto roared, blood red eyes greedily watching Ebisu’s every movement. He did not hesitate to leap onto the Councilmen’s bench, to follow the Shinigami, who had jumped up to the high perch like a nimble gazelle. Naruto was too focused on the task at hand to have opportunity to even think about how the council members scattered frantically around him.

 

Homura barely had time to pull Danzo from harm’s way as claws raked the place that Ebisu had stood just moments ago. The two old men were both now on the floor, their eyes staring up in terror at the rampaging demon who had torn half of the court apart without them fully realizing it. Danzo tried to sit up straighter, preparing to protest or give some lofty order to the demon but one look into those liquid red eyes, that had gone past caring and he quickly clamped his mouth closed.

 

 

The reddish-blonde demon would have continued in that way, destroying and harming indiscriminately until he could finally pin down the frustratingly taunting Shinigami, who anticipated his reckless plunge into bloodlust and madness; except there was one thing that suddenly froze him to the spot. His clawed fingers were inches away from a nameless councilmembers face, ready to rip back the flesh to slack his thirst, when his head jerked to the right to look at his dome of protection.

 

He whined piteously in the back of his throat like a freshly scolded puppy as he felt the pain and urgency of his Summoner calling him through their shared bond. He had only erected the stupid thing to protect his human and yet somehow Sasuke was injured. His beloved master was injured and ‘they would all pay,’ he thought as he quickly let the opaque dome fall to access the damage.

“Naruto…” Sasuke trailed off helplessly as he stumbled forward now that he could see again. His fingers were fairly embedded in the mating mark on his neck. The digits flexed, digging in deeper when those scarlet orbs finally fastened on him after the gatecrashers, the mechanic and the hologram had taken his demon’s complete attention in the courtroom. His small body had fairly burned with his jealousy at how many times they had touched or whispered intimate things to his Guardian while he had to sit passively in his brother’s arms. But now… now his demon finally acknowledged him and it made him lick his dry lips in anticipation despite the five points of pain.

 

“Pop-pet…” The reddish-blonde fiend murmured as reality finally crashed back down on him. It was barely a blink of an eye and suddenly Naruto was kneeling in front of Sasuke. One hand wrapped around his tiny waist to draw him closer while the other quickly yet carefully forced bloody fingers from his neck and away from his body as far as his master’s small arm would extend.

 

Throat rumbling with a growl he began to delicately clean up the mess his Poppet had made. The pink muscle slowly traced up each bloody line, circling the puncture marks, before stiffening the tip of his tongue to dig in enough to admonish his master’s rash actions while simultaneously savoring the metallic richness brought to his palate. He drank in the soft cry with a quiet smirk before completing latching his mouth against Sasuke’s mating mark and lapped hungrily at the child’s essence that only made him hunger for more after being denied so long.

 

Sasuke could feel his knees buckling at his insatiable demon’s hunger; his hand that wasn’t being held at arm’s length clenched, blunt nails digging against the fabric of Naruto’s back as he mewed for more. He had been waiting for this euphoric feeling, to be the only one in his demon’s world that was of importance.

 

Carefully, the blonde fiend managed to force his lips from the child’s neck before he fed too deeply, but that didn’t stop him from drawing his human pup even closer. His hand finally drew Sasuke’s palm to his lips, kissing the open palm before slowly drawing each digit into his mouth to clean. A sensual creature Naruto slowly pondered what it would be like when his Master was old enough to appreciate what these tiny gestures meant without the influence of the Demon’s Proposal. Would he still blush so innocently for him or would that slowly be lost as he matured into a more fuckable partner.

 

“Poppet… you didn’t have to do this,” he rasped out softly after he had deemed the child clean enough. His sharp gaze watched intently as his owner’s dilated pupils finally trained on him, tears starting to form in those big gray eyes.

 

“I couldn’t see you and you wouldn’t stop. I just… they would have taken you away again if they thought you were trying to kill them. They can’t have you again. Y… you belong to me,” Sasuke hiccupped, dissolving into tears not that he knew that his Guardian with safe with him now. The ten-year old was both emotionally and physically exhausted, so he couldn’t deal with the possible idea of losing his demon after such a hellish night.

 

“I would never leave you, you are mine Poppet. Mine,” Naruto softly cooed. ‘Why would I leave you when I haven’t even trained this body yet,’ he thought but didn’t admit it just yet. He just gently wiped away the tears, and kissed the child’s forehead to reassure him.

 

“And I… I’m not a mistake right? What we had… have…. You chose me over him on purpose, right?” Sasuke couldn’t help but hiccup. The doubt wouldn’t leave him until he knew that he was truly special to the demon. He didn’t care if it was the mating mark or what he truly felt, he just needed to know.

 

“I admit that our strong attraction and feelings for each other is because of the effects of the mating mark but it is only temporary. It only strongly amplifies dormant feelings that were always there. If I were to have bitten someone else there would have been no chance I would have bonded with them. What we have is one in a billion, Poppet. You are this sinner’s only saving grace.” Naruto insisted this fervently while still kneeling in front of his master. He needed for his human to understand that he didn’t chose recklessly without knowing for sure it was to his own benefit.

 

Sasuke didn’t realize what was happening until it was happening. One moment he was readying himself to reply, that he believed him and just wanted to go home and forget today, and the next Naruto had whipped them around, tearing a bloody strip down the Shinigami’s chest before drop-kicking him through the last remaining portal mirror with a snarl. His shoulder was torn and bleeding from where Ebisu had stabbed it with his scythe, knowing that the demon would use his body as a shield to protect his small master from impending danger even after being so thoroughly distracted.

 

Flesh and sinew were already slowly mending themselves together as Naruto fell down to one knee again and rested his forehead against the Uchiha’s thin chest as all his strength fled him to tend to his injuries. “No one can have or touch you but me,” he breathed out, relieved that he was able to protect his small human in time.

 

“I know, I know,” Sasuke agreed, his body almost seeming to fold protectively over Naruto as he fisted his hands against his demon’s back; lips pressed against the crown of his Guardian’s head. He wondered to himself when this nightmare would end even as he felt reassured by those strong, protective arms coiling around him once more. They had both almost completely forgotten that there were others in the room before one of the councilmembers finally pierced the silence.

 

“As… As much as we the council ha… hates to admit it.  You are right Kyuubi… I mean Naruto,” began Homura in a shaky voice.

 

“Yes, yes, I have to grudgingly admit that there is too much damning evidence given by our beloved, deceased leader for us to just kill you and buy your silence forever,” began Danzo diplomatically. The bit of his face that could be seen pass the bandages was very much displeased by the turn of events but he was anything if not a politician who could turn things around as if he was going to come to this conclusion anyway. “But… I have a feeling that you would take half if not all the courtroom down with you if it came to us disagreeing with you now. Am I right?” He smiled bitingly after he asked that question.

 

“Of course,” Naruto’s muffled reply came somewhere in the region Sasuke’s chest as he stubbornly refused to let go. A tired smile spread across his lips as he continued, “I will extinguish every last miserable life if it came to that.”

 

 “Congruent on all the evidence we have seen thus far we have found you, Naruto Uchiha innocent of man slaughter and conspiracy to overthrow in all degrees. How does the jury plea?” Sarutobi spoke in an authorities’ tone before Danzo could dig a hole for everyone present.

 

“Not Guilty!” the jury dutifully replied. They seemed more than relieved that they had not only been unharmed but was in actuality protected by the dome if the wreckage of the courtroom was any evidence of the fact. Their eagerness to leave was not only contagious but insisted upon as the strong desire to spread the news unfolding before their eyes of the Uchiha boy receiving a powerful demon and the confessional ‘Death Note’ took over.

 

“And the council so seconds this plea—” Sarutobi continued before Danzo eagerly interrupted.

 

“But…” Danzo superseded, jumping in before Sarutobi could completely dismiss the matter.

 

“But?” quipped Naruto, in dry amusement. He had finally lifted his head from his master’s chest only to settle his small human in his lap, as he sat facing the council, Indian style, on the floor. His movements were very sluggish but he was sure he could muster a shadow tail or two if the living mummy tried his nonexistent patience.

 

“Yes, but the council and I must also agree that Naruto, you are a very dangerous creature and a menace to society that must be restrained until a proper time when your master Sasuke can fully control you. You did just threaten our lives mere moments ago. You’re too volatile. So I suggest… no I order that Jiraiya bind your powers in such a way that he is in one-tenth of his power. O… only gaining one-tenth more each year the boy, Sasuke grows,” Danzo quickly formulated out loud. He could not trust that the demon wouldn’t somehow seek his revenge on the council and himself for being wrongfully imprisoned. If he had had his way Naruto would have been dead.

 

“Bastard, I won’t allow it. I’ll tear you limb from limb and keep you alive so you can see and I’ll enjoy every gory second of it you motherfucking mummy,” snarled out Naruto. He stumbled to his feet, setting Sasuke down only to sway slightly, teeth grinding down against a spasm of pain. Even with the energy boost from Sasuke it wasn’t enough to stop him from his impending transformation.

 

“Naruto please… for Sasuke’s sake, don’t tax yourself further,” Iruka insisted, practically running up to the agitated demon. The brunette hadn’t wanted to believe what he saw on the hologram but there was no reason for his Aniki lying to him and he still wanted… no needed to know what Naruto had meant earlier about his Aniki not being dead.

 

“For Sasuke’s sake? He questioned then snorted, stumbling forward before his legs nearly buckled under him. I wo… would never do to him what I did to your brother. From an objectionable position I can... I can see now that that decision was born out of emotional attachment and desperation. If he… I… If I hadn’t been so attached then I… I…” Naruto tripped over his words as he clutched his head, trying to stop himself from seeing double. 

 

“And what did you do that was so unforgivable?” Iruka insisted weakly, even as he watched Sasuke trying to support his unstable demon, while glaring at the headmaster for pushing his demon when he was already past the point of breaking.

 

“I turned him into a demon…” The blonde sighed this last confession out before collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion, a loathsome human.

 

To be continued…

 

A/N: Yeah, finally managed to power through it this time and what a doozy, ne? This will be the conclusion of what I now realize is a sumoning story arc. I didn't realize it went into arc-dom or however you may say it until I started to write the court scene and it was still the same day... so yeah. I hope you enjoy all the drama and mayhem and I look forward to your comments. So until next time, ja ne!

 

1. 
   – Tsunade and Naruto are not blood-related because, as I stated before, demons aren’t born they are made. So there can’t be any familial ties like mother and son but that doesn’t stop some demons from adopting each other as family. The only problem with that is that each time they are reborn they run the risk of forgetting each other and in the worst case scenario both forget and possibly become enemies for one reason or another.

 

2. 
   – I basically used the same crystal that Tsunade and later Naruto wears in the anime/manga. I thought it befitting and it is sort of reminiscent of Minority Report, with the name of the victim and whatnot etched onto an object that can be viewed, Star Wars with the hologram, and Kuroshitsuji with the a piece of jewelry representing the soul.

 

Death Note, as you can see is not from the anime/manga, it is a hologram will of a person’s last moments that can be access only when there is no chance of survival and the person wants to leave their dying words.

 

3. 
   – Haku seemed so innocent and makes the perfect double-agent. So in this story he is a former Shinigami who turned just like how Undertaker did in Kuroshitsuji. I think I mentioned this before but watching the anime really inspired me to write this story.