Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Wooo! New fic! I know what you're all thinking, oh great another thing she has to update and something we have to wait for...How awesome. And you're all right, it is awesome. So enjoy it. This is also slightly based on the plot of The Scorpion King, but there will be more twists and, of course, SasuNaru. So it'll be better and only have slight similarities throughout. so without further stalling... REGULAR PV**

The sun shone through the window, blindingly bright. Just like the hair of the boy it was shinning on. Said boy rolled over, sighing as he laid on his bed; he had been awake for an hour or so now but was enjoying his solitude, while it lasted. He knew that in a matter of moments his day would begin and he wouldn't get a break from the nagging, annoying people for many hours. He sat up in his bed, hating his life. He hadn't had a normal life since he was a child of five and though, he knew, many people were more than willing to give up their current living situations for everything he had. He wished the opposite. He would give anything, and he meant absolutely anything, for the life he had, for the people he knew, for the love he had felt.

" Master Naruto! It is time to get up." A woman called as she entered the room. Naruto sighed a little as he pushed the covers off of his frame. A group of women entered after the first, all of them chatting amongst themselves about how wonderful and important he was. It was like having his own worshipers…That were, at any moment, completely ready to stab him in the back. The only reason they waited on his hand and foot was because of his importance to the King. A man Naruto hated with every ounce of his being. " You have a very busy day today! The King has assured me of that and he wanted you to get the message, though I'm already pretty sure you already knew, isn't that right?"

Though Naruto heard the sting of sarcasm in her tone; she was right. There was a reason why he was such a prize, to anyone. He could see into the future, a trait he inherited from his mother, who had been a Sorceress. The Uzumaki clan had always been a prize and for those who succeeded in catching one, well, the spoils would go to them. Many very evil people had rose to people because of their fortune in catching one. Naruto was no exception. He had been taken from his family when he was just a small child by the very man who was housing him in such lavishness.

It wasn't as though he was taking it all in silence though, well not at first. He had run away plenty of times, only to be caught days later and then punished severely. Naruto had learned around the time of his eighth birthday that escape was far less than futile, it was impossible. So he kept silent for the most part, letting 'his' King rule him and use him as he pleased.

" Naruto." The blond turned his head towards the door, all of the women around him froze in their spots.

Speak of the Devil.

The King was named Danzo, an aging man who had been the top warrior and soldier in his prime. He was still a force to be reckoned with now, but not nearly as fearsome as he used to be. It had been rumored that he had killed the previous King, Sarutobi. The world had broken out into many wars and destruction since Danzo had become King and more than just the rebellion forces were suffering. Naruto knew that all too well from the many dreams he was having. All of this was killing him on the inside; he wondered how long he could keep hold on himself before Danzo stole that from him too.

" You, wenches." He commanded, his voice was rough with age and even though one of his eyes were covered up, the other could glare just fine. All the women were shaking with slight fear from just hearing his voice. Naruto wanted to roll his eyes, at least they didn't have to spend all day with him. " I want Naruto ready in no more than one hour. If you do not succeed in doing so, I'll see to it that all of your loose something very precious to you. And I do assure you, it will be something you will miss."

The door was slammed shut behind him and all the women suddenly sprang to life. Many of them pulling at his clothing as they led him into the bathing room. It hadn't been the first time Danzo had threatened this and it most assuredly wouldn't be the last, but it was terrifying no matter what.

He was stripped down in a matter of seconds and was forced into a large tub, the cold tile made him shiver. The women didn't look to sympathetic, they never did. Nothing of Naruto's was on the line so why should they care about him? A woman stepped towards the tub, opening her mouth and letting water flow into the tub. Naruto had always found that practice disgusting but after so many years of seeing it, he had come to realize it was part of life. The woman was a water conjurer, someone who had completely control over the element. In fact most of these women had some kind of conjuring skill. Like the one he was staring at, she was a fire conjurer and was incharge of heating up his water. He gave her a sideways look and she walked over to a large pipe. She breathed into it, making the connecting pipes shake with the heat being forced through them.

The fire reached the tub and started to heat up the water. He signaled for the woman to stop when steam rose from the surface, caressing his face as it passed up through the air before disappearing. He wished very much to do the same but knew thoughts like that bred nothing but hope, something he gave up on a long time ago.

The women were washing him in silence. He remember all the times he had protested about them doing it, screaming and thrashing around about how he could easily do it all himself but Danzo had 'convinced' him otherwise and ever since then, he just let them do as they pleased. A hand went into his hair, rubbing the sweet smell soaps and oils into his scalp. He closed his eyes, letting the sensation take over.

A sense of uneasiness came over him then, making fear settle in his stomach. He reopened his eyes and saw a woman leaping at him with a poison tipped blade, he screamed a little pulling his arms up by his face. He noticed that there were no soaps in his hair and that the tub had been drained which meant one thing. This moment hadn't happened yet.

Naruto blinked, finding that he had slipped under the water to wash out all the soaps and oils on his skin. He shot up instantly, taking a deep breath when he hit the surface. The women around him stopped what they were doing, a worried look coming onto their faces as Naruto clutched his chest and looked around. The woman who was going to attack him was the only one who didn't seem concerned. Her brown eyes shone with something he had seen plenty of times, hatred. Her purple hair fell over her eyes as she reached down into the folds of her dress, pulling the dagger from the compartment on her leg. Naruto saw this move and jumped out of the tub as the dagger went flying at the spot he used to be. The woman who had been sitting behind Naruto gasped as she reached up, feeling the blade in her chest. She reached up, gripping the handle but before she could pull it out, fell to the side, dead.

" Damn you. Why won't you just accept your fate and die? The world would be right once more if your blood is spilled onto the Earth!" She screamed at Naruto, she moved over to the dead body, all the women screaming bloody murder as she approached them. She tugged the dagger out, aiming it in Naruto's direction, she tossed it as though it was second nature. Naruto knew then that she was one of the assassins from the rebel forces; he had been hounded by them since Danzo captured him. Which had been almost thirteen years ago.

Naruto was too petrified to move but three guards came running in. One of them moving in front of the blond and catching the dagger in between two fingers as the woman was tackled to the ground by the two other guards. She was cursing and thrashing underneath the strong men. They pulled her to her feet as Danzo entered the room, clapping a little.

" Impressive." He said walking up to the woman, grabbing her face and squeezing it between his pointer and thumb. She grunted a little but then screamed in agony as the sick crunching of bone could be heard. " I knew one of you rats slipped in, but I didn't know that they were sending a woman. Ha, that's quite a new trick…Take her to the dungeon, tomorrow she will beheaded in front of the entire village. We know that there are more hiding amongst us, maybe your death will scare out a few rats…" Danzo laughed then as she was dragged out of the room. He glanced over at Naruto, who was hiding his body with a small robe a guard had thrown to him. It barely covered his manhood and showed a good bit of thigh. " Are you alright, my precious?"

Naruto glanced up at him and started to laugh a little. " Oh yes, I was almost murdered by someone you knew was here and did nothing to stop until it was almost too late, making me believe that I'm really nothing more than a toy for you. But, you know, other than that, I'm completely fine!" He glared at the man before him and Danzo just shook his head as he walked up to the blond. He placed his hand on the blond's thigh making shivers of disgust shoot up his spine.

" Ha, need I remind you again of your fate? After you've helped me take over the world and assure me my throne, I will make you my wife. You will be the most powerful person because I will be at your beck and call; that's the love I show you, real love. Don't forget it." Danzo turned away from the blond and looked at the women who were cowering, still sitting on the ground next to the tub. " You, wenches, get up and have some dignity. Finish your preparations with Naruto, you still have twenty minutes." The women bolted up from their places, pulling Naruto into his bedroom. He glanced back at the remaining guard who was looking over the fallen woman. " Summon the Undertaker, he'll have this place cleaned in no time."

" Yes My Lord." He said but the man faltered, falling to the side. Danzo looked down at him, noting that his eyes were bloodshot and bulging from his skull. The dagger that woman had was poisoned. He shook his head a little. The rebel forces were getting more and more crafty.

" Uh, I always have to do everything myself." He muttered under his breath as he left the room to go and find the Undertaker. That man was going to have a very busy day.  
>-<p>

It was loud, extremely loud. Itachi sighed a little, leaning around a tree, spotting a drunk guard taking a piss in the middle of the forest. He figured this was why there was almost no Barbarians left in the world. They were all too stupid, having lavish parties that attracted anything within a few miles to their location; though he couldn't really think of it that way since they had managed to capture his little brother.

Itachi could only surmise it was because Sasuke had been sleeping or doing something that normally wouldn't hinder his ability to fight, he was an Uchiha after all. One of the few remaining demons in the entire world, so he was a very prized person at the moment, especially after death.

Three generations ago there had been a rumor spread throughout the world that killing and eating a demon meant gaining their powers. It was only slightly partially true, eating demons did make humans more powerful…If they survived the poisonous flesh. Some did, but most suffered the affects of the toxic skin and meat; dying, usually, in a puddle of their own vomit and blood. They would be dead within seconds of ingestion but the pain was still terrible. The survivors were able to pass their powers down to their children, making almost every clan of humans able to use magic. A extremely troubling prospect for demons since the powers gained only made them that much more valuable to hunt.

Itachi shook his head of those thoughts, this was not the time to think about his slight disdain he had for humans. The practice of eating demons was nearly nonexistent now due to the fact that most demons were dead or in hiding, except, of course, for the useful ones like dragons. They were practically livestock now.

The Uchiha stepped silently, his movements lightning fast as he pulled a dagger from his cloak and slit the guard's throat. He instantly attached his lips to the dripping neck, sucking the very blood from his veins. There were two reasons for doing this, one was so he wouldn't leave any suspicious evidence that would alert more guards and the second was because he needed it to live. He was constantly being mistaken for a vampire but it wasn't just the blood he was removing, but the very life force. The souls of humans helped refuel a demon's powers, especially if they were injured or about to die.

He gripped the throat with his teeth, chewing it up and sucking up the pulpy mess his teeth were creating. He felt the man's heart slowing, and could taste the alcohol in his veins, it was making him slightly buzzed. He pulled back when his heart stopped and put his mouth on top of the man's, the soul always came out of there. He sucked and a burst of power filled Itachi, making him smirk as he pulled the dead body off into the woods where it wouldn't noticed. He knew that the scavenger animals would be upon it soon.

He moved swiftly, there had only been that one guard and Itachi shook his head. That was definitely another reason why these people were morons. They had no defense. He approached the large hunting cabin, seeing it decorated with many different bones and pelts and deciding that the best way in was probably the roof. He jumped up, landing silently, not even crunching the snow under his boots. He smirked a little as he strode across, smelling the air as he went. The air was thick with fire and smoke, no doubt that it was meant to be a cooking fire. He got on his knees and bent over the roof, looking into one of the many windows of the cabin. And sure enough he saw his little brother, sealed to a cross. He was smirking madly at the extensively frustrated human before him. Itachi had no doubt that Sasuke was mentally taunting and goading the man. Sasuke seemed as though he had a plan and Itachi thought that maybe following after him was a wasted venture.

But his thoughts were instantly taken away from that when Sasuke screamed out in pain, bringing many cheers and applause from the crowd. It didn't surprise Itachi anymore to think Sasuke had been beaten by this bunch of idiots, they weren't Barbarians, they were Rogue Priests, holy beings that had abandoned their posts in temples to live a life of demon slaying and purging, which meant that they weren't going to eat Sasuke, they were trying to cleanse him.

Itachi knew if he didn't act fast, Sasuke was a goner. He flipped into the window, breaking the glass but no one noticed because of the cheering and blaring of instruments. He was easily able to slink his way across the room towards his brother, who could instantly tell Itachi had arrived. He gave no indication though, the last thing they needed was Itachi's position to be given away. Some of the more skilled Priests were noticing Itachi's presence and he grabbed an seal releasing dagger. He tossed it, moving positions and throwing another, and repeating the process so there were five daggers flying through the room. It was to confuse his enemies and had worked, all of them were freaking out, hitting and running into each other as they attempted to flee.

Sasuke felt the daggers break the seal and he fell to his feet, thankful to no longer be crucified. It would have been an extremely long, painful process to be burned to death. He smirked a little as the Priests surrounding him stepped back, the fear leaking into their features. Sasuke closed his eyes and opened his hand, his sword removed itself from the wall, a trophy wall he assumed, and made its way back to him. He pulled it from its sheath, staring at the amount of enemies behind him and how many were trying to escape. He smirked. No one messes with the Uchiha clan.

Itachi was beheading countless Priests, spilling their blood on the floor and the walls. The scent reached Sasuke's nose and he felt something in the pit of his stomach, hunger. He growled lowly in his throat as he rampaged into the group of Priests; they shrieked with terrors as their throats were slashed and ripped out. Sasuke drank up the blood; it was now staining his clothes making the already black cloth seem even darker. He took a deep breath through his nose, pulling some of the humans' souls from their bodies. Most of the faces were frozen in a silent scream. Sasuke felt a presence behind him and did a flip over the person, knocking them to the floor but they managed to catch themselves. He stood up, smirking as he pulled out a pair of scimitars. Sasuke raised his eyebrow in amusement and shook the blood from his sword, splashing it on the ground by his feet.

The man charged Sasuke but the demon was too fast, moving around the man and driving his blade into his chest. He dropped his scimitars on the ground as Sasuke pulled the blade out of him. A pool of crimson mess formed around him and the Uchiha looked up to an inside balcony. Itachi killed man after man, all the women and children had already fled in fear. Itachi grabbed one of the men and took a deep breath, letting it out as a giant fireball. The man screamed in agony as his body was enveloped with flames and fell off the balcony, catching tapestry and curtains on fire.

Itachi jumped down, the place was going up fast since it was made of dry wood. He grabbed Sasuke's arm, both of them running out of the cabin and into the snowy mountains. They ran through the forest, moving more silently than the wind as the crunching of snow was muffled by the intense blaze of the fire.

They got to the edge of a cliff and the two of them let their wings fly out from their spines as they jumped off. They were in free fall for a moment as they went head first towards the ground. Sasuke's bat-like wings spread then, catching the air underneath them and holding him up in the air, allowing him to control how quickly he descended. Itachi did the same, letting his black, feathered wings to flap as he floated there. It was definitely a good thing they had both drank human blood today.

Slowly they descended to the ground. The snow was falling gently around them, causing the odd stillness as they moved towards the road. Sasuke was leading his brother a little but that gave Itachi an opening. He pulled his fist back and punched Sasuke in the back of the head, making him stumble forward. " Hn. Do you know how worried I was about you?" Itachi asked as he glared a little as his brother. " I thought you were going to be eaten."

" Ha! We both know if that were to happen my body would kill everyone. I'm rotten to the core, remember?" Itachi rolled his eyes but he was happy Sasuke was safe. His little brother was the only thing left of his family.

" Hn. Whatever. Be grateful we have the same parents. Otherwise I would have left you there to die." Itachi muttered as he stopped at a sign telling them which town was in which direction and how long it would take to get there. He spotted that Suna was forty miles west and sighed a little. It was going to be a long trip. Itachi took off into the direction the sign pointed, Sasuke following very close on his heels.  
>-<p>

Naruto's breath hitched as he felt hands all over his body. They were soft, silky even as they ran down his stomach, followed by his lips. Naruto had never met anyone who had treated his body so kindly. He shivered with desire but he noticed then that the edges around his eyes were blurry, signaling that this had been something yet to pass.

There was a smirk on his lips and Naruto was confused by this moment. He had never met his man before and what was even more strange was that his face was suddenly blurred, so he could make it out.

He needed something to remember this man, a tell so he could identify him later. Naruto breathed through his nose and the strong scent musty scent of cinnamon and sex hung in the air. But he could tell that this man was practically bathed in it; it was his smell. Naruto felt himself get more aroused. Something about him was just so...Alluring...He couldn't help himself around him.

Though his face was smeared in gray shadows, Naruto could make out the outline of his body. Spiked hair, jet black most likely. His skin was pale, lean with muscle definition. But his smirk stood out, his white shinning teeth almost taunting him with their cockiness. He always wanted to punch the bastard and then apologize by kissing him deeply and letting the man have his way with him.

Naruto felt himself getting flustered with embarrassment as he thought of willing giving himself over to another man. Danzo would have both of their heads if that happened...Maybe he should try. It would definitely stick something in the old bastards craw. He smiled wickedly to himself but a shock of pleasure went down his spine making his focus shift back to the man above him, smirking so wildly.

He felt a word forming on his lips as he was pulled back into reality. " Sasuke." Naruto knew that definitely wasn't a word, it was a name, which meant that 'Sasuke' must have been this mysterious man's name. It was certainly one he had never heard before, but something about it made his heart almost swoon. This man was going to play an important part in Naruto's life, he could feel it.

" Naruto." The blond snapped out of his moment as he looked over at Danzo. The man was staring at him with impatient eyes and the blond almost wanted to laugh a little. " I've been trying to reach you for five minutes, what did you see when you looked into the future." Naruto thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't flustered by the bit of future he had seen, it wouldn't have been the greatest thing to try to explain to the King.

That's the one thing Naruto hated most about his powers. Depending on the day, he may not get any relevant information at all, and some other days he would get too much. There was never a healthy balance since he never had the time to actually sit down and train himself to control the gift he was given. It annoyed him to no end. And then Danzo would get mad if he said he could see anything, it wasn't his fault his power was so wishy-washy. If anything it was the King's fault for taking him from his parents. He blinked a little, before going off on his mental tangent he had seen what Danzo had wanted, even if it was brief part of it.

" The rebels' forces in the South and waning...They're retreating into the Kuro Mountains and since they know the paths better than your soldiers they're hoping to make an escape and keep themselves from loosing anymore of their people. It is mostly women and children, most of the men who had been following are dead. I believe chasing them any farther is pointless." Naruto said and Danzo nodded.

" You're right. The women and children are pointless to chase, most of them can't fight and it would be too much of a slaughter for my men. They may even be slightly disheartened by it." Danzo muttered and a ray of hope brighten Naruto's eyes; this was probably the first time the man had ever agreed with him on tactical issues. " And they could be put to better use elsewhere. Commander, send a message to the troops to head out to the East to help the others who are controlling the rebel internment camps."

Naruto's heart sank a little. The internment camps were terrible, awful places to live and he knew that more soldiers there would only mean more problems for the prisoners. Even if they were trying to kill him, he couldn't help but feel as though they didn't deserve all of this torture. He looked down a little as Danzo petted his cheek as if he was nothing more than a dog.

" You've done well and that's all I ask of you today. Go back to your room, the Undertaker has already taken care of the mess. I saw to it personally." Naruto nodded his head, getting up from his position next to the throne and heading towards his room, two guards following after him. He didn't see the point of them escorting him, it wasn't like he was trying to escape anymore.  
>-<p>

Itachi and Sasuke finally arrived in Suna. It had taken them well into the next day, the light pink sky was beautiful at this time of the morning but their bodies were exhausted from the long travel. Even if they had injested the blood and souls of humans a few hours back, the effects would only last so long. Itachi sighed as he reached one of the rebel force's camps. The tents were starting to buzz with life as everyone started their day and when one of the women saw the two brothers, she knew immediately what she needed to do.

The camp was bathed in rich yellow light as the sun started to peak behind the mountains of sand and desert. A red headed man stood in the middle of the camp, by a makeshift throne, watching as the sun finally arose from the ground. He looked very at ease even though both Sasuke and Itachi knew he was carrying most of the world on his shoulders.

He looked back, smiling at the two Uchiha. Both of them bowed to him a little before standing at ease, waiting for whatever he had to say to them, but after a few moments of silence passed between them, Itachi cleared his throat a little. " Gaara, I've been wondering what you called us for. It has been a while since we've been here and it has taken ever longer for us to return because of...unforeseen circumstances..." Itachi gave a pointed glance towards Sasuke, who was just smirking a little, slightly amused by his brother. " So, forgive our absence and tardiness."

" Of course. The most important thing is that you're here now. Anko, a spy we sent in a couple weeks ago, has been captured and more than likely executed by Danzo, the dreaded King. Though we mourn her loss, we were able to get far more information about the Uzumaki he has under his care. We even know what he looks like, assuredly now. That's why I want one of you to go in and find him while the other goes to help Pein on the battlefield. There really are two options here; spilling his blond or kidnapping him so we can have him in a safe place. Anko may have chose to try and kill him but it may be just easier to persuade him into leaving with you. We have no doubts that he wouldn't willingly come to us if we offered him sanctuary." Gaara paused a little, looking over both of the demons in front of him, almost as though he was sizing them up. " And since Pein has given me these orders specifically for one of you, I have no doubt that you, Sasuke, can handle this yourself."

" Me?" Sasuke muttered looking almost dumbstruck at the prospect. Itachi smirked a little to himself, he doubted Gaara had made this call himself. Pein was a very crafty, horny man and he had known for a long time that the second in command of the rebel forces always had a thing for him.

" Do you doubt your abilities Sasuke?" Gaara asked. Sasuke knew the red head was playing dirty; hitting him in his ego was probably one of his best motivators, plus he had to make himself look better after the whole priest incident. Kidnapping him while he was sleeping, that was low blow.

" No. I don't doubt them at all. I will remove this boy out of Danzo's hands or he will die by my blade. I will not allow Danzo to have such a powerful person with him any longer. I do no wish for more innocent lives to be taken by this...Mad man..."

" Good to hear." Gaara tossed Sasuke a scroll. " This contains all the information you'll need to know about this...Uzumaki Naruto. It even tells you what room in the palace he stays in. You have a week Sasuke, to retrieve or kill him. If you're to die or fail, we will know that this venture is impossible." He paused then, looking at Sasuke nervously. But the Uchiha didn't seem phased at all by the thought of his own death. " My faith is with you." Gaara added, walking over to the younger Uchiha and kissing him on the cheeks. Sasuke kissed back and nodded his appreciation. " But before you go, go and rest up. It will be a long and testing journey."

Sasuke nodded, waving as he wandered back into the camp, looking for a place where he could sleep and then get a nice hot meal. Itachi was silent as he stood with the red head, looking into the sky as the sun rose even higher. The heat was starting to come and it would be suffocating soon which means Itachi would want to sleep through it, so he had to make this quick.

" Has Pein heard anything from the Commander?" Itachi asked and Gaara shook his head.

" No. We haven't heard a single word since he went to infiltrate Danzo's palace...He assumes that the Commander is dead, but is still very hopeful that isn't the case. We all have hope alive in our hearts, don't we Itachi?" The Uchiha nodded and said his farewells to Gaara, weaving his ways through the camp to find Sasuke and a place to sleep off his exhaustion.  
>-<p>

**And that's where I'm ending it.  
>Naruto: Not too bad for a first chapter.<br>Me: What you're actually supporting my work now? WHO ARE YOU  
>Sasuke: Shh! I hypnotized him into liking your work so he'll be more willing to do the yaoi and drama stuff.<br>Me: ...WAY TO GO SASUKE! -high fives- Have I told you recently that I love you?  
>Sasuke: You can stand to mention it more. This was Hitoko-sama.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay, another chapter for my lovely fans…You're lucky I love you guys so much because I should be reading Jane Eyre right now…Hehe. Anyway, REGULAR PV. I hope you enjoy.  
>-<strong>

A picture in his head stood out and Naruto closed his eyes. Everything seemed to be far more in focus when there was dark background surrounding his visions. There were thick forests surrounding this palace so when he saw vast areas of sand and towering mountains, he knew the area to be Suna, the land where rebels' main camp resided. He had never given that information to Danzo because the rebellion was the only thing left keeping Danzo on his toes. And even though they were trying to kill him, Naruto decided to let them live so they could fight Danzo on every turn.

He saw a blur in the middle of his vision and continued to watch the blur as it raced across the sand. After a few more seconds of observation he saw that it wasn't just a blur, it was a man. He was wearing a black hood that covered his face but suddenly a strong breeze blew and the hood fell down around his shoulders, revealing the same jet black spikes from Naruto's earlier vision. So this Sasuke person was going to be on the move, but to where, Naruto didn't know. All he could tell from this vision was that Sasuke was a member of the rebel forces and he was still as mysterious as his earlier vision.

Naruto opened his eyes as he stared up blankly at the ceiling. He never thought that a rebel would get so close to him, especially enough to make love to him. It was more than obvious that this Sasuke was very much different than the other rebels he had encountered. He sat up on his bed and glanced over at the door. It was shut but he knew that two guards were sitting outside, it was more than annoying. He couldn't even slip out of his room without anyone noticing.

He shook his head and focused his mind again. He wished that he had more than just the gift of foresight, it would be interesting to look into the past of this Sasuke and find out more about him, though Naruto felt that he would know very much about this mysterious man very soon. From the direction he was heading and from what he knew about the rebels, it seemed as though he was heading towards Kohona. Was Sasuke being sent to assassinate him? And if he was, what series of events would lead up to them having sex? Naruto frowned as he broke his concentration. It was exceedingly difficult to see into the future when he was constantly distracted by this mysterious Sasuke.

Naruto blinked a little. If Sasuke was part of the rebel forces, wasn't he a demon then? Most of the rebels were demons or of some kind of magical background. The blond rolled his eyes a little. He always had the best luck; and sleeping with a demon who was more than likely going to try to kill him during their first meeting was more than proof of that.

A knock at the door pulled Naruto out of his reprieve and he made a noise of acknowledgement. The door was opened as a red haired woman entered the room, both the guards following her as she presented Naruto with his meal for the afternoon. Naruto knew her to be a prisoner, one that was up for the executioners block, but instead of death, she chose to be his food taster. She hadn't been the first, of course. He had lost many a food taster over the years because of the rebels and this time, he hadn't even bothered to learn the woman's name since it was more than likely she was to die as well. Though, so far things had been fine. It had almost been nearly six months since someone had tried to poison his food.

Naruto watched as the woman took a spoonful of the soup on the tray and the same unease came over him, making his eyes wide as a flash of his food taster's lifeless corpse on the floor. Her eyes were bulging as she writhed on the floor, vomiting up blood. He slapped the tray out of her hands and she looked up at him with a look of wonder but it was already too late, she had taken a bite of it. She instantly seized her throat, falling forward onto the floor and started vomiting. One of the guards grabbed Naruto and took him out of the room as the other ran out to find Danzo.

After a few minutes, said King appeared, taking the shaken blond from the guard's arms and pulling him into his own. " What's happened?" Danzo asked looking at his two guards, both of them looked at each other.

" Naruto's food taster is dead. He got a vision as soon as she ate the soup and tried to save her, but it was too late, she had already ingested the poison." One of them said, glancing over his shoulder into the room behind him. The woman was laying in a pool of blood and vomit and the smell was already starting to radiate from the room.

Danzo looked down at Naruto, who's small frame was shaking with sobs. Even though Naruto had distanced himself from this food taster, he still couldn't help but cry. Danzo couldn't help but feel aroused by the vulnerability he was seeing from Naruto. Usually the blond was slightly abrasive and almost cold towards him but during times like this, Danzo was reminded that Naruto's shell was so easily broken down. It was that vulnerability that allured Danzo to Naruto, even when he was child, he couldn't resist it.

He petted the blond's head as he wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulder and started to head him towards his own room. One of the guards made a noise and Danzo turned to glare at them. " Um, my King, do you wish for one of us to summon the Undertaker and the other to accompany Naruto?"

" Yes, I still have work to attend to. Take him to my quarters." One of the guards stepped forward and grabbed Naruto's shoulder gently as he led Naruto to Danzo's room. The King stood out in the hallway with the other guard and the man noticed how lustfully Danzo watched Naruto. The man felt slightly disturbed and turned to go to the chambers of the Undertaker when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Danzo's and the guard felt his heart race as he spun around and stared his King in the face. " I have some things I need to discuss with the Undertaker, so don't bother, I'll find him. Go and attend to Naruto." The guard nodded as he bowed to Danzo and took his leave of the King.

Danzo smirked at the guard who had just left his side. Even though he wasn't in the prime of his fighting career, he was still able to strike fear in the hearts of even his well trained body guards. He turned away from the man and started down the hall. He had yet to go see the Undertaker and he wanted very much to know the source of the poison on the dagger that woman attempted to kill Naruto with. If he knew the origin then he would be able to track it down to the source, which meant he would find that last few patches of the rebels.

It wasn't as though Danzo hated demons, quite the contrary, he found them to be very useful. Their strength, their speed, their bloodlust; it made them perfect soldiers. And not only that, but when they were ingested, they could make a human extremely powerful. And since the demon's flesh could weed out the unworthy, it only left the strong humans which would build even stronger armies.

Which was why he wanted to find the rebel forces and gain the means to control them. If he possessed all their powerful demons and was able to convert them into soldier or sell off their meat to strengthen his previous armies, he would be unstoppable.

And there would be no one to get in the way of his marriage to Naruto; the blond was of marrying age now and Danzo wanted him almost more than he wanted to control the demons. But the rebels kept getting in the way, making Naruto act more coldly towards him even though he was trying his damnedest to protect him. Danzo knew it didn't matter much though, he could easily force Naruto to marry him since there was no way he could say 'no' to him. He provided the child with everything he could ever want; Naruto was more than obliged to agree.

He approached a door at the end of the hall and knocked on it twice. The door swung open as a massive explosion ripped through the air. Waves of purple smoke came pouring out into the hallway as a wickedly excited laugh followed behind it. Danzo grit his teeth as he entered the room, coughing as the smoke burned his lungs and slightly blinded his only working eye. The laughter continued as the smoke cleared revealing the Undertaker.

He was a tall man with strikingly crimson hair; he was well built and when he wasn't wearing his large black over coat, one could clearly see the definition of his muscles. Danzo had originally thought this man had come to be a soldier when he arrived at the castle, but when he requested to be the Undertaker, the King was almost at a loss for words. His last Undertaker had been an old, hardened man, with no defining characteristics. But the current one was young, graceful, though extremely odd and almost seemingly incompetent.

The man turned, still chuckling slightly to himself, his red hair falling over his shoulders as he turned to look at the King. The Undertaker had been working here for about a year now and during that entire time, Danzo hadn't once seen his eyes; his bangs always fell right over them.

" Oh! Danzo, it's you. I half expected a ghost." He replied with a cheeky smile. The King looked over at what the Undertaker was doing and sighed a little. He hadn't finished testing the poison. " What an intense look you're giving me right now, you must not be please. What's on your mind, My King?"

" Kyuubi…You haven't tested the poison samples, have you?" Danzo asked, his brow twitching with anger. The red head looked deeply in thought for a moment, even going so far as to rub his chin.

" Hm…Poison, you say?" He mused looking around his work bench. He grabbed a dagger and saw a solitary drip of clear liquid fall onto the wood. " Nope, don't believe I have."

Danzo slapped his forehead with a sigh. This man may have been one of the best Undertakers he had ever had, but when he asked Kyuubi to do simple tests, he seemed to be at a loss or didn't remember the request. " Do it now Kyuubi, right now."

The red head shrugged and grabbed the hilt of the dagger. More poison came springing to the tip and dripping out from it. " How clever, a button that releases more poison. Definitely good for kill multiple enemies, or correcting an error." Kyuubi dripped the poison onto his finger and smelled it. He noticed instantly that it had no smell. " Hmm, with my deducing skills I have figured that this will more than likely will have a taste. And how you ask? Quite simple really, it's clear and has no smell, and I know what you're thinking, 'oh Kyuubi, you've gone mental! If it doesn't have a smell and you can't see it then it's obviously not going to have a taste!' And that's what I thought at first, as well. But this poison was placed on a dagger, so if it had a taste, it wouldn't matter." Kyuubi put the finger laced with poison into his mouth and Danzo instantly tensed up. His first thoughts seemed to linger on the idea of Kyuubi dropping dead, right then, right there but when the red head let out a jaunty laugh, the King relaxed his body. " As I suspected! It's snake venom; and we all know that ingesting snake venom isn't harmful unless you have a stomach ulcer."

" And what exactly would you have done if that wasn't snake venom or if you had a stomach ulcer?" Danzo asked, trying his hardest to hide the annoyance in his tone. It wasn't working.

" I suppose…I would have died, now wouldn't I?" Kyuubi said completely amused and started laughing again.

Danzo felt that he was reaching his last nerve. He reached it quite often because of Kyuubi's mannerisms and laid back attitude. Especially about death; he cared almost nothing about it and accepted it more readily than any other person Danzo had ever met. He didn't know why, but he felt that it almost annoyed him more. Most of the people in his palace feared death by his hands, but Kyuubi brushed off his death threats and sometimes even laughed at them. It was as though by him not caring about death, he was disrespecting Danzo's authority.

The King narrowed his eye and that made Kyuubi finally calm himself enough to where he stopped laughing. " What are the origins of that poison? If at all possible, what snake did it come from and what region is that snake from?"

" Ah, you're asking too much again." Kyuubi said as he scratched his chin and shrugged. " As far as I'm aware, no one has ever cataloged snakes by the taste of their venom. So I cannot tell you anything but that the rebels are just as tricky as ever." He had a sing-song tone to the last part of his statement and it was slowly starting to drive Danzo insane. This man was quite possibly the strangest creature to ever exist.

" There's been another death in the palace; in Naruto's room. Remove the body right away and test her blood for the origins of the poison that killed her." Danzo said, turning curtly on his heel and storming out of the room.

" Maybe you should move that boy out of his room! I have a feeling that place is cursed by now!" Kyuubi yelled after Danzo, knowing that the man was still very well in earshot. He burst out laughing again, his seemingly mad chuckle filling the room and the hall as he headed towards the back of the room where he kept his body collecting gear.

**Elsewhere in the castle!**

Naruto looked up at the ceiling with the guards sitting in chairs around the bed. They always seemed to act like this when an attempt on his life was made. They never left his side, even when he went to the bathroom, which was maybe ten steps from where he currently lay. It was more than annoying; but what was really killing his mood was being stuck in Danzo's room. He hated this place, it was so stuffy and could make anyone feel claustrophobic. It was filled with countless weapons, some he couldn't even name or figure out quite what the use was. There were also books, countless, dusty books. They towered to the ceilings and their shelves seemed to occupy any space that wasn't taken up by Danzo's weapons.

But the main reason Naruto hated this room was because he was kept in this very room, with Danzo for the first few years of his containment. It brought nothing but sour memories to the surface every time he looked at Danzo's bed or glanced around the room. Danzo had practically tortured him in this room, forcing him to predict the future at any moment of the day and when he provided nothing of use, he would be punished with sleep or food deprivation.

It had been a terrible existence but once Danzo realize that he couldn't control his visions, it got better. He even tried to make it up to the blond by giving him his own room, a seat next to him on the throne, his own servants, but Naruto couldn't forget what he had been through. He couldn't forgive that man for all he had done, and why should he? Danzo had single handedly ruined his entire life. And the King wondered why he acted so cold towards him.

Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wanted very much for a vision of Sasuke to pop up in his mind, but he had no control of what he saw and that was starting to bother him. He should be able to see what he wanted to see in the future and if Sasuke was that thing, he wanted to see him. Though, if Sasuke had been traveling at midday like Naruto's vision showed, Sasuke would more than likely been in Kohona by the next morning. Suna and Kohona weren't actually that far away, and it was an even shorter time to travel when one was as quick as a demon.

Naruto could only surmise that he wanted to see Sasuke so badly in person because he wanted to know what his face looked like. He couldn't help but already think that Sasuke was going to be beautiful. Most human-looking demons had unnatural beauty; Naruto crossed his fingers as he hoped Sasuke would be in the 'most' category.

He could feel that his breathing was slowing and before long, he would be sleeping. It had been a most trying day, three deaths, and multiple visions. He was surprised he hadn't collapsed with exhaustion yet. He took a deep breath and let the calm, blackness of his mind take over.  
>-<p>

Naruto had never known true awkwardness until he had woken up to Danzo laying right next to him. He had almost forgotten that he had fallen asleep in the man's room and it shouldn't have surprised him that the King would pop up eventually, though he had suspected when Danzo finally appeared, it would have woke him up. That obviously was not the case.

Naruto slowly rolled out of the King's bed, sneaking his way across the room, trying his damnedest not to step on a squeaky wooden board. He opened the heavy door, and looked back, smirking to himself when Danzo didn't wake. He took a couple steps out into the hall and realized there guards on both sides of the door. He instantly sighed and waited for one of them to scold him about leaving but when no scolding came he looked at the guards more closely. They were both sleeping and Naruto couldn't believe his luck.

He tip-toed around them and snuck back to his room, which much to his relief, had been cleared of dead bodies. He sighed with relief as he flopped down on his bed. Naruto had never officially met the Undertaker, but the man did wonderful work. It was almost as if no one had died in there.

He rubbed his eyes, still feeling very tired, even though moments earlier the adrenaline had been pumping through his veins. He rolled onto his side and stared out of his window. The village was dark, only a few street lamps had been lit tonight and it caused an almost eerie darkness to plague the village. He was about to close his eyes when he felt a strange uneasiness come over him. Naruto knew that this unease came from events that were close to happening and would directly impact his life.

His body felt heavy with sleep all of a sudden and before he knew it his consciousness was nothing but black. But then a burst of color filled his eyes and the room came spinning into focus; he noticed the blurring at the edges and knew that this was nothing more than a dream and vision mixed into one. Naruto sighed a little but he realized then that he wasn't alone in the room. His eyes glanced up towards the window where a hooded figure entered; Naruto knew that cloak, that figure; it had to be Sasuke.

He took off his hood and was front with a striking sight. His skin was paler than the driven snow and gave a stark contrast to the dark hair and eyes he possessed. His features were sharp, straight, but there was a sultry seductive tweak to them. His eyes were smoldering with something Naruto could only call lust as he took in the blond's form. Sasuke smirked, his lips quirking in a way that almost screamed 'I will have you'.

He stepped quietly, if Naruto hadn't seen him moving, he doubted he would have known that Sasuke or anyone for that matter, was approaching him. He could tell that Sasuke was a demon from the way he seemed to be looking at him; there was an almost animalistic quality to it and for Naruto, it aroused him greatly. It was like Sasuke was stalking up to him, like a large animal would do with prey. And when Sasuke was suddenly atop him, Naruto could help but feel that he had indeed turned into the latter.

Sasuke's smolderingly black eyes started to fade into deep crimson pools as he licked his lips and looked down at the blond. He leaned in and captured the blond's lips in a feral, dominating kiss. Naruto had never felt anything like it and almost purred when he felt Sasuke's teeth clank against his own as he tried to make Naruto submit to him. Naruto moaned a little into Sasuke's mouth and closed his eyes as he felt strong hands on his body, rubbing and caressing places that he almost forgot he had.

" Sasuke…" The demon purred with approval and started to tug open Naruto's robes, licking and sucking on his neck. Naruto started to whimper and he bit lip as Sasuke's skilled tongue traced and teased his skin. He whined as he reached up for Sasuke, bringing his head up so they could kiss more.

Sasuke growled lowly in his throat as Naruto tried to dominate the kiss; the blond whined a little and the demon sighed a little, trying to coax Naruto to play with him more play biting and sucking on his lower lip. Naruto's eyes shot open with sheer bliss as Sasuke's wandering hands came up from his thighs to molest and pinch his nipples. He moaned loudly into their kiss and the demon replied with another pleasure inducing pinch. Naruto bucked his hips into Sasuke's colliding their cocks together in deliciously, hot friction. Sasuke broke the kiss to moan and started grinding down on the blond. Besides the robe and some amounts of undergarments, Naruto was practically naked beneath Sasuke and it wouldn't take much effort on Sasuke's part to get him completely nude.

Naruto was feeling very good at this point. Fingers attacking his nipples, a mouth attached to his neck, and a hard cock being ground into his own. If this wasn't heaven, he didn't know what was. Naruto was panting heavily and he tried to catch his breath but realized something extremely important as he looked away from Sasuke's body. The edges of his vision weren't blurred; this was all real.  
>-<p>

**EARLIER, with everyone's favorite demon.**

Sasuke managed to reach Kohona way before he thought he would. It was supposed to be a whole day's journey but it had only taken him about half that time. The sun setting and the sky was mixing with reds and blues to create a beautiful mix in the sky. Sasuke almost scoffed at the thought that something so beautiful could reside over a village so ugly. He decided to stop here for a little while, the sun would be fully behind the trees and hills in a few moments and in the cover of darkness it would be easier to move around.

He took the scroll Gaara had given him from his pocket and opened it. The contents were fairly informative, giving a description of this Uzumaki Naruto boy down to his height. According to this, he was a blond, around Sasuke's age, he was a fair bit shorter than him, he had blue eyes, and apparently had a more feminine build; not as much muscles definition but he was still lithe and toned. But what struck Sasuke as the most amusing was the information regarding the fact that he seemed to have an all over tan, even though he wasn't allowed to go outside much. Sasuke looked up as the area around him started to darken. It was time to go and search for this mysterious boy.

He reached the gates of the village just as the sun set behind the hills and seemed to be eclipsed by them. It made the surrounding area eerily dark yet still filled the sky with bright and wonderful colors. The guards stationed around the gates watched the edges of the forest suspiciously, seeming to be ready for an attack so Sasuke decided to search around the area for a better spot to infiltrate. He found an opening between two guard towers, a complete blind spot that he knew his speed could take advantage of. Both of the guards in the towers were looking in different directions and Sasuke slunk up slowly, enjoying the fact that this may go better than he expected. He smirked as he reached the wooden gate. It was a simple thing, only a bunch of sharpened tree trucks stuck in the ground. He leapt over them and landed on the other side, not making a single sound as he did so. He looked back up at the towers and saw that the guards didn't notice him. He was mildly amused by that but decided that gloating would be best saved until after he either captured or killed this boy.

His body moved quickly, ducking into unlit alleys and back way around the village until he was greeted with the palace, which was smack in the middle. He chuckled to himself as he snuck past three guards and summoned his wings. The leathery wings made nearly no noise as he ascended to the upper levels of the palace. He landed on a ledge that had a window and peered inside. It was a storage room. Sasuke pulled out the scroll again and looked at it a second time; the directions provided said that Naruto's room was two more stories up from a storage room and to the left three rooms.

Sasuke flew up another two stories and then folded his wings back into his body, it would be pointless and exhausting to use them any further. Especially if he needed them to escape later. He jumped from ledge to ledge and when he finally found the room in question; the door opened instantly. Sasuke hid himself along the ledge as he peered inside. A blond boy walked in and he looked pleased with himself. Sasuke was instantly struck by his beauty; the scroll had barely covered his wonderful physical attributes.

His eyes were a beautiful sky blue and it accented his light, bright blond hair and tanned skin very well. He had a certain curve about him, having fuller hips that most men did, but it worked well with his petite figure. His lips were full, pouting, and almost begging to be sucked. Sasuke purred with desire; this boy was quite the catch.

Sasuke was very amused when the boy flopped down on his bed and rubbed his eyes like a mere child would. But what worried Sasuke was the fact that he was staring out the window; though, it seemed that Naruto hadn't noticed his presence, at all. But Sasuke noticed there was something off about him; his eyes seemed suddenly dazed and it made the demon wonder if this was what he looked like when he was having one of his visions.

" _Do you know I'm here?" _Sasuke seemed to ask himself as he opened the window, sliding inside. He removed his hood and his body was instantly gripped with the scent of lust; it was a suffocating and intoxicating smell that made his nerves light on fire as he stared down at the blond. His eyes were shut and he was lying on his bed, bucking up and writhing as if he was in the act of making love. Sasuke smirked and found himself drawn towards the smaller figure, the smell baiting him. He slowly approached and Naruto's eyes seemed to lose their glossy sheen then and when he finally was atop the blond, he almost couldn't resist.

Sasuke found that his body was starting to act on its own, the lust of Naruto's body was almost corrupting his. He purred a little as he sealed his lips on the blond's and received a moan in return. He couldn't stop his hands from wandering down the blond; his hands were tugging at his robes, caressing his thighs, making Naruto unconsciously buck and shake with need.

When he heard his name fall from Naruto's lips, Sasuke almost lost it completely. He knew his eyes had probably gone red with desire but now his body was starting to truly feel more than just plain desire; it was a dangerously encompassing lust, striking him to his very core and making his cock twitch as he thought of how many more ways he could make the blond say his name.

He attacked Naruto's neck with his tongue and the blond pulled his head up for another kiss; the dominant tint to this one made Sasuke growl with excitement and it earned a whimper from the adorable blond beneath him. If anyone had told him his first encounter with Naruto would be like this, he probably would have laughed in their face.

Sasuke started to pinch and fondle Naruto's dusty nipples, earning whines and groans as they continued to kiss. But when the blond started to grind into him, he broke the kiss to moan a little. This one…He was something alright. Sasuke ground down on the blond, making him arch up to meet with his thrusting.

But Sasuke noticed something in Naruto's eyes, an almost look of realization and he knew it to be just that when the blond grabbed his shoulders and pushed him off his body and onto the floor. He was blushing furiously, looking down at Sasuke with shock and desire. The demon stood then, completely pissed about being rejected right before the real fun started. But he almost couldn't stay mad at the blond since he looked so adorably disheveled. His robes were a mess, so was his hair, and his lips looked bruised from all the kissing they had done and he hadn't exactly been the most gentle.

" Sasuke…" The demon stared at the blond, almost waiting for him to say something else and to do anything for that matter. " It's not a vision…" He started straightening out his robe and steadying himself as he continued to watch Sasuke. The demon smirked a little at that.

" Oh? So you knew of my arrival yet you weren't expecting me? How strange, I thought that someone who would be able to see into the future would be able to anticipate anything, but you must be more of a Dobe that I thought." Sasuke said and the blond seemed to snap right back into himself because of the pure shock of his words.

" What did you say, you Teme?" He was on his feet then, staring Sasuke in the eye and the demon couldn't help but find it amusing. Humans were so cute when they were angry.

Sasuke smirked even wider then and backed Naruto onto the bed, he crawled on top of him and pinned his arms down. " I think we've had enough chatter, it is time to get down to business. As you probably already know, I'm with the Rebel Alliance against Danzo. And you're causing a bit of a problem to us, now aren't you?" The blond sighed a little, a defeated look on his face.

" It's not like I have much of a choice but to help him…"

" Yes, but now I'm going to give you a choice. The first option is definitely the better of the two; come with me across rebel lines. I promise we're not going to double cross you, we'll offer you protection from Danzo as long as you stay with us." Sasuke muttered still feeling a bit of desire for the blond lying underneath him, but that could wait, he had other matters at hand. " And the second option should be obvious; if you refuse to come with me. I will kill you, right here, right now. No rebuttals, no nothing. We cannot allow Danzo to have you in possession for much longer, he is far too powerful with someone like you by his side. So what do you say?"

Naruto was slightly taken aback by that. He hadn't expected Sasuke to actually give him a choice and it would explain how other things played out so it was obvious what his pick would be; though Naruto knew he would have picked the former over the latter any day. Sasuke saw a brightness in Naruto's eyes, something he could only identify as hope; it made the blond's face look more complete, better even.

" Do you really have to ask?" Naruto questioned, excitement gripping his tone. " Of course I'm going to cho-"

The door swung open in that instant and Sasuke was grabbed roughly by the arms and shoulders, pulling him off of Naruto. Danzo came stepping in, looking angrily at Naruto. He went over and grabbed the blond by the arm and slapped him hard across the face. He fell to his knee in front of the King and Sasuke could feel rage bursting through his veins. He had been so close to getting Naruto out of here, if only he hadn't been distracted by his body. He struggled in the grip of the guards but the leather gloves on their hands had been blessed and were suppressing his strength. Danzo turned his attention towards him; his only revealed eye seemed to twitch with shock as he examined the demon in front of him.

" Well, well. So the Rebels are sending in the bread winners, eh? I never thought I would encounter an Uchiha again but I supposed there are a couple still running around." Danzo gripped Sasuke's face and pulled it towards him. He glared daggers at the corrupt King and he just glared back.

" My King, plea-" Naruto began but he was cut off by Danzo raising a hand in his direction. He turned his head towards the blond, a horrifyingly look on his face. It made Naruto shake in place and he averted his eyes.

" I'm not finished with you. You gave us all a pretty good scare by running off by yourself; do not think you will not be punished." Danzo said as he turned back to Sasuke. The demon could see the blond shake with fear and it made hatred burn through his veins like nothing he had ever felt before. This man was nothing like he had ever experienced. He was so cold, so heartless, so _inhuman_. " You know what to do with this demon. I expect it to be done right away! I do not want him running around any longer; he is too dangerous."

The guards started to take Sasuke out into the hallways when Naruto got to his feet only to be grabbed and constricted by Danzo's vice-like grip on him. He reached out a little for Sasuke and he tried as well, only to have the tips of their fingers brush before he was pulled back and out into the hall.

" WAIT!" Naruto yelled pulling himself free of Danzo; he held his hands up for the guards to pause just in case he had to give another order. " I…I'll marry you if you let him go." Sasuke nearly choked on himself when he heard that. Even the guards seemed mildly shocked by it but nothing could compare to the look on Danzo face when he heard that from Naruto's mouth.

" We are to be married anyway, why would I change my plans now? And for a demon of all things?" Naruto felt he would regret this later but he didn't care much, for some reason he felt completely obligated to save Sasuke. He walked up to the man and kissed him hard on the lips. The King grabbed the back of Naruto's head and attempted to deepen the kiss but he pulled away.

" I know you don't want to wait and I'm completely willing to give myself over to you, but you have to let him go first, and wouldn't it just stick it to the rebels to hear that I'm going to be your bride, not just your most powerful weapon." Danzo did like the sound of it and he grabbed the blond's face, smirking down at him.

" Yes, I do indeed like your idea Naruto." He gave the guards a pointed look that Sasuke saw as well; he had a feeling that this engagement plan was not going to go as Naruto planned. He waved his hand towards the guards. " See the Uchiha to the gate and add more guards, I do not want him back in or around the palace, understood?"

They all nodded and started to take Sasuke down the hall, releasing his arms. The demon narrowed his eyes a little; there was something about this that didn't feel quite right, Danzo did not seem like a man of his word, especially when it came to demons. And if someone had picked up on that suspicion, Sasuke glanced back and was unceremoniously hit over the head with a vase.  
>-<p>

**And that's where I'm ending it! Muhahaha!**

**Sasuke: I swear if you kill me, I'm going to be so mad!  
>Me: But you'll be dead…So you can't be angry…<br>Sasuke: I'll haunt you…in your most personal moments…  
>Me: When I'm showering? Sasuke, you perv!<br>Sasuke: YES! LET THAT BE ENOUGH TO PERSUADE YOU NOT TO KILL ME! This was Hitoko-sama**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hurray! Hitoko-sama finally wrote another chapter for everyone's favorite fic. You're welcome. Regular PV  
>-<strong>

The hallways were a buzz with the sounds of footsteps and murmurs about Danzo and Naruto's engagement. Said blond was sitting in his room looking at himself in a mirror as countless handmaids and other servants poured in and out of his room; most of them congratulating Naruto on his engagement, the rest were split between looks of contempt and small cracks of sympathy. All of them wondered, however, why he suddenly decided to marry the King. He would just smile at them and said that it was bound to happen and he owed the King much and this was just a small way to make up for it. They all seemed satisfied with the answer and dropped the topic quickly. Naruto had been told by Danzo that if he mentioned to anyone what had happened last night he would still marry the blond but, he would never see the light of day again; which in Danzo terms meant: he would be locked away in the dungeon or in one of the towers. So for now he lived the completely bogus story of his complete and utter devotion and loyalty to Danzo.

A woman with long red haired entered the room and Naruto turned towards her, faking a small smile as she made a motion and a small group of women brought a rack of clothes into the room. She glanced at Naruto, studying him before walking up to him and looking him over more closely. She let go of his face before putting her hair up and walking over to the rack, grabbing a white rob and bringing it back to Naruto. "Strip down and try this on. We can necessary modifications when you are decent. Danzo hand picked this one out specifically for you though I don't know why, but I shall not challenge him until I see it on your myself."

Naruto nodded, not particularly caring what the woman said. Most people just followed Danzo's orders blindly, it was a good way to stay alive. She was just following the established normal; he didn't blame her. He walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He wasn't sure why he did that though, it's not like he hadn't been naked in front of his servants before. He blamed it on the uncertainty of when Danzo might show up; he didn't want to give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing his disrobed, well, at least, not yet.

After removing his normal robes Naruto replaced them with the white ones, noticing right away why Danzo had chosen this one. The hem sat mid-thigh and ended with golden lace, extremely inappropriate for wedding robes. He also noticed how tightly it hugged him, showing all the curves of his body. His eye twitched a little as he looked at himself in the mirror before stepping back out into his bedroom. The red headed woman's eyes narrowed as she approached Naruto, giving him the once over.

"Unacceptable!" She said grabbing the robes' gold sash and pulling it away. She stripped Naruto down and grabbed him, pulling him over to the rack of clothes. She muttered darkly, "Oh I can see why you wanted that one now! Trying to make a fool out of me, well that's too bad! I will not one of my outfits make that boy look like a harlot, especially not during something as sacred as a marriage ceremony…" She paused for a moment, looking over at the end of the rack. "AH HA!" She handed Naruto another white robe but it has more splashes of color and Naruto could already tell, with one glance, that this was going to be much better than the previous one. Since she had already taken the liberty of stripping him down, he decided that he would just dress right there.

The robe hung much lower than the previous, the hem of it hit right around his ankles, which is already liked much better. Though the sleeves of it were a bit long too, hanging over his fingers but, like the woman had said, modifications could be made. The inside of the robe was lined with a very soft, and wonderful feeling golden silk that was expose at the neck line of the robe. It also showed off the blond's long, tanned neck, as well as a portion of his chest. The sash was a royal blue color that was embroidered with a gold stitching that made it look like vines were growing around it. The robe had a similar design but it wasn't as clearly seen as it was on the sash; it looked faded into the background of the whiteness, almost as if it was a golden forest in the midst of a snowstorm. There were also other white designs that could be seen because of the cloth difference; the designs were set in thicker, higher quality of silk and also bordered around the collar and cuffs of the robe.

"I really like this one." Naruto muttered as he examined it now on his frame. The woman smiled a little and pushed him towards a mirror.

"And it likes you too." She said with a smile. "It really brings out the color in your skin, it's also very classy. It gives you…An almost more sophisticated beauty. Heightens what's already there, don't you think?"

"I couldn't help but agree." Both of them turned to see Danzo standing in the doorway. He had a large black box in his hand and the woman moved out of the King's way as he approached Naruto.

"Isn't it bad luck for you to see me like this before the wedding?" Naruto asked as he brushed a few stray hairs out of his face and examined himself in the mirror. Danzo chuckled a little and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, spinning him around so he could look into his bride's lovely blue eyes.

"Perhaps but I'm here because I have something for you. Consider it a pre-wedding gift." He said as he opened the box. It was a large necklace that shone and sparkled like the stars in the night sky. Naruto gasped a little as he looked down at it and then back up at Danzo. The King smirked a little as he set the box down and grabbed the necklace. He put on for Naruto and smirked a little as the cascading jewels contrasted beautifully with the tan, full color of his skin. "I hope you like diamonds Naruto because when you become my bride there will be plenty more gifts like this."

Naruto's face was a mixture of distraught, disgust, and astonishment. "It's beautiful…" He muttered as he touched the spilling flow of diamonds. They sparkled brilliantly and he felt a strange stabbing sensation in his stomach.

"It isn't as beautiful as you…" Danzo muttered as he opened a bottom compartment on the black box. He pulled out a white gold wire crown. The Jewel in the middle was citrine; it's slightly dark yellow, orange sheen making it a perfectly accent color for Naruto's eyes. The two complimentary jewels were two smaller, circular opals. They shone the most with blue giving a stark contrast to the citrine in the middle. Naruto watched himself in the mirror as Danzo placed the crown on his brow. He unhooked the necklace and placed it back in the box. "Yes, I quite think you were cut out for the royal life." Danzo said as he closed the box. "I do expect you to wear that crown everyday. The necklace is probably best saved for special occasions and our wedding day."

"Of course my King." Naruto muttered as he stared at himself in the mirror. Danzo could help but admire just how beautiful Naruto really was, especially when his eyes lit up with amazement. It really brought out his more innocent and childish side.

"The ceremony will be tomorrow afternoon, my pet." Something about that comment seemed to completely snap Naruto from his astonishment. Though he knew it was a term of affection, Naruto did not like, at all, to be called a 'pet'. Mostly because he could hear the possessiveness in Danzo's voice that made him feel like he was nothing more than a possession.

Naruto didn't let the annoyance show on his face but when Danzo turned him around and tried to kiss him the blond pushed his chest slightly to draw his attention away. The King looked a bit angry that he was rejected but when Naruto glanced up at him with sultry eyes, it was quickly forgotten. "My King, your kisses make me feel so…Virgin…" Naruto's face flushed a little bit as he glanced to the side. "I don't want to disappoint you with my lack of experience…"

"I understand…"Danzo muttered kissing him lightly on the forehead. "I'll teach you everything you need to know eventually but until then I have final plans to attend to." There was a guard standing in the doorway, Naruto noticed, but he didn't think much of it. Especially since he was constantly surrounded and watched by guards. Naruto thanked his lucky stars when Danzo left without another word.

"Well that was exciting, eh Master Naruto?" The red haired woman said as she helped Naruto out of the robe. "Since Danzo approves of my choice I'll make sure this is ready for tomorrow afternoon. I'll more than likely stop by in the morning to help you prepare and fix any last moment complaints. Would you like me to shorten these sleeves for tomorrow?"

"A-ah, yes! Thank you for all your hard work." He said as she helped him out of the robe. She bowed to him as she put the robe back on the rack and headed back out of Naruto's bedroom. The blond sighed and glanced towards the window.

It had only been since last night that Sasuke had come through that very window and almost successfully stole him away from Danzo...And nearly made love to him. Naruto could feel the heat in his cheeks but shook his head trying to get rid of the picture of his beautiful face. Because of him Sasuke would live, he would be free, where as Naruto would be locked down. He didn't know why he did it though. There was no real obligation between them so he didn't have to save Sasuke. But, Naruto knew, even if something happened in the future and he saw it, there was no way to change it.

He sighed a little looking towards his bathroom. His clothes were still in there and technically he was still very much indecent. Naruto stepped into the bathroom and he pulled down on a chord that hung from the ceiling; it rang a loud bell. Within a few moments three servants came into the room, two of them fire conjurers and the other was a water.

"Thank you for your haste." Naruto said as he pointed towards the bathtub. "Will you please fill the bath?"

"But Master Naruto." One of the women began smiling a little at him. He could tell it was a fake smile since not very many people in this entire castle treated him with much kindness. His servants made up a vast majority of those people. "Tomorrow is your wedding and you'll have to bathe in the morning anyway so why not wait until then?"

"Because this isn't a cleaning bath, this is more for recreation. I want something to help ease my nervousness."

All the women looked at each other and ended up smiling. "I understand." One of them said with a slight smile. "But since this is just for recreation, we won't stay in here with you when our obligation is finished. Unless…Of course, you wish for us to stay…"

"No. Feel free to leave when you're finished here." Naruto said with a small smile. "It will be nice to have a bath and be able to think about things alone for a change." They all nodded and quickly preformed their tasks, not saying another word to Naruto as they left. He let out a sigh of relief and slowly lowered himself into the steaming water.

A sense of uneasiness filled Naruto as he sank underneath the water. His vision blurred as he stared up at the top water and he saw a shadow standing above the tub. The water, even though it was clear, made it hard to make out what exactly he was seeing. But he tried to focus on the figure standing above the tub his vision shifted to something else.

Sasuke was fighting with Danzo out in the courtyard of the palace. Being a demon, and much younger, Sasuke obviously had the advantage but there was something hindering him. Naruto saw a black mark on the back of Sasuke's neck and it seemed to be not only slowing him down, but causing him a great deal of pain. The demon faltered in his steps and Danzo smirked, gaining the upper hand. He brought a blade through Sasuke's chest and the demon seemed completely stunned as blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. He started to cough, the spatter of it spraying Danzo face as he pulled the blade back, letting Sasuke fall onto the ground. A pool of blood surrounded him in a matter of moments and the demon seized to move.

As soon as Naruto got a grip on reality he sucked in a large breath, only to remember he was underwater. He bolted up from the water and out of the tub, falling to the side by the bath tub and panting harshly as he tried to get a hold on himself. He was coughing and spitting up water, soaking the floor with excess but he didn't care. What he had seen had disturbed him. Out of everything he had ever seen, that had been the most terrifying and life shattering. He knew that once he had saw something it was bound to come true which meant that if Sasuke came back to try and save him…Sasuke might die.

Naruto sat up, still coughing a little as he leaned on the tub. There was only one thing to do; one real way to save Sasuke if he decided to come for him…And that was refuse to come with him.

"_If you refuse to come with me, I will kill you, right here, right now. No rebuttals, no nothing. We cannot allow Danzo to have you in possession for much longer, he is far too powerful with someone like you by his side." _

Naruto gulped a little. He could feel the intensity in the Uchiha words and knew if push came to shove, Sasuke would kill him. The blond pulled his knees to his chest as he sat on the bathroom floor and shook slightly. Frustration was pounding through his veins and making his head swim with anger. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to choose. Sasuke's life or his death; his life or Sasuke's death.

The blond clenched his fists as he stood up and looked at himself in the mirror in the bathroom. He tried his hardest to keep himself from shaking as he looked at his reflection. If he allowed Sasuke to die Danzo would still be too powerful and end up hurting countless others. But, his own death would be the end of it, Danzo would not have his power and his forces would crumble.

Naruto knew what he had to do, to save the world and Sasuke.

He…Had to die.  
>-<p>

**Elsewhere!**

Sasuke woke with a groan, he didn't quite remember what had happened until the pain in his head hit him like a ton of bricks…Well, more like a vase. He narrowed his eyes as he stared blankly into the dank light of what he could only label as a prison. Sasuke attempted to move his arms only to find that he was shackled to the floor but long, thick chains. They had been blessed at some point because they were burning his skin every time he moved. He should have known better than to have trusted Danzo; he wasn't even sure why he did.

A picture of Naruto surfaced in his mind and he mentally cursed. Danzo hadn't only tricked him but the blond as well. He had even agreed to marry the King in exchange for his freedom; it was more than obvious that he was going to marry Naruto without fulfilling his side of the bargain. But that wasn't the real problem in Sasuke's mind. The problem was that as soon as the other Rebels heard that he had been killed and that Naruto was married to Danzo, they wouldn't give him the option to run away anymore. They would just try to kill him; which would mean worthless blood shed on both sides until Naruto was dead.

For some reason that really boiled Sasuke's blood; the thought of any man putting his hands on Naruto, whether it be because he was trying to bed him or kill him, made Sasuke want to break their skulls. Danzo would be number one on that list.

Speak of the Devil.

Danzo smirked as he entered the cell with the Uchiha inside of it. He laughed a little at Sasuke's obvious anger and grabbed his face. "Not so high and mighty now, eh Uchiha?"

"Unlike yourself, I never insinuated that I was 'high and mighty'." Danzo gritted his teeth at the Uchiha's comment, holding himself back from smacking the demon across the face. It was pointless to strike a demon without a blessed object, especially if that not blessed object was a bare hand. Demons were notorious for biting people when they had bare skin exposed. He didn't want this damn Uchiha ripping apart his hand so close to his wedding day with Naruto.

"Quite the mouth on you, Uchiha." He said as he lifted Sasuke's head up with his cane, making Sasuke look him in the eyes. "But no matter. That mouth of yours will be put to better use when you're screaming and filling the hills with the wondrous sounds of your death."

"It may have been foolish of me to trust you, even for a moment, but, do believe me when I say that I will not be gotten rid of so easily." Sasuke said as he looked Danzo straight in the eye. The King laughed a little and patted the Uchiha on the head like he was nothing more than a tiny kitten.

"That's exactly why I'm taking so many precautions. I don't need you ruining my special day tomorrow, do I?" Danzo said as he motioned for more guards to come into the cell where Sasuke was being held. They cautiously grabbed the chains that wrapped around his wrists and unlocked them. The held blessed pieces of metal around Sasuke as another guard entered with a cloth and a bottle of an unknown liquid. Sasuke shook his head as the cloth came closer to him and the overwhelming stench of the liquid threatened to consume him with promises of warm and inviting sleep.

"I will not be trumped by something as stupid as human magic!" Sasuke said as he kicked the man in the stomach. He flew back against the cage with a loud cry and continued to moan and groan as he held his stomach and cough blood. The other two guards dug the blessed metal into Sasuke's flesh making the demon hiss with anger as Danzo grabbed the back of his head and forced the cloth onto his face.

Slowly Sasuke felt himself starting to become more and more sedated which is when he saw that a different man, a man with wild red hair, was coming towards him with a needle full of a purple serum. Sasuke whined a little as the needle was pressed into one of the veins in his neck. The demon's head started to sway as a forced sleep fully grasped him.

Danzo turned towards the man and smirked a little. "Good work as always Kyuubi. Now take this demon out to the Bone Garden and make sure he is well taken care of."

Kyuubi looked down at the demon and threw him over his shoulder without a single bit of difficulty. "Of course my King. I'll make him so comfortable, he'll never be able to leave."  
>-<p>

**LATER! (MUCH, MUCH LATER…LIKE NEXT DAY LATER!)**

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open as he looked around. Judging from the fact that he could only see the ground and the fact that it was just under his chin, Sasuke was able to surmise that most of his body had been buried. He attempted to move his arms or legs but it was completely useless, whoever buried him made sure to not only pack down the dirt but to make the hole deep enough to where he wouldn't be able to have any room to move.

He heard mocking laughter coming from behind him and Sasuke strained to tilt his head backwards to see who exactly it was that was making fun of him. He half expected it to be Danzo but wasn't surprised to see some random guy. Danzo didn't need to come himself to his execution he just needed some guy to oversee it and make sure that he didn't escape.

"Quite a predicament you're in there, eh Uchiha?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. It was rare for humans to recognize demons by clan names unless at one point they had fought. Which Sasuke didn't think was the case; unlike Danzo this man was very youthful, not looking a day over twenty. If Sasuke didn't know better he would have thought this guy was a demon.

"Who are you? And how do you know my clan?"

"Oh? Curious, eh?" The red head said with a snicker. His laughter was strange; it sounded like he was greatly amused but at the same time forcing it. Quite the contradiction really. He smiled wickedly at Sasuke and moved towards him. "I'm Kyuubi, the Undertaker. And as for how I know of your clan…Well, let's just say that unlike most humans, I actually pay attention to powerful demon clans." He said with a shrug as he came to stand besides Sasuke's head. "Hey, do you know what they call this place?" Sasuke was silent as he watched the strange man started laughing again. He really didn't get what was so damn funny about this, even from Kyuubi's perspective and found nothing. He almost thought that Danzo had sent this man to annoy him to death. "Give up eh? You Uchihas are no fun…Well, this place is called the Bone Garden, which now that I think about it doesn't particularly make sense because all the bones are underground and the skulls are generally all that's left…Not much of a garden if I do say so myself. No real variety."

Sasuke felt a bead of sweat drip down his brow and Kyuubi seemed to notice because he was smirking down at the Uchiha. He pulled a pipe out of his pocket and lit a match, filling the air with the strong stench of sulfur; when he finally lit the tobacco, the burning of the plant material filled his nostrils and made him cough a little. It was a heavy, oppressive stench, like nothing he had ever smelled before in his entire life.

"He's coming now." The red head said as he returned to his place amongst the rocks.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke said as he felt the Earth rumble around him.

"Ah, the executioner is coming." He said as he looked down at the Uchiha. "You see, Danzo decided to put some of the demons to better use you see. Demons of the Cyclops breed are extremely strong and can be used against other demons such as yourself. Especially if there's someone grabbing onto their eye and guiding their blind rage." The man looked up with a smirk making Sasuke follow his gaze up to the horizon where a Cyclops with a large axe was coming towards him. A man was riding on his head, two hooks were linked into the socket of the Cyclops' eye, giving the man complete control over the beast. "Looks like you're done for, eh Uchiha?"

Sasuke struggled to free himself from the Earth as the Cyclops' footsteps continued to rattle the ground making Sasuke want to wriggle and free himself that much more. Kyuubi glanced down at the demon with an amused expression. "Tell me something, why are you fighting so hard when it is more than likely you are to die?"

"Because!" Sasuke said as he continued to fight. "All the demons are counting on me to bring Danzo's Sorcerer to base camp! If I fail and die here, the war will only progressively get worse until all the demons will be dead or captured. I cannot allow my people to be turned into cattle for human consumption!" Kyuubi seemed quite satisfied with that answer. "But there's another reason, someone has to protect Naruto from Danzo especially since he tricked him into getting married."

Sasuke looked up to see the Cyclops right above him, his loin cloth swing in the breeze over his head. He lifted the axe from the ground and growled loudly as he lifted it in the air. The man riding on it's back was smirking wickedly as the Cyclops brought the axe down; Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut but after a few moments of nothing happening, he opened them again. The Cyclops stood, almost frozen, as that red headed man fought with the other man on the top of him. He pushed the man off of the Cyclops and grabbed the reigns, pulling his back and away from Sasuke.

Kyuubi jumped down from the demon and walked over to the Uchiha smirking at him as he got down on his knees and started to dig out his shoulders. As soon as Sasuke felt that they were free he summoned his wings and flew out of the hole, shaking the dirt and sand off of his clothes. He landed on the ground next to the red head and stared at him with suspicion.

"Why did you save me?" Sasuke asked as he eyed Kyuubi. He would have more than likely raised his sword up to his throat when he asked this but Danzo had removed it, which meant that he either needed to find it or get a new one, a total pain in the ass.

"Because you're a good demon." Kyuubi said. "You have the best intentions at heart which means you are someone who can and will be a good influence on change." He smirked a little, patting Sasuke on the shoulder. He walked over to the man laying on the ground. He grabbed the Cyclops' axe and brought it down on the guard's neck. "Come on Uchiha, if you care for that boy as much as you say then we need to hurry. There isn't much time before the wedding starts."

Sasuke nodded as he and Kyuubi took off down a narrow dirt path. Much to the demon's surprise, there were no other guards along the mountains or hiding in the small forest they passed through. Sasuke looked over the edge of a small cliff and saw the palace in the distance. It was being decorated with white silk and lace, signifying a wedding.

Kyuubi tapped Sasuke on the shoulder and the demon turned looking at the red head who was walking over to a tree. He cracked a branch making Sasuke roll his eyes until he realized that it was a lever and that the tree had a small stairwell inside of it. "A secret passage way that leads to the dungeon of the palace. It's much faster than trying to invade the palace during the day." Sasuke smirked a little as he looked inside the tree trunk. "After you." Kyuubi invited and the Uchiha climbed inside with the red head following behind him. He pulled another level on the inside and it shut the tree.

It was pitch black inside the tree and Sasuke wondered how safe this was going to be. He really didn't need to suffer an unnecessary injury before going and saving Naruto. Kyuubi seemed to pick up on this reservation Sasuke was having because he snapped his fingers and the passage way filled with candle light.

Just as Kyuubi said, it took them no time to reach the dungeon. The red head opened the door that would allow them into the palace and peaked his head through, spotting two guards standing by the main door that lead into the upper levels. Sasuke noticed that Kyuubi was actually very well prepared for any kind of combat; he had three daggers wrapped around his thighs, something that was well hidden by his long, black overcoat. He pulled out two of them and tossed them at the guards.

Neither of them had time to react when their skulls were pierced by the shinning metal. Kyuubi jumped out of the doorway of the secret passage, signaling to Sasuke to follow after him. The Uchiha stepped out behind him and was about to head for the door when Kyuubi grabbed onto his shoulder. "Not so fast little Uchiha." Kyuubi said as he grabbed yet another dagger from his leg. He tossed it in Sasuke's direction and the demon blinked a little; there was no way, at this distance, he would be able to dodge. The blade buzzed right past his head making a clanging sound as it hit another blade. Kyuubi growled a little as he grabbed his fallen dagger and ran into the shadows of the dungeon. Sasuke could hear the striking of metal on metal and the dungeon was filled with the groans and eventual silent pause right after death. Kyuubi reemerged with his dagger and handed it to Sasuke. "Like I said, not so fast, you never know where hidden enemies are."

"Why are you killing Danzo's forces?" Sasuke found himself wondering aloud. Kyuubi smirked a little ruffling the Uchiha's hair.

"Now is not the time for questions, don't you think?"

"But that's a question…"

"I suppose you're right." Kyuubi said with a snorting laugh. "But back to business; I'll go and distract Danzo. While I'm doing that go through that barred window over there and fly up to Naruto's room." He handed the Uchiha a vile of green liquid. "Invisibility." He stated. "Use it well because I could only perfect a form that would last for about two minutes."

"Better than nothing I suppose." Sasuke muttered as he headed towards the window. He stopped looking up at the bars; Kyuubi made a motion for him to hurry. "How am I supposed to get through the bars?"

"You're a fire element demon, aren't you?" Kyuubi asked with a smirk. "Melt the bars."

Sasuke wanted to question how exactly Kyuubi knew that he was a fire element but decided that it would yet another thing for later; if there was a later. Sasuke took a deep breath and put his hand up next to his mouth making the fire come out in a more concentrated, easily contained blast. The bars turned red and started to bend out of shape; Sasuke quit with the fire and allowed them to cool for a little bit before grabbing onto them and pulling them apart. Sasuke smirked a little and kicked the glass out of the window. Once he was outside of the palace, he drank the vile of green liquid.  
>-<p>

Naruto sighed a little as his hand maids surrounded him. They had been with him all day, dressing him, bathing him, making him what tradition would consider acceptable for a wedding day. One of the women behind him grabbed the large black box on his table that contained the necklace Danzo had given him. The King had specially requested him to wear it today, their wedding day. Naruto straightened up a little as the necklace was placed on his throat, shining very brilliantly in the morning sun. The necklace was clasped and some of the women started to buzz with jealousy over the beauty of the jewelry.

The blond cared not. It was nothing more than a material item; real love was not material, it was a rush and surge of emotion that brought out one's flaws, shortcomings, pleasing traits, and a true sense of personality and laid them all out to be examined by the opposite party. All of these diamonds were lies; Danzo didn't really love him. And as long as Naruto lived, he would never love Danzo.

One of the hand maid's stopped what she was doing as she turned to the doorway where multiple lines of soldiers were running through the halls. They were moving much faster than what was to expected of a wedding day but none of them thought much of it; they had probably been ordered to do something by Danzo so they were trying to comply with as much as possible to avoid that man's wrath. She shrugged a little and turned her attention back to Naruto who was messing with his necklace and moving it about. She tapped his hand with annoyance and he huffed a little.

"Master Naruto, I know you are nervous but please do not do anything to ruin our hard work." She said as she straightened his crown which also annoyed the blond a little; the damn thing was bound to move again and looking perfect now when the wedding wasn't even started was almost completely pointless.

She glanced up to the window, contemplating whether or not to draw the curtains because of how bright out it was today but when she looked out, she saw a man standing on the window sill; he was smirking at her which caused a cold chill to spread through her entire form. He stepped closer to the window holding out his hand to the glass. When his skin touched the glass, it started to steam and the glass melted so much that it actually evaporated into nothingness. More than just this one woman was staring; even Naruto was speechless as he saw this display of power.

As soon as his arm was inside the window, unlocking it, the women all started to scream and head out of the door. Naruto stood alone in the middle of the room, completely stunned. The demon took off his hood smirking at the blond in front of him. "Sasuke…W-what are you doing here?" He said suppressing the urge to run over to the demon and embrace him. "You should run while you still have the chance. Forget about me."

"No. I will not." Naruto's heart race started to increase dramatically when the full weight of Sasuke's words hit him.

Sasuke had come to save him from Danzo.

Naruto heard the parade of feet as the guards started to pour from the stairwell into the hallway. The blond scrambled to the door and shut it quickly, locking it behind him. He sighed a little with relief but became tense again when Sasuke approached him, much like a vicious, lovely predator stalked its prey.

"Naruto, it is time, come with me." He said holding out his hand to the blond.

Naruto felt the heat rush to his face and wanted very much to just grab Sasuke's hand and run off into the morning but he knew that if he stayed with Sasuke, he would die. Naruto did not want him to die; not in the slightest bit. Naruto smiled a little and then laughed darkly.

"I'm sorry to say Sasuke that I will not be coming with you. I am to be married you know." There was a hesitation to Naruto's words, Sasuke noticed. He did not mean them in the slightest bit. He wanted to come with him but Sasuke wondered what exactly was holding him back. He grabbed the blond by the back of the neck making him whine with pain and surprise. Sasuke's grip was so strong that it ruptured the necklace around Naruto's throat. Diamonds rained onto the floor while Sasuke smirked down at the blond.

"Too bad, that necklace was quite fetching on you." Sasuke said with a shrug. "But I suppose now that it's gone, you have less of an obligation to Danzo." The demon summoned his leathery bat wings, making the blond's breath hitch in his throat. He resisted the urge to run his fingers against them and forced himself to back away from the Uchiha. "Come to me Naruto, we both know freedom is what you want…"

The blond hesitated before laughing a little. "Why would I want to come with you? Danzo's giving me things from my wildest dreams, what can you offer me?"

"Protection from Danzo." Sasuke said, starting to get a little pissed off at the blond in front of him. Not even two days ago was the blond completely ready to drop everything and come with him; he wanted to know what had changed. Perhaps Danzo had used magic on him? Sasuke shook his head a little grabbing Naruto forcibly and holding him tightly in his arms. The blond's face was very close to Sasuke's and a flush crept up his features. "Don't worry Naruto." Sasuke said as the blond stilled in his arms. "Whatever Danzo's done to you, we can reverse it."

Just as Naruto stilled in his arms the door was kicked open. Danzo rushed into the room staring with a mixture of wonder and hatred at the Uchiha in front of him. Sasuke was smirking wildly and headed towards the window as fast as he could, making Naruto grab onto him for dear life as he jumped out.

"GAHHHH!" Naruto screamed as he clutched Sasuke's cloak as tightly as humanly possible. Danzo ran to the window and looked out seeing that Sasuke was quickly disappearing into the horizon.

"GET ALL THE SOLDIERS WITH ARROWS DOWN THERE!" Danzo yelled as the guards and soldiers stood around confusedly. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GET NARUTO BACK NOW!" All of them nodded and quickly ran down stairs, practically tripping all over each other in attempt to get out of the palace and be outside first.

Sasuke felt partially deaf because of the idiotic blond who was clinging to him so tightly; though he didn't really mind too much. He probably scared the hell out of him with that jump but he should been expecting it. Out of the corner of Sasuke's eye he saw a man waving up at him; his shinning red hair was a dead giveaway to his identity. The Uchiha folded his wings a little more as he flew downwards; Naruto started screaming again at the feeling and buried his head into Sasuke's chest.

The demon landed easily on the ground next to Kyuubi who was smirking at him. "Great to see you've made it!" He said as he whistled loudly. Sasuke blinked a little as two figures at the top of a cliff jumped off and landed on the ground next to them. They were horses; well horse demons. Their black coats and crimson red eyes were telling features. "Come on Uchiha, we don't have much time before Danzo's forces will be upon us."

"Not to be rude or anything but I would be able to travel faster flying." Kyuubi raised an eyebrow at him.

"With extra weight and an army of pissed off guys following you? There would be little to no time to rest and recover. You'd be a sitting duck." Kyuubi said as he got onto the demon horse. Sasuke was surprised at the logically sound argument Kyuubi was making; usually the only one who was able to correct him that well was his brother. Sasuke managed to pull the blond from him and placed him onto the horse, which made Naruto nervous since the horse looked back and him and glared hatefully. Sasuke got on behind him; one hand grabbing the reigns of the horse while the other wrapped around Naruto's waist. "Come on, let's go!"

Before they could even get a step accomplished a rain of arrows started came upon them. The demon horses whinnied with such a ferocity that the sonic blast of the sound wave actually displaced the course of the arrows. Kyuubi's horse bucked up with a slight roar before heading off into the mountains; Sasuke clicked his tongue and his horse followed the other's lead.

Danzo's forces invaded the area finding nothing; the tricky thing about demon horses were that their hooves left no prints in the Earth, making them ideal to escape on. Danzo pushed through a crowd of soldiers and walked up to the place where his blond had last been seen. There was nothing but the ruins of arrows.

Sasuke had stolen his precious tool; his bride. Danzo gritted his teeth as he glanced out into the horizon. That demon would pay; in fact, they all would pay. When Naruto was returned to him he would have the pleasure of marrying him and then he would eradicate all of the troublesome demons starting with Uchiha Sasuke.  
>-<p>

**And that's where I'm stopping! Hurray Sasuke didn't die and Kyuubi isn't evil.**

**Kyuubi: Yays! I like not being evil!  
>Me: I like you Kyuubi! You rock!<br>Kyuubi: -sniffles- Thank you.  
>Naruto: They're so weird...<br>Sasuke: Indeed they are...  
>Kyuubi and I: This was Hitoko-sama!<br>**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hurray! I can finally get down more plot drama for this fic! Thank Jesus…And Santa…And whoever else finally decided to give me time to write, and write like ze wind! Regular PV, ENJOY!-**

Danzo forced his way through the lines of soldiers and commanders that he had at his disposal; they had all failed him, none of them had been able to find Naruto's trail or get him back. His bride was gone and so was his most valuable tool; he would have to resort to desperate measures. He pushed his high commander out the way as he headed down to the dungeon; he had been advising him all morning about how to get Naruto back but the problem with that was now the demon's had an advantage over him and could move whenever they wanted; not to mention the fact that with Naruto he could predict his own soldiers movements, since he knew such a valuable child wouldn't be killed by them.

He went down the stairs to the dungeon seeing the door Sasuke used to sneak into the palace. How the demon knew about that entrance was beyond him. It may have just been dumb luck that he found it or maybe he had a guide…Danzo's time, at this moment, could not be spent sniffing out whatever rat decided to betray him, he had bigger problems to deal with such as find his bride and the demons who had taken him. He only had one resource to be able to do so and he didn't even know if that resource would even agree to do so. They weren't exactly on the best terms at the moment even though for the past thirteen years he had been keeping them alive and well enough.

Danzo stepped around the dungeon looking for the loose cobblestone that lead to the chamber under the palace where he kept his last resort. He didn't want them escaping just in case he ever needed them; oh how right he was in that thought. He had contemplated their execution multiple times but now he knew that as long as Naruto lived he would have to keep them alive as well.

He jumped into the chamber where more than a few people cowered back from the powerful king. He had human and demons alike down in this place; but all of the demons were subdued with chains of blessed metal or kept under the surveillance of a well trained priest. The humans, if they hadn't died by now, were just watched and kept in place by their shackles. But that didn't necessarily mean they didn't get to walk around and exercise their muscles. Some of them would be no use if they couldn't move.

Danzo walked up to the cage in the very back of the room and tapped loudly on the wall next to it, making a man covered in dark, black runes and robes comes from the shadows so Danzo could be let into the cage. Both of the people inside the cell didn't seem to notice the added presence mostly due to the magic being pumped slowly into the cage keeping them subdued. Though they were both humans their strength should not be underestimated, he had them kept under such precautions for a reason. The priest, who was standing outside of the cage, breathed in slightly pulling the miasma surrounding them and swallowing it with a small cough. The two people in the cage were coughing slightly, blinking rapidly as the world around them came into focus.

The woman had blindingly bright red hair that even in the darkness one could see it perfectly. Her cloudy blue eyes were starting to become more and more in focus as she coughed up the purple miasma from her system. The man sitting up against the wall next to her closed his shocking blue eyes and opened them again, spitting up a red substance that he seemed to be choking on. The problem with prolonged exposure to miasma was lung damage. Danzo knew he had to think of something else to keep them subdued with but until then the miasma would have to be it. The blond man coughed a little bit as he slouched forward, holding a hand over his mouth. He leaned back as Danzo stepped in and both of them seemed to finally notice that he was there.

They both tensed up looking up at the King who was standing right in front of them. From the look on his face they could both tell that he was not happy for whatever reason. The woman was about to open her mouth to say something but the cracked, dehydration from her throat only brought a small whine and a little cough. Danzo reached over to her grabbing that bright hair with his hand, fisting it inside and pulling the woman to her feet. The man got up in that moment only to be pulled back down with the chain clasped around his neck. He reached up futilely and Danzo only laughed at his efforts as he pulled the woman out of the cell by the hair.

"Kushina, always a pleasure to see you." Danzo said as he dragged her into a separate room in the dungeon. She looked around the room with fear building up behind her eyes as she saw the chains and weapons hanging off the walls; guards glared back at her as she passed by them, still caught in Danzo's grip. He sat her down in a chair by a table where chains were wrapped around it. This was a room where people were tortured, she already knew. Danzo thrusted a glass of water into her hand and she drank it quickly setting it to the side as he looked over at him. "Ha, as to think I would have to rely on your gifts after all of this time."

"Yes, why now? I thought with what you've already taken from me you'd be sitting in your throne very comfortably." She replied off-handedly, glaring a little. Danzo grabbed her face and lifted her out of the chair.

"Do not forget your manners here little girl…I may need you but I am not above killing you."

"THEN DO IT! YOU DON'T NEED ME ANYMORE AND THERE IS NO MORE POINT IN KEEPING ME AND MINATO HERE!" She screeched at him. There was a moment of silence between them as Danzo let go of her; she fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. "You've taken everything away from us, why not just take our lives as well? I bet…Naruto doesn't even remember who we are any more."

"Kushina, calm yourself. There is nothing more unappealing than a screeching, upset woman." Danzo said as he stared at her. "The reason why I've decided to use you is because of Naruto. He's been kidnapped." Kushina paused as she looked up at the King; strangely enough he had a face that showed his sincerity, he was actually speaking the truth and was concerned about Naruto. "The Rebel Alliance has taken him away."

"Good. The Rebels will take great care of him, unlike you. Perhaps now they'll have enough power to finally bring you to your rotten knees." Kushina spat out, her heated expression not hiding any of the malice she felt for the man standing in front of her. Danzo ground his teeth a little but said nothing to her; he plainly slapped her across the face and in her weakened condition knocked her back into the wall. She rolled onto her side and slowly got onto her knees using the wall to give her some leverage as her legs shook underneath her.

"Apparently you have no sense left in that head of yours woman." He said as he walked up to her. She flinched at his presence and tried to shove him away, noting how atrophied her muscles really were. "They will kill Naruto." Kushina stopped with pure shock showing in her features. "They've been trying to assassinate him since he was a boy of only five and now they finally have him in his clutches. Do you really think they'd let him live after they've taken down my empire? They think he's the last of the Uzumakis and they will destroy him because of that. I want him to live, don't you? It is not his fault he has such a wonderful gift and he should not be punished for it. If you help me Kushina, I promise that I will never harm him. He will always be safe with me…What do you say?"

"What do you need for me to do?" Danzo held back the smirk that wanted very much to form on his lips.  
>-<p>

Sasuke was walking next to the demon horse who insisted on hissing or attempting to buck Naruto off. So far it's attempts hadn't been successful but Sasuke could see the mounting aggravation in the blond's eyes; it was obvious he wanted off the horse's back. The demon growled at the horse and it just nuzzled him affectionately before hissing again at the blond. He had never seen such a temperamental demon.

"A small town is coming up." Kyuubi announced looking back at the two of them. "I don't suppose you'd like to stop off to get a better set of clothes?" Naruto looked down at his current attire. He was still wearing what he had been planning to marry Danzo in; he really didn't want to have to wear it much longer. It reminded him of how close he actually came to marrying that man.

"Yes it would be very much appreciated…" Naruto said as he grabbed the white gold wire crown from his forehead and pulled it off. He tossed it to Kyuubi. "Do with that what you will. It would be better if I wasn't wearing it all the time; it may bring up unexpected complications." Kyuubi nodded his head and shoved it under his large overcoat into one of the many pockets Sasuke suspected to be inside.

"Too bad really." Sasuke said with a slight smirk as he hopped up on the demon's horse's back. He leaned in closely, his lips only mere centimeters from the blond's ears. "It really brought out the color of your eyes." Naruto shoved Sasuke away from him knocking the demon off the horse which made it buck up, making the blond slid off and onto the Uchiha.

Kyuubi glanced back and shook his head. "Kids these days." His horse whinnied in agreement as they continued forward.

After that debacle the three of them managed to get into town quickly, hiding their horses under sand color blankets so no one would steal them or figure out the identities of their riders. It would be bad if Danzo's men figured out where they were right away. Kyuubi gave Naruto a smaller cloak that was under his jacket so he could cover the marriage robes. They broke off into two groups from there, Kyuubi heading off in some kind of random direction leaving Sasuke with Naruto to find the blond some clothes; not that the demon minded at all.

He kept a close watch on the blond even going as far as to wrap his arm around his waist, pulling the squirmy creature tightly to his side. They spotted a shop at the back corner of the town, buzzing with the sounds of people and as soon as the woman saw Naruto, she grabbed him and pulled him into the back room with a large smile. The blond was reluctant to go at first, struggling under the woman's amazingly strong grip but eventually gave in.

Sasuke sat in a small recreation area garnering the attention of many a prostitute and regular woman; it was annoying to him. The women would hound him with questions and he would have to glare or snap at them harshly before they'd get the message. But the whores were much worse because they seemed to know of his demonic presence since they released alluring scents to try and seduce him. He wished very much that woman would hurry up with Naruto and as soon as he thought that Naruto was shooed out of the back room in a new array of clothes.

The shirt was made of a breathable cotton material, dipping in a v-like shape down the top of his chest to show just the right amount of skin in the most tasteful manner. The trousers he had been adorned with were a light brown so they wouldn't attract too much heat or keep too much away. If he had a cloak with a hood, it would be perfect attire for traveling across the desert as they were now. Sasuke told the woman his request and she smiled, bring a deep, dark blue cloak from the back. It fit the blond like a glove. Sasuke was a pleased and paid the woman a little extra for her services.

"You look beautiful." Sasuke muttered to the blond, once again wrapping his arm around his waist. The blond had a slight amount of heat in his cheeks but he didn't pull away or try to squirm out of Sasuke's grip this time. "Why is it that you're far more agreeable now?" Sasuke asked as he glanced down at the blond who remained silent, with almost a guilty look on his face. "You seemed completely adamant to stay with that man even saying that you'd rather be married to him but now…" Naruto glanced up at Sasuke and the demon pulled him into a side alley where barely any people passed by the entrance and stared down at him. The Uchiha's lusty eyes were tinted red and Naruto whined as he felt the press of Sasuke's body against his. "You were trying to protect me, I realize that now. You do not have to do that my little blond because Danzo cannot defeat me." He seized Naruto's lips and the pressure of the demon's against his own made the blond's head swim in such a delightful way that he actually whimpered. The picture of Danzo killing Sasuke popped up in Naruto head and the instant passion of the kiss wore off. The blond pushed Sasuke away and he started to wipe his lips furiously.

"No. Danzo can defeat you, that's the problem. If you would have left me there you would have lived and we wouldn't have half of his military force storming the desert looking for me." Naruto exited the alley with a slightly peeved Uchiha following behind him. He grabbed the blond by the shoulders and spun him around.

"Why do I have the feeling you're not being fully truthful with me? Have you seen something Sorcerer? Should I fear for my life yet?" Sasuke muttered pushing Naruto against a wall. The blond glared back at the demon who was right in his face.

"You should have started fearing for your life the moment you realized you were a demon." Naruto said in a slightly pitchy voice. Sasuke noticed then the tears that seemed to be blurring his eyes but said nothing about them; Naruto was hiding something from him and it must have been something very important…Like his death. Sasuke shook that thought from his head. There was no way a human like that would be able to kill a demon of his caliber, especially at his age.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about me, Naruto. I will manage to keep myself alive; so do not resist your urge to voice your true feelings, especially the ones that have to do with me." Sasuke smirked and the blond huffed, shoving the Uchiha away from him and heading out into the crowd, making Sasuke run to catch up with him. "For a smaller human, you're kind of strong."

"Then maybe you should brush up on the history of the clan of the person you wish to capture. Uzumakis are known best for their ability to see into the future but we also have great strength and stamina." Naruto said as he was smoothly brought to walk right next to Sasuke; the Uchiha's grip on him was iron-like, not easily removed in any way.

"Oh? Perhaps I'll keep that snip of information for later."

"Are all demons like you?"

"Me?"

"You know; perverted, rude, kind of an asshole, a little bi-polar, and all of those fun qualities."

"Sasuke seems more like an arrogant bastard than an asshole…But of course now I'm just splitting hairs." Kyuubi said and the both of them turned around to see the red head smirking at the two of them. "Come along Lovebirds, we need to put a little more distance between us and palace and nothing grabs young people's attention like insults."

Sasuke mumbled something under his breath about Kyuubi being the bastard; Naruto giggled a little, delicately putting his hand over his mouth as he followed both Sasuke and Kyuubi out of the town. -

"All considering Kyuubi, we haven't exactly traveled all that far." Sasuke muttered as he looked at the red head, who he was beginning to have doubts about his sanity level. He had told them they needed to put more distance between them and the palace but only ended up traveling for another hour until it started getting dark. He made Sasuke set up camp, by himself, wasting even more time; it didn't see as though they had gotten very far at all.

Kyuubi looked up at the Uchiha who was standing above him and nodded a little as he considered what Sasuke had just said to him. "And…What is your point exactly?"

Sasuke could have pounced on this human and physically showed him the point he was trying to make but decided that if Naruto saw it, he would become fearful of the demon and that was the opposite of what he wanted to happen. Naruto, though he may not admit it himself, felt this connection between them; it was powerful. Sasuke knew he needed to protect the bond no matter what.

"How long is it until we reach the rebel camp? Suna can't be this far away, especially since you managed to get from there to the palace in only a day's time." Naruto muttered as Kyuubi threw another log onto the fire Sasuke had started. In the desert it was hot during the day and cold during the night; Sasuke saw Naruto sitting close to the fire and he sat down next to the blond wrapping his arm around Naruto's shoulder to keep him warmer.

"If you knew that the rebel camp is in Suna, why doesn't Danzo?" Sasuke asked the blond. He looked the other way with a smirk and that looked spelled it all out for Sasuke; Naruto had been lying to protect the demons. "Well Naruto, it took me a day because I didn't stop during the night and Kyuubi seems to be taking us the back way…Which means it may be a three day journey with no stops but with stops it'll probably be five, maybe six day."

"Six days? Why the hell are we not getting a move on? I swear I can still see the palace from here." Naruto muttered. Sasuke noticed the anxiousness in his voice and he wondered what exactly the blond was so afraid of. Had he had some kind of vision before they left? Shouldn't he be trying to bestow his wisdom on them? Sasuke tightened his grip a little bit pulling the blond a tiny bit closer to his body.

Naruto felt the heat rushing to his face. Sure this wasn't exactly the most intimate the two of them had ever been but being so close to this demon made him feel nervous and just a tiny bit lustful. The thoughts he had of Sasuke were down right sinful but he blamed it on the visions he had of Sasuke and him; they weren't exactly tame. Both of them turned towards Kyuubi, who they saw was sleeping, snoring so loudly that they weren't sure how they hadn't noticed it before.

Sasuke leaned into the smaller body, the desire of his form was becoming too great to contain. He hadn't been fully satisfied with the chaste kiss he had received from the blond earlier and he very much wished to continue where the two of them had left off.

He kissed Naruto on the forehead, making more heat rush to the blond's cheeks as he leaned up and allowed Sasuke to kiss more than just that area. The press of the Uchiha's lips against his own made his head swim to the point where he leaned in just to get a firmer feel for Sasuke's mouth. His hands were pulling at the thin layer of cloth that was separating Sasuke from his goal; his shirt and pants were already getting in his way and they hadn't even gone past kissing yet.

Naruto moaned slightly when Sasuke's hand started to rub ever so gently against his thighs building up a hot, needy feeling inside him. The blond was feeling the burn of desire slowly start to rise in his pants as Sasuke's lips and hands tortured him with delicious friction. The demon's tongue flicked torturously slow over the blond's bottom lip and Naruto hesitantly allowed him to enter into the hot, moist cavern. Sasuke laid the blond down against the sand using Naruto's cloak as a barrier so their bodies wouldn't become too muddled with the grainy material.

Naruto's hands shot up to touch Sasuke's lithe yet muscled form, admiring the muscles of his chest through the material of his shirt; the desire to touch Sasuke and have that skin to skin contact was becoming overwhelming in the blond's mind. He didn't understand why his mind was so easily corrupted by this demon's touch, why he was so willing to be taken by him. It just seemed right. His hands slid upward and rested on Sasuke's shoulders which his hands fisted in when Sasuke's hand got a bit more adventurous. The neckline of Sasuke's shirt fell slightly and Naruto came into contact with that creamy, tantalizing skin.

The blond felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach as a sense of unease filled him. It was happening again; he was having another vision.

The sand around him was whipping and it was harsh, scratching him across the face as he attempted to stand solidly in the midst of the storm. Someone was tugging on him, pulling him back into a small cave by the side of a steep mountain. He glanced back through squinted eyes and he saw the flash of red hair which meant it was Kyuubi. Fear started to pool in his stomach as the other man pulled him into the cave and covered him with a cloak so he would not suffer anymore damage to his lungs; the sand's coarse texture made it perfect for filling suffocation.

His mind blurred as the focus of his vision shifted; it was on Sasuke now. He was flooded with relief to see that the demon was uninjured. He was running through the storm with his hood covering his face, a thin strip of see-through cloth, more than likely something spun from a spider demon silk, blocking the sand from hitting him and hindering his vision.

Screeching was coming from the sky in the distance and Sasuke didn't seem to notice or care about it. The storm was loud from the gusts of winds and it was more than likely a priority to lead Danzo's men away from where he and Kyuubi were hiding. The Uchiha stopped suddenly and Naruto could feel the cockiness of his smirk as he freed his wings and took flight. Danzo's men were clumsy and blinded by the sand so much so that they didn't notice the cliff in front of them. They all fell, practically in a line, off into the abyss below.

Sasuke smirked as he rose up above the storm, shaking himself of the sand and finally being able to breathe without a mask. He freed his face from the hood and hawk that had been screeching in the distance was now perched on the shoulder of a man who was aiming an arrow right at the demon. Sasuke took in a deep breath and let loose a stream of demonic black fire, smirking as the arrow being shot was engulfed with the archer in the flames. A piercing white light blew through the fire and before Sasuke could move properly he was cut across the shoulder with the tip of the arrow.

The demon let out a scream of pain as he fell from the sky and onto the ground, rolling and seizing his injury in sheer and utter agony. The arrow had been blessed, that was the only way it could have gotten through demon fire, Naruto knew. And there had to have been something on it, a poison of some kind that specifically effected demons.

The blond snapped back into reality, noting that Sasuke had stopped kissing him to look at Naruto's face. He was shaking in the demon's arms and his grip on Sasuke's shirt was almost to the point of ripping.

"What did you see?" Kyuubi said as he suddenly woke up. It was like he hadn't been sleeping at all. He worked his way over to the two of them and pushed Sasuke out of the way so he could look Naruto in the eye.

The blond was still shaking but managed to sit himself up taking a few deep breathes to calm his mind. That must have been the way Danzo got the mark on Sasuke's shoulder and managed to hinder his ability to fight. He figured then that it must not have been poison but some kind of curse; Danzo had some powerful magicians under his power but he didn't think one would be strong enough to actually cast a curse that disrupted a demon's ability to fight to that degree.

"It doesn't matter what I see…You will not be able to change or avoid it. Once something is set in the future it cannot be evaded. It becomes a part of someone's destiny…"

"Tell us, we may be able to postpone it for a longer amount of time." Sasuke said as he got in Naruto's face. The blond's eyes narrowed as he stood up completely, glaring down at Sasuke.

"Why is everyone so obsessed with what I have to tell them? Shouldn't life be full of mysteries for a reason? If anything the future changes to suit a situation because I foretell it!" Naruto turned away from the two of them, his entire frame shaking with anger. "People call what I have a gift, but I don't think of it that way. It's a curse on me and my clan; it gives me no hope for my future; one day I will see my own death and will not be able to do anything to stop it. What kind of life will I live then?"

"Forgive me then, I did not mean to imply that you had to share anything with me…" Sasuke said as he stood up as well putting a hand on the blond's shoulder. Naruto felt a strange pain in his chest and turned back around to look Sasuke in the eye. There was something there, something he seemed to hint at concern. Naruto sighed quietly and looked at the Uchiha.

"You're going to be cursed by Danzo." Naruto began closing his eyes so he could pick up every single detail. " Danzo's forces, at some point, will catch up to us. There will be a sandstorm and you'll manage to lead Danzo's forces away from Kyuubi and I; you'll also kill all but one who will receive a cursed arrow from a hawk flying towards the storm. The magic on the arrow will be so powerful that not even your demonic fire will be able to burn it. It will hit you squarely on the shoulder, causing a curse to pump through your body and hinder you…The pain looked severe…"

"That's…Impossible. Human magic should not be able to hinder demons in that way." Sasuke muttered as he tried to understand what the blond told him. He knew human magic could hurt him but it shouldn't have been able to actually curse him…

"Yes, human magic isn't able to curse demons…" Kyuubi began as he tilted his gaze towards Sasuke. "But, demon magic is whole other entity completely. It's far darker and more powerful than human magic and that means a demon would be completely able to curse you." The red head crossed his arms over his chest and sighed a little. "Danzo has a demon magician; I've seen the work he's conducted and he is very powerful. If anything we should start moving now and try to prolong the encounter with Danzo's men as long as possible."

Naruto and Sasuke were silent as the man finished; they were both digesting the words and thinking about what could be done but nothing came to mind. The red head looked up to the sky as a gust a gently wind blew past them kicking up small twists of sand as it passed. He sighed a little and turned back towards the two of them. "There will be a storm tomorrow." Naruto bit his lip, fear was starting to consume him. Sasuke was well on his way to that last show down with Danzo.  
>-<p>

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T SEE THEM!" Danzo yelled angrily throwing Kushina to the floor. She huddled her body up and a guard had to hold Danzo back from causing her anymore bodily harm.

"What do you think I mean? I can only see the future not the present. And even the snips of future I saw will not be of any service to you! The only thing I gathered was they're traveling in the desert and will reach the demon's camp in the evening in the middle of next week." She steadied herself by sitting up, placing her back against the wall as Danzo calmed himself.

"The desert you say…" He turned towards one of his high commanders. "They're heading to Suna; get all the troops you can to head that way and take the long way around because if it is taking them that long to get there, they're taking that way." Danzo paused for a moment before he got right in the face of his commanding officer. "I want to see both Kyuubi and Sasuke one last time before both of their heads are displayed on pikes outside my palace. And you better bring Naruto back unharmed or you head will join that traitor and the demon's, do you understand?"

"Yes my King…Completely." Danzo nodded as the man left and he looked back at Kushina one last time before exiting the room. He knew that the priest in charge of her would put her back in the cell now that he was done. He needed a way to get back at Sasuke just because he was demon, and a powerful one at that, he knew that he needed to consult the one person who would have the most effective impact on him and hinder his abilities the most.

Danzo needed to speak with the his demon magician.  
>-<p>

**And that's where I'm ending it. Next chapter we will be introduced to this demon magician and it will be...awesome? No not really, you'll be like, of course it's him...**

**Sasuke: This chapter is shorter than your others.  
>Me: I'm aware. I don't have time to write 6000 plus words! Stupid school.<br>Sasuke: Maybe you should burn it down to the ground...  
>Me: Eh, I kinda have to graduate to go to college...<br>Sasuke: Damn your dreams, be a fanfiction writer all day and all night.  
>Me: We'll see how well that pays the bill Sasuke, this was Hitoko-sama.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Wooo it's time for an update of everyone's favorite fic. Hurray :D I hope ya'll enjoy it! Regular PV  
>-<strong>

The air was a stiff as if it's muscles were feeling the full effects of rigamortis. Unable to move, stuck. There was no sense of circulation because the air seemed to hang stagnantly around Danzo's head. He could taste the death and stiffing sense of hopelessness. It was common to feel the pains and suffrage when he entered this area. He could also feel the prickling of magic; it was a dark source, poisonous almost. It seemed as though a layer of black film hung over any source light and even managed to tether to the soul, dragging it into a sense of dread. Demons themselves never gave off such an aura, only powerful magic like this magician performed could fit this soul grabbing distortion.

Danzo would be lying if he said he hadn't contemplated killing this particular demon more than a few times; something always held him back of course. He had proved to be far too useful in situations where it called for his expertize. But it was also a risk in letting him live, he could turn on Danzo at any second. He would put up a hell of a fight too; demons who could use magic were probably the most deadly creatures that hid in the shadows of the world. However, this was one of those occasions where Danzo had to suck up his pride and ask for a quick fix, a cure for whatever cancerous circumstance that dared to come crawling into his life. Danzo needed him; he needed his power. The only thing that could be a measure of greatness in the world was power, Danzo would go to very desperate lengths to become all powerful. He wanted everyone who was not worthy of him to suffer, to feel the stifling pain of being weak. He especially wanted the Uchiha to feel that. He wanted the demon broken, ripped apart at the seams. When he was finished all he wanted to see was a cold, lifeless corpse of a demon.

Sasuke was a cancer; he had invaded into the cells of his castle and taken away his everything. Naruto was his livelihood, his light, everything he could have ever prayed for. The boy had even agreed to become his. The demon was poisoning everything he had worked so hard to achieve. Drastic measures had to be taken against him, he needed to be brought to his knees. He needed the very soul ripped from his body and tortured until even the fibers that held it together fell to the wayside, dripping like blood out of a fatal wound. He wished very much to get his hands on the Uchiha again, to be the one who would cause the eternal suffering he knew all demon's deserved.

As much as the old prejudices seemed outdated, he could not forgive demons for existing. They were impure beings; made from the root of all evil, wearing the faces of humans to confuse and torture. And they were always so beautiful, it disgusted him. They were the spawn of destruction, children of hellfire. Their influence needed to be purged from the world, and with Naruto's gift, a gift he undoubtedly received from the gods of light and intuition, he could purge them. He wanted to free the world of the demonic darkness that had, at one point, threatened to swallow it whole. Light had the ability to burn a whole through the darkness and one day the darkness would become so weak that it could not fight off the inevitable any longer.

Until that day, Danzo knew, he would have to rely on demons to do some of the grunt work. This demonic magician was no exception. When the king knew he would no longer have to need his powers, he would be exterminated like the vermin he was. To progress it meant working with the enemy; learn their flaws, their weaknesses then when they were down, exploit them. Danzo knew this all to well, it was how he progressed to the title of King.

He grabbed onto the handle of the door feeling the pressure of the air around him starting to weigh down on him; the magic in the room had been concentrated for so long that it came rushing out all at once. The sheer volume of it was crushing, it seemed to suck out the very light that existed within the soul bringing forth the smothering helplessness that seemed to only come from darkness. Danzo felt like the air had been smashed out of his body as he entered the room. The stench of black magic was one of a sour kind; but other than that its heavy weight on the body was the real thing to be concerned about.

Danzo glanced for only a mere moment and there he was, sitting in the midst of bodies which had taken a darkened look, as if the decay had been stopped. He was surprised by the lack of smell; it actually stank of tobacco more than anything else, not even the magic seemed to prevail. The magician took a pipe from his lips and blew a stream of blue smoke out of his mouth that morphed into a snake before disappearing completely. Danzo, for some reason, felt more than just the presence of his fateful magician in the room; it was like eyes following around, the sense of paranoia made a bead a sweat drip down the back of his neck. It chilled him.

"Orochimaru." Danzo didn't like to address him by name, it always seemed to give him some kind of power as though he was sinning right in front of the king of the demons. There was an amused chuckle as more smoke passed through his lips and whisking itself upwards before dissolving into the air.

"My, my. What a pleasure indeed." The demon turned to look at the king, a wickedness about his face. He actually was gracious enough to stand up and take a few steps away from the bodies that surrounded him. "Such a day this shall be, it has been a while since you've come down to visit me." He blew a ring of smoke around Danzo's face; he could have swore it grew a face and smirked devilishly at him. "What do I owe this rarity?"

"A demon has taken Naruto away. I fear that if we do not do anything promptly he will be killed." Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and shrugged a little.

"Oh? How unfortunate for you, especially since that boy was your betrothed, was he not?" Danzo frowned a little. The fact that Orochimaru knew so much bothered him. He shouldn't have been getting that much news, not all the way down here in the dark, depths of this dungeon. "Though, I do not see how I could possibly assist you. My magic isn't for retrieval. Unless, you want him here in pieces...?" He had a quirk of the lips that wasn't quite a smirk; it was something far more sinister. Something Danzo could not label with human words. It was a thing laced with evil.

"I need something that will harm a demon..." Orochimaru seemed interest in that. He had a fondness for causing pain, especially in other demons because most magic couldn't even touch them.

"What is the clan name of the demon? I could make something...Special...To counteract any of their techniques." Danzo knew that knowing a demon's name gave certain things like curses more power over the afflicted. It could poison them or even sink into their souls, tampering with their morality and thoughts. He wouldn't mind having Sasuke killing himself in a fit of delusions. Of course...He could accidentally kill Naruto in a rage.

"Uchiha is the clan, the name they bestowed upon him is Sasuke." Orochimaru seemed to perk up at the clan name. Danzo wondered how much he knew about the Uchiha clan because he seemed mildly interested unlike other tasks where he almost brushed them off completely. "But nothing to powerful Orochimaru, I want the demon to live so I may do him in."

"I understand..." There was a hint of amusement in his tone and was pulled a little further with dull cackling from the snake like demon. "Actually, I have something now you can use against the Uchiha. He won't be brought down much mentally but his physical body is practically going to be ruined." Orochimaru stepped over the mass of bodies and got down on his hands and knees, tapping on one of the stones on the floor in a certain pattern. "I assume you want something that will effect him right away."

"The quicker, the better." Danzo muttered as Orochimaru pulled up the stone. Smoke, rising in black, wild tendrils, came up from the vacant space. It seemed to expel some kind of sound, as though someone was exhaling, and Orochimaru whipped his hand making the smoke stop mid-air and dip into one of the corpses on the floor. The body seemed to seize and come to life, breathing soundlessly, clawing the floor and staring at Orochimaru. The snake just blinked when a hand grabbed onto his black robes.

"Annoying thing..." He muttered as he grabbed a jagged dagger. He clasped the body's arm and flipped it over, exposing an arm that seemed to be jutting black, spidery veins through the pale white skin. It looked as though the skin covering his appendage stretched too thin, as though it showed bones and all the muscles had been eaten away. Orochimaru took the dagger and cut a curved line down his veins, black, poisoned looking blood started to drip down the wound. It was thick, as though it had coagulated in the veins before coming out. If this person was alive whatever Orochimaru had done to them was slowly clotting all their blood and causing massive internal damage. The blood dripped like black syrup out of a red line, it was strange sight. Orochimaru caught it in his hand and when it landed on his pale palm it reacted to his skin by forming into a sphere of black liquid. He stood up and walked over to Danzo. "Here, a single drop will be enough to curse the Uchiha brat. You can poison arrows or daggers with it. Be fore warned however, too much of that curse will kill him. If he survives, well, I can control the curse...He will be much pain."

"I want that power...How can I control this curse?" Danzo said quickly; Orochimaru laughed at that thought.

"Oh? You wish to have that pleasure? Well, if you were a demon and a magician then you could control it to your heart's desire. Unfortunately, you are neither. All of his pain will be mine." Orochimaru said with a slight hiss of pleasure at the end of his words. "Too bad." He added with a shrug. Danzo's eyes heated with anger but he said nothing. "However I can assure you that I will make his existence a very painful, miserable one."

Danzo seemed contented by that and looked down at the ball of twisting blackness in his hand. "I know you'll stand by that guarantee no matter the circumstances so I will leave the misery of the Uchiha brat in your...Capable hands." Orochimaru smirked a little at that statement and nodded his head. He would make the demon suffer; he knew how to make anything and everyone suffer, whether it be from a curse or just with a single blade. This snake was not something to hide in the grass idly; he was a serpent who wished to expel the venom from his fangs.  
>-<p>

**To our heroes...**

After Naruto's vision, the three of them packed up their camp and decided to move farther into the desert; somewhere they could hide from Danzo's men. Without Naruto on Danzo's side to help pinpoint their location, an ambush would be vital to gain the upper hand. Of course they had no idea when the army would come. It could be tomorrow, or the day after, hell it could be a week from now. That's the thing Kyuubi and Sasuke found so vexing about Naruto's visions, there were no time frames to go off of. They would be chased into a sandstorm was the only real lead, which was a dead end. The desert had sandstorms all the time. There was no telling with Danzo would finally find them.

They found a cave on the upper part of a mountain side; Sasuke had already cleared it of other demons or dangerous animals and they decided to stop and make another camp here. When the sun arose they would head off again. Traveling was the best way to keep themselves safe and they would be doing a lot of it on their way to Suna. They would shave at least two days off their time if they continue to travel this rapidly.

It wasn't Kyuubi's style; he liked a relaxed pace but they couldn't afford to waste time roaming around. Technically they couldn't even afford it in the beginning but he just wanted to annoy the little demon a bit. It was quite amusing. But now life and death hung in the balance and he wasn't about to allow Sasuke to die on his watch. He was the one who got him fully involved in Naruto's capture and helped them escape so that means he had a responsibility to keep him safe.

Naruto sat down, his back against one of the cave walls, and sighed. He wasn't used to his kind of heavy activity. He had been pampered and spoiled his entire life, not by choice, but it annoyed him that he got tired before anyone else would. Sasuke actually had to carry him on his back for part of the journey because they had been traveling so much that even the horses tired. He wondered why Sasuke hadn't just flown ahead but he assumed that he didn't want to leave Kyuubi wandering in the middle of the desert to be captured; plus a huge winged creature would give away their position. Naruto glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The cave was vast, tall height wise, and wide. It also seemed to span deeply since there were areas where the light of the fire Sasuke had started didn't illuminate. It was dark even with the fire. There was something about it that scared Naruto, as though Danzo would come popping out of the blackness and take him away. He knew Sasuke would fight to the death before that happened but even then he didn't feel very safe. Nor did he really know what he could make the situation.

There was a part of him that still wanted to save Sasuke, to return to Danzo so the demon would be spared. Of course, now that option seemed out of the question. Danzo would be more than furious with the demon even if Naruto returned. And then he would have to marry the man for nothing; the thought made him shiver. He knew why he promised to marry Danzo at the time but now he didn't know why he believed Danzo would allow Sasuke to live. It was naive, it was foolish, he had been deluding himself. He had been lucky Sasuke managed his escape feat. Naruto leaned back against the cave wall, his head placed gently on the cool rock of the cave wall. It had been blisteringly hot all day and this wall seemed to provide relief...

Sasuke settled down next to the blond who had closed his eyes; he could tell by the breathing that he wasn't sleeping though. Naruto opened those deep blue pools and looked over at the demon with a tired look. He felt a brief fluttering in his heart, like a small bird flapping its wings against the sky...Which resembled the color of the blond's eyes.

He felt that was one of the stupidest things he had ever thought; he knew that love made the mind go to mush and all those other fun little things but he was wondered what this feeling was between him and Naruto. It wasn't uncommon at all for demons to take humans mate; it strengthened bloodlines and diluted undesirable traits. But that was a means of survival, this seemed far more real. Mutual lusts were also common. If Sasuke had been stuck with a man that looked like Danzo for most of his life he would jump on any good looking person who glanced in his direction. But that wasn't what Naruto seemed to want, if he had desired Sasuke's body, then he would have already tasted it. So was it love? Was it gratitude? Was it just lust? What were the emotions that he knew they both shared?

Kyuubi sat on the other side of the fire looking at the two of them. He couldn't help but think they looked cute together; opposite looks yet felt a similar attraction between them. He smirked a little. He could tell that both were falling for each other, their chemistry was strong, whether Naruto wanted to admit it or not. The boy had a fire burning inside of him for the demon and the demon had more than just a fire burning in his pants for the boy. It was relatively amusing to watch them struggle with these profoundly heavy feelings but no one can give small nudges in the right direction with these kinds of things. He sighed contentedly. He hoped this worked out well for them.

"Come gather round children. I have a yarn to be weaving for ya!" Sasuke and Naruto both stared at each other for a moment before sliding up a little closer to the fire. Both had a feeling that if they did not comply with Kyuubi's wishes, he wouldn't begin to 'weave' his yarn. "I know we're all a little stressed out, and this story is probably going to add to it but it needs to be told, for your sake Sasuke." He paused for a moment looking at Sasuke's face, trying to read it, but that stoic mask made it difficult to know what he was actually feeling. He wondered if it was fear, or some kind of simple madness. "This is the tale of...Orochimaru, Danzo's personal demon magician...Once upon a time there lived a demonic snake who took the face of a human so he could conduct illegal experiments, and we're talking illegal in the demon realm too. He harvested parts from demons and humans alike, concocting poisons, curses, just all around bad things. He was even able to begin summoning processes to bring other worldly demons from their prisons in Hell. One day Danzo came upon him and managed to seal his soul away, binding it to the inner walls of the castle. He is completely unable to leave, however, he can still perform his magic. As we all know magic is a difficult art to master because of it's massive toll on the body and the danger that comes from backfires. But with all of his solitude Orochimaru was able to nearly perfect every technique that he passed over; he is probably one of the most powerful demons in the world because of it."

"So what does this mean for me? Danzo is going to have him cook up a curse to kill me?" Sasuke asked, his muscles slightly more tense than before. Naruto glanced over at him with a concerned look. It was all his fault Sasuke was being crushed under the weight of this situation; it only got worse too. Naruto bit his lip as Kyuubi shrugged.

"I don't know." He said. "All I know is that Orochimaru will want to get his hands on you, for obvious reasons. I do not doubt Danzo will let him have your body after he's killed you. If he does, that is." The clarification made Naruto shiver. He didn't like that even Kyuubi was starting to doubt the likelihood of the outcome of the battle between Sasuke and Danzo. If only Danzo would actually man up and play fair; Sasuke would win. "However, I do think Danzo will not allow Orochimaru to kill you with whatever curse he's concocted. He will want that pleasure to be his...Though, I have a feeling that if you are cursed there are ways to get rid of it...Such as killing Orochimaru."

"We have a plan then. If I'm cursed we'll kill Orochimaru."

"It can't be that simple." Naruto muttered and Kyuubi looked over at the blond. He wanted to comment that some things were actually that simple but he knew that Naruto was with holding information from them. He must have seen something else, something perhaps deadly. Kyuubi wanted to ask the blond what it was that was weighing on his mind but he didn't want to turn this into an interrogation. Naruto may retract himself completely which is the opposite of what they wanted to accomplish. With Naruto's gift they may be able to keep themselves a few steps ahead of the king. The blond's safety, at this moment, was probably the largest concern.

"I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Kyuubi said with a small shrug. "For now we should just get a little shut eye. We've already had an amazing adventure and we will have quite the journey when we awake!" The red head yawned and curled up. Sasuke was amazed at the quickness in which that man could go from completely bubbly awake to passed out. Naruto rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, he was facing Sasuke and the demon repressed the urge to stroke the blond's delicate face. He wondered if that was the face of heaven, something so pure and clean.

He laid back and looked up at the top of the cave. It was serene, silent, and still. Nothing moved and Sasuke could feel his eyelids droop. Kyuubi was right; it had been an exhausting day.

When all sounds in the cave started to diminish Naruto's eyes sprung open. He looked over at Sasuke, the even falling of his chest was a signal. Sleep had been able to capture him. He was in a light sleep though, Naruto knew. He had been contemplating what he wanted to do for a while now and the best optioned seemed to run. If he ran back to Danzo he may be able to call off any hit the king but on Sasuke. There was an instinct inside of him, an urge, to keep the demon safe. No one had ever cared for him as much as Sasuke had and it was time that he returned the favor. If he managed to escape, it would mean Sasuke wouldn't be killed because of him. He would be safe. To Naruto that was the main priority.  
>-<p>

The silence was stifling, it was still and the darkness was penetrating deeply into the calm surroundings. Naruto had been laying awake for a couple hours now just staring into the darkness. It was calling to him, inviting him to run. He knew he could put some distance between them if he tried hard enough and he really doubted they would want to back track so much, it would run the risk of running into Danzo's men.

And of course there were also risks for him running as well. Unlike Kyuubi and Sasuke he didn't know his way through the desert and since everything looked the same, he could easily get lost. But he had to take those chances. He couldn't let Sasuke die because of him. Too much had already been lost because of him.

He took a last fleeting glance at Sasuke before quickly getting to his feet. Kyuubi was snoring loudly so there was no doubt he was in some kind of deep sleep. He got to the mouth of the cave and jumped out, landing on his feet like a cat would. He looked around for a moment and started to run. He had never run so hard in his entire life, he could feel a burning in his lungs, in his muscles. It felt good. It felt like freedom. Even though the sand under his feet made him slip on the occasion it was very freeing, like a bird that was finally able to spread its wings.

Naruto kept running and he could see that the area he was passing through looked familiar, but the problem was everything in the desert looked familiar. There was practically nothing but sand all around. Perhaps the occasional rock and cactus but if one were to give the desert a long, serious look, it had a similar motif in the landscaping. It was as though the Gods had done all their best with other parts of the world and then given up on the desert, perhaps making it an after thought.

The winds were starting to pick up around Naruto and he could feel the sharpness of the sand crystals whipping him in the face. He pulled the hood over his face and it kept him from getting completely bombarded by sand.

It was becoming more difficult to run because of the thrashing wind, it was slowing him down. He thought about finding a place to hide until it was over but he didn't know what could happen in that time. Sasuke may just be able to sniff him out. It was better for him to keep going, even if it was becoming more and more difficult to see.

"NARUTO!" The blond instantly whipped his head back when he heard that. He swore he heard Sasuke calling his name but when he looked behind him, there was no one there. He turned back around thinking perhaps that his lack of sleep was getting to him. He mentally cursed. This was not the time to have delusions. Naruto paused in his movements once again and looked up; how could he have forgotten that Sasuke could fly?

In an instant Sasuke was atop him. The blond knew struggling was futile and gave up right away. The demon's face was twisted with a kind of anger; it made the blond shiver. But at the same time it made him feel a strange heat fill his entire body. Sasuke could smell the arousal rising from the blond's skin and he leaned in. It was happening again, the blond was pulling him in, seducing him silently. Those eyes, that scent, it was far more than enough for Sasuke to lose his touch with what was going on around him.

The sand was picking up, spiraling around them as their lips finally met in a desperate kiss. Sasuke could taste the dry, arid sand crystals on the blond's lips. It mixed with the sweetness that those soft pillows possessed and became an intoxicating mix. He dipped his tongue into the moist cavern Naruto kept closed and the blond couldn't help but let the moan escape from his lips.

Hot fire felt like it was shooting through his body as Sasuke continued to flick and explore the warm, delicious cavern of Naruto's mouth. The blond fisted his hand in the demon's cloak pulling him closer to his body. The roaring of the elements surrounded as the passion of their bodies started to reach its peak. Sasuke's hands were no longer trying to hold the blond's head in place, they were dancing down his body, stroking anywhere they could. Naruto's fingers dipped into Sasuke's hood, knocking it back so he could weave his fingers into the demon's silk like hair. Stray strands brushed against Naruto's cheek and the blond felt like fire had been left in its place. Sasuke pulled back for a moment to look at Naruto's face. Even in the dark he could see the heat in the blond's cheeks, the slight gape his mouth held, the darkly layer lust within those soft blue irises.

But looking at the blond's face reminded Sasuke why he had come out here in the first place. Naruto had run. He had actually thought he could get away too. He was lucky Sasuke had caught him while the storm was still in its infancy. He picked the blond up from the sand and spread his wings again. "For now I will not ask why you ran, but do know it will take a far larger effort on your part to get away." Sasuke muttered hotly agaisnt Naruto's neck. The blond shivered again and looked at the leathery wings that sprouted out from underneath Sasuke's cloak. How could a creature on legs outrun a predator in the air? He should have known it was a foolish endeavor to attempt to run from Sasuke. It would have been only a matter of time before Sasuke would have recaptured him.

"Were you worried?" Naruto asked as he buried his face in Sasuke's chest. As his wings picked up the wind Sasuke sighed a little. He had been, it was why he had been so angry. It would have been one thing for Naruto to get caught by Danzo's guards. They knew their way around the desert, could return him to safety and make sure no harm came to him. But it was another matter completely if Naruto would have gotten lost and died in the desert. As calm as it seemed now there were countless animals, poisonous or not, that could kill the blond in a matter of minutes. Not to mention all the demons and bandits lurking in the shadows. Sasuke didn't like to think about what could have possibly happened if he hadn't found the blond in time. Even this storm could have done him in; it could have suffocated him before he would have even known he was dying.

Sasuke may not have replied but it was obvious from the anger and now tense silence that he had been worried from the moment he saw that Naruto wasn't resting next to his side. He half expected to be ambushed by soldiers. He had also managed to leave without waking Kyuubi; it wasn't a surprise that Naruto had gotten away so easily. Sasuke couldn't help but blame himself partially for this. He had let his guard down, he had expected Naruto not to actually try anything so risky. He hoped he wouldn't try to pull such a daring feat in the war camp at Suna, there wouldn't be a team of trackers to find him, they'd be coming to kill him.

They arrived back at the cave to see Kyuubi stoking the fire. It made Sasuke wonder if he had been awake the whole time and why he hadn't stopped Naruto himself but this man was a mysterious one. But there was something about him that Sasuke seemed to trust. He had saved them after all. And he didn't have to tag along with them. Sasuke could easily deliver Naruto to the camp on his own. He still had five days to do so...

That's when a thought struck Sasuke. He had nearly forgotten about the time restraint Gaara had put on him. He had a week and now because of unforeseen circumstances he was lagging behind. If Gaara wasn't exactly a lax person, he would be angry if they were late because he would be worrying the entire time. Sasuke bit his lip a little. "Kyuubi...When the storm subsides we need to get going."

The red head looked out of the mouth of the cave. There was a scent on the wind, something wicked coming towards their direction. He glanced back at Sasuke and nodded. "Agreed. Perhaps the slow route was not the best taken...I know a better way to get to Suna from here but it's through the mountains. Though, it will cut our time losses." Kyuubi stood up and stared into the vacant blackness of the back of the cave. "In fact, this cave will be able to lead us through the mountains. It may not look like it but there are back ways through this cave which will deposit us on the right path. It should also confuse Danzo's men since we will not be traveling directly in the desert..."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Naruto asked with a certain impatience in his tone. Kyuubi could tell that he wanted to avoid Danzo's men at all costs. There was a connection between Sasuke and him that couldn't not be seen at first but upon closer inspection he would almost call it love. The red head smirked as he got to his feet.

"My sentiments exactly..."  
>-<p>

**And that's where I'm ending it. **

**Naruto: Me trying to escape was completely pointless.  
>Me: Hush your face. It was romantic and daring.<br>Naruto: I don't want to get mauled by a cactus because I wanted to be 'romantic and daring'...  
>Me: How does one get mauled by a cactus?<br>Naruto: Cactus demon?  
>Me: Knowing my over active imagination, they'd probably exist. Hmm, getting mauled by a cactus demon would suck. There'd be thorns in all kinds of tender places!...Perhaps Sasuke should get mauled by one...<br>Sasuke: No! Not mah tenders!  
>Me: Fine...No cactus demons. This was Hitoko-sama.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hurray yet another chapter for your reading pleasure. I hope you enjoy all the drama and daring acts of love, and like greed, and anger, and stuff. It should be all kinda sweet, ya dig? Anyway, Regular PV  
>-<strong>

The wind was strong, whipping sand around like a deadly weapon. At high speeds like this the sand could easily enter the body, filling the lungs and causing exceptionally painful suffocation. The soldiers were all very aware of this so when the storm had finally settled on the ground they did not hesitate to put on their masks. It not only protected them from breathing in the dangerous crystals but also kept their eyes clear. Sight was one of the best attributes to have when chasing someone. Hearing was practically pointless in this situation. The wind was howling miserably, cutting off almost every sound that could be attempted. They had to shout to even spread the simplest command amongst the ranks.

But now, when they should be on Danzo's bride to be, they had to wait. Whilst they had been traveling a messenger hawk had appeared, bringing news that they would be gaining an wonderfully brilliant weapon to bring down the Uchiha. It wasn't as though they weren't confident in their own strengths, but, it did help to have some sort of edge of the demon. Demons were vicious, brutal, and not to mention extremely hard to kill. The sandstorm would not be making any of it easier. Sasuke would have an edge over them from the beginning; he could fly. He could avoid most of their ground limited attacks. Hand to hand would also be thrown out the door because it was better to keep a good distance from the demon. If, on the off chance, he landed or was grounded for whatever reason, they wouldn't hesitate to spear or stick him full of arrows.

That, so far, seemed to be the best way to harm Sasuke. Arrows weren't very limited to height, if one knew the right angle to fire them. They had that and some of the men were very gifted with spears. And they also had many men at their disposal. Plus their was the added fear of failure not being an option. Danzo would bring them all down individually if he heard they had failed to bring Naruto back. Or not injure Sasuke at all. It was a very daunting prospect and no one wanted to receive their finishing blow from the king; he was quite ruthless when angered. A shiver passed through the captain. He had gained his position through an occasion similar to the one he was facing.

Everyone turned when they heard the piercing thrilling of a hawk. It landed on the shoulder of the captain, a message attached to its foot. He grabbed the slip of paper and read over it. According to the paper Danzo was sending them a curse, which would be carried by a separate, stronger hawk so it could flight through the sandstorm with a great ease. The curse was meant for Sasuke, obviously, and if it was administer to him they would be greatly rewarded. The captain rejoiced at the thought. Not only would they have an gargantuan advantage over the demon, they would be able to move. The faster they found the demon, the easier it would be to engage him in combat, perhaps even distracting him long enough to administer the curse.

He looked around his ranks of men, who were, by the sight of them, itching for some form of fighting. Even if many of them would die, it would be for the greater good. Honor was on the line in this case and as captain, he would be damned if he shamed any of them. He made a motion with his hand that signaled their departure and the men throw up their fists, yelling inaudibly. This was their time to prove themselves, they would make Danzo nothing but proud at their efforts. Naruto was practically as good as theirs.  
>-<p>

"Did you hear that?" Naruto asked as he turned towards the mouth of the cave, or at least, the general direction in which it lay. They had been walking through it for hours and there seemed to be no way out. He was starting to believe that Kyuubi was mad and leading them to certain doom.

"All I've been hearing for the past few hours is our footfalls." Sasuke replied, glaring at the back of Kyuubi's head. They had all agreed to take this path into the mountains but nothing had changed in the past few hours. He almost thought that the red head was leading them in a giant circle. Kyuubi stopped for a moment and he looked back where Naruto had, shining the make shift torch they made towards the darkness behind them. He had a slightly puzzled look on his face and then pushed through Sasuke and Naruto. They shared a look.

"Interesting." Kyuubi muttered, rubbing his pointer finger and thumb against his chin. "Danzo's forces are right under the mouth of the cave. They must have been waiting for orders and have just gotten the order to go. It may mean that they've received the curse and are looking for you Sasuke. Of course we have a few hours head start in this cave system, they won't be able to catch up with us."

Sasuke had been feeling restless for awhile and the prospect of walking around in this cave for the next few hours was starting to annoy him. What he would really like to do was spread his wings, fly, and mess with some very unsuspecting soldiers on the ground. Sasuke smirked a little and Naruto noticed the look, but before he could grab Sasuke's arm or even say a word to the demon, he was off. His speed was incomparable to anything else Naruto had seen, he could be back at the mouth of the cave in a matter of minutes. Naruto felt a sudden pang in his chest and was about to run out after him when Kyuubi grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Unhand me! We have to go after him! He's going to get hurt without our help!"

"Just wait, we're almost at the end of the cave. We'll be able to see Sasuke when we get to the top. You haven't been noticing since it was gradual but the slope of the rocks has been increasing since the beginning of our journey. Come on." Kyuubi said as he grabbed Naruto's arm and started to pull the blond behind him. They were both running as fast as they could, the muscles of Naruto's legs burning with under use but he refused to let Sasuke face Danzo's forces alone.

Naruto took the lead, shaking off Kyuubi's grasp because of the adrenaline rushing through his system. It was mostly dark in the cave but with the torch behind him, still shining at a steady pace behind him, he could see just fine. There was barely nothing to trip on and even if he did, it would be sand that he landed on. He noticed something coming up and a horrible feeling wracked his body. He groaned upon realizing the red head's words had been false. There was nothing but a rock wall separating them from the outside; Naruto knew it because cracks of day light were pouring into the cave. He threw himself against it in frustration finding that the rocks fell out a place when he did that. They were not as tightly packed as he had thought. He backed up and was about to do that again when Kyuubi grabbed his shoulder.

"Calm down! Sasuke will think I beat you if you continue recklessly like that." He pushed Naruto aside and started to back up a little, handing Naruto the torch. "Allow me to show you how this is done." Kyuubi rushed at full speed, his shoulder taking much of the impact as he broke through the rock wall, falling onto his face as he exited the cave. Naruto stepped out only to be whipped mercilessly by the wind. It carried crystals of sand from the bottom of the cave system, speeding it up enough to cause slight cuts on his face. He backed up into the cave and pulled up his hood, knowing it would provide at least a bit of protection from the sand. Kyuubi pulled on his hood as well and made a motion for Naruto to follow him. The blond couldn't refuse.

They walked on a path, the wind making it hard to see where they were going but all Naruto knew was as long as Kyuubi was still in his sights, he was headed the right way. Naruto reached out and grabbed onto Kyuubi's hooded cloak, just in case something happened where he couldn't see the red head at all. Kyuubi could feel the apprehension coming from the blond and reached behind him, grabbing his arm. He pulled Naruto forward so that they were standing side by side; he made an almost protective curl around the blond, blocking the sand by embracing Naruto as gently as he could. The blond was still anxious though, he could feel it in his posture. He wanted to see Sasuke at that very moment but they needed to get a little higher to be able to do so.

The sand started to die down for a moment and Kyuubi pulled away from Naruto so he could get a better look at their surroundings. So far they were in a higher elevated valley of mountains. Large towers of rock surrounded them and from their position they wouldn't be able to spot the demon at all. They needed to keep going; Kyuubi spotted a path that would bring them to a safe ledge and dragged Naruto along, also feeling his own sense of exasperation towards Sasuke's sudden exit. He wanted to know if the young demon was safe but there was no telling at the moment.  
>-<p>

**To Sasuke**

The demon arrived at the mouth of the cave within moments and saw that Danzo's forces were indeed congregated beneath the mouth of the cave. They hadn't even bothered to check to see if they were inside, of course, their horses were no longer outside so there was no point to do so. They had let their horses go to try to throw them off the trail, apparently it hadn't worked like they thought. Sasuke smirked a little as he looked down at the men milling around on the ground. There was about twenty or so of them, not extremely well armed. He hoped they weren't cocky enough to believe that they could take him down with just hand to hand combat, they would all die that way. It wouldn't even be that fun then.

Sasuke jumped out of the cave, any noise he made covered by the heavy gusts of wind. He pulled up his hood within a moment of hitting the ground. His came with a screen that allowed him to cover his face which gave him the advantage of visibility. It must have been somewhat difficult to see through tiny slits in a mask. He slunk up behind a soldier that was lagging behind the rest. Silently he slit his throat, dragging him off as so the soldiers wouldn't catch on.

He took out another two before deciding that this was far too easy and below his skill level. He spread his wings, feeling the wind lift him from the ground immediately, casting a shadow on the ground. The soldiers turned when they saw the large eclipse. Sasuke's lips twitched up in a smirk, feeling the excitement was only beginning. The shouts and commands of soldiers blended together as they scurried madly about grabbing their weapons and taking aim. Sasuke rolled his eyes, those weapons would not be enough to defeat him. Unless they had the curse on them.

Sasuke was taken back for a moment. What was he doing? Racing off into battle like this was a sure fire way of getting cursed. It was like he couldn't control himself as if a force had overcome him and he believed that blindly going into battle was the best thing to do. And even now, after this realization, he didn't feel like he should stop and retreat. It was out of the question now anyway, he would just lead them to Kyuubi and Naruto. Killing them all off was the best way to protect them now, keep them away from his comrades. Though, Kyuubi did seem like he could hold off more than a few of the soldiers, but Naruto would be completely open. Who knows what orders they could have received from Danzo; Naruto's head may also be on the chopping block. Sasuke wouldn't discount it. Danzo seemed like he'd be the possessive kind; if he couldn't have Naruto, no one would. Sasuke shook his head a bit as a means of clearing his thoughts. He had to protect Naruto, he promised he would as soon as Naruto agreed to come with him. He wouldn't just give up now. Sasuke built the fire in this throat as the first wave of arrows filled the sky, they swarmed in a large mass, more and more added as the soldiers continued to fire upwards toward him. The fire took care of them easily and he gained more height looking down at them. He felt the urge to lure them somewhere; the cave was the closest thing but it wouldn't do. Though it would take them forever to catch up to him, he didn't want to risk something like that. Naruto was unpredictable at this point, he may have even managed to slip away from Kyuubi. sasuke hoped Kyuubi wouldn't be so careless but one can never tell. He almost prayed they would just go on without him, but he had a feeling that thought was something he could only wish for. Naruto wouldn't leave without him.

He dove through the crowd knocking many of them over, some he managed to gut with his claws from the close contact. As they regrouped the wind started to pick back up. Sasuke mentally cursed as he dropped to the ground, it would be pointless trying to fly when he could barely see, especially with this wind. It actually pushed back enough on his wings to just keep in him one place, it would just waste energy trying to go forward. He reached into the side of his hood and pulled a small screen of spider silk over his eyes. It would make it a little easier to see as he ran through the desert whereas Danzo's forces would be completely stuck with their current level of vision. He wished it was something better but at least he'd have an edge since he would be grounded for the time being.

No matter how loudly Sasuke moved the wind was able to cover it up. The storm seemed to be a blessing and a curse. It was also a weapon. Sasuke smirked a little as he sent a small burst of fire at the soldiers, setting their masks on fire. A few of them foolishly threw their masks to the ground in fear. The Uchiha inhaled deeply letting the fire burn in his gut before letting out a stream of it, turning the sand to glass upon contact.(1) Some of the soldiers cried out as it embedded in their eyes. One of the men ran around until he came full force into a rock face causing a small landslide to crush him. Sasuke smirked as he move his position, letting out occasional streams of fire.

Soldiers without masks started breathing in the small amounts of glass in the air. They couldn't even scream afterward, theirs mouths would start pouring with blood as their lungs were shredded and punctured by the small, sharp particles. They wished for death because there was no worse pain that being ripped apart from the inside out.

Larger chunks of glass formed from the high speed particles but were still able to move freely in the air. They were still molten and getting larger as they caught more and more sand. When it came in contact with the skin it would burn large portions due to splatter. A couple men fell to the ground writhing in pain as their burns were covered with a thin layer of cooled glass, the skin around the burn melted in. Sasuke was able to finish them quickly, clawing their throats while they were distracted by injury to even notice the demon coming for them. He reached up to his mouth, licking some of the blood off his claws. He couldn't help but think about how much Itachi would have enjoyed this. He did love causing as much suffering as possible before eating his victims.

The captain watched his men fall quickly and wondered when Danzo would deliver their saving grace. There were still twelve people left but their numbers were decreasing quickly. He had no idea that Sasuke would be so resourceful; sand was a weapon against the body but could stopped with some precautionary measures but there was no way to stop the glass. The best thing to do was avoid it which was made difficult by the storm itself. He needed a miracle to stop Sasuke, otherwise he would be doomed to die, either by Sasuke's hand or Danzo's. In the distance, flying high by the sun, was a hawk. The captain blinked, praying to every god he knew that this wasn't a trick of the eye. The trill of the hawks call broke through the surrounding silence of the storm; the stark difference of the sound emphasized it.

Sasuke saw the hawk in the sky. He figured that it may be holding the very thing he was trying to avoid, the curse. He peered upwards towards it but it was too far away for him to hit effectively with his fire. He also knew that these hawks were specially conditioned to fly in sort of weather and their smaller bodies made it easier for them to fly, unlike him. He knew there was only one thing left to do, lead them away from the hawk. It didn't appear that any of the other soldiers could see or hear the bird, the screams of pain and regrouping distracted them. Sasuke knew this was probably his only chance to protect himself and the others.

"Hey! Up here!" Sasuke glanced upwards, knowing all the soldiers would recognize the voice instantly. It was Naruto. He was on much higher ground, about twenty or so yards from where they were gathered and about a thirty yards up. He was jumping up and down, waving his arms like a maniac. What was Naruto's plan? Distract the soldiers while Sasuke dispatched them? Or was he just trying to get away again? Sasuke decided it was probably the former; Naruto didn't want to be with Danzo, he would never willingly return. Sasuke tore his eyes away from the blond and back onto what he needed to accomplish. The soldiers, however, seemed to have a different agenda. They all started to head to where Naruto was. He was atop of rock formation that didn't seem climbable which meant he got up there by different means. The men would be sitting targets. Sasuke smirked a little as he came barreling towards them.

He knew it would be easier to morph into a more demonic form since he would be taking on a larger group so he allowed his more animalistic presence take over. The wings sprung from his back, making sure to fold them so they wouldn't catch any of the wind. His teeth and nails grew into long, pointed daggers, perfect for dismantling the soft, supple flesh of humans. His skin took on a darker pigment, but since he was mostly covered it was hard to tell. It became dark gray and his skin grew to be a little harder as though scales were attempting to push their way through to cover his body. He smiled a little to himself, letting his wickedness come to the surface. They all thought him to be a monster and anyone with half a brain would easily recognize the dangers of turning their back to a monster. Luckily for Sasuke they were less than half wits. And they would die because of their foolishness.

His quick moving body cut through the area and before the soldiers knew what had hit them Sasuke was taking aim. Some of the men snapped their wits together, fleeing away from Sasuke but for others it was far too late. The demon laid waste to them. Blood, flesh, and screams filled the space as he demolished them. They were nothing but nuisances that were getting in his way of keeping Naruto safe. He growled lowly in his throat as rubies dripped down his deadly claws, spotting the sand red. Another six laid dead on the ground and Sasuke calculated that there was another six or so left. He turned away from the mass of bodies and saw that the soldiers had armed themselves with things for hand to hand combat. They probably hadn't counted on him fighting on their territory, land, so they had to rearm themselves to face this grounded threat.

Sasuke smirked a little though. It was pointless trying to compete with him in hand to hand fighting. He could easily break all their weapons or just burn them to dust. Also they weren't nearly as strong as he was, or smart for that matter, so it would be easy to overpower them both mentally and physically. But Sasuke knew it wouldn't be as simple as fighting them, he had to lead them away. Naruto had created a good enough distraction to allow the thinning of their numbers but it seemed that he may have been taken by Kyuubi, hidden away so he could not cause more problems. He would try to remember to thank Kyuubi later for that.

In the smaller number they were in, Sasuke saw no more need to unleash his true form. It would also conserve more energy that way. He didn't want to have Naruto and Kyuubi drag him the rest of the way to Suna. Sasuke turned back towards the soldiers, they had braced themselves as much as they could and the sandstorm was dying down again. Flying would now be more than possible. He smirked cockily as he took flight.

Danzo's men all cursed when they saw Sasuke had taken to the skies again. Their hand to hand weapons would be useless now since they wouldn't be able to land a single hit on him while he was flying around them. Sasuke started to move causing a chain reaction to spread through the men; all following the demon in a blind fashion. The sand was still whipping around yet they thought nothing of the ground because if they were distracted for even a moment they would be killed off easily by the flying threat.

Sasuke glanced down at the ground, the soldiers were following him without a moment of hesitation. The Uchiha noticed that there were actually less than he calculated; five men were running after him. It didn't matter as long as he eliminated them on the ground the hawk would become useless against him. In fact, it seemed that they had no idea it was coming towards them. The less they knew, Sasuke figured, the better the situation. Though, he couldn't help but feel something nagging him in his mind that this wasn't going to be the end of it. That there was something he was overlooking. The problem was, he had no idea what it could possibly be. Everyone seemed accounted for. If they weren't dead, they were chasing after him. And no one was going after Naruto or Kyuubi since it would be nothing more than a death sentence anyway.

The demon spied an abyss, splitting the ground perfectly in two ahead of where the soliders were. All he had to do was fly over it, the lemmings would follow into their demise. Sasuke smirked a little and just as he thought the men didn't even register what was happening before it was too late. All five of them fell, not even their screams of terror could be heard.

Sasuke saw the hawk fly over his head and wondered why it would be making a course so close to him. It should have been able to realize that there was no one left. He looked towards where the hawk was flying and sure enough there was one man left. Sasuke could tell, just by the uniform, he was the captain of this particular group of soldiers. The demon felt a surge of adrenaline hit his system. He had been played for a fool, this had been the very thing Naruto had predicted and sure enough he was foolish enough to have it all crash down on him. But Sasuke didn't know why he had done all these things up until now, it seemed so impractical looking back. He mentally cursed himself. There was only one chance left, he needed to kill him before he could do anything with what the hawk had given him. He needed to, it was his only chance of being freed from whatever cruelties fate had thrown in front of him.

He flew higher to evade the whipping of the sand around him. It would also make it a little more difficult to hit him while at a higher altitude. He removed the silk screen from his face and dropped the hood so he could get a full look at the man before him. The arrow was released from the bow and Sasuke's lungs expelled fire before he could really know what was going on. The arrow was fully engulfed by the flames but Sasuke knew it couldn't be that easy. He saw a burning white light break through the fire, protecting the arrow from the flames. He tried to dodge but it was too late. It cut him very lightly on the shoulder as the flames finally reached the man standing on the cliff. He screamed in agony as he ran off the side in a manic attempt to escape the fire.

The pain didn't hit Sasuke until a mere second after the man caught fire. It seized him so tightly that it felt like someone had injected him with blessed water. It was like a fire dancing in his veins causing all of his nerves to inflame and just continue the burn of pain into his brain. His head was aching as his vision blurred from the sheer agony that gripped him. He managed to fly back over the ground before he could no longer keep himself in the sky.

"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed as he saw the demon fall, unmoving to the sand below. Kyuubi stood, stunned by what he had just saw. They had to find a way down, and quick, before Sasuke's condition worsened. Which it seemed to be doing by the second. The Uchiha let out a blood curdling scream before he started to convulse on the ground, turning from a confident demonic force into a mass of twitching limbs. Kyuubi hurried down, Naruto on his heels, fearing the worst about what had just happened.

When they finally reached him he was still shaking violently, trying to somehow force the pain out of his body by jerking around in the sand. Naruto fell to his knees at Sasuke's side trying, desperately, to get a hold of the demon. Kyuubi pushed Naruto back knowing that it would only get the blond hurt if he continued to try and grasp onto the demon. He pinned down Sasuke's arms making him lay on his back while he began to strip the cloak of his shoulder. The arrow had barely grazed him but where it had hit laid a mark, three black comma like marks marring the perfect paleness of the demon's skin. There was also a small cut spanning his shoulder blade; it oozed black liquid and puss. Somehow the wound was already infected. There wasn't much time to waste, if they didn't get Sasuke out of here he would die.

Kyuubi was about to grab Sasuke when he realized the look of Naruto's body. It was as though he was feeling the equivalent of Sasuke's pain on an emotional level. He was staring at the now unmoving demon, tears dripping down his cheeks. The red head didn't want to deal with two out of commission burdens but Naruto was more than likely in shock by what he had just seen. "Why? Why couldn't you have just listened to me?" Naruto muttered. "If you stayed with us and hid it would never have happened."

"Naruto, you said yourself that whatever you see will become some kind of reality. The fates are connected to you Naruto and just because you attempt to change their design doesn't mean they won't find a way to make it happen. Stop blaming yourself for what's happened to Sasuke. It was going to happen, no matter what we could have done." Naruto glanced up at Kyuubi who was picking the demon up from the ground. He threw the dead weight of Sasuke's body over his shoulder and helped the blond off the ground. "Now come on. We need to get Sasuke out of the open and into a place where we can help him. If we follow the mountains up a few more miles there should be an oasis where we can clean his wounds."

Naruto nodded his head and he followed obediently behind Kyuubi. If it weren't for this man he didn't know how things would have turned out. He wondered if the fates were actually smiling on him for once because Kyuubi seemed more than a blessing to Naruto. Even though he could be eccentric at times he was level headed, quick thinking, and very intelligent. Fortune only smiles for so long though, Naruto knew, one day soon it would turn back to a cold indifference leaving Naruto with nothing.  
>-<p>

**1. There are a lot of types of sand and glass so to have a specific kind and the temperature it melts at would be nice, but I can at least give you an estimate. Supposedly sand melts around 1710 degrees Celsius. Which is about 3100 degrees Fahrenheit. So Sasuke breathes some VERY hot fire.**

**Sasuke: Well look who finally decided to finish this chapter.  
>Me: Don't blame me, blame society...For making me go to school. And making me do a ridiculous project about what I'm going to do after high school. It should be obvious by now, write fanfiction and go to college.<br>Sasuke: Sounds like you.  
>Me: Indeed it does. Oh and a heads-up to all my fans who are going to college this year and living in Washington state; I got accepted to WSU and if you're going there...Please, please try to get classes with me. I do not want to be stuck in Pullman completely alone.<br>Sasuke: How low, having to beg.  
>Me: Shut yer face. I need friends to go to college with. Anyway, this was Hitoko-sama. <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally a new chapter! It has been far too long! And I'm sorry for the super long wait. But you'll just have to forgive me! But now the AP exams are pretty much out of the way, I should have more free time. Woo! Regular PV  
>-<strong>

It had finally died down; the wind no longer acted as though it had a personal vendetta against any weary desert travelers. It had become eerie, quiet. Sand, when just lying dormant, made no sounds, had no real impact. And when feet happened to collapse into it, even just a few centimeters, it made no noise. The sun was scorching to the skin, drying to the mouth, like glue on the lips. Everything that had put into the body had been sweated out, leaving a sticky feeling as the sweat seemed to crystallize on the skin, crusting it over with salt.

Naruto knew that he wouldn't be able to continue like this for very much longer. It had been nearly a day since Sasuke had been cursed and he hadn't woke up yet. Kyuubi had been carrying him nonstop. And what was even worse was they were starting to run out of the basics because they feared stopping, even for a minute. Who knew what else lurked out in the middle of this forsaken landscape. Danzo's men could be mere hours behind them or some kind of bandits could lurk anywhere, not to mention any other hostile demons out for blood. And their first line of defense could barely breathe.

The blond looked up to the sky, narrowing his eyes to slits because of the sheer volume of light. Vultures, their shadows emphasized by the sun, circled above. Their presence was a sign, an ill omen. They didn't think the weary travelers would make it out. And Naruto could almost agree with them. The hours slipped by slowly, punctuated by the drying of his mouth, cracking of his lips, the sweat seeping from his pores. None of which cooled him. He felt like he might die here, in the too hot embrace of the sun.

"Naruto, get up. Come on, I don't have enough strength to carry you and Sasuke." Kyuubi's voice rang clearly in the blond's mind but everything else seemed a blur. His hands were spread out against blistering sand, face pressed down into it, his mouth was too dry to distinguish whether or not he actually had sand in his mouth. Kyuubi set Sasuke down, opting to help Naruto into a sitting position. He pressed a canister of water to his lips, but the blond shook his head. Not only was it the last bit of water they had, Kyuubi needed it the most.

"No, you have it. You need to carry Sasuke." Naruto's voice was rough with dehydration. His throat felt sticky like it didn't know how to allow the air from his lungs out. The red head shook his head, offering the water once again. Before Naruto really understood what was going on, his lips were dripping with water. He moaned with delight when his body started to rehydrate. He started coughing, his mouth had been too greedy in sucking up all the precious fluid.

Naruto's eyes seemed less dazed and glassy. It was more than apparent that he had heat exhaustion, but heat stroke loomed very close as well. They needed to find shelter, water, anything to keep their bodies cool. Sasuke would assuredly die without them. And then again, Kyuubi and Naruto would too.

Kyuubi helped Naruto to his feet and the blond felt a sudden stab of guilt. He wasn't strong enough to carry Sasuke and Kyuubi was more than struggling with the task. They were out of water, exhausted, too hot. He was pushing his muscles too far, allowing his body to break down more than necessary. Why had they gotten rid of their horse? Looking back, it was probably one of the most fatal flaws they could have made.

Moving seemed too much of a struggle. Their feet dragged through the sand, aching every time another step was taken. Muscles were starving for water, they screamed for it. Lactic acid was building up in their systems causing cramps, painful and debilitation. Naruto didn't know how much longer he could go on. He was starting to hallucinate. His mind was making such a pleasant scene, an oasis, shaded with palm trees, water, clear and crisp coming from an underground spring. It pooled into a beautiful small lake, the water shaded black because of the underwater rocks.

The blond looked over at Kyuubi, smiling in a exhausted kind of way. The red head's mouth was hanging open with disbelief. Naruto knew he was staring in the direction of the mirage, but two people didn't get the same one, right? Naruto followed Kyuubi's lead, slowly approaching the oasis with a somewhat keen skepticism just in case this was a figment. Naruto wandered a little, heading towards the small lagoon. If it were real, he could just flop himself right into it and enjoy the waters. Naruto rolled his eyes and fell forward into the lagoon, trying to prove to himself that this was just his imagination. Problem was, when he hit those 'imaginary' waters, they hit back. The chill of them sent a spark through his brain, cooling his body and allowing rational thought to be made.

"We're saved!" He shouted as he came back up for air. Kyuubi leap in right next to the blond, enjoying the refreshing chill as it washed the sweat and heat from his skin.

"I'm so GLAD this isn't a mirage. I was going to be so pissed off." The red head said as he floated on his back, closing his eyes as he was comforted by the small touches of the water. "I mean, I really thought the three of us were going to die there for a bit." Both of them paused in their thoughts as they looked over at Sasuke, who Kyuubi had abandoned on the ground. Naruto gave Kyuubi a slightly angry look and the red head smiled sheepishly as he got out of the water. "I guess now would be the time to actually examine his wounds..."

Naruto got out of the water too. This place had a variety of plants growing around it, no doubt some of them would be able to help heal the demon. Naruto removed Sasuke's cloak, noting how soaked it was in sweat. The demon, however, was shivering. The blond saw the flush of his cheeks, the sweat accumulating on his brow. Naruto dragged him to the water's edge slowly pulling him into the water, allowing his head to rest outside on the rocks. He turned Sasuke around, looking at his shoulder where the curse seemed to pulse against the pale skin of Sasuke's shoulder. The wound from the arrow was still leaking puss. Naruto did his best to wash it out, but it didn't seem to help much, especially since whenever Naruto tried to clean it, no matter how gently he touched it, Sasuke would jerk away. He would whimper in pain and it pulled at the blond's heart.

Kyuubi was wandering around, looking at the plants. He needed to make something for Sasuke's shoulder and something to help take the pain away. There was a bush in the distance, it was about as high as Kyuubi's chest with bring yellow flowers. The red head smirked at the lucky find. It was a creosote bush and easily could be used as an antiseptic. He gathered the leaves and some of the twigs, knowing that if ground up he could release the oils and use it on Sasuke's arrow wound. Perhaps that would prevent it from getting more infected.

Sacred Datura was the second thing Kyuubi spied. Its white flowers, some of them bursting with black seeds, and green leaves made it unmistakable. He grabbed some of its leaves and flowers; making a paste of of them would relieve the pain in Sasuke's body. For now, it would do. If they got Sasuke patched up enough, the injuries wouldn't cause him much of a problem. Perhaps he would even wake up soon.

Naruto pulled himself out of the water, dragging Sasuke along with him. He looked around, not spying Kyuubi anywhere and put his hands on either side of the demon's head, lowering his mouth so it was barely above the Uchiha's parted lips. When he was a child he had learned a technique for relieving and even purging ailments and curses from the body. If he was able to do it, he would pull some of the curse from Sasuke and take it into his own body where it would be fought off by his heaven blessed immune system. It was a risky thing though because if the curse was too strong, he would die. He wasn't a demon like Sasuke, and this curse was even taking the demon to the edge of death. But it was something he was willing to try, either way it would benefit Sasuke.

The blond opened his mouth, ever so much, sucking gently at the air leaving Sasuke's lung. A black wisp of smoke looking material came streaming out of Sasuke's lips and Naruto sucked it up. After a moment Sasuke's fever reduced and so did the infection on his shoulder. Naruto, however, felt unbelievably queasy. His head swam with confusion as he laid on his side next to Sasuke, holding his stomach as his eyes quickly snapped shut, leaving his body to do what it had to.

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open after nearly a day of them being shut and he felt an extreme ache in his temples. Looking over to the side of him, he saw Naruto, who appeared to be sleeping. Kyuubi was making his way towards the disoriented Uchiha, shaking his head as he did so.

"Well I gotta hand it to the kid. He probably just saved your life..." The red head said as he looked down at the two of them. Sasuke raised an eyebrow before laying back on the hot sand beneath him.

"What happened Kyuubi?" The older man sat down next to the demon, grabbing a large rock and a smaller one.

"Isn't it a bit obvious? You were cursed, you got really sick afterwards, you slept for a whole day...Oh and you should lose some weight because you are HARD to carry." The Uchiha brushed off that comment and sat back up again, now noticing that his cloak had been removed. His shoulder was still burning from the sting of the curse and Kyuubi just keep grinding whatever it was he was grinding. "Give me about an hour or so and I'll get you all patched up. I found some stuff that'll heal up your shoulder. If anything you should move Naruto to a more concealed location so his body isn't too exposed and vulnerable to the sun."

Sasuke complied with the red head's demands, placing Naruto on a mossy, leafy covering where he would be protected from the sun. The trees beckoned over him with much shade and the Uchiha couldn't help but wonder what Kyuubi had meant when he said that this little human had saved his life. He gently brushed the blond's cheek before placing a soft kiss on his lips. He supposed it would have to wait until the blond was awake...

-  
>Fury, anger, wrath. None of those words could describe how Danzo felt at the moment. Twenty of his best soldiers bested by a single demon. Sure enough they had managed to get the curse to Sasuke but even still they had all fallen in the line of duty. How could they all be so foolish? How could they all have died so easily? The truth to Danzo was that they were all weak, none of them had enough strength to bring the demon to his knees. They had to rely on the help of a different source to even injure Sasuke severely. It was pathetic.<p>

What kind of army had he been raising? What kind of troops were so weak that they couldn't stop a single demon? It was true that Danzo knew of how powerful Uchihas were but twenty soldiers, all who were much better prepared, should have been able to bring him down. How much pointless effort had he placed into these soldiers? How could he rule the world with such a pathetic army? And an even better question was brought to Danzo's mind. How exactly was he going to take control over the demons if the only one he encountered so far was this powerful? He knew that the Uchihas weren't completely wiped off the map, Sasuke had a brother, a slightly older Incubus, who's powers he hadn't even seen yet. And there was no telling what other demon clans resided within the walls of their compound.

This thought bred a bit of fear into Danzo, they could easily overthrow him, it seemed. His defeat may be laying on the horizon and he hadn't successfully done much of anything. Cursing Sasuke may have been a step to get his blond back but other than that there was nothing to show for it. If his soldiers had actually been as capable as he thought, he would at least have Naruto back and he would be able to stop the onslaught of demons.

He left the dungeon. Kushina had predicted what had happened for him and told him of the slaughter to every last detail, almost as though she was attempting to make him angry. It had worked, the anger boiled his blood causing a thickness in veins. Unlike Naruto, Kushina had a very strange deviation; the gift of being able to both see the future and past with a very keen eye. Even if Naruto could see into the past, it wouldn't come in handy as the future. So Kushina gift for the past made her almost less worthless in Danzo's eyes.

And what was he to do now? The curse was entirely in Orochimaru's hands, there really wasn't much he could do. He hated not being able to cause Sasuke a large amount of suffering. Danzo strolled into Orochimaru's domain, where the demon, sitting in his multitude of bodies, smoked his pipe and didn't even seem to care that Danzo had appeared. He was staring into a chalice, which was no doubt filled with blood, and had a very pleased look on his face. The smoke that curled out of his mouth seemed a deeper color of purple than usual, it seemed to reflect the mood he was in. It must have meant he was feeling far more evil than normal because it seemed that a more sinister tone had taken over the color of the smoke.

"Back again?" Orochimaru questioned, his slitted eyes glancing up from the chalice at Danzo. "Could it be you'd like to see the demon? To see his suffering? It's quite marvelous if I do say so myself. He was in such pain, it pleased me...However..."

"However? However, what? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Orochimaru looked up fully now, a slightly angered front taking a place in his eyes. "You didn't tell me your future seeing brat had healing properties."

"All Uzumakis do. It's part of their trinity. All of them are blessed with the ability to see into the future, a very exacerbated healing process, and the ability to purify people or object of malice presences." Danzo replied. "Why do you think I want him? He's a very powerful boy."

"Well he's now also Sasuke's saving grace." Orochimaru spat, the venom dripping in his words. There was sheer and utter contempt for Naruto, it was very clear to Danzo. "The boy was able to remove some of the more damaging aspects of the curse from Sasuke." Danzo's face froze as he heard that. His priest? His little Naruto helped the demon? "And that will have probably saved Sasuke's little life, too bad really. I was enjoying the pain and infection that embraced him with such a delicious fervency."

"How do you know of this?" Danzo snapped looming over the demon magician. Orochimaru rolled his eyes a little and handed him the chalice, which showed Kyuubi spreading something on the Uchiha's shoulder. "You can see the present?"

"I have many friends in high place, conjuring up those images doesn't take much skill for me. You forget the power of demons, even after death they can be useful. I summoned the soul of one of spy on them as much as I could. I wanted to see the curse's progress for myself, of course, it seems that it has been stunted because of your damn bride."

Danzo couldn't believe it. How could Naruto help the demon? Sasuke had kidnapped him, taken him from his home and soon to be husband! How could Naruto do such a thing? He didn't understand it. Orochimaru looked up at Danzo, slightly amused by the anger in his eyes. It was obvious Danzo had been so blinded by his obsession with Naruto that he hadn't seen how much Naruto actually despised him. Orochimaru chuckled a little to himself.

"The demon has seduced him...Maybe threatened him. There's no way he would have done such a thing otherwise." Orochimaru rolled his eyes. Danzo was a fool. A very powerful fool.

"Believe what you wish. Either way it's a problem for what you want to accomplish." Orochimaru said. "Because, for one, Sasuke isn't going to die. And another problem may be that Naruto will die from the curse. His body doesn't seem to be reacting very well to the curse. It seems to be a poison for him..."

Danzo froze. What if Naruto died? What would he do then? It would be true that the demons wouldn't have him and couldn't use the blond against him but Danzo wouldn't have the upper hand either. How would he be able to predict the demon's movements without the ace up his sleeve? He didn't know if he could win the war against demons without the blond. He was far too important to the success for the cause.

"I know what I need to do. Do you have a spell that will transport me to and from Naruto's location?"

Orochimaru looked up at the man. "Yes, of course I do. But..." Danzo's eyes narrowed at the qualifier. "I need some ingredients that I do not have here...If you can get me what I need, I will happily make you such a powerful spell." Danzo nodded as Orochimaru's lips curled up in a devious smirk.  
>-<p>

Sasuke and Kyuubi sat around a small fire. It was during the night that they craved the sun. Temperatures dropped rapidly after the sun feel from the sky and since the sand didn't keep the heat, everything was cold. The fire felt nice on their skin. It wasn't blistering like the sun, wasn't dehydrating. The heat soaked into their bones and gave them relief.

The demon yawned a little, still touching his shoulder. It was feeling much better and had almost completely healed itself. If Naruto had done something he wondered what it was. It was as though Naruto had purified his body, taking the pain and infection from his body. He didn't know much about the Uzumaki clan besides common knowledge. And that almost all of them had been completely wiped out by Danzo's armies. He wondered if Naruto knew that. Probably not. It was something that wasn't commonly talked about. Naruto probably believed his family was still out there somewhere. Which may be true since some of the Uzumaki clan was able to escape but most them were not so lucky. It made Sasuke angry; Danzo spouted off about how much he loved Naruto and yet he was responsible for the murder of his clan.

"You think of the boy often, don't you Uchiha?" Kyuubi said with a slight smirk on his lips. The Uchiha glanced over at the man and nodded a little. Why deny it? It was true. Naruto was in his mind, conquering his every thought. "Sounds like someone is in love..." The red head said the last part in a sing song way that made Sasuke shake his head. It may be true, Sasuke felt awfully strong about the blond. The urge to protect him was overpowering. "So, how much do you actually know about the kid and his family."

"Besides what's always said about them? Nothing."

Kyuubi sighed, leaning back and allowing his fingers to weave within the sand. "Well, I guess I'll tell you all I know about them. This is how the story goes; the son of the Priest of Six Paths was walking having just gotten into a fight with his brother. His brother had sold his soul to a demon, tainting his body and the bodies of the clansmen he would breed. The man was angry at his brother's foolishness...You know what I'ma call him Uzumaki since it'll be easier to follow." Kyuubi said with a thoughtful smile. He interrupted his own story to make it easier to tell. He was truly a strange man. "Uzumaki decided that if his brother was going to sell his soul then he might as well give his soul away too. But instead of a demon coming to claim it in exchange for something else, a god came. The god offered him money, power, everything a man could want. But he refused it all. The god was pleased with that and made him a one-sided deal. The Uzumaki clan would be given god-like powers for their virtue; it included seeing into the future, rapid healing, and the ability to cleanse the souls and objects of others. With those powers the Uzumaki clan became very powerful and sought priests."

"So Naruto used his powers to stop the curse?" Sasuke questioned, becoming a bit occupied with the story.

"Yes, he did. He sucked some of the ill effects of the curse from your body and took it into his own because he could purify it that way. But the curse you have is very powerful black magic and Naruto's skill isn't as developed. He hasn't had the proper training to get rid of it completely. From what I can tell about the curse, it is something born of pure evil, something that only other world demons can produce with massive human sacrifice. It's like...Concentrated suffering. If you think about it, it makes sense...I mean suffering isn't just pain, it's also illness which is why your wound was so infected. It's also mental fatigue and torture within one's mind. While you were out, you probably had some very nightmarish dreams." Sasuke nodded. It was true, while he was unconscious it was like his mind had slipped into the darkest depths of hell to be tortured and broken. He had been pulled out before it could happen obviously but it still didn't mean his mind hadn't been scarred by it.

"Do you think this curse will ever disappear?"

Kyuubi shrugged. "Like I said, Orochimaru is very powerful and obviously has very good connections to spirits and demons on the other side. So I really don't know. It could leave if Orochimaru dies, or it make take years of holy purification to purge it from your body. If I could pin point the curse's origin maybe I'd have a better answer." Sasuke nodded. They had to keep their options open, be hopeful about this. The curse could kill him if his will wavered even a little. And technically he didn't even know the full power of this thing, it could lay dormant for a while then completely overtake him in a moment of weakness.

Sasuke's thoughts were broken when a scent carried through the air. There was something here in this place, something powerful. It was hiding its presence well but not well enough to hide completely. Kyuubi seemed tense as though he was also feeling it as well. For some reason Sasuke felt as though he knew this presence, even if it was hidden, and his body was relaxing itself despite his minds protests for him to stay on hi guard. The two of them stood when the shadows started to shift, swirling into a mass, a body walking from the darkness.

The demon's eyes widened when his vision was able to cut through the darkness. The eyes that shone in the darkness, red like blood, only one other demon's would do such a thing.

"Hello Sasuke." The demon ran over to the shadowed man, throwing his arms around him. Itachi accepted the embrace and nuzzled his little brother as a greeting. It had been a while since he had seen him and he didn't like not being around his brother just in case he could have stopped something that happened to Sasuke. "We were becoming worried that some tragedy had befallen you."

"You need to have a little more faith in my strengths, brother. I'm not so easily conquered." Itachi gave him a smirk as though he was say otherwise and Sasuke started to pout a little.

"Have you accomplished your mission?" The younger Uchiha nodded his head and then tilted it in the direction of Naruto's resting body. It was shaded over with foliage, but he was able to see the blond. Itachi patted his brother on the head as though he was a good dog. "Very good." Itachi reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. "You don't have much time left and I have a spell that will allow us to fast travel to the camp so you don't have to worry about the armies Danzo has sent after you." Itachi placed the scroll on the ground, unraveled it to reveal a circumscribed star with writing in the spaces between points. "Come, we must hurry." For the first time Itachi noticed the red head standing by the fire and his eyes widened in shock for a moment before closing to normal size. "Bring your friend if you so will it."

Sasuke nodded and made a motion for Kyuubi to go over to his brother while he grabbed Naruto from his place beneath the leaves. The blond hadn't moved or awaken since Sasuke had; the demon was beginning to fret. He brought the blond to the circle where Kyuubi and Itachi stood, almost too friendly, next to each other, almost as though they were sizing the other up. Sasuke ignored that for now. Itachi was an incubus and it wasn't unlike him to take humans as pets for fulfilling his insatiable sex drive.

The setting shifted quickly as Itachi focused his energy into the seal. They appeared in the middle of the camp, which was still bustling with life. Everyone was walking around, talking, but everything seemed to still when they saw that Sasuke was back. A resounding cheer filled the camp as the demons came up to the Uchiha, all personally welcoming him home in their own ways. The sea of people parted when Gaara came rushing up to the demon. The blond was slung over his shoulder and Gaara let out such a sigh of relief, wrapping his arms around the hero. With this accomplishment, the demon race could easily be saved.

"We need some medical attention." Sasuke said. "There's been a few mishaps." But Gaara didn't seem to be paying attention to what Sasuke was saying because of how intently he was staring at Kyuubi, who seemed almost happy to be in the camp. "Gaara?"

"I can't believe it..." The red head fell to his knees, bowing to the larger red head who bent down grabbing Gaara by the chin and gently allowing him to stand.

"Believe it. You've done well to protect this place in my absence." Kyuubi said as he reached up for a now shimmering layer over his skin. He pulled it free and Sasuke was hit instantly with the smells of demonic power. The look of him changed as well. His hair seemed a darker color of red, as though it was now dripping blood down his back, his eyes were more slitted as though they were ones that belonged to a cat. His nails and teeth had sharpened themselves to points, both shining dangerously when he smiled. Who was this guy? "I'm sorry for not revealing myself to you earlier Sasuke, but I didn't know how well you'd react if I had shown you this form." Could this be...? Sasuke blinked a few times. He had been lost for years, why would he all of a sudden be back? "No need to fret now my children, your commander has finally returned."

Sasuke's mouth fell a little slack. This entire time he had been traveling with the commander of the demon rebellion and what was even worse was that he had actually made Sasuke believe he was nothing more than a strange human. But now that he thought more about it, it was making sense. Why he knew all the demon clans like he did, why he was so able to turn against Danzo...Kyuubi was a tricky bastard.

Itachi smirked a little as the red head walked over to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I missed you, little Incubus." Itachi's body was prickling with excitement. He hadn't been with the commander in years and he still remembered how good he body felt with all those amazingly strong touches.

Sasuke felt a little creeped out by the display so he turned his attention to Gaara, the more level headed of all the commanding demons. "So uhhh, walk me to the medical tent?" Gaara nodded as he noticed how intimate Itachi and Kyuubi were starting to get in the middle of the camp.

"I'm glad that the Commander's back and all, but you'd think he'd be more plan and less sex."

Sasuke glanced over at Gaara, chuckling a little. "We are demons...After all."

**Hurray, I finished it!  
><strong>

**Itachi: Yes, I'm going to get some before Sasuke.  
>Me: Congrats. It's not like its hard, all ya gotta do is walk naked down the street and people will fly to your location for some loving.<br>Itachi: Being sexy is awesome.  
>Me: I wouldn't know...I wouldn't know...Anyway, this was Hitoko-sama!<br>**


	8. Chapter 8

**How's it goin' bros? I know it's been awhile and I'm sorry but I hope you enjoy the new update. Regular PV…Check out the poll on my profile :D  
>-<strong>

Naruto moaned as he rolled onto his side, feeling as though he had been smashed in the temple with a rock. The pain was ricocheting inside of his skull making him feel nauseous. Groaning a little as he opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't in the exposed wilderness of the desert. He was in a small-tented area with empty cots. A medical tent was the words that flashed in his mind. The blond instantly bolted upright; where was he? Where was Kyuubi? And Sasuke? Had something happened while he was out? Naruto pulled himself up into a sitting position ignoring the throb of pain in his head. He had to look for them, if something happened and he could have helped…

The blond's feet were shaking as soon as he swung them over to stand. The muscles in his legs weren't strong enough to support him and he started to fall forward when a hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. He was pulled back into the bed, his back to someone's chest. Naruto whipped around to see that it was Sasuke who caught him. Naruto sighed a little and relaxed into the demon's touch.

Sasuke could feel the anxiety falling off the blond in waves; he obviously thought the worst had happened. The demon hugged the small being into his body and let the warmth take over. Sometime he forgot how fragile humans were. Their emotions, their bodies. It was just amazing to be so vulnerable yet powerful. The blond turned so he was facing his demonic companion and just sighed into the embrace. He had been frightened by the thought of losing Sasuke; he didn't know what he would do without him. Because all that waited for him if the demon was lost or killed was the chilled heart and embrace of the monster who stole his life away.

They stayed like that for a moment, entangled in each other. Not saying anything to the other, just feeling of their bodies, feeling the warmth, feeling the comfort. Naruto's head lifted, very slightly and Sasuke peered down at him. Their lips met, softly. There was no demand in the touch of his lips but Naruto felt the desire coming off of Sasuke from other places. It was just part of his aura. He surmised that Sasuke was an incubus, or at least had some of that bred into him. Not that it mattered much. He could still feel the soothing heat of his strong body.

After what seemed like an eternity of stillness Naruto pulled back slightly, enough so he could open his mouth and speak against Sasuke's lips. "Where are we? Is Kyuubi alright?"

Sasuke placed his chin on top of Naruto's head and sighed a little. He still hadn't let the blond out of his grip, and he never would again. "Kyuubi's fine. And we've made it to the camp. My brother found us in the desert after you saved me…"

Naruto had almost forgotten about that. How he had taken some of Sasuke's curse into himself and tried to cleanse the evil from him. The blond moved the cloak from the raven haired demon's shoulder and noticed that it had become completely healed. Three black coma shaped marks were the only remaining elements of his pain. Naruto brushed his fingers gently against the area and Sasuke hissed with agony. It was still sensitive and no doubt going to hinder the demon later on. The blond felt the icy stab of guilt fill him. It was his fault Sasuke had been hurt…He should have let the demon end his life.

"I still haven't thanked you…" Sasuke muttered against the blond's hair. "For saving me. I would have died if you hadn't helped me."

Naruto couldn't help but think that Sasuke would have lived indefinitely if they had never met. That if Sasuke hadn't gotten to know him or wanted to protect him that he would have a full life. All of his visions had come true, nothing had ever happened to change them. Nothing that he knew about anyway. Perhaps it was the predictability of people that made it so difficult for everything they knew to change. But Naruto didn't know…All he knew was that Sasuke's death loomed while he lived.

The thought of Sasuke dying sent a shiver of fear down Naruto's spine. Just the image of Sasuke lying, unmoving, silent…It made Naruto want to burst into tears. It was just too much for him to handle.

But what did that mean?

Had he…Fallen in love? Was that what this new sensation was? That burning in his chest when Sasuke and he were apart? And that relief when they were together again?

Naruto believed that for the rest of his life, no matter how long or short it was that he would be in nothing but pain. That all he would feel is the cold chill of anguish and lament. He truly believed his life would be nothing more than a torrent of misery and hatred. Danzo had killed his entire family, pulled his future right from his fingers, tortured his soul and thrown it into the darkest, deepest pit he could find. But Sasuke was a ray of hope to him, a way to see through and cut all the darkness. And from that…The pit started to have life. Like red roses blooming from the rays, finally being able to find the strength and nourishment to grow and blossom into something beautiful. Love was just that…

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice cut through the silence and the demon could feel a stirring within his body. An urge that had the burn of desire. Truth be told he hadn't fully fed in a while. And he was going to need it soon if he was to fight off Danzo and his forces. But he couldn't force the blond; he would never do something so despicable. He was still an innocent human, he could tell just from the softness and inexperience of his kisses. It was something that he enjoyed nonetheless. There was something more to them than just the sexual aspect. Sasuke had never felt this way about another person before. And this new emotion…It made him worry that if he ever lost Naruto that he would go crazy and do something rash. He would fight tooth and nail to make sure the blond was always safe, always taken care of, always loved.

"Naruto." Sasuke ran his hand down Naruto's back and the blond buried his face into demon's chest. The scent of him was enough to make the blond's head swim with desire and every other emotion in between. He just wanted…He didn't know what. There was just such a need, a desire burning inside of him that only Sasuke could fill.

But those feelings made Naruto fearful. All of this came with consequences. Every feeling, every moment, every thing. It was just…Too risky. But at the same time Naruto wanted to throw his every anxiety into the wind and just live within Sasuke's arms. But he couldn't, he couldn't let himself surrender so easily while Danzo and his armies were wrecking havoc on each person, each thing. He swallowed the lump building in his throat. Naruto knew that he had to make a decision soon, whether or not he should let Sasuke live so dangerously or just not care about Danzo. But those consequences…

If he left Sasuke, what would happen then? The demon would obviously come after him again. And then Sasuke would be killed, wouldn't he? Or would he finally succeed and free him from Danzo, for good? It was all up in the air, wasn't it? The same could be said about his other option. If he stayed with Sasuke, there was a possibility Sasuke could be killed as well. But Danzo could be as well.

There was too much on Naruto's mind and he just wanted to forget the world. He just wanted to be sucked back into the pit of darkness where he could be left, blind, deaf, and just plain ignorant to the world around him.

Naruto grabbed the sides of Sasuke's face and pulled him into a mind numbing kiss. All of his worries and cares just flew out the window when he and Sasuke could just connect their bodies. To become one…A single body, a single mind. It would be great, wouldn't it? To be so connected to one person that to be separated could mean death. Naruto wanted that. He wanted to be with Sasuke fully, body and soul. And he could tell the demon wanted the same; Sasuke wouldn't have fought so hard to keep the blond safe if he didn't feel that way, right?

"Are you going to introduce me to your food source, brother? Or am I going to have to do it myself?" Sasuke and Naruto pulled away from each other, lips breaking apart. A flush covered the blond's cheeks as a seemingly older and taller version of Sasuke came waltzing into the tent. His long hair was pulled back and swinging a little as he walked in, smirking like the cat who ate the canary. Naruto was a little stunned at the similarity between the two of them. "So, what shall it be?"

Sasuke was frowning a little and the blond felt the heat dissipating from his cheeks. "Stop sucking all the energy out of the room. I need it too."

The older demon shrugged. "Then don't take so long to absorb it…" The movement of his body was one of such a stunning grace that Naruto couldn't even hear the steps of his feet on the ground. "But of course, from the energy I'm feeling, you may have thought you could have gotten more out of the little human. Pity that I ruined it. I'm in the mood for a snack."

"Then go find our long lost Commander." Sasuke said with a wave of his hand. "I'm not in the mood to entertain you brother. I have other matters at hand."

"No need to be nasty little brother." He said with a slight wave back at his brother, it was more of a dismissive, 'I'm better than you and have more say' wave. Sasuke huffed a little and stared at Naruto, who was still slightly retracted into himself and slight heat to his face.

"Naruto, this is my older brother, Itachi." Sasuke said as quickly as possible. "Happy now? Good, go."

"Now, now, don't be hasty. I'm trying to get to know your snack; it's rude to just shove me aside. Especially since you seem so interested in him." Itachi said as he sat down on the cot with the two of them. Sasuke exasperatedly sighed as Naruto turned slightly in his arms to be able to look fully at Itachi. "Tell me little human, what intentions do you have with my darling little brother? He is the only sibling I have, you know. And I couldn't imagine what would happen if he was hurt…" The look in Itachi's eyes sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

"U-uhh…"

"Itachi!" Sasuke pulled the blond closer into his chest and Itachi smirked a little.

"Fine, fine." Itachi said as he got back up. "Enjoy your time with your little human. But, I came here to tell you that Gaara wishes to speak with the two of you. Together." Itachi disappeared after that, seeming to dematerialize as quickly as he had when they had been entangled within each other.

Naruto blinked for a moment and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Your brother is kind of scary…But he seems to have the best intentions at heart."

"He's just a pain." Sasuke muttered as he got to his feet, pulling the blond into a standing position. "I suppose that if Gaara wants to see us, it is better to be punctual." Sasuke offered his hand to Naruto. "Don't worry; Gaara isn't nearly as scary as Itachi."

The blond smiled a little as he curled his fingers around Sasuke's. Naruto tried to take a step forward but his legs shook under the weight and the strain. Sasuke had to catch him again so he wouldn't fall flat on his face. Naruto sighed a little. "Maybe that curse did more to me than I thought…"

Sasuke grabbed the blond under the legs and hoisted him up so that he was being cradled in his arms. "That's fine. I've taken a liking to carrying you." Naruto hid his face in the side of Sasuke's neck. It was not only embarrassing because Sasuke said something like that, but now he would have to be carried through the camp. Naruto mentally sighed and resigned himself to his spot in Sasuke's arms.

In a matter of seconds, voices were buzzing around them. Most of them had pleased tones and a little bit of mocking laughter. The demons seemed highly amused by them, probably just the sight. On the other hand, the thought of Sasuke seeming to be so close to a human that could have potentially killed them all to keep the human safe was quite amusing. But some of the demon's weren't laughing, some of them were sneering and growling as Naruto passed them in Sasuke's arms. The Uchiha hoisted him a little higher so the blond was closer to him. Naruto's grip was even tighter on Sasuke then. He was a little fearful of all these demons, in all honesty. He did not know if he had gotten some of their families killed. He generally tried to tame his visions enough for the least amount of bloodshed.

Sasuke felt the fear in Naruto's body language, by the way, he moved closer, snuggled tighter into the demon's body. He was afraid of the other demons, and the Uchiha understood why. There were plenty of demon's who would have some kind of vendetta against the blond, though Naruto didn't kill anyone. Nevertheless, they really did not care, Naruto was directly related to the person who had caused them pain. And it was that pain that would blind them to who caused it.

It seemed that the demon's couldn't contain themselves either, because just to prove that point, a group of demons surrounded them. All of them were furious, making Naruto whimpered against Sasuke's neck, his grip becoming tighter and tighter as the demons closed in. "Uchiha!" One of them spoke in loud, angry tones. Naruto whimpered again, beginning to shake in Sasuke's arms. The Uchiha demon felt more and more protective as they growled and stepped closer. "Are you a fool? You're going to be the death of all of us if you continue to let that human stay here. And live too? That's us signing a death warrant. We need to put him down."

"If any of you so much as touch a single hair on his head I will put you in the ground. I know you're all angry, I feel it too. Danzo killed my parents just as he has killed your families, but it isn't Naruto's fault. He wasn't even alive for most of the brutal slaughters. He has suffered at that man's hands as well; Danzo killed his entire clan."

"It doesn't matter." One of the more desperately sad sounding demon's screeched. "Even after his clan was murdered he still helped Danzo! What kind of creature does that? He's a monster."

"Just hand him over Uchiha. We promise to make it quick for the boy, he won't suffer more than necessary."

"Sasuke…" Naruto muttered and then tensed up. Sasuke felt the blond squirming in his arms, like he wanted to run. But the Uchiha wouldn't let him go unless it actually started to get ugly.

"Like I said before, I'll kill you before you can lay a hand on him." Sasuke was about to muscle his way through the crowd when Gaara whistled, making them all tense up and disperse. The red head was standing a few meters away from Sasuke and he wondered why he hadn't seen his leader before. Perhaps he was too caught up in the severity of the moment.

"This isn't over, Uchiha. We'll get him eventually." Gaara growled at the demon who said that as he passed. It was a warning. Obviously Gaara didn't want anyone to spill the blond's blood after Sasuke had worked so hard to get him here.

"I didn't need your help Gaara." Sasuke muttered as he relaxed his stance.

"Sasuke, good of you to come so punctually. I'm sorry for your slight hold-up though." The red head began, completely ignoring Sasuke's previous comment. Naruto moved his face away from Sasuke's neck so he too could look at the demon who was speaking.

He was beautiful to Naruto, just like most demons were. His eyes were teal, green and blue tinted and they looked slightly soulless since they were such a pale shade. His red hair was shaggy and seemed to match the soft, creamy color of his skin. It wasn't as light as Sasuke's skin, in fact it seemed to give him some of the life his eyes took away. He wore light, breathable brown cotton cloth around his torso. It was bunched up slightly around his shoulders to show off the slight, toned muscles underneath. His pants were made of the same material, only lighter in color, opting instead to be tan instead of the darker brown. Gaara was staring at Naruto, which made Sasuke straighten up slightly. The last thing he needed was Gaara trying to jump on his potential mate.

"What is it you need to speak with _us_ about?"

"Actually I just wanted to speak with _Naruto_." Sasuke instantly felt like he had been tricked until he thought of what had just transpired. If Naruto had come to meet Gaara, alone, in his current condition, he would have been murdered. Itachi had been watching out for the blond's well-being, and perhaps also Sasuke's. Sasuke didn't doubt that he would have slightly went off the deep end if something happened to Naruto.

"I…" Naruto began as he tried to move out of Sasuke's arms, the Uchiha refused to loosen his grip on the blond. "I've taken a bit of damage from our excursion in the desert. I cannot walk at this moment. Sasuke will have to present so that I can move from one place to the next."

"Not necessarily." Gaara said as he walked up to Sasuke, snatching the blond out of his arms. He placed Naruto into a similar position in his arms. "I'll take very good care of the priest, Sasuke. You are dismissed."

"But…" Sasuke began but the red head cut him off with a small look of dismissal.

"Enough, go find your brother." Gaara replied. "He was actually quite worried about you while you were gone. Go and reassure him, he may not seem like he needs it, but he does. And you should also probably get some energy from him if you can, you're a little rundown. I can feel it."

Sasuke huffed a little and shot a final, subtle glance at the blond before turning and heading off into the camp.  
>-<p>

"I've done what you've asked of me." Danzo said as he stepped into Orochimaru's lair. The demon was still sitting atop his amassed pile of bodies, acting as arrogant and powerful as he did before he was locked away. Though Danzo didn't like having such a powerful demon living, he did enjoy that he was willing to work with the King and give him anything that he asked for. The King stepped in and closed the door behind him, a ruddy sack in his hand.

"Good, good. Then I'll be able to make you that spell." Orochimaru said with a smirk on his lips. "Naruto will be very surprised to see you. I'm very sure of it."

The demon held out his hand and just kept smirking. Danzo was a fool for trusting him. He had a feeling the King would eventually slip up like this but he hadn't felt it would be so soon after his bride's disappearance. He had become desperate and it was foolish for him to think that all of Orochimaru's help would be for the King's benefit. To Orochimaru, the King was a hated thing, something he very much wished to destroy. But, the blond had to be dealt with first.

For a long time, Orochimaru had interest in the Uchiha demons. He wanted very much to possess one just to see what kind of abilities he could sap from their bones or skin. Such a beautiful, powerful demon would only make him more and more powerful. But that blond, that damn human ruined it. Sasuke was the perfect candidate for experimentation and that curse would have eventually brought the demon to Orochimaru. Sasuke would have either craved for relief from the curse or to know more about the power it could actually give to him. The sheer darkness of the curse could have increased the demonic prowess of his abilities tenfold, if Sasuke was able to access it right. But now, since Naruto had interfered, Sasuke may not be able to, and he wouldn't come to seek Orochimaru out. The demonic magician couldn't stand that thought. He always got what he wanted and if Naruto was going to continue to stand in the way, he needed to be taken care of…Permanently.

Orochimaru grabbed the ruddy sack from the King's hand and opened it, pulling out the required ingredients from the bag. It wasn't that Orochimaru hated Naruto, quite the contrary. He also found that the boy would be very interesting to study, but the Uchihas took priority on his list. The first item he took from the sack was a jar of blood; blood of defiled virgins, all of them having to have been rape victims. The violent, hateful nature of the deflowering assured that the blood would be soured and full of the anger of both parties.

"Can I ask why you needed such things?" Orochimaru's eyes closed slight, coming to rest at slits as he peeked over his shoulder. Danzo had obviously become a little suspicious, but it was too be expected. The list of ingredients wasn't exactly what you'd expect for a transportation spell. It wasn't as though Orochimaru actually knew one though, the usual way to transport was given through demonic contracts in the nether world that allowed you access through portals. There was no actual way, from Orochimaru's decades of research, to find a way to make a spell that transported anyone, anywhere. It all had to be done with seals and portals. Danzo, however, didn't need to know that. And Orochimaru knew that the damn fool would believe any lie he shoved into his face. He obviously believed that Orochimaru could create a portal for him to go through.

"If you really must know, it is to please the nether world demons so they will open the portal and let you through. That is all." Orochimaru said, putting an end to the questioning as soon as he could. Danzo didn't say anything else and seemed to be satisfied with the answer. The demonic magician pulled the second ingredient out then. It was in a small box that was tied with a silken black ribbon. The tooth of a dragon was what laid inside, but not just any dragon, A very venomous dragon that was nearly snake like in appearance. It had such potent venom that it nearly rotten the teeth in its mouth completely away. He pulled the tooth out of the box and it was covered in deep, dark holes, all of which reeked with decay. The venom was very, very powerful and when he opened the portal to get to Naruto, the blond was in for a very painful experience.

Orochimaru smirked a little as he pulled the third item from the sack. This one was the most important of all. The skin of a doppelganger. Probably also the most difficult item to find as well. And with that removed, the sack was empty. Orochimaru tossed the sack aside as he gently ran his hand against the slick, almost slimy skin of the doppelganger. It still had the smell of fresh blood, which was even better. The kill was extremely recent then.

The demonic magician stood up from his stop and started to stomp down his pile of bodies, kick over the corpses as he went, looking for something. He stopped and bent over, grabbing a mortar and pedestal. He went around the room, grabbing over herbs and chalks throwing it all into his arms before clearing a spot on the ground.

He laid out the doppelganger skin and poured some of the blood in the jar onto it, smearing it so that it touched every little inch, every little nook and cranny within the skin. Orochimaru took some of the herbs and ground them together, filling the room with a strong, pungent smell of herbs and blood. Other whole herbs he shoved into bowls and lit on fire to create not only an ambiance, but to set the right mood for the demon to come.

Orochimaru still had half the jar remaining and that's when he decided it was time to draw the seal for the portal. He started to draw a large circle in red chalk and half way through switched to black. He stood in the middle and concocted a large mystifying design. It had an eye as the centerpiece and surrounding it was concentric circles and triangles that were skewed with jagged, multi-colored lines. Some times there were just stacks of black and red lines that almost seemed to sizzle with power just sitting there. As Orochimaru finished his drawing he walked back to grab the jar with the blood and a knife. He shoved the knife into the ground, digging out a small trench for the blood to be held. He filled the small hole and then brought over the doppelganger skin and dragon tooth.

Once the portal was open, a demon would possess the skin of the doppelganger, take its power and commands from the seal, and use the tooth of the dragon to kill the little priest. But just to make extra sure that Naruto couldn't purify the demon, Orochimaru would activate a deeper level of Sasuke's curse to see if it could incapacitate the little blond. It was the perfect plan really.

Orochimaru turned towards Danzo and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you forgetting something? I need something of Naruto's to make sure you arrive in the correct place." Danzo seemed surprised by that and reached into his pocket, he pulled out the diamond necklace he had given the blond on their supposed wedding day. Orochimaru purposefully made the King stand nearly on the other side of the circle so he would have to reach. With one swoop, Orochimaru snatched the necklace and managed to cut Danzo's hand, leaving a small few drops of blood on the diamonds. Orochimaru placed that around the collar of the doppelganger's skin and smirked.

Danzo was cursing a little as his hand bled, not very happy with where this was going now. But before he could say anything Orochimaru stepped out of the circle and started speaking a demonic tongue. It was as though he was choking on fire and the circle burst with life. The air around them started to churn wildly, it was whipping and slicing around them. It actually was getting hotter and hotter and starting to take a burning quality, like the pits of Hell just opened where they were standing. The pool of blood in the middle started to bubble and boil, evaporating into a deathly red mist, which took a form in the middle of the eye. The form fell down into the doppelganger's skin and then assumed a form that Danzo couldn't believe. It was him, clutching the necklace that he had given to his little blond in one hand, the dragon tooth in the other. But the look was different, much more sinister and evil. Something he couldn't even name. The demonic entity looked at him before snarling a little and disappearing.

While it disappeared, it seemed to suck up everything that was the circle. All the chalk and color disintegrated and just blew itself away. Orochimaru started chuckling as Danzo stared in awe at what had just transpired before him.

"What have you done?"

"Oh, would you like to see?" Orochimaru asked as he snapped his fingers, making a large blood cloud appear before him. In the droplets that fell, it revealed a moving, speaking picture of the present, only it was Naruto's present…  
>-<p>

"I hope you don't mind that I sent him away." Gaara said as he placed Naruto into a more respectable position. He made the blond stand but instead of forcing him to walk on his own, he supported him by throwing Naruto's arm over his shoulder, and wrapping his free arm around the blond's back. "I thought that this would be a chance for me to get to know you, one on one. I'm very glad you decided to join us."

Naruto's steps were a little out of sync with Gaara's and he stumbled more than a few times trying to get back into the habit of walking. He looked towards the red head and smiled a little. "I'm very happy you decided to not make my death the purpose of the mission." Naruto said as he started to make more cautious steps, feeling himself getting a little stronger with each step. "But, I still don't understand why. I've gotten very many of your people killed."

"To me, you never directly killed anyone. It was Danzo's overzealous protectiveness and also his insatiable hatred of demons that got my people killed and captured. You were never directly the cause. Besides, if you were, I'm pretty sure Danzo would have already been very able to find this camp…Am I right?"

The blond looked away and blushed slightly. "Yes, you would be right. I've tried to keep my visions as bland or tame as possible. I've come to learn that I may get too much information sometimes and have to edit it down to a smaller, better amount as to not cause further..." Naruto paused for a moment and Gaara looked over at the blond, starting to get a strange vibe from the situation.

"Are you having a vision?" Gaara asked and the blond shook his head, starting to shiver a little.

"Something's coming. I don't know what, but I can feel it." Gaara looked around and all of the demons around seemed to feel it too because they were all stilled, staring at the blond like he was the source of this bad energy. But it only got worse from that moment. Naruto started moaning and coughing up chunks of black and red sputum. Gaara could feel Naruto's legs give out in that moment and helped him into a sitting position on the ground.

"Go get a medic!" Gaara yelled at one of the demons. He just stood there for a moment taking in the situation when Gaara's voice snapped at him again. "NOW!" The demon disappeared from sight within a moment's notice.

Naruto's coughs were only getting worse when the red head noticed a small black pattern creeping up his body, starting to exacerbate his symptoms. Gaara had gotten some information about what Naruto had done for Sasuke but this seemed to be from something else. Perhaps it was the demonic magician Kyuubi mentioned to him? Gaara didn't know. All he knew is that Naruto needed something to purify his body otherwise he would be killed by this evil, dark presence within his body.

"D-Da-Danzo…" The blond managed to spit out between coughs. Gaara patted Naruto's back soothingly.

"Don't worry, we won't let him get you." Gaara said as he pulled the blond into a better position. Naruto was shaking his head, still spewing black and red mist from his mouth.

"N-no!" Naruto said and he forced himself to calm down so he could stop coughing and say a full sentence. "Look behind yo-you!"

Gaara looked behind him and his eyes widen considerably when he saw a shaded figure appearing in a misty cloud of blood. The red head looked back down at the blond, who was struggling to pull himself into a standing position. "That's not Danzo…"

Naruto was whining a little as the demonic being came towards him, a large hand sized tooth tightly grasped in his digits. It was dripping with a black liquid and Gaara stood up solidifying his stance as he looked over at this thing. Gaara lifted his arm and with it rose a large volume of sand, it rushed at the shade version of Danzo but the thing easily avoided it. The thing moved fast, but Gaara was fast too. Naruto had never seen a earth conjurer move with such speed or grace before. But he supposed since Gaara was a demon, that had something to do with how well he moved.

But he wasn't used to Gaara protecting him. He wanted Sasuke, he felt safest with Sasuke. And right now he was so frightened that he couldn't move, not like he could anyway since this curse was now gripping him even worse, practically bringing him to the edge of death. He couldn't move, he could barely breathe. He was going to die. Whatever was happening right now was going to kill him and Naruto was terrified.

"S-Sa-Sasu…" He muttered a little, a tear steam down his cheek. "_Sasuke_!"  
>-<p>

Sasuke walked into a tent where he knew his brother would be because it had been designated to the Commander for whenever he decided to return. And since Sasuke knew that his brother and the Commander had an illicit relationship before he left, then his brother would no doubt be with him, feeding or whatever they did. He didn't exactly know how to enter the tent because there wasn't a way to knock or let them know of his presence. So Sasuke decided, if Itachi could ruin his intimate time with Naruto, he would ruin his brother's time with Kyuubi. Sasuke waltzed right in and in that moment Sasuke wished he didn't.

In the most compromising position possible, Itachi was splayed on the ground, Kyuubi on top of him. Both of them were completely naked. Itachi's legs were wrapped around the red head as he thrust and filled his brother, making the demon purr with pleasure.

"AH! GOD!" Sasuke backed up a little, covering his face with his arms. "My EYES. This is so bad!"

Both of them finally seemed to notice Sasuke and they stopped their activities, glancing up at the youngest demon in the tent. "Come to join us little brother? How sexy of you."

"No I did not come to join you! I actually just came to spend a little time with you since Gaara wanted to see Naruto alone." Sasuke said as he lowered his arms away from his face. Itachi was standing up, in his full naked glory, which was a sight Sasuke could actually stand. He had seen Itachi naked plenty of times. Kyuubi, however, in his nakedness was a completely different story. It was the most awkward sight of his life because Kyuubi was freakishly well endowed. Even for a demon.

"Alone, eh?" Kyuubi said as he pulled on a long forgotten pair of linen pants. He was hopping around as he was struggling to shove his still partially hard erection into his pants without hurting himself or making a strange bulge. "Too bad you didn't join us, you could have been gotten that energy you're desperately needing."

Sasuke huffed. Did everyone know about that? Sure he was running a little low but it wasn't like there wasn't a supply of energy. He could easily get some from any slut demon who lived in the camp. He could also get it from Naruto, if there was persuasion. Hell, he could get it from his brother if he was desperate enough!

"Do you want me to give you some energy Sasuke?" Itachi asked as he gently pushed some of the hair out of Sasuke's face. The younger Uchiha made a soft noise at the back of his throat that made Itachi smirk. "If you don't want it from me, get a few good kisses from Kyuubi. It should at least take the edge off until you can get into that blond's pants."

"No…Kissing Kyuubi would be weird for me." Sasuke muttered as he looked over at the seductive red head. Once he seemed to change out of his human form, Kyuubi became a beautiful sort of monstrous being. One could feel the sheer and intense energy surrounding him. It wasn't a wonder why Itachi was so attracted to him. "You can do it Itachi…"

Itachi seemed to be a little excited by this prospect. "We haven't shared energy like this since we were children. It will be nice to relive those experience, eh little one?"

Sasuke shrugged as Itachi got closer to him. He petted Sasuke's spikes gently, it made the younger Uchiha purr a little into the soft touch. Itachi rubbed his thumb ever so softly against Sasuke's cheek, making him relax more. It was nice to be comforted in this way by his brother, he forgot how much Itachi's body could pull anyone in. He stepped a little closer to his brother and looked up. Sasuke's lips were already starting to pucker up as Itachi leaned down. The only way they could exchange energy was through kisses. And it had come in handy in certain situations. Like when they were the only two around and the other needed just a quick boost of energy. This was just like those times.

Kyuubi's eyes were wide with entertainment because of the show he was getting from the two Uchihas. He couldn't have asked for a better picture really. Sasuke was a fiery little demon with such dazzling beauty and Itachi was just a smoldering temptress who could kill a man with one wink. To see such heavy hitters sharing a kiss was like tempting all the gods. "Yes…Yes…" Kyuubi muttered to himself as they got closer and closer, their lips starting to part slightly signaling that this was going to be a deeper kind of kiss. "YES!" Itachi's lips softly pressed against his brother's and Itachi instantly pulled back like he had been burned, a hiss was pushing its way through the older Uchiha's lips as he glared at his brother. "NO!" Kyuubi yelled. "DAMN!"

Sasuke fell to his knees, screeching a little as he held his shoulder where the curse still resided. Itachi was still hissing at the rejection he had faced but his normal instincts were being overridden by the concern for his brother. He got down next to Sasuke and tried to comfort his brother but Sasuke just grabbed Itachi's wrist, smirking suddenly. The younger Uchiha's body was beginning to become overrun with this black mark, it was spreading from his shoulder, across his face, down his arms. He stood up and started laughing as dark energy poured from his body.

"Kyuubi, what's happening?" Itachi asked as he pulled his wrist from his brother's vice like grip.

"Oh…This isn't good." Kyuubi replied as he looked at Sasuke.

"Obviously!" The older Uchiha hissed out, glaring at Kyuubi for better answers. "How do we fix it?"

"You don't fix what's not broken, brother." Sasuke replied and they looked over at the younger Uchiha. He was glancing at his body, flexing his muscles as he did so. "I've never felt better, honestly. I can feel the power rippling through my body."

"It's Orochimaru's curse. It must be pulling dark energy into his body…" Kyuubi muttered. "But how? I thought Naruto sealed it up with that kiss?"

"_Sasuke_!"

The three of them turned towards the open flap of the tent and Itachi watched as Sasuke slowly moved towards it. "I'm needed elsewhere. Follow me if you must." Sasuke's body started to morph even more as the curse darkened his skin and lightened his hair, making it grow longer and more spiky. The fangs that normally appeared when he changed were pointed sharply inside his mouth as he smiled wickedly. Wings sprouted from his back but they weren't the normal leathery bat wings, they were pointed, shaped more like webbed hands than anything else. Sasuke smirked a little as he flapped those wings, seeming to have so much power that he disappeared into the sky with one motion of his newly acquired wings.

Itachi was struggling to throw on pants as he ran after his brother, Kyuubi having a slight head start on the older Uchiha. "Kyuubi, what do we do?"

"I don't know. Sasuke has become very powerful in just a matter of minutes. There might not be anything we can do." Kyuubi said as Itachi came to run beside him, both of them following the shadowed outline of Sasuke in the sky. He landed powerfully in the middle of the camp and both of them were there before the dust could settle. "But something has set this off, I'm sure of it. And I think we're about to see what…"

The dust settled and Naruto laid on the ground, Gaara kneeling in front of him. The red head was out of breath, cut and bleed, and it seemed that one of his arms wasn't currently working. The blond rolled onto his hands and knees as he continued to cough up blood and other remnants of the curse. Naruto looked up as a shadow covered him. The blond's eyes widened when he realized what was standing over him. "Sasuke…"

"Naruto…Who did this to you and Gaara? Who's hurt you?" The blond's eyes shifted over to the being that wore Danzo's face. It was recovering from the battle with Gaara, slowly re-growing limbs and other parts. "Too easy." Sasuke muttered as his new wings began to flap.

In Sasuke's new form the demon seemed to be twice as fast as he was previously, coming to stand beside the Danzo doppelganger within an instant. The being didn't even know what hit it until Sasuke shoved his hand through its chest. The Uchiha didn't feel a heart inside the body and he knew that this was something that had to be cleansed by fire.

He put a little distance between him and the being, taking a large breath as he did so. Black fire spilled from his lungs and the creature couldn't escape the blaze, being fully consumed by it in mere seconds. The demonic creature was burned slowly because of how thorough the cleaning process had to be. One little scrap of this creature's body could mean it had the potential to return.

Black ashes blew away in the wind when all was done and Naruto found the strength within himself to stand up, limping his way over to Sasuke. He coughed frequently, blood and black goo filling his hand every few steps. "Sasuke…Sasuke…"

The demon turned to look at the blond approaching him and smirked. The Uchiha went to meet the blond, his arms open as Naruto practically fell into them. He was panting harshly. But he had a mission to do, he had cleanse Sasuke's body of this curse once more. Whatever had happened to them was seriously making their bodies react in terrible ways. Sasuke had become far too powerful because of the darkness in his veins. The blond grabbed Sasuke's head and brought him in for a kiss and as soon as Naruto kissed him, he felt the burn of evil.

It took all of Naruto's strength not to pull back just from the sheer pain of the moment. Sasuke seemed to be unaffected, like he had gotten high on his power overload. Slowly, the color of the Uchiha's skin started to normalize and he turned more and more familiar with every ticking second. Sasuke's eyes got blurry as Naruto pulled back, sucking a black gas looking substance into his body. The blond choked on it and fell to his knees, rolling onto his stomach, grasping it in pain as he wailed.

Sasuke looked down for a moment before completely passing out cold, on the ground. Kyuubi and Itachi rushed into the scene. Kyuubi left the two lovers to Itachi as he went over to his third in command.

"What happened here Gaara?" The red head was panting with pain as he pulled a dragon's tooth out of his injured arm. Kyuubi gasped as he grabbed a hold of the tooth. "Don't worry Gaara, I won't let you die. Do you hear me? I won't!" The last thing Gaara saw was his commander's concern, yelling face before it all went to darkness. "Shit…Itachi, leave the lovebirds for now. We're in serious need of a medic. Go find one! NOW!"

-

**okay guys, I have no witty commentary because I have midterms and I postponed studying for them for you! I hope you're happy! And this is a great cliffy, no? You're just going to have to wait for my next update xD haha!**


	9. Chapter 9

**WOLOLOLO I know people have been waiting for this chapter :D And Hitoko-sama is finally going to deliver it! I HOPE YA'LL ENJOY. REGULAR PV  
>-<strong>

Kyuubi was pacing in front of the medical tents, his hands sweating because of his much he was ringing them together. The stress was killing him. His third in command was poisoned with a very potent toxin, even to demons. There was only a thirty, seventy chance he'd live. Kyuubi was not in favor of those odds. Even if they were fifty, fifty, he'd be far more at ease. However that wasn't the current case at hand and there wasn't a single thing Kyuubi could do. He felt completely powerless. And to make matters worse, Naruto could also potentially die because of that bloody curse Orochimaru gave Sasuke. Though Naruto was a very powerful being, he had been severely weakened by the curse previously and then took even more evil inside of him. If he had been anyone else, he would have already been dead.

The blond had grown on Kyuubi in less time he could think possible, he was something no one could resist; Kyuubi saw that now and why Danzo desired him so highly, he was like a precious gem. The blond was just so bright and bubbly. Danzo hadn't completely crushed his spirits either and that was something to be admired. He was a strong kid and Kyuubi didn't want to think about what would happen if he were to die now. Everything they had worked for, it would be lost.

The red head licked his lips as Itachi approached him. The incubus had been completely consumed with the idea of losing his brother. Sasuke was the only family member he had left after the Great War so Kyuubi could understand why Itachi could only focus on that and nothing else. He stood outside the medical tent awkwardly and just stared at the folds, wishing he could go inside. No one besides the medics was allowed inside now and none of the three boys had awoken yet. It seemed that Sasuke was the most likely to awake first but even then, they were not sure. Sasuke's body needed to be purified to expel the more negative effects of the curse which caused damage to not only his body, but his mind. Kyuubi feared that the curse's effects may warp the boy into something unrecognizable. It would kill Itachi if that happened, especially since he couldn't protect his little brother.

He could feel the anxiety and grief rolling off Itachi in waves. The Uchiha just stared at the tent, waiting and waiting. They had been doing this for days, just praying for their safety. Kyuubi would give up anything in the world to make sure the three of them survived. He put a strong hand on Itachi's shoulders, feeling the incubus's tense muscles as he did so. Itachi was running on nothing but fumes now, nothing fueling his fires. "Have you heard anything from the medics?" Itachi inquired, turning to look at his commander. Though Itachi didn't really have much need to sleep, Kyuubi couldn't help but notice the large dark rings around his eyes, as though the demon was exhausted to the very core.

"No, I haven't heard anything since they started to try to purify Sasuke. It will be a long process. That curse took a dark form inside of him…And that process started two days ago." Kyuubi made that comment specifically about Itachi's baby brother, knowing that Itachi was far more concerned about him and no one else. He would probably be more concerned about Gaara and Naruto when he knew his brother would survive. "However, I do know that this won't kill Sasuke. Naruto foresaw a different death for Sasuke, which means he will live through this…"

"Hn, most comforting thing I've heard all day." Though Itachi tone was cold, he did feel a slight relief knowing Sasuke would at least live through this. However, he did feel a stinging pain knowing Sasuke would die some other way. It burned him to even think about Sasuke falling at someone's hands, besides those of the hands of time. "What can we do now Kyuubi? I've fallen ill of waiting. I need something to occupy me. I do not prefer to be idle when I am able bodied…"

Kyuubi glanced over at the Incubus, eyes shining with concern for the demon. He had come to favor Itachi as a lover, not only because he was a great bed partner, but because of his kindness. Never in his long life had he seen an Incubus with as much soul and love as he saw in Itachi. It made him almost that much more beautiful to the red head. "Let me to occupy your mind, as you do mine."  
>-<p>

Naruto felt heavy, as though he had sand bags tied to his limbs and was then thrown into a lake so that he could drown. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness for some time now, waking mostly to expel the evil by vomiting up a vile black, sticky fluid. As of right now his body was asleep but his mind was not. He knew it was a method of protection, so that his body could and would recover but it was still an unpleasant experience. His mind was racing with the events that had transpired he didn't even know how long ago. Sasuke was different, he had changed. The curse had seeped into his very soul and corrupted his body with sheer and utter evil. The magic was so strong and dark…Naruto had never felt such a deep, horrid presence in his entire time in this world. It made him fearful, especially of what the future could hold for him and Sasuke now. The demon's face held such evilness to it, contorting his features into an unnatural face and body. It scared Naruto. He had been so frightened of Sasuke in that moment; he couldn't even bring himself to recognize such a man.

And the guilt to him was completely overwhelming. He was the cause of this curse, the cause of Sasuke's pain. Just because the demon had been kind to him, he had to suffer. Why did this always happen? Why did things have to be this way? Naruto felt a tear streaming down his cheek but couldn't make his arm rise to wipe it away. He was in a form of suspended animation so that he could heal properly but he was awake, alive. But for how long? He knew his body was struggling desperately, he had never been in so much physical and mental pain before, he didn't know how to cope with this pain. He knew though, if Sasuke was suffering in silence, he could as well. He would be strong for this demon, if not for any other reason.

It was then that Naruto noticed his hand twitching, under his control once more. He could feel it, the pain slowly subsiding as he was able to move and pull himself out of the stalled state. The blond thought of Sasuke more and his urge to protect the demon. He wanted to save Sasuke, he couldn't continue down this path any longer. He had made a decision. He would do whatever necessary to protect Sasuke, even if it meant giving up his life.

Naruto's eyes opened and a pink haired medic was standing by his side, looking shocked when she saw the blond sit up. "What do you need me to do?" Was the first thing the blond said, looking shaken yet determined.

"Just rest. You're weak." She replied, attempting to get him to lie down again. "You're of no use to us in this condition."

Naruto was shaking, his legs wobbling and he wasn't even standing. He ignored the weakness and got off his cot, taking controlled, slow steps. He was headed towards where he felt strong magic wafting towards him. It was strong cleansing magic and he knew that was where Sasuke was. They were trying to purifying him. The medic attempted to stop Naruto but the blond pulled out of her grip, pushing past two other demons and slumping down next to the Uchiha's side. He put his hands directly on the curse mark, making Sasuke cry out in pain, arching unnaturally off the cot he was sleeping on. The demon's eyes shot open before he passed out again. Naruto knew this was going to hurt Sasuke, but he would be thankful later. He focused his reserved energy and allowed it to flow through his hands, coming out as a golden light. The medics stared in awe as the curse spread out on Sasuke's body before slowing retracting back into the mark, painstakingly sealing away the curse. Naruto had never been so focused in his entire life. He needed to finish this, prevent this curse from breaking out again.

"Amazing…" One of the medics whispered. And Naruto finally pulled back, panting. For now, this was the best he could do. He tried to get back onto his feet but his legs were jelly underneath his weight and he fell back down. One of the demons handed him a glass of water to drink and Naruto looked thankful.

"How is Gaara?" Naruto looked at the demon who had handed him the water. His features fell slightly at the question, looking pensive and sighing as he shook his head.

"The truth is that he might not make it. We tried to remove the venom, we really did. But it spread quickly since he had been fighting. We don't know what else to do for him." The demon replied, pushing back a strand of black hair. To Naruto, this demon didn't even look that much like a demon. No unnaturalness about him at all. If he hadn't have known better, he would have thought him very much a human.

"How long do you think he has?" Naruto asked, flinching a little after he muttered the question. Gaara was the only demon who had been out right kind to him, besides Sasuke and Kyuubi. He wanted to make sure the red head was okay. He had been protecting him, after all. "If you need me to, I will try my best t-"

"No, no." The pink haired medical demon said, stepping up behind him. Her face was a little stern, but there was concern in her eyes. "Don't over exert yourself. If you slipped back into your comatose state, you might not wake up again. We waited for a while this time; we don't want to risk you going back."

Naruto was silent, looking forlorn as he reached out to take Sasuke's hand in his own. She was right and he knew that but he couldn't feel that he owed it to these people to save Gaara and Sasuke. He was the source of their pain after all, so he needed to try. "Is there a water source around here? A small lake or waterfall or something of that nature?"

The medics all looked at each other and nodded. "Yes, there's a small hot spring a few minutes away from here. Why?"

"If I can purify myself, I'll regain a good amount of my energies back and then I will be of use to you." Naruto muttered. "Then, I can save Gaara."

Naruto attempted to stand again, managing to get on his feet and remain there. He started to walk towards the opening of the tent when a hand landed on his shoulder. "You're not going there alone." Naruto twitched, perking up when he heard the voice. He turned to see Sasuke on his feet, looking a little worse for wear. The medics were all shocked, eyes wide as Sasuke seemed to wake from the dead. But Sasuke was smirking, looking as he did before the curse. Relief filled Naruto's body and he couldn't help but fling himself into the demon's strong, waiting arms.

"You're okay…I was so worried…" Naruto muttered into the strong chest in front of him.

"I know where they spoke of. I will take you there. If you want to save Gaara, I will help you obtain your goal. Besides, you're still shaky on your feet where as I feel far better than ever."

"You don't look it…" Naruto quipped, a bit of a playful, mocking tone coming into his voice. Sasuke ruffled his hair and took the blond's chin, making him look up at the demon.

"Let us go." Sasuke muttered, picking Naruto up, making the blond huff at the already returning strength of his demonic companion. Sasuke's wings spread out from behind him and he leapt from the ground, catching the wind.  
>-<p>

Sasuke put Naruto on the ground, noticing that the blond's strength was returning, little by little. This human was so fragile, yet so strong. He had already been through so much now and he was still standing. Sasuke couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for Naruto to take in so much evil. He wasn't a demon; his body couldn't use it productively like Sasuke's own, even if it wasn't the most beneficial for Sasuke's health to do so. In fact, Sasuke had never felt so sick in his entire life. He wasn't evil, nor had he embraced it in his life, so even though it could and would make him very strong when he used the power, it had a large amount of negative consequences. Sasuke couldn't let the blond know what he was experiencing because of this curse. Naruto already felt fully responsible for everything that had happened when it was far out of the blond's control from the very start.

Sasuke absentmindedly rested his hand above the mark which was still tender. He didn't doubt a feather could bring a scream to his lips. He moved his hand away from the mark as Naruto neared the steaming water's edge. The blond's hands were glowing and he barely tapped his finger on the water's surface before golden lines shot out into the pool. The magic sank in coloring the clear blue pool into what looked like melted gold. Naruto started to pull off his robes. Sasuke noticed on the blond's side that there was a deep, purple and black bruise which seemed to pulse against the blond's skin.

"The curse is manifesting itself inside me as physical ailments." Naruto mused as he brushed his side, flinching when he did so. "This should relieve the pressure of it and take away any lasting physical effects of me purifying you."

But Sasuke was miles away as Naruto spoke, his brain foggy because of the form in front of him. He had never wanted a person so much in his entire life. The demon purred softly at the back of his throat as he watched. His head tilted to the side as he approached Naruto from behind, wrapping his arms around the blond's naked waist. Naruto was relaxed and allowed Sasuke to touch him, fingers like fire as they trailed up his tanned skin. Naruto sighed softly and leaned his head back, allowing Sasuke's lips to descend upon his own. The demon could taste the innocence and truth behind that kiss. It was meaningful in ways Sasuke couldn't really express with words. There was love in that softness; there was love in that kiss. And it was the strongest feeling Sasuke had ever known. But there was also a burning passion welling up, deep from inside Naruto. He was a human after all and not to mention sexually repressed. Sasuke brought out his more needy and animalistic side; Sasuke allowed his instincts to come out and take hold where they would have been subdued.

But Naruto was hesitant to kiss Sasuke, unknowing if this would only hurt him further to do so. He felt his control starting to pull away from him and he needed to stop while he was ahead. There was a lingering fear within Naruto that Sasuke would lose against the curse and be completely consumed by it. Naruto was afraid that he could lose the demon that saved him from Danzo and gain an equally threatening monster to replace the King he had escaped.

"Sasuke, I can't be purified if you keep coating me in your lusts." Naruto spoke against the demon's lips and he knew he had to pull back from the blond. His body wouldn't allow it though; he just wanted to keep the blond in his arms, where he knew Naruto would be safe. Begrudgingly, Sasuke pulled himself back so Naruto could submerge himself into the pool of still golden water.

Naruto stepped in slowly, wincing with every step. The pool was changing colors as he did so; the evil leaking out of him as he walked further and further, deeper and deeper into the golden pool. Naruto took a deep breath before sinking completely in. Sasuke watched as the water's turned dark and the golden light started to fade away, concentrating in a spiral as it sank into Naruto, cleaning him of his ailments. Sasuke found the sight slightly disturbing wondering then what would happen if he were to enter the pool. He felt as though his body would disintegrate into nothingness because of how dark his soul had become.

Frankly, the curse was beginning to terrify Sasuke. When he had been under its influence, he felt powerful but the toll on his body was massive. But even with all that power, Sasuke knew, it had been wrong to have liked it. That wasn't the demon he wanted and the sooner he could be rid of the curses influence, the better his life would become. The last thing he wanted was to be consumed by it and then come to rely on the curses power to be strong. He had never relied on anything but his own self to be strong and powerful, he wouldn't let so hack snake magician take away that control now. Never again.

Naruto popped up out of the water, catching his breath as he did so. His body hadn't felt this good in a very long time.

"How did you feel?" Sasuke asked, noting there were some physical changes to Naruto's appearance. His stomach now splayed a spiraling pattern.

"Much better." Naruto admitted as he removed himself from the pool and snatched his forgotten robes. Sasuke reached out to embrace the blond but Naruto ducked away from the touch. "Luckily for me I've had enough time on my own to practice some of what my elder's had taught me. I don't want to think of what could have happened I had known nothing."

Sasuke noticed that Naruto seemed to want to avoid being close to him and that bothered the demon slightly. They had just shared a kiss not even a few minutes previously. "Naruto, is something the matter?"

The blond flinched when the question was asked, he turned towards the demon. "Why would you say that?"

"You're avoiding bodily contact with me. Is it because you're fearful of me and the presence I contain now?" Sasuke asked his voice and eyes both stead. His gaze was on the blond, who was shaking slightly as he averted the demon's gaze.

"When…" Naruto paused, thinking. He didn't exactly know how to say what he wanted to without hurting Sasuke somehow so he decided that it was just best to tell Sasuke what exactly was on his mind. "When you were possessed by the curse Sasuke, I became afraid of you. I fear that you will be lost within the darkness and I will be left with a shade of what I want."

Sasuke's eyes darkened with desires as he took the blond in, moving slowly toward him. The face he was displaying was so soft, so vulnerable. How could the demon resist such an innocent, honest face? "And what, pray tell, do you want Naruto?" Sasuke's hands were smooth against Naruto's face and the blond shivered at the contact. There was a dark, animalistic desire in the softness of Sasuke's palm against his cheek and it was overpowering his base morals.

"I've never felt like this before." Naruto finally managed to squeeze from his lips and Sasuke chuckled, almost coming out like a purr in the back of his throat.

"Silly human, neither have I."

Naruto was ducking out of Sasuke's line of sight, blushing with the overwhelming emotions bubbling to the surface. He had wanted to say something to Sasuke since the demon first rescued him but he didn't want to seem like a silly human, infatuated with a new situation. He wanted Sasuke to feel what he felt and understand how different this was for Naruto. Growing up with only Danzo, who Naruto had been convinced he would have been forced to marry, was something he swallowed down and bore the brunt of. This and these feelings were something that lit his nerves on fire and made him want to give Sasuke everything. He wanted to be lost in the touch of the demon. He wanted everything that Sasuke could and would offer him.

Sasuke leaned in to kiss the blond, catching the evasive human in his arms so he wouldn't wiggle away from him. The demon nuzzled Naruto first, bringing a soft purring sound from his throat that made something in Naruto's more submissive side melt with pleasure. There was a deep seated need within the blond to make Sasuke happy and to please him. He glanced into Sasuke's eyes and the demon was instantly hooked by the lustful, beautiful gaze of his human companion. The Uchiha was trapped and entranced by the brilliance of Naruto's sky blue jewels. Sasuke brought his lips down, hesitantly at first, feeling the situation out first. He knew this wasn't the time to let his Incubus instincts take over. Naruto was in a delicate state right now and he couldn't exploit it, no matter how much his body was aching to be fully of energy from the human. That could come at a later time when the blond was at full strength. For now he just wanted that soft press against his mouth, that lingering taste of innocence in those inexperienced lips against his own, Sasuke growled, feeling suddenly possessive of the tiny human in his arms. He could feel Naruto's body shiver against his own, arousal and desire cause him to slip his tongue over Sasuke's bottom lip. The blond whined and Sasuke's hands slowly made their way down, grabbing a firm handful of the blond's supple behind. Naruto moaned, breaking their kiss.

There was darkness, a lustful coat in Naruto's eye as he looked at Sasuke. The demon knew he needed to stop now but his instincts were getting right in the way of his brain telling his body to stop. He just wanted all of the blond and he wanted it now. He wanted that energy rush of being full. But it would cost Naruto dearly since he was weakened. Sasuke couldn't allow himself to do it, but it just felt so good. He craved to touch Naruto, if he could feel the full friction of Naruto's form, he would indulge every sense to it. Naruto was sweet, he was soft, he was noisy, he was beautiful, and Sasuke wouldn't doubt, the blond would smell like a proper bitch during mating season.

The demon was slowly slipping his control, not that the blond seemed to notice or care. He was indulging Sasuke's mouth fully to his moist cavern. The Uchiha's hands were making him shiver with arousal too. The blond was getting caught up in the heat of the moment and the heat of his body.

"Are we interrupting something?" Kyuubi asked, making Sasuke and Naruto instantly pull away from each other. Whatever spell they had been under was instantly broken. And while Naruto felt embarrassed about being caught, Sasuke felt angry about not being able to complete the deed. He growled at his commander, but it was cut off by him being grabbed by a flash of black. Itachi was holding him now, cradling Sasuke's head in his hand. Sasuke was silent as he put his arms around his brother's back, being so enwrapped in Naruto that he had forgotten Itachi had probably worrying himself sick thinking about what had happened to his only family.

"You're okay, right?" Itachi had pulled Sasuke's head from his shoulder, holding his brother's face in his palms. "I was so worried about you…"

"I'm okay now Itachi…" Sasuke muttered. "I promise."

"Good…I couldn't stand the thought of losing you." Sasuke knew it was true. Which was why Itachi always risked his life when Sasuke got into a jam. He always had. And he always would. Sasuke and he were the only ones left after the massacre of their clan. And here he was with Naruto, thinking more of the human than his own family. He should have at least sought Itachi out first before going somewhere else with the blond, but Naruto's face blared loudly in the front of his mind. The blond had consumed everything of him and refused to him go. Itachi may be able to understand that much. But it wouldn't put the human in his brother's good graces. "What kind of curse is this? I've never seen something so dark and potent in my entire life…"

"Orochimaru isn't a new threat. That's why Danzo sealed him away in the depths of the castle. However, we obviously miscalculated the power of the curse itself." Kyuubi said with a shake of his head. "This is something I've never seen before. And I've been around for a very long time. It stood up to Naruto's divinity and even managed to curse him with backlash."

"I've never been properly trained to handle something of that caliber. I didn't think it would have such a strong effect on me." Naruto said with a little shame hiding his face. He knew there were risks every time an Uzumaki engulfed a curse and if he had been properly trained like the Elders of his clan had been proposing, this would have never happened. However, Naruto knew that his foolishness caused some if not most of this to happen. He had been so focused on Sasuke that he hadn't been considering how powerful Orochimaru was, or the backlash that could have killed him. He just wanted to repay Sasuke fully for saving him…Even though the Uchiha wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Doesn't matter much." Kyuubi said with a shrug. "I've seen entire purifications done by children in your clan without 'proper' training. Orochimaru made that potent so he could control Sasuke in the long run. That was his goal. So it makes sense that if you took in the curse's essence that you would fall ill and that illness would come under Orochimaru's control to make you the most vulnerable in the worst situations. That being said however, you've obviously purged yourself and you should be fine now. Sasuke, you are not so lucky. We need to return to camp and have them seal it up that curse. We can't risk it springing out again. We might not be able to cull you a second time, even with Naruto."

Those words struck deeply inside of Sasuke. He shuddered thinking about being fully consumed by his curse and driven by Orochimaru's commands. The words silently radiating through his mind telling him to maim and kill anyone Orochimaru wanted. It was a deadly thing to have indeed. And he knew that Orochimaru would be targeting Naruto. Not only to get to Danzo, but because Naruto was probably the only one who could break the curse if given the chance.

"Naruto, are you well enough to take a look at Gaara? I don't think he has much time…" The red head seemed concerned. His voice was far softer than normal and the blond nodded.

"Yes, bring me to Gaara. I won't allow him to be taken into death's embrace."  
>-<p>

Naruto walked into the medical tent where medics were scrambling around, bleeding the red head. Black sickly liquid burst from the wounds, thick and sloshing into the buckets beneath the demon. Gaara was completely unmoving. If Naruto didn't know better, he would have thought the demon was dead. Naruto moved past the medics from earlier, the pink haired demon looking almost hopeful as Naruto pushed in way through. His hands were already glowing and demons hissed at the purity of the light. His hands were above the red head's chest and that's when Gaara twitched to life, screaming out in agony. Naruto concentrated, the light shining brighter and more brilliantly as he did so. It was so beautiful but the demon's knew it could be deadly. If any of them were touched with it, they would be dust. However, Naruto obviously knew how to control this power to help them. It would sop up the venom and pull it out since the demonic essence would be attracted to the light. Everything bathed in darkness grows the best in the light and once the light is seen, the darkness always tries to consume it.

The blond took a deep, settling breath as he slowly started to pull back, a thin golden string of magic connecting him to an orb of gold floating above Gaara's chest. The demon's pores were leaking black vapor from where the venom had attached and multiplied within Gaara's body. The demon's mouth hung open in a silent scream as venom even escaped from that orifice as well. The golden ball was sucking up and coagulating the black, slimy liquid. It was bubbling and popping within the orb, slowly burning up as the purification took place.

All of the medics watched in awe at Naruto's power. He was a single human and he was curing something that was a death sentence. They could all see why Danzo wanted such a partner to share the throne. He would be unstoppable if convinced that demons were nothing but a scourge. The thought of Naruto turning on them was nothing but terrifying. However, they knew deep down, Naruto was a gently human and that was helping them. There was nothing to fear from the blond since he was the savior of their commander and the incubus Sasuke. All of them knew now that trying to kill Naruto had been a mistake; he was what they had needed from the beginning.

Naruto, with the most calm, concentrated look on his face pulled the contaminated orb from Gaara's body and forced more energy into it. Everyone in the room went blind for a moment. It was like they had been staring directly into the sun. But when the flash ended, all that was left was the sparkles and shimmers from a golden orb that had saved Gaara. They fell around the blond in such a way that it made his tanned skin and deep blue eyes shine. The pink haired demon blushed when she realized she had been staring. She turned away and Naruto started panting, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Heh, I did it." He said, almost a little proud of himself. What Kyuubi said had been right. It didn't matter if he didn't receive the proper training. He was able to save himself, Gaara, and Sasuke. And he did it all without them. It was obvious that he had been second guessing his skills and this would boost his confidence with everything now. And that meant his magic would be even stronger.

Gaara groaned and slowly sat up, with some help from one of the medics. He blinked and took in his surroundings. "Good, I didn't die." He muttered before lying down again. Kyuubi burst into the medical tent and smiled. Gaara had been saved by Naruto. Despite being on a death bed earlier, Naruto managed to pull the deed off without a hitch. He patted the blond on the shoulders and walked over to his young commander, laughing softly.

"Almost lost ya. Good thing we never spilled Naruto's blood. He wouldn't have been here to save you." Kyuubi said with a slight smirk on his face. "We owe him much now."

Naruto smiled as Gaara glanced at him, a soft tender look in his eyes. It was gratitude. The demons didn't owe him anything. They saved him from Danzo. He would have done anything they asked of him now. He just wanted to make sure that no one else had to die while he was around. That was the last thing he wanted. Naruto was starting to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose. He turned on his heel and exited the tent so Gaara and Kyuubi could have a private moment together.

Sasuke and Itachi were exchanging heated whispers as he approached them. Itachi didn't seem too happy about whatever had been said but he clammed up as soon as he heard Naruto's footfalls. Sasuke smirked at the blond as he approached, wrapping an arm around his waist. "You've done it. The look of accomplishment engulfs you."

"Yes…Gaara is going to live." Sasuke looked relieved and Itachi smirked a little.

"We never doubted you." Kyuubi wandered up behind them, throwing his arms around Itachi, smirking into the crook of the demon's neck. "And so, this calls for a celebration." Kyuubi announced, shoving Itachi slightly so the red head was the center of attention. "We didn't get to celebrate since you guys were under medical observation. And an occasion like this calls for celebrating! Not only did Sasuke return from his hazardous mission successfully, he even brought our little savior with him, ME!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi all stared at the red headed demon who was smirking widely. The three of them exchanged glances before rolling their eyes. Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh at his own cleverness. He set that up perfectly after all. "So what do you guys think?"

"What about Gaara?" Naruto asked. "Isn't he still technically under medical observation?"

"No, I'm fine." Gaara said as he slowly approached them. He was healing quickly just as most demons did; Naruto just lent him a helping hand. "No need to throw off plans because of me. I feel much better thanks to you Naruto." Sasuke couldn't help but notice the sideways glance Gaara gave Naruto when he said that. And the slight blush on the blond's cheeks after receiving the compliment. "I should be fine by nightfall. Kyuubi, I believe you'll be the best at spreading the word."

"You're right. I can handle this with the most civility and grace." Kyuubi said with a nod of his head. The older, taller red head turned towards the main street and broke out into a run, leaping over a coop of chickens, tripping on it in the process.

"Grace, he says…" Naruto commented, making Sasuke choke down a fit of laughter. Itachi was holding his head in hands.

"You sleep with him." Sasuke jabbed and the older Uchiha shot him a nasty glare.

"He has a certain charm, you know…" Itachi said, trying to defend what was turning out to be a strange and awkward decision on his part.

"WOOOO!" Kyuubi shouted from his place on the ground. "PARTY TONIGHT. BRING YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FOOD, AND YOUR FERMENTS (1)!"

"Not much charming about that…" Gaara muttered making the next glare he shot drip with venom. The red head smirked a little before heading off down the road behind the screaming lunatic.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm going to get all my sleeping in now because this is going to be a long ordeal." Itachi said with twitching eyebrow. Naruto yawned in agreement.  
>-<p>

Danzo was pacing around his palace, a group of high ranking guards following behind him, in a flanked, organized fashion. They all had their heads down, averting their gaze from the powerful man in front of them. They were becoming more and more anxious with the loss of Naruto's presence and his powers. Rumors were spreading throughout the barracks which was why this emergency meeting was called into place. The soldiers stationed elsewhere were hearing the news of Naruto's disappearance and maybe even death. They were starting to lose their faith in Danzo's commands. Usually orders would be flying out to them but without the blond's gift of sight they risked going into dangerous territory blind. It made them fearful. So very fearful.

When they reached the throne room, Danzo turned curtly on his heel and looked at each of his men, glaring them all down almost. "Which one of you sent word to the other troops about what's been happening?"

They were all silent. No one wanted to admit there was a rat among them, sending out secret information. Most of the soldiers who already knew were dead. Or worse, missing. A large group from the city had been sent in to recapture the blond, so far none had returned. It gave them the worst kind of despair. If Naruto had been guiding them, this would have never happened. Naruto was the one they relied on, the one who would bring them peace of mind. But he was gone now, there was no direction, no guidance.

All of them remained still, waiting for what there king would say next. One of them did tell others what had happened here. And the only one who knew was probably the rat himself. It needed to be a well hidden secret otherwise Danzo was going to have their head. One of the soldiers tensed as his king approached. Danzo may have had only one eye to see them all but he could see one person in particular who seemed to stand out more than the others. The way he tensed and then relaxed as the king passed made him very, very suspicious. "Fine, if no one wants to confess…I guess all of you have to die and be replaced. It was nice working with you gentlemen."

"WAIT! IT WAS SUKAMO! HE'S THE RAT." One of the guards stepped out of line and pointed in the face of the man who had been tense. Danzo could and would believe this man to be a traitor. He pulled the man out by the arm, making him reel backwards and shake in his boots.

"Please my King, believe me when I say that I had a good reason to tell the others!"

Danzo's interest was piqued with that statement. It didn't actually change how he felt at all about the situation but why not let him make his case anyway. It could be amusing. "Really? And what reason did you feel was dire enough to provoke me?"

"The men sir…They're blind without him. They're fearful without him. To tell them the truth was backstabbing and treasonous, but they are the ones fighting on your words and a good commanding officer does not lie to his men. He cannot allow them to go into enemy territory completely blind. It is suicide. The demons all know Naruto is no longer in our back pocket; they will no longer try to run from us or hide. They know now that the tactics they deploy can no longer be seen by us and rendered ineffective. I had to protect them…"

Danzo nodded his head, as if understanding the man's position completely. In truth, he believed the man to be an idiot. The men who were soldiers signed up for a reason, to die in the name of their king. It didn't really matter if Naruto was there or not. Soldiers were designed to die. That's what Danzo believed and thinking they served a different purpose was asinine in itself. "You, sir, are nothing but a fool by any man's standards. To believe you had the right to indulge such private information and spread panic like you did is nothing but high treason. Take him to the block; I want his head on a pike with the demon scum."

The guard started shouting nonsense and treasonously venomous words at his king. But Danzo didn't even bat an eye as he was taken away from the room. Danzo walked up to the guard who had sold out his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Indeed you have served me well." Danzo struck him like a viper with his blade. "But you were too quick and eager to turn on your own brother. Who's to say you wouldn't do something as such to me?" The man gargled, blood spilling from his mouth as he dropped to the ground. The other men were still and didn't make a single move to take the body out of the room. "Let this be a lesson to you all. If you are loyal to me and are not as greedy as this man here, then you will do well and live long. I can be a very gracious man, do well to remember that."  
>-<p>

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Sasuke asked Naruto as they sat down around a blaring bonfire. The demons were all loud with wails of happiness, spilling drinks and cheering out drunken melodies. Naruto smiled a little and moved closer to Sasuke for warmth.

"It is a different experience. I can say that much." The blond was watching the fire dance with orange, red, and gold bleed together. It was so much more different than anything he had experienced when Danzo forced him to go to the castle parties with him so he could 'integrate into royal society'. This had a far more relax, freeing atmosphere. And everyone was so happy. People were dancing and singing, pulling the mood to an elevated plane of existence where everything seemed completely perfect, even if it was for a small time.

Sasuke wrapped an arm around the blond and he relaxed into the touch. This was almost all of the alone time they seemed to be allotted when Kyuubi and Itachi weren't around. Sasuke had actually scooped up the blond so they could have some private time together. With nothing but stumbling drunk demons around, nothing would be noticed by them. Hell, they could probably strip naked and make love in front of the fire and nobody would notice.

"Sasuke…Can I ask you something?" Naruto said, breaking the silence between them. The Uchiha straightened a bit and released his hold. Something in the blond's voice threatened to kill the mood anyway; he figured he might as well not make this more awkward by their closeness. The Uchiha nodded for Naruto to continue. "When you received the mission, you planned to kill me, didn't you?"

"To be completely honest, I knew there was a chance that I might have to kill you. But we left that option to you. It was almost as though we were testing your loyalty to Danzo, to see if you would leave him if you had the choice for once. I figured it was because there had to be a better, more civil way of doing things. I mean all of our assassinations attempts failed miserably and no one wanted to see you as a fragile human bound into slavery. They wanted to see you as the face that helped slaughter their families." Sasuke moved closer, putting a comforting hand on top of the blond's. "But when I saw you for the first time, I knew you wouldn't have done those things if you didn't have to. I'm just hoping everyone else can see that now."

"Our first meeting, however, must not have been the most ideal…" Naruto muttered, a blush staining his normally tanned cheeks. Sasuke smirked softly, using his free hand to pet some of the hair out of the Naruto's face.

"If you hadn't have snapped out of your daze, it would have been a bit problematic. No one wants to find their bride being taken roughly by a demon and making a meal out of their energy." Sasuke smirked at his words and an even more embarrassed look came about Naruto's face. The blond was shoving Sasuke a little, smiling as he did so.

"Danzo's face would have been priceless though." Naruto quipped and Sasuke chuckled at the comment.

"If I wasn't so hungry, I'd said we could consummate on Danzo's grave." The blond was stunned by the comment and started to push Sasuke's chest, giggling a little as Sasuke approached him, smirking and chuckling under his breath.

"Sasuke you pervert!"

"Oh don't be modest, Uzumaki." Sasuke's hands gripped the blond, pulling him closer. The two of them were looking into each other's eyes, dazed by the other. The Uchiha let Naruto's hands go and the blond brought a finger up to Sasuke's lips, feeling the softness against his skin. Sasuke turned his head, kissing his hand softly. The demon's hands slipped behind the blond, holding him from behind. Their lips met softly and Naruto's eyes slammed shut, enjoying the tenderness of Sasuke's mouth against his own. It was nice. The petal softness of Sasuke's lips. It just felt right against his mouth, like they had been molded to fit each other's.

"Oh my, looks like I'm a little too late to claim the blond for myself." A voice rang and Naruto instantly pulled back, making Sasuke growl lowly in his throat. The blond and the demon looked back at their spectator, who was smiling friendly at them.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, more than a little angry at being interrupted, yet again. Even if he took Naruto to the top of a mountain, they wouldn't get a single moment of privacy. Sasuke, childishly as it was, folded his arms across his chest and began to pout slightly.

"You're that medical demon from earlier." Naruto said with a smile. "Thank you for all your hard work."

"No, I should be thanking you. You've made our jobs far easier." He was still smiling, right at Naruto. Sasuke was growling again, trying to get the demon to back off, but Naruto seemed like a good enough prize to waltz into Uchiha territory. He sat down next to the blond, ignoring the death glare Sasuke was sending the raven's way. "I'm Sai by the way. I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself earlier."

"It's nice to formally meet you then." Naruto said, smiling in such a soft, beautiful way. Sasuke couldn't help but be annoyed. Naruto should only show that kind of sweetness to him and no one else.

Sai grabbed Naruto's hand, bringing it to his lips. "I assure you, the pleasure is all mine."

Sasuke was about to tackle the raven who seemed so comfortable with his Naruto when a large weight slammed him down from behind, holding him pretty firmly in place. He tried to wiggle free but was nuzzled softly, a reassuring gesture from someone who he recognized instantly. Itachi had finally found them and he was massively drunk. "Sasuke, Kyuubi and I have been looking everywhere for the two of you. Have a drink and liven up will ya? You won't mate the blond if you don't loosen up."

"Itachi!" Sasuke's voice was low with a warning and a stumbling, completely plastered Kyuubi adding to the group, and adding more weight to Sasuke made him more and more aggravated with each second. Naruto was beet red from Itachi's comment and tried to ignore how embarrassed he felt when he heard Sai chuckle beside him.

"Well, Naruto, if you ever want a break from them, come find me. I make…Very pleasurable company." Sai said, snatching a kiss from the blond's lips, right in front of Sasuke. The young Uchiha would have killed him if he hadn't have been supporting three times his own weight. When Sai was far enough away, having passed the drunk Kyuubi, the demon stood, looking after the raven.

"Who the fuck was that?" He asked obnoxiously, glancing back down at the younger Uchiha. "Sasuke, ya can't let him go around and kiss your mate, man. That's a bad reflection on your love-making skills, ya know?" Sasuke threw his brother off of him and leapt onto the flustered, clumsy red head, making him wail with surprise. Itachi was attempting to pull his brother off when Naruto stood up, shaking his head, but still smiling. He was starving and why not watch this amusing display with a snack?

On his way back Naruto stopped to stare at the surrounding scene for a moment. It was beautiful, all of it. This was the life he had been wanting for so long, this was the life Danzo could not give him. It felt normal. He finally didn't feel like he was standing out anymore. Everyone here was a demon with powers. He was in a place where they could understand what it was like to have such a gift and show him what it was really like to live with these powers and not be put on a pedestal. It was a relief. A complete and perfect release.

He sighed to himself and started to move back towards the fire when his vision suddenly started to blur around the edges. Naruto's body started to shake. There was fire everywhere and all the sounds were screams. Blood was smeared on the walls and buildings; it sunk into the sand and earth, creating a dark mud on the surface. Naruto was standing in the middle of this chaos. He was covered in blood, his hands were shaking and his voice was stalled in his throat, not daring to come and reveal his position. But it was too late for that. He could hear the beats of hooves behind him; he turned to see Danzo, on his white horse, coming for him. He couldn't run his feet glued to the ground by fear. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. No, there would never be a safe place while Danzo was alive.

"Naruto, hey, Naruto?" It was Kyuubi's voice that snapped the blond out of his daze. He couldn't look at the demon, there was tears stinging his eyes. "Are you alright? Do you want me to bring you to Sasuke?"

Sasuke…He wanted to see Sasuke so much right now that he felt physically sick. But he should have known, he should have known. That day when he chose Sasuke, he should have chosen Sasuke to kill him, not save him. The world would be better when Sasuke decided that the blond was too much a viability to keep alive. It would protect them. All of them. Naruto couldn't stand the idea of Danzo coming to find him and destroying everything that said 'home' about this place. He couldn't allow it. Naruto willed himself to dry the tears in his eyes and turn so he could smile at the demon.

"Just tell him I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted from everything today."

"Naruto…Don't put on a mask with me. I feel your distress." Kyuubi said, sounding far more sober than he should have. "What happened? Were you attacked?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, Kyuubi, I swear, I'm fine. I'm just exhausted." Kyuubi placed his hand on the blond's shoulder, locking him in place. He spun Naruto around so he could look the blond in the eye. He looked like he was about to cry. The red head pulled him into his chest and held him.

"Everything will be alright. I promise you that. Danzo will never have you again. We will die fighting to keep you safe." And that was what Naruto feared the most.

"I'll tell you about it in the morning Kyuubi…" Naruto said suddenly and the red head let him go. "I just need a little time alone to think about everything."

Kyuubi nodded and as the blond walked away from him, the red head wondered if this was going to be the gravest mistake he ever made.  
>-<p>

** ferments I mean booze, alcohol, and such. I didn't wanna break the 'F' word groups D:**

**It's three o'clock in the morning. Conversation got boring, told my mom I was going to bed soon. So I ended up in my bed room. But the plot bunnies came creepin' and I knew I was going to be doing much sleepin'…**

**Sasuke: Finally, you update. You're having so many problems with this.  
>Me: I know. And I have to go back to college soon. You'd think I'd have time but I don't. It's really annoying.<br>Sasuke: The Life and Times of Hitoko-sama. I wouldn't wanna be you.  
>Me: MY LIFE IS HARD D: All I wanna do is write…And win…But that's a story for later.<br>Sasuke: Right…This was Hitoko-sama.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wooo I know a lot of people have been waiting for this update :D I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Also none of y'all are allowed to kill me for what happens at the end :D Regular PV  
>-<strong>

Naruto wondered aimlessly. He had been alone for the past hour or so and didn't know if he could gain the spirit back to join Sasuke and the others. That vision…It shook him to the core. And Kyuubi knew. Naruto had a feeling that the red head was perceptive, he was the demon leader after all, but he didn't know how much so. It only took a look from him to realize Naruto had seen something unsettling. The blond reached a relatively abandoned area and sat down on a stone bench, sighing as he did so.

He had been fooling himself, he knew that now. How could he have been stupid enough to think that Danzo wouldn't be able to reach him? If anything Danzo would be even more determined now. Naruto put his head in his hands and shook it a little. He needed to get out of here. If he wasn't here then no one would get hurt. He needed to change the future before it happened. But, Naruto knew, there wasn't a definite way to do so. Every time he thought he was changing something, it still came to fruition.

"_This time it will be different."_

The wind carried and twisted the sounds of music blowing them along the breeze. Naruto relaxed, his body soothed to hear merriment. He would protect these people. They took him in, saved him. And he would return this favor in full. He just hoped one day that Sasuke and the others would have the heart to forgive him when it was all over.

"There you are." Naruto blinked as he looked up to see Sasuke approaching him from the shadows. The Uchiha sat down next to him and the blond felt himself smile at the demon's presence. "I've been looking everywhere. I was a little worried that you were alone."

The blond smiled at the demon. "Why? Afraid someone might snatch me up while you were forced to socialize?

Sasuke smirked as he brought an arm around the blond's waist. "Perhaps I think you're too beautiful to wander around alone." His head sunk down and rested against Naruto's shoulder. Softness; it was the strongest feeling Naruto felt as Sasuke's lips grazed his neck. The blond breathlessly moaned as his hands trailed softly down Sasuke's back. The demon perked up slightly, physically feeling the change in mood. The air was thicker, huskier.

"Sasuke…" Naruto brought the demon's head up to his lips and smashed their lips together. Sasuke's hand was buried in the blond hair, holding him in place as his passion grew deeper. Feverishly, Sasuke dragged his tongue across Naruto's bottom lip tempting him, teasing him. The blond was already at a point of whimpering as he cracked open his lips allowing Sasuke to taste him fully. He had already had this taste on his tongue but Sasuke couldn't get enough of Naruto's sweetness.

Sasuke's demonic instincts always kicked into overdrive around Naruto, especially when his body started to relax and open up. The energy pouring from the blond made the Uchiha's nerves tingle with need. The feelings gripped his so tightly that he didn't know if he could let Naruto go. Sasuke was an… experienced lover but Naruto was different. Designed on a different fabric. Broken from the run of the mill mold. He was something so uniquely beautiful and majestic that he could see why he was the envy of Kings and the ruin of Empires. Sasuke pulled himself back from the blond and Naruto opened his eyes, the glassiness blazing in his expression.

"What is it?" Naruto's voice was a little huskier, lust was pervading his tone and Sasuke had to shake his head so he could focus.

"I…I just…I have something to say to you."

"What occupies your mind so, Sasuke?"

"I think…I love you."

Naruto's breath suddenly seemed to leave him as he looked into Sasuke's eyes. Naruto couldn't deny that had been feeling these feelings as well, that they shared something special between them from the first moment…But there was a sudden fear that gripped Naruto so deeply that he clung to Sasuke, burying himself in the demon's chest. It was worse than he thought, so much worse. He had to protect Sasuke and the others but now he didn't know if he could, especially when his feelings were so unbelievably strong.

"I…I don't know what to say…I love you too, Sasuke." Naruto moved back so that he could look at the demon. "But I don't just think it…I know it…"

Sasuke's eyes shined with such beauty in that moment that Naruto didn't know if he could bring himself to look away from them. "No more words…" Naruto was confused as Sasuke grabbed onto his hand, pulling him up from where he was sitting. Sasuke was leading him back to the camp, through the drunks and the demons. No one, however, seemed to notice them weave their way through the crowds and gracefully avoiding any and all of the pitfalls. Naruto felt strangely at ease with Sasuke's hand enwrapped in his own. Naruto's heart was pumping so hard, its ringing thump was near bursting his eardrums. Why Naruto was so excited, he didn't know. All he did know was that Sasuke and his relationship had changed, it was new and different now. There was a deepened layer that wasn't quite at the surface before, but after confessions, it was abundantly clear. Naruto and Sasuke had been in love from first meeting, and Naruto hoped, until their dying days.

Naruto physically saw no one looking at him and Sasuke but he just felt trapped, encased in others when he just wanted to be alone with Sasuke. "Sasu-"The demon whipped around and grabbed Naruto's chin, pulling him up for a hot kiss on the mouth. The warmth of Sasuke's mouth on his own sent a shiver of wanton desire down the blond's spine.

"I thought I said no more words…"Sasuke muttered against Naruto's lips and the blond nodded in agreement. Sasuke was right, words complicated feeling. Feelings needed to be pure and acted upon in the right moments and in the right ways. Naruto nodded, feeling as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He placed his head against Sasuke's shoulder and softly embraced the demon. Sasuke seemed to know, just from the gently gesture what Naruto meant to say. Sasuke's wings sprung free from his back and he grabbed ahold of the blond, a little tighter. Naruto felt his stomach flop slightly when he and Sasuke took off into the air. Though, it was nice to finally be able to move freely without the crowds.

Sasuke had a small tent on the slight outskirts of the camp so no one would bother him when he was here. He landed outside of it and set the blond on the ground. This was where they could finally be alone, at least until morning when Itachi would undoubtedly come looking for him. He led the blond inside and Naruto's eyes widen. The size of the tent was misleading; on the outside, it was small, seeming to only be able to fit one person at maximum, but on the inside it was the size of one of the palace rooms.

Naruto blinked as Sasuke calmly came up behind him and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. Lips cascaded kisses down Naruto's neck and the blond relaxed into his demon companion's arms. "So long…So long I wanted to bring you here." Naruto's body was shaking as Sasuke held him. He could feel Sasuke's influence invading him, bringing him to a heightened state of arousal. The demon's hands gently rubbed down Naruto's spine, making the blond quiver into Sasuke's arms. He could feel the demon's full arousal rub against his plush bottom and the heat sunk into his skin, staining it red with anticipation, excitement, and nervousness. "Do you want me to have you?"

"…Yes." Naruto's brief hesitation was broken by Sasuke softly biting into his neck, licking away the harsher marks in his skin.

Sasuke's body was strong as it stilled behind the blond. He whipped Naruto around and the blond had to catch himself on Sasuke's broad chest. Naruto's cheeks were flushing brighter as Sasuke leaned in, gently nuzzling Naruto. "I hope you're a man of your word."

Naruto felt himself falling, just for a brief moment before he opened his eyes to see Sasuke, predator gaze reddening his eyes, looking down at him. The blond was oddly aroused by the demon's strength in that moment. He reached up, gently running his fingers against Sasuke's scalp and the demon leaned into the touch, making a soft noise at the back of his throat. Sasuke leaned in and placed a searing kiss on the blond's lips. He used his position above the blond to try and immobilize him by removing the amount of space between their bodies but that only succeeded in making Sasuke's arousal twitch when he realized just how close he was to the blond in that moment. He hadn't been this close since they first met. He hadn't had been able to experience the sheer bliss of Naruto's form, the warming comfort of his body…

Sasuke's hand slipping inside of Naruto's robes, freeing his upper body to the cooler air within the tent. The blond shivered underneath him and gasped as Sasuke's warm hands brushed against a dusty nipple. He moaned softly in the demon's ear, earning a kiss from Sasuke, almost as payment for the sound. Naruto knew that his was progressing quickly and his body shook with wanting. He wanted so badly to be taken by Sasuke, to have the demon taste him, know his body.

The demon's hands were smooth against his skin. They felt good too. The feather softness of Sasuke's touches made Naruto writhe, his back arching off the bed as he got a deeper pleasure, flushing his arousal against Sasuke's. Unprepared, Sasuke let a moan slide out of his lips and he smirked.

Naruto frowned, not liking the smug face of the man above him. It just made him want to punch him in the face and then soothe the pain with kisses. The blond's eyes subtly got wider as he realized that this situation had been the one he had seen all that time ago. That his vision was trying to tell him that not only was Sasuke going to take his virginity, but that he was going to fall in love with him. Naruto's body shook with a slight bit of fear as Sasuke's eyes took in his form, scattering across his naked form.

Sasuke leaned in, licking, kissing, tasting, savoring, as much as he could. Naruto's skin was flowing with sweetness and Sasuke was addicted to the taste. He wanted Naruto, all of him. He wanted that crash where desire meets frustration, where temptation meets longing, where all the pent up emotions went to die. Sasuke could feel his instincts trying to take over but he had to ignore them. He couldn't help that his body was realizing more and more pheromones to induce a faster arousal in Naruto, but he could control how wild he would get. He wouldn't allow Naruto to be taken by his fully fledged demonic presence. It might suck Naruto dry since he hadn't fed in quite a while. Sasuke's neck scooped lower as he encased one of the blond's dusty nipples into his mouth, giving it a soft bite. Naruto's breath hitched as a soft strangle moan escaped his lips. Sasuke looked up, his eyes completely red now.

Naruto knew that if Danzo's teachings ever held that he would be afraid of Sasuke, especially how he looked now. His pupils were extending across his entire eye, morphing into a sharp star. But Naruto knew that Sasuke wasn't going to hurt him, that even though Sasuke was a demon, he could control himself and his urges. The tenderness of Sasuke's lips against his skin made him shiver with delight. His body was moving away from regular arousal and to a different state of desire. He wanted Sasuke to have all of what he could offer.

The demon removed the thin clothing barriers between the two of them and Naruto finally got a fully look at Sasuke's beautiful body. He ran his hand down the demon's creamy, pale chest causing Sasuke to smirk. Naruto's face was one of awe and bewilderment. Aside from the obvious, Naruto was overwhelmed with his own arousal. It was like a child going outside for the first time. There was fear, amazement, curiosity.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was soft and the Uchiha felt indulgent. He embraced the blond, feeling his soft skin fully against his own and savoring the silken touch as he began to kiss the blond. He reached between Naruto's legs as he did so, stroking him to full hardness. The kiss was broken up sloppy, breathy whines and moans. The slapping wetness of Naruto's lips aroused Sasuke greatly wondering if Naruto's southern petals would be as wet and inviting.

The grip Naruto had on the arm that was stroking him was bone shatteringly tight. His body had never been so strained yet loose in his entire life. He felt good. So good. His head tucked underneath Sasuke's chin and the demon watched with fervor as the blond's cock leaked and twitched for him, thrust into his hand and showed just how lewd Naruto could get. Sasuke's cock was aching as he watched but he could ignore it, he knew he would have his prize. All good things come to those who wait.

"Naruto…" Sasuke's breathy words were hot against the shell of the blond's ear, making him twitch. "I need you to lie down for me."

Naruto complied with Sasuke's request and was greeted with silk gently embracing his skin as he propped himself up in Sasuke's bed. The demon's eyes were shining with desire and something that Naruto couldn't properly express in words, all he knew was that there was something there that made him feel safe, something that made him feel wanted. Sasuke leaned over his bed and rummaged around for a small bottle of oil. He wouldn't allow Naruto to know the agony of being unprepared.

Gently, ever so gently, Sasuke's lips trailed against Naruto's thighs, leaving butterfly touches on the skin. Naruto's legs were both shaking as Sasuke did that. Sasuke made sure to leave Naruto a quivering mess as he oiled three of his fingers. Returning to the blond, Sasuke lowered his mouth onto the blond's member causing him to cry out from the sudden warmth and softness of Sasuke. The demon took the opportunity to slip a finger inside the blond, using the pleasure of his mouth to make sure Naruto's muscles were relaxed.

Naruto's eyes were drooping as the pleasure took a different turn. He would have never thought his body would ever feel this good. Sasuke pressed the second finger inside of him, curling it while thrusting slowly and making sure his mouth was grabbing most of Naruto's attention. Sasuke was being surprisingly gentle but even with his gentleness; he could feel that Sasuke was trying to please him. The blond let out a languid moan as his walls were stretched and caressed by the invading fingers. Naruto couldn't stop himself from arching when Sasuke started to thrust his fingers in harder, faster, giving more sensation than he could properly handle. Orgasm was twisting and pulling at the blond's gut as waves of pleasure, pain, and excitement coursed through his spine.

Tears of unshed satisfaction burned in Naruto's eyes as he shut them, feeling the third and final digit enter him. Sasuke was still sucking, humming along as he did his work. The sensation of it all was driving Naruto crazy. He started panting and kicking at the sheets of the bed, lifting them free as Sasuke stretched and thrust his fingers in and out, in and out. He was pushing against a bundle of pleasure with each stroke of his hand and Naruto could already feel Sasuke sucking the very orgasm from his body.

Sasuke knew the blond was close, inexperience mixed with high volumes of pleasure made Naruto liable to cum quickly. Naruto's breath was shaky as he grabbed onto Sasuke's arm, pulling it from himself as he stared down at the demon. "It's enough, Sasuke. I'm ready."

"You're close…" Sasuke muttered and the blond nodded.

"I want all of you to bring me to the brink of ecstasy."

Sasuke's erection twitched and he heard no more words after that. He coated himself in oil and moved himself and Naruto around slightly so that he could have the best position possible; he had waited to feel Naruto fully for so long, too long. And now was his chance to indulge them both in the ultimate act of pleasure.

When Sasuke entered, he hadn't expected Naruto's walls to be the perfect fit for him. He had never felt anything so tight but soft in his entire life. Naruto whined as Sasuke's cock slowly and fully entered, going in a lot smoother than he thought was possible. His back was throbbing at the intrusion but at the same time he was shaking with excitement. He was finally going to be connected to Sasuke fully. The Uchiha leaned in and kissed Naruto on the lips as he slowly slid in deeper and then pulled out gently. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to fulfill his demonic wishes and violently take the blond and give him a painfully blissful orgasm. But he just couldn't when he felt the soft moan of Naruto's mouth against his lips. The gentleness, the finesse, this moment required greatly out-weighed Sasuke's own need. It was scary to Sasuke to think that there was someone in the world that he cared for more physically than himself.

"Sasuke, move. It…I don't know." Naruto's words were breathy against Sasuke's lips but he reveled in them. He knew he was causing Naruto to be breathy and aroused. He could smell the huskiness in Naruto's breathe and it made him lean in and kiss the blond hard on the mouth. Naruto moaned as his hands gripped into Sasuke's hair, pulling his body close. Sasuke grunted when he received a particularly rough tug on his scalp.

Naruto's breath hitched in his throat when he got a rough thrust of Sasuke's hip, causing his back to arch in response to motion. His chest exposed, Sasuke took the opportunity to catch a dusty nipple in his teeth and gently bite it until the blond shuddered more and more violently.

"Sas-suke." The shaky, broken way Naruto said his name drove Sasuke crazy; his hips acting on their own as Naruto thrashed and squirmed in Sasuke's arms, the blond unable to name the destructive pleasure hurdling up his spine. "It f-fe-eels g-good." Naruto's shaken words rendered Sasuke speechless as he continued to delve his cock deeper, harder, into the blond. He wanted Naruto to feel so good that he couldn't even speak anymore.

"You're blushing so deeply, you're absolutely red to your chest." Sasuke muttered, gently nuzzling Naruto's neck. "Does it really feel that good?" He jerked his hips into to Naruto as he said that, making the blond whine.

Naruto couldn't even verbalize a response as Sasuke started to roughly move inside of him, causing the blond to shake and stutter and moan. His hands had drifted down to Sasuke's back and his nails made quick work to redden and mar the skin a little, fueling Sasuke to be even crueler. He bit into Naruto's shoulder, making Naruto burst with a yelp but then have it bleed straight into a moan of sheer pleasure.

"Is it difficult to focus, eh Naruto?" Sasuke's tone was mocking him but Naruto didn't seem to notice as he leaned up and nuzzled Sasuke's face, planting wanton kisses on every inch of exposed skin he could. The Uchiha was incredibly pleased with Naruto's behavior. It was highly intoxicating to have your mate just as into it as you were. Sasuke stilled the blond, locking eyes with him as he rhythmically timed his thrusts with his breaths out.

Naruto spread his legs a little more as he wrapped them around Sasuke's back, making the Uchiha grip underneath the blond's thighs for better leverage. The connection was obvious now, it was passionate and beautiful. It made Naruto's toes curl and his back arch when Sasuke even gently stroked against that sensitive spot within his body.

He was close now. He was so close that he couldn't even stand it. He couldn't keep himself still in Sasuke's strong arms as he writhed and thrashed, air filling his lung in puffy gasps. Sasuke could just hear it in the strangled moans of his lover that he was going to cum soon. And that was fine with Sasuke, his body too was beginning to tire from the pleasure. He hadn't expected Naruto to be able to fully sate him during his first bedroom experience. But all of it was there, the sexual fulfillment, the energy meal. It was perfect.

Sasuke leaned forward, locking his head by Naruto's neck, sucking and kissing it as his arms moved from the blond's hip to around his back. "Bring your absolution to me." Sasuke muttered against the heated, sensitive skin of Naruto's neck. The blond shivered as he felt his body tense, nails digging into Sasuke's back, thighs squeezing the demon's sides, body arched so high up, not even Sasuke own form could hold it back.

It was nothing like Naruto had ever experienced in his entire life. The satisfaction of orgasm filled and flooded him, the pleasure, the pain, the excitement burst from inside of him, coating the Uchiha's chest in the warm whiteness of their passion. Naruto's pupils swelled as the ecstasy struck deeper as he was filled with the Uchiha's own seed, causing a shudder of fullness. It was everything Naruto had hoped it would be and more.

As soon as Sasuke detangled himself from Naruto, the blond felt a change happening within him. All of his energies were aligning in such a way that everything suddenly seemed to focus, a seemingly new wave of clairvoyance struck Naruto's core and he glanced over at the demon, who beckoned him closer with a seductive curl of his finger.

He would have to hide this new power from Danzo when he returned.  
>-<p>

Naruto was confused by his newly founded clarity. He hadn't been told a lot about it before his village was raided; all he really knew was that it happened to every Uzumaki eventually. He walked up to a demon horse and it looked down at him. It was one of the ones Kyuubi brought originally from Danzo's palace. And Naruto had to hand it to them; the horses were smarter than he thought, managing to get back to the village on their own. Naruto reached out and instead of the horse aggressively biting and attacking him, it stilled and allowed the blond to pet him. Strange how their attitude seemed to change from when he first saw them until now. Perhaps his clarity affected more than just his visions; perhaps it effected how he was perceived as well. Naruto didn't know.

"I want to save Sasuke." He said and the horse lowered its face so that it was pressing against Naruto's hand. "Will you help me?"

The horse bent down and Naruto got onto its back. He gave a soft tug to its mane and the horse turned towards the exit of the village. Naruto had managed to grab all of his robes and an outer covering just in case the winds started to pick up. He covered himself in the cloak as the horse started to gallop, picking up more and more speed as its hooves flung sand into the distance.

Naruto didn't look back. He couldn't bring himself to do so. He knew what he had done was going to break Sasuke's heart but he wouldn't allow Danzo to hurt Sasuke. Never would he allow it. The Uzumaki knew that he either he had to kill Danzo, or allow his king to kill him. He had heard rumors that his blood would rectify whatever was going on, but he didn't know how…

The blond knew soldiers were coming but he didn't know exactly how close they were until he happened upon their camp, startling their guards. He rode into the middle of the camp, effectively waking up everyone. All the soldiers came out, weapons out, some barely clothed, some still in full armor. He leapt from his horse and started to pull at the covering on his face, revealing to the soldiers his identity. He knew he wouldn't have been able to get back to Danzo on his own, and this was possibly the best way back.

"I'm ready to go home now."  
>-<p>

Sasuke looked out pensively as the wind blew across the sand. He woke up to find Naruto had left, no note, no nothing. It was like the blond was blown away in a gust, swept up by the sand and taken like a fading whisper on the wind. When Itachi had come to check on him, he informed his brother of the situation and the demons on the perimeter reported nothing back about seeing Naruto wandering in the desert.

How could Naruto leave? And how could he have left without anyone seeing him? The demon bit his lip as he shook his head. He should have known something was wrong with Naruto as soon as he tried to isolate himself. Sasuke thought that maybe if the blond saw his feelings, experienced his physical desire that the blond would understand exactly what Danzo was trying to 'protect' him from.

"He's gone, isn't he?" Kyuubi came up behind Sasuke, putting his hand on the Uchiha shoulder.

Sasuke nodded, still very silent. "I think he's gone back to Danzo." The red head leaned in and nuzzled the smaller demon. His hands were firm on Sasuke's shoulders, comforting him in a fatherly way.

"No matter... We'll get him back, Sasuke, believe me." Kyuubi patted Sasuke on the back as the demon turned to look at the red head.

"What makes you so certain?"

"You made love to him last night, correct?" The wickedness in Kyuubi's face made Sasuke's blanch before turning slightly cherry red. Sasuke avoided Kyuubi's all too knowing gaze and Kyuubi smirked. The demon commander seemed almost ecstatic about that and ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "You're connected now. He will always come right back to you, just as you will continue to follow him. Now, my dear Uchiha, you have the urge to save him in your blood. So, are you ready to go?"  
>-<p>

Danzo looked out onto the courtyard with a dismayed grimace on his face. Word of Naruto's absence was starting to spread slowly through the troops' out and about fighting demons. And because of that, Danzo called a council meeting with all of his captains. He had told the ones who had saw Naruto's kidnapping to keep quiet, or say that Naruto had been safely recovered and was resting.

But it didn't take much to wage fear into the hearts of mortals. As soon as Naruto's absence had been spilled for all to hear, his armies started to crumble with their own fear. They hadn't particularly relied on Naruto for much, but just having his visions to guide them was enough to instill the discipline and faith Danzo required of them. Danzo knew they felt blind without him. Naruto would tell them of assured victories, create their loyalty in him, and he would never fail them. He was clairvoyance, he was their eyes.

The king knew it was time to go out and greet his captains and put their minds to ease. He needed them to be loyal and willing to fight for him. He had to make them think Naruto was still here.

Danzo came down the stairs and entered a grand courtyard where countless soldiers were sitting around tables, eating, drinking, harassing and grabbing scantily dressed women. Others were up in groups together, gossiping, sharing fighting tips, and battle scar stories. Music and laughter filled the air, lightening the mood. Danzo had a neutral face as he passed by his men, getting bows and nods of acknowledgement from each one of them.

One of the captains approached the king, a hesitant, humble look on his face. It was obvious from the red, chapped appearance of his skin, it was fairly obvious this captain had been on patrol in the higher mountains around Suna. "My King, I wanted to ask you personally about this matter because it weighs heavily on the minds of the men. Is Naruto gone? Has he been taken?"

And just like that the mood of the evening shifted. The music stopped, everyone was silent as they stared at the king. Danzo looked around and shook his head. "Such fear I see in the eyes of my fiercest warriors. Is this why I chose you? To be afraid of the unknown? Soldiers like you should embrace the gifts we are given by our sorcerer and not squander it all by saying mindless chatter about him."

"Yes, My King, I agree, but if Naruto is here, where is he?" The soldier straightened up a little as the blood ran from Danzo's face. He wanted to laugh in the face of his captain and tell him he had no right to demand that of him, but somehow the words wouldn't come out of his lips. Danzo felt panic enter his blood.

"It would do you well not to trouble My King which such meaningless questions." Everyone turned to the entrance of the courtyard. Naruto was standing under of ivy coated archway, face illuminated by the soft torch light bounding off the walls. His torso was a shimmering mess of gems; citrinelinked together and glistening in different shades and crystal quality. It spread up and seemed to choke him around the neck where the soft amber gems changed into the diamond necklace wedding gift Danzo had given the blond. He was smirking proudly as he walked into the courtyard. His brown contained a simple white gold circlet with a smoky topaz gem in the middle, making the blue of his eyes sparkle. A simple golden skirt tangled around Naruto's ankles. It had a high slit in the side and when the blond swished the skirt, it revealed the upper creamy, tanned skin of his thigh. Some of the men stared with greedy, hungry smiles as the blond passed them. "My King, sorry about my absence this morning, I was not feeling so well."

"I would hold the world myself if it was to make you feel better, _my love." _ Danzo's face remained calm as he contained his shock. Naruto came up and stood next to Danzo, resting his forearm on the King's shoulder. Danzo hand dipped low, residing on Naruto's hip, where the tan skin was fully exposed. The blond could feel the hunger in the touch but kept his face from showing any hint of feeling.

The soldier who had confronted Danzo was standing in silence, glancing Naruto up and down. "Master Naruto, my light." He bowed to the blond and the blond's face stiffened slightly. He felt the soldier's hands on the tops of his feet as the man groveled. "My beautiful wisdom, you're here to guide us."

"Yes," Naruto's voice was soft. "I'll always be here."

When Naruto glanced up from the man bowing at his feet, he could see all the others either in shock because they had saw him get kidnapped, and some with eyes full of relief. Naruto didn't know until now how much he had actually meant to the kingdom until now. He was the soldiers solace in battle. He gulped slightly and Danzo looked down at the blond, noticing there was a small patch of discoloration on the side of his neck, underneath his ear. It was bruised, looking suspiciously like teeth marks. The mark was faint and no doubt slightly covered by some of the diamonds, Danzo wondered if Naruto had been trying to hide it from him with such a dazzling display. He knew the blond rarely showed his statue by dressing in the finest of riches like he was now. Danzo frowned as he seized Naruto harshly around the waist, pulling him close.

"We need to speak."

"Of course, my King."

Danzo held up his hand and the soldiers looked up at their King. "Soon my men we will be ushering in a new era. And with Naruto by my side and the loyalty of you men, we will bring the end to the demons and live in a beautiful, peaceful world." Naruto was silent at Danzo's side, mentally sweating. Danzo was not pleased with him, Naruto could feel it. "So for now, enjoy the feast and drink and merriment. Consider it a gift from your king for all of your hard work on the battlefield."

The men cheered as Danzo ushered the blond out of the courtyard, a hand on the small of Naruto's back. In the soft touch Naruto could feel the rage, but he kept his face steeled, neutral as Danzo led them into the palace. They entered the main chamber room on the bottom floor where most of the war business was handled. Naruto couldn't help but keep his eyes from wandering to all the weapons around on the walls.

Danzo was standing by his throne and looking pensively at one of the walls, his fingers drumming hard against the stone. Naruto disliked the silence from Danzo; it made him feel even more nervous as it was dragged out. Naruto didn't feel particularly brave either. He didn't want to say anything to his King in case it set the man off the deep end. He averted his eyes and quietly approached his spot in the room. It was a plush, cushioned area with a map on a small marble table. The blond put a finger on the map and he felt a focused push of energy course through him. He could see Sasuke, cloaked and covered in weapons with Kyuubi, Itachi, and Gaara. They were on the outskirts of Konoha and going to invade. There was already a trail of dead soldiers behind them. Sasuke eyes were shining with determination.

"You seem…different." The eyes of the King were on the blond then and his pulled Naruto from his vision and the King's eyes were weary as the blond straightened up, trying his best to remain calm from what he saw. He didn't know when that was going to happen; it could he happening right now for all he knew. "When did you get back?"

Naruto smiled. "Today; I got back in the morning and wanted to surprise you. I've been preparing all day to see you."

Danzo didn't seem pleased with Naruto's response. "How did you get back?"

"I am not without my wiles." The blond tried his best to keep his face sparkling, his smile brightened up his face but that seemed to darken Danzo's mood. "I found some of the stationed troops out in the desert."

Danzo moved so that he was standing next to Naruto. The blond was still and tried to place a reassuring hand on his king but the man moved out of his grasp. Naruto felt the panic welling up in his gut as Danzo's hand came to rest on the back of his neck, right above the clasp of the diamond necklace. "So tell me, how was the demon's flesh?"

The necklace burst off Naruto's neck in a shimmering storm before crashing to the floor. Naruto, still trying to keep his façade up, started to laugh. "Are you questioning my chastity?"

"I don't need to question when the evidence is still plain as day, on your skin. The demon has tasted you fully, hasn't he?"

"And what makes you so certain of that?" Naruto's fingers went up to touch the mark on his neck, mentally cursing himself for not readjusting the necklace after he put it on. "Like I said, I am not without my tricks, my King. Take my being here as testament to that."

Danzo's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I do believe you have your tricks…" Naruto couldn't even flinch out of the way as the man's hand lashed across his face, causing him to let out a surprised shriek of pain. "Whore." The blond was gripped by his neck and pulled toward the man. Danzo's eyes were burning with fury as he squeezed Naruto's neck, causing him to pant and whine. "I should have known the Uchiha had his hooks sunk in you. I was the one who was supposed to take you to my bed and become connected to you, not that DEMON!" Naruto was shoved back and he couldn't maintain his balance, landing flat on his back. "Uzumakis like you are so useful to their mates, do you know why? Oh wait, you wouldn't know would you since I was the one who made sure you were the only one left…"

Naruto flinched at Danzo's sudden cruelness. He had never seen the man so furious before and now Naruto could see why this man was the king of men, the patriarch of nations. Danzo couldn't leave the blond alone and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up from the floor. Naruto, feeling the anger and adrenaline pumping through his veins, brought down a well-aimed punch on Danzo inner elbow, causing the man to cry out as he let the blond go.

"Brat! Come back here." Naruto backed away from Danzo, grabbing one of the swords from the wall and holding it out in front of himself. The king laughed as he easily knocked the blade out of the blond's hand with just a quick snap of his wrist. "You're not a trained fighter, Naruto. Just accept what's coming to you."

"No!"

"DANZO!" One of the soldiers from the courtyard came bursting into the room, effectively cutting off Danzo from Naruto. He was dripping with blood as he threw himself in desperation at Danzo. "My king, they're here! The demons have broken down the front wall! There are too many of them!"

"Sasuke…" Naruto turned towards a window and looked out, seeing that there were patches of soldiers being ran through by a shadowy creature with leathery wings.

Naruto's eyes widened with despair as Danzo came up behind him. His vision was coming true…And that meant…That meant Sasuke was going to die here. Naruto felt Danzo's hard, calloused hand on his shoulder. Naruto knew that maybe Sasuke wasn't the only one who would die here…

-

**DUN DUN DUN! There's a connection between Naruto and Sasuke now that goes deeper than a lil' bump and grind. And it seems that Danzo knows all about it? WILL HE SPILL THE BEANS?! IS THE NEXT CHAPTER THE LAST CHAPTER!? I guess you'll have to wait to find out. **

**Naruto: Of course as soon as it gets good, you just have to stop.  
>Me: Hey I have to save something suspenseful for later. How will I keep people hooked if I have no suspense?! HOW?!<br>Naruto: Um…More yaoi?  
>Me:...Are you personally going to volunteer for that?<br>Sasuke: I will, if Naruto does.  
>Me: Good sport, Sasuke.<br>Naruto: What!? You can't just do that!  
>Me: I'm an author; therefore, I can do anything I want in any world I create. Like make you into a kitten, mhm. Until next time…<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Regular PV—Part one of the ending.**  
><strong>-<strong>

Naruto felt the grip on his shoulders tighten as Danzo pulled him away from the window. There was rage in Danzo's eyes and he whipped the blond around, causing him to stumble, falling to his knee. "Get up whore, we need to get moving. Can't let your beloved demon get you back so easily, can we?"

There was only a brief struggle due to how stunned Naruto had become. Fear froze his veins as he struggled to his feet, Danzo pulling him. Sasuke wasn't supposed to follow him here; he wasn't supposed to challenge Danzo head on. He didn't know what to do or how to warn the demon before it was too late. Naruto swore softly under his breath as he pulled against Danzo's grip. Naruto slipped from his King's grip and jumped out of the window onto the balcony. He looked over the railing down into the courtyard; he saw the flash of leathery wings.

"SASUKE!" The demon stopped moving, looking up to the balcony. Naruto felt the air catch in his lungs when he saw that face looking up at him, that beautiful face filled with courage, determination…Love. Sasuke turned his head, pointing and calling to the other demons. Kyuubi and Itachi were beside him within an instant, eyes gaping. Naruto turned to see what the demons were staring at to come face to face with Danzo. He had been so caught up in finding Sasuke, he had completely forgotten about his King chasing him.

Naruto couldn't move a muscle to protect himself when Danzo grabbed him by the hair and smashed his head into one of the marble pillars. Everything was wobbly for a second for Naruto as he hit the floor, blacking out on impact.

Danzo scooped up the blond's seemingly lifeless body, looking down at the demons huddled together, daring them with just his eyes to come for Naruto.

He brought the blond back into his throne room as a few soldiers came bustling in. They looked at their king's face in understanding, one of them held out their arms to take the blond from Danzo and he practically threw the blond into the man's arm. "Take him to his mother." The soldiers shifted their gazes to each other. "NOW!" The soldiers all tensed, the one holding Naruto almost dropped him. "I'll take care of this demon problem once and for all."

The soldier with Naruto hustled out of the room, running in the hallways, turning down a corridor that led to a heavy metal door. He knocked once as the blond began to stir in his arms. Naruto reached up and grabbed his head where it was soft and spongy. The blond whined, squirming in the man's arms and the soldier's heart softened slightly. "It's alright master Naruto, we're going to protect you."

Naruto opened his eyes and sighing with pain as he relaxed into the man's arms, making himself curl into a smaller form against the soldier's chest. "You saved me…"

"No, no it was the King who saved you." His voice was soft as he gently caressed the blond's face.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh when the door opened to the corridor and the soldier stepped inside. He touched the very sensitive section of his forehead, still chuckling softly to himself. "No, he wasn't trying to help me. He was trying to kill me."

"Master Naruto that swelling on your forehead is serious; you obviously don't remember what you've seen."

Naruto pulled on the soldier's collar, making the man stoop over as Naruto lined his mouth up with the man's ear. He was chuckling derisively, his soft, even puffs of breath tickling the shell of the soldier's ear. "My vision is never wrong; you would do well to remember that."

The soldier decided engaging Naruto any further might not end well for either of them and kept his mouth shut as he descended further and further into the dungeon. The blond was silent in his arms, almost unmoving as he rested his head on the soldier's chest, obviously trying to make the throbbing of his wound go away.

Two other, well-equipped, soldiers were standing in front of a wooden door. Naruto noticed that the light had changed from being well-lit to almost dark. He opened his eyes and saw the men sliding their blades against the door. "No one goes in." Said one of them.

The soldier holding Naruto rolled his eyes. "I have special orders from Danzo, 'take him to his mother'."

Naruto instantly perked up when he heard that, managing to snake his way out of the soldier's arms and stand by himself on very shaky feet. "What does he mean by that?" Naruto's eyes were wild with fear and the two soldiers by the door slowly approached him. "NO! WHAT DOES HE MEAN?! DON'T TOUCH ME!" The men grabbed him and the soldier who brought the blond down eye's widened as he was callously picked up and thrown over one of their shoulders, no words passing between any of them as Naruto kicked, clawed, and fought furiously. "LET ME GO! SASUKE! HELP ME!"

The door closed quietly behind them.  
>-<p>

Kyuubi's ears perked as his head turned towards the bottom floor of the palace. Sasuke still seemed relatively stunned from what had happened to Naruto. Kyuubi didn't blame him. He never thought Danzo would actually be so daring. The demon commander looked over to the older Uchiha, beckoning him closer. "I think I know where Danzo is keeping Naruto. I'm going to take him to see Orochimaru…"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Itachi muttered, eyes still scouting the surroundings for other enemies.

Kyuubi smirked as he laid a fat kiss on Itachi's lips. "Of course not! But half the fun is the journey! Tell Sasuke to keep himself away from Danzo for as long as possible, there's murder in that boy's eye but with Orochimaru still up and mobile, we might not be able to keep him from controlling Sasuke."

"I'll deal with Orochimaru until you can find Naruto." Itachi said. "Gaara can keep his eye on Sasuke, he knows what Naruto has said; he will protect him for as long as possible."

"DANZO! YOU FILTHY RAT, WHERE ARE YOU HIDING!?" Sasuke called up into the balcony of the palace, floating in place with his leathery wings. His eyes were blood red and fangs extended as he swooped around the palace, furiously trying to find the human.

"Hopefully it's long enough so that Sasuke doesn't unwittingly call his own death to him…" Itachi muttered, shaking his head as he looked up at his brother.

"HEY GAARA! WATCH THE SHORT, STUPID UCHIHA, I'M GOING TO FIND NARUTO!" Gaara blinked and waved Kyuubi off as he crushed a man with a sand coffin, spraying the soldiers in the area with blood. Some of them cried out, dropped their weapons and ran off. "Mhm, Gaara can handle Sasuke while we're gone."

Kyuubi grabbed Itachi by the back of his cloak and started to pull him, making the older Uchiha stumble slightly as he kept looking back at his baby brother, flying around with murder burning in his eyes.

Entering the palace was no problem. Most of the guards had flood into the courtyard where demons laid in wait to strike. The good thing about making a big entrance is that no one is prepared when the doors are kicked in. Danzo had definitely not been prepared for a full scale invasion and his armies were being slaughtered in such large quantities or running off that there was nearly no one left in the palace besides servants.

Kyuubi entered a throne room, smelling the air and then turned towards the backdoor of the room. It led out into a massive hallway. Itachi followed silently, thanking all his lucky stars Kyuubi had spent years infiltrating and familiarizing himself with this place. Even with a keen sense of smell, it is still very possible for a demon to get lost in such a maze of a palace.

Itachi paused; the sudden stop making Kyuubi turn his head back, pausing as well. "What is it?"

"We've miscalculated. The palace isn't deserted quite yet."

"Miscalculated? I didn't miscalculate anything; I knew there were plenty of soldiers left in here." Kyuubi said as he smirked devilishly. "Are you scared there will be too many too handle?"

Itachi frowned, shaking his head. "Considering that there about a hundred…" Itachi paused tilting his head slightly. "And they're all heavily equipped, I'm not particularly scared. I just wish we were better prepared."

"What are you talking about? We're perfectly prepared. You can just sleep with them and then suck their souls out."

"Kyuubi, even if there wasn't a hundred that would take too much time." Itachi turned on his heel slightly and then looked back at his commander with a cunning look on his face. "I can put them all to sleep though, on a massive scale, and suck them all dry that way. It would take far less time and, not to mention, I'm in need of a snack."

Itachi brushed past the larger red head that stood there, chin resting in the joint of his hand, face in disbelief. "A snack? How is that a snack?" Kyuubi muttered under his breath. "More like the whole kitchen…"

Kyuubi moved silently behind the Uchiha. He was sneaking up to the door where the soldiers were preparing and he grabbed onto the knob, getting on his knees and blowing through the keyhole. It took seconds and all of those bodies started to collapse. Itachi smirked as he opened the door. He stood in the doorway, Kyuubi standing behind him, silently clapping. Even for an incubus like Itachi, that was quite the feat. They usually only went for one person at a time so a hundred, stone-cold, knocked out, seemed nearly impossible. Itachi opened his mouth and started breathing in. A white gas-looking substance started to come off the bodies and Itachi kept sucking. Kyuubi watched as the soldier's bodies started to wither and decompose, skin sinking in and sticking to bones. Itachi swallowed and turned towards Kyuubi. "All clear."

"You're so beautiful when you're sucking the very energy from a man's soul." Kyuubi said with a haughty smirk. Itachi rolled his eyes.

"Come on super sniffer, find Naruto." Itachi waved off the red head and he turned, pouting. He was a powerful demonic commanding officer. He shouldn't be getting brushed off like that...  
>-<p>

Naruto was unceremoniously dropped into a chamber room by the man carrying him. He backed up into the wall, huffing and panting. His heart was thundering in his chest as he stared at the soldiers. Naruto didn't trust Danzo; he could easily have sent him down here to be discretely executed. The soldiers glanced between each other and then turned, leaving Naruto alone in the chamber.

The blond got to his feet and started to calm himself down. He heard the heavy doors close and knew that he was going to be locked in here indefinitely. Danzo may have been angry with him, but it wasn't quite to the point of having him murdered yet. Naruto took a deep breath and moved into a narrowed passage. All this space was, was a large sectioned off chamber. Naruto moved slowly, head still throbbing as he took small steps through the space.

He paused when he saw a reading table. The very same he used in Danzo's throne room. Naruto tilted his head as he looked at the stones on the table, moving his hand over them, trying to sense when the last time it had been used. There was a small pulse of energy; it had been used recently…A few days ago. Naruto turned so that he was facing down the hallway. As far as he could tell there were about four rooms that were all connected by the hallway so at the very least, he wouldn't get lost.

Naruto felt a faint pulse of energy. It was guiding him; to what, he wasn't sure, but he felt compelled. He wasn't as frightened as he had been when he entered. There was something here, something that he knew. The energy itself was so familiar, but he couldn't name it. It reminded him though of when he had been a child, when he lived in the old village with his family and the elders.

The room was sealed and Naruto ran his hand against the door, noting that it was locked from the inside, meaning he could open it from his side. His hand fell on the handle and he felt his pulse quicken as he slowly turned the knob.

The first thing Naruto noticed was a thick purple miasma draining from the room, causing him to cough and cover his mouth. He squinted, looking through the gas. There was something in this room, something he couldn't see because of the miasma. When the room cleared enough, Naruto saw them, sitting against the wall, both blankly looking up at the ceiling.

It was…It couldn't be. Naruto fell to his knees and crawled into the room, coming up to the woman with bright red hair. It was his mother. He thought…For years….So many years…That she was dead. But here she was…

"Mother?" Naruto's voice was small in his throat as he reached out, his arms curling around her neck, pulling her in for a hug. He could feel her pulse but she wasn't responding to him and Naruto felt anguish burning his throat as he held her even closer. "Please….Please, say something."

Naruto closed his eyes as he felt the healing light pulse through his hands and into her. He had to help her, whatever Danzo had been doing to her had left her in an almost catatonic state.

It was silent as Naruto's body shook, trying he tried to heal his mother. He didn't even know if he could, his body was so weak from trying to quickly heal his head wound that he had little energy left. He finally seemed to notice that his father was there as well, sitting next to her, eyes just as glassy and drained as hers. He knew for a fact he wouldn't have enough energy for the two of them and he felt a small hiccup in the back of his throat, tears starting to burn a trail down his face.

He had been alone in this castle for years. Years of constantly thinking his parents were gone. That he would never be able to see them again. But they were here, they were alive. Naruto couldn't believe it even though he held his own mother in his arms.

"Naruto, it's enough." The blond froze when he felt a hand on his arm and his mother moving in his arms. He helped her sit up in a better position and she was smiling softly at him. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Mother…" Naruto wrapped himself around her and she chuckled softly.

"I missed you, baby." She pulled Naruto off of her and he stood up, offering her his hand. She shakily got to her feet before looking over at Naruto's father. "Minato hasn't been woken up in a while. Usually Danzo only wakes me up if he needs anything. Your father has no powers…"

"I remember…" Naruto muttered as he followed his mother's lead, placing his hand on top of her's. She closed her eyes and started to focus, Naruto watched for a moment before doing the same. It would probably take both of them to wake him.

"Come on Minato…" She was whispering softly and suddenly, the older blond leapt up, breathing harshly, coughing hard as he looked around.

"Kushina, what's going on? Where are we?"

She held out her arms and started to shake him. "Calm down. I'll explain everything later, for now we need to get out of here."

"Are either of you well trained in hand to weapon combat?" Naruto muttered. Both of them looked at their son and shook their head.

"Well, your father is but he's too weak right now."

Naruto sighed and took a seat on the ground. "Let's hope someone's coming to rescue me then."

"Rescue you? Why would someone be coming to rescue you?" Kushina asked, sitting down next to her son. "Isn't the reason why you're here because Danzo rescued you from those demons?"

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard that. "Those demons saved me from Danzo. If it wasn't for them, I don't even want to think about what would be happening to me in Danzo's marital bed." Naruto looked sideways at his mother. "You, you're the reason Danzo found me!" Naruto stood up, anger flushing into his features. "You're the reason Sasuke was cursed!"

Kushina tried to place her hand on Naruto's shoulder but he shrugged out of her grasp. "Naruto, don't be like this. I was doing what I had to, to protect you."

"Protect me? You should have been trying to protect me from Danzo, not Sasuke! Sasuke loves me! He's trying to save me from Danzo! Danzo killed our family and trapped you down here; you shouldn't have been trying to help him get me back!"

Kushina looked at her son and reached out to him, grabbing him on the arm. Naruto pulled away and Kushina's eyes were wide. "You, you're no longer pure…"

Naruto's face flushed. "So what? I wasn't going to let Danzo have me so easily…"

Kushina started to laugh and so did Minato. Naruto was confused, his face slowly losing the flush as he watched his parents laugh. "No wonder Danzo seemed to be so worried about you being taken. He made me believe they were going to kill you, but he had probably been more worried that you'd be tainted."

"I don't see why all of this is so funny…" Naruto was starting to become annoyed.

"Oh, right, you were never able to fully learn about your heritage as an Uzumaki…" Minato commented. "You should fill him in, love."

"There's a reason why Uzumakis are so prized besides the fact we can see into the future." Kushina said with a smile. "Our powers are driven by love and when we love someone, our powers get stronger. Let me guess, you powers were quite strong around Sasuke, right?" Naruto nodded, thinking back to all the things he had been able to do. He had never been this powerful before. "Virgin Uzumaki are powerful in the fact that they can see the future, any future. But the visions are random and difficult to control since the magic is wild and very difficult to focus…But, there are ways to focus it. Some Uzumaki would take vows of chastity and allow themselves years to get in touch with their inner sanctuary to make the visions only focus on themselves, meaning they could only see their own futures. Others would focus on members of their family and the community, always making sure the future of the clan could always be seen. And there are the Uzumaki like us Naruto, whose powers focus on the people we love and give ourselves to. When you gave yourself fully to Sasuke, your visions became focused on him, but perhaps, you'd already seen him in your visions. Your powers were trying to tell you of your fate even before you had met him…"

"So…Danzo wasn't mad that I wasn't a virgin, but because my visions wouldn't be about him." Naruto's eyes widen as he started to realize the true severity of what he had really done. "I nullified myself before he even had the chance to take me." Naruto touched the still tender mark on his forehead. "Well, I understand his reaction better now, at least."

"Did he hurt you after you told him?"

Naruto started to chuckle. "I actually did not tell him. He figured it out on his own. I thought he would be angry so I decided not telling him would be the best option." Naruto turned his head and revealed the subtle mark on his neck. "But some things cannot be fully concealed. Even though, I knew it was only a matter of time before he found out. I knew Sasuke wouldn't be happy with me leaving and I should have known he wouldn't stay put if I left…"

"Danzo thought he could use my powers so he didn't just kidnap me, he kidnapped you and Minato as well. He threatened me to predict for him but I couldn't see anything about him, all I saw was about you and Minato. When he found out about the Uzumaki secret, he kept us locked up and took you away from me. But I doubt you really remember much of that…I didn't even think you knew we were alive…"

"I didn't. Danzo threw me in here…"

There was a sudden commotion and Naruto turned towards the opening of the door, moving so that he was leaning through the door frame and looking out in the hallway. Minato pushed Naruto out of the way and Kushina encased her son in her arms.

"Minato, don't be a hero. We know you're weak."

"I won't let Danzo harm you or Naruto again."

There was a sudden flash of red and Naruto felt relief flooding into his system. Kyuubi had his father pinned to the ground and the smaller, younger blond grabbed the large red head, pulling him off Minato. "Kyuubi, you came!"

The demon grabbed the blond, practically crushing him in his arms. "Oh, I was so worried about you kid. I saw Danzo smash your head and I thought the worst." Kyuubi picked Naruto up bridal style, making the blond squeak. "Come on, Sasuke and Danzo are about to face off. I need you to help me with Orochimaru. We need to make it an even playing field for Sasuke."

"Kyuubi?"

The red head turned, dropping Naruto from his arms. "Kushina?"

"Hey! Kyuubi!" Naruto picked himself up and grabbed onto the demon's arm. "You dropped me!"

"Ehehe, sorry." Kyuubi rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly as Naruto just rolled his eyes. Kushina came to stand behind her son, putting her hands gently on his shoulders.

"When I said to protect Naruto, I didn't think you'd actually stick around this long…" Naruto looked up at the large smiling demon, his snow white teeth gleaming in the dim light.

"I wasn't going to let Naruto slip away; I knew how important he was to you…And Minato." Kyuubi looked sourly down at the older blond, who was straightening himself out. "Sorry about that…"

He smiled broadly at the demon. "You were just trying to keep our son safe so I'll always forgive you."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes and grabbed onto Naruto's arm. "As much as I love reunions, we need to help Itachi. He's tangling with Orochimaru right now and with all the death around, Orochimaru's gotten quite powerful."

"What makes you think I can take on Orochimaru? I couldn't even stop him when he sent that demon through the rift." Naruto said as he pulled away from Kyuubi. "I need to help Sasuke; I need to protect him from Danzo."

Kyuubi made a disbelieving face, raising his eyebrow as he looked at the blond, not being able to help the soft chuckle coming up to his lips. "You know if you really wanted to protect Sasuke, you wouldn't have left."

"I have my reasons, Kyuubi." Naruto fired back quickly.

"You don't have to protect everyone, kid. I already knew Danzo's forces were approaching Suna, we were going to split soon. I just wanted everyone to have a day to feel normal…" Kyuubi was smiling broadly. "I told you, you could trust me."

Naruto's face was blank as his eyebrows knitted together. "You make me want to hit you sometimes Kyuubi, repeatedly, in the face."

"I get that a lot." Kyuubi grabbed on the Naruto's arm again and started to pull softly. "Now that we've got that all settled, we need to get Orochimaru out of the picture. Sasuke's curse will go away and poof, he's got the advantage back!"

"No Kyuubi," Kushina grabbed onto Naruto's other arm and pulled him away from the red head demon with a quick jerk. "I won't allow Naruto to go against a demon of Orochimaru's caliber. I-"

Kyuubi's face was blank but he was starting to gain a little red in his cheeks and it spread through his face quickly as he loomed over the smaller woman, glaring her down. "Listen pretty miss, I know you want to protect Naruto since you haven't been able to in the past but this has all been set in motion before you regained your senses. Naruto and Sasuke have mated and you know what that means, he has an obligation to Sasuke. Plus, I don't even want to think about how long Itachi would punish me if I let Sasuke die. God, he may as well kill me…No, he'd think of something far worse. I don't know if I could stand his cold shoulder, he's already so mean already…Yes, there's definitely no way I'd surviv-"

"Kyuubi, would you let me finish? I'll handle Orochimaru."

"You?" Both Minato and Kyuubi said in unison.

"Yes, me." She said, frowning slightly.

The two men looked at each other and shrugged. "Alright, fine. But we need to start moving. This place is still swarming with soldiers. Naruto, do you know how to get to Sasuke from here?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I can get to him from here. I'm just hoping I'm not going to be too late…"  
>-<p>

Sasuke's wings spread against the backdrop of fire and death as he looked in all the windows and balconies for Danzo. There forces below him were waning as the demons on the ground made quick work of them. It seems their skills had gotten rusty and they no longer knew how to fight demons on a larger scale. Sasuke wasn't smirking though. He wanted to find Danzo and rip the man's neck out with his teeth, feel the hotness of his blood soak into his skin as it trickled down his chin and dripped into the fabric of his shirt. Then he would smell like the thick copper drops and everyone would smell the victory in his skin, on his clothes.

He snarled as he descended, landing on the ground next to Gaara, who was scanning the area for remaining or hiding enemies. When the red head's back straightened, Sasuke let out a powerful sigh. He knew it was because the Uchiha had yet to find Danzo or Naruto. He hoped that Kyuubi would find the blond soon and that he wouldn't be too injured to be able to help them. Gaara was getting tired of all the fighting but he would muster all his strength today to make sure everything would finally fall into their favor. They would right all of Danzo's wrongs and integrate into society, no more segregation, no more hunting….Not again.

"Gaara, I'm worried." Sasuke muttered. "I haven't seen or even felt Danzo's presence since he left with Naruto. Do you think he's escaped the castle?"

Gaara turned his head towards the fretting demon and shook it. "He has too much pride for that. He's probably preparing something big Sasuke, so we need to be alert."

"We?"

Gaara huffed a little. "Your brother would have me tortured for the rest of my life if any harm were to befall you worse than what has already happened. And he is quite vengeful so I wouldn't want to find out exactly what he has planned. I cannot allow you to be alone on the battlefield. I promise you one thing, I will not get in your way at my own discretion." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that comment. Gaara shrugged softly. "If I think you're getting your ass beat, I'll step in."

"Thank you for reassuring me, Gaara. What would I do without you?"

"Archers at your mark!" Gaara and Sasuke both ducked into the ground and rolled under a large wooden table, tipping it over to give them better cover as the arrows rained down.

Sasuke peeked his head out slightly and another burst of arrows came. "So, he's got us surrounded by archers. I wonder if that was his big move against me."

Gaara's moved with the shadows and managed to get to a hidden spot that not even the best demon archer could see him and he examined the scene. There were probably a hundred men, split into four groups of twenty-five. Gaara noticed that some of the arrows were burning down into cinders. So there were a few fire-users in their ranks. Gaara smirked a little as he slipped back by Sasuke's side.

"This is what we're going to do," Gaara began as he scouted around for Danzo. He saw the man dressed in a strong armor which looked as though ti has been soaked in darkness…It was probably some kind of demon armor, but Gaara couldn't have been too sure with just one look from far away. "Danzo is up there with the archers, but you won't be able to get the drop on him unless you make all the archers sleep."

Sasuke blinked. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"You're part incubus, right?"

Sasuke shook his head. "My incubus nature is not nearly as strong as Itachi's. He'd probably be able to pull it off but I might be able to only make a fraction of them sleep, if I was lucky, half. But not all of them." Sasuke peered up and looked at all the men, estimating there to be at least one hundred, maybe more.

"What a useless demon." Gaara muttered under his breath.

"Hn, I don't see you doing anything productive either, Gaara, who is a commanding officer." The red head twitched slightly as he glared slightly at the Uchiha.

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas, oh mighty chosen one."

"I could try to let out a seduction pheromone to create an opening, but I don't know how well it will work. Danzo seems to be wearing some demon blood armor so he won't be affected, but the guards might be open for infecting…"

"Oh so you can't make them sleep but you have enough juice to pull off seduction. My, my, I wonder what part of the incubus nature you showed to that blond mate of yours."

Sasuke smirked slightly and turned his head to Gaara. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The Uchiha's smirk faded as he took a long breath in and then released a shimmer, pink steam. As it mixed with the air, it seemingly spread out and disappeared. Gaara wasn't sure the pheromone worked until Sasuke stood from their hiding place and no arrows fell from the archers. He walked into the middle of the courtyard and all he saw was drooping face full of admiration and adoration. Danzo's face twitched with fury as he moved around the archers, shaking them, swearing and trying to get them to do something more than just stare at the Uchiha demon.

Sasuke was smiling sweetly and he blew a kiss to Danzo before letting his wings spread out behind him, taking flight once more. Gaara used this opportunity to flood the upper level of the courtyard with sand, effectively pushing the archers off the balcony and onto the hard stone tiling. If they weren't dead, they would be out for a while.

Gaara knew that now he had to back-off, something he didn't really want to do, but Sasuke wouldn't allow him to interfere with his battle with Danzo. He had felt rage when Naruto had been taken from them as well, but he supposed it was Sasuke's nature to feel fully responsible for saving his mate. And Gaara knew, just from the look in Sasuke's eye, that Sasuke would lay down his life then and there if he had to. The red head scoffed, love made you so foolish. He hoped to find it one day.

Danzo was leaning against one of the tall pillars, face scrunched with anger as the Uchiha flew into his vision, rising like a god from the spilling sand and shaded beautifully in the moonlight behind him. Uchihas like him had sculpted beauty so Danzo didn't know why he hadn't considered Sasuke's Incubus nature as a threat to him and his men. His older brother was well known for it. Danzo couldn't help but think himself incredibly foolish for thinking Sasuke had any amount of restraint.

"So, it's just you and I. You kept me waiting, for almost nothing, dear King. Tell me, have you said your prayers yet? For where you're going, you'll need all the forgiveness you can get."

Danzo's jaw clenched as he pulled a sword from the sheath on his back. "Come down to the ground and fight me like a man!" Danzo ran over to the side of the balcony and leapt over the side. Just as Sasuke had surmised, Danzo was wearing some kind of demonic enchanted armor. Human armor was never crafter in such a fashion. Sasuke smirked. Danzo thought tricks like this would keep him safe, but he was so very, very wrong.

Sasuke couldn't wait to sink his teeth into the king's flesh.  
>-<p>

Itachi swiftly bypassed a group of guards and wondered just how many men Danzo had stashed away in this castle. He shook his head and dunked into a room. Kyuubi said that Orochimaru's lair was in the bottom of the castle in the catacombs connected to the dungeons. It was easy for Itachi to maneuver his way through, though. Even through the thick brick walls and metal, he could smell Orochimaru. His dark, harsh magic leaked through the walls and caused the rooms to stink with the remnants of evil and flesh. The scent of rotting and burning skin got stronger and stronger as Itachi got deeper and deeper into the catacombs.

Itachi blinked for a moment and his vision blurred for a brief second, showing a pile of bodies in front of him. He turned his head as a blast of red magic came hurdling towards him. Itachi knew then that he hadn't been walking around in catacombs. This entire chamber was Orochimaru's domain. He could hear the hissing laughter of the snake-demon reverberating off the walls, echoing so softly that it made it difficult for Itachi to pin-point the origin. He whipped his head around as a snake lurched out of the darkness and wrapped around him. His face was cold and solid as stone as Orochimaru came strolling out of the darkness, a pleased look on his face.

"Well, not the exact Uchiha I wanted, but I can settle with you." Itachi scoffed and smirked softly.

"You didn't actually expect Sasuke to waste time on a small prey like you, did you?" Orochimaru's mouth twitched into a frown.

"I wouldn't talk so highly after you've been caught in such a crude trap." Itachi's eyes glistened with mischief as he glared down Orochimaru. The snake demon's skin prickled with excitement when he looked into those soft, black eyes. Slowly, microcosms of red burst through the dark iris and coagulated together causing Itachi's eyes to bleed red as the black was carved around his pupils.

"Don't underestimate thousands of years of breeding." Itachi's skin burst into black flames, causing the snake holding him to erupt from the heat, and fall limply around the Uchiha's feet. Orochimaru backed up, holding his arms in front of his face as the flames slowly engulfed everything. And then, it suddenly stopped. Orochimaru pulled his arms away from his face and looked ahead of him, seeing nothing at first but Itachi's opened his eyes, and piercing red stood out from the shadows.

It was too dark to fight Itachi like this, Orochimaru knew and he softly snapped his fingers. Flames flickered up the walls and bathed the chamber in a somewhat romantic glow. Orochimaru could see him clearly then, the body bathed in black. Itachi wasn't going to waste his time fooling around, not when his brother was involved. He was going to end this. He knew Kyuubi wanted Naruto to come down and help him end this, but there was no way he could lose to a demon of Orochimaru's caliber.

The snake's eyes were wide with delight as he clapped, slowly circling around the pillars in the room, trying to get a better and better view of Itachi's incubus body. It looked like his sink was dipped into black ink, so dark and mysterious. He could feel the energy and power in his stance, he had fed very recently and this manifestation of power could only spell Orochimaru's demise if he did not tread lightly. Itachi's red eyes were following him around the room and Orochimaru couldn't help but feel fully titillated. This power was so tangible and delectable. He wanted to devour not only Sasuke, but Itachi as well. Their Uchiha bodies were perfect. He had never wanted a body as badly as he wanted these Uchiha brothers.

"Yes, wonderful. So this is what Uchiha blood can build…" Itachi was watching, he could feel the energy rushing through his veins and he started to smile, bright white fangs pushing out between his lips. Orochimaru started to laugh, coming closer to the demon. He knew that he shouldn't be getting too close, otherwise Itachi would just gore him on the spot, but he was daring and curious. He wanted to taste the energy frying the air around him. "I can't wait to tear the skin from your bones and suck the very energy from your veins."

"Oh? A romantic." Itachi's words were cushioned with velvet and felt delicious as they caressed Orochimaru's ears. Oh yes, this Uchiha would be his plaything for the moment. He could focus on the younger later. Itachi held out his hand and Orochimaru couldn't help himself. He grabbed onto his fingers and pulled the Uchiha close to him, close enough so he could see the sculpted features of Itachi's face which were hidden in the black. He was smirking as he reached out, pushing hair out of Orochimaru's face. "Follow me…" His voice was barely above a whisper as his finger pushed up Orochimaru's chin, his body moving back. It was difficult for even demons to avoid being caught in his seductive pull, and as soon as Orochimaru became nothing but willing, he would suck the very marrow from his bones.

Itachi let the wings burst from his back, helping him to create an even better illusion, since this was exactly what he had created for Orochimaru. The feathers in his wings held dust that caused delusions of grandeur, and was especially effective against demons since they couldn't see or taste it as they breathed it in. He was going to enjoy this, so much. He couldn't wait until he could sink his teeth into the side of Orochimaru's neck and make a feast of the pulpy soft flesh and bloody clots. Itachi chuckled softly to himself.

He could feel the energy shifting in the room and Itachi knew that something was wrong. He flew up to the ceiling, pressing himself against the top as a shimmering gold light filled the corridor. Itachi hissed, covering his eyes. He knew that staying in his demonic form would only lead in him getting hurt further so he dropped the transformation and landed when the light had cleared.

Orochimaru was lying on the ground, writhing in pain as he held his face. The light was cleansing, perfect for burning the magically essence from his body. He was screaming as he started to roll around on the floor. Getting closer, Itachi could see the burns and lingering of the golden magic on his flesh and he smirked. He hadn't known Naruto to be so powerful. He turned towards the source of the magic and his jaw slackened in surprise. That was definitely not Naruto…Nor was it a man.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to almost blast you too." She was smiling sheepishly and Itachi could see Naruto in that face. So, this was his mother then. He had heard rumors that Danzo had captured an Uzumaki family and not just a single child, even though there had never been any proof until now. Kyuubi and a blond man, undoubtedly Naruto's father, came creeping in behind her. "You did well in distracting him so I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to cripple him a little."

Itachi scoffed when he heard 'a little'. Wounds like Orochimaru had could take years to potentially heal. Stripping magic out of a demon was like cutting off their pipelines of power. Itachi would be surprised if Orochimaru didn't just die there.

The Uchiha approached the group and Kyuubi rushed to meet him. "You're not hurt, right?" He was examining Itachi's face. "Your body is very precious to me." Itachi's eyes darkened.

He grabbed Kyuubi's nose, pinching harshly on the bridge. "There is no need to fawn over me. I'm perfectly capable of keeping myself safe." Itachi released Kyuubi's nose and turned away from him, only managing to slightly dodge the needle soaked in venom. Kyuubi caught it and sent it hurdling back towards Orochimaru, who just ducked himself out of the way.

"Impossible. He shouldn't be able to move this soon…" Kushina let the golden mist of her magic weave between her fingers and she brought them up, about to unleash a second wave when she was caught by the sight in front of her.

Orochimaru was changing.  
>-<p>

Naruto wasn't sure how safe it would be running around the castle alone. Sure, the soldiers probably wouldn't pay him too much mind, and as it were, none of the ones he had passed seemed to have him on mind. He would probably be overlooked for the most part because of Sasuke's commotion. The blond ducked into an archway and pressed himself flat against the cold marble, hearing the pounding of footsteps in the corridor. They passed and Naruto let out the breath he was holding. He needed to get out to the courtyard, he needed to find Sasuke. He wouldn't let his vision come to fruition.

He ducked out into the hallway and ran to the staircase at the end of the hall. The fastest way to the courtyard was through the training barracks which Naruto knew would be empty because everyone in there had probably all filed out into the courtyard during the celebration. Naruto threw open the wooden doors and ran through the rows of bunks, hopping over the occasional weapon lying in the way. He tossed his weight into the heavy doors and nearly fell when they gave easier than he expected. He stumbled on the cobbled stones of the courtyard and slowed himself so he could regain his footing. At first, Naruto saw nothing but bodies. It made him feel relieved because he couldn't see Sasuke in the wreckage. He looked up to the sky, knowing Sasuke would take to the skies to gain the field advantage over Danzo.

That's when he saw it, the flash of a leathery black wing. "Sasuke…"

Naruto rushed into the middle of the courtyard but suddenly stopped when he felt a gritty material wrap around his ankles, slowly enveloping and pulling him back. Naruto didn't know if he should fight and when the sand was released, he was glad he hadn't fought. "Gaara, you're here too!" The blond hugged the red headed demon.

"Yes, well, Kyuubi gave me specific directions about protecting Sasuke."

Naruto turned his head to the sky and his face got suddenly hot. "Why did you stop me, Gaara? I was going to help him!"

"No, Naruto." The blond's eyes widened at the demon's words. "You'll only distract him. As soon as he sees you're here, Sasuke loses this battle. He will completely abandon any thought of Danzo."

Naruto clenched his fists and shook silently with rage. He wanted to be useful to Sasuke, but he knew Gaara was right. The moment he called for Sasuke, it would be over. Danzo would land the killing blow. He needed to sit quietly and wait for Sasuke to finish the King off. With Kyuubi, his parents, and Itachi all handling Orochimaru, then it would only be a matter of minutes before Sasuke would be free of the curse. There wouldn't be anything left to cripple him.

Gaara watched the blond's face and patted a seat next to him. "Don't dwell on it too much, Naruto. I also don't get to play a very glamorous part in this play. But don't forget, we're all important to the success of this battle." Naruto nodded his head. Sometimes it really did surprise him that Kyuubi was the real and true commander when Gaara seemed to be the more mature and wise of the two.

He knelt down next to Gaara, peering out from the splintered wood of the table.  
>-<p>

"Did you really think I, Orochimaru, the darkest and most powerful demonic warlock wouldn't have something planned for this occasion?"

Kyuubi shrugged. "No, not really. We thought it would be far more convenient if you just, oh I don't know, died like a regular demon. But I forgot that you like to prolong the inevitable." Itachi gave Kyuubi a look and he stared back at the Uchiha like he had just said the truest of points.

"Inevitable?" The man was doubled over, laughing so hard that the sound shook off the walls, making Kushina shiver next to Minato. "Did you think killing me would be easy?"

"Obviously, you're so old I'm surprised that you hadn't died earlier."

"Kyuubi!" Itachi whispered harshly.

"What?" Kyuubi asked, his voice that of an exasperated child being scolded by his mother.

"This is not the time for jokes. If you're so sure you can kill him, then do it."

Kyuubi leaned closer into Itachi's space, using the wall next to the Uchiha as support. "What will you give me if I do?"

Itachi smiled seductively before clasping onto Kyuubi's face. "Do this small task and I won't crack open your skull and suck out your brains. I'm already pretty sure that they're nice and soupy."

"I love when you talk dirty to me."

The cracking of bones made Itachi drop Kyuubi's face and he turned towards Orochimaru, who was holding his head in his hands, wildly backing up into the wall and slamming it backwards against the wall. Kyuubi stepped in front of the group, he took a deep breath in and icy cold wind broke from Kyuubi's lips. The snake's movements slowly stopped as his body was frozen to the wall, completely immobile. "Itachi, blast him with your fire. It will crack apart his body."

Itachi nodded and shot several bursts of fire from his lips. Each hit its mark and pieces of Orochimaru's ice covered body, shattered as they struck the ground. Itachi and Kyuubi exchanged glances and then looked back to Kushina who was watching like a hawk, and then they noticed why. Black ooze started to run from the pieces, lumping all together in the middle of the floor. Kushina stepped in front of Itachi and splayed her hand, letting her magic run up her fingers like tiny bolts of lightning before letting it fly.

The ooze rose up and started to form into a hand which created a barrier to ward off Kushina's magic. It bounced back, making Kyuubi grab onto Itachi to pull him away from the wayward spell. The Uchiha yelped as it grazed his shoulder, causing a horribly painful blister to spring up on his skin. He moaned in pain and Minato held his hand over the wound, letting the cleansing magic come up from the flesh. Itachi dug his head into Kyuubi's shoulder and his hand bit painfully into the red head's side. The golden mist wrapped around Minato's fingers and he closed his eyes, crafting the magic into soft, golden daggers. He let them fly from his fingers, causing the barrier to break like fragile glass, one of the daggers imbedding itself into the goo.

They could hear a scream like sound coming from the goo as it built up more and more, and before Kushina could create another wave of magic in her hand, they were all floored to see Orochimaru's body. It was deathly white, large; easily filling more than half the room. It slithered and hissed at them, all the individual scales being live snakes; all with posed, sharp fangs. There were three heads, six eyes staring down at them from the roof of the room. Orochimaru's laughter reverberated off the walls.

"He's become the Hydra…" Kyuubi muttered. Itachi looked up from the demon's shoulder and felt a chill up his spine. The situation had changed. Orochimaru didn't want to die here, especially not like this.

"Not so confident now, huh, Commander?" Orochimaru appeared in one of the mouths. He was laying against the tongue and he was snickering. "Don't worry little fox, I'll take good care of your Incubus."

Kyuubi felt the hair prickle at the back of his neck, he glared. "Hn, you sound so confident you're the only one with a final form…"

Itachi could feel the magic build up around, making his knees go weak as the strength started to encase Kyuubi's form. He wanted to absorb the energy into himself and arousal poured into his veins. He grabbed onto Kyuubi's face, leaning it towards him. "You better make love to me in that form when this is all over." Kyuubi smirked when he saw that Itachi's eyes were bloody red and his fangs were starting to poke out from under his top lip.

Kyuubi kissed Itachi hard on the mouth. The wound on the Uchiha's shoulder started to close as the energy came flooding into his body. His head swam as Kyuubi pulled back. He had changed in that brief moment. His eyes were dark red with a large slit pupil in the middle. The small claws and fangs to which Itachi had become accustomed to, grew sharp, needle-like. He was surrounded by bubbling, red energy and Itachi shivered. He backed away from Kyuubi, noticing that there were nine tails swishing behind him. He looked like the demons from the ancient lores, vicious and capable of destroying entire villages with a swish of their hands. He knew Kyuubi was old, but he hadn't realized just how old he really was.

Itachi turned back towards Orochimaru, who had enchanted look of delight on his face. The Uchiha smirked a little as he let flames engulf his body once more. There was no point in facing Orochimaru as a normal demon. If Kyuubi believed he needed to be all powerful, then he would also change back into his most powerful form.

Kushina stared up at the heads, wondering if they too would follow the myths about Hydras. "Encircle." She muttered under her breath and a light chain of her golden magic wrapped around her hand, if she aimed it just right, Minato or Kyuubi could easily sever the first head. The magic whipped from her hand, and the snake tried to pull back as the chain sliced through the flesh of its neck, causing it to cry with pain. Minato pulled on the magic from Kushina's hands and was able craft it into a long, broad sword. Any contact he made with Orochimaru would cause the demon untold amounts of pain and certainly could spell his undoing. The blond rushed out, skillfully avoiding the snake's tail and fangs. He leapt up and onto the body, quickly avoiding the snakes slithering up to attack him as he moved to the head. When he reached the head, he drove the make-shift blade down into the skull, making all of the snakes following him freeze up.

Orochimaru released a cry and the hydra's huge back lurched backwards. Itachi and Kyuubi saw an opening. There was only one real way to make sure a hydra stayed dead. Go for the heart, destroy it and it will take the heads with it. They were all connected in that way. Itachi moved, body like a thick billow of smoke as he seemed to glide across the floor. Kyuubi was a shock of blood as his body sliced through the air.

Both angles, two different angles would ensure the heart would stop. None of the heads seemed to notice the two demons mulling around underneath their chest as they approached deadly close the chest cavity. "NOW." Itachi didn't hesitate. He sunk his arm straight into the slithering body and as the smaller snakes tried to defend the massive body by wrapping around the Uchiha, pulling himself closer and sinking their fangs into his flesh, they all seemed to stop moving. The same happened on Kyuubi's side and Itachi looked over at the red head, his burning aura causing the corpses of the snakes to shrivel up as they crumbled away.

Orochimaru looked down at his hydra body, feeling his heart slowing, beating irregularly. It felt like his heart was caving inside of itself, slowing filling his chest with free-flowing blood. He coughed, blood pouring out of his mouth and down his chin in a waterfall of pain. It was burning, slow, crawling up through his back and making him convulse.

This was it for him. He may not be able to kill that Uzumaki brat, but he knew exactly how he could get back at him. After all, how fair was it to send your parents to do your job? Orochimaru started to laugh, feeling his heart stilling with every passing second.

He looked at Kushina, her chain still digging into his flesh. Never send someone else to do a job for you. Orochimaru opened his mouth and a billowing cascade of black steam broke free from his throat.

Kushina turned her head as the essence approached her and forced her lips open, cramming itself into her mouth and down her throat. She could only stare, eyes looking as though they were about to burst from her skull. Minato pulled away from the hydra and towards his wife as her body went limp, causing her to stumble back.

She went rigged suddenly, back and neck twisting unnaturally as she looked at the three men before her with a mouth, slightly ajar. She cracked her jaw into place, slamming her teeth together. She stared at the three of them, Orochimaru's body sagging and falling away, bursting into corpses of snakes; she was smiling.

"It's been fun, boys, really. However, there is a certain Uchiha that I need to adjust for battle." The vicious nature of the smile made her lips burst with blood as her mouth pulled up unnaturally wide at the corners. "Catch me if you can."

A gold and black sphere filled up her hand as her arm twitched as if the Kushina inside was trying to stop what was happening. Her head turned to the side as the ball of magic was callously tossed at Itachi, grazing Minato just enough to cause his face to burst open with blood.

The snakes' corpses were tangled against him, holding him in place. Itachi scoffed slightly in disbelief when he realized, his arm was stuck in the giant's hydra's chest. The sinew and muscle around its heart, holding him just as tightly as the snakes. He wouldn't be able to dodge the magic. He was going to die here.

Itachi saw a flash of red and felt the strength of Kyuubi's arms around him before he realized just what was happening.

The impact was powerful. More powerful than Itachi realized. He felt his arm snap, roughly piercing the bone through the skin of his forearm. He screamed in agony. In this form, his skin was stronger than most armor and the sheer cracking of his radius and ulna was enough alone to cause him to rip the pain-filled cries from his lips. Kyuubi and the Uchiha were thrown to the ground, the red head's heavier frame weighing Itachi down so that he felt like his chest was being crushed. He had to push the larger demon off of him, the fall made him land on his broken arm and the pain was making him stomach flip-flop. He couldn't. He couldn't breathe. He sat up, just in time to look into Kushina's eyes. They were black. Blacker than the pits of Hell.  
>-<p>

**Sorry for the lack of updates. I'll try to have this finished soon. But I need to do a little focus on my other stories. They're getting REALLY neglected. Sorry for the wait. I'll try to be more efficient in my updates. **


	12. Chapter 12

Sasuke's eyes were spiraling with anger, the red in them shining brightly against his skin. He looked simply malcontent. Danzo knew that he had to finish Sasuke quickly. The demon was younger, stronger, and had an aerial advantage. Limiting combat to be on the ground could even be a problem for the king. His strike against Sasuke had to be quick, had to be ruthless, had to be dirty. Danzo jumped from his spot on the upper balcony and landed in the courtyard. The sand started to recede. Danzo hoped this meant that none of Sasuke's demonic companions would get in the way. But he was still nervous. Sasuke was a creature made from old, very powerful magic. He was bred to be a warrior, bred to be demonic, bred to be something so perfectly controlled that Danzo wondered if he could even defeat him.

He felt sweat trickle down his brow. He shouldn't have sent Naruto away. If he had brought the blond with him, he would at least have some form of leverage against the Uchiha. He could threaten and connive. Though, Danzo also knew, Sasuke would become more ruthless and angry in attempt to get Naruto back, which could spell his death either way.

Danzo looked up and watched as Sasuke descended to land, his wings folding up behind his back. If things had been different, he might have kept Sasuke as a pet. Something for other men in different kingdoms to marvel at with awe. He was beautiful. All the Uchihas he had seen were. They were of the classical blood, and with that, the classic beauty of old Kings and Queens. When the humans had taken over, he remembered many a royal family being destroyed, and that meant a lot of old blood had been spilled onto the earth. Sasuke was a dying breed. All demons were. And Danzo would make sure that they would go extinct.

Sasuke stood, head held high, as he cast his eyes towards Danzo. The shadows of the fires surrounding his face made the angles look more exaggerated, made his eyes glow red in the dimness. His teeth shone as he smirked. "Finally, you've come to play with me. Tell me, did you think you could get away with laying a single finger on my Queen? That I'd stand idly by as you stole him away? He's been mine from the moment I laid eyes on him. I'll spill every drop of your blood to set him free." Sasuke's muscles moved under his skin, while he breathed, while he paced around in a circle. His back arched in a rhythm that made Danzo's spine tingle with fear. He looked deadly, like a jungle cat. The demon was sizing him up. His wings may have been folded against his back, but they still made Sasuke look that much more sinister, much more inhuman. Sasuke and his clan of demons had been a thorn in Danzo's side for many years, and this would be the end of it. He needed this to end. After this was all over, he would bed Naruto and force his visions to change only to him. With Sasuke dead, there was no point in seeing the future of a corpse.

Danzo rushed forward, a sword coming unsheathed from his belt. Sasuke ducked out of the way. He rolled to the side, ducking behind a pillar. Sasuke had also come prepared for a sword fight. But he felt perhaps that using his claws to end Danzo would be far more satisfying. The King's movements were slowed because of the strong armor; it made his defense high but all of that would be for naught if he couldn't avoid Sasuke cutting the armor off. Sasuke smirked as he evaded another attack, moving so that he was behind Danzo. He needed to a get a good look at the armor, where the hooks were, where the straps were bound. If he could destroy the bulky defense, his speed would overcome Danzo.

Sasuke noticed the first strap on his hip, noting that there were probably two; one on each side. He was already gaining the upper hand and Danzo was just blindly attacking, kicking out like a scared child. Sasuke leapt up, balancing his weight so he could land on Danzo's sword. The King cursed as the blade bent downward. Sasuke sprung backwards, letting his foot connect with the bottom of Danzo's chin. His head was sent sailing back. The demon spun on his feet, running alongside Danzo and quickly cutting through the leather of the strap on his right side. Sasuke hid his hiss of pain.

Danzo landed on his back, unable to keep his balance. Sasuke stood above him, about to stomp downwards, but the King rolled away, noticing that part of his armor came loose and exposed his side. He stood up and went to feel the strap, eyes widening at the realization he could not retie it.

Danzo had never thought that this fight might have to be a distance one. Sasuke was deliberately chinking his armor, cutting it away. The move itself was bold and cunning. Sasuke knew that Danzo's vulnerability would come from his humanity. One extreme injury could end this all in moments. Danzo cursed. Orochimaru didn't hand over control of Sasuke's curse and the snake must not have cared or known that the palace was under attack. Either way, the snake was too self-interested. He would only help if he own life was being threatened by Sasuke, and it wasn't. Danzo felt the sweat pouring out of his forehead, dripping down over his brow.

Sasuke's approach towards Danzo was slow, calculating. The amount of thought going into his movements were far more than important. If Danzo were to slip away from him, it would take longer to remove the armor. Sasuke knew his movements needed to be rapid, successive, and just deliberate enough that Danzo could figure out his pattern in time to move away. Not to mention, his armor had other defenses. When he cut the strap, it had burned him because he touched the armor itself. There was a powerful pulse of energy coming from it and if he continuously touched it, it could spell danger. He didn't think demon armor could burn him as badly as it did, but obviously Danzo had had this particular suit of armor custom made. Orochimaru had probably woven some kind of curse into the metal working. Sasuke cursed a little to himself. He needed to act now.

Sasuke leapt up, letting his wings catch the breeze. He stared down at Danzo; there were knives tucked along his belt that he could use. But he wondered how the weld of the armor was as a whole. If he could get it to crack or melt in one solid attack, then it wouldn't matter if he cut away at the hooks or straps.

Fire built in the deepest part of his throat. He needed it to be the hottest blaze he could possibly come up with, something that could scorch the very sun. He felt the curse pulse at his shoulder and tried his best to ignore it. He remembered what he did to the Danzo doppelganger in the camp. The curse had given him power. But he didn't need that power. Not to mention, Naruto had sealed it away. He would not deliberately break a seal just to defeat Danzo. He would not feed the monster inside him.

Sasuke's lips fell open as the fire expunged itself from his throat. It was white hot like when metal was pulled from the blacksmith force. It seemed to have a somewhat heavier viscosity to it, falling from Sasuke's lips in a projectile stream.

Danzo cried out. He immediately covered his face as the burning hot liquid fire covered him. He could hear his armor sizzling and groaning as the metal expanded atop his body. He knew he needed to do something. He needed to find water and throw it on himself or something bad could happen. He wasn't sure whether or not the armor would hold up through such extreme temperature and evaporate away. This wasn't regular demon fire, after all.

There was a fountain in the courtyard on the other side of the castle. Danzo knew he would never make it over there, even if he full out sprinted.

Danzo had nothing more than limited options. He starts to feel around the armor, noting that it was indeed melting. And it could very well melt to his skin, sealing him in a tomb of burning metal. He started to strip himself of the armor, feeling the places that were so hot that they were already starting to run, leaving vulnerable patches of skin. He could feel himself boiling in his skin, the armor slowly cooking him alive.

He moved frantically, stripping himself of the armor. His only defense already burned and melted away by Sasuke's second real attack. Danzo flung the fire ridden burden to the ground. He hadn't estimated Sasuke to be so strong. He hadn't thought this through. He didn't think Sasuke was this capable of harm. But hadn't he actually know this all along?

When the black metal sunk into the cobblestone cracks of the courtyard, Danzo looked up to the demon. Sasuke was looking back. His face blank but the rage smoldering in his eyes. But then he suddenly smirks, marring the stillness of his features with the haughty glory that only seemed befitting of a demon.

He needed to find a way to stop Sasuke here.  
>-<p>

"Gaara, I'm worried." Naruto said suddenly, turning towards the red head.

The demon raised an eyebrow at the blond. "Why? Sasuke is handling this just fine. I mean, he got Danzo to remove that armor, right? He's got this handled. Have faith in him, Naruto."

Naruto was silent for a moment, his eyes growing wider and wider with concern. "But Gaara, there are things I haven't even told Sasuke. Things I've seen. I saw him, Gaara, I saw Danzo stabbing Sasuke because the curse overwhelmed him. Up until now, all my visions about Sasuke have come true."

Gaara's face seemingly drained all the color within it. He felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach as he looked around back to Sasuke, who was still smirking down at Danzo. Neither of them had moved, but it was obvious both parties were planning out their next moves. Sasuke needed to be calculating and smooth with his movements, keep Danzo on his toes in the air, but anyway he looked at it, Naruto's vision seemed more and more real.

"Are you sure that Sasuke died?" Gaara asked, sweat not visibly pricking up from his brow as fret started to gnaw at his gut. It felt like a wildfire had been thrust into his being. His heart was racing and his mind in a frenzy. If Naruto really saw Sasuke die, then there may not be a way to save him…

"He wasn't moving Gaara. There was blood everywhere. I mean, I understand Sasuke is a demon but there's got to be a limit to what you can surv-AHHH!" Naruto was cut off when he felt a hot, piercing sensation go across his cheek. Blood burst from his face and he shoved his hand on his wound, grinding his teeth to diminish his cries.

Gaara got up, only to be kicked in the chest by a red headed woman, a wild look in her eye. The demon skittered across the courtyard, drawing both Sasuke and Danzo's attention as the red head's body crumbled one of the pillars.

Danzo took that opportunity to charge at the demon, cutting him with the very tip of his sword. A red, faint line erupted with blood on Sasuke's cheek as he summersaulted around the King. "Don't get distracted, demon."

Sasuke had to take his eyes off Naruto if he wanted to live.

Naruto attempted to stand up, only to be grabbed by the face, fingers sinking into the wound on his cheek. He started to choke on his own saliva as the screams dried his throat. He could feel evil sinking into his skin, burning him. It was the single most painful experience he had ever dreamed possible. His hands were shaking as he tried to pry the fingers out of his wound. But found himself lacking the strength to do so. He couldn't break the finger's either. How could he? They were his own mother's fingers, after all.

"What are you doing?!" Naruto cried out. The look in her eyes only got more intense as the fingers dug deeper, sending wave after wave of pain shooting up Naruto's spine. "STOP!"

He gripped her arm, trying to pull it off of him, feeling the fingers twitch inside his skin. Golden magic started to flare up from the wound, trying to force the fingers out. He also had it concentrated in his hand, burning the flesh underneath his. Kushina tried to pull her arm back, fingers leaving Naruto's cheek but her arm couldn't rend itself free of the blond's grasp. His eyes were shining with anger and determination as he pulled Kushina closer, his free hand swelling up with an orb of gold, shining and sparking with power. He was about to shove it into her chest when she wrapped her leg around Naruto's arm, using her body weight to pull him to the ground, breaking his concentration. The magic faded as Naruto's body flung forward, the weight making him slide into the cobblestone.

Kushina started to laugh and he noticed right away that was no human laugh, in fact it wasn't even a female laugh. "Finally, we get to meet, little priest."

"Orochimaru…"

Orochimaru's smile made Kushina's lips split at the sides, causing a small stream of blood to bead up at the corners of her mouth. "That's right, speak the name as though it was nothing more than a curse. Spit it on the earth. Let everyone hear it and know, I have found a way to leave the catacombs below. And I will take everything for myself again. Nothing will stop me this time. Not the commander of a demon army, certainly not you, little priest, and neither will your whore mother be able to banish me from the world. Not this time."

Naruto stood up quickly, magic flooding into his palms, cascading with sparks and swirling in the middle of his hand. Orochimaru grabbed the blond's wrist and tried to divert the attack but was suddenly kicked out of the way by a large demonic presence. Naruto looked up to see Itachi crouched on the ceiling, looking down at him. The only visible part about him was his crimson eyes. Kyuubi was standing where Orochimaru once was, staring down at him. He had his arms around Naruto's shoulder, as if to support him. He was smirking.

"Did you forget about us?" Kyuubi said, his teeth shining white and sharp in the light. "We didn't forget about you."

Orochimaru fumbled to stand up in Kushina's body, running into Minato as he tried to back away from Kyuubi. Itachi landed in the middle of Minato and Kyuubi; the whiteness of his mouth shocking against the shadows. His smirk was just as sinister as his eyes. "There's nowhere to run."

Gaara was growling low in his throat as he approached, standing on the opposite side of Itachi. He was brushing the plaster and dust off of his clothing as he stared. "That really hurt, you know?"

Naruto's hands were overflowing with magic. He raised one to his face, the cut on his cheek disappearing quickly as he stared at the demon inhabiting his mother. "Back off." Kyuubi's eyes widened as Naruto fired a sphere of gold at Kushina's body. Orochimaru managed to dodge, allowing Minato to catch and manipulate the energy into a dagger. "This isn't your fight. None of you can purify. Only I can." Naruto watched as Orochimaru moved along the walls, sticking to the shadows to better hide himself. The problem was, he wasn't in his body, he couldn't move fast enough. Naruto could see the prolonged swishing of his mother's red hair, even in the shadows. He had no advantage over Naruto. An ambush wouldn't work a second time.

"Naruto, to be fair, you're not exactly dressed in the most battle-ready attire." Kyuubi commented as he watched the blond scouting. Naruto seemed to become slightly more self-aware, looking down at himself before turning back to Kyuubi. "I mean, you're all jingly-jangly. And I'll admit, you probably have good mobility but still this is better at showing your status than your ability. You should probably let us handle this."

Naruto walked up to Kyuubi, letting a small orb of magic gather on his finger. He flicked it at Kyuubi and the demon let out of blood curdling scream of fear as he flinched away from the powerful magic. "I think your point has been invalidated."

"He acts like he's so amazing…" Itachi muttered as he came to stand behind the blond. "I'll back you up."

Naruto nodded as he suddenly dashed forward and magic shot in front of him in a wave. He had been watching Orochimaru's movement pattern, slowly tracing his movements so he could find a predictable course of action. Orochimaru howled in pain as the magic wrapped him in a blanket of golden light, causing him to stagger, skin bursting with black ooze as Kushina's body reacted to being purified.

Itachi moved quickly, leaping over the golden wave and striking Kushina's body down so that, at the very least, her mobility would be scattered and Orochimaru couldn't control her. And true to the testament, Orochimaru's hold over Kushina slackened. He tried to get her to stand but her body slumped forward, banging her forearms on the ground as she tried to push herself up.

In synchronized movements, Itachi backed away as Naruto shot chains through his mother's body. The older Uchiha fell back behind Naruto, watching as the powerful energy shook through his arms and started to wrap around Orochimaru's soul, slowly pulling him out. Naruto gripped the chains harder, winding his fingers through the links and pulling with all of his strength. He was backing up, inch by inch, testing Orochimaru's strength with his minimal movements.

"Great display of strength. As I expected from a successor of the Uzumaki name." Orochimaru's body was slowly superimposing itself on Kushina's form, shadowing her features. "You may be able to fully defend your legacy but let's see if Sasuke's strong enough to uphold his!"

Naruto's head instantly turned to see Sasuke drop to his knees, the curse crushing its seal and worming out onto his flesh. It seemed like fire had been released from the seal, pocking his flesh with angry red and purple bruising as it cascaded up his neck. The dark marks crawled up his arms and across his face. He vomited and Danzo was smirking above him. He tried to slight his sword down into Sasuke but the demon rolled away, causing him to move in stilted jerky, motion as he attempted to evade the king. His speed had diminished into nearly nothing. It allowed Danzo's aged body to very well keep up with Sasuke. He tried to fly to a higher point on the palace but his wings throbbed in his back and more of the curse tried to overtake him. Sasuke dropped to the ground, his wings unable to lift him.

It was his vision. Sasuke would die if he didn't do anything now. He remembered every detail. Danzo would eventually outmaneuver him.

Naruto turned, running as fast as he could over to Sasuke. Ignoring the pain in his chest for his mother, he knew that she would forgive him later for what he had to do. Everyone would understand in the end. The demon was trying his best to keep himself on his feet but the pain was making his knees shake and start to buckle. Danzo rushed him suddenly but Naruto got there first, throwing himself in front of Sasuke, arms moving to push Sasuke back.

Sasuke stood, completely stunned as a small splash covered his face. He reached up to his face as if to test if it was real. His fingers shook as he looked at his hand, slightly stained with Naruto's blood. Danzo pulled the blade out from under Naruto's ribs, causing the blond to stumble forward. Sasuke immediately caught him, eyes wide with fear as blood poured from the wound.

"N-Naruto!? What were you thinking?!" Sasuke's hands were on Naruto's face but the blond's eyes were already glass. The blond's hand came up from the wound, stained crimson. The color was already starting to drain completely from his face.

"I did it. I prevented one of my visions." Naruto muttered, lips stained with blood. The blond was smiling weakly, tears streaming from his eyes as he stared into Sasuke's eyes. He coughed up more and it dribbled onto Sasuke's shoulder as the blond slumped forward, head resting on the demon. "I wouldn't let you die. I'm sorry, Sasuke."

The demon was stunned, clutching Naruto even closer to his body as he stared at the equally stunned King. "A fitting end for an unfit bride." Danzo muttered, shaking the blood from his sword to the ground.

Sasuke felt rage ricocheting up from the base of his spine, spreading through his nerves, and lighting fire in his veins. Danzo rushed at the demon again. Sasuke hissed as he grabbed Naruto's limp body, throwing it over his shoulder. His wings, suddenly renewed with strength, took flight, avoiding the heartless king below. He didn't want to put the blond down. He wanted to shed tears which burned in the backs of his eyes. He could feel the unimaginable pain of loss gnawing at him, like it had so many times before. But he wouldn't let Naruto's sacrifice be in vain. He would eat Danzo's heart. Rip apart the cage which held the fluttering essence of Danzo's humanity, taking great pleasure in grinding the sinews between his teeth.

He landed next to Kyuubi, handing him Naruto's unmoving body. It took him nearly a minute to actually let the blond go. Not wanting Naruto to be away from him after all that had happened.

"Sasuke…The curse…" Kyuubi muttered, eyes wide open.

Sasuke ignored the comment as he staggered back out to face Danzo. This would end now. He wouldn't play with this man any longer.

Danzo took a defensive stance as he paced around the courtyard, trying to keep his distance from Sasuke. But the demon was fast, cutting him off at every turn. Danzo was stumbling around, overwhelmed by Sasuke's speed. He turned sharply, attempting to bring the blade down on Sasuke's shoulder but the demon's caught the blade in his hand. He pushed up, knocking the blade back and out of Danzo's hands. The King was utterly defenseless now.

His eyes were wild as he looked around for a means to escaping Sasuke. "Orochimaru, help your king." When he looked back at the demonic sorcerer, he could see the snake-like body slumped before Kushina. He was slowly dissolving as a golden mist covered him. Danzo turned back. Sasuke hadn't moved yet.

"This is the end." Sasuke said, his eyes were full of tears as he looked down at the King. "I'll paint your palace in your blood."

Sasuke took a step forward but was stilted when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced back to see where Naruto's blood had been spilt on the ground. It was shining, moving, building up and gaining form. A person's body coagulated from the drying mess and it turned towards Danzo, eyes looking like shining pits of magma. Its fingers twitched, sparking with the same flavor of golden magic Naruto employed himself, shooting bolts into Danzo's shoulders and through his chest. King's mouth exploded with blood as he was pinned to the stone behind him. **(1)**

Sasuke was stunned as the figured moved closer to him. "I love you, Sasuke."

He could see Naruto's face. He could see it taking on more and more of the blond's features. The blood being stumbled through the courtyard, coming to stand next to the absolutely stunned demon commander. Naruto had been loving set onto the stones as Kyuubi had been trying to stop the bleeding and get Naruto to come around. The demon stepped away, allowing the being to come to the body. Naruto wasn't breathing.

The being got onto its knees, sinking into the blond, slowing causing the wound to heal itself.

Naruto suddenly shot up, spitting out a golden stream of smoke as he looked around, panting as the life returned to him.

Sasuke couldn't move, couldn't speak, and he certainly couldn't stop the tears of joy flooding down his face. He rushed to the blond, nearly crushing him in a death grip. "Naruto!? Naruto, you're alive. I'm so glad. I love you. I'm so happy…."

Naruto gripped onto Sasuke's shoulder, pulling the demon even closer as he nuzzled him. "I love you, too, Sasuke. I love you so much." The demon picked up the blond, spinning him around as they embraced deeply. They both pulled back, giving enough space for the duo to finally plant the long await reunion kiss.

"'Spill the blood of the Uzumaki to ensure the future of the demons. It is the only way…'" Kyuubi recited to himself.

"That's right." Kushina said, limping toward the small congregation of people. She was relying on Minato to help her and she stopped, smiling at Kyuubi. "Naruto was the child of Uzumaki prophecy. Didn't you think it was strange that Danzo chose Naruto when he really could have had any other child? Danzo knew that Naruto was part of something larger than himself and the only way to ensure full eradication of the demons was to keep him locked away and corrupt him. The elders of the clan foresaw that Naruto would bring the balance back to world, bringing peace to humans and demons. He was to be the savior."

"Since when do prophecies ever operate at a literal level?" Kyuubi complained. "There was no way to interpret that without thinking it was some kind of metaphor. Those Uzumaki elders were so annoying."

"Either way, it doesn't matter now. Danzo is dead." Naruto said, smiling even those there was blood tinting his mouth. "The time for hiding and murder is over now. We need to rebuild the world. Reform the bonds between humans and demons and allow cooperation to heal the wounds we placed on it."  
>-<p>

_**ONE YEAR LATER  
>-<strong>_

Itachi stood in the corridor of the palace. He was standing between the archway of the upper floor and the lower courtyards where Kyuubi said he would meet the Uchiha. People were buzzing about next to him, making sure not to brush past him as they moved around him.

Today was an important day at the palace; Minato and Kushina were assuming the throne after lengthy preparations.

It had taken an entire year to rid the land of Danzo's influences and allow the demons to come out of hiding. Their population had dwindled but now that they could live freely, they would repopulate and cohabitate with humans again.

Many of the other Kingdoms, at first, refused to acknowledge Minato as the successor and surprisingly, even the demon's seemed to also oppose another human king. But after many talks and persuasive methods, Minato was finally agreed upon. Everyone else who stepped forward to control Danzo's old kingdom couldn't even come up with a cohesive plan to reconstruct the empire after Danzo tore it down.

Minato had once led the Uzumaki clan without being a blood member. He had enough leadership experience to accomplish what needed to be done. And no one seemed to be complaining about it anymore since today Minato could finally assume his role as king.

Kyuubi rounded the corner, coming from one of the rooms near the end of the Hallway. It was a war room, if Itachi's memory served correct. Kyuubi had been advising Minato on getting rid of the last of Danzo's loyalists. There hadn't been many to start with after the King fell, but the truly loyal ones weren't going to give up so easily. But luckily without Danzo's military prowess, many of their forces had been wiped out in the first few invasions. Kyuubi just lent assistance for the most part.

The red head sighed with exhaustion as he met up with the Uchiha. He leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

It had been suggested Kyuubi take over the throne instead of Minato. But the demon refused vehemently, much to the demon population's dismay. Though, most of them now were quite alright with Minato taking the reins.

The idea had been tossed around a lot, brought up more during the succession discussions more than demon-human relationship practices. Itachi assumed it had been because if one of the other nations wished to attack, all they had to do was purify Kyuubi and the demon would be unfit for battle.

But despite that, Kyuubi would be a good enough leader. He led a rag-tag clan of demons to victory without being present. The forces under him were strong and responsive. And he could easily lead a country by himself. Though, he was idiotic and immature at nearly all serious times…

"Are you really alright with not assuming the throne?" Itachi asked Kyuubi. The red head had his arms folded against his chest.

He glanced over at his Uchiha lover. "Itachi, look me in the eye and tell me that I would be a good ruler for this kingdom." The raven looked away, smirking a little.

"Maybe you're right about that."

"I'm right about a lot of things." Kyuubi's expression was smug which brought out an incredulous one for Itachi. "Besides, I'm really tired of being the commander and leading people. I've been the commander for the demon clans for more than fifteen years. I'm ready to retire and go back to my original duties of protecting the royal family. It is a lot less emotional taxing."

Kyuubi put his arm around Itachi's back and pulled the Incubus closer to him. He could feel the soft prickling of his energy being siphoned off by the demon, but didn't mind. Itachi truly felt comfortable around him if he allowed his Incubus nature to be present all the time. He kissed the top of Itachi's head. "Though, I'd love to see you as my crowned Queen, bejeweled in all the riches and love I'd bestow upon you."

Itachi smiled a little. "I would make a beautiful Queen."

"Oh my yes, the most envious of beauty. No one would shower you with love and energy more than I ever could as King. Nothing would be too good for you."

"Which would be how everything would go wrong."

Kyuubi smirked devilishly. "You'd just destroy the souls of my enemies who were jealous of how I pampered you. My most deadly of vipers." Kyuubi wrapped his fingers around Itachi's hand, bringing it to his lips so he could kiss every knuckle. "But aside from all silliness, if I assumed the throne, your brother wouldn't be in line next to be King, remember? As soon as Minato steps down, Sasuke steps up. Which would make you royalty too, and me also by association. This works out fine for me in the end."

"Such a selfish, calculating man." Itachi muttered. Kyuubi nuzzled the smaller raven softly. "Speaking of inheriting royalty, where exactly is our little prince right now?"

"Which one? The cute, stubborn prince or the stubborn, cute prince?"

"Wow, what a great description. I can definitely tell which is which." Itachi shook his head.

Kyuubi smirked. "Well, to be fair, I assume they're together. They're practically exactly the same, whether or not they acknowledge it." Kyuubi pulled away from Itachi for a moment, snorting slightly. "Ever since that day where Naruto received that saving fatal blow, Sasuke has refused to leave his side. I understand that they already fulfilled their mating rites, but I still think that Sasuke is overreacting. It has been an entire year. Danzo's rebel forces are literally two camps before extinction. There's nothing left for him to worry about."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure I can name another demon who is very protective of their lover."

"Is it me?"

"No, it's me."

Kyuubi smirked. "Oh, will your protect me from every bad man who comes my way?"

"No, but I will protect you from being an idiot." Itachi suddenly gasped as he looked at Kyuubi. He stopped walking as he did so. "Oh no, I failed." His voice was flat as he stared at the taller red head.

"You're so full of sass today."

Itachi shrugged, starting to walk again. "Hurry up, Kyuubi. Otherwise we'll be late."

Kyuubi made a face but picked up his pace. Minato's coronation was starting after the war meeting Kyuubi had just finished. He was glad Minato had finally be recognized for his leadership prowess, even though the man hadn't been in a leadership position for an incredibly long time. Though, it seemed even to the leaders of the other nations, Minato's skills hadn't lost their sharpness. He could still debate, make tactics, and had the general leader attitude. But he was so different than Danzo, such much younger, so much kinder, so much more approachable.

And he was already practically training Sasuke to take his place. He knew the Uchiha would soon wed with his son and become the second prince, by marriage, which would mean Sasuke would inherit the King's title. The new era of rulers would be so different than Danzo's reign. It would be a good time for healing and reform. The land itself would change.

Kyuubi wove his fingers into Itachi's, bringing the Uchiha's hand to his lips, yet again. Itachi blankly stared back at his lover. "What is it?"

"Nothing, really. Sometimes, I thought we would never progress this far. But look what we've done." He grabbed onto Itachi's arm, spinning the Uchiha towards an upper floor balcony. The curtains blew into the palace as Itachi was practically dragged out onto the stone structure. Decorations, which lined castle walls and windows, shone and sparkled in the sun as their reflective paper caught the sun light. They lined the town as well. Surrounding the bazaar which was being held by the people to celebrate their freedom from Danzo. The screeching of happiness and music could be heard from all over. The wind was carrying confetti from the celebrations in the air, making the usually colorless sensation burst brightly with every passing gale. "Look at it. We helped create a new era."  
>-<p>

Sasuke stood behind the blond, his arms wrapped around his waist. His head was resting on Naruto's neck, hands smoothing the blond sides. He could feel warmth spreading through him with each press of the demon's hand but he had to ignore the urge for now. His father would be on the throne soon and he also had to be inaugurated as the crown prince. Naruto scoffed as he straightened out his ceremonial robes, which Sasuke insisted on continuing to mess up by pawing at them.

"What is it?" Sasuke was nuzzling the blond, wrapping his hold a little tighter than before so Naruto couldn't move his arms. The blond rolled his eyes.

"It looks like royalty was always in my future. Whether or not I married Danzo."

"Don't speak that name in my presence." Sasuke hissed as he pressed his face against the junction of Naruto's neck and shoulder, biting it softly.

"Stop it." The blond squirmed in Sasuke's arms but the demon only strengthened his hold. "Sasuke, let me go, the inauguration starts soon."

"No."

Naruto went slack in the Uchiha's grip and dropped to his knees, effectively pulling out of the Uchiha's grasp. Sasuke quickly dropped down on top of the blond, encasing Naruto yet again. "You are so spoiled." The blond's comment got a smirk in reply as the Uchiha resumed his hold. Naruto sighed, knowing the move wouldn't work a second time and resigned himself to being held by Sasuke.

The demon's breathing was smoldering against his neck and it only got warmer when Sasuke's mouth encircled his pulse. Naruto shuddered, letting Sasuke do as he pleased for the moment. He would have to let go eventually if he cooperated.

"I'll never let you go, never again."

"Sasuke, you're going to have to physically let me go so I can accept my title. You can never let go of my spirit all you want."

"But your spirit doesn't gasp when I bit its neck." Sasuke made it a point to make Naruto gasp as he said that. The blond turned his head, giving Sasuke a nasty stare as the Uchiha continued to ignore him. "See? Not nearly as fun."

"Sasuke…"

"Fine." The Uchiha untangled himself, huffing softly as he backed away from the blond. His bottom lip was slightly puffed out as he crossed his arms over his chest. Naruto wondered how Itachi put up with such childish behavior for so long.

"Come on, let's go. The coronation is starting soon." Naruto held out his hand to Sasuke and the Uchiha begrudgingly grabbed onto it, pulling the blond closer to him so he could wrap his arm Naruto's waist. He held the hand on the other side of Naruto's body and the blond rolled his eyes. Sasuke was being awfully grabby today. He must have been in one of his moods.

They walked together to the throne room where the official, legal business could be conducted since Minato was not fathered into the throne. While there was no one to officially pass the crown down, Minato would have to conduct the ceremony practically by himself. It planned on being promising.

The throne room was completely different now. Whereas before it had been covered in Danzo's war exploits, weapons, and Naruto's own shackles of oppression in the form of a seer table, now it was like walking into a foreign land. Banners and decorations hung from the ceiling, more seating had been added for audiences with the King, something Danzo never had previously.

Itachi and Kyuubi had already taken their seats towards the front, people slowing filling the pews and rows behind them. Sasuke settled down next to his brother; they nuzzled as a greeting. Kyuubi, leaning over his lover, also attempted to nuzzle and greet the younger Uchiha, but was given a particularly nasty look instead.

Itachi smirked, petting his younger brother's hair.

"Nasty little brats…" Kyuubi muttered.

Naruto greeted his father and took his place by his mother, in the throne right next to hers. She kissed Naruto on the head as he passed by her.

As the room settled, people finding their places and a hush slowly lulling over the room, Minato smiled.

"Greetings, my fellow countrymen. Today, we are in the midst of a momentous occasion." He spun on his heel as the smile on his face widened. "It's been a year; a long, arduous year. But we've done it. We've won the castle back from Danzo's previous reign of terror."

The crowd roared with approval, many of the demon representatives making a large commotion that the others.

Minato held up his hands to hush the room once more. "Yes, it is true. We've finally been able to come through that dark time and embrace the members of our demon community once more. We are no longer shamed for loving demons, helping them, and showing them their most basic of rights. It feels good to say that we've finally leveled the field, that the demons are finally citizens and no longer animals."

The crowd started to go crazy once again, cheering and thrusting their fists in the air with approval. One of the magicians fired up a volt of fire which exploded into confetti, showering the crowd with shimmering scraps.

"But, none of this would have been possible without sacrifice."

The crowd was silent once more.

"Because of Danzo's rules, his laws, his way of thinking, many have died in countless battles, countless wars, in countless tragedies…" Minato paused for a moment, looking back at his family. "My family was destroyed by Danzo, we were imprisoned by him, made to believe that the others were all dead." His eyes scanned Naruto's face before turning back to the crowd. "I'm sure we all have our stories about what has happened to us. The things we've had to overlook, the things we've had to hide, the things we've had to silence within ourselves. We shout because anger is stronger than fear. In reality though, we were all afraid, we all pretended we weren't."

Kyuubi stared at the blond man before him. He could feel his heart seizing up in his chest. Truer words had never been spoken in Danzo's throne room before.

"But now is not the time to dwell upon the past, now is the time to rejoice and celebrate us. We've survived to see this day. And on this day, we will fully welcome the new royal family." Minato gestured to Kushina and Naruto who sat at their respective positions. Both of them were smiling.

Minato walked over to one of the handmaids who was holding a crown on a pillow. Kushina rose from her seat and walked over to her husband. Her face was lit with her smile and as she knelt before the king, Minato couldn't help but lean in and steal a kiss. She laughed to herself.

"With the powers entrusted to me, rise and welcome our crowned Queen, Uzumaki Kushina." Her placed the pale gold circlet onto Kushina's brow with the utmost care.

The clapping was thunderous, filled with whistles and shouts of praise. Kushina turned towards the crowd, smiling with a slight blush on her cheeks. She waved and her smile only got wider. Minato reached for his wild, red-headed wife, planting a kiss right on her lips. She brushed her thumb against his cheek before kissing it softly. She bowed to the crowd then, resigning herself to the throne.

Another handmaiden came up to Minato, with yet another crown circlet for his son. The smaller blond was already on his feet. "And now, for the final member of the new royal family, my son. With the power entrusted to me, rise and welcome our crown Prince, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto knelt as well, feeling strange when the circlet was placed upon his brow by someone other than one of his previous servants. He hadn't worn a crown of any kind for the duration of this year, but when he felt the cool metallic circlet on his brow, a small sense of unease filled him.

But that's when the clapping started. Whenever he had been alone to have this done; there would be little to no sound. But this time there were people, praising, applauding, wanting him to wear the crown, be on the throne. There was no longer a need to live in fear of assassins, of demons or Danzo. Naruto stood up, his lips twitching into the brightest smile in the room. He was free. He was finally free.

"I really hate to steal the royal families thunder, but I request all of your attention, please." Sasuke was halfway across the throne chamber, shocking everyone in the room. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, elbowing the Uchiha next to him. Itachi seemed too engrossed in the sudden situation to respond to the prodding.

"Sasuke, what is the meaning of this?" Sasuke grabbed the small blond's hand, pulling him closer to his body. The boy pushed softly at Sasuke's chest, trying to get a full grasp on the situation.

"As many of you may know, Naruto and I have completed demonic mating rites. He is my mate and I, his. But, for me, this is not enough." Naruto's face flushed. "In the human realm, mating rites are not so simple. They require a binding contract which requires an entire ceremony and the exchange of rings…"

"Oh, no he isn't!" Kyuubi's voice rung out and Itachi elbowed him hard in the ribs to keep him quiet.

Sasuke got down on one knee, his hand still firmly grasping Naruto's. The blond was shaking slightly where he stood, looking down at Sasuke. He could feel the heat burning his cheeks as the demon pulled a small box from his back pocket. He opened it and there was a simple, flawless diamond ring. He removed the ring, sliding it onto Naruto's finger.

"The day I rescued you from Danzo's keep, I took one of the diamonds from your necklace to bring me luck. And now, I am returning it to you." The blond's hand was shaking as he took it back from the demon. The gold which held the diamond was sculpted into the shape of Sasuke's wings, holding the diamond snuggly just as the demon did every time he held Naruto in his arms while they flew.

"With this, I have yet another ritual of bonding with you, another way of showing you that my love for you is more than just one set of rites. If I had to, I would perform every single ritual, every single rite there has even been, just to show you how much I absolutely worship you."

"Sasuke…" Naruto's eyes were welling up with tears. His heart was pounding in his chest; he understood why Sasuke was so clingy before the ceremony. He was nervous. The blond smiled at Sasuke. "I love you. Never doubt that I will decide differently."

Sasuke sprung up from his crouched position, fiercely kissing the blond. The crowd erupted in cries and clapping. Everyone leapt from their seats to celebrate the engagement.

Itachi looked over at Kyuubi, smiling. But immediately looked a little more shocked when he saw the red headed demon was sobbing softly. The Uchiha's eyes widened as his former commander grabbed his hand, pulling it close to his heart. "Itachi, let's get married."

"Hn, your proposal wasn't nearly as poetic or beautiful as Sasuke's. There's no way I'd marry some lame demon like you."

"YOU'RE SO CRUEL!"  
>-<p>

Sasuke slammed Naruto down on the bed, already ripping at his ceremonial robes. His tongue shoved its way into the blond's mouth, leaving him breathless and wanton as he writhed against Sasuke, pulling the demon closer. Naruto's legs were wrapped around Sasuke's waist and the Uchiha was grinding down into him, causing his back to arch painfully as the pleasure threatened to ruin him. Sasuke's mouth disconnected from Naruto's leaving the blond gasping and moaning as Sasuke disrobed them. His hands were like fire on Naruto's skin, making him shake and shiver as fingers groped and caressed his form.

The proposal had left him speechless. He just wanted to devour Sasuke. Passion and love burned in his veins and he couldn't contain himself. As soon as the ceremony was over, he dragged Sasuke through the halls. But then Sasuke became the aggressor, pushing him over the edge with stolen kisses in the hallway, exciting his body past the point of no return. He wanted Sasuke to plunge into him, steal away any of the remaining secrets his body possessed. He wanted Sasuke to make love to him until he couldn't stand any other sensation.

Naruto's hands fisted into the Uchiha's hair, pulling him up from his chest. He had been licking and sucking, leaving marks but ignoring the dusty nipples. He kissed Sasuke again, sucking and nipping at already plump and bruising lips. Sasuke sighed into the kiss, hands tweaking and massaging Naruto's sensitive chest. He moaned, legs kicking at the sheets as Sasuke's onslaught continued.

"Tell me what you want, Naruto." Sasuke's words were hot against Naruto's lips. The blond was licking them, prying them open with his tongue. The Uchiha pulled back, teasing the blond by blocking further kissing with distance.

"Fuck me, Sasuke. I want you to fuck me." Naruto leaned onto his elbows, aggressively pulling Sasuke closer, nearly growling. "Bond with me, make love to me, whatever you want to call it. I want to feel you stretching my ass while playing with my cock and making me love your body and deliciously, sensual mind with every stroke of pleasure you give me."

Sasuke's face flushed, noting just how lewd the blond's scent had become. He was releasing all kind of pheromones that made Sasuke want to torture and frustrate that wanton body. He wanted to rip the energy out of Naruto's bones and feed on it so he would never be hungry again.

The energy of the room shifted as Naruto's actions got more bold, more wild as he tackled Sasuke to the bed. Their clothes removed, Naruto could feel the full press of Sasuke's skin against his own, feel the slickness of his arousal flush against his backside. Sweat was mingling between their bodies as they ground on each other. Sasuke's cock pressing teasingly against Naruto's hole; both parties moaned, increasing the friction of their bodies. Sasuke's demonic energy was encircling them, making Naruto's head swim with lust as the demon's form started to slowly peek out from his body.

His eyes were shining red, his teeth growing more accustomed to fangs, and his wings were sprouting from his back. Naruto moaned as the head of Sasuke's cock slipped in very faintly. He pulled himself up, knowing a lack of preparation couldn't be fully ignored. He wanted Sasuke to go through every motion with him, every step and take each painstakingly long drop of pleasure. It would only make Sasuke's entrance inside of him that much sweeter.

The demon dug his fingers in deeply, not wasting much time. Two at a time, Sasuke thrust them, making the blond wail with the sudden stretch. Sasuke bit down on Naruto's nipples, changing between the two as he enjoyed the blond, writhing and moaning against him.

His wings felt cramped beneath his weight. Sasuke flipped them, crushing Naruto's arching body down with his full weight. He wanted to give him every ounce of pleasure he could, he wouldn't let Naruto arch away from it. The blond moaned, drool pooling in the corner of his mouth as he moaned, the sounds choking in his throat when Sasuke hit a particularly sensitive spot.

A symphony of moans and whines and whimpers could sustain Sasuke for a lifetime. There was no better music, no better means of expression than hearing Naruto's voice when he was at full pleasure. The blond was thrashing, trying to calm his overexcited body down, but Sasuke wouldn't let him escape the feeling. Naruto screamed when two more fingers entered him; the pleasure causing a particularly rough orgasm to burst from him.

Naruto was twitching, rolling around as his body was continuously brought to higher and higher levels of pleasure and arousal. Sasuke would be deep inside him soon and nothing made his back shiver more than the thought of Sasuke's cock pounding his insides to mush.

He grabbed onto the demon's wrist. "N-no more. I n-need yo-you."

"Show me." Sasuke pulled away from the blond. Naruto immediately reacted, rolling onto his stomach and getting onto all fours, his ass in the air. His dripping, soaking hole in Sasuke's face. The demon leaned forward and shoved his tongue deep into the depths.

Naruto choked on his own saliva as Sasuke's tongue thrust deeper and deeper. "U-uhh! Yes! Sasuke, please."

"Please, what?" Sasuke's hand came down roughly on Naruto's cheeks, stinging them but making Naruto's back arch with desire. "Tell me." Another smack earned him a harsh moan. He stuck his face back into Naruto's hole, lavishing it with as much attention he could shower into it.

Desire made Sasuke's cock strain but he wanted to hear it again. He wanted to hear Naruto's full passion for him. As soon as he heard those words, he knew he couldn't keep an ounce of control anymore.

"Come on, Naruto. Why won't you tell me?" Sasuke's hand released another smack, grasping the firm flesh of Naruto's ass, massaging it with his palm as he soothed where he had abused it earlier. Naruto's mouth was pressed into the pillows as profanity and moaning became one with the other.

"Sasuke, please fill me. Please, put your cock inside me. I want you to fuck me, please." Naruto's voice was haggard with panting as he reached behind himself and spread his ass to Sasuke. "Give me more."

The feeling of Sasuke's filling him was almost too much for Naruto to take. The muscles of his stomach were twitching like crazy, nearly causing him to cum. The moan which ripped from the blond's mouth drove Sasuke's close to insane. It was so loud but muffled by the pillow which Naruto bit down on. His hands had a bruising grip on the blond's hips, mirroring Naruto's grip on the sheets. The slow, hard thrusts from Sasuke caused a strong wave of pleasure for both of them.

Wet and slick, Sasuke loved the squishy, tight, warmth of his lover. It was a feeling he would never get used to. It was always so unbelievably perfect. Always so unbearably tight yet fit himself perfect. Naruto rarely ever complained that Sasuke hurt him which was good. He didn't want Naruto to feel anything but pleasure when they made love. He only wanted Naruto to ache from the torture of holding in his orgasm.

Naruto's mouth couldn't hold onto the fabric of the pillow for long. Sasuke's thrusting behind him, the feeling of the Uchiha's cock, pulling in and out, rubbing and striking all of his most tender and delicate spots, over and over, made his cock want to burst. He was already close. Sasuke had barely started to love him deeply. He wanted more and more. The press of Sasuke's cock inside him was something he'd love for the rest of his life. It was always so big and throbbed when he clenched around his lover, pulling him deeper. It was so good. He just wanted to scream with how amazing his body felt whenever Sasuke was inside.

"Ohhh…!" Naruto moaned loudly, arching so his back was flush against Sasuke's chest. The Uchiha leaned down, marking all over Naruto's neck with his teeth. The blond was shuddering. "Oh, S-Sasu! Deeper!"

The Uchiha pulled Naruto's up causing him to fall back on his cock. The blond was sitting on Sasuke's lap, his legs part by the Uchiha's knees, which were constantly hitting and bouncing off of Naruto's thighs. Naruto's mouth was spouting off gibberish as he set a broken, unsteady rhythm with Sasuke's body. His fingers were clawed into the Uchiha's legs as he continued to fuck him, deeper and harder with each thrust.

Naruto cried out, his orgasm causing all of his muscle to twitch uncontrollably as Sasuke continued to mercilessly pound him deeply. His cum spilled out from his cock, splashing onto his chest and staining his thighs, sticking Sasuke's legs onto the blond's.

Sasuke couldn't hold himself much longer. The blond's walls, which were already tight, squeezed him even more, milking him to coat his inner walls. Sasuke bit down on Naruto's neck, causing the blond to moan and twitch. It was their mating mark and it was infinitely sensitive on the blond.

Naruto collapsed, falling forward onto his knees as Sasuke sagged down on top of him. Eventually the settled down into a comfortable position, Sasuke showering the blond with long, sweet kisses.

"I love you, I love you so much." Naruto muttered, kissing the demon back. Their lips were locked for a long time as the sunset outside their window. The evening festival started with bursting bunches of fireworks, the sparks falling back to earth slowly. Sasuke watched as he petted the blond's hair, hearing the slowing of his breath as he fell asleep in his arms. The place where he belonged.  
>-<p>

**(1)Okay I know someone is going to call bullshit Deus Ex Machina moment on this but to be fair, this isn't purely Deus Ex Machina. This was Chekov's Gun. And for those of you who don't know what Chekov's gun means it is the basic principle of if you mention a gun in the first act, it has to go off in the third. Spilling Naruto's blood has been mentioned since the very first chapter and now is when it is actually coming into play. Also #swag for me because I planned that so well. **

**AFTER SO LONG, IT IS DONE. I FINALLY FINISHED IT. EVEN AFTER THE FAKE-OUT ENDING CHAPTER AND HAVING TO COMPLETELY REDO THE ENTIRE ENDING SEQUENCE. I'M FINALLY SATISFIED. IT IE EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE WISHED FOR. **

**Naruto: I can't believe it…  
>Me: I know, I'mma cry 5ever….<br>Naruto: No, I mean you actually managed to finish it. I'm surprised.  
>Me: you're not very nice, I gave you a beautiful ending scene.<br>Naruto: Oh yeah, like the readers won't expect this stereotypical Hitoko-Sama ending.  
>Me: I hope you fall down later. THIS WAS HITOKO-SAMA<strong>

**LITTLE ANNOUNCEMENT: I'll be starting two new fanfics soon from the poll which has been up for literally forever. SO, I'll be starting a new story soon and I hope you guys will continue to grant me your undying support…until then, love and yaoi! **


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