"As the Last Candle Burns" - Part 2/2 of A (2/?)
And here's the second half of the enormous chapter...
Title: "As the Last Candle Burns"
Author: Falling Right Side-Up (idle_ramblingsx)
Genre: Action Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kakashi x Naruto
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the plot!
Status: WIP (3 Chapters; last updated 1/1/2009)
Summary: Naruto will do anything to save the future and the people in it, even if it means going back to the very beginning. "For all my precious people...for you, Kakashi. I'll do it for you."
Link:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2221617/2/As_The_Last_Candle_Burns
As The Last Candle Burns
By: Falling Right Side-Up
Chapter 2: Rekindling the Fire (2/2) of Part A
Tsunade was not known for having great faith in anything, especially people. After all, betrayal in its many forms had been her constant companion for as long as she could remember. Her lover, her brother, her mentor…three times she had been scorned either through death or abandonment. So the question wasn’t whether she was capable of trusting him, but whether she could survive the bitterness of false hope again.
She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. And somehow Tsunade felt that the mysterious Zokutou Sansai would keep her blissfully ignorant of that unwanted knowledge or at least try his damned best to do so. So in the end it all rested upon the question of whether she wanted to trust him.
And she wanted to very much.
Oh, at first she had been very reluctant. She still was to a certain degree, especially when she considered the fact that 1) she’d never heard of his surname existing in Konoha; 2) he had in his possession a kinjutsu scroll of unidentifiable nature. It had been soaked in blood. A lot of people’s blood. That alone was enough to set her on edge; and 3) he had remnants of a broken seal - also of unidentifiable origins, that only appeared when she had applied chakra - on his torso.
Tsunade may not have been an expert of seals - meaning she didn’t know all the mechanics of them - but she did know about a lot of them. And she’d never seen the one on Sansai’s stomach. It looked almost like it was a combination of two that had been forcefully broken at one point. She idly wondered if it was a personal creation…that would certainly make sense.
And despite all the valid reasons she had to doubt him, Tsunade could not ignore the inexplicable pull she felt towards the mysterious young man. Perhaps it was because he reminded her of someone.
Several someones, in fact. She could see Dan’s kindness in his eyes and Nawaki’s playful nature flitting just beneath the surface. Then there was simply…him. Zokutou Sansai, if that was even his actual name, she thought amusedly.
His very presence was an ambiguity. No matter how degrading her opinion was of her birth place, she knew Konohakagure was not remiss in its strategic maneuvers, especially in times of war. And though Tsunade did not know how valuable Sansai was as a shinobi, she could not see the logic of having an ANBU captain on the opposite side of his country from where the front line of the war against Iwagakure no sato was taking place.
Well, the only sure way to find out more about Sansai was to let him stick around. So, for the moment, she’d give him the benefit of the doubt. Tsunade could only pray that her abysmal history with gambling wouldn’t come and bite her in the ass.
The sannin was, however, sure about one thing. Whether her findings exploded in her face or turned out to be gold, she had an unshakable conviction that Zokutou Sansai was going to turn her world upside down.
“Of course, who else do you think had the skill to restore you from your pitiful state?” Tsunade smirked. Before he had a chance to retort, the door opened to reveal a curious Shizune.
“Tsunade-sama, the rooms are ready,” she spoke softly, still wary of the stranger on the bed. Smiling, Tsunade summoned the child to her side and introduced the amused man.
“Shizune, this is Zokutou Sansai. He’s an ANBU of Konohakagure. I believe he will be staying with us until he is completely healed before heading back to Konoha.” Despite her friendly tone, Tsunade’s expression darkened at the mere mention of the village.
‘Looks like I’ll have to work on that grudge 16 years early…’ Naruto frowned thoughtfully.
Shizune immediately brightened at the new information. Although she loved her shishou and understood the reasons for the sannin’s aversion towards Konoha, it was still her home and she missed it. “Nice to meet you, Sansai-san!” She greeted him cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you, too, Shizune-chan,” he smiled. It was just too adorable, not to mention hilarious, to see that someone who had been older than him was suddenly much younger than him. He turned back to Tsunade. “So, I’ll be staying, will I? Then I’m going to need some clothes…”
“Ah, don’t worry about that,” she waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. “I’ll supply you until you’re well. You can pay me back later, alright?”
“Sure,” he spoke, getting up from the bed. “But for now,” his stomach attested its state with a ferocious rumbling. The blond shinobi blushed and scratched the back of his head, “I think my stomach takes priority,” he laughed sheepishly as Shizune giggled.
“Are you sure you have enough strength to go out?” The older woman asked with concern.
Naruto patted his stomach and puffed up his chest. “Of course, I’m never one to miss out on food!”
The sannin snorted, shaking her head as she walked out the door, “Okay then, let’s go. No use dawdling here.” Shizune cheered as she bounced out after her guardian.
Smiling, Naruto made to follow the two females but faltered in his stride as a he was gripped by a sudden unease. Unobtrusively, he peered at his surroundings, blue eyes narrowing in suspicion as the shadows in the doorway leading into the hall began to stretch.
‘A shadow user? I can’t be the target…my appearance can’t have been noticed by an enemy so soon. It must be obaa-chan.’ Righteous anger flared within him.
Immediately, Naruto scoured the inn with his senses, searching for a hostile chakra.
Nothing.
Undeterred, he spread his senses even further, encompassing the town.
Still nothing.
He frowned grimly. If the shadow user could control his element without even being in the vicinity, there was no doubt the individual was strong. Very strong.
He turned his awareness towards the shadows themselves, smirking. ‘You won’t get away from me that easily.’
Screw finding the fucker, if Naruto could just identify the culprit’s chakra signature, his heightened senses could follow the trail right back to the source. And whoever was waiting at the other end of the line would not be receiving a warm welcome.
However, when the blond searched the shadows for the familiar feeling of chakra, he stood stumped as he again encountered nothing.
No chakra, no chi, no ki, no life-force at all. Just a dark emptiness. A chilling and terrifying emptiness. He was frozen, storm blue eyes widening with incredulous disbelief.
‘The shadows…they’re moving on their own…’
For the first time, Naruto felt his ingrained, battle tactical skepticism warring with an impulsive, superstitious alarm.
He felt a flash of panic as the shadows rose off the ground and peeled off the walls slowly, almost tauntingly. The ones coating the walls reached out with curling tendrils, surrounding the forms of the two females, not constricting but simply hovering. Menacing.
The shadows from the ground spread like a poisonous miasma, spectral, but still opaque with ill intent.
Moments passed and the two females walked farther away from the panic-stricken, blond man, seemingly unaware of the shadows reaching out to smother them.
‘Why? Why can’t they see them?’ Naruto questioned frantically within his mind. Tsunade and Shizune’s forms were almost completely obscured in darkness now; only a last bit of color, of light, visible from their faces.
Cheerful faces, oblivious to the imminent danger.
Naruto’s chest constricted painfully as he drew in a panicked breath, his arm flinging out almost desperately, attempting to grasp something illusive at the two females’ backs within his tired hand.
His mind was pounding with his own screams telling him to protect them. To help them. To move, god damn it!
He took a triumphant step forward.
“Sansai? What are you doing?” Tsunade’s voice interrupted his victorious feat, a fine eyebrow quirked in puzzlement at his silence. At her side, Shizune graced him with a curious stare, a hand held up to her face to block the stream of light flooding the hallway from a nearby window.
Startled, Naruto blinked. The two females quietly awaited a reply while he gathered his thoughts. He drew a blank.
‘Wha-what was I just doing?’ He frowned. Peering at his surroundings in a bewildered haze, he searched for something amiss - nothing - when he noticed his outstretched arm.
The blond stared at his stray appendage in confusion, wondering what he had been trying to do. His arm dropped lifelessly to his side. He fought to keep the feelings of uncertainty, suspicion, and frustration from appearing on his face as he wracked his memory for an explanation to his actions, to his cold-sweat drenched body, to the foreboding feeling of dread hovering at the edge of his senses.
Shaking his head, Naruto looked up, finally noticing his companions’ growing impatience. He offered what he hoped looked like a cheerful smile, and while Shizune took it a face value, he could tell Tsuande wasn’t fooled.
“Is something wrong, Sansai?” The concern in her voice soothed him. “Sansai?” She inquired again. He opened his mouth to tell her about his unease but stopped.
‘Naruto, you brat. Look, you’re making her worried again. You didn’t come back all this way just to make her worry again,’ he scolded himself, looking quite contrite. He gave her a weak smile, his eyes closed in happy, upside down u’s in an effort to hide the apprehension in his expressive eyes.
“Maa, you worry too much, Tsunade-san,” he replied cheerfully, but she only narrowed her eyes.
“Sansai.” This time her voice was stern, demanding a straight answer.
‘Stubborn as always, ne? Tsunade baa-chan.’ Naruto sighed and offered her a slightly stronger smile. “Iie, Tsunade-san. There is nothing wrong,” he motioned his hands in placating gestures. She frowned, biting her bottom lip in thought, but was forced to let the issue go when Shizune tugged on her pants.
“Tsunade-sama? Aren’t we going to go eat?” The twelve-year old questioned impatiently, unaware of the strange atmosphere surrounding the two adults. The older woman smirked in response.
“Of course, Shizune. It’d be best if we did since Sansai can’t seem to stay focused with his stomach empty,” she spoke wryly.
“Hai!” The young girl giggled and proceeded down the inn stairs, dragging her guardian along with her. Tsunade spared Naruto one last glance before allowing herself to be tugged down the stairs.
Naruto paused a moment longer before following his female companions, mulling over his strange lapse of awareness. Although he truly wished to believe his own words of reassurance to the sannin, he knew something was wrong. But to his dismay, he had not the slightest idea of what.
It was no little thing for him to be caught completely unaware of his surroundings or his own actions…that just wasn’t something allowed of a shinobi during the war, had he any wish to live. He wasn’t the best chakra manipulator despite his large reservoir of it, but he was good enough to tell when someone had messed with his head…wasn’t he?
‘This isn’t good,’ Naruto thought grimly. Something…not right was happening. And at the moment, he didn’t have a defense against it if he couldn’t even tell what the hell had happened.
Perhaps…just perhaps it was a blackout and not some underhanded ploy? Sure, he’d never suffered them before, but with the strain of the Kyuubi’s extraction and the scroll, he wasn’t in the best condition.
‘Yes, there is nothing wrong. I’m probably still stressed out from using the scroll…there’s nothing wrong.’ A wave of absolute relief washed over him as he walked through the lobby and allowed a genuine smile to spread across his face as he saw the two females waiting for him.
When Naruto finally allowed himself to relax and push his concerns aside, he wondered at the irritable feeling in the recesses of his mind. It almost felt like he had forgotten something important and his mind was trying to get him to remember…
But he was tired from the constant suspicion of his battle sharpened mind. So he pushed his dark thoughts away, and along with them, the memory of being suspicious and worried in the first place.
Desperate and strained as he was, he never noticed that the calm and reassuring presence of darkness in his mind was not his own.
“So,” he drawled, quirking his eyebrows at the many appraising gazes fixated on him, “what do you think of this one?”
He gave an extra manly twirl for inspection. Several appreciative “mmhmm”s and “oohh, definitely”s rang throughout the shop. However, Naruto was unconcerned but for the responses of the two females in front of him.
Tsunade walked around him, one hand on her chin and the other across her midriff as she scrutinized his newest assemble of clothes. Her expression was contemplative and her glance lingered on his back. Shizune’s face held an expression of fierce concentration as she imitated the other women in the shop, uttering occasional “mmhmm”s.
Naruto patiently awaited the verdict. The sannin stopped in front of him, her eyes giving him a last once over before she lit up with a smile. “Outfit number 11, good to go!” The women in the clothes shop cheered as he released a sigh of relief.
“Women,” he muttered as he went back into the changing booth, “why are they so picky about clothes? And they take so long… And what the hell was wrong with that orange shirt?” He grumbled as he shirked the outfit off. He whimpered pitifully, leaning against the side of the booth. “Tsunade-san!” He called through the booth, “I’m hungry! I thought we were going to get food first!”
“No, not yet! One more, alright! One more and I promise I’ll feed you!” Her voice responded. His head drooped in defeat.
“That’s what you said 10 outfits ago!” Her only response was to throw more articles of clothing over the door into his booth. He huffed as a pair of pants landed on his head. “Fine! Just this last one, and then I’m outta here, clothes or no clothes! Being butt naked won’t stop me from eating!” He declared vehemently. The perturbed blond glared at the door as he heard muffled giggles, but he proceeded to change nevertheless.
The group had been on its way to a nearby restaurant when he was suddenly lifted up into a pair of womanly arms. Before he could make sense of what was happening, he had been deposited in front of a mirror. A pile of clothes had been shoved into his arms and then he was ordered to strip and dress, strip and dress, strip and dress…
The torturous cycle continued and he managed to endure it only because of the aforementioned promise of being fed. Now, Naruto cursed his compliancy.
He’d known that Tsunade was a slave driver in the future, but he hadn’t known that she was worse in the past until now. He bemoaned his misfortune to face the younger version of his Godaime. At least Shizune was cute, he consoled himself.
Naruto didn’t bother to even look at the clothes they tossed at him anymore. Once he was done dressing, he trudged out for inspection once again. He was surprised when he heard Tsunade crow - “Yes! That’s definitely a winner!”- as soon as he stepped out. Curious as to what outfit had won the immediate approval of the picky woman, Naruto spared a glance at his current outfit.
His glance became a stare. A very long and contemplative stare.
Naruto had always wished to be taller when he was young, and although he had reached a respectable height of 5’10”, he was far from being the tallest of his peers. Whether it was due to genes or malnutrition from ramen, he never acquired a bulky, muscled physique either. Instead, he was slim-toned and wiry, which accented his predatory grace. And the outfit he was wearing emphasized his sleek and power-coiled body to the max.
(2) His “shirt” was actually a sleeveless vest of thick cotton with a high collar and metal zipper in the front. The zipper was only up halfway, exposing a good amount of his upper chest and neck. It was the same shade of color as his ANBU uniform, and just as form-fitting. But the real kicker was the black leather straps that “x”ed across his torso.
His lower body sported loose cargo pants with zippered pockets on the thighs. Good for storing weapons, Naruto supposed. And to top it off, a long strap of black leather wrapped around him, resting low on his hips. On his feet, he wore black leather boots with high laces, but they were mostly hidden by his pants.
On his hands, he wore leather gloves of similar design to what Sakura had adorned shortly after her apprenticeship with Tsunade. They stopped right at his wrists, without straps or buckles, but still had a snug yet comfortable grip.
Overall, he was donned with a whole lot of leather and tight fitting accessories of clothing. Naruto thought the outfit would either give the impression that he was a bad-ass or that he was decidedly kinky.
His nose wrinkled in thought. While in all honesty Naruto had to admit he’d been quite adventurous in his sexual exploits with Kakashi - he ignored the sharp pain of sorrow at the thought of his lover - they’d never delved into the realm of bondage. Of course, now that he thought about it, it could have simply been because they’d never had the opportunity for such…eccentricities in the tightly packed camp.
‘Meh,’ Naruto shrugged. The blond wasn’t quite sure about the outfit, but the general populace in the store seemed to think it was the best thing on the face of the planet. So he supposed it would have to do. He was more concerned about being fed than his appearance.
“Come on, Sansai! You’re going to wear that outfit out of here,” Tsunade declared, dragging him over to the cashier. She proceeded to bargain the prices of his clothes with the owner, their squabbling rising above the murmuring of the other customers. Naruto brushed off the furtive glances and turned towards the full-length mirror.
He conceded that the outfit wasn’t bad. But he still mourned the loss of his usually bright clothing. In the future, dark clothing 24/7 had been a necessity to survival. He’d actually been looking forward to wearing something bright again since he was in the past, but Tsunade seemed to violently disagree with his tastes.
(3) Sighing, he brushed his hand through his hair, fingering the wild spikes as he glanced at the barely perceptible whisker marks on his cheeks. His hair was longer towards the front, the ones on the sides of his face reaching his chin. Shortening towards the back, they were clearly gravity defying on the top as far as he was concerned. Maybe he needed a haircut?
“Ne, Tsunade-san,” he interrupted without turning towards her. “Do you think I should get my hair cut?” he tugged on his bangs plaintively. He recoiled in shock when the whole store answered with an emphatic “NO!”
“Umm, okay. I was just asking…” he backed away cautiously towards Shizune. She seemed to be the least threatening compared to the other women who were glaring at him as if he had spoken sacrilege. Instead of refuge, however, he encountered rebuke when Shizune frowned, stepped forward and kicked him in the shin with all her 12 year old might.
He yelped in pain, cringing as his shin throbbed. “Sansai-san no baka!” She declared. With that, she stomped over to her shishou who was stifling her laughter. He glared at the two females.
Straightening, he attempted to appear dignified as he growled two words. “Food. Now.”
“Alright, alright,” Tsunade rolled her eyes. Naruto’s eyes narrowed. Just for that, he wasn’t going to hold back his appetite. Everything edible within his sight ought to beware, for he was going to devour them all!
“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go,” she ushered him out, Shizune trailing behind him as she exchanged goodbyes with the store owner.
No one moved.
Everyone was frozen in place, paralyzed with a mixture of bizarre awe and stupefying horror. The source of their attention was the lone blond man sitting in the middle booth. He was like a wild animal, jaws snapping, hands clawing, slurping and snarling as he viciously attacked his food.
One of the customers trembled and keeled over in a dead faint, unable to handle the gruesome scene before her. Naruto watched her fall to the floor and smirked around a mouthful of food, putting extra effort into the next contented growl he emitted.
Nothing was safe from him. Once he had finished his own 6 plates, he had moved onto his companions’ meals. Unsatisfied, he resorted to snatching food from passing waiters.
Inside, he cackled at his brilliantly insidious plot of revenge. Never would Tsunade subject him to the torture of clothes shopping and forget to feed him again. He would make sure of it.
He was reaching for another plate when Tsunade finally broke free from her appalled daze and brought her fist down to smack him upside the head. He shot through the table and into the floor with a loud boom announcing his painful impact.
“Oww,” he grunted. “Wha-hah a-hor?” He scowled while digging himself out of the ground, still chewing food.
‘Uh-oh…’ his eyes widened in trepidation as a blood vessel pulsed on the blonde woman’s forehead. ‘Hehehe, maybe I went a little overboard?’
She smiled forcefully at him, an eyebrow twitching and her eyes promising retribution.
‘Hey, now! No revenge on the poor injured, starving, irresistibly handsome and suave shinobi! ‘sides, you deserved it!’ He cried petulantly within his mind, doing his utmost to convey his thoughts through his wide blue eyes and affronted expression.
Of course, the innocent look was rendered useless by his food-stuffed cheeks and specks of slobber on his face.
Tsunade sighed, using her fingers to squeeze the bridge of her nose, trying to keep the inevitable migraine at bay. How the formerly dignified and mysterious man could degenerate himself into a slob over food was beyond her.
“Fine, I learned my lesson. No more clothes shopping for you, and never put off feeding you. Satisfied?” She looked down to see him nodding vigorously. “Alright then, let’s get out of here,” she stood up. “Shizune, it’s safe to come out now,” she called out towards an overturned table.
Cautiously, the girl poked her head out from behind the table where she had taken shelter from the flying specs of food. “A-ano…Sansai-san, he’s okay now? He’s not going to eat me?” She asked, glancing worriedly from him to her shishio. Naruto choked on the food in his mouth.
Her words created a completely different connotation to his ears. “Cradle-robber, cradle-robber” bounced around in his head. Unwanted thoughts about the dilemma of Kakashi flooded his mind.
‘Is it possible that kids have instinctive radar for people like that? I wasn’t seriously considering of wooing Kakashi until later…’ he sweated. ‘Damn, now I feel like some shifty geezer out to get some from a poor unsuspecting kid.’
“What made you think I was going to eat you, Shizune-chan?” He laughed nervously. She peered at him doubtfully.
“Sansai-san, you were eating everything within sight! It was like a vaccum sucking everything into your mouth! I swear I felt wind! I was afraid I’d get sucked in, too…” she murmured. Tsunade snickered.
“Yeah, Mr. Vacuum shinobi-san, don’t you think you over did it? Hmmm? She was afraid of getting sucked into your big mouth!” Tsunade sneered playfully. He snorted.
“In case you forgot, it was your fault,” he retorted, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand as he sauntered towards the entrance of the restaurant.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Tsunade pointed an accusing finger at his back.
“Gotta work off all this food,” he replied sheepishly, casting a playful glance over his shoulder at the gaping woman. “Thanks for the food, Tsunade-san! I’ll see you back at the inn!” He snickered and disappeared from sight just as a table was sent flying through the door.
Brightly Burning:
Tribute to the Kyuubi
…Naruto struggled weakly against the restraints that held him immobile on the bloodied ground. Though his thoughts were sluggish from his profuse loss of blood, he was vaguely aware of the ongoing battle around him. Grunting, he attempted to sit up but flopped back over midway from the lack of strength and coordination.
The blond gave a put-upon sigh and frowned. Really, he should have felt a bit more concerned of how his friends were faring against the Akatsuki, but in his drug induced lethargy - courtesy of Sasori of the Sand - he couldn’t quite bring himself to worry.
‘Hmmm…’ was his non-committed thought as he flopped around again.
A flash of light and searing heat caught his wandering attention. The blond squinted as a blackish-blue blur shot past him. Idly, he realized that the blur was actually two people who looked remarkably alike. ‘Ah, it’s gotta be Sasuke and his brother.’
Clearing his throat, Naruto made an attempt to call out. “Oi!” His voice rasped. He was ignored. “Oi, Sasuke!” He yelled a bit louder and grinned in triumph as one of the blurs separated after a large explosion and jumped towards him.
“Che, only you would get drugged up and then be stubborn enough to fight and end up getting caught, moron,” was the gruff response. Sasuke was mildly injured in multiple places and panting heavily for air. The blond frowned in a combination of worry and indignation at the earlier comment. He opened his mouth to say something in his defense but was waved off by a curt hand signal.
“Not now, Naruto,” the Uchiha spoke agitatedly. “Do you still have the fur-ball?” The blond felt an irritated flare of crimson chakra inside him from said fur-ball. The tied up shinobi fell silent and his cerulean eyes unfocused momentarily as he conversed with the youma. Sasuke watched curiously, one eye trained on the rubble at the opposite side of the cavern where Itachi had been thrown by his katon jutsu.
Naruto looked back up, his eyes still glazed from the drugs. “Kyuubi says he’s not a fur-ball.” Another pause. “And that he thinks you’re an ass.” The raven-haired man snorted, wiping his forehead to keep blood from dripping into his eyes.
“Well, tell the fur-ball he ought to make himself useful. The almighty bijuu can’t even defend himself or his host, how pitiful. I don’t understand by the Akatsuki would want such a useless creature,” Sasuke mockingly sneered, smirking as Naruto’s eyes flashed with a streak of crimson.
‘PITIFUL! USELESS! Why that no good scrawny - #$#!’ a guttural snarl boomed in the blond’s head.
‘Oi! Shaddup! My head hurts!’ Naruto whined in complaint. He could tell the bijuu was pacing furiously within his cage, occasionally snapping at the iron bars.
‘Your head is going to be the least of our problems if we don’t do something!’ Naruto muttered a petulant ‘Go away!’ and turned his figurative back to the Kyuubi. The nine-tailed beast growled reprovingly.
The bijuu bared his canines at the enormous statue towering over his host within the cavern, fur bristling with intense dislike…no, hate. As a demon there was very little the Kyuubi had not seen in his long existence. He had long been exposed to the uplifting and despicable nature of both demons and humanity. Consequently, it was rare for him to face something that innately unsettled him. And much to the Kyuubi’s disgust, the Genryuu Kyuu Fuujin (Complete Nine Mystical Dragon Seal) did just that too well.
The “King of Hell” statue was currently dormant, its multiple eyes and mouth bound with chains, but its seemingly harmless state did nothing to detract from the heavy, looming unnaturalness of the jutsu’s aura. It was…tainted. The Kyuubi had no other way to describe it. It was a danger. An unprecedented danger that not even he, the great Nine-tailed demon of the bijuus, was prepared to face.
And in face of that danger, the Kyuubi allowed himself to be truthful for once. Truthful about his thoughts, feelings, situation, and as much as he disliked the word…limitations. There had been a time when he had greatly resented Naruto for his captivity. He would have liked nothing more than to escape and tear the boy apart before decimating his village. But as time passed the boy had managed to change him, and to his chagrin the Kyuubi couldn’t truthfully say that the changes were entirely unwelcome.
The kitsune had seen many mortals fight against the odds and fall, lose faith, and never get back up. But Naruto stood again and again. Most of it was strength of will and sheer determination, but behind the blond’s mask there was a whisper of power and ruthlessness; those were qualities that the Kyuubi could appreciate and respect. Such bestial instincts likened the blond to the demons, yet the potential destructive chaos was tempered by the human’s love and protectiveness. It was a balance that intrigued him.
And through the ever growing intrigue the Kyuubi found a kindred spirit within the mortal, which of the likes he’d never encountered even amongst his own kind. Not that the great bijuu would ever admit he’d actually grown fond of the brat.
‘Humph.’ Despite his self-proclaimed superiority as a demon, the Kyuubi had been unable to attain certain things…things that no amount of power could grant him. Things that many warriors would label as petty and weak. Things that no usual demon desired. But then again he’d always been a bit unusual, much like his host.
At the time of his first defeat ever by the hands of Naruto’s father, the Kyuubi had cursed humanity and the innocent babe that would be his cage with many a foul tongues. Yet, what he’d angrily believed to be his damnation had actually become his means of salvation. The nine-tailed fox demon could still taste the irony. The very word “salvation” associated with a demon of his caliber seemed laughable, but the kitsune was convinced that was what it was. And because of that the Kyuubi felt he was greatly in debt to the young blond shinobi; he felt refreshingly humbled.
Humbled enough to see the near hopelessness of the current situation. Naruto may have had great faith in his companions’ capabilities, but the Kyuubi was far more realistic. He could already see them tiring against the band of missing-nins.
The Shadow User was down on his knees clutching a deep wound in his gut, while one of the White-Eyes shielded him, palm outstretched and veins bulging. The second generation of the vile Green-Thing was dashing after his opponent, his usual nonsensical speeches subdued. Ah, and the Big-Breasted Woman was here as well. That was unusual; surely she should have been tucked safely away at base camp?
The others were out of his line of sight, but the bijuu already knew who else was there…and who wasn’t. He shared his container’s pain for the loss of companions as well as Naruto’s determination not to lose more. And off chance there was a way to gain them all back, would it be worth the risk? Yes, if there was the possibility to avoid this broken reality any price would be acceptable to pay.
But for now the Kyuubi had to work with what was left here. He needed to wake his host up to save what was left now. Especially since Naruto’s life-mate was here.
‘Kit, look at me.’ The Kyuubi demanded the young blond’s attention. Naruto, startled by the rare use of the endearment, obeyed. The ANBU blinked wonderingly as he gazed back into a pair of magnificent eyes beyond the iron bars of the cage. Like fire, his intoxicated mind described. Like a passionate flame burning at its peak before it died. Something within him grew sad, and he became agitated because he didn’t know why.
‘Naruto, I need you to bear with me. I’m going to flood your system with my chakra and wash the drugs from your blood. It will hurt, but it needs to be done. Your friends are not faring well. They need us. They need you,’ the bijuu spoke firmly. The blond’s eyes cleared slightly upon the gravity present in the youma’s tone and somberly nodded his head in acquiescence.
‘Good.’ The Kyuubi paused. ‘Do you trust me?’ Naruto stared questioningly at the bijuu’s almost nervous disposition but nodded without hesitation. ‘I’m going to ask the impossible of you, but I see no other way to salvage anything otherwise. This world is too far gone. However, I may be able to give you another chance. This, too, will not be easy, and its success will depend solely on you, for I will not be here to help. Are you willing?’
Again the blond nodded, now even more curious than before. ‘There is not much time, so I will do this quickly.’ The Kyuubi gathered the information he needed and sent it into Naruto’s mind through a compact burst of chakra. The demon watched silently as Naruto’s expressions changed from confusion, disbelief, and tentative hope. Hope that he had not felt in years.
'It can really do that? A mere scroll? Why hasn't it been used before?' Naruto queried. The bijuu laughed.
'That, you can solve on your own. But be careful. Should you make one mistake, you may cease to exist.' The blond's eyes widened in alarm. 'No, I will not answer more. What you need to know, you already do. The rest is but troublesome speculation. You must believe you will succeed.' Naruto nodded, trying to keep the sullen expression off his face. Suddenly, the blond frowned.
'Wait, what about you? What’ll happen to you?’
‘I suspect that without a body I’ll go to the realm of the dead. If not, it’s possible I may simply return to the demon realm,’ the demon replied nonchalantly. ‘Do not worry. Who knows, there is yet a chance I may see you again.’ Naruto frowned doubtfully. ‘It does not matter, you know as well as I that there is no better option.’ The blond frowned even more for he knew what the bijuu said was true.
‘Then…I guess it’s good-bye…You know I don’t really hate you anymore, right?’ Naruto gazed sadly into the Kyuubi’s magnificent eyes. Now he knew why he had felt so sad before.
‘Yes. I have also grown to…tolerate you,’ the bijuu sniffed haughtily and Naruto grinned.‘I suppose a “Good luck, Naruto” is in order,’ the Kyuubi’s gaze was soft for once, looking fondly down at his host. 'Make me proud, Kit.' Abruptly, the demon’s expression became stern and forbidding.
‘Prepare yourself.’ That was the last of the Kyuubi Naruto heard.
End of “Rekindling the Fire”
Part A
(1) Zokutou Sansai: Zokutou, a continuous spiral of movement upwards. Sansai, the three Calamities of fire, flood, and storm. I made this alias based off of the fact that “Naruto” can mean maelstrom and the plot will play heavily upon these meanings.
(2)(3): I roughly based Naruto’s hair and outfit on Cloud Strife’s in the Movie: Advent Children. Naruto’s gloves are different though, and he doesn’t have half cape/sleeve.
AN: So? Was it good? Lol. Leave a comment, please!
Continued in Chapter 3: (1/2) of Part B
Title: "As the Last Candle Burns"
Author: Falling Right Side-Up (idle_ramblingsx)
Genre: Action Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kakashi x Naruto
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the plot!
Status: WIP (3 Chapters; last updated 1/1/2009)
Summary: Naruto will do anything to save the future and the people in it, even if it means going back to the very beginning. "For all my precious people...for you, Kakashi. I'll do it for you."
Link:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2221617/2/As_The_Last_Candle_Burns
As The Last Candle Burns
By: Falling Right Side-Up
Chapter 2: Rekindling the Fire (2/2) of Part A
Tsunade was not known for having great faith in anything, especially people. After all, betrayal in its many forms had been her constant companion for as long as she could remember. Her lover, her brother, her mentor…three times she had been scorned either through death or abandonment. So the question wasn’t whether she was capable of trusting him, but whether she could survive the bitterness of false hope again.
She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. And somehow Tsunade felt that the mysterious Zokutou Sansai would keep her blissfully ignorant of that unwanted knowledge or at least try his damned best to do so. So in the end it all rested upon the question of whether she wanted to trust him.
And she wanted to very much.
Oh, at first she had been very reluctant. She still was to a certain degree, especially when she considered the fact that 1) she’d never heard of his surname existing in Konoha; 2) he had in his possession a kinjutsu scroll of unidentifiable nature. It had been soaked in blood. A lot of people’s blood. That alone was enough to set her on edge; and 3) he had remnants of a broken seal - also of unidentifiable origins, that only appeared when she had applied chakra - on his torso.
Tsunade may not have been an expert of seals - meaning she didn’t know all the mechanics of them - but she did know about a lot of them. And she’d never seen the one on Sansai’s stomach. It looked almost like it was a combination of two that had been forcefully broken at one point. She idly wondered if it was a personal creation…that would certainly make sense.
And despite all the valid reasons she had to doubt him, Tsunade could not ignore the inexplicable pull she felt towards the mysterious young man. Perhaps it was because he reminded her of someone.
Several someones, in fact. She could see Dan’s kindness in his eyes and Nawaki’s playful nature flitting just beneath the surface. Then there was simply…him. Zokutou Sansai, if that was even his actual name, she thought amusedly.
His very presence was an ambiguity. No matter how degrading her opinion was of her birth place, she knew Konohakagure was not remiss in its strategic maneuvers, especially in times of war. And though Tsunade did not know how valuable Sansai was as a shinobi, she could not see the logic of having an ANBU captain on the opposite side of his country from where the front line of the war against Iwagakure no sato was taking place.
Well, the only sure way to find out more about Sansai was to let him stick around. So, for the moment, she’d give him the benefit of the doubt. Tsunade could only pray that her abysmal history with gambling wouldn’t come and bite her in the ass.
The sannin was, however, sure about one thing. Whether her findings exploded in her face or turned out to be gold, she had an unshakable conviction that Zokutou Sansai was going to turn her world upside down.
“Of course, who else do you think had the skill to restore you from your pitiful state?” Tsunade smirked. Before he had a chance to retort, the door opened to reveal a curious Shizune.
“Tsunade-sama, the rooms are ready,” she spoke softly, still wary of the stranger on the bed. Smiling, Tsunade summoned the child to her side and introduced the amused man.
“Shizune, this is Zokutou Sansai. He’s an ANBU of Konohakagure. I believe he will be staying with us until he is completely healed before heading back to Konoha.” Despite her friendly tone, Tsunade’s expression darkened at the mere mention of the village.
‘Looks like I’ll have to work on that grudge 16 years early…’ Naruto frowned thoughtfully.
Shizune immediately brightened at the new information. Although she loved her shishou and understood the reasons for the sannin’s aversion towards Konoha, it was still her home and she missed it. “Nice to meet you, Sansai-san!” She greeted him cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you, too, Shizune-chan,” he smiled. It was just too adorable, not to mention hilarious, to see that someone who had been older than him was suddenly much younger than him. He turned back to Tsunade. “So, I’ll be staying, will I? Then I’m going to need some clothes…”
“Ah, don’t worry about that,” she waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. “I’ll supply you until you’re well. You can pay me back later, alright?”
“Sure,” he spoke, getting up from the bed. “But for now,” his stomach attested its state with a ferocious rumbling. The blond shinobi blushed and scratched the back of his head, “I think my stomach takes priority,” he laughed sheepishly as Shizune giggled.
“Are you sure you have enough strength to go out?” The older woman asked with concern.
Naruto patted his stomach and puffed up his chest. “Of course, I’m never one to miss out on food!”
The sannin snorted, shaking her head as she walked out the door, “Okay then, let’s go. No use dawdling here.” Shizune cheered as she bounced out after her guardian.
Smiling, Naruto made to follow the two females but faltered in his stride as a he was gripped by a sudden unease. Unobtrusively, he peered at his surroundings, blue eyes narrowing in suspicion as the shadows in the doorway leading into the hall began to stretch.
‘A shadow user? I can’t be the target…my appearance can’t have been noticed by an enemy so soon. It must be obaa-chan.’ Righteous anger flared within him.
Immediately, Naruto scoured the inn with his senses, searching for a hostile chakra.
Nothing.
Undeterred, he spread his senses even further, encompassing the town.
Still nothing.
He frowned grimly. If the shadow user could control his element without even being in the vicinity, there was no doubt the individual was strong. Very strong.
He turned his awareness towards the shadows themselves, smirking. ‘You won’t get away from me that easily.’
Screw finding the fucker, if Naruto could just identify the culprit’s chakra signature, his heightened senses could follow the trail right back to the source. And whoever was waiting at the other end of the line would not be receiving a warm welcome.
However, when the blond searched the shadows for the familiar feeling of chakra, he stood stumped as he again encountered nothing.
No chakra, no chi, no ki, no life-force at all. Just a dark emptiness. A chilling and terrifying emptiness. He was frozen, storm blue eyes widening with incredulous disbelief.
‘The shadows…they’re moving on their own…’
For the first time, Naruto felt his ingrained, battle tactical skepticism warring with an impulsive, superstitious alarm.
He felt a flash of panic as the shadows rose off the ground and peeled off the walls slowly, almost tauntingly. The ones coating the walls reached out with curling tendrils, surrounding the forms of the two females, not constricting but simply hovering. Menacing.
The shadows from the ground spread like a poisonous miasma, spectral, but still opaque with ill intent.
Moments passed and the two females walked farther away from the panic-stricken, blond man, seemingly unaware of the shadows reaching out to smother them.
‘Why? Why can’t they see them?’ Naruto questioned frantically within his mind. Tsunade and Shizune’s forms were almost completely obscured in darkness now; only a last bit of color, of light, visible from their faces.
Cheerful faces, oblivious to the imminent danger.
Naruto’s chest constricted painfully as he drew in a panicked breath, his arm flinging out almost desperately, attempting to grasp something illusive at the two females’ backs within his tired hand.
His mind was pounding with his own screams telling him to protect them. To help them. To move, god damn it!
He took a triumphant step forward.
“Sansai? What are you doing?” Tsunade’s voice interrupted his victorious feat, a fine eyebrow quirked in puzzlement at his silence. At her side, Shizune graced him with a curious stare, a hand held up to her face to block the stream of light flooding the hallway from a nearby window.
Startled, Naruto blinked. The two females quietly awaited a reply while he gathered his thoughts. He drew a blank.
‘Wha-what was I just doing?’ He frowned. Peering at his surroundings in a bewildered haze, he searched for something amiss - nothing - when he noticed his outstretched arm.
The blond stared at his stray appendage in confusion, wondering what he had been trying to do. His arm dropped lifelessly to his side. He fought to keep the feelings of uncertainty, suspicion, and frustration from appearing on his face as he wracked his memory for an explanation to his actions, to his cold-sweat drenched body, to the foreboding feeling of dread hovering at the edge of his senses.
Shaking his head, Naruto looked up, finally noticing his companions’ growing impatience. He offered what he hoped looked like a cheerful smile, and while Shizune took it a face value, he could tell Tsuande wasn’t fooled.
“Is something wrong, Sansai?” The concern in her voice soothed him. “Sansai?” She inquired again. He opened his mouth to tell her about his unease but stopped.
‘Naruto, you brat. Look, you’re making her worried again. You didn’t come back all this way just to make her worry again,’ he scolded himself, looking quite contrite. He gave her a weak smile, his eyes closed in happy, upside down u’s in an effort to hide the apprehension in his expressive eyes.
“Maa, you worry too much, Tsunade-san,” he replied cheerfully, but she only narrowed her eyes.
“Sansai.” This time her voice was stern, demanding a straight answer.
‘Stubborn as always, ne? Tsunade baa-chan.’ Naruto sighed and offered her a slightly stronger smile. “Iie, Tsunade-san. There is nothing wrong,” he motioned his hands in placating gestures. She frowned, biting her bottom lip in thought, but was forced to let the issue go when Shizune tugged on her pants.
“Tsunade-sama? Aren’t we going to go eat?” The twelve-year old questioned impatiently, unaware of the strange atmosphere surrounding the two adults. The older woman smirked in response.
“Of course, Shizune. It’d be best if we did since Sansai can’t seem to stay focused with his stomach empty,” she spoke wryly.
“Hai!” The young girl giggled and proceeded down the inn stairs, dragging her guardian along with her. Tsunade spared Naruto one last glance before allowing herself to be tugged down the stairs.
Naruto paused a moment longer before following his female companions, mulling over his strange lapse of awareness. Although he truly wished to believe his own words of reassurance to the sannin, he knew something was wrong. But to his dismay, he had not the slightest idea of what.
It was no little thing for him to be caught completely unaware of his surroundings or his own actions…that just wasn’t something allowed of a shinobi during the war, had he any wish to live. He wasn’t the best chakra manipulator despite his large reservoir of it, but he was good enough to tell when someone had messed with his head…wasn’t he?
‘This isn’t good,’ Naruto thought grimly. Something…not right was happening. And at the moment, he didn’t have a defense against it if he couldn’t even tell what the hell had happened.
Perhaps…just perhaps it was a blackout and not some underhanded ploy? Sure, he’d never suffered them before, but with the strain of the Kyuubi’s extraction and the scroll, he wasn’t in the best condition.
‘Yes, there is nothing wrong. I’m probably still stressed out from using the scroll…there’s nothing wrong.’ A wave of absolute relief washed over him as he walked through the lobby and allowed a genuine smile to spread across his face as he saw the two females waiting for him.
When Naruto finally allowed himself to relax and push his concerns aside, he wondered at the irritable feeling in the recesses of his mind. It almost felt like he had forgotten something important and his mind was trying to get him to remember…
But he was tired from the constant suspicion of his battle sharpened mind. So he pushed his dark thoughts away, and along with them, the memory of being suspicious and worried in the first place.
Desperate and strained as he was, he never noticed that the calm and reassuring presence of darkness in his mind was not his own.
“So,” he drawled, quirking his eyebrows at the many appraising gazes fixated on him, “what do you think of this one?”
He gave an extra manly twirl for inspection. Several appreciative “mmhmm”s and “oohh, definitely”s rang throughout the shop. However, Naruto was unconcerned but for the responses of the two females in front of him.
Tsunade walked around him, one hand on her chin and the other across her midriff as she scrutinized his newest assemble of clothes. Her expression was contemplative and her glance lingered on his back. Shizune’s face held an expression of fierce concentration as she imitated the other women in the shop, uttering occasional “mmhmm”s.
Naruto patiently awaited the verdict. The sannin stopped in front of him, her eyes giving him a last once over before she lit up with a smile. “Outfit number 11, good to go!” The women in the clothes shop cheered as he released a sigh of relief.
“Women,” he muttered as he went back into the changing booth, “why are they so picky about clothes? And they take so long… And what the hell was wrong with that orange shirt?” He grumbled as he shirked the outfit off. He whimpered pitifully, leaning against the side of the booth. “Tsunade-san!” He called through the booth, “I’m hungry! I thought we were going to get food first!”
“No, not yet! One more, alright! One more and I promise I’ll feed you!” Her voice responded. His head drooped in defeat.
“That’s what you said 10 outfits ago!” Her only response was to throw more articles of clothing over the door into his booth. He huffed as a pair of pants landed on his head. “Fine! Just this last one, and then I’m outta here, clothes or no clothes! Being butt naked won’t stop me from eating!” He declared vehemently. The perturbed blond glared at the door as he heard muffled giggles, but he proceeded to change nevertheless.
The group had been on its way to a nearby restaurant when he was suddenly lifted up into a pair of womanly arms. Before he could make sense of what was happening, he had been deposited in front of a mirror. A pile of clothes had been shoved into his arms and then he was ordered to strip and dress, strip and dress, strip and dress…
The torturous cycle continued and he managed to endure it only because of the aforementioned promise of being fed. Now, Naruto cursed his compliancy.
He’d known that Tsunade was a slave driver in the future, but he hadn’t known that she was worse in the past until now. He bemoaned his misfortune to face the younger version of his Godaime. At least Shizune was cute, he consoled himself.
Naruto didn’t bother to even look at the clothes they tossed at him anymore. Once he was done dressing, he trudged out for inspection once again. He was surprised when he heard Tsunade crow - “Yes! That’s definitely a winner!”- as soon as he stepped out. Curious as to what outfit had won the immediate approval of the picky woman, Naruto spared a glance at his current outfit.
His glance became a stare. A very long and contemplative stare.
Naruto had always wished to be taller when he was young, and although he had reached a respectable height of 5’10”, he was far from being the tallest of his peers. Whether it was due to genes or malnutrition from ramen, he never acquired a bulky, muscled physique either. Instead, he was slim-toned and wiry, which accented his predatory grace. And the outfit he was wearing emphasized his sleek and power-coiled body to the max.
(2) His “shirt” was actually a sleeveless vest of thick cotton with a high collar and metal zipper in the front. The zipper was only up halfway, exposing a good amount of his upper chest and neck. It was the same shade of color as his ANBU uniform, and just as form-fitting. But the real kicker was the black leather straps that “x”ed across his torso.
His lower body sported loose cargo pants with zippered pockets on the thighs. Good for storing weapons, Naruto supposed. And to top it off, a long strap of black leather wrapped around him, resting low on his hips. On his feet, he wore black leather boots with high laces, but they were mostly hidden by his pants.
On his hands, he wore leather gloves of similar design to what Sakura had adorned shortly after her apprenticeship with Tsunade. They stopped right at his wrists, without straps or buckles, but still had a snug yet comfortable grip.
Overall, he was donned with a whole lot of leather and tight fitting accessories of clothing. Naruto thought the outfit would either give the impression that he was a bad-ass or that he was decidedly kinky.
His nose wrinkled in thought. While in all honesty Naruto had to admit he’d been quite adventurous in his sexual exploits with Kakashi - he ignored the sharp pain of sorrow at the thought of his lover - they’d never delved into the realm of bondage. Of course, now that he thought about it, it could have simply been because they’d never had the opportunity for such…eccentricities in the tightly packed camp.
‘Meh,’ Naruto shrugged. The blond wasn’t quite sure about the outfit, but the general populace in the store seemed to think it was the best thing on the face of the planet. So he supposed it would have to do. He was more concerned about being fed than his appearance.
“Come on, Sansai! You’re going to wear that outfit out of here,” Tsunade declared, dragging him over to the cashier. She proceeded to bargain the prices of his clothes with the owner, their squabbling rising above the murmuring of the other customers. Naruto brushed off the furtive glances and turned towards the full-length mirror.
He conceded that the outfit wasn’t bad. But he still mourned the loss of his usually bright clothing. In the future, dark clothing 24/7 had been a necessity to survival. He’d actually been looking forward to wearing something bright again since he was in the past, but Tsunade seemed to violently disagree with his tastes.
(3) Sighing, he brushed his hand through his hair, fingering the wild spikes as he glanced at the barely perceptible whisker marks on his cheeks. His hair was longer towards the front, the ones on the sides of his face reaching his chin. Shortening towards the back, they were clearly gravity defying on the top as far as he was concerned. Maybe he needed a haircut?
“Ne, Tsunade-san,” he interrupted without turning towards her. “Do you think I should get my hair cut?” he tugged on his bangs plaintively. He recoiled in shock when the whole store answered with an emphatic “NO!”
“Umm, okay. I was just asking…” he backed away cautiously towards Shizune. She seemed to be the least threatening compared to the other women who were glaring at him as if he had spoken sacrilege. Instead of refuge, however, he encountered rebuke when Shizune frowned, stepped forward and kicked him in the shin with all her 12 year old might.
He yelped in pain, cringing as his shin throbbed. “Sansai-san no baka!” She declared. With that, she stomped over to her shishou who was stifling her laughter. He glared at the two females.
Straightening, he attempted to appear dignified as he growled two words. “Food. Now.”
“Alright, alright,” Tsunade rolled her eyes. Naruto’s eyes narrowed. Just for that, he wasn’t going to hold back his appetite. Everything edible within his sight ought to beware, for he was going to devour them all!
“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go,” she ushered him out, Shizune trailing behind him as she exchanged goodbyes with the store owner.
No one moved.
Everyone was frozen in place, paralyzed with a mixture of bizarre awe and stupefying horror. The source of their attention was the lone blond man sitting in the middle booth. He was like a wild animal, jaws snapping, hands clawing, slurping and snarling as he viciously attacked his food.
One of the customers trembled and keeled over in a dead faint, unable to handle the gruesome scene before her. Naruto watched her fall to the floor and smirked around a mouthful of food, putting extra effort into the next contented growl he emitted.
Nothing was safe from him. Once he had finished his own 6 plates, he had moved onto his companions’ meals. Unsatisfied, he resorted to snatching food from passing waiters.
Inside, he cackled at his brilliantly insidious plot of revenge. Never would Tsunade subject him to the torture of clothes shopping and forget to feed him again. He would make sure of it.
He was reaching for another plate when Tsunade finally broke free from her appalled daze and brought her fist down to smack him upside the head. He shot through the table and into the floor with a loud boom announcing his painful impact.
“Oww,” he grunted. “Wha-hah a-hor?” He scowled while digging himself out of the ground, still chewing food.
‘Uh-oh…’ his eyes widened in trepidation as a blood vessel pulsed on the blonde woman’s forehead. ‘Hehehe, maybe I went a little overboard?’
She smiled forcefully at him, an eyebrow twitching and her eyes promising retribution.
‘Hey, now! No revenge on the poor injured, starving, irresistibly handsome and suave shinobi! ‘sides, you deserved it!’ He cried petulantly within his mind, doing his utmost to convey his thoughts through his wide blue eyes and affronted expression.
Of course, the innocent look was rendered useless by his food-stuffed cheeks and specks of slobber on his face.
Tsunade sighed, using her fingers to squeeze the bridge of her nose, trying to keep the inevitable migraine at bay. How the formerly dignified and mysterious man could degenerate himself into a slob over food was beyond her.
“Fine, I learned my lesson. No more clothes shopping for you, and never put off feeding you. Satisfied?” She looked down to see him nodding vigorously. “Alright then, let’s get out of here,” she stood up. “Shizune, it’s safe to come out now,” she called out towards an overturned table.
Cautiously, the girl poked her head out from behind the table where she had taken shelter from the flying specs of food. “A-ano…Sansai-san, he’s okay now? He’s not going to eat me?” She asked, glancing worriedly from him to her shishio. Naruto choked on the food in his mouth.
Her words created a completely different connotation to his ears. “Cradle-robber, cradle-robber” bounced around in his head. Unwanted thoughts about the dilemma of Kakashi flooded his mind.
‘Is it possible that kids have instinctive radar for people like that? I wasn’t seriously considering of wooing Kakashi until later…’ he sweated. ‘Damn, now I feel like some shifty geezer out to get some from a poor unsuspecting kid.’
“What made you think I was going to eat you, Shizune-chan?” He laughed nervously. She peered at him doubtfully.
“Sansai-san, you were eating everything within sight! It was like a vaccum sucking everything into your mouth! I swear I felt wind! I was afraid I’d get sucked in, too…” she murmured. Tsunade snickered.
“Yeah, Mr. Vacuum shinobi-san, don’t you think you over did it? Hmmm? She was afraid of getting sucked into your big mouth!” Tsunade sneered playfully. He snorted.
“In case you forgot, it was your fault,” he retorted, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand as he sauntered towards the entrance of the restaurant.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Tsunade pointed an accusing finger at his back.
“Gotta work off all this food,” he replied sheepishly, casting a playful glance over his shoulder at the gaping woman. “Thanks for the food, Tsunade-san! I’ll see you back at the inn!” He snickered and disappeared from sight just as a table was sent flying through the door.
Brightly Burning:
Tribute to the Kyuubi
…Naruto struggled weakly against the restraints that held him immobile on the bloodied ground. Though his thoughts were sluggish from his profuse loss of blood, he was vaguely aware of the ongoing battle around him. Grunting, he attempted to sit up but flopped back over midway from the lack of strength and coordination.
The blond gave a put-upon sigh and frowned. Really, he should have felt a bit more concerned of how his friends were faring against the Akatsuki, but in his drug induced lethargy - courtesy of Sasori of the Sand - he couldn’t quite bring himself to worry.
‘Hmmm…’ was his non-committed thought as he flopped around again.
A flash of light and searing heat caught his wandering attention. The blond squinted as a blackish-blue blur shot past him. Idly, he realized that the blur was actually two people who looked remarkably alike. ‘Ah, it’s gotta be Sasuke and his brother.’
Clearing his throat, Naruto made an attempt to call out. “Oi!” His voice rasped. He was ignored. “Oi, Sasuke!” He yelled a bit louder and grinned in triumph as one of the blurs separated after a large explosion and jumped towards him.
“Che, only you would get drugged up and then be stubborn enough to fight and end up getting caught, moron,” was the gruff response. Sasuke was mildly injured in multiple places and panting heavily for air. The blond frowned in a combination of worry and indignation at the earlier comment. He opened his mouth to say something in his defense but was waved off by a curt hand signal.
“Not now, Naruto,” the Uchiha spoke agitatedly. “Do you still have the fur-ball?” The blond felt an irritated flare of crimson chakra inside him from said fur-ball. The tied up shinobi fell silent and his cerulean eyes unfocused momentarily as he conversed with the youma. Sasuke watched curiously, one eye trained on the rubble at the opposite side of the cavern where Itachi had been thrown by his katon jutsu.
Naruto looked back up, his eyes still glazed from the drugs. “Kyuubi says he’s not a fur-ball.” Another pause. “And that he thinks you’re an ass.” The raven-haired man snorted, wiping his forehead to keep blood from dripping into his eyes.
“Well, tell the fur-ball he ought to make himself useful. The almighty bijuu can’t even defend himself or his host, how pitiful. I don’t understand by the Akatsuki would want such a useless creature,” Sasuke mockingly sneered, smirking as Naruto’s eyes flashed with a streak of crimson.
‘PITIFUL! USELESS! Why that no good scrawny - #$#!’ a guttural snarl boomed in the blond’s head.
‘Oi! Shaddup! My head hurts!’ Naruto whined in complaint. He could tell the bijuu was pacing furiously within his cage, occasionally snapping at the iron bars.
‘Your head is going to be the least of our problems if we don’t do something!’ Naruto muttered a petulant ‘Go away!’ and turned his figurative back to the Kyuubi. The nine-tailed beast growled reprovingly.
The bijuu bared his canines at the enormous statue towering over his host within the cavern, fur bristling with intense dislike…no, hate. As a demon there was very little the Kyuubi had not seen in his long existence. He had long been exposed to the uplifting and despicable nature of both demons and humanity. Consequently, it was rare for him to face something that innately unsettled him. And much to the Kyuubi’s disgust, the Genryuu Kyuu Fuujin (Complete Nine Mystical Dragon Seal) did just that too well.
The “King of Hell” statue was currently dormant, its multiple eyes and mouth bound with chains, but its seemingly harmless state did nothing to detract from the heavy, looming unnaturalness of the jutsu’s aura. It was…tainted. The Kyuubi had no other way to describe it. It was a danger. An unprecedented danger that not even he, the great Nine-tailed demon of the bijuus, was prepared to face.
And in face of that danger, the Kyuubi allowed himself to be truthful for once. Truthful about his thoughts, feelings, situation, and as much as he disliked the word…limitations. There had been a time when he had greatly resented Naruto for his captivity. He would have liked nothing more than to escape and tear the boy apart before decimating his village. But as time passed the boy had managed to change him, and to his chagrin the Kyuubi couldn’t truthfully say that the changes were entirely unwelcome.
The kitsune had seen many mortals fight against the odds and fall, lose faith, and never get back up. But Naruto stood again and again. Most of it was strength of will and sheer determination, but behind the blond’s mask there was a whisper of power and ruthlessness; those were qualities that the Kyuubi could appreciate and respect. Such bestial instincts likened the blond to the demons, yet the potential destructive chaos was tempered by the human’s love and protectiveness. It was a balance that intrigued him.
And through the ever growing intrigue the Kyuubi found a kindred spirit within the mortal, which of the likes he’d never encountered even amongst his own kind. Not that the great bijuu would ever admit he’d actually grown fond of the brat.
‘Humph.’ Despite his self-proclaimed superiority as a demon, the Kyuubi had been unable to attain certain things…things that no amount of power could grant him. Things that many warriors would label as petty and weak. Things that no usual demon desired. But then again he’d always been a bit unusual, much like his host.
At the time of his first defeat ever by the hands of Naruto’s father, the Kyuubi had cursed humanity and the innocent babe that would be his cage with many a foul tongues. Yet, what he’d angrily believed to be his damnation had actually become his means of salvation. The nine-tailed fox demon could still taste the irony. The very word “salvation” associated with a demon of his caliber seemed laughable, but the kitsune was convinced that was what it was. And because of that the Kyuubi felt he was greatly in debt to the young blond shinobi; he felt refreshingly humbled.
Humbled enough to see the near hopelessness of the current situation. Naruto may have had great faith in his companions’ capabilities, but the Kyuubi was far more realistic. He could already see them tiring against the band of missing-nins.
The Shadow User was down on his knees clutching a deep wound in his gut, while one of the White-Eyes shielded him, palm outstretched and veins bulging. The second generation of the vile Green-Thing was dashing after his opponent, his usual nonsensical speeches subdued. Ah, and the Big-Breasted Woman was here as well. That was unusual; surely she should have been tucked safely away at base camp?
The others were out of his line of sight, but the bijuu already knew who else was there…and who wasn’t. He shared his container’s pain for the loss of companions as well as Naruto’s determination not to lose more. And off chance there was a way to gain them all back, would it be worth the risk? Yes, if there was the possibility to avoid this broken reality any price would be acceptable to pay.
But for now the Kyuubi had to work with what was left here. He needed to wake his host up to save what was left now. Especially since Naruto’s life-mate was here.
‘Kit, look at me.’ The Kyuubi demanded the young blond’s attention. Naruto, startled by the rare use of the endearment, obeyed. The ANBU blinked wonderingly as he gazed back into a pair of magnificent eyes beyond the iron bars of the cage. Like fire, his intoxicated mind described. Like a passionate flame burning at its peak before it died. Something within him grew sad, and he became agitated because he didn’t know why.
‘Naruto, I need you to bear with me. I’m going to flood your system with my chakra and wash the drugs from your blood. It will hurt, but it needs to be done. Your friends are not faring well. They need us. They need you,’ the bijuu spoke firmly. The blond’s eyes cleared slightly upon the gravity present in the youma’s tone and somberly nodded his head in acquiescence.
‘Good.’ The Kyuubi paused. ‘Do you trust me?’ Naruto stared questioningly at the bijuu’s almost nervous disposition but nodded without hesitation. ‘I’m going to ask the impossible of you, but I see no other way to salvage anything otherwise. This world is too far gone. However, I may be able to give you another chance. This, too, will not be easy, and its success will depend solely on you, for I will not be here to help. Are you willing?’
Again the blond nodded, now even more curious than before. ‘There is not much time, so I will do this quickly.’ The Kyuubi gathered the information he needed and sent it into Naruto’s mind through a compact burst of chakra. The demon watched silently as Naruto’s expressions changed from confusion, disbelief, and tentative hope. Hope that he had not felt in years.
'It can really do that? A mere scroll? Why hasn't it been used before?' Naruto queried. The bijuu laughed.
'That, you can solve on your own. But be careful. Should you make one mistake, you may cease to exist.' The blond's eyes widened in alarm. 'No, I will not answer more. What you need to know, you already do. The rest is but troublesome speculation. You must believe you will succeed.' Naruto nodded, trying to keep the sullen expression off his face. Suddenly, the blond frowned.
'Wait, what about you? What’ll happen to you?’
‘I suspect that without a body I’ll go to the realm of the dead. If not, it’s possible I may simply return to the demon realm,’ the demon replied nonchalantly. ‘Do not worry. Who knows, there is yet a chance I may see you again.’ Naruto frowned doubtfully. ‘It does not matter, you know as well as I that there is no better option.’ The blond frowned even more for he knew what the bijuu said was true.
‘Then…I guess it’s good-bye…You know I don’t really hate you anymore, right?’ Naruto gazed sadly into the Kyuubi’s magnificent eyes. Now he knew why he had felt so sad before.
‘Yes. I have also grown to…tolerate you,’ the bijuu sniffed haughtily and Naruto grinned.‘I suppose a “Good luck, Naruto” is in order,’ the Kyuubi’s gaze was soft for once, looking fondly down at his host. 'Make me proud, Kit.' Abruptly, the demon’s expression became stern and forbidding.
‘Prepare yourself.’ That was the last of the Kyuubi Naruto heard.
End of “Rekindling the Fire”
Part A
(1) Zokutou Sansai: Zokutou, a continuous spiral of movement upwards. Sansai, the three Calamities of fire, flood, and storm. I made this alias based off of the fact that “Naruto” can mean maelstrom and the plot will play heavily upon these meanings.
(2)(3): I roughly based Naruto’s hair and outfit on Cloud Strife’s in the Movie: Advent Children. Naruto’s gloves are different though, and he doesn’t have half cape/sleeve.
AN: So? Was it good? Lol. Leave a comment, please!
Continued in Chapter 3: (1/2) of Part B