Warnings: Angst and plenty of it. Adult language and situations. Lime?

Pairings: Sasu/Naru, Naru/Gaara

 

 

 

Chapter Five:

 

Jealousy is like a bitter pill. Once swallowed, it has the ability to burn a sour taste down your throat and into the pit of your stomach. Churning and swirling, you long for something sweet to tame the nasty after effects. You crave it like a drug, willing for something…anything to ease away the agony you feel inside.

 

Jealousy is like a dagger. Dangerously sharp and long enough to bury itself to the hilt inside one’s fickle heart. Turning and watching it bleed as you long for the pain to stop. But powerless, you can only twist it in deeper and harder as if relishing the torment you put yourself through.

 

Power thrummed between the three boys.

 

The monsters within salivated in excitement and anticipation.

 

This was only the beginning of a long awaited battle. The winner would surely take all.

 

 

--

 

 

Sakura unconsciously shrank back against Kakashi, her heart pounding in growing fear as she watched the boy that had once almost taken her life walk towards them. The hand upon her kunai trembled violently and at any moment was bound to drop to the ground as she tried hard not to give in to her fear. He still looked the same. Those green eyes that had been filled with almost maniacal hate and a lust for blood and death. Those cruel, thin lips that were now quirked into a self-effacing smirk as he darted out a pink-tipped tongue to lick his lips slowly. She shivered again and swallowed tightly, unaware that her teacher had now placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

 

He’s just like them, she thought wildly. A living, walking monster. How had Naruto been able to defeat someone like him? And why is he here again?

 

“It’s okay, Sakura,” came the soft whisper against her ear. “He’s changed now. We have no need to fear him anymore.”

 

Cheeks hot and flaming with heat at the husky whisper sent her nodding quickly; trying to will her confused mind to think coherently. She couldn’t possibly be feeling this way about her own teacher. It was almost too ridiculous to comprehend. Just what would the others think? With a light shake of her head, she pushed herself away from him to walk towards the bleeding boy, ignoring the cautious looks that were thrown her way.

 

“I thought I told you not to touch him,” came the quiet statement that held a hint of venom underneath. “He will be punished accordingly, so you will do well to leave him alone…”

 

“Now, now, Gaara,” Kakashi drawled lazily as he waved a hand lightly in dismissal. “We hardly know this boy ourselves and I don’t think that punishing someone who’s from another village is appropriate without just cause, is it?”

 

Pale teal-colored eyes narrowed dangerously. Twin spots of color filled his cheeks as he stole a glance at Kikaida who had been watching him all this time. Gaara clenched his hands into fists at his sides and shook his head rapidly to get rid of the image of the other boy doing…that to him again. Only one person had the right to touch him in that way and he was going to make sure he didn’t make the same mistake again.

 

“What do you know about anything?” he retorted coldly as he sneered at the smiling jounin. “You speak as if you are justified to tell me what to do. Do not forget you are in my territory now.”

 

He cocked his head to the side to glance at the two boys he had been watching since the journey began. Sasuke was still poised in front of Naruto, his fingers tightly wound around the kunai in his hands. They were practically white from the pressure he was putting upon it, but there was no denying the dull hue of red on the dark-haired boy’s cheeks. Perhaps the Uchiha boy had finally realized that he was finally here to claim what was rightfully his.

 

You are just in my way, Sasuke. He smiled…or rather it was supposed to be just a smile, but to the chuunin from the Leaf, it held so much more hidden within and they both knew it.

 

It was dull at first, but seemed to grow hotter with each passing second. Naruto slipped a hand into his breast pocket in confusion, idly wondering if the red-haired shinobi had begun to cast some sort of jutsu on him. But as fingers brushed against the heat of the bracelet, he hissed in a sharp breath as it seemed to burn right through his flesh. He felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him, his lashes growing heavy as his breath became labored and a bit too loud…to him at least.

 

Blue eyes now glazed with an unreadable emotion focused on the pale expanse of flesh that was Sasuke’s neck. He licked his lips, a low hungry growl forming somewhere from the deep recesses of his stomach as he felt himself moving even closer to the other boy. Sasuke’s scent was heavy. Heavy with lust. Heavy with need. Heavy with…

 

Bite…just one little bite…that’s all it takes…

 

You stupid fox…

 

Even his own argument sounded too weak to his ears. He felt as if he was drowning in a pool of thick, muddled water and it was nearly suffocating. The wild urge to throw Sasuke down to the ground and do things to him that he would never have thought possible had him trembling in response.

 

“Naruto?”

 

He lifted his gaze to meet the bewildered dark ones before him. His gaze flickered to the straight nose, to those full, delicious lips that were forming words he could not hear. He watched Sasuke’s tongue flicker out for one brief moment and he groaned thickly. His feet moved closer. Sasuke looked even more confused and was that a spot of color on his cheeks as well?

 

I want you, Sasuke. Can’t you see? My lust…for you…?

 

But as he made another weak attempt to reach for him, strong hands upon his shoulder pulled him backwards quickly.

 

“Wha…?”

 

He spun around in confusion, only to meet pale green eyes that burned with a similar passion.

 

“Mine…” came the guttural growl from the monster within the boy. It was a statement that left no room for argument and the blond shinobi realized with no real surprise that he was in no mood to refute the statement.

 

“All yours…” Naruto replied weakly with a smile that was nothing short of seductive, before eventually giving in to the wave of darkness that quickly consumed him.

 

 

--

 

 

Jealousy is knowing that what you want is not always what you get.

 

Sasuke gave another violent kick to the tree stump in fury. It was his 1256^th kick and his bare chest was now slick with sweat. His legs throbbed with the force of his exertions, but he ignored it all, preferring to work out his frustrations this way. It didn’t help that he was currently in some dojo like place that really made no sense to him. Since the Sand had little to no trees to brag about, they had constructed huge buildings to house ‘forestry’ that many could practice in at their leisure.

 

Since their arrival to the village, they had been fawned over and greeted like local heroes, much to his chagrin and faint embarrassment. What was the reason for the celebration? It wasn’t as if they had done anything special. But it seemed as if the Miura family was quite popular and their safe passage back to the Sand was one that had apparently been looked forward to.

 

There was a feast planned for them tomorrow night and despite his inclination not to go, Kakashi had insisted he come.

 

Kami, but the jounin could be one persistent bastard.

 

He growled and kicked at the stump again, biting back a wince as his knees protested the movement with a light cracking sound. He had broken another bone. Go figure.

 

He sank down to the wooden floor and reached for a nearby towel to wipe his face quickly. His long dark hair lay in thick clumps against his flushed skin as he closed his eyes and tried to gather some more strength or rather catch his breath. His brows furrowed in thought as his thoughts took him back to the events of yesterday.

 

After Gaara’s admonishment of Kakashi, the red-haired bastard had turned to look at both he and Naruto. It was then that Sasuke had felt something different about the blond he had been protecting. It was the way the tension between the three of them had grown thicker…as if the air had suddenly become heavy with the smell of their inherent need for each other. Why he would ever need the Sand monster was beyond Sasuke, but it had been there. The same feeling he had experienced when he had held the bracelet in his hands had come flooding back with a vehemence that had almost sent him to his knees.

 

For one wild and almost embarrassing moment, he had actually thought of being with both Gaara and Naruto at the same time.

 

He shook his head rapidly, annoyed to find his cheeks growing hot again at the image that filled his mind. He couldn’t possibly have been thinking of …

 

“Grr…” He tried to get to his feet, and ended up having to rest his hands against a wall to steady himself from falling to the ground. He didn’t want to be here a moment longer. Naruto had passed out after that little debacle and much to his displeasure; Gaara had been the one to catch the falling teen first. He wasn’t sure of what they had been saying to each other, but Sasuke had caught the meaningful look that had passed between the two boys and the dagger within his heart had twisted in just a little bit deeper.

 

Gaara had held Naruto.

 

Kakashi had quickly motioned for Daisuke and his bride to take care of Kikaida. He had instructed Sakura to lead the elders towards the village. Or rather, to follow Gaara who was already on his way there.

 

Gaara had held his Naruto.

 

He had been instructed to follow Sakura as well, while Kakashi would watch for any possible pursuers. It was his guess that the Sound Ninja was being chased by someone or some people. They would have to move as quickly as possible towards the village.

 

Gaara…and…his…Naruto!

 

With another low growl, his breath coming out in harsh gasps, Sasuke punched the tree stump. It was so brutal that he barely focused on the sharp flare of pain that shot up his arm and the slow trickle of blood that had begun to flow from the cuts on his knuckles.

 

That bastard had suggested he take Naruto to a place where he could be healed properly.

 

Was it a hospital? Kakashi had asked warily.

 

No, it was no hospital, the boy had replied as enigmatic as ever, but a place where Naruto would be completely healed and be ready for them in the morning. Sasuke had felt his blood boiling with each sneering look he gave them.

 

Fuck it!

 

“I’ll come with you,” he suggested with a barely concealed frown of irritation on his features. Someone needed to keep an eye on Naruto…”

 

“There’s no need for that,” the Sand nin had replied with a mocking wink. “You need to get your rest, Sasuke-kun. I’ll make sure Naruto is well taken care of.”

 

And just like that, they had both vanished from sight. He had no idea where they were now, unable to detect any chakra that belonged to either teen. Since last night…

 

He punched the stump again, causing his already injured fingers to bleed a bit more. They could be anywhere, doing anything…

 

Touching him…

 

Sasuke grit his teeth.

 

Kissing him…

 

His eyes were dark now – so dark that they slowly became a bloody shade of red.

 

Tasting him…

 

“I’ll kill him,” he vowed thickly, trying to even his breath as he began to walk out of the room, albeit unsteadily. “If he dares touch Naruto, I swear, I’ll kill him!”

 

 

--

 

Jealousy is like a parasite. It slowly eats you from the inside until there is nothing left but an empty shell of oneself.

 

Naruto groaned weakly and opened heavily lidded lashes to blink slowly at the ceiling that looked a million miles above him. He felt the cool sheets against his back – his bare back and he opened up his eyes a bit wider. He still wasn’t sure of what had happened or how he had gotten to his point, but he did remember feeling the bracelet burning a hole right through the pocket of his uniform. And then…

 

Mine…

 

His cheeks flared with color as he glanced furtively around him. He was in a bedroom it seemed. A simple bedroom with only the single bed he was lying on and a table and chair by a corner. However, they both looked as if they had been made from the most expensive wood around as they literally seemed to gleam in the dim light of the room. There was nothing on the table beside a sheaf of papers and an inkpot with a brush beside it. It didn’t even look as if anyone had been writing anything recently either.

 

With a light grunt, he sat upright, wincing softly as his head throbbed with a growing headache. He rubbed a trembling hand across his forehead, thankful that at least whoever had undressed him had had the decency to leave his pants on. He licked his lips, feeling incredibly thirsty as he shifted restlessly on the bed.

 

There was a stillness to this room that he did not like. It was as if time had somehow stopped for him and he was drifting off in a world where he could never be found. He wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, shivering slightly as a light gust of wind drifted in through the single window.

 

The window!

 

Scrambling over the bed and as quickly as he could towards it, he leaned out of it, only to blink at …nothing.

 

Well, nothing besides dunes and dunes of sand that seemed to stretch out to the very ends of the earth. Just where in the hell was he? Where were Kakashi and Sakura? Where was Sasuke?! Why had they left him alone in this place? They couldn’t have gone back to the Leaf without him, could they? He shivered again and this time it wasn’t because of the cold. The dull sense of helplessness at being left alone was overwhelming and he felt a deep melancholy fill his heart.

 

Sasuke…how could he…leave me…?

 

Somehow that last thought hurt more than the others. He would have thought that by now, both he and the Sasuke would have been a bit more closer…

 

The low sound of the door slowly creaking open had him lifting his gaze sharply. His hands tried to reach for his weapon, but remembered that he didn’t have his uniform on.

 

“Damn it!” he hissed softly as he crouched carefully on the bed, fingers placed together before him, more than ready to attack whoever dared to visit him like this without knocking. He held his breath, his heart pounding so hard and loud that he was sure his visitor would have heard it. A bare foot was seen first and Naruto swallowed. The door was pushed open a bit wider and as Naruto closed his eyes ready to mutter out his Kage no Bushin jutsu, a low mutter from his impromptu guest had him opening them up again quickly.

 

It was Gaara. And he was with…a tray?!

 

The sharp smell of ramen – and not just any kind of ramen, but the rich, thick broth of soba filled with his favorite spices and vegetables – filled his nostrils, causing a low moan of pleasure to escape his lips. He all but drooled over the large bowl in the other boy’s hands.

 

“Sorry for taking too long,” the Sand nin mumbled softly as he closed the door behind him with a foot. He walked closer towards the bed and placed the tray gently upon it, deliberately keeping his gaze away from the bemused but grateful ones of the blond a few inches away.

 

“I hope you like it,” Gaara continued in that same soft voice that was really beginning to confuse Naruto. He had never heard or seen the other teen this…normal before. It was a bit disconcerting, but yet…good to see that that the malicious air and look in Gaara’s eyes weren’t there anymore.

 

Mine…

 

“Huh?”

 

Naruto blinked right back at the questioning gaze before him.

 

“What?”

 

“Did you say something?”

 

“No.”

 

They stared at each blankly for a moment before Gaara motioned towards the food. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

 

“Ah, that…” Naruto stared at the mouthwatering dish with a low whimper. It looked oh so good and he wanted nothing more than to drain every single inch of the meal in one gulp. But…

 

“Is it poisoned?” he asked warily as he eyed the boy standing before him.

 

Gaara’s eyes widened at the insinuation. He had lowered his pride to ask Temari for instructions on how to cook the simple meal. He had ignored the meaningful looks that were thrown his way as he had doggedly gone about preparing the food. It had taken almost two hours of slaving away at a stove to figure out that ramen was actually a quick and easy enough thing to make. Talk about being embarrassed. And now, Naruto was here asking him if he had actually poisoned the food? What the…?

 

“No, it’s not,” he muttered around a tight smile as he sat down on the bed to push the tray a bit closer to the blond. “Now eat.”

 

“Who cooked it?” Naruto asked again as he picked up the chopsticks, blue eyes still eyeing the badger, who’s cheeks were now turning a dull shade of red.

 

“Someone,” came the anonymous reply. “Now…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, eat,” Naruto finished with a wave of the chopsticks, almost poking it into Gaara’s eyes with his motions. He picked up the bowl and inhaled the heady aroma and it only did more to make his stomach growl in anticipation. But that wasn’t the only thing growing excited and Naruto was thankful that the bowl was held up to his face or he was sure that Gaara would have begun to wonder just why his face was beginning to flush with heat as well.

 

Mine…

 

And why was that word so resonant in his mind? He took a sip from the bowl and almost whimpered in pleasure as the sweet and yet spicy flavor danced upon his taste buds sending his knees quivering with delight.

 

“Oh, that’s so good,” he moaned thickly as he picked up the chopsticks and began to weave a huge chunk of the noodles around it. “Tell the cook that the customer is very pleased.”

 

Gaara’s eyes widened, but this time it was with a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure at being complimented in such a way. Yes, it was indirect, but it was a compliment nonetheless. And it wasn’t just from anybody, but it was from the one person who he had always longed for. He felt his heart beat quicken as he watched Naruto’s lips purse together to blow softly on the noodles. He, unconsciously, licked his lips as he watched the blond’s tongue flicker out gently to taste the creamy strands. He groaned softly, almost as if in pain, as his nether regions rose to attention while watching the food disappear into the shinobi’s mouth.

 

Sweet Kami, to taste those lips would be the best thing to ever happen to him he was sure. It wouldn’t be like his past experience with Kikaida…

 

Speaking of which, the Sound nin had been put under Kakashi’s care for some reason and Gaara was more than grateful for that. He had recognized the boy from the moment his eyes had fallen on the group in the forest and he had felt his blood run cold and yet swell with anticipation. It was time for his revenge. He would deal with Kikaida in his own way later on, but for now, he had to conquer this blond’s heart and make it his by any means necessary.

 

“Where are my teammates?” Naruto asked quickly, more to mask the growing confusion he was beginning to experience from having this boy sit so close to him. He really wished Gaara would have wanted to sit on the chair as far away from him as possible, but no, he would have to ‘smell’ the badger’s heat…

 

Huh? He blinked. How could he smell someone’s heat? What the hell was happening to him? But there was no denying it. Gaara reeked of lust and an undeniable passion that was a mixture of greed and an insatiable need to…

 

Fuck him raw.

 

Naruto gasped as the bowl slipped through his fingers to the bed. The soup created a dark, muddled mess upon the white sheets, strings of the noodles and small chunks of meat and vegetables creating a messy mosaic of color that both boys completely ignored.

 

Dark blue eyes wavered for a moment as they met the cool teal ones before them. This feeling was one he had experienced before. It was the same wild feeling of need he had had back in the forest when Gaara had met them earlier. This need to be with the red-haired boy was tangible and threatened to make Naruto go insane with its intensity.

 

Stupid fox! You…it’s all your doing!

 

Take him…make him bleed…I want a taste of him…

 

No…no, please don’t…make me do this…

 

But as before, his rationale was slipping quickly as he watched Gaara move closer to him till mere inches separated their lips. What was he really arguing for? He wanted to be with Gaara, didn’t he? He wanted to take this boy completely. To become the ultimate sacrifice to the power that now seemed to coil and swell around their heated bodies.

 

“Why fight it, Naruto-kun?” The Sand nin asked thickly as he placed his hands upon the blond’s slender hips. He reveled in the soft gasp that escaped his would-be lover’s lips, his eyes darkening with pleasure as he watched the flushed look on Naruto’s breathtaking features. “Show me your true colors, my beautiful shinobi. Let me see that animal I once saw five years ago. I have longed for this moment for so long.”

 

Naruto mewled and wrapped his arms tightly around Gaara’s neck, his body thrusting shamelessly against the older boy’s as he made his intentions clear. He closed his eyes and gave in to the steady but growing power of the kyubi deep within him. He could feel the slow rush of heat coil from his stomach and spread throughout his body. He didn’t want to admit that experiencing the slow transformation from man to beast was almost intoxicating. It was an adrenaline rush that never failed to send his instincts into overdrive. The need to feel blood against his ‘claws’, to feel flesh against his sharp canines, to see the fear that reeked from his prey as his eyes opened slowly to reveal the familiar blood-red gaze of the demon within him.

 

He watched Gaara’s lips quirk into a smirk of satisfaction and he found himself responding in kind. He raked a long fingernail down the Sand nin’s back, effectively ripping the simple tunic Gaara had been wearing. He watched Gaara hiss in a sharp breath of delight and the obvious swell of Gaara’s arousal against his inner thigh. He thrust upwards again and almost laughed in glee at the small cry of pleasure that escaped the badger’s lips. His hands slid down the bare skin of his prey’s back, fingernails raking ever so gently against the hard flesh. They stopped at his lower back and Gaara whimpered in dismay.

 

“Don’t stop,” came the husky plea as he pressed himself into the monster he had awakened. “Make me yours…completely…”

 

As you please, my dear boy. I’ll awaken the demon within you that you’ve refused to let go off.

 

Naruto gasped at the kyubi’s thoughts and tried desperately to distance himself away from where things were about to head to.

 

Stop it! He begged fervently. Please don’t!

 

But the human flesh is weak, his heart too fickle, mindless lust consumes one’s rational thinking and then you are thrown into the arms of the very devil himself.

 

Naruto’s cheeks flamed with color. The kyubi’s heart swelled with pleasure. Gaara’s eyes widened at the sudden invasion into his body and he squeezed his eyes shut at the sharp pain that coursed through his being. The fingers were relentless and like a madman, he screamed out his agony and yet undeniable desire for completion as he was consumed by the beast he had given his heart to.

 

 

 

--

 

Jealousy burns like a fire. It’s flames forever hot never ceasing to leave ashes in its wake.

 

Sasuke opened up his eyes quickly and sat up from the futon with dark eyes narrowed in apprehension and wariness. He had heard a scream. He was sure he had heard a scream and it just wasn’t any scream, but the kind that could only come from two people engaged in some…

 

Naruto and Gaara.

 

“No…no way…”

 

He scrambled to his feet, heart beating rapidly as he slipped into his uniform quickly. It was still relatively dark outside, nightfall seeming to fall quite quickly in the Sand. Pushing the door to his bedroom open carefully, he leapt onto the rooftop of the building that they had called home for the past two days.

 

“Looking for someone?” came the soft question from their new burden. Sasuke spun around quickly to eye the boy who was lying upon the rooftop with a chewing stick stuck in a corner of his mouth. He wasn’t looking at Sasuke but rather at the small trace of the moon that was barely visible behind a clump of clouds.

 

“You know who I am looking for,” Sasuke said dryly. “Where is he?”

 

“Or do you mean they?” Kikaida murmured as he lifted a hand to point towards the moon. “It’s only a matter of time before your friend let’s loose of his inner demon and consumes you all.”

 

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed in growing irritation even though his mouth had gone dry at the ominous warning. “What do you mean?”

 

Kikaida laughed softly, but it held no real mirth in it. “Do you think the kyubi was just an ordinary fox? He was a deceiver. A beast with malice and wickedness in his heart. He wants everything and will stop at nothing to get it. Little by little, he will take away your friend and consume him completely. And then it will be the Sand’s turn and then you are last…”

 

“Shut up,” Sasuke all but growled. “You don’t know anything about Naruto. He can handle the kyubi if he wanted to.”

 

But he was afraid all the same. He hated to admit it, but Sasuke could feel the seed of fear slowly being planted within his heart.

 

“I’ll shut up, but I am only saying the truth and you know it as well.”

 

Kikaida sat up with a small frown on his features. “I’ve been cursed to have the gift of sight and I can tell.” He shrugged lightly. “That bracelet only did more to complicate matters.”

 

“How did you…?”

 

“Does it really matter how I know about it?” came the enigmatic reply. “But if you must know, that girl…Temari…she showed it to me this afternoon. She had found it in Naruto’s pockets when she had taken off his clothes.”

 

“Where are they?!” Sasuke all but bellowed in frustration and desperation. “Where the hell are they?! Tell me, goddamn it!”

 

“Maybe it’s a bit too late for the Sand monster…”

 

“You bastard…”

 

“The kyubi might have already taken his soul.”

 

Sasuke felt his blood run cold. He trembled and wiped a hand across his mouth as he followed the direction of the finger that was now being pointed towards his left.

 

“Not too far from here,” Kikaida continued in that same quiet tone. “Gaara lives all by himself. Just follow the scent of…death?”

 

Sasuke didn’t need to hear anymore. Gritting his teeth, he leapt as fast as he could past rooftops and dunes feeling as if his lungs would burst with how fast he was going.

 

Death. Who had killed who? Had the kyubi really consumed Naruto? Had it killed Gaara? What the hell was going on? Just what was that bracelet all about? And why had Orochimaru in his dream even wanted it?

 

The low-rise building soon came to view and Sasuke landed lithely upon the ground a few feet away, dark red eyes now with its sharingan in place. There was a stillness in the air that he did not like. It was as if time had stood still here and everything was just waiting for one thing to cause a disastrous chaos of events in its wake.

 

Like a ticking bomb…

 

He walked carefully, but steadily, his fingers wrapped tightly around his kunai as he stopped before the single door. He could hear his heart pounding fiercely within his chest and he cursed himself for feeling this worried. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was here to rescue Naruto and that was that. He could care less about the Sand nin and his issues. If Kikaida’s words were true then Sasuke could only hope that he wasn’t too late.

 

Please…please still be there, Naruto. I can’t lose you…not now…

 

He pushed the door open and was hit instantly with the rather delicious smell of food.

 

Ramen…

 

But beneath that smell was one that he was all too familiar with.

 

Blood.

 

It wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to have him quickening his pace as he walked into the small room. It was dark in here, so dark that he took him a while to notice the second door within. He licked his lips and swallowed tightly as he heard a light whining sound behind it. He wasn’t really sure of what he was hearing, but it sounded oddly like the cry of a small fox crying. A tiny, howling sound of grief that was enough to send him running towards the door and pushing it open quickly.

 

“Naru…!”

 

The name he had tried to bellow out died weakly on his lips as he stared at the sight before him.

 

Lying in what seemed to be a pool of blood on the bed was Gaara, completely naked and curled up in a fetal position upon it.

 

And sitting huddled and shivering within a blanket, a few feet away, was the very boy he had come to rescue. Only the whites of Naruto’s eyes could be seen as they were filled with nothing but complete and utter terror.

 

/It’s only a matter of time before it consumes him and then he’ll come for you last…/

 

Sasuke felt his heart break into a thousand pieces as he realized that he must have come in too late. He staggered weakly towards his partner and only real friend, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. The kunai slipped from boneless fingers as he fell on his knees to the floor.

 

“Naruto,” he croaked out thickly, hands reaching out to make an attempt to touch the other boy. “Naruto…please…”

 

A wild cry that was unearthly and barely human erupted from the blond’s mouth as he shrank away from his former comrade.

 

“Stay away from me!” Naruto cried out desperately, the look of horror still not fading from his eyes. “Don’t you dare come close to me, Sasuke!”

 

“It….It….” He hitched in a harsh sob filled with helpless anguish and terror. “It’s taken me, Sasuke,” he whispered harshly. “You mustn’t touch me. You can’t touch me ever again…”

 

He wrapped his arms tightly around his upturned knees, effectively hiding his face from view. And in a thick whisper, he warned thickly.

 

“Because if you do…it will only take you too…”