That Damned Raven Haired Boy (SasuNaru)

Part 12

"S'gonna let it go."

Sasuke stared quizzically at Naruto. Fear rolled off him in waves, disturbing the steam that the Kyuubi's overwhelming heat was creating. "What? You aren't making any sense."

"And kill you. He's gonna kill everyone when the bars disappear." Naruto fell into Sasuke and let out a soft gasp of pain as the room shook again, another pole disappearing from the Kyuubi's cage.

"Naruto, you need to try to tell me what's happening," Sasuke said, setting the boy down on the ground and holding his face in his hands. The blonde's eyes fell from his comrade's face and stared drowsily at the shimmering, clouded water beyond him. He wasn't sure what else there was to tell Sasuke. "Naruto, look at me. Please?"

"He's taking away the bars."

"What?" Sasuke pulled Naruto closer so their faces were inches apart and clenched his jaw. Naruto wondered briefly if the streak of clean skin on the Uchiha's otherwise filthy face was the trail left by a tear. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay? Alive."

Naruto found his head being pressed firmly against Sasuke's chest as the boy held him close. The brunette's breathing was uneven with fear and his pulse flickered it was racing so fast.

"Not going to live..." the blonde whispered into Sasuke's chest and then, "You and Sak'ra have...t-to go." His voice caught in his throat and Naruto swallowed, burying his face into Sasuke's warm chest - burying into the sudden feeling of life.

"I'm taking you out of here, Naruto." Sasuke's hand tangled in Naruto's hair and the brunette whispered something under his breath.

Before they disappeared from the corridor, Sasuke cast Kyuubi a quick glare, promising he would not let the beast take Naruto's life.

The hard bark of the tree was pressed against Naruto's back and bottom when he found himself back in reality and out of the chamber within his mind. The towering bars were still before him, only instead of two there were now five. The boy clenched his eyes shut as the weight that had been tugging at him when he was inside his mind lifted. Released was the suppressed panic and fear that had previously been nothing but a dull thrum in his core.

The blonde ninja tried to stand but found that both his arms were hanging uselessly at his sides and his one foot wasn't registering any feeling. Drawing a shuddering breath, the boy glowered at the dark figure standing before him and tried to push his body into a standing position.

Eventually he managed by pressing his back firmly against the tree and straggling his way up until he was standing nearly level with Uchiha Itachi. It appeared there was only one now: the original.

Naruto matched the man's amused look with a heated glare and said nothing - didn't show any acknowledgement that while he had been occupied with Kyuubi he had lost control over his second arm as well his right foot.

He couldn't find words to express the anger that was chaotically shaking through him. Instead, he snarled at the man, and leapt from the branch, trusting in the minimal chakra he had left to soften the blow of landing.

As he fell, Naruto felt a ripping pain in his left foot and cursed under his breath, staring at the steadily approaching ground. When he landed, it was with a loud crack. The boy grimaced, not due to pain, because he couldn't feel the foot or arm he had broken, but because he knew both Sakura and Sasuke had heard it.

His pink-haired teammate was staring alertly in his direction, her eyes wide. Beside her, Sasuke was glowering up at Itachi, his lips moving as he spoke to Sakura. Naruto wondered what Sasuke was saying and tried to quell the hysteria that was mounting within. Why the hell hadn't Sasuke listened to him? He had told the boy to take Sakura and leave.