Iruka insisted on buying metal prongs to roast the marshmallows with. Sakura personally thought they tasted better on sticks sharpened to fresh green tips,
but she wasn't about to argue the point. Tenka had tagged along on the shopping trip and was in close conversation with Iruka. Sakura hung back with Hinata,
who had been happy to accept the invitation with just one reservation. Neji was her estranged cousin. Really, that was something Naruto might have warned
them about. It was no wonder he had been so unwilling to take part in a plan that involved the boys flirting with her. If Sakura had known they were related she
would have assured him they weren't about to let her get her feelings hurt.
"They'll only be playing it up to bring out Naruto's protective side. If they make you too uncomfortable, just catch my eye and Ino or I will tone them down a little.
It shouldn't be much worse than the picnic. Lee is a sweetheart and Kiba is more shy than he likes to admit."
"You think he's shy?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide. She was shy. Kiba was nearly as unreservedly friendly as Naruto.
Sakura gave her a knowing smile. "For someone with an instant crush on you, he's very shy." She realized her mistake when Hinata's face blanked and then
turned bright pink. "Surely you noticed...?"
"I thought..." Hinata ducked her head, fidgeting suddenly with her fingertips. It couldn't be true. She peeked at Sakura and then quickly looked away again.
What if it was true? She didn't know anything about how boys behaved when they had crushes. Unless she could use Asuma as an example? That didn't bode
well. "I thought he was just being nice." Naruto had always been nice to her and no one had ever suggested he had a crush on her. She had never worried
that he might. Boys simply didn't have crushes on her.
"I don't think Kiba's the sort to be nice just to be nice," said Sakura. She winced at the way that came out. "What I mean is-"
"I know what you meant," Hinata assured her with a small smile. She had warmed to Sakura, who came off as overwhelming but had her own moments of self-
doubt. Kiba, on the other hand, made her uncomfortable. All boys did, aside from Neji and Naruto. Even when Kiba had been nice to her, she had found
herself waiting, bracing for the moment when the niceness stopped. That wouldn't happen around the others, so she supposed as long as she was never
alone with Kiba it wouldn't matter even if he was interested in her that way. "I'm glad you asked me to help you with this. I've been waiting," hoping, really, "for a
chance to do something for Naruto-kun." He was so self-reliant he never seemed to need anything from anyone.
"You won't have to do much," Sakura promised. She had to bite her tongue to keep from commenting on the glow in Hinata's eyes when she said Naruto's
name. She couldn't understand why Hinata wasn't jealous, disappointed, even broken-hearted by Naruto's attachment to Sasuke. If anything, Hinata seemed
honestly happy for him. It was a little disturbing, to be honest. She had been bracing herself for possible tears when she explained their relationship and the
danger Naruto was in because of it. Now she wanted to shake the girl, to tell her to stop being so nice and start fighting for what she wanted. That was the sort
of thing Ino would do, so it was just as well Ino hadn't come along this time.
"Just be yourself," said Sakura. "That should be more than enough to hold Naruto's attention." And that was another thing Sakura couldn't figure out –
Naruto's attachment to Hinata. Ino had pointed to it as proof that he was bi rather than gay. Was it Hinata's shyness that had kept him from making a move on
her? She wasn't really that shy around Naruto. The picnic had proven that. Naruto had seemed to take pride in being able to tease her out of her shell. He was
almost proprietary about it. That possessiveness was what made Hinata the perfect bait to hold his attention now. So why didn't they have a relationship? And
why wasn't Hinata at least a little upset that Naruto had latched onto Sasuke so quickly despite having known her for much longer? The only conclusion she
could come to was that their feelings for each other had nothing to do with physical attraction. And, Ino be damned, Sakura was too heterosexual to
understand how Hinata could fail to be at least a little attracted to Naruto. Sasuke was the kind of guy girls fantasized about, true, but Naruto was the kind they
married and lived happily ever after with. Not to mention that he was surprisingly ripped for his age once he took off that unsightly orange jacket of his.
"How long will you need me?" asked Hinata.
"What?" Sakura blinked, confused for a moment. She hated the influence Ino was having on her. A few years ago she would never have considered scoping
out a guy's body. A cute face and brooding eyes were all she had needed to form a crush, and then she'd been too preoccupied sighing dreamily to think
about what might come after that magical first kiss. Ino had ruined all of that. Sakura wondered if Hinata had ever daydreamed about kissing Naruto. Then she
mentally bitch-slapped herself and got back to the very important business at hand – Operation Distract Naruto. "As long as you can get out of working, we'd
like you to stick around. Sasuke doesn't know when his brother is coming, except that it should be within the next few days. You can sleep in my bed. Ino is a
lousy roommate, but at least she doesn't snore."
"I've never been part of a sleep-over before," Hinata admitted.
Hinata's expression was just eager enough for Sakura to grin. "I should warn you, Ino will want to talk about boys. I'll do my best to keep her from scalding your
ears too badly, but she doesn't actually come with a censor. And it won't matter that you're coming over on serious business. Even when we were afraid she'd
be trapped in my mind forever, she said the most outrageous things just to get a reaction from me."
"I would like to hear more about that, if you don't mind talking about it." Hinata had heard enough about how Sakura and Ino had met to know they had
experienced an awful captivity. But the way they described their escape made it sound like an adventure. She even liked the way they bickered about whose
account was more accurate.
"We'll keep you entertained," Sakura laughed. "You can count on that."
Tenka sent a suspicious look at the two girls who were purposely, he was sure, hanging too far back to be overheard. "Your girl's planning something," he
warned Iruka.
"A distraction, I suspect," Iruka agreed, with a wry smile. "I'm not the only one worried about Naruto these days." He wished he could be more reassured by that.
"I doubt having another kid in the house is going to help much. You should get all of them out of there tonight. Between Bunchu and Shika, you could have the
place deserted when the guy shows up."
Iruka sent him a repressive look. "That would just delay the confrontation. We'd have to come home at some point and he might very well be waiting there for
us. Not to mention how badly Shikamaru was wiped out last time you and Bunchu talked him into transporting us. Even if he were willing, I don't want him
suffering another setback. Besides all of that, Bunchu is going to be...otherwise occupied...for the rest of the night."
Tenka cringed, his face paling and then flushing in rapid succession. "You went and did it. You just had to go and put that thought in my head. Have a heart,
Dolph. He's my old man. I don't want to think about those two..."
"Being occupied?"
"Fucking," Tenka spat, so loudly Iruka gave him a sharp glare. He lowered his voice, though he still growled through his teeth. "That's what they're doing.
That's what they always do after Bunchu brings me back. I swear, sometimes I think that's the only reason he agrees to find me, so he can make the old man
repay him with..." His face wrinkled and his voice dropped to a horrified little whisper, "...sex."
Although Iruka came close, he didn't laugh. "You remind me of Naruto. Is it really that difficult to accept that your father is a sexually active adult?"
"Yes," Tenka assured him. "It really is. If you have a heart, you'll never let that kid of yours know what goes on in your bedroom." His expression abruptly
changed as he latched onto that much less traumatizing thought. "Assuming you ever see any action in there. Why isn't that Kakashi guy stalking you? I
thought for sure you'd have gotten some from him by now."
Iruka sighed. "I don't understand how you can be so supportive of my sex life when the very thought of your father and-"
"I ain't thinking about that again. Don't even try to take me back to that. I'm on to you now. And I'm not supportive of your sex life, I just think it's past time that
you had one. With so many kids in that house there's no telling when you'll get another chance like this. You're interested, he's interested, so-" He frowned
suddenly. "He is still interested, isn't he?"
"No," Iruka sighed, "probably not." He sighed again when Tenka promptly launched into a lecture, calling him stubborn, a prude, a prick-tease – and where he
had gotten that idea, Iruka had no clue – and accusing him of cutting his nose off to spite his face. That last was a favorite of his thanks to their matching
scars. Iruka remained silent. He wasn't going to tell him that Kakashi had already gotten what he wanted from him. He had gotten what he wanted from Kakashi
as well. It was done. True, he was already considering sneaking to Kakashi's room tonight in hopes of another go at it before he left, but he wouldn't actually
do it. He'd had his fling. Kakashi might leave the day after tomorrow. Rather than long for just a little more, it was better to already be thinking of him as gone.
.-.
"You're burning them," Kiba scowled. "Give me that!"
"Back off!" Ino snapped, brandishing the spatula at him. "I'm the cook in this house!"
Kiba's upper lip curled. "This is the backyard. You want to cook in the house, get in there and do it. No one wants to eat charcoal."
"Eating meat rare is the same as eating it raw!"
"They're burgers, not steaks. I don't want 'em raw, I just don't want 'em burnt. Now give me that." He snatched the spatula away from her and quickly flipped
the nearest burger.
For a moment Ino could only stare at him in shock and outrage. Then she whirled and set off with an indignant, "Iruka!"
"You could have handled that better," Naruto commented. He grinned, though, and shrugged at a wide-eyed Hinata. "Guys are better at grilling meat, anyway.
She just doesn't want to admit it."
"Is that an inherent trait?" asked Lee.
"No," Sakura muttered. "It isn't true, either. I'd better go stop her before she comes back with-" She spotted Ino lifting one of the marshmallow prongs and
winced. "Something like that."
Across the yard, Tenka was sitting against the side of the house. "He's going to have his hands full with that one," he commented to Kakashi as they watched
Iruka and Sakura attempt to talk Ino down. Now that Iruka was occupied, he decided to pry. "So. What made you give up?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Excuse me?" He shouldn't have been surprised when he received a pointed look. He had forgotten this was Hiko's kid.
"Iruka," Tenka muttered, as if Kakashi didn't already know. "What? He not good enough for you? The dog made it clear you don't have much in the way of
standards."
"I take offense to that," Kakashi informed him. He would have a word with Pakkun the next time they met. His tastes might be varied, but his standards had
always been very high.
"Then what's the problem?"
"At the moment? Far too many nosy kids underfoot." At least the others weren't bugging him at the moment.
"Does that mean you still-" Tenka scowled when Kakashi rose and walked away from him. "Hey! I was talking to you!"
Which was the very reason he was walking away. Even Naruto would have been astute enough to realize that. Kakashi looked over at the boy in question.
Naruto was fully occupied with the grill, surrounded by friends and with the little black-haired girl at his side. If he had any idea what Sai's group predicted for
tomorrow he was hiding it well. The constant circle of kids eager to talk to him probably helped. Kakashi wandered over to where Shikamaru and Sai were
facing off over a chess board. That was an odd occupation for a barbecue, but Iruka's kids were an odd bunch to begin with. "Who's winning?"
"Me, of course," Shikamaru said in a bored tone. He had asked Iruka to bring out the game so Neji would have something to do while pretending to ignore his
cousin. Unfortunately the girl had kept sending furtive looks at him until he finally snapped and went off into the trees to join Shino in gathering loose wood for
the fire they were going to build later. Shikamaru had just made up his mind to take a nap when Sai had sat down across from him. Trouncing him wasn't very
entertaining, but the stupid things he said in an attempt to get a reaction from him had at least kept him awake. So far.
"I suggest we switch," Kakashi said cheerfully. "You can talk to Iruka's nosy little wannabe-brother, and I'll beat Sai at chess."
Sai looked up at him politely. "I suppose I could let you win the first match, out of respect for your age."
"He's not bad," Shikamaru admitted, because it was true. "He's just not me."
"For which I'm dearly grateful," Sai agreed. He wasn't surprised when Shikamaru accepted Kakashi's offer to trade places and went over to sit near Tenka in
the shade of the house. Unless Shikamaru had intentionally let himself be interred in that facility, he was probably grateful to Tenka for rescuing him. Not that
the Order hadn't rescued mutants from similar situations. They were just more selective than Tenka appeared to be. Some of the mutants he had helped to
release would kill countless people before they could be captured again. Assuming Oz could even find them a second time.
"So," Kakashi started, as he moved the black pieces back to his side of the board, "have you told Sasuke about tomorrow?"
"That would be direct interference," Sai pointed out.
"And you're not allowed to do that. Right. Then you haven't told Naruto, either?" Sai didn't react to the question. He also didn't look up. Kakashi gave a long
sigh. "You're very bad at this. You must realize that by now."
Sai frowned at him as he moved his knight. He didn't need Kakashi to tell him that. "This is my first recording task." And would be his last, one way or another.
"It shows," Kakashi said flatly. "If your goal was to keep Naruto from being involved, you have personally ensured the exact opposite. Even beginners aren't
supposed to make mistakes like that."
"I thought he would warn Sasuke."
"And Sasuke would run?" The boy clearly hadn't been observing those two closely enough. "If he did, Naruto would run after him and either bring him back or
stick with him until Itachi found them both."
"You assume Sasuke would let him." Even if Sasuke did, Sai was more than willing to restrain Naruto. All he needed was for Kakashi or Iruka to tell Sasuke.
The moment Sasuke bolted, Sai would be able to act freely. "You should inform him and let him decide how he wants to proceed."
"I was thinking about doing just that," Kakashi admitted. "Now that I know you want me to, I'll have to make it a point not to." He smiled when Sai's head
snapped back and his eyes locked onto him in pure exasperation. His voice was rather gentle when he reminded him, "Unlike your 'Order', I prefer having
Sasuke alive."
"Naruto's interference could get him killed," Sai spat.
"Or it could be just what he needs to defy your group's predictions." Sai had nothing to say to that, which wasn't surprising because there was nothing he
could say.
Tenka was scowling as he eyeballed the unlikely pair of Kakashi and Sai. "I'd like to know what they have to talk about."
"Probably Sasuke," said Shikamaru. That appeared to be all anyone had to talk about these days. Even Neji had given him an earful about the plan the others
had concocted. Being new, Shino might have something non-Sasuke-related to talk about, but Shikamaru wouldn't count on it.
"Speaking of Sasuke-" Tenka frowned when Shikamaru let out a loud groan. "What? I didn't even finish the sentence!"
"Forget it," Shikamaru muttered. "I am not dropping him or Naruto off somewhere until the trouble is over. It won't work. If his brother wants to see him, he'll just
wait till he gets back. Besides, Naruto already asked me not to take Sasuke anywhere. If I tried taking either of them, Naruto would probably beat on me until I
bring him right back. He has a temper where Sasuke's concerned. I'm not having him turn it on me."
"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you're afraid of him. After messing with Oz, what's one kid? Look at him." Tenka wrinkled his nose at Naruto, who was fussing
over Hinata with the most wishy-washy smile a guy could wear and still be male. "He's a total sap. Probably doesn't have a mean bone in his body."
Folding his arms behind his head, Shikamaru made himself more comfortable against the side of the house. "Go talk to Sasuke and see what happens. We
can continue this discussion when you get back." He closed his eyes, not bothering to watch as Tenka jumped up to accept his challenge.
Kyuubi noticed the instant Tenka started heading for the tree Sasuke was sleeping in. Naruto immediately darted over to head him off. Sasuke was tired. The
only way he had convinced him to rest outside was by promising no one would bother him. The others had readily agreed, but Tenka had been out with Iruka
at the time. Naruto wasn't about to let him ruin it. Sasuke's tree was far enough for him to be away from the noise but close enough for Naruto to keep an eye
on him. It was the perfect compromise.
Kiba made a face when Naruto took off. "We're failing here, guys."
"Failing what?" asked Iruka. He had come over to supervise the cooking, ensuring that Kiba and Ino both got equal time with the spatula. If Ino's burgers were
a little chewy, it would be worth it to maintain the peace. Her heart had truly been set on skewering Kiba in the ass.
"Nothing!" Sakura said quickly, with a bright smile. Inside she fumed. Kiba was absolutely right. She was convinced they'd had Naruto's full attention on Hinata.
That only left Kyuubi to blame for her plan failing. They needed some way to distract that fox as well. Maybe they could con Naruto into letting him come out for
a while.
"Plan B?" Lee asked quietly.
Sakura nodded and caught Ino's arm, pulling her away from the grill and out of Iruka's hearing range. Ino dragged her feet the entire way.
"It was my turn!" Ino complained. Just because she didn't fuss with her burgers as much as Kiba did, that didn't mean she wasn't entitled to equal time with the
spatula.
"Yes," Sakura said pointedly, "it is your turn. We're going to Plan B."
Ino's eyes widened and she broke into a wide grin. "Well, it's about time. Plan Busty Blonde is underway!"
"That's not what the B stands for," Sakura muttered. Too bad Ino wasn't listening. She caught Lee openly staring at the breasts Ino was arching to enhance
and decided to keep her mouth shut. If poor sexually-confused Lee were interested then Naruto's fox might be, too. It was worth trying.
Shikamaru cracked an eye open when Tenka sat down beside him again. The look on his face said everything. Shikamaru asked anyway. "Well?"
"He's worse than Iruka with the last cup of coffee," Tenka said disgustedly. "And that red-eyed thing when you try reasoning with him? Forget it."
"My words exactly," said Shikamaru.
.-.
To Ino's disappointment, Plan B was postponed by Iruka calling everyone over for burgers. She wasn't convinced hers were finished cooking, but Iruka insisted
on doling them out anyway. Naruto rushed to deliver some to Sasuke and, surprisingly, Neji. Once he got back everyone else settled on a blanket under the
edge of the trees to eat. Ino noted with amusement that Sakura only ate one burger, leaving plenty of room for marshmallows. Ino wasn't quite cruel enough to
inform her of how many calories were in just two of the enormous marshmallows Iruka had brought home. Who knew? Sakura might get lucky and the weight
would help pad out her chest. That thought made her wonder about Hinata, who was as flat as a boy despite her age. She had a strong suspicion the girl was
binding her breasts. If so, she would definitely be talking to her about that tonight.
Sakura hoped she was the only one who noticed where Ino's stare was directed. She leaned over to hiss in her ear. "There is no Plan L! Stop staring at her
like that."
Ino nearly choked on her food. She turned to gape at Sakura in something akin to wonder. "I doubt I will ever say this again, so you better enjoy it now. You,
Sakura, are a genius."
"What?" Sakura blurted. A cold chill swept down her back and her eyes widened. "No! I'm not. I'm an idiot. You can't seriously-"
"Yes!" Ino whispered furiously. "That's perfect! Forget Plan B, we're going straight to Plan L. We'll have him and his fox so focused they wouldn't notice if the
house fell down. And once it's out there, we can resort to it any time we need to."
"No, Ino," Sakura cringed, her face turning red. "I am not going to pretend that you and I are-"
Ino snorted. "Who said anything about you?"
If anything, Sakura's face got even redder. "Are you insane? You can't put the moves on-"
"What are you girls whispering about over there?" Tenka demanded sharply. Forget just being suspicious. The sight of those two plotting was downright
disturbing. Ino might be out of Sakura's head now, but they were obviously in each other's pockets. Females that close simply couldn't be trusted.
Being the amature that she was, Sakura blushed furiously and dropped her head with a vague mumble. Ino was far more collected as she let a sly smile slip
onto her lips. This she directed at Naruto, who was looking at them curiously. "We were just discussing how nice it is to share a meal with," and her smile
became downright lascivious as her gaze slid over to Hinata, "such enjoyable company." Hinata smiled back at her, shyly and innocently oblivious. Naruto, on
the other hand, spewed his mouthful of food a good two feet. For once, Ino wasn't at all disturbed by the grossness of such a thing. She licked her lips for
Naruto's benefit and then took a slow bite of her burger. Success was delicious.
.-.
Having come down long enough to light the fire, Sasuke returned to the trees. He wasn't at all interested in burnt sugar. He was, however, interested in what
had Naruto so distracted. Naruto had barely glanced at him, and he'd been visibly torn between arguing with his fox and keeping an eye on Ino, who was
merely showing Hinata how to spear her marshmallows. Was he afraid Ino would stab her with it if he looked away? Or was Kyuubi saying things to disturb him
again? Since Naruto was not sporting another tent in his pants, he assumed it was the former. He preferred that assumption because there wasn't a damned
thing he could do to stop Naruto's fox from being a pervert. Unfortunately.
Now that Naruto was no longer fussing over him, he took a tree closer to the field this time. If Naruto's claim about Kyuubi being able to sense mutants no
matter where they were was true, then he shouldn't have had to stay so close to the house to begin with. It was much more comfortable resting where people
couldn't look at him. He had felt eyes on him from the moment he had stepped outside earlier and was quite sick of it. Folding himself on a sturdy branch, he
set his mind to ignoring the distant voices. A moment later he snapped upright and looked around suspiciously. He could still feel eyes on him. That there was
no one in sight meant nothing.
Activating the sharingan, he did a probing sweep of his surroundings. The eye was in the foliage. For an instant he was frozen at the sheer improbability of
that, a round white eyeball with a brown iris floating gently in midair and staring right at him. Then he drew his sword, which instinct had insisted he keep on
him, and sliced the thing in half. It exploded into particles, which swept off to reform a few feet away. A few feet closer to the field. Sasuke didn't need a clearer
invitation than that.
.-.
Iruka was doing some early cleanup in the kitchen when he was sexually assaulted. There was no other description for it. One second he was closing the
refrigerator door after putting the leftover cheese away and then the next second he was up against the refrigerator door with Kakashi's tongue in his mouth.
He never had a chance to protest. He didn't have a chance to reciprocate, either. The assault ended as suddenly as it had begun. Mask back in place,
Kakashi calmly turned away to gather up a stack of dirty dishes. Iruka was still staring dumbly at him, and sagging against the refrigerator, when Kakashi
deposited his load in the sink.
"If you had bought paper plates, we wouldn't have so much to wash," Kakashi commented. He nodded at the questioning sound Iruka finally let out. "Yeah, I
guess that would be a waste of money when all these need is a little elbow-grease. And dish liquid, of course."
By the time Iruka got a hold of himself, Kakashi was elbow deep in a sink full of suds. With a determined scowl, Iruka marched over to him and opened his
mouth, but all that came out was a confused, "What...?"
"...was that?" Kakashi finished for him. "A good-morning kiss. Better late than never, as they say. Since I'm washing, you can dry. Here."
Iruka automatically accepted the wet dish and dried it with only a little fumbling. He couldn't tear his confused eyes off Kakashi long enough to focus on the
task properly. "Do you always kiss your partners the morning after?" If it was just part of his normal routine, then-
"I'm usually long gone the morning after." With praise as faint as what Iruka had given him this morning. The difference was that he gave his praise while his
partner was so sated and groggy the only faintness they noticed was their own breathing.
This time Kakashi had to stay, for Sasuke's sake. Iruka suddenly had no trouble dropping his eyes and focusing on the dishes he was drying. He had no idea
what to say. If Kakashi came to his room tonight he would welcome him. He really hoped he wouldn't, though. A one-night fling could be excused as temporary
lust-induced insanity. If there was a second night he might start including the nights Kakashi had merely slept in his bed, which would add up to an actual
relationship. If there was one thing Iruka knew for certain, it was that he was very bad at giving up on a relationship.
They finished the dishes in silence, Iruka keeping his eyes on his hands and Kakashi keeping his eye on Iruka. Since Kakashi's intention was not to keep Iruka
on his toes – certainly not in the kitchen where kids were liable to interrupt – he let the comfortable silence soothe away the wrinkle between Iruka's eyebrows.
As far as he was concerned he had given him enough warning that tonight should come as no surprise. Of course, given Iruka's habit of thinking himself into
knots he would probably still be surprised. But Kakashi had given him a fair chance not to be. That was the most he would concede after that casual dismissal
this morning. For a man who claimed he didn't have flings, Iruka sure didn't act the part.
Kakashi's hearing was sharp enough to make out the knock on the front door, if not the words spoken once it was opened. This being Iruka's house, he
expected the visitor to be here for him. Shikamaru's bemused expression when he glanced into the kitchen and went over to Iruka did take him by surprise,
though. "Another stray?" Kakashi asked, recalling how Lee had been dropped off.
"A shark," Shikamaru said, raising an eyebrow at Iruka. "He wants to talk to you."
"A loan shark?" asked Iruka. He sent a quick look at Kakashi as he dried his hands and set the towel aside. "I haven't taken out any loans, certainly not from a
shark."
"Not a loan shark," Shikamaru muttered. "Just a shark. Gills, blue-gray skin, sharp teeth?"
Kakashi raised his eyebrows when Iruka sent another quick look his way, a wary one this time. "I'll go with you," he volunteered. "I've never seen a shark that
makes housecalls."
"I don't know any shark mutants," Iruka blurted as he and Kakashi walked down the hall. "And I'm not expecting any more kids."
There was no need for Iruka to voice the conclusion he had jumped to. Kakashi was right there with him. Their suspicions were all but confirmed when Iruka
opened the door and they got a good look at the guy. With the mouth full of teeth, the visible rows of gills, and the pale blue-gray coloring, this was just the
sort of weirdo an insane Uchiha would keep company with. In Kakashi's opinion.
Iruka gulped, straightened his shoulders, and opened his mouth. "I'm-"
"Umino Iruka," the shark grinned, exposing the points of his teeth. He ran a tinted finger over the bridge of his nose. "Dolphin of the sea, I know. That's cute.
Thanks for not making me wait. The old man down the street took one look at me and ran into his house ranting about harpoons. Last thing I need is a lecture
for slaughtering a local. I'm Kisame. You've heard of me, I'm sure."
The shark-man waited expectantly. Iruka faltered just enough to blink and blurt, "Not really." That made the grin vanish, which should have been a relief but
wasn't. At least the strange man didn't look angry, just a bit annoyed.
"Figures," Kisame bit out. Then he shrugged and produced an envelope and a card. He held the card out to Iruka. "You're invited to tea tomorrow morning at
ten. Don't be late. He hates that." He waited until Iruka accepted the card and then offered the envelope. "Bring these two with you. The Babysitter can come
along, too, if he wants." He grinned at Kakashi. "I never envied you that. One wrong move and he'd have hung you up by your entrails. You'd think that would
be a quick way to die, but it's really not. He has skills."
Clutching the card and envelope to his chest, Iruka leaned out the door to watch the man walk away. He spotted his elderly street-watching neighbor peering
out through a crack in his curtains. Kisame must have spotted him too, because his head turned in that direction for an instant and then he walked a lot faster
down the sidewalk. Iruka might have watched him until he was out of sight if Kakashi hadn't drawn him back into the house.
Kakashi led the bemused and rather dazed Iruka up to his office. Iruka pulled away the instant they were inside, automatically going to sit at his desk. He then
stared at the card for so long that Kakashi began to wonder if he could even read it. "Well?" asked Kakashi.
"I am cordially invited to take tea with Uchiha Itachi," Iruka murmured. He lifted bewildered eyes to Kakashi and heard an odd little laugh escape his mouth.
"That sounds about right. I thought he might have mentioned tea the first time we met. Guess he really did. I did warn you he was insane," Kakashi reminded
him. Iruka's eyes dropped back to the card and another slightly hysterical sound came from his throat. Kakashi kindly reached over and plucked the card
away. It was a rather official looking card, the sort of thing any insane mannequin might have in large quantities for just such occasions. The only thing marring
it was the address scribbled on the back. He supposed that had been written by the shark. No one old fashioned enough to carry around formal tea invitations
could have such messy handwriting. Pocketing the card, he prodded Iruka as gently as he could. The last thing he wanted was for Iruka to break and succumb
to full on hysteria. "And the envelope?"
Iruka started to open it only to stop and straighten suddenly. This time when he looked up it was with angry indignation. "He's not supposed to be here until
tomorrow!"
"According to their predictions, which are influenced by wild cards, and so on and so forth. You don't believe in fate anyway," Kakashi reminded him. "The
important thing is that they were wrong. If they can't even get the arrival date correct, you can throw out pretty much everything they've said. That's good
news. So. The envelope?"
Although Iruka was annoyed by Kakashi's levity, he grudgingly opened the envelope. He took one look at the picture inside and dropped it on the desk with a
choked cry. Tenka was right. Knowing and accepting something in the abstract was very different from seeing proof of it with his own eyes. He flattened the
palm of his hand against his mouth and mumbled around it. "I think I might be sick. Or faint. Do people really faint from shock? I think I might really do it. I
don't..." He pushed his chair back and looked frantically around the room. "Air. Maybe I just need some air."
"Easy does it," Kakashi said soothingly. He slipped the photo out of Iruka's line of sight and patiently rubbed his shoulders until he stopped hyperventilating.
Then he took a surreptitious look at the photograph. He considered it rather romantic, actually, with the moonlight and all. He could see where Iruka might be
disturbed by it, though. He and Naruto were a lot alike in that way. He decided not to tell him the real reason he should be concerned about the kiss captured
in this photo. Itachi had seen this. That didn't bode well for Naruto. "Just relax, calm down, and don't tell anyone about the visit or the invitation." The house
shuddered slightly under their feet. Kakashi noticed, even if Iruka didn't. "I think I'll go check on the kids."
"He wants me to bring Naruto!" Iruka blurted.
"I know. We'll decide what to do about that later. Just stay here until you can put up a good front. We don't want Sai getting wind of this."
"As if it would make much difference when he couldn't even get the date right. Fortune-telling my ass," Iruka growled.
"Yes, and a very tasty ass it is, too." That got a sputter out of him, which was much better than shock and hysteria.
.-.
Naruto had always wished he could find a way to make Kyuubi accept if not appreciate Hinata. He now realized what a fool he had been. The first time Ino had
put an arm around her shoulders, smooshing one breast against her arm, Kyuubi had discovered a marked appreciation for Naruto's little sister of choice.
Even Hinata's clueless innocence worked in her favor because it made her the perfect prey for Ino's sly seduction. Naruto found himself in a horrifyingly
helpless position, torn between fighting Kyuubi's rabid fantasies and his own inability to stop Ino's flirting without Hinata realizing – and being scarred by – the
fact that Ino was flirting with her. He had been so focused on the attention Kiba and Lee had been paying her that Ino's interest had caught him completely off
guard.
"You should grow your hair out," Ino murmured, her lips close enough to Hinata's ear to have Naruto's fists trembling where they were clenched on his knees.
She was rather surprised he hadn't tackled her by now. Hinata, bless her naive soul, didn't suspect a thing. Ino ran her hands through the jagged mess
someone had made of the girl's hair and fairly purred, "It's so silky."
Sakura was so mortified she couldn't keep herself from squirming. Not that anyone noticed. Kiba and Lee were watching the two girls with rapt expressions.
She had thought they were no longer flirting because they realized the plan had changed. Now she knew better. They were teenage boys fully engaged in the
seemingly lesbian scene unfolding before them. And as much as it pained her to admit it, Ino was right. The house could fall down right in front of them and
she doubted Naruto would take his eyes off Ino long enough to make sure Iruka wasn't buried beneath it. Boys were such dogs. Even the new one, Shino, was
watching from across the yard. At least, she assumed he was. His sunglasses made it hard to tell for sure.
Had Sakura known what Shino was really looking at, she might have had some of her faith in the male species restored. He was actually watching Sai, who was
seated by the house with a sketchpad in his lap. Sai had created a bird a few minutes ago, an improbably sharp-edged little white bird that had flown right out
of his pad and off into the trees. Since there were interesting insects along the tree line, Shino had been in the perfect spot to see both that initial flight and
the sudden gust of wind-blown sand that had ripped the paper bird into shreds before it could make it past the first few trees. Sai had made and lost two more
faux birds before bringing out what appeared to be a real one. That one had managed to outfly the sand. Sai hadn't taken his eyes off the sketchpad once
since making it. Shino wondered if the boy was remotely viewing through the bird's eyes the same way he did with insects. Only Tenka's warning kept him from
asking.
Sai didn't care that he was being watched by the new boy. Naruto was fully engrossed in the lesbian action and Iruka was in the house. That left him free to
spy on Sasuke, or to at least try. His bird couldn't get close enough to see anything. A mile into the fields it had encountered a tenacious opposition. Whoever
Sasuke was fighting either had excellent multitasking skills or he had set an automatic defense around the perimeter. No matter how high his bird flew, it
couldn't move forward. Already it had been scraped badly enough for its flight to be slowed, and it was nearly blind in one eye. He resented that. Unlike his first
attempts, this was a real bird, indistinguishable from any other bird. What kind of mutant targeted random birds? The kind Sasuke was currently fighting,
apparently. There were quite a few mutilated birds and small animals circling that perimeter. At this rate his own bird would be joining them. He liked that
particular bird. He had just dispelled it when Naruto exploded to his feet.
The energy coursed through Kyuubi's body like electricity until his every hair stood on end. He was so close to the front that Naruto shuddered, feeling it as
clearly as he had. There was no need for words and no time for recriminations. The mutant was a distant bonfire that had suddenly burst into life on a dark
night. And Sasuke was right there beside it. Naruto shot to his feet and raced across the yard. Then something struck his forehead and he halted as if he had
run into a brick wall.
The scrap of paper Sai had attached to Naruto's forehead, with the word 'still' drawn in block letters, was enough to keep Naruto's body immobile. It had no
effect on his energy, however, or his mouth.
"What the hell are you-"
Sai attached a strip of 'silent' over his mouth and another of 'calm' directly over his heart. That slowed his panicked breathing. Yet that energy continued to
grow until the sheer heat of it had Sai edging back a step. If he had to put 'sleep' over his eyes there was no telling how the others would react. Then he saw
that energy with his own eyes, a violent red that was now singeing away the edge of the paper over Naruto's heart. He no longer had a choice in the matter.
He quickly drew the 'sleep,' outlining it twice, and ripped the paper in a strip long enough to cover both of Naruto's wide eyes. The boy immediatley swayed on
his feet. Sai dropped his pad and was reaching out to catch him when every one of his commands burst into flames. Heat seared his palms and a slashing
pain burst down his chest. That red energy was a physical thing, he realized too late. It had sliced into him like a blade. Or a tail?
"If anything happens to him, I'll kill you," Kyuubi snarled. He shoved the boy away and took off into the trees.
Sai hit the side of the house so hard he wondered if he had left a dent. The house had certainly left a dent in his back. He deserved that much for forgetting
Tiedoll's sketch. He had completely sealed Naruto, leaving the fox to take full control of his body and mind. He should probably count himself lucky it had
chosen to stay inside Naruto's body. That sketch had made it appear more than large enough to squash him like a bug. Next time he would have to draw out
his seals in advance to make sure they contained both Naruto and his beast. If this had been Itachi rather than some random rogue, Naruto would be racing
straight to his death right about now. He looked over curiously when the back door opened, but it was just Shikamaru.
Shikamaru took in the way the outside of the house had conformed itself to the shape of Sai's back and snorted. "I thought I felt a thud. It was just Sai making
an impression on the house," he called over his shoulder to Tenka.
"If it's anything like the impressions he makes on people, it's bound to be a bad one," Tenka cracked.
Not as funny as Tenka meant it to be, Shikamaru noted, but true enough. He watched him return to the kitchen and then accepted his fate and stepped
outside. Sure enough, Ino was already marching in his direction. "No," he said flatly. Naturally she ignored him.
"Naruto took off! The plan was working great, perfect even, but then he took off anyway for no good reason! He tried to stop him," she waved at Sai," I give
him that much credit, but his attempt didn't work, either. He went that way," and she pointed toward the trees. "Go get him and bring him back."
"No," Shikamaru said again. Then he turned his head away and plugged his ear with a finger to protect his eardrums from her screeching. As soon as she
took a breath, he explained. "All rumors to the contrary, I do not have a death wish." He heard Sai snort, but since Sai was still sitting in that Sai-shaped dent in
the wall his opinion didn't have much weight at the moment. The others crowded around him and he braced himself for more bull-headed nonsense. Thus he
was surprised when Lee spoke up to offer a reasonable alternative to the snatch and relocate plan.
"You could go to him to see if he wants help. In that case there would be no question of force. If he's in trouble, a quick escape might give him the time he
needs to regroup. Sasuke's brother would not be able to follow you, after all."
Sai was so amused by the unexpected depth of their desire to meddle that he felt compelled to help them, just a little. "Sasuke isn't fighting his brother. He may
be fighting someone his brother sent, but it could also be a random rogue."
"And you still attempted to stop Naruto from interfering?" Kakashi drawled from the doorway. Sai's mouth snapped shut. Kakashi shook his head at him. He
slipped past the others and went over to pick up the battered kid. Then he had to stop and stare in frank amazement as a vivid blush swept over Sai's face.
Really? Then maybe it wasn't respect and intimidation that made Sai behave differently around him. "Relax," he smirked. The boy was much too young for him.
"I'm just taking you in so Iruka can work his magic on you." He paused at the door long enough to pass a warning along to Shikamaru. "If you do jump into this,
make sure you're able to pop back here in a hurry. You're the only one here that Iruka can't heal."
"I forgot that," Ino blurted. She looked stricken. "How could we forget that?" she demanded of Sakura. "If he goes after Naruto and something happens to him-"
"It's nice of you to worry about me," Shikamaru lied, because it was actually suspicious rather than nice, considering the source, "but I don't even have to go
there all the way. If there's no safe place to land near Naruto, I'll just come back without making the full trip." Now that he knew this didn't involve Sasuke's
brother, he was resigned to making the effort. If nothing else, he couldn't possibly be more useless than Sai. He raised an eyebrow at Lee. "You want to tag
along, Voice of Reason?"
"Me?" asked Lee. "I'm a voice of reason?"
"In this bunch? Yes. Yes, you are. Come on, we'll use your room. Might as well start with some darkness. It's going to be bright as hell out on that field." And
this way he'd find out if he was actually capable of transporting someone without Bunchu to guide him. If he ended up leaving Lee behind in his room then at
least he'd never be asked to transport Naruto or Sasuke again.
.-.
Sasuke's immediate reaction was consternation. He had focused so much on the predictions of Sai's group that he had forgotten that Suigetsu and Kabuto's
warnings had come first. Suigetsu had warned him that both Itachi and Kisame had fallen off the radar. Kabuto had been sure Itachi would send someone or
come himself. Just because both Kabuto and Sai's group were hoping for the former didn't mean he should have outruled the latter. The disembodied eye led
deep into the fields and straight to a mutant the sharingan didn't recognize as a mutant. It was just a pale boy no taller than him with red hair, flat green eyes,
and the kanji for 'love' tattooed on his forehead. He was far too young to have been sent by Itachi and he didn't have any energy at all that the sharingan
could detect. But the eye floated to his outstretched hand, and when he closed that hand around it, the eye burst into glinting particles that settled in the grass
rather than reforming.
"I have come so you can fulfill Itachi's promise to me," the boy said in a soft voice that was as blank as his face.
"He sent you?" asked Sasuke. He wanted confirmation before he attacked. He had never killed someone so close to his own age and wasn't eager to start
now. The grass rippled between him and the boy, and a wave of sand rose up to wash over him. There was the mutant energy the boy lacked, it was wrapped
in and around the sand. He had no proof the boy was the one controlling that energy, but for the sake of survival he had to assume as much. Instinct took
over, silencing any remaining doubts he might have had.
He was able to cut through the energy binding the sand, and quick enough to dodge before it could reform. He couldn't do any lasting damage to it, however.
Surrounding himself and his blade with crackling currents let him change the form of the particles, solidify them into crystalline clumps the mutant was unable
to manipulate. But there would always be more sand to replace what he transformed, brought up from the very earth itself. Here in this field the mutant had an
unlimited supply. Sasuke didn't have an unlimited supply of anything, energy least of all. If this became a battle of endurance he would lose. He had no choice
but to go in for the kill. The boy, who had stood silent and still amidst the raging waves of sand, never even glanced back when Sasuke darted around him. A
wall of sand shot up as if of its own accord to be shattered under his blade. Too little too late. His sword continued downward and finally the boy moved,
glancing back over his shoulder. The blade bit into the side of his face.
Sasuke clearly saw the lower half of his face shatter to reveal a second face, one with teeth bared in a vicious smile. Energy radiated out from under that
mask, nearly blinding the sharingan with its intensity. He recoiled, but now he was the one reacting too late. The boy's right hand shot out, catching the front of
his shirt and jerking him closer. His energy bit into that hand and the surface of it crumbled to reveal pale skin that rippled as if something were bubbling or
squirming beneath the surface. Then he had no choice but to focus on that partially revealed face and the green eyes that were no longer flat but now
gleaming with a maniacal glee.
"He built you up higher than this," the boy said, and his voice was strangely fast and sharp. "Show me what you can do. Make this good for me like he
promised you would."
That hand bulged obscenely against his chest, and he tore free to send a ball of fire right at the boy's face. That hand was still changing when it rose to shield
the boy's head. The mottled tan and brown skin blackened beneath the flames, filling the air with the stench of burnt flesh. A high screech rent his ears, yet
somehow it was more felt than heard. Then the hand turned, opened so the sharp fingertips curled like claws, and reached for him through the fire. Sasuke
darted back, struggling through waves of sand that grabbed at his legs and slashed at his back. Shielding braced him against the hits, currents broke any grip
the sand could get on him, but his main attention was on the mutant stalking him with almost playful swipes of its now fully deformed and enormous arm.
The mutant was disturbed. He appeared to be devolving right before his eyes into something more animal than human. Plenty of Itachi's henchman had
enjoyed toying with him, but they had done it after he was already defeated and unable to fight back. Sasuke was suddenly convinced that either Itachi hadn't
sent him or he had sent him to be killed. He was unstable, out of control, and Itachi had no use for those who couldn't be controlled. Each time he sliced into
that deformed arm, often burning it as well, the creature screeched with glee rather than pain and lunged at him for more. The sand surrounding him was still a
nuisance, but he was beginning to suspect its purpose was to keep him hemmed in and close enough for direct contact rather than a real attempt to take him
down.
Evading the arm, Sasuke slashed at the boy's unprotected left side. The mutant crouched and something large and lumpy swept around to block the blow. A
tail. The deformity had spread from his right shoulder down his back to form an odd looking tail. It flung his sword off and then the mutant leaped at him from
all fours, reminding him of nothing so much as Kyuubi. He dodged, hit a wall of sand at his back, and forced his way through it. He needed distance and time to
think. He didn't want to do Itachi's dirty work and kill a mentally disturbed boy. He tore through the sand. The mutant lunged after him, but he was slowed by his
own unwieldy appendages. Sasuke had managed no more than ten feet between them when a howl ripped loose and that unnerving energy crashed over him,
heavier this time, wilder. The ground lurched beneath his feet and he was suddenly surrounded by a whirlwind of sand. He had just enough time to reinforce
his energy so he wouldn't be sliced up when the mutant burst through the vortex and tackled him to the ground.
The mask on his face was almost entirely gone, his teeth sharper than before, but it was his eyes that made Sasuke catch his breath. He looked frantic and...
afraid? "Make him go away," the boy demanded. Although higher and unsteady, there was still a hint of that soft voice he had originally spoken in. "No
bystanders. Make him go away." He gripped Sasuke's shoulders so hard his claw-like fingertips bit right through his energy and into his flesh. The mutation
had now taken over both arms and was bubbling across his chest. "Make him go away before I eat him!"
Sasuke was stunned when the mutant leaped off him, the whirlwind bursting so the particles of sand settled quietly in the grass. He quickly rose, not taking his
eyes off the boy, who was now crouched a few feet away with that tail swiping behind his bulging back. Then a familiar voice caught his ear and he whipped
around to see Naruto, or Kyuubi rather, fighting what appeared to be an entire ocean of sand. How had he gotten so close? His clothes were tattered and
bloody, his fiery red energy arcing into multiple tails that cut through the sand attempting to engulf him. Sasuke took a single step in his direction and the
mutant to the side of him groaned, drawing his attention back to him. That mutation had taken over his entire body and was now eating at the edges of his
face. The boy wasn't transforming, he was being consumed. Sasuke sent a quick look at Kyuubi, who had progressed a few more feet in his direction. Then he
did the only thing he could. He placed a shield around him.
.-.
Shino frowned when the door was closed in his face. He couldn't pretend to be surprised that they hadn't noticed him following them. No one ever seemed to
notice or remember him. His manner of dress would catch people's immediate attention and he would be subjected to suspicion, questions, sometime hostile
dislike, but then he would be forgotten about. He sometimes wondered if that was an aspect of his talents. His father had the same tendency to fade away into
the background and claimed that was for the best considering the nature of their talents. Shino sided with his mother on that issue. He would never know which
people were willing to accept him if he allowed everyone to forget he existed. So he knocked on the door and told himself not to take it personally when Lee
opened the door and asked if he could help him, as if he wasn't now a member of this house and so couldn't possibly have any interest in what was going on
in it.
"What now?" asked Shikamaru.
Lee glanced back at him. "It's-" He turned back to look at the new boy in honest surprise. "I have forgotten your name." He never forgot a name. He was
certain he had been paying attention when Iruka had introduced them to the boy. He even recalled Tenka talking about him.
Shino let the collar of his coat hide both his sigh and his frown. "Aburame Shino. I thought I should inform you that going directly to Naruto would be a bad
idea. He is currently caged in an energy shield of some sort." He looked past Lee to Shikamaru. "If your energy were to manifest inside that shield, you would
likely be trapped in there along with him." He believed that because he had lost contact the moment that shield had formed.
"How do you know that?" asked Shikamaru.
"I placed a bug on him."
Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand over his face. Was every teen in this house a born meddler? "What are you, another spy?"
"Certainly not." Shino accepted that being new he was an outsider, but it wasn't fair to lump him in the same category as Sai, whom everyone clearly disliked.
He hadn't done anything to warrant that. "I simply like to know what's going on around me, as a matter of self-preservation. And curiosity."
Definitely a meddler, Shikamaru decided. He might as well take advantage of it. "Is your bug an auditory one or visual?"
"Both," said Shino. He was surprised by the boy's easy acceptance. Most people had trouble with the idea that he could hear and see through an insect the
size of a flea. Then again, Shikamaru couldn't know just how small his bug actually was. "Naruto was under attack before the shield formed around him. You
would likely be attacked if you arrived nearby. I suggest you wait."
"For what?" asked Lee.
"For Sasuke to remove the shield."
.-.
The creature the mutant had become raged far longer than the sand did. Cut off by the bubble Sasuke had placed around the boy, the sand was no longer
fed by his energy and eventually settled into dunes, the largest of which were around his own shield. The mutant had been intent on piercing Sasuke's shield
rather than his own. Before passing entirely beyond speech, he had accused him of denying what he had been promised. After that there had only been howls
and growls and infuriated snarls. Now finally spent, he was curled in a tight ball, his energy filling the bubble with a hazy fog. As Sasuke watched, the surface
of that mottled skin began to crack and crumble away, until all that was left was the red-haired boy half-buried in sand. Sasuke saw the wounds he had made
heal to mere scratches before being covered by a thin layer of sand that took on the appearance of unblemished skin.
The boy was still for so long Sasuke began to wonder if he were asleep. He could no longer hear Kyuubi yelling at him in the distance, but he didn't want to
keep him caged any longer than necessary. He was looking over at Naruto's bubble, which was also half buried in sand, when the mutant suddenly sat up.
With his masked face as blank as ever, he grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it at the shield, shattering it so easily Sasuke flinched. No wonder he hadn't
tried breaking his own shield. He had never been trapped in it to begin with.
The boy walked over to stand just outside the edge of Sasuke's shield. "Why did you stop?" he asked, his voice as quiet and calm as it had been in the
beginning. "You made him safe. You could have finished me before I had grown large enough to swallow him shield and all."
How much bigger would he have gotten without the shield to contain him? Was that why he had stayed inside of it? "Did Itachi send you here so I could kill
you?"
"He set me free to do as I like."
That wasn't really an answer. The boy's eyes were flat again, but Sasuke wondered if without the mask he wouldn't see a flash of teeth.
"What I like is to fight," the boy continued, "to taste the blood of my opponents. I eat people." He said it without a hint of emotion. "I like to torture them first, so
they cry and beg. Don't you think I should be stopped? They tried. They had me chained and drugged, but they couldn't kill me. Itachi said you would be able
to. He said you could make it good for me. Why didn't you?"
"There is nothing good about death," Sasuke said sharply. Where the hell had Itachi found the boy? He belonged in an asylum. "If you want to die that badly,
why don't you do it yourself?"
"Because I can't. I have tried. I can't do enough damage before I change and go looking for someone to eat. Itachi said you have morals. Are you going to
leave me free to eat people?"
Of course he couldn't. But he wasn't willing to perform a mercy killing, either. Sasuke released his shield and walked forward to punch the boy in the face. The
boy lurched back a step, but there was no tensing, no anger, no hint of unholy glee in the green eyes that turned back to him.
"It will take a lot more than that to kill me," the boy informed him. There was just a tiny hint of annoyance in his voice.
"I wasn't trying to kill you. I just felt like hitting you." Sasuke scowled when the boy merely blinked at him. He turned on his heel. "Come with me." They were
nearly to Naruto when the boy seemed to realize his intention.
"Itachi asked me not to kill any bystanders. Do you want me to attack your friend so you have no choice but to kill me? I might eat him before you have time to
stop me."
Sasuke ignored him. He could stop him simply by placing another shield around Naruto. His intention was to see just how unstable to the boy really was.
Naruto tensed as they drew closer. His palms were flat against the inside of the shield and his eyes were as blue as the sky. Kyuubi must have worn himself
out tearing through all of that sand. He explained before Naruto could start in on him, "Itachi sent him here to be killed by me. I refused."
"Foolishly," the boy behind him muttered, a little more anger creeping into his voice.
"Then he's not an enemy?" asked Naruto. "Kyuubi swore he was a monster. That bastard Sai did something to knock me out. By the time I came to, we were
stuck in here and he said you were fighting a monster." He hadn't seen any of that. All he could make out were two more bubbles in the distance, with the sand
raging around the one Sasuke was in. Which reminded him, "Let me out of this pink beach-ball already!"
"I will in a minute," said Sasuke. First he told him what the boy had claimed. Predictably, Naruto reached the same conclusion he had.
"That sounds like Kyuubi," Naruto blurted. "The old Kyuubi, at least." Because thanks to him his fox could no longer give in to any of those horrible urges. He
stared hard at the blank-faced boy standing so placidly by Sasuke. "Have you ever hurt anyone without changing?" He wondered what the boy changed into.
As far as he knew, not even Kyuubi had gotten a good look.
"Yes," the boy said, and now his voice was thick with anger. "I like to fight. It's what I do."
"You?" asked Sasuke. "Or the thing riding you?"
"There is only me," the boy snapped impatiently. "Itachi looked for something more and found nothing. He couldn't separate me from what I become. No one
can. I am what I am. All you can do is kill me." His eyes narrowed. "Preferably in a good fight."
"You're angry now," Sasuke noted. "Why aren't you changing?" The boy's eyes were bright with angry frustration despite his blank face.
"I can't make it happen any more than I can stop it from happening. Do you think I would eat people if I had a choice? It's disgusting. Vile. I-" He cut himself off,
closing his eyes so his face was a perfect mask. When he spoke again his voice was calm and soft. "If you attack me with deadly intent, I'll change. That's the
only guaranteed catalyst I know of." He opened flat green eyes to stare at Sasuke. "Outside of a fight, it only happens when I tire. I can't stop sleeping any
more than I can stop fighting. I have tried. I always succumb eventually."
Sasuke released the shield around Naruto. The mutant had more control than he had given him credit for. He might be completely unstable in his transformed
state, but he wasn't insane. Whether or not he was a rabid dog that needed to be put down remained to be seen. The moment Naruto was free, he grabbed
Sasuke's arm and pushed his sleeve up. He was already licking the first scratch before Sasuke realized what he was up to. "Naruto!"
"You're bleeding," Naruto scowled, before licking another of the claw marks.
"Do you enjoy blood?" asked the red-haired boy.
Naruto turned his scowl on him. "I can heal small wounds by licking them. But I hate blood." Especially Sasuke's. He wasn't about to forget who had left those
marks on him.
"It turns my stomach," the boy said quietly.
And yet he claimed to 'like' eating people. Sasuke didn't comment on that. Naruto was trying to get at his other arm and he had his hands full keeping him at
bay. "Stop it," he snapped. "They're not serious." The wounds were shallow impressions of the claws the mutant had gripped him with, rather than actual
scratches. They did, however, warn him of what might have happened if he had been a little slower in evading his swipes. He suspected the boy had been
holding back, and that he hadn't lost full control until the mutation consumed him so completely he was beyond speech. If he didn't have a parasite akin to
Naruto's fox, then he was a victim of his own mutant talent. Either way, Sasuke loathed the thought of being forced to kill him. And he loathed Itachi for placing
him in the position of being responsible for the boy's actions if he failed to kill him.
Sasuke flinched when darkness suddenly swept over him. He heard Naruto gasp and felt him latch onto his arm. Then the dark cleared away, sweeping back
like a black wind, and faded to reveal Shikamaru and Lee standing right next to Naruto. Naruto, who relaxed the moment he saw them as if he had known
perfectly well that Shikamaru had such an ability. Naruto would pay for keeping that secret.
"Oh," Lee sighed in disappointment as he looked them over. "You really didn't need help."
"I wouldn't say that," Shikamaru muttered. His skin was crawling. What were the odds? First the same prison, now the same refuge? The odds should have
been astronomical. Unfortunately the world seemed to be revolving around Sasuke these days, so he shouldn't be so surprised. He braced himself and
greeted him, "Hello, Gaara."
The red-haired boy took a slow step forward and stopped when Shikamaru winced. "You're still alive."
"And you're free," Shikamaru acknowledged. "Did that guy with the explosives try to kill you?"
"Eventually. He didn't want Itachi to have me. I ate his arm."
"Of course you did." Shikamaru smiled stiffly. Of course Sasuke's brother knew the blond-haired psycho who had snatched Gaara up and blown the place
apart during their jail break. Itachi was the brother of Sasuke, around whom the world turned. His smile threatened to crack as he turned it on the boy in
question. "You can't take him back to that house."
"How do you know each other?" asked Naruto.
"He refused to date my sister," Gaara told him without taking his eyes off Shikamaru.
She hadn't wanted to date him, she had wanted to eat him alive. Even at fifteen the girl had been nearly as cannibalistic as her little brother. Shikamaru's smile
faltered a little more. "She was too old for me," he told Naruto. She also suffered from the same ego-maniacal insanity as the rest of that family. At least she
wasn't a mutant.
"She didn't think so," said Gaara.
Shikamaru ignored both him and his own goose-bump ridden skin. "You can't take him to that house," he repeated, including Naruto as well this time. "He'll eat
everyone the first time he falls asleep. I'll take him to Bunchu. If he can't control him, then I'll take him home."
"I can't go back there," Gaara informed him. "I ate Father before I left."
Naruto choked, telling Shikamaru that he didn't need to say any more about how dangerous Gaara was. "I'm sure he deserved it," he said to Gaara. "He
always was an asshole. Even Temari said so. I bet she misses you."
Gaara's eyes narrowed. "I won't go back there."
Because he didn't want to eat his own siblings? Shikamaru supposed he had to respect that. "Then I'll take you somewhere else. If the man I'm going to
introduce you to can't help, then I'll take you somewhere else." Preferably a place with no people. A deserted island, maybe. Last he'd heard, Gaara couldn't
swim.
Gaara watched as Shikamaru reached out and took his elbow in a hand that shook. A smile went unseen behind his mask of sand. "One of these days I'm
going to eat you."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Shikamaru sighed. He wrapped them both in shadow, sought Bunchu out in his mind, and took them to him. A moment later he
wished he hadn't been in such a hurry. His shadows dissipated to reveal something Gaara really didn't need to be seeing.
"Is that sex?"
Shikamaru cringed. Thankfully Hiko's yelling kept him from having to answer that question.
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PART 45
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FEEDBACK
FANFICTION INDEX