Feelings
"Naruto you are crushing me."
"No, I'm careful."
Sasuke finally gave in and sighed softly. Since he had told the fox that their time together was limited, Naruto hardly ever left his side.
He wanted him close, literally stuck to him. Whether they slept, bathed, or walked through the forest, the fox demon never left his side. He didn't want to leave him alone. Not now, not after what had happened and after learning that Sasuke could leave him at any time. At the risk that he himself might represent the greatest danger to his friend's life, he wanted to stay by his side.
Sasuke's fingers stroked the blond strands tenderly, finally got stuck on the demon's neck and began to scratch him.
"Don‘t be ridiculous. Humans don't die that quickly either. "
"…Hm."
Naruto just grunted and snuggled closer to his friend. He didn't want that. He didn't want him to die anytime. He wanted to stay with him forever.
The fox demon's ears were put on, almost merging with his fuzzy blond hair.
"You know ... I would like some meat. How about if you hunt some? I'm waiting here for you. "
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, laying them on his friend's pale face.
"But ... when I leave, you are all alone," he replied thoughtfully, his furry ears now hanging slightly.
Sasuke would be alone. All alone, like all the time before. All those years he had spent alone and lonely in this forest.
"Nothing will happen to me here. I'll be there when you come back. Promised."
The blonde finally nodded thoughtfully. He would just hurry up and return to him as soon as possible.
"Alright.", He only grumbled, but endend up snuggled up to his friend again. It was just too cozy to get up. His tails stroked lovingly over the blind man's body and let him sigh comfortably. It was nice by the demon's side. It felt warm, secure. As if nothing in the world could cause him any more pain, and even though Sasuke truly enjoyed this feeling, they couldn't lie around here and stick to each other. Time does not wait, so they had to make the best out of it, no matter how short this life was for him.
◊◊◊
With a quick, controlled movement, the fox demon tore a deer.
His teeth sunk deep in the back of its neck and with the blood running down his mouth, he looked more animal than his humanoid figure would have suggested. But he loved this way of hunting and if he was honest he was a little afraid of his demonic powers.
Not because he couldn't control it, but because he neither knew nor could estimate the extent of it.
"What am I to do? Somehow I have to be able to break this curse ... “, the fox demon murmured to himself and let himself sink next to the dead deer for a moment.
Looking back at his bloodstained hands, his friend's memories came again.
>> Power is a malicious friend. <<
A dark, lifeless voice pulled him out of his thoughts and the fox rose with a jerk. Nothing. He couldn't see anyone.
>> Poor little fox. Youre longing for it and yet are too scared to use it. But it is what you are looking for. <<
"Who are you?! Show yourself!"
Naruto's pulse was racing. That voice ... it seemed terribly familiar to him, and yet it shook him to his core because of the ruthless cold with which it spoke. It was as if death itself spoke to him.
A dark, harsh laugh was heard as his own shadow emerged from the floor and revealed itself to him.
The fox demon's blue eyes stared in shock at the jet-black image of himself.
>> What you are looking for is power. <<
The shadow smiled maliciously and held out his hand to the demon.
>> Nothing is more powerful than the power of a full demon. The power to rule over life and death. All you have to do is to give yourself up to the shadows. <<
Naruto stared at his own shadow, unable to resist his words. Power?
Power was what would help him? It made perfect sense. If he exceeded his mother's power, he would also be able to break her curse. He would be able to help his friend.
Slowly the blonde raised his hand too. All that was needed was this one sacrifice.
The shadow twisted the corners of his mouth into a dark smile. In a moment he would control him as he had done it with his mother.
"Beware of the shadows," the words of the white fox suddenly echoed in his head and tore the blonde from his trance.
He slapped the shadow's hand aside and stood up to him.
"I will never allow you to control me!"
The shadow writhed in anger and finally broke away from the silhouette of the fox demon, revealing himself to him as a dark, faceless figure.
"Curse you! You and the light inside your heart! "
With a hiss, the dark figure disappeared, leaving nothing but the peaceful silence of the forest and the still trembling fox demon.
That was close. This figure almost led him into the dark.
"You're careless, fox demon," it croaked next to him suddenly and Naruto's gaze went down.
A fat, reddish toad had joined him. To Naruto's surprise it was smoking a pipe.
"I think I’m going crazy. When did frogs start smoking? "
Confused, he crouched down to the toad and eyed it from all sides. His tails whirled excitedly through the air before he raised one of his clawed fingers to nudge the toad. He had never seen anything so strange!
If you had seen the demon like this, you would have thought he was an oversized cat playing with something.
◊◊◊
Sasuke's white-grey irises roamed the room. Something had changed since that night. Not only did his senses deceive him far more often than they had before, no, he had the feeling something inside his body had changed as well. Despite knowing the danger it would take to reveal his memories to the demon, despite that he might have died, he hadn't hesitated for a second to show them to him.
Murderer, the demon had called him. Words that still echoed in his ears. Killer…
He was right. They had murdered the ones like him. Demons like gods and even though he was certainly not one of them, the blood of those murderers flowed through his veins.
With a sigh, he put his knife aside, the smell of healing herbs hanging heavily in the room.
If Naruto saw himself as a monster, what was he compared to him?
How could he expect him to stay by his side, as it must be unbearable painful for the fox demon.
"I'm such an idiot."
He shook his and tried to suppress the grief that overwhelmed him. He had tried everything to get rid of him, had tried to suppress those feelings and longings, and yet it was him who didn't want to let him go anymore. The one who no longer wanted to imagine his life without this chaotic demon, was he.
But he couldn't tell him. It wouldn’t be fair to tie him for selfish reasons. While his time was already running out, the demon's life had only just begun. Perhaps the best thing would be to forget, before it breaks him. There was no future for either of them. Nobody could stop time or change fate. All they had left were the memories of the past.
◊◊◊
"So that means I only need my ninth tail and I can break the curse ?!"
"Whether it works is of course a matter of concentration, but theoretically that is the prerequisite, yes."
"Master toad, you are awesome! I could kiss you! "
"Don't even think about it!" Replied the toad in disgust at the idea of being kissed by this fox demon. Bad enough that people tried to get high now and then.
"Yeah ok I won’t do it, but I can’t believe my luck! Thank you! I ... Oh God I have to tell Sasuke! "
He rushed to put the toad back on the ground, grabbed the deer and made his way home. A tail! Only one more tail and he would be able to erase all the pain, all the torture. He would show Sasuke the world in all its colours and let him forget the dark years.
He would show him their bright future.