Time
A wide field of brightly colored, floating spheres stretched before the eyes of the young demon when his body had finally manifested itself in the strange world. It almost looked like the Northern Lights were reflected on the smooth surfaces of the spheres.
He could feel the energies; The magic that flowed through his veins and caused him to take a few deep breaths of the vibrating air.
He had done it. The realm of demons. A place he hadn’t even known from stories.
It looked calm, scary even. Silence. No twittering of birds, no rustling of the tree tops, nothing. Time seemed to stand still in this world so alien to him.
"Well ... and now?" He just wondered, looking behind himself. No tail.
Well, it wouldn't be as easy as he had imagined.
His eyes focused on a crystal spire that could be seen in the distance and that reflected the warm light of the sky.
Naruto decided to follow the winding path to his feet, following his instinct that led him straight to the tower.
"Really strange"
The young fox demon looked around and yet he saw nothing. This world, that seemed exciting to him at first sight, was also creeply silent. He hadn't seen anyone, hadn't met anyone. Neither animal, nor spirit, nor any other form of life had crossed his path. Even the flowers in the seemingly endless expanse of these fields were made of crystals. A fascinating sight, but it lacked the feeling of warmth that the human world had taught him. Apparently there was nothing here. Not even the smell of the wind, the plants or the seasons. He felt nothing, in this almost infinite space.
A cold shiver ran down his spine when he found himself thinking that he might have had to spend his life in this world if he was a full-blooded demon. No, he preferred the human world, even if it was only Sasuke who had shown him the loving side of people.
"Sasuke ..."
The fox demon stared lost to the sky. Would he really be able to manifest his tail by sunset? He had to.
After all, he had promised him.
◊◊◊
It felt like hours had passed before the fox demon finally reached a plateau. A huge crystal plateau, shimmering in all colors, in the shape of a hexagon, on the sides of which marble columns towered and came together under an ornate roof. It appeared alien to the blonde, unnatural and hand-made and yet so supernatural, as if it had always been in this place.
He could almost grasp the energy in the air and a heavy, shuddering sigh escaped the demon's fine lips as it flowed through his body. He turned in all directions under the pavilion roof and found that nothing really existed around him; Nothing but the strange spheres and this lonely pavilion.
"I knew you would come to this place."
Startled, the demon spun around when he heard the low, whispering voice that he had heard so many times before. A voice that only he understood.
"Where are you? Who are you?"
His eyes searched the clouds, which were a rich cream tone in the glow of the slowly sinking sun.
"I'm here, everywhere," it echoed out of nowhere.
"Are you afraid? Are you angry? It was you who was looking for power, naive little fox. "
Naruto's hair on the back of his neck rose and, unwillingly, his young body tense under the provocation of that voice.
"Show yourself already! What do you want from me?"
The demon's furry tails lashed against the dazzling floor below, making it vibrate.
The warm light of the setting sun was reflected in the crystal surface of the pavilion, illuminating the body of the demon, who was at the center of this spectacle.
Naruto's gaze, however, wandered aimlessly through the air, hoping to find the origin of the voice that mocked him.
"SHOW YOURSELF!"
His tails hit the floor again, causing it to shake. What was this game about?
"What do you desire?"
Quiet, seductive and yet so meaningless, the voice caressed the demon, making him feel that he had to face only one thing in this place: himself.
He heard the blood singing in his ears. What did he desire? His tail. The strength to help his friend. But it wasn’t it that very desire for power, that alomost had him succumb to the shadows? Didn't that mean he gave into the darkness when striving for the power he needed?
The thoughts made his head ache. He needed it. He wanted power, but he rejected the darkness that came with it.
His jaw tensed, his usually deep blue eyes crossed with blood-red streaks.
"What ... are you craving?" It whispered again.
Naruto sank to his knees, felt the invisible hand around his throat. The darkness that seemed to reach for his heart was trying to take him over.
"Get lost!"
The fox demon bent over on the plateau, growling. He would never succumb. Not for all the power in this world.
"What are you craving?"
Naruto's fingers scratched the smooth floor, leaving long marks on the polished crystal structure. The reflection showed only himself - Him and the strength it took him to resist this darkness.
// Sasuke ... I'm coming back. I WILL come back!//
Seconds turned into minutes and pushed him to the limits of his consciousness. Seconds filled with pain, full of fear of whether he could keep his promise.
"Love."
The demon looked up as the sun directed a blazing beam of light at him. The gentle, loving voice tore the blonde from his fear and was able to pull him into the present.
His gaze wandered over the blurred figure in front of his eyes, whose long, fiery red hair swayed gently in the wind.
His mother's hand stroked his cheek like a gentle breeze, her warm eyes on the young demon.
"I'm so proud of you."
Naruto's eyes filled with tears. A dream? A hallucination? He did not care. It felt so real, the warmth of his mother.
He wrapped his arms around her and let his feelings wash over him. It was her and nothing about her resembled the cruel form that had cursed his friend. Was it happiness he felt? Relief? He didn't know and he didn't care.
A loving, yet sorrowful smile lay on Kushina's lips as she ran her hand over her son's back. They only had this one moment. Nothing more would be granted to them, because her live had ended long ago. Here, in the depths of the demon world.
She kissed him gently on the forehead and disappeared in the form of sparkling, golden particles into nothing, like a vague illusion.
The blond slowly rose, wiping his eyes with his forearm.
He had his answer. What he wanted was love because it gave him the strength he needed.
The whispering voice was gone.
He was alone. Alone in the middle of a world which made no sense to him and which had shown him what he really wanted.
A dim, shimmering light on his back finally made the blond turn his head.
His body began to tingle, turning in the hot waves of energy that were flooding his veins at that moment, enfolding him completely.
He made it.
The demon's tails, shimmering in the golden glow, reflected the remaining light of the sunset, making the sun pale with envy at the sight.
"Welcome home, little fox."
A friendly, strange voice reached the demon's ears and made him look down.
"W ... what?" He asked, looking at the beautiful fox in front of his eyes. An ordinary red fox, if you looked at him like that and yet he also had several tails.
In a moment's notice, various portals were revealed around the demon; Each on a different side of the crystal pavilion. Suddenly Naruto realized why he hadn’t met anyone - It wasn't just a twilight world. There were hundreds of worlds available to the demons.
"But, I don't want to stay at all. I want to go home, to Sasuke. “, He replied confused and let his gaze wander over the portals. Not a single one of them led him into the human world.
"Home?" The red fox repeated perplexed and at first did not understand what the blond was trying to say.
"Home. To the human world! To my friend!” Naruto repeated energetically. Even in the portals, demons fell out of the trees and stuck their heads curiously into the scenery.
"But ... don't you know?" The fox replied obviously at loss for words.
Naruto felt sick. What was it that he should know?
"One day in our world, one hundred years in the human world."