Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Demons of No Hope ❯ Striking Out ( Chapter 6 )

Demons of No Hope
-Striking Out
((Sorry for not posting since… two years… what busy lives we lead))
-Last time
I know I don't have much time until they figure out what I am doing. I don't have time. Time is not on my side it seems. Nothing is.

Continuing-
I sink into the water. It is cold and soothing to my feverish skin. I had taken too much last night and this morning. My body is overheating from the power grid. I heave in a deep breath and submerge myself into the icy waters. I hold my breath for as long as I can, willing the rippling current to chill my overheating system. I drift lazily about under the water. The current serves a dual purpose, the first, so I don’t overheat and pass out from a fever the second, to warm up my muscles for the journey ahead, today. I try to organize my thoughts. I remember what happened yesterday. I bite my lower lip. I cannot believe I had thrown myself in front of Sasuke like that. He probably resents me right now. ‘But that is a good thing’ a voice pips up ‘no one should be allowed to get close to you. It will only bring pain and suffering to them.’ I find myself in agreement with my inner voice, my subconscious. Kyuubi speaks up but why would you torment yourself this way? He is another harborer as well. You know this as well as I. I find myself retorting ‘it doesn’t matter! The Hokage has final say here. You know as well as I that I, we, have a time limit on our life. It doesn’t matter what we think or know.’ Kyuubi snorts. So what if we have a little bit of fun? We’ll die anyway. Why not get some pleasure out of it? I find myself enraged. ‘I will not!’ I protest ‘he has a right to do his own thing. I will not sully him with myself. I am to remain alone and untouched. No one is to be near me much less my friend.’ Kyuubi is silent. He has nothing more to say to the argument. I realize that I have been under water for a good period of time and perhaps it was best to pop back up before they think that I have drowned, besides, the water has done its job. I am no longer feverish, in fact, my teeth are chattering.

Sasuke was in mid-yawn when the surface of the water broke and Naruto came up for air. He blinked slowly and watched Naruto stride out of the water. He was slightly tanned and the water dripping off his slight muscles were oddly disturbing. He found he had to look away. He noticed that Sakura was also awake and watching the blonde ninja fledgling.

Sakura was in shock. How can he look so good? –remember, he’s the enemy! He’s only with us because he somehow hoodwinked the Hokage! And he showed Sasuke up yesterday! – Sakura forced herself to look away and noted that Sasuke was also averting his eyes as Naruto came up across the ground and dressed silently. He didn’t seem at all affected by the way he affected them with his little show. He had been only wearing black trunks, skin tight, and it was oddly relieving to see him putting on that hateful orange outfit again.

Kakashi glanced over his pod. Naruto seemed refreshed from his little dive. He had been mildly concerned when he realized how long his student had been under water, but he supposed that the jounin would have some hidden talents much like the incident that happened yesterday. He glanced at Sasuke and Sakura. “If you two would freshen up, we have to leave soon.” He said stoically.

Naruto was once again, sitting by his pack. It had been a little thrilling to find that Sasuke had to look away blushing. He then chatisized himself. ‘Idiot, you can’t be thinking like that. Those are dangerous grounds. Forbidden.’ He closed his eyes against the sight of Sasuke shedding his own clothes and jumping into the water. Sakura was behind a few bushes and trees, so she missed the show of the pale skin. Naruto mentally slapped himself. He was alone in this. He had to have something wrong. Why else would he be watching a fellow comrade? It must be the years of solitude. Just thinking about it brought Naruto’s mind back to reality. The cage walls seemed closer now. Naruto knew the field work was just an elaborate illusion. He wasn’t free. He could never be free. His leash had just moved to another hand, albeit a little reluctantly, but it had been done. Naruto’s eyes opened in time to catch Sasuke coming out of the water, the water sluicing over his pale skin. Even Kyuubi was silent when Naruto looked away. Naruto fought the blush that wanted to form. ‘Push him away. He cannot be dirtied by me. He is to remain untouchable. He is not your friend. He is just another one of them. He resents you. He dislikes you. He won’t come near you. He hates you and if he knew what you harbored for him… he would look at you in disgust.’ Naruto looked down at the ground. It was all rather depressing and he wished that Sakura would get on with it and finish her bath so they could start on the road again. Didn’t she know that lingering in camp was a bad thing?

Apparently Kakashi thought so, “Sakura…” he started “Stop your dawdling and let’s get a move on. Lingering in camp with the enemy nearby is not a good thing.”

Sakura was beet red when she came out of the water. She had been hoping that Sasuke would look at her. Instead he had ignored her as he had ignored Naruto. She ducked behind the bushes to dry off and redress. –he wasn’t ignoring Naruto. He was watching him. He was BLUSHING when he looked away! – Sakura felt irritation tick. Naruto must be working his hoodwink on him as well. Oh she would have words with Naruto when she got the chance. How dare he try to corrupt Sasuke! She appeared with her pack and realized that the other three were already standing and had their packs over their back. It was clear that they were waiting on her. She felt slightly embarrassed. Sasuke and Naruto didn’t look at her, they were too busy looking at the woods and then she realized that they were scanning for the enemy and felt even more embarrassed.

Kakashi just urged them to continue their pace thru the woods. Running as per usual.

I’m running sort of in the middle. I’m kind of at a dilemma. Kakashi-sensei is fighting for me. He doesn’t want me to go back and he hates the fact that the black ops are following us. It doesn’t really help when we’re training to be genin and we can’t really train. Because of me. It’s my fault that they’re here. I wonder what would happen if I snuck off and tried to double back. Would the enemy follow? Would they take the bait and follow me right to the black ops? I wonder if Kakashi-sensei would notice. I glance up and I see him give me a look with one eye. I have a feeling he knows what I’m thinking and he’s letting me know now that he has his eye on me. I wonder if that’s a good thing. I feel a small flicker of hope that maybe he is here to get me out. But if that’s the case, than we need to lose a few bodies. Sakura was against this idea from the start. Sasuke… I have no idea what he is thinking. But then I feel those cold bars again, just lingering out of my peripheral vision and I know that the ops are there. Just waiting for own mistake. I feel sad. This freedom is merely an illusion. I can’t help but feel a little bitter about realizing that there is nothing that Kakashi-sensei can do.

This is my prison. What right do I have to sentence other people to the same fate? I am merely trying to strike out in my own way. I don’t want to endanger those that I can consider… important. What right to do I have to seal their fates?