Naruto 1. The Beginning

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A/N: I'm biting off more than I can chew. I'm the laziest person I know, but here I am starting yet another fanfic. Naruto just left that good of an impression on me, that I feel it is my duty as a fan to horribly mar it's storyline until it is something nearly unrecognizable. ...Wait... that didn't come out right...  
  
Before we begin, there are several things I'd like to clear up.   
  
First, I have only watched the anime up to the Chuunin Exams, and have only read up to volume three of the manga. This is because I am poor, and I don't subscribe to Shonen Jump. Nor will I get a subscription to Shonen Jump, so don't suggest it to me--I read it before and I only liked Naruto so there's no way I'd pay for the whole damned thing. I'm saying this because I will be changing stuff. I'm an AU author at heart, so I can't help but alter and prod events to make them more interesting. I will be keeping the characters, well, in character (or try to at least), so you can go ahead and ream me if I screw that up. Don't, however, tell me what I'm writing doesn't coincide with what happened in episode 300 or whatever. You will be ignored.  
  
Second, don't go easy on me in your reviews. I know that you don't want to be overly rude, but if there are problems with my writing, let me hear it. I won't bite. Probably.  
  
Finally, I do not own Naruto. I plan on putting in a few new characters but, frankly, I don't care if somebody else wants to use them. Just tell me first.  
  
This story takes place three weeks after the Chuunin exams and the Sand/Sound's invasion.  
  
Enjoy.  
  
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"We've got to hold on until Hokage-sama gets here!"  
  
The Leaf Shinobi were deployed in full-force fighting a losing battle against a nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi. It had appeared suddenly, carving a path of destruction through the forest. No one knew why the demon was there, but the Leaf had no choice but to try and stop it.  
  
When all appeared lost, the Leaf village's champion, The Hokage, arrived and sealed away the demon. Sadly, the champion passed away after completing his work, and The Leaf Village had been peaceful ever since.  
  
Nothing, however, is permanent. Especially when dealing with demons....  
  
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Negative Genesis: Chapter 01 - In the Beginning...  
  
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Uzumaki Naruto sat up startled at his dream. Well, nightmare might have been a more accurate term, but he wasn't really concerned with all the details. He never had been, really.  
  
Putting a hand to his racing heart, Naruto breathed in and out rapidly, trying to catch his breath. He knew he had re-lived a memory, and he was also sure that it wasn't his. Which meant that he was picturing the Kyuubi's memories again. It had happened before, but it always scared him every time. The Kyuubi's influence over his mind and body was growing rapidly lately, and he wasn't sure what he could do about it. He considered asking one of the adults for help, but he had the feeling they would sooner burn him at the stake than anything else. Oh well. He was used to taking care of himself anyway.  
  
Deciding that going to sleep again was out of the question, Naruto stood up and yawned. The earlier shock was wearing off and in its place was the normal morning lethargy creeping back up on him. He slid his feet into the slippers by his bed, noting that they were on the wrong feet (and not caring), and slowly shuffled down the hall. Blinking his eyes repeatedly did nothing to clear his vision, but he somehow still made it to the bathroom in one piece.  
  
Naruto flicked on the light and squinted at his reflection in the mirror. His blond hair was somehow even more disheveled than it normally was, there was crust in both of his eyes, and he thought he was drooling slightly to complete the ghastly picture.  
  
_You truly are a beautiful sight in the morning_, chimed in the last voice Naruto wanted to hear at the moment.  
  
_Shaddup..._ Naruto thought back. _You're the one that keeps screwing up my sleep!  
_  
_I believe it is pronounced, "shut up". Honestly, your manners are as offensive as your appearance._ Kyuubi pointed out before sighing. _I am unable control the memories, honestly. It is my dreams being relayed through your mind, and even demons have no control over their dreams_, Kyuubi replied matter-of-factly.  
  
_I understood none of that._ Naruto sighed as he began his daily ritual of washing and trying to wake himself up.  
  
_Come now, Naruto-kun, even you are smart enough to grasp something this simple_, Kyuubi tsked.  
  
_Not at 4:00 in the morning_, Naruto replied.  
  
It had been like this since Naruto could remember. Kyuubi had always been able to talk to Naruto, or appear in his dreams. Kyuubi always appeared as a girl about his age, growing as he did, with long black hair and red eyes. He had been shocked to find out that she was really the demon that wrecked the Leaf village years ago, but aside from a bit of wariness as to how much control he allowed her, it didn't change his opinion of her too much. Naruto's view of the world was rather simple, so it never occurred to him that he should cease contact with the fox spirit.  
  
Besides, she was really all he had. Most people either ignored Naruto, or openly hated him. Kyuubi was rather sarcastic, and was more likely to put Naruto down than help, but he got the impression that she cared somewhat about his well-being. She gave him advice sometimes, and would even offer encouragement from time to time (albeit, grudgingly), not to mention the times she would add her power to his own to help him win tough battles. The way she saw it, if she was going to be around, she might as well make her vessel worthy of her.  
  
Having freshened up, Naruto stepped out of the bathroom to find something to wear. Fishing his usual attire off the floor, he stared at it. He could feel Kyuubi's disapproval.  
  
_...Orange does not suit you, Naruto-kun_. Kyuubi said for not the first time. _Why not try something else? Perhaps Sakura-san will appreciate it.  
_  
_Really?_ Naruto thought, suddenly awake.  
  
_Of course. You should try wearing pink since she likes it so much.  
_  
_Pink, huh?_ Naruto thought, rubbing his chin. _I dunno... it seems kinda girly to me...  
_  
_Maybe_, the demon fox allowed._ But she does seem to like it a lot. I do not understand why, but I dislike most bright colors anyway. It does seem to be worth trying, though.  
_  
_Pink..._ Naruto thought again, nodding to himself.

===

Unfortunately, for everything Kyuubi got correct, it seemed she got something else completely wrong. Demons just didn't have much knowledge about the thoughts and feelings of a teenaged girl, and her experiences with Naruto didn't really give her much data to work with.   
  
Standing there on the bridge, Sakura was doubled over in laughter while Naruto wished the damned thing would just collapse with him on it. Kyuubi felt oddly responsible for this situation, which confused her.   
  
Usually giving Naruto flawed advice wouldn't bother Kyuubi in the slightest, but this time she could feel Naruto's heart literally breaking as Sakura laughed at him. After all, his pain was her pain. She had been with him throughout his short life, had felt every hurt, known every insecurity, and it gave her a strange feeling sometimes... empathy, she guessed. Anyway, this was definitely worse than normal.  
  
Naruto didn't happen to have a pink version of his normal attire, so he had opted for a pink t-shirt he received from the Orphan's Association, and some black baggy shorts. The shirt was at least three sizes too large, making Naruto look even smaller and younger than he already was, and was rather old. Some parts were threadbare, though it didn't have any holes in it.   
  
Trying to hide the hurt, Naruto gave an embarrassed laugh. True, Sakura was laughing at him, but she _was_ technically paying attention to him. And she wasn't angry either, as another plus.  
  
_What do you see in that wench? All I noticed is a forehead big enough to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village._ Kyuubi asked, irritated. She couldn't _believe_ that he wasn't angry as well. She mentally underlined and circled Sakura's name on her 'People to Smite' list. It was getting rather large as of late.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura was just calming down. "N-Naruto... ha ha," she choked out. Allowing herself a last couple of chuckles, she composed herself. "Sorry about that. It's just such a shock to see you in pink and not wearing your normal stuff."  
  
Naruto kept the smile plastered on his face, but inside he was dying.  
  
_This was your idea! Think of something!_ Naruto thought desperately.  
  
_Stab her. Now. Your honor demands it._ The fox demon replied callously.  
  
_My honor doesn't demand anything!_ Naruto shot back.  
  
_Please? For me?  
_  
_I'm not stabbing anybody!  
_  
Laughing self-consciously, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Well, my jacket had a hole in it, so I thought I'd try something different!"  
  
"Well," Sakura began in a lecturing tone, "It's definitely a step in the right direction. That old jacket looks kinda stupid, and it was pretty dirty. Even though pink isn't quite your color..." She chuckled at this, "...at least this shirt is clean."  
  
_Check_, Naruto thought. _Just wear this shirt and shorts everyday then...  
_  
_Not quite, Naruto-kun._ Kyuubi corrected, sighing. This kid really could be dumb sometimes. _She means you should try changing outfits more often, and washing your clothes. Probably your body as well.  
_  
_Oh... well that makes sense. I could do that easily!_ Naruto said, his grin coming easily this time.  
  
_That is precisely what you said last month_, Kyuubi pointed out, but the boy wasn't paying any attention. He was too busy dreaming about charming Sakura off her feet. Kyuubi made a mental note to make sure that the orange jumpsuit burned when she was released. Then as an after-thought, she added an asterisk by Sakura's name on her list.  
  
Sasuke chose that moment to appear on the scene, so any attention that Sakura might have given Naruto was immediately showered on the young avenger. Naruto's good mood fell, and he glared at Sasuke before turning away and leaning against the railing.  
  
He tried his best to ignore the two, but he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him. Gritting his teeth, he turned back and stared into his cool eyes. "What the hell do you want!?" he demanded.  
  
"Your shirt..." Sasuke started, but he was quickly interrupted.  
  
"Yeah, so what!? It's pink! I don't really care!!" Naruto said, crossing his arms and nodding to himself.  
  
"Well, there's _that_..." Sasuke replied, unruffled. "And there's the fact that it's too large. It will hinder your movement on today's missions."  
  
"Whatever, I'll still smoke you! Just make sure you take care of yourself!" Naruto retorted, leaning back against the rail.  
  
"Whatever," Sasuke shrugged and leaned back in a position similar to the one Naruto was in. He mentally tuned out the world as Sakura continued to gush over him.  
  
_I keep waiting for the day Sasuke rips her throat out, so you will listen when I tell you to kill him_. Kyuubi muttered darkly.  
  
_Do you hate everybody?_ Naruto asked, shaking his head.  
  
_Just about, yes_. 

====.

_"My Lord, word from the Earth realm."  
  
"Speak quickly."  
  
"Demon chakra has been flowing through the Gate. From Earth realm."  
  
"...How much?"  
  
"We estimate at least enough to give birth to a C-class demon."   
  
"Who is giving it off? Humans?"  
  
"We are not sure, Lord. We can't trace it from here."  
  
"...I see..."  
  
"My Lord?"  
  
"Form a search party, but make sure it's small. We don't want the humans to be on the alert, or it could jeopardize everything. You are to investigate this matter, though, and report back at once. If anybody sees you, kill them."  
  
"Yes, My Lord."_

_===  
_

After a boring day of training, and odd jobs, the three genin departed with a wave for Kakashi. Sakura watched Naruto out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't quite place it, but Naruto was acting rather strange today. The day started off normally enough, but as it progressed, Naruto seemed to get... moody. 

It had all started when they recieved a mission to escort a young class from the academy on a trip through the woods. Naruto's expression was rather grim, and he was quiet. It _could_ be that he had just been spending too much time with Sasuke lately, but somehow Sakura doubted that.

Also he had been temperamental. Not in his own goofy way, but he seemed to actually radiate hostility and violence. Like when he growled at one of the kids that were being particularly obnoxious--they didn't bother him for the rest of the day after that--and the sullen glare he directed at Master Kakashi when he told him to calm down. It just wasn't Naruto.

The sun was setting and they were pretty hungry, so team 7 headed off towards a ramen stand to get some food. This didn't really seem to excite Naruto like it should have. He merely gave a weak smile and went back to growling and shaking his head.  
  
It was still rather warm outside, and Naruto noticed a lot of other off-duty groups wandering about. He saw Shikamaru hanging out with his old team of Ino and Chouji, lying down and watching the clouds. Shikamaru and Chouji were quite content, but Ino was complaining bitterly that they should find something else to do. She didn't leave, though, no matter how many times she threatened to.  
  
Turning his head, Naruto spotted Hinata and Kiba walking hand in hand. His eyes narrowed slightly. About a week ago, the two of them had grown rather... close. He didn't really know how that had come to be, and he really didn't want to. It did sort of bug him though, but he couldn't really figure out why. Kyuubi would have face-faulted if she had a face, but wisely decided against informing the young Genin of his problem.  
  
_That makes two less morons to deal with. I suppose I should not complain merely because I have a bigger moron right here_. She reasoned.  
  
_What was that?_ Naruto asked angrily.  
  
I_ said nothing, Naruto-kun. Please, return to being an imbecile_. Kyuubi replied icily.  
  
_What the hell is your problem today? You normally aren't this annoying_, Naruto thought, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
  
_I could say the same about you_, Kyuubi retorted.  
  
"Hey, dobe! Would you stop mumbling to yourself and listen for a moment?" Sasuke's voice snapped Naruto back into reality.  
  
"I wasn't mumbling," Naruto said sullenly.  
  
"...Yeah. What the hell is wrong with you today? Your behavior is odd, even for you," Sasuke asked. "If you are unstable, then you are only a going to cause problems. I suggest you check into a hospital. Though I am not _sure_ the medic-nins can fix whatever problem you might have."  
  
_Is he serious?_ Naruto thought.  
  
_When is he not?_ Came the reply.  
  
"I noticed that too. You've been acting strange all day. What's wrong? Are you sick?" Sakura asked, putting a hand to Naruto's forehead.  
  
"Maybe?" Naruto said, faking a cough. "Actually, I'm not really all that hungry. I think I'll head on home." He ran off, a trail of dust left in his wake. Sasuke and Sakura merely watched with wide eyes.  
  
"Naruto..." Sakura started.  
  
"...not hungry?" Sasuke said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  
  
Sakura, however was already over her shock and was dragging Sasuke down the street. "Oh well, his loss. Hey, Sasuke-kun, let's make this a date!"  
  
Sasuke grunted, but managed to mask his surprise. He knew an unstable Naruto would only bring trouble.

===

Naruto made it back to his apartment in record time. Taking off his head-protector, he rubbed his face vigorously. Something had been rather off about him today. Kyuubi had seemed a lot more active than usual today and it had him worried.  
  
_What are you doing to me!? Why are you messing with my head?_ He demanded.  
  
_I am not sure what you are reffering to..._ Kyuubi replied calmly.  
  
_Yes you are! I've never heard you talk this much before._ Naruto pointed out.  
  
_I had a lot to say_, Kyuubi answered without missing a beat.  
  
_What about the dreams?_ Naruto asked suspiciously.  
  
_Well..._ Kyuubi trailed off.  
  
_...And today... I was taking on _your_ moods, wasn't I?_ Naruto asked.  
  
_..._  
  
Well, this was unexpected. Whenever Kyuubi was convinced that her vessel was a complete idiot, he always had to prove her wrong. Why he couldn't have chosen a different time to prove her wrong was beyond her.  
  
In truth, she was aborbing energy from an outside source, though she could only speculate as to where it was coming from. She supposed energy was being expended from other demons being destroyed in the world. That meant that there were other demons doing battle in Earth Realm, creating plenty of free-flowing energy for her to absorb. And energy always sought out a new host when a demon was destroyed--normally the demon that destroyed it's former host--but a fair amount would usually escape either through the Gate or to other demons.  
  
For some reason, though, it pained Kyuubi when she thought of telling Naruto any of this. He had enough to worry about, without adding on an event that is inevitable anyway. She was going to have to think of a way around this.  
  
_It is most likely a side effect of your recent battles. You've been using my energy quite often as of late_. Kyuubi stated. That wasn't technically a lie. Using her energy also contributed to her growth.  
  
The boy still seemed very suspicious, though. He wasn't going to bend without a direct statement. Kyuubi hesitated a moment. There was no way around it--she was going to have to lie.  
  
_Be at ease_, _Naruto-kun_. Kyuubi said softly. _I am not doing anything_.  
  
In all the time she had known Naruto, she had never lied to him once. Sure, she told half-truths, and would withhold information, but she never told him a direct lie. This was the first time she had to. As soon as she said those words, she had yet another first. A feeling she had never felt before.  
  
Shame.  
  
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A/N: There goes the first chapter of my first Naruto fic. Please leave a review so I can work out the kinks. 


	2. Drain

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A/N: Hm... it's kinda shocking to see people actually read my author's notes. I guess I can't start writing the words to "A Sailor's Chanty" or some of the other foolishness I planned, then. Then again, why not? You can always just scroll down the page.  
  
Gets hit by a rock with a note attached to it "We are NOT amused."  
  
...Right, moving along, then. I always like getting feedback from viewers, but the reviews I got back this time were rather interesting, so I'll go all out and reply to them, rather than just listing the names like I would normally.  
  
**Anonymous** - Uh... I don't really understand what was going on with this review. I'm left with the instructions to go to "that site" but there is no URL listed for me to go to. Hope you liked the fic, though.  
  
**R e c r a p t o r** - I don't think it was ever confirmed either way in the series. Kyuubi is a girl in this fanfic, though. Hope it doesn't ruin it.  
  
**miako** - This isn't a Yu Yu X-over. I guess I can see how you'd come up with that idea, but I don't do them. You'll like this fic anyway, I promise.  
  
**Kagome/Kurama Hater** - Thanks for the support. I'll keep in touch.  
  
**Gopu** - Thanks. I'll try to keep it up.  
  
**Rini** - The chapter is out now, master. You can stop kicking me. Really. --  
  
So the run-down is 'not sure', 'not sure', 'keep writing', 'keep writing', 'keep writing', and 'keep writing or you will be hunted'. God, I love having fans.  
  
I don't own Naruto, and suing me will bring a terrible curse upon your family. Okay, not really.  
  
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(_Kyuubi's Memory_ - First Contact)  
  
Kyuubi sat placidly in her prison. She had been here for three years now, ever since the 4th Hokage defeated her, trying to think of a way to break free. She still hadn't recovered enough yet to merely break loose, but waiting like this for the duration of the boy's life was not an option. She might be immortal, but the world did turn without her. She had been on a mission before she was sealed, and she intended to continue once she escaped.  
  
The 4th had selected a good vessel though. He had plenty of energy to hold her back, and she was unable to impose her will on him. She was at the mercy of a three year-old. Kyuubi was just glad he didn't know about her yet.  
  
The sound of weeping got Kyuubi's attention to the outside world. Ah yes. Why was he crying? The boy wasn't hurt, well not too badly anyway, and he wasn't afraid. Humans and their emotions. It is completely impossible to understand.  
  
Tuning him out, Kyuubi tried to think up a plan, but she couldn't think with so much _noise_...!  
  
_Be silent!_ Kyuubi shouted in frustration. To her surprise, the boy actually stopped and looked around.  
  
"W-Who's th-th-there?" he asked, looking around the room. He gripped his pillow tightly.  
  
_You... you can hear me?_ Kyuubi asked, perplexed.  
  
"Yeah..." came the tentative reply.  
  
Well, didn't this just open up a lot of new options for her. She was unable to take over the boy's body, but perhaps she could bend him to her will by talking to him.  
  
Or at the very least, she could get him to shut up.  
  
_Um... Uzumaki, right? Could you tell me what is the matter?_ Kyuubi asked as nicely as possible. She still sounded rather gruff, though.  
  
"I'm always by myself, 'cause the grown-ups tell the children not to play with me. I even sleep all alone!" Naruto cried. "I want to die!"  
  
Kyuubi stopped short on this. It was a bit more drastic than she had thought at first. Leave it to a human to shun their savior because of blind superstition. Now she needed to deal with this, or the kid would do something stupid.  
  
_If you go to sleep, I'll play with you, okay?_ she soothed. _But I must ask that you stop crying._  
  
"Really?" Naruto asked.  
  
_Go to sleep._ Kyuubi said flatly, her patience already waning. A moment later Naruto was already under the covers again.  
  
Kyuubi entered his dream, appearing to be a girl about his age with long black hair and red eyes. When Naruto saw the girl his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. He couldn't believe it--he had a friend! His own friend that he could play with and talk to whenever he wanted!  
  
Kyuubi merely watched as Naruto's face went from shock to joy. Then it was her turn for her face to show shock as Naruto flung his arms around her, tears streaming down his face. Kyuubi stood stunned, not sure of what to do as the boy held her. After a while, she pushed away.  
  
_What do you want to play?_ Kyuubi asked, trying to shake the strange feeling Naruto's hug had given her. The boy wiped the tears from his face and was practically bursting with energy.  
  
All in all, it wasn't a bad night. Much better than doing nothing, at least.  
  
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**Negative Genesis**: Chapter 02 - Drain  
  
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Hatake Kakashi was walking slowly to his team's meeting place, his nose buried in Icha Icha Paradise. It was noon now, and he guessed that his team had been waiting for about seven hours or so. He also knew that they would be pretty mad--he was sure he would be angry if he had to wait that long for an instructor--but his team never really carried a grudge before. Not that it would affect him that much if they did.  
  
"Good morning," Kakashi greeted.  
  
"YOU'RE LATE!!" Sakura shouted in reply.  
  
Ah, the morning ritual. He had already opened his mouth to feed them an excuse when he noticed something was off--only one person had shouted at him. Surely Naruto wouldn't forego the morning ritual. Where _was_ he anyway?  
  
"Good morning," A tired voice said behind Kakashi. Spinning around, he saw that it was Naruto, looking like he hadn't slept in weeks. He had washed up this morning, but was still wearing his pajama pants and a black shirt. At least he remembered to wear sandals and his forehead protector.  
  
Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke watched in shocked silence as the boy took his place, leaning against the handrail. He actually had arrived later than Kakashi!  
  
"Naruto, you're late," Kakashi said as if in a dream. "A good ninja must be on time for his appointments." Sakura bent over from a sudden coughing fit, and Sasuke just scoffed, smirking openly. Kakashi decided he'd get them later. Naruto was the real problem right now. "What's the matter, Naruto?"  
  
"Nothin' wrong wit' me, Kakashi-sensei, nope 'm fine..." Naruto mumbled incoherently. He started to say something else, but a yawn covered it up.  
  
Kakashi was starting to get a bit angry. Naruto obviously wasn't getting enough sleep at night, even though he knew he had to be at the bridge by 6 am for training and missions. Back when he was a genin, his instructor would skin him if he showed up like this to a meeting. Okay, so he _did_ show up like this a few times back when he was a genin, but that wasn't the point.  
  
"Hey, Naruto, come here for a sec," he said. Naruto complied, shuffling over to his master. Kakashi leaned over the handrail for the bridge. "I want to show you something. Look, look..."  
  
Naruto yawned again, and gave a short peek over the railing. Kakashi then grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him in the river. "I want you to swim out to the lake, do 5 laps around it, and come back here. Be done in three hours if you know what's good for you," he said curtly.  
  
Naruto didn't even say anything. He just yawned once more, and swam off. Kakashi watched this with a blank expression while Sakura and Sasuke vowed never to be late to one of their meetings.  
  
Kakashi however was still puzzling over the events of that morning. If Naruto simply lacked sleep, then the jolt from the water should have been enough to prompt some sort of a reaction. Also, he thought he heard Naruto mumble, "this is you're fault, somehow"... It was all very strange.  
  
"Did you guys do something to Naruto yesterday? Did he get hurt or have to fight?" Kakashi asked.  
  
"Nope, not that I know of," Sakura replied, watching the boy swimming off in the distance. "I think he just stayed up too late."  
  
"It doesn't seem to have dampened his swimming ability any," Sasuke pointed out. Naruto was already out of sight of the three.  
  
"Hm..." Kakashi frowned in thought. "Oh well. I've got missions for us today, but you'll have to work harder now that you're a man down..."  
  
=====  
  
_Are you _sure_ you don't know what's wrong?_ Naruto asked while he swam. His body felt completely worn out. He was sure that his own chakras were pretty low at the moment, and would have never made it out of bed if Kyuubi hadn't supplied him some of her energy to work with. It didn't help any with the lethargic feeling, but it did get him from point A to point B. Barely.  
  
_It has something to do with my presence in your body--that much is certain._ Kyuubi replied, narrowly avoiding an outright lie. The process of absorbing energy put the host in a trance similar to sleep. However, the host didn't receive any rest so, ironically, for her to gain energy, Naruto had to expend a lot of his own. She wanted to stop the process so he could rest, but she had grown too strong lately. The energy flowed to her now whether she reached out for it or not.  
  
_I... uhm... I apologize for causing so much trouble, Naruto-kun,_ Kyuubi whispered after a while.  
  
Naruto narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Sure, he wasn't feeling too good right now, and Kyuubi was responsible for it, but she had never been above kicking him when he was down in the past. Now she was apologizing? _You feeling okay, Kyuubi? You've been really... polite lately.  
_  
_...I just feel bad for doing this to you. You do not deserve to live like this._ Kyuubi replied truthfully.  
  
_Eh? Demons can feel guilt?_ Naruto joked. He knew he was in trouble when he felt a flare of indignation coming from Kyuubi.  
  
_How dare you!_ She spat. _I was _trying_ to be nice, but since you do not seem to like that...!_ She abruptly withdrew the energy she was feeding Naruto and he sunk like a rock.  
  
_I was just joking!_ Naruto called back.  
  
_And so am I_. Kyuubi retorted. _Come on, Naruto-kun. Laugh it up.  
_  
_I can't! I'm drowning!_ Naruto pointed out.  
  
_That would be the joke._ Kyuubi replied, still seething.  
  
_I'm sorry, Kyuubi! Please help me out!_ Naruto thought desperately. Grudgingly, Kyuubi supplied him a little energy so he could swim again. Naruto sighed, thanking the fox demon. She merely grunted in reply and shut herself back up.  
  
Naruto, sensing her mood, left her alone and swam in silence. He was going to need to apologize later.  
  
=====  
  
Ilk looked out into the distance, shielding his eyes from the sun. The human world was always so bright. It took him a while to adjust to the glare of the sun enough that he didn't have to tie a piece of cloth over his eyes. He still couldn't see too far without shielding his eyes and squinting. Looking back, he saw that the rest of his party wasn't doing all that well either.  
  
"Who ever heard of having a world that orbits a ball of fire?" One of the lower-level demons asked. "Crazy humans."  
  
"It's not like they designed it. Now be quiet," Ilk sighed. The energy trail led in to that forest over the horizon, so perhaps the trees would provide good enough cover. At least he hoped it would.  
  
Morale had been pretty low at the start of their mission, and it had gone downhill from there. Most demons didn't really like the human world much, and they despised it more when they had to disguise themselves. Few demons could tolerate looking like a human for long, and fewer still actually liked it. Ilk hated it, but he had his orders to think of. He could not start a commotion or there would be hell to pay. Literally.  
  
"Okay, we'll continue until we reach the forest. Then we'll stop for the day," Ilk ordered. The other three demons saluted and picked up their bags.  
  
_I just want to finish this and go home,_ Ilk thought to himself.  
  
=====  
  
"5... 4... 3..." Kakashi counted looking down at his watch. Naruto had just made it to shore and was now running for the bridge. He somehow still seemed to be sleepy, even though he was moving quickly. "...2 ...1."  
  
Naruto stood right in front of Kakashi, breathing heavily. "Well well... you just made it. You awake now?" Naruto nodded, though his eyes were still half-closed. "Good. It will be much worse next time you are late. You guys are dismissed." Kakashi then disappeared in a puff of smoke.  
  
Sasuke turned to leave, giving a half-hearted wave to his teammates over his shoulder. Sakura took a step to follow him, but remembered Naruto. It seemed that the small amount of energy he had earlier had completely disappeared. He was down on one knee and shaking his head as if to clear it. He mumbled something that sounded like "I didn't mean it".  
  
Sighing, Sakura decided that Sasuke probably wouldn't have gone on a date with her anyway, and she would be a horrible person to leave a teammate in such a state. She walked up to Naruto and dragged him into a standing position. "Hey, Naruto, you awake? Hello?" Snapping her fingers a few times in his face, she peered into his eyes. They didn't seem to be focusing, so she shook him a little bit.  
  
"Hey Sakura-chan 'm fine jus' fine you dun gotta worry ur pretty lil' head..." he rambled.  
  
_The lights are on, but nobody's home,_ Inner Sakura thought, sighing.  
  
_I can see that,_ Sakura thought, pulling Naruto back over to the river. Grabbing the back of his head, Sakura dunked Naruto under the water. She counted to five and pulled him back up. Naruto started to mumble something about the river tasting bad, so she dunked him again. He came out complaining about feeling dizzy, so she dunked him a third time. When she finally took him out, he was sleeping.  
  
_This is useless!_ Inner Sakura shouted. _Just leave him!  
_  
Let me at least take him home first, Sakura replied hooking her arms under Naruto's and hauling him up. Back pedaling, she dragged him off towards his apartment.  
  
About 20 minutes (and countless strange looks) later, Sakura came up to the door of Naruto's apartment. Turning the handle, she let herself in and leaned Naruto against a wall. She was going to leave, but she noticed her dress was wet from where Naruto had been leaning against her.  
  
_Oh yeah._ She thought, _He needs to change before sleeping or he'll get sick._ Drawing a deep breath, Sakura leaned close to Naruto and screamed as loud as she could.  
  
Naruto's eyes shot open, but he didn't have enough energy to panic much.  
  
"You're such a pest, you know that? Change your clothes and get to sleep," she instructed, as she stood to leave. "Feel better tomorrow," she said as she left.  
  
Naruto mumbled a reply, though even he wasn't sure what he said. He was too busy weighing the pros and cons of going to sleep as he was.  
  
_Go ahead and rest. Perhaps you will die._ Kyuubi said evenly. Naruto's head nodded and he started snoring. _Wake up you moron! I will not have your death on my head!  
_  
_You've been doing something to my body and you feel guilty._ Naruto said suddenly.  
  
Kyuubi stopped short. Naruto could feel a mish-mash of emotions coming through the bond, until it settled on anger. He couldn't tell if it was anger at him or if she was angry with herself, but he didn't think it would matter too much in the end.  
  
_What makes you think that?_ Kyuubi replied stonily. Naruto could hear some of the rage in her voice. _I--  
_  
_Don't worry about it._ Naruto said, standing up.  
  
_What?_ Kyuubi asked, perplexed.  
  
_Whatever it is you're doing, don't worry about me. I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. You're just doing what you have to._ Naruto limped towards his room..  
  
_You cannot be serious--_  
  
_You know how it is,_ Naruto cut in, managing a weak grin. _You're my friend--I'm happy as long as you're happy._

Kyuubi remained silent for a while after hearing this. Damn it was hard to remain angry with a person you were sealed to for long, especially when that person was Naruto.  
  
_Stop interrupting me, moron._ She said as she lent Naruto a little more energy to get himself changed and to his bed.  
  
=====  
  
Uchiha Sasuke approached the bridge in the morning as usual. He could see Sakura approaching it from the other side as well. She waved a greeting, smiling brightly at him. Sasuke groaned, but returned a half-wave back. Perhaps she would be satisfied and leave him alone today. He had no such luck, though, as it only seemed to encourage the girl. Sasuke merely leaned against the railing and let her chatter wash over him. He wondered how long it would take Naruto and Kakashi-sensei to show up and save him from this...  
  
"Good Morning."  
  
Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened as they both turned to the voice, to find none other than the famous copy-ninja himself, Hatake Kakashi leaning on the rail next to Sakura. First Naruto refuses ramen a few days ago, then he shows up later than Kakashi for practice, and now Kakashi has actually arrived at the meeting place a whole half-hour early. If this kept up, he and Sakura were going to be stuck in a constant state of shock.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei, you're... early..." Sakura stammered out.  
  
"I bet it's really Naruto using a henge again," Sasuke scoffed, recovering from his earlier shock. There was no way he was falling for that one again!  
  
"'fraid not," Kakashi replied, sighing. Was it really that unbelievable that he could show up to a meeting on time? Anyway, he just had to keep an eye out for Naruto. He didn't know why exactly the blond ninja was running late yesterday, but he didn't want Naruto to think he could just arrive whenever he wanted. He wanted to make sure he was on time today.  
  
Reading his little book while keeping an eye on the time, while his two students tried to carry on as they would normally, Kakashi wondered if he could bother his students like this every day. Needless to say, there were some awkward silences and strange looks, but they managed to pass the time without any mishaps. Naruto arrived at 6:00 am exactly, mumbling what could have been a greeting, or a curse, or both maybe.  
  
"You didn't get any sleep last night again? Want another swimming lesson?" Kakashi asked, not looking away from his book. Naruto merely shook his head, trying to stifle a yawn. Kakashi studied his student over the top of his book. This fatigue couldn't be natural. As tired as Naruto was yesterday, there was no way he could have avoided getting some rest last night, but he looked even worse today than he was yesterday. Also, he was still up and about, even if he was dog-tired. Where was this energy coming from? Well, there was a demon inside of him, but...  
  
Kakashi blinked. The demon? Could it be causing all of this? It would make sense, since he had already concluded that this energy loss was unnatural. This would be disturbing news indeed.  
  
"Naruto, didn't you get any rest yesterday, like I told you!? God, you're worthless!" Sakura shouted, throwing her hands up into the air in defeat.  
  
"Don't expect us to baby-sit for you on our missions today, dobe," was all Sasuke said.  
  
"Luckily," Kakashi put in, "We don't have any missions today. Or for the next two weeks, for that matter. We are going to be participating in a high C-level mission, so we have been given time to prepare and train."  
  
"Training today?" Sakura asked.  
  
Sasuke scoffed. "Who will I spar with? Sakura or the dozing wonder, here?"  
  
"'m fine..." Naruto mumbled, swaying on his feet slightly.  
  
"Well, Naruto is your sparing partner normally. Use this as an opportunity to perfect your form. Besides," Kakashi smirked, looking away from his book. "Naruto has more energy than he seems to right now."  
  
Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever. Don't blame me when he gets hurt."  
  
=====  
  
_Could you stop that!?_ Naruto thought angrily.  
  
_Stop what?_ Kyuubi replied innocently.  
  
Naruto leapt over a barrage of kunai and began forming hand seals mid-air. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" he stated, a puff of smoke going around his body. Upon landing, Kyuubi promptly withdrew all of the energy she was giving him, making him fall flat on his face. All of the shadow clones, including the one he had managed to isolate and sneak around to Sasuke's rear, vanished. Sasuke wasted no time, rushing in for the easy victory, but Kyuubi then supplied a large burst energy to Naruto, allowing him to substitute his form for a nearby rock. Sasuke's attack smashed the poor thing to bits.  
  
_Your fighting is just awful today. You are acting much too lazy. Just look how much energy you have left over._ Kyuubi needled. He could swear she would be smiling if she had a mouth.  
  
Well, it seemed that Kyuubi was back to normal at least. Now if only she didn't get him killed because of it... "Hey," Naruto yawned, gesturing to the dust pile that was a rock not too long ago. "You were going to hit me with that, bastard?"  
  
"Of course," Sasuke replied, smirking.  
  
"That's enough for today. Good work, both of you," Kakashi said, waving to them. "You are dismissed."  
  
Naruto sagged as Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura had stepped in to spar with Sasuke once in a while, but Naruto felt like he had been fighting all day. Even with Kyuubi giving him energy, he just felt so... tired still. He didn't think he could keep up with this pace any longer.  
  
_You are correct in that assumption, Naruto-kun._ Kyuubi said sagely. _Perhaps you should rest before you attempt to go home. Maybe you will make it back without losing too much blood._  
  
_Gee thanks,_ Naruto thought dryly. He plopped himself down, leaning against a tree trunk. _Glad to see you're having fun with all of this.  
_  
_Did you not say that you are happy when I am happy?_ Kyuubi pointed out. _I am inside your mind, you know. You want to laugh. You are merely too tired to.  
_  
_You're a sadist..._ Naruto thought, sighing.  
  
_I know.  
_  
=====  
  
=**That Night**=  
  
Hatake Kakashi sat outside of Naruto's room, watching the boy "sleep". He wasn't exactly she what was happening but he had some idea. There was charka swirling all around his bed, and Naruto tossed and turned crazily, crying out occasionally.  
  
_So,_ Kakashi thought. _That is why Naruto looks like he hasn't slept in a week. He really hasn't._  
  
But what was he going to do from here. Obviously, Naruto's body couldn't stand up to much more of this treatment, but there wasn't anything Kakashi could really do about it. And reporting this to the council would only lead to Naruto's immediate disposal. Would that be appropriate in this case though?  
  
Kakashi scoffed. Of course it wasn't! How could he even think about giving Naruto over to the council so easily? No, he would wait just a bit longer and trust that his student would pull himself out of this somehow. But what if Naruto couldn't manage it?  
  
And how long did he dare wait?  
  
============================================================================ ====  
  
A/N: Well, there goes the second chapter. Look for the third anytime between now and never. 


End file.

Naruto