Title: "Landslide"

Author: Shaitanah

Rating: PG-13

Summary: As little as the Kyuubi knows about human emotions, it knows full well that its container's heart beats a lot faster when he's in the presence of one Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke/Naruto; Kyuubi POV Please R&R!

Warnings: Spoilers for the latest chapters, esp. 403–404

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. Epigraph lyrics from Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World.

Dedication: to Satalex because I wanted to give you a Kakashi drabble. Incidentally the 'drabble' got devoid of Kakashi, grew 9 pages long and became rather slashy. So here you get your average Kyuubi day: musing on human emotions, trying to break free, fighting an intruder inside its precious human host and spying on a SasuNaru scene. Hope you like it!

LANDSLIDE

On sleepless roads, the sleepless go…

Sometimes when it lies asnooze in the corner of its cell it hears a strange sound that begins somewhere above the ceiling and gradually descends as if some invisible shower (if sounds could be water) sprinkles it all over the floor.

It thumps. It beats. It's alive and so vibrant that sometimes the Kyuubi wonders what it feels like to have this device that produces such a sound. It can tell from personal experience of living inside a human being that it hurts a lot whenever that device works too hard, but it can be extremely pleasant, too. Exhilarating even. It affects the access of air to the lungs as well. Sometimes there is almost no air and that heart thing beats so loud, so uneven, short of crashing its jail of ribs and flesh, and the little human's chest becomes so tight…

And that's when the Kyuubi knows Uchiha is around.

It stirs leisurely in its sleep, basking in the full spectre of human emotions. The kit doesn't even bother to suppress them; they splash inside him like a turbulent sea. Each has its own flavour. Confusion tastes vapid, a tad sour. Insecurity is bitter, and it's almost instantly washed away by decisiveness that is cool, metallic and mildly echoes blood (or it is just the Nine-Tails projecting). Anxiety bursts in like a tidal wave, sweeping through the kit's every nerve, and the water in the Demon's prison rises, steam coming off the surface.

The Fox opens one eye lazily. Uchiha is close; the stench of his chakra smothers the beast. It revives a few good memories. Though creatures of its kind never hold on to the past, the Nine-Tails sneers complacently at them. This chakra is way too familiar, like that of a man it used to know a long time ago.

The Fox is curious. It creeps closer the bars, peeking out as far as it can. Maybe it can see Uchiha again. It likes the brat; he thinks he is so smart and cool, but the Bijuu reads him like a book. He is all there in those wonderful and malicious eyes of his that spin so wildly, hypnotizing even the vilest demon in the world.

There comes just a bit of sorrow, and the Kyuubi rightfully supposes it tastes like sea water. It is mingled with fear (a very small amount of it, but what a rush it is!) and love. This one the Kyuubi barely understands. It is bittersweet, pungent and delicate; it is to be savoured for it dispels quickly. It sheds the soft aroma of peach, laced with the thick scent of grease and herbs and (not really surprising) ramen and seaweed. It stings the palate gently and lingers somewhere in the corner, as it heightens the Bijuu's senses, merging them with those of the little human.

The Kyuubi begins to laugh.

Then there is anger, and it grabs it like a guiding thread. Anger is its shepherd; it has the best taste, sharp like a razor, intoxicating, powerful. It is the key, and the Nine-Tails accepts this gift eagerly.

It darts forth, slamming through the bars, smashing the walls with its tails, roaring and breaking the prison of flesh apart. It tears through the bones, ignoring their deafening crunch. Blood is spilt; it covers the skin in thick film, mixed with sweat, and the Fox glides through the fluids, bringing itself out, enveloping its hot, sizzling chakra all around the kit.

The Kyuubi gushes forth in a fountain of rage. It hates the prison and the container which unfortunately must be preserved to keep its own life going. Someday, the Demon thinks, it will devour the kit's heart, that precious living structure that poisons its days in the gaol.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The kit is not there anymore. His features are blurred, his mind is lost to insane hunger and fury as the Nine-Tails is unleashed. It is a bliss to break this damnable seal – if only temporarily.

The Fox rushes about, uprooting trees and destroying the landscape, mad and drunk with the ecstasy of freedom. There are only four tails out, but it feels like it is whole again and it keeps struggling. Let this flesh prison wither and rot as every two-legged lump of meat that calls itself human deserves!

Deep down within the kit groans. Let him whine; maybe this time the Kyuubi can win over him and finally break free for good.

There is chaos all around it. Pain, grief that stinks like a years-old swamp, the slashing sound of blades brought down and cutting through the flesh. Metal rains from the sky. Humans scream.

This half-freedom does horrible things to it. It does not quite understand what it's doing. Overpowered by hunger and desire to kill, it rushes from one group of fighters to another without sense or reasoning. It becomes pure instinct. These petty beings reek of terror and suffering; the same pathetic emotions of sixteen years ago pollute the air before the Kyuubi, and it devours them once again.

It senses young Uchiha and catches the name that has formed on his lips:

"Naruto…"

There is a group of people around him. The older one (the dark one) is among them. The Kyuubi bellows; its chakra fountains up to the sky. That one looks different from before, but it is him. He smells the same: with lust for power and vengeance, something that the Fox does not understand but likes to feed on.

These humans bring danger. It is aware of it as acutely as it can be in its half-mad state, but it cannot halt. It keeps raging until they cautiously surround it, and scrolls unroll in their hands. Binding seals!

The Kyuubi may have outlived its time but it doesn't want to die. It refuses to go down like Shuukaku and the others (it knows of their petty demise through the kit, and it doesn't really care except that it is determined not to repeat their fate).

It manages to rip one man apart and nearly bite off the other's arm, but the binding seals are activated, and the shark man in a black cloak with crimson clouds swings its ghastly weapon, and something happens, something bad that the Kyuubi cannot grasp: its chakra is fading, consumed by the blade wrapped up in bandages, and it is sucked back into the human's weakened body. It collapses on the floor of its cell, panting, and the kit, covered in bleeding gashes, his clothes frayed, falls to the ground. The old one sweeps him away, and the Fox is too weak to prevent it. Somewhere deep inside it knows: they are going to die.

The merciless darkness that falls afterwards is the first omen of it.

The Kyuubi dreams. It is surprised by this: it has never seen dreams before. But this new experience – whatever it may be – arouses its curiosity, and it pricks up is ears and registers every movement, every sound, every scent in the dark moldy room his container is thrown into.

Uchiha kid walks in, spots the black-and-orange flash the kit is and falls on his knees. He is suddenly within an arm's reach; his fingers hover over the little human's neck. The Kyuubi snarls. But Uchiha doesn't want anything but to feel the heartbeat – and there it is, surprisingly dull, frail, barely registerable.

The kit is hardly breathing. It should probably worry the Kyuubi, but it feels all right. Uchiha leans closer, his lips almost touching Naruto's bloodied cheek. His breath gets sharper; he unzips the boy's sweatshirt and pulls his t-shirt up to reveal the seal on his stomach. It is burning.

Something is not right. The Kyuubi feels weaker than before, and all the lights in its prison suddenly go out. It knows this terrible sensation: the kit is dying, and soon it will go out like a candle as well.

Uchiha brings his face close to Naruto's chest, then cocks his head slightly and presses his ear against the boy's heart. He calls him by name once again. No, not 'calls', merely utters the name as if to keep this fact ascertained: this is Naruto and he is dying.

The Kyuubi sniffs the air. It is heavy with the boy's sorrow – and it is different from the one the kit usually feels. It is not pure; it feels like muddy waters, but there is one clear thought in it: Uchiha cannot kill Naruto himself. Even if he wants to, he can't. Never could.

His pain is dry, inexpressive. It cackles in the scorching air, and the Kyuubi chokes on it. It does not like the taste of it.

Sasuke sits up and looks away, then turns back, brushes the pad of his finger across Naruto's whiskered cheek, wiping off the blood. Interesting, aren't they, these little humans? Always so fussy, making so many unnecessary motions.

"My brother, huh?" Uchiha whispers. His voice sounds rough as if he didn't speak for a while.

He squeezes his eyes shut and lies down quietly, resting his head upon the kit's chest. It heaves with each harsh inhale, and Uchiha inadvertently adjusts the rhythm of his breathing to fit Naruto's.

"Why?" he murmurs, shivering lightly. "I told you not to follow me. If you could just let me–." He takes a deep breath to stifle a sob and struggles to get a grip, but if there is anything the Kyuubi knows for sure about human emotions, it is that they are always uncontrollable, unconditional and unpredictable. "You… Didn't I tell you back then on that great bridge of yours? 'You… don't die…' Naruto… You're a fucking idiot!"

He places his hand over the kit's heart and lets it beat against his palm. One… two… three… So slowly.

"Wake up…"

He's crying. The Kyuubi cocks its head. Water drips from the ceiling; it catches one droplet with its tongue and imagines it could be Uchiha's teardrop. That would taste nice.

And just then the walls begin to shrink, smothering the Demon's chakra – just like three years ago. A terrifying growl spills out of the Kyuubi's mouth. It opens its eyes to the new truth: that is no dream, they are really going to die. Now. The men in black cloaks have done something. It is this place, this damp rock and the foul stench of someone else's chakra. It oppresses the Nine-Tails so that it cannot heal the container, and the injuries have taken the best of him. The boy is weak, and the darkness has fallen, and they are both burning out.

It is dark. So dark, and its own chakra overwhelms it. The Kyuubi stirs and wakes to the same steady sound that is there every time it comes to. It keeps thumping like a magical drum – so close and so far away at the same time.

This time the kit moans helplessly. He is awake. The Nine-Tails moves its long ears, curious about the boy's reaction to what has happened. It can tell the boy feels much stronger now. This little pulsing organ that makes noises in his chest is truly a wonder. It failed just a few minutes ago, and now it works again without any exterior help.

The Kyuubi sucks the pain out of him, and his skin is cleansed of all the blood and bruises. He turns his head, breathing slowly, steadily, and wonders briefly what that unfamiliar place is. He clenches and unclenches his fist and he is pleased to know his limbs work. He lifts his hand and brushes Uchiha's knuckles accidentally. The dark-haired one still lies by the kit's side, seemingly asleep. Naruto shuts his eyes in shock, then snaps them open, and he is relieved to see that Sasuke is still there. Relief is tasteless, the Kyuubi notes studiously, but it also weighs nothing. It is as if a terrible weight has been lifted off the little human's chest.

"Sa… Sasuke?"

Naruto covers Uchiha's hand with his own and exhales softly: he is only sleeping. To think that for a moment Naruto supposed… He sits up and looks around. The place is empty.

'We are alive!' the Fox whispers gleefully into his mind.

"Yeah… we are. But what the hell is this place?"

His head is heavy. He lies back abruptly and releases a slow moan. The Fox snarls: don't you dare start dying again, foolish weakling!

The next moment Uchiha is awake and pulling away little by little, and his eyes (black and lifeless, not those abominable crimson ones) are staring at Naruto with concern. Concern is nice. When Naruto is concerned, it is usually warm. But then again, Uchiha is his polar opposite, so his concern might not be as good.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispers affectionately. Just what is it with these humans, why does a name spoken out loud mean so much to them? The Kyuubi has no given name, and its life isn't any worse for it.

Uchiha just keeps watching him.

"Where are we?" Naruto blurts out. "What happened? Where are–?"

"It's the Akatsuki hideout," Uchiha says in a deadpan voice.

Naruto remembers, and his face contorts with pain. There is blood in the streets of his native village, ruined sidewalks, shattered windows, smoke rising from the Hokage Tower. He springs down from the rooftop and fights off all the attacks. He's a good fighter, this kit, and he makes the Nine-Tails remember his valiant father that died, taking a piece of it into the afterworld. He was a good fighter too.

The kit spots Uchiha boy who stands on the wall, holding his bloodied sword in his hand. Something inside him (and the Kyuubi has nothing to do with it which is weird by default) snaps. He jumps Uchiha, and they tumble on the ground, the kit on top of him clutching at the front of his shirt.

'How could you!?' Naruto yells. 'How could you do it to my village?'

Uchiha laughs hoarsely, laboriously, as if he feels that he should but doesn't really want to.

'Your village? As far as I can see, you're not a Hokage yet.'

Naruto punches him. Again and again. But the hurt won't go away. He screams and weeps because there is so much blood in the streets, and humans really get depressed when their kind dies. Finally Uchiha starts hitting back. They exchange words, but the Kyuubi still lies asleep and cares little for what they talk about. Even now there is this love…

'Don't follow me!' Uchiha says. 'You'll wind up dead as soon as they get to you. I'm doing you a favour, Naruto.'

…overwhelming, suffocating, heart-wrenching…

'I don't need your fucking favours!'

…it's everywhere…

'Idiot! Go home, tend to your wounded and bury your fallen.'

…in every corner, in every cell of this being, so weak, yet so powerful… even now…

"You'll go home now," Uchiha says.

Tears are fresh in Naruto's eyes. He clenches his teeth and mutters venomously:

"You k-killed them. You just–."

"Do you hear what I'm saying?" Sasuke demands. "You will survive and go home. To Konoha. Save what's left of it. Now! You don't have much time."

There is an intruder inside the Demon's domain, haunting the place with its abysmal presence. Intrigued, the Kyuubi makes it closer to the bars.

Naruto mutters under his breath: home, yes, - and stares weakly at Uchiha who turns his back on him.

"And you… You're here? With them? Why!?"

"Because I chose to be. Now go."

Naruto springs up. "Sasuke! Whatever you got yourself entangled in… we can… we can untangle it!"

Uchiha smirks. "There's nothing to 'untangle'. I want you to leave."

This presence, it smells familiar. The Kyuubi is pretty sure it has already felt it.

"Didn't you want me dead?" Naruto scoffs. "Sasuke…"

Uchiha stands stock-still. "Yeah?"

"Why are you here? You know who they are… what they do… First Orochimaru, now them… Do you really hate yourself that much?"

The Kyuubi chooses not to ponder why working for the men in black cloaks should make Uchiha hate himself and not other humans whom he chose to harm. It is too busy with finding the source of disturbing chakra.

Uchiha finally turns to look at the kit. His face is paler than usual; he looks like a drowning man reaching out for help.

"You really don't get it, do you?" His voice doesn't match with his appearance; it is arrogant and cold as it always is. It hurts Naruto, and the Demon laps at his sorrow hungrily. Now that's a delicious treat!

In a blink of an eye Uchiha ends up close to Naruto, grabs him by the elbow and tugs him out of the room down the damp, dark hallway. The kit is confused (the Fox seems to be getting an awful lot of that lately), but he follows, and suddenly it dawns upon him:

"You care about me! And don't you dare deny it! You're trying to save me from them."

"Maybe I just need a leverage to manipulate Madara."

"Sure! That's why you were babysitting me while I was about to die!" He nudges Uchiha with his elbow and grins cheerfully. "No worries, Sasuke! I won't die! I'm like a superhero."

Uchiha's face darkens. "You were close."

"I still need to become a Hokage. I can't die before that, you know."

Uh-huh! Target located. The Kyuubi bares its monstrous teeth. It's a… crow? What's a crow doing inside the Kyuubi's container?

"…in fever," Uchiha says in the meantime. The Kyuubi pays little attention to the words, but it likes the way the brat's voice quavers. "Covered in blood all over, and your heart… Here, we're out." Naruto wrinkles his nose as sunlight splashes onto his face and blinds him for an instant. "Now go back. Don't throw your life away."

The Kyuubi attempts to scare the crow away because no way there should be a crow in its domain. But the crow just stares at it with its sharp intelligent eyes and does not budge.

"I want you to fulfill your dream," Uchiha says quietly. "Become Hokage, take care of Sakura, be happy, do whatever you like. Get acknowledged by others. That's what you want. But you have to leave me alone."

"How the hell do you know what I want?" Naruto exhales in his face. "You didn't give a damn about it when you left and you sure as hell don't give a damn about it now. I'm not leaving you here!"

Sasuke blinks. Their faces are impossibly close now; puffs of Naruto's breath warm Uchiha's cheek.

"God, you are unbearable," Sasuke murmurs. "Are you trying to make me miserable? Itachi already did; it's your turn now."

"Think what you will! I never go back on my word! I won't pretend that I don't care about what you've done, but I–."

"Your life may have started with me, but I had one long before you. And it was with him…"

"I"ll fight you to the last breath until you either come back or kill me! And even then I'll haunt you till you snap out of it! He's dead! He's dead as dust, Sasuke, what more do you want!?"

They keep assaulting each other with words as harsh as they can get, and then it all stops. There is no point in this, and both brats know it. The crow croaks loudly; the shrill noise rolls through the water, and the Kyuubi whips its tails furiously.

"He was good," Uchiha says weakly. "My brother. Tried to protect me."

He spills the story which makes Naruto's eyes grow wide in shock. By the time he's through, the kit is gripping his shoulders tightly and trying to hold back the tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry."

The kit sees a clear picture now and to the Kyuubi's amusement he forgives the brat almost instantly. He hates him a little bit, but the prison smells with peach blossoms, ramen and seaweed again, and the Kyuubi laughs.

"It is my destiny, Sasuke. You are my destiny."

Softly, "Stop."

"No! You should have killed me when you had a chance. But I don't regret anything. I owe you one. You made me what I am."

Uchiha snorts. "Did I make you an idiot?"

Naruto returns a tired smile. Uchiha is damn right: he is an idiot! No one in his right mind would stay under the Akatsuki's noise when granted a chance to leave. But the kit still hopes his friend would go with him.

Unbeknownst to him, the crow grows larger inside him, taking over the prison space. The Kyuubi feels so small and hates this sudden weakness. The crow is going to flood the kit – its kit! – and somehow the Fox feels a little jealous.

"You really loved him, didn't you?" Naruto says thoughtfully. "Itachi. Loved him, and hated him, and loved him again. I don't get it. I just feel, you know. And I've never hated anyone."

"Except me."

"Not like that! I just, uh… loathed you." A grin, bright and confident. The Kyuubi already wants Uchiha to accept the truth (that inside he probably smells with peaches too, or whatever his affection is like!), profess his undying love for the kit and leave to the happily-ever-after – far away from the men in black cloaks that want to suck the Bijuu out of its container. Honestly, how much dumber can the little human get? Has he no instinct of self-preservation at all?

"Feelings change," Sasuke observes.

"Yeah. The village, for instance. I used to want them to notice me, that's all. Now I want to protect them all. I guess I love them."

"Naruto…" There is something new in Sasuke's voice. The Kyuubi sniffs, minding the crow doubtfully. Soon the crow will spill out, and the Fox wonders (and dreads) to see its power. "You act the same around me. You want to protect me. You…"

"Yeah… you're my precious person. I…"

The crow's chakra is that of the older Uchiha, the middle one, the renegade. The Kyuubi growls. Wants to stop it, but can't. The power screams 'danger'.

The kit's unfocused gaze travels from the ground up to Uchiha's face. The brat whispers his name in a voice that makes Naruto's heart turn a violent somersault somewhere in his throat.

Naruto's breath hitches. His eyes bleed from blue to scarlet, the eyes of that Uchiha murderer, and he reeks of Itachi's chakra and Itachi's power, and he's slipping away, becoming somebody else. The Fox roars angrily at this intruder and snaps its jaws.

"You…" Sasuke prods.

Naruto looks up. His eyes are blue again, and the bird shrinks to its normal size. The Kyuubi snorts, wondering if it was its intimidating chakra or Naruto's own unwitting resolve that made the crow retreat.

Or maybe the brat's voice? Something is changing between them.

Relieved, the Fox curls up on the floor, ready to sleep for a while. Naruto doesn't need its power now.

The next moment Naruto does something unexpected: he takes Uchiha by the hand, pulls him closer and performs that kiss thing that humans are so fond of. His lips gently hover over Uchiha's lips. The brat shivers and widens his eyes and finally begins to respond. The Kyuubi can taste some of his emotions in the air. He doesn't taste a thing like Naruto, but they mingle in that kiss, and it's impossible to tell one from the other.

Sasuke presses himself hard against Naruto as the kiss grows deeper, more passionate, short of biting. He sweeps his hands over Naruto's back, and the kit strokes his in turn. The kiss tastes a bit like rain and mountain dust; there is a tiny portion of blood in it and also something sweet, but not too sweet. The Kyuubi finds it hard to define, but it sure is filling.

Dazed, Naruto moans into Sasuke's mouth, and the sound sends tingles through both their bodies. They stand pressed hard against a tree trunk. Sasuke arches his back. Their hearts beat roughly against each other, separated by the barriers of flesh and bone and fabric, and each sound echoes in the other's chest.

The kiss is broken off. There comes a shocking realization (humans always, always do first, and then get surprised), and it rains down like a waterfall of needles. The Fox shuts its eyes wearily.

There is a burning sensation in Naruto's throat. He strives to catch his breath. Sasuke lowers his head and rubs his cheeks against Naruto's marked cheek. Calls him by name again. Loosens his grip on Naruto's clothes.

"You know what?" the kit says resolutely. "I'm not fucking going anywhere! I'm gonna sit right here," he lowers himself on the ground beneath that very tree, a few metres away from the hideout exit, "until you make up your mind and come with me. Period."

Uchiha nearly rolls his eyes. And the Kyuubi falls asleep, thinking that humans are silly, inconsistent, but nonetheless interesting. At least these two.

June 14–15, 2008