In My Own Arms

Chapter 8:

It was nearly 24 hours after I passed out that I awoke in the bed I had started to get use to. I had been instructed to call my parents. It seemed that they had gotten most of the story out of Kyuubi. It had taken awhile to convince my mother I was fine. My father had been bent on making me take the drugs. The drugs that would make Kyuubi seem so distant and lifeless. I had finally convinced him to let me go without. Like a hour after I started.

Now my life of solitude began. I was aloud to have Gaara, Itachi and Sasuke over but just them. I wasn't to leave the house and if I felt strange at all I had to call Iruka or my parents at once. It was going to be a boring and long two years. I rolled my eyes at the thought. I wanted to see Kyuubi, but we had all agreed what was for the best. So I simply had to put up with it.

A week, a month and then a year went by. Mom and dad had came to visit off and on, when they could come that is. I felt like an outcast. It was nothing really compared to how my brother must have felt before. So i managed just fine. I went to a different school then all of my friends and was forced to take a very low dose of medication when I had school, just in case something happened.

What? I don't know.

Summer. It had at one time been great. Now I couldn't think of anything to do. So I would go to the gym down the street, run around the block, hang out with my few friends... When They had the time for me, and sit around doing nothing. It was a bit sad really. I never knew how much I would miss sitting out on the roof with my brother.

Mom had said a few things about my twin. It seemed that the demon had keep his word and had not been back out. Kyuubi had focused in school, brought his grades up. He was doing good.

I was doing the opposite though, my grades had dropped a level and I had a hard time focusing. The medication made me a bit side tracked. Not that I wasn't already.

Now that summer was upon us, I had hopes that I would be allowed to return home for some of it. Though maybe it was best if I wasn't. With a sigh I started yet another day of nothingness. As it turned out I missed a phone call from mom while I was out for a jog. When I called back it was my twin that answered the phone.

"Hello?" The voice called to be from the other end. My voice caught in my throat. Kyuubi must have caught on since he didn't say anything for a moment. "Hey." Was his weak first word to me.

"Hey, hows it going?" I replied just as lamely.

A moment of silence followed. Neither of us knew just what to say. We didn't want to get caught saying too much and yet didn't want to talk about nothing. So I started. "Mom said your grades have gone up."

"Yeah, she said your went down." He laughed lightly. "Didn't think they could drop much more."

"Hey now!" I smiled as it seemed we could at least talk about this. "You know I've never been much for school."

"Yeah, I know. Would do you some good to take an interest in it, that way you can get into a good collage. That's my plan." The words almost hurt until I felt his emotions. I caught on.

"Well, I want to go some place far away to go to collage."

"Yeah, see someplace new." Kyuubi agreed with me. "Well, mom just walked in. Were you calling for her?"

"Yep." I replied feeling a bit down, I wasn't alone. "Thanks, luv ya bro." I added, receiving the words back. I smiled lightly and then started talking to my mom.

After the talk with my brother things seemed to focus more in me. I needed to get better grades, so that was what I started working on. Besides going to the gym, doing chorus and the normal stuff I started using the internet to research and study. That way I'd be ready for school to start and could have a chance at getting into the same school as Kyuubi.

Sadly, I was not returned to my home. By the time school started I had pretty much given up on any hope of doing so. So I just focused on school. I had talked to my father about getting a part time job, so I could start saving money to get my own place once school ended, he had refused and said to just focus on my school work. I wasn't sure how it was going to play out at the end of the year. I knew that my parents would be against the idea of us going off to the same collage. I doubted they would be paying for us to do it, or live together. They had been so bent on keeping us apart thus far. So I needed to do something.

I ended up keeping the money my mother and father sent me. Though it was not enough to do much with, I figured I could save up for the school year and then I could use it until I found a job and started to get more money. Hopefully it would be enough to give us a place to stay for a few months... Even a month would be good.

In the year and a few months since Naruto was exiled from the house I hadn't done much. I had only talked to him once and it had been too short of a conversation. It seemed he had caught on though. Sometimes he was smart... sometimes he was slow. I smiled at the memory of his face.

The year hasn't been the best, but I have been trying to plan ahead. If we get our grades up maybe we can get grants or something to go to collage. I know mom and dad have planed on sending us through the next level of education. I think it's going to have some rules and regulations. Like us not going to the same collage or sharing the same house. Those just wouldn't work for us. So I have been taking some measures to ensure we will have our own money to live off of.

I was told I was not aloud to get a job, so instead I've been selling my pills. Dad gave me a low dose of medication just in case I felt I needed it, well as of late the demon in my head has been acting up... Or so I told dad. In truth it had been the demons idea to sell the drugs, he had been half joking when he said it, it was working out great so far. I had some help from Gaara.

Gaara was the type that didn't seem like they cared... But did when it came to friends. Since he didn't seem to mind helping out if it meant me and Naruto would be happy, I used his help. I'd tell mom I was going out with Gaara and he'd leave his house encase she called there. Then I would go meet up with this guy I meet who bought the drugs off of me to resale them.

The guy was sneaky. He was shady and a huge pervert. His name was Orochimaru. He dealt in lots of unpleasant things, prostitution, drugs, fights and had a whole gang under him. I had been there to sell him the drugs when he ran an idea by me. It seemed his fight for the night had hit a snag. One of the fighters had accidentally ODed. So he was short a new fighter. He offered me a sum of cash and I took it. Not that I'm for illegal street fighting, I'm just for cash to let Naruto and me be together.

The fight had not taken very long and I had won. I made sure to take a few hits and put on a good enough act of it really hurting, with the first win though... I was offered more cash to do another and another. So the cash flow was coming in steady. I just didn't realize how deep I was steadily getting in.

Like I said Orochimaru was not a decent guy. So I should have known if I tried to get out I'd be greeted with some issues. So about two weeks before my 18th birthday and about a month before school ended I wanted out.

"What do you mean, Kyuubi?" The snake of a man asked, his voice sweet as he did so.

"I got things coming up. I told you I had no plans on staying with this type of job forever." I added while collecting my winnings from the night.

"You mean you want to stop fighting? That would leave me with a big hole to fill. Your the one my customers want to see. They can't wait to see you defeated." He added with a smile. "You can't just leave me like that can you?"

"You can find someone else." I rolled my eyes. It was a big pain in the ass.

"Kyuubi, I can't tell you what to do... But I suggest you forget about walking out on me."

"Don't threaten me." I growled. His face was pissing the demon inside off.

"But, that's what I do." He stood from the leather chair and snapped his fingers. The man in glasses that hung by the door stepped forth with a folder. "See, I like to keep up with my employees personal lives. Lets see, where to start... Lets start with how you first came here. The drugs you sell me, they are not even registered in any country. Did you know that I have to sell them in 1/4th? If a client takes more than a 1/4th of one they go insane and kill themselves. I wonder why you would need something so strong? So I had some research done and found some interesting facts.. The Uchiha clan and the Suna clan both you have friends in. Did you know it's rumored that both of the clans use to poses 'demons' inside them? Did you also know that both of their clans and your own have been close friends for many generations? I wonder why that would be..." He smiled as he laid down a few photographs on the table.

I was surprised to see photos of me in a out of control situation. I hadn't been in such a state in a very long time. He smiled and answered my thoughts.

"Oh, I admit I have other things I deal in. I have been waiting for one of you to come to me, for a long time. I don't want to let you go now. I can't let that happen."

"What do you want?" I asked while the demon in me growled.

"For a start... I want you to continue fighting, since we have the fact that I know out of the way... I think I have a few better fighters for you to fight. Then, I want your help with a few things in my research as well."

"And you expect me to agree to all of this or...?" I grinned back at him.

"I'll be sure to leak out some information about your family, have you killed and then use your dead body in my research anyway."

A/N: I have no idea how it turned out like this. I had plans on doing a few more chapters and adding no real drama. So I really don't know why Orochimaru is now threatening Kyuubi. Oh well, hope you enjoyed. At least it added some excitement to the chapter. I know the first part is pretty dull. Have fun and much love. Reviews are greatly welcomed.