The Dragon Queen // (Under Revision)

I See Fire

Tsuyoi could barely walk once the pain truly set in. She knew she had the tendency to numb herself to pain and then it would all rush back to her later, but this was ridiculous.

"I can barely move!" She shouted from where she'd collasped in the hallway. They had to put her right arm, the one she used for her hammerfist move eariler, in a cast because it had simply stopped moving. Now it appeared the rest of her body was following suit.

She and Naruto had tried to meet Sakura and Sai in the dining hall to explain everything, but Tsuyoi's limbs had given out, and now she was complaining loudly on the floor.

"I told you to rest for a little bit first," Naruto shouted back at her, annoyed. "You're so stubborn! You rockhead!"

"And you're just stupid, Hayride!" She yelled back.

Naruto had a huge vein throbbing on his forehead. "You're lucky you just got hurt, or I wouldn't be doing this," he muttered. He squatted down, grabbing her arms and tugging then over his shoulders. Then he stood and tucked his arms under her legs.

"M-my healing is accelerated...I'll be fine in a couple hours," Tsuyoi muttered into his hair. Her body felt like lead. "Stupid Chizu..."

Naruto sighed. "You're so stubborn...you remind me of Sasuke." He started to walk.

"Who's Sasuke?" Tsuyoi asked. An image floated up in her head of a lean, dark-haired boy about Naruto's age with piercing red eyes. Even the image of him came with the impression of strength. Tsuyoi felt a burst of emotion flowing through her end of the yuimaru, she could feel it.

"He...is my best friend..." Naruto said softly. "And probably the most stubborn chucklehead there ever was." Tsuyoi felt a flash of indignation from him and let out a soft laugh. "He is powerful...like you...and he also made killing someone his goal. That person was his brother, Itachi."

Tsuyoi felt a jolt. His brother?

"Once he'd accomplished that, he started to get all this new strange notions about become Hokage." Naruto's emotions shifted back to annoyance. "The idiot. How do you terrorize the village and somehow think people are supposed to accept you as their leader?"

Tsuyoi laughed again. He looked back at her and met her eyes, a smile on his face. I like her laugh.

Tsuyoi's face grew warm. You're thinking about me?

He shrugged and faced forward again.

"Anyway, I was the only one who could stop the idiot from going through with his plans. And I did. It took two years, but I did it."

Tsuyoi felt a shiver. Once he killed his brother....he started doing crazy things...because his goal was gone.

So I was right. If I killed Chizu...I wouldn't have been satisfied.

"Where is he now? Does he live in the Village with the rest of you?" Tsuyoi asked.

"No, not now. He travels around a lot. He goes on missions to discover intel that might benefit the Village. Last I checked, he was checking on a lead about the Akatsuki. A criminal group," he answered before she could ask. "They used to try to kill me to take Kurama from me. They kidnapped my friend Gaara once and took his tailed beast..."

Tsuyoi's head spun. All these different people....how do you keep them straight?

"But he comes back sometimes to see Sakura," Naruto went on. "And I can always tell because she acts waaaaay nicer than usual. She even offered to clean my house for me once after he left!" He laughed at that.

Tsuyoi focused. Don't forget,don't forget...keep track of what he's saying.

"So Sakura and Sasuke...are together?" Tsuyoi asked.

Naruto shrugged. "As together as they can be with him traveling. Sakura's always loved Sasuke...even when we were kids."

"She loves him while he was a criminal?" Tsuyoi couldn't imagine.

But that means Sakura doesn't like Naruto!

"Yeah. And I...used to like her...when we were kids."

Tsuyoi felt something jab her in the heart. "Ack!" She went limp on his back.

"Tsuyoi? Are you okay?" Naruto started spinning in circles like a dog chasing his tail, trying to look at her.

As he was spinning, Tsuyoi stared at him. I am convinced this boy is missing some brain cells.

She lifted a hand and brought it down on his head in a fist.

"Owwwwwww!" Naruto cried. He brought both of his hands to his head. "Tsuyoi! Why did you-" then he seemed to notice the absence of weight on his back. "Where did you go?"

"Behind you, you fool."

He spun around. Tsuyoi lay prostrate on the ground, glaring at him. She felt a jolt.

Chizu laying in the ground, prostrate in blood, was the image that appeared her mind from his.

"Well, how about you pick me back up, you idiot!" Tsuyoi shouted at him. She couldn't even raise her fist to shake threateningly.

I hate feeling helpless.

Naruto sighed. "Me too."

He hefted her back in his back and continued to walk. He seemed like he knew the way, so she didn't say anything.

"So, um, Naruto?" Tsuyoi​ cleared her throat. "About Sakura...you used to like her...but she always loves Sasuke. That's sad."

Naruto shrugged. "Not any sadder than being alone as a kid with no parents and not having any friends."

"D-do you still like her?"

Naruto froze for the slightest second, but kept going.

"I don't know. I don't think so. She's one of my closest friends." Naruto lifted his head up. "Where were we supposed to meet Sakura and the others, anyway?"

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU'VE BEEN CARRYING ME THIS WHOLE TIME AND NEVER KNEW WHERE WE WERE GOING?!"

"I....just like carrying you?"

"YOU'RE A FREAKING PICK-UP ARTIST!"

The crack of Tsuyoi's hand against his skull resonated through the hallway.

"NOW TURN LEFT!"

"But you know, Tsuyoi, in all seriousness," Naruto started.

"Can you even be serious?"

"How about you shut up and let me try? You don't even know if I can be, you rockhead!"

"That's why I asked, Hayride," Tsuyoi snickered.

"I was saying that you remind me of Sasuke." Naruto said.

"Why, because I want to kill someone like he did?" She quipped dryly.

"Partially. But you have the same spark, the same pain, as him," Naruto said. "I see fire in you. And you know who was able to shoulder his pain with and take some of heat alongside him?"

"Who?"

"Me."

Tsuyoi froze.

"And that means I can shoulder yours too. Take some of the heat."

Tsuyoi's hand started to tremble.

"So you're not alone."

Tsuyoi lowered her face into his shoulder. "Yeah...you're right. I'm not."

"Um...Tsuyoi?"

"Where am I supposed to go?"

Tsuyoi laughed. "Turn left again."