Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I've talked with Masashi Kishimoto about the whole thing, but when I came to his house for the third time in one day, he called for the men in white coats and they took me to a white fluffy room.

Listening to while writing: Skrillex – With you, Friends [Long Drive]

Note: This is a... derivative of an older story I published for the first time back in '06, so the matter of using certain elements (that you may find overused and clichéd) was in fact something new back then. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this and if you've read my other stories, I hope you'll see an improvement regarding my writing and plot-making skills.

I also hope I'll get to see the number of favourite, alerts and reviews grow and surpass all my other stories. That would be remarkable. (:

WARNINGS:

Coarse Language: They can use pretty vulgar words sometimes.
S.I: Self-inflicted injuries. You'll see what I mean if you continue to read.
Suicidal thoughts: There'll be some suicidal thoughts on a certain character's behalf. Nothing much.
OC's and OOCness: A claimer goes to my OC's; there will only be one or two and they're minor. As for the OOCness, it might not even be noticeable.
AR: This takes place in an alternative reality.
Spoilers: There will be a lot of spoilers, so you need to be up to date with the manga or you'll be in for a hell of a surprise.
Metric System: I don't know shit about feet, inches, pounds and ounces, so I'm going to stick to the SI system (International System of Units).
Grammar: I'm not good with grammar, not to mention my spelling, but I'm working on it.
Character Deaths: People die sooner or later, and for some of the characters in this story it's the former.
Mixed English: I'm not a native speaker. I tend to mix every single variety of the English language there is.
Other Languages and Cultures: I will use other languages than English, namely Japanese and some Chinese. Their respective cultures will be involved as well.
Drug Abuse and Smoking: I do not approve of drugs or smoking, but they'll have an involvement in the story.
Dialogues: Some of the scenes and dialogues are borrowed from the manga.

Dying Boy
Betaed by Carrie2sky

Naruto scrunched his nose as he realised that everything around him was covered in fog; a thick fog that made it impossible to see more than five metres in any direction. He was glad there were no light though. He was sure it would have hurt his eyes.

The blond coughed as he tried to inhale larger gulps of air. For some reason it felt as if it he was lying down with a rock on his sternum.

He looked down and frowned as he couldn't see anything lying on his torso.

"What the...?"

That was when he all but realised he was lying on air, arms stretched out by his sides and his head hanging loosely off his shoulders; titled back but without straining, as if being held by an invisible pillow.

Naruto rapidly blinked. He was floating? Soaring?

He made an effort to sit up, but instead managed to spin his entire body. Soon it felt like he was fluctuating around without gravity pulling at him; slowly turning around in circles as he had no sense of direction.

His eyes quickly moved from left to right as he noticed something in his peripheral vision. The long pieces of fabric from his hitai-ate was floating about as well. After studying them for a moment, he then took a look down at his body to see that his clothes were rippling off his body in waves.

Was he underwater?

Naruto licked his lips. Praying, to whoever was listening, that this was just his own imagination pulling his leg. Who knew, maybe ramen land was on the other side of this fog.

He took a new breath and the tightening of his airways it brought was anything but pleasant. To top it off, the yet-to-go-away pressure on his chest increased.

Frowning some more, he coughed violently and his gag reflexes decided to make themselves known. He tried to gulp down some more air but it resulted in him getting bile stuck in his throat.

Wherever the hell he was he was certain there was something wrong with the air. His lungs were now paying the price.

He mentally swore as he finally let his stomach content out.

With eyes closed, he dry-heaved for a few seconds. How much he despised throwing up. Even after all those years with a regenerative furball in his belly he still got nauseous and threw up at times. Why the hell Kyūbi couldn't make sure he didn't get nauseated was something he'd questioned ever since he was twelve years old.

The thought left him quickly however, as he had his hands full with trying to actually breathe. Clawing at his throat in a weak attempt to expand his airways, he felt a small twinge of fear make itself known in the pit of his stomach.

If this was a dream, it all felt too realistic for his liking. He did not like the feeling of drowning when floating in what he assumed was air.

Suddenly he heard a splashing sound. He guessed that whatever had left his stomach had hit something. Another splashing sound was then heard and it made the blond lower his gaze in confusion as he continued to slightly cough.

That last sound had been a different one.

"Aaaah... a human, ey?"

Naruto lifted his head and spun it around.

What the fuck?

"Who's—" he coughed, "— who's t-there?" he asked, trying to locate something that could lead him to the owner of the voice.

He rarely dreamt of people talking to him, or about himself for that matter. It was always other people in focus with him being a bystander – or some abstract shit he couldn't understand no matter how much he thought about it.

Someone clicked with his or her tongue and Naruto felt the heat in his cheeks rise for some odd reason.

"Cannot breathe? How... unfortunate, ey?"

"Where a-am – I?" Naruto ignored what the other person had said. Instead he tried to conclude whether or not it was a male or female talking to him. The person was using such an epicene voice it was hard to tell the sex.

"Here. There. Everywhere," the voice answered. Naruto then noticed his body had started to move again; this time downwards.

His heartbeat quickened.

He had no idea where they were and in all honesty he was starting to feel his nerves get the better of him. Where was he? Why was he there? Was he dreaming? Why he floating? Why couldn't he breath? Who was this person?

Was all of this a fraction of his imagination? Iruka, his Academy teacher, had always said that his mind was a dangerous place.

Naruto couldn't help but agree at the moment.

His inhales were starting to get raspy, as if he was having an asthma attack, and they were becoming accompanied by tremors.

It was getting harder to control his body as it had started to turn during the trip downwards. Soon he was on his back once more; the pressure on his chest as strong as ever. He felt oddly smothered and he truly hoped that it would stop; simply stop. Dreams about asphyxia weren't something he even wished upon his worst enemy.

"I d-don't – know whe-e-ere – t-this is," Naruto re-joined, closing his eyes as he let a coughing fit wrack his body. He frowned and grabbed at his chest, above his lungs. "Why c-can't – I breeeeeathe...?" he wheezed out, his voice nearly disappearing into a high pitch.

"Pff," he could hear a rather womanlike chuckle and it made Naruto want to start yelling at the other person. This person knew exactly what was going on and was now having fun at his expense.

He wondered if he should damn his sadistic self to hell for playing tricks on him in the shape of delusions.

"You k-know... d-don't you?" he defied and felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw some formations appear. His body continued to spin and turn and within seconds he was upside down; all the blood rushing to his head, making it even harder to breathe.

He wanted to wake up.

"We have yet to come to an agreement. This scenario is something you will have to overcome if we are to do so however," the voice answered and Naruto frowned.

Wait, what?

What contract? Since when did you sign contracts in visualisations made up by your own mine?

"Contra-act—" He stopped to deeply inhale and then coughed once more. His noticed vision was getting worse due to lack of oxygen, "I-i-if you wa-wa-want a con-contract – s-signed yooou w-w-w-ouldn't – j-just k-k-kill me," Naruto retorted after a couple of seconds of silence.

He had no idea what was going to happen – what was currently happening. In all honesty, he was starting to see this as a rather failed joke. How he'd ended up here, why he'd ended up here, what had been going on before he ended up here? He couldn't remember going to bed... so he couldn't be dreaming, could he? Had he been knocked out cold during a mission? Maybe Sakura was practising her genjutsu on him again?

He knew nothing but the fact that he wanted it to end.

Naruto gasped as he felt something touch his left calf. His eyes then widened as he felt a shiver works its way over his body, a foreign cold following it.

He tried to protest as the cold clamped down around his lungs. Nothing came out of his mouth however and for a few seconds his entire body stood still.

For the first time since ending up in this royally cocked up place, he felt a sense of true fright enter his system.

Everything was frozen until he felt something touch his head. He tried to look up at what it was but all he could see was his hair moving around his face. His body then began to spin again and he was soon facing up yet again. If one could call it that when mercilessly floating around.

At once, the blond noticed that the fog wasn't as thick as it had been before, he could actually see what the formations around him were this time. He narrowed his eyes.

Sushi?

Since when did sushi end up in his ramen fuelled dreams? He frowned and was just about to try and yell when he thought about it a second time.

Then it hit him.

It was seaweed.

...

...

...seaweed...?

He barely had time to comprehend what was going on as he all of a sudden hit a liquid surface.

Cold washed over his face and along with a gasp he could now breathe.

"Sh-shit... no! Wh-what the! N-no! Damn it!"

He took a huge gulp of air and then coughed some more before letting out random exclamations without meaning. It took him a few seconds to calm down, and then he realised he was coughing up water. The liquid ran down his chin and neck back into the water.

It took him another few seconds before he came to the realisation that he'd been under water up until now. So that was why he couldn't breathe.

He shakily inhaled.

That cold he'd felt before, around his legs and then his body. Had it been because he was drowning?

Shit. It had felt too real for comfort.

Did one die in real life if one died in dreams as realistic as this one? It really wouldn't surprise him. The sheer shock of it would make one comatose if anything.

"You made it, ey, Blond One," the voice spoke again and this time it was much closer, the tone stronger, the volume louder. "Most humans do not even realise they are beneath the surface until it is too late." The owner of the voice snorted. "You have shown yourself worthy of my time. Welcome to my... humble abode."

Naruto continued to drift in the water as he gulped down large amounts of much needed air.

"That wasn't f-f-funny," he said after a while, teeth clattering due to the cold.

He frowned as he heard a laugh coming from somewhere to his right.

"You humans are too fulsome. You need to understand you cannot comprehend and have control over everything," the voice stated. Removing some blond strands that had plastered themselves too close to his eyes for comfort, Naruto scowled.

He didn't answer, instead he gathered some chakra in his limbs to be able and stand on the water. He could feel his legs start shaking from the near death experience so he crouched down and leaned on his hands, knees touching the water's surface.

"You know," the voice began and once more Naruto lifted his head in search for the owner, "when humans get in contact with us Kami it is because they want supernatural aid beyond their own capabilities. Most of them are so extravagant they think they may get it without having to pay a price."

Naruto bat an eyelid.

He'd called upon a supernatural being in his dream world?

"That's not t-true," he retorted, knowing she was wrong. "There are people that know t-the consequences of summoning spiritual b-beings," he continued and noticed that it was becoming easier to breathe. "The Yondaime Hokage of Konoha was one o-of them. He summoned the Shinigami a-and gave up his s-soul in return. He knew the p-price he had to pay."

"Aaah, yes, the Shinigami." The way the voice emphasised the other kami made the blond blink a couple of times. Did this kami—

Woah, wait and hold your horses.

Kami.

The voice had said something about summoning us Kami.

Holy fuck, he thought as he realised the situation. Of all supernatural beings, a kami? Shit, this is bad. Why is this happening to me?

He felt like causing damage to someone's head – preferably his own at the moment.

He clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt. Maybe his one and only inhabitant in Narutown knew anything about it.

Kyūbi? he called out.

"It is futile, Blond One. You cannot summon that Bijū of yours to Kongōkai. The only ones existing at the moment are you and me," the voice explained as Naruto let the words sink in before he answered.

"Kongōkai?" Naruto asked while taking a look around.

Why was he getting the feeling that he'd done the unpredictable once again?

He was standing in the middle of a huge pond, surrounded by leafless trees (having shed their leaves a long time ago to let them fall to the ground). The colours orange, yellow and brown were showing themselves on the ground, creating a rather warm atmosphere. Had it not been for the pitch-black water and ominous fog around them, it would have been a beautiful part of a glade.

"Yes, Kongōkai. Where every deal between a human and Kami takes place. For being someone to summon me you do not seem to know much about it." A shape finally took form in the thick fog and Naruto's muscles tensed.

It was as if the person was being created out of the actual fog. He also noticed that the voice was now much more feminine than before.

"I have no idea how I summoned you," he evasively answered as he tried to focus upon the – was it a woman? – before him.

He noticed that his hearing and sight wasn't nearly as good as it had been; most likely due to the fact that Kyūbi wasn't residing within him at the moment.

He felt strangely hollow.

"Oh?" The woman seemed to be quite fascinated by this. She landed on the water's surface a couple of metres outside Naruto's vision. "That's... interesting." She rolled the r's and Naruto got the feeling that the kami he was dealing with wasn't of the most serious kind.

He snorted. What could he expect from his own imagination?

"Um... sure, extremely interesting," the blond mumbled under his breath as he finally got to see her shape from head to toe. "Why are you in a woman's body?" he then asked with genuine curiosity.

Said woman smirked back at him, her dark eyes reflecting mischief. "You did say I chuckled like a woman. This is the way you thought I would look like, hence it is the way I shall appear before you," she answered with a shrug and started to walk forwards.

Naruto frowned. She could read his mind? Because he damn well knew he hadn't said anything beneath the water, his thoughts had been spinning like crazy though.

He mentally slapped himself. Of course she could, she was a freaking part of his mind.

Naruto looked up at the kami, about to retort using sarcasm. But then he took notice to her clothing. He blushed as he realised she was only wearing a transparent grey veil around her body; nothing was left to the imagination.

"Err... you couldn't... er... wear something more concealing, could you?" he asked as he looked at her hair, trying not to stare at her body. Even though her skin held a sickly tint to it, she held the same feminine shapes as any other woman. Shapes he kind of appreciated a little too much at the moment.

The kami suddenly laughed and it made Goosebumps appear all over his body. It was heartless.

"You humans are so pathetic," she spat the last words and vaporised to quickly take form before the blond, holding a slim finger close to his jugular. It became longer and longer until it made up a needle-like tip. She could easily puncture a vein with that and he'd bleed to death.

Naruto looked at the finger, inspecting it. He narrowed his eyes as he took in all the detail. It held creases and callouses, yet it looked so soft.

"You are so easily distracted," she whispered and moved closer to him. "Temptation is a sin, Blond One," she added in a whisper.

Naruto blushed as he tried to keep eye contact with the taller woman. "That wasn't what I was getting at, I was just thinking about how... cold it is. Yeah, you know, it's chilly out here and... and even I feel cold."

Holy fuck. Trying to lie before a kami, he must have been stupider than he thought.

The woman backed away with a smile on her lips, her pitch black eyes never leaving his.

"Yes, you are stupid, ey?" Yep, she'd read his mind. "You're the one who should stop shouting them out for everyone to hear. Block your mind, Blond One."

She abruptly turned around and started to walk away. Naruto wasn't sure if he should follow her or not and decided to stay put. It appeared to be the right choice as she stopped and turned once more, her long hair moving around her.

"Now, onto business," she continued and waved with her hand. A scroll appeared; a red signet embedded where the paper ended, sealing the scroll together. "Apparently, you have been sent here without notice, ey?" Her voice was still as playful as before and it made Naruto somehow doubt her abilities.

That clicking sound of a tongue interrupted him again.

"You should not judge a book by its cover," she continued in a faked hurt voice.

Naruto cleared his throat. He really should stop thinking all together. "Pardon," he apologetically murmured and she continued.

"First things first then, do you even know who I am?" she asked and Naruto frowned. He had no idea really.

"You're a goddess?" he asked in a tight voice.

"I am Amaterasu, to be more precise," she answered and opened the scroll that lifted itself into the air. "Now, this contract I hold before me is a contract of agreement. If you sign this, there is no turning back. You will live according to your wished change after this."

Woah, woah, woah, say what?

He didn't even know why he was here, why was he going to sign a contract?

"Wish?" Naruto asked as he looked at the contract that had somehow grown in size and was now bigger than the two of them. It covered his vision and the text on it was written in a foreign language; making it impossible for him to read.

"Yes, a wish." For some reason, she sounded blue after saying so. "There are so many things humans want to change in their lives, ey? Here is your very own chance."

The blond teen arched both brows. His subconscious was fucking with his true conscious. Spewing crazy shit like this.

"Your vocabulary is outstanding..." Amaterasu sneered.

Naruto ignored her. "I could change something?" he asked instead, wanting to slap himself silly for sounding a bit hopeful. It was a rather nice thought after all, no matter how selfish it might be.

"Yes," she answered and Naruto felt his mouth go dry. "And remember, it is an agreement between a kami and a human, not an agreement between two beings. The kami, I, will decide whether or not to actually give the human, you, something in return of a favourable price. If the human, you, cannot give the kami, me, anything apposite, the kami, me, may do as they see fit with the human, you."

Naruto swallowed as he bit his lower lip. "I don't really like the sound of that," he then said and backed away as he looked down into the dark water. By doing so, he missed the dark shadow crossing Amaterasu's facial features. "Gambling is for Tsunade-no-baa-chan only."

Amaterasu tilted her head. "I am not wasting my time on something that will not happen. You will be disposed of as I see fit if you do not feel like coming to an agreement. After all, the only reason you are here is so that you can either get your signature on that contract or to die," she said in a stern voice, the playfulness gone as a thin finger pointed at the contract by her side.

Naruto looked up and met her ire head on.

"You're threatening me?" he asked and immediately regretted it as her face hardened.

With arms crossing, she replied, "Threatening you? There is no need for me to threaten you," she answered with a sneer. "What I am saying is that when you gamble you have got to be prepared to lose as well as win, ey? From the moment you summoned me – whether it was on your own accord or not – you started your gambling. You are currently gambling your life, your existence. If you say you want to 'drop out', to 'quit', I will win automatically."

Naruto stared at her, dumbfounded. This chick was rather creepy...

"But I didn't even summon you! I don't know how I ended up here! And now you're giving me an ultimatum?" he asked with a twinge of anxiety in his voice. "Either I don't want to gamble and I die – you getting my soul most likely – or I could agree with you, and then what?"

The playfulness returned and the blond felt himself wondering if he truly was dreaming of if he somehow had actually ended up summoning both a kami and a huge fucking problem.

"You choose what you want me to do for you," she answered.

He looked at her and let the words sink in. So basically, he could change or... just do something that was completely irrelevant towards the world as it was, or he could die? Tough choice.

"And of course, you have to give me something in return. For you to stay true to your part of the deal that is; it is no fun if only one can win, ey?" Her face was currently hidden behind her dark hair (as it was currently moving around her head with a life of its own) but Naruto knew she was leering.

He decided not to mention that she'd be the only one winning if he died. He'd provoked her enough.

"Soo... what would that be? What could I ask for?" He was becoming more and more suspicious. This was all becoming too real for it to be a mere dream. It had to be a genjutsu.

Genjutsu, genjutsu, genjutsu. Maybe he should try and release it. It was always worth a try, even though he was utterly useless at genjutsu. He'd go as far as to say that he was better at fūinjutsu than genjutsu, and he wasn't particularly skilled in that area either.

He was just about to place his hands into a hand seal for 'release' when Aaterasu noticed.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's not a genjutsu, Blond One. How many times do I have to tell you that you have summoned me here?" She arched an impeccably shaped brow at him. "Normally I would get your soul without you having a say in it, but since you are a Jinchūriki I have... kind of decided to be lenient. After all, with you alive things will turn out to be so much more fun," she answered him with a small smirk.

She then vaporised and took form before Naruto, touching his chin with her pointy fingers.

Naruto's breath hitched from the closure. His facial features then turned more serious. Why would it be more fun if he stayed alive? Because he was a Jinchūriki?

"Lenient?" he asked instead and swallowed some saliva; his eyes narrowed. He carefully chose his next words, "Do you want Kyūbi?"

She smiled as she studied his face. Leaning in, Naruto felt a blush rise to his face. She then moved away from him and back to the scroll that was still dangling in the air a couple of metres ahead.

"I do not," was her answer and the blond blinked a couple of times at this. "I want to hear what you have got to offer. If you can offer me something I deem worthy enough, I will make this deal with you. If you cannot, I get your soul as a price of disturbance. We kami tend to have a thing for collecting souls after all."

The teen felt his jaws clench. "Even without me making a request you will take my soul?" he demanded.

"Yes," she cheerfully answered with a smile. Moving behind the contract she then disappeared for a moment. Having no idea where she went Naruto could only try and listen as the next words were spoken from an unknown direction, "For me, it is a win-win situation, for you on the other hand, it is more of a... an ultimatum, to use your own words."

Naruto let his eyes wander over the reflecting surface of the water, finally understanding what was really happening to him. He wondered if perhaps Kyūbi had made his way from his stomach and up into his mind to mess with him.

He felt the kami's presence before he saw her this time, and then she appeared before him once more.

She did not show any emotion as she stared at him.

The silence stretched out and Naruto waited for her to say something, not knowing if he should be the one to break it.

"Well, Blond One?" she suddenly asked.

"Well what?" he retorted within half a second.

"Have you come up with your part of the deal?" she enquired, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The part where you actually make your offering?"

Thinking about it, he thought more of what she'd like to have from him rather than what he thought was plausible to give up.

"I... I... I don't know," he honestly answered, looking down at his feet as a frown took its place between golden brows.

Amaterasu rolled her eyes. "You could at least give me something to work with. There is no fun in it if I have to come up with it all."

Naruto quickly looked up at her. "I'm just... not sure what you'd want from me," he said in a tight voice.

The woman tilted her head to the side once more, all the while smirking. Naruto's lips tightened.

"I'm serious," he said, not truly knowing if her smirk was because of disbelief or knowledge unknown to him. "I've got no idea what you'd like from me that you don't already have. I'm just human. What could be so special except for the giant Bijū residing within me, boosting my chakra—"

"I like chakra," she suddenly uttered and Naruto stopped talking in confusion.

"Chakra?" he repeated.

Amaterasu merely arched a brow in response, as if challenging him. "Chakra," she deadpanned.

The both of them stayed silent for a few seconds after that. During this, the raven female kept that knowing glance on Naruto, making the blond feel at the more uncomfortable.

"Kami," she started in a soft voice, "are not allowed to have access to something, anything, like chakra. It is something purely human and it shall remain that way. It is something only humans are able to reciprocate as well. We can enjoy it for shorter periods of time however. You could say we see it as a sort of... delicacy."

Oh yeah, of course they ate it of fall things.

Naruto sighed and felt the need to punch himself for mentioning his chakra. Sakura did say he tended to talk before thinking.

But he had to get out of this one way or another, even if it was to a ridiculous price.

He could feel his temper scratching on the surface of his façade, wanting to bare its teeth. He wanted to get home, and it was frustrating that this deity was seeing this as a game.

"What do you say then? I would like your chakra in return for me doing you a favour of granting your wish. Sounds great, ey?" Amaterasu then concluded with a childlike smile on her lips.

Fucking brilliant, Naruto thought sarcastically as he raked a hand through his hair. "About my chakra, I—"

"No buts, I have come to the conclusion that the best price to pay – except for with your soul – is with your chakra. I know that you have very big reserves even without the help of that Bijū of yours. I also know that you treasure your chakra very much. Hence a perfect sacrifice on your part."

She was a sadist. That much was clear.

"Yeah I get that, but isn't there anything else—"

"No."

He didn't even get to finish his sentence.

"The fact that you are rather reluctant in giving it up makes it all so much more appealing to me, Blond One. You do not want to lose it. It is very obvious," she said and chuckled, the sound making Naruto bite the inside of his cheek. "I think you giving up your chakra would be a good compensation for your soul. Your entire life has been built upon it. That is... if you genuinely can't come up with something even better to offer me..."

Bitch, Naruto thought as he clenched his jaws.

"Ah-ah-ah," Amaterasu scolded with a finger in the air, and then she was in front of him again. "What did I tell you about your thoughts, Blond One? I can hear them very – very – clearly."

He narrowed his eyes.

Amaterasu studied his face with pitch-black eyes while he glared back at her, fighting down the urge to shiver again. She was intimidating yes, but not scary; never scary.

"You are a very disrespectful one. Perhaps I am being too soft," she added as an afterthought.

Naruto scrunched his nose and she let out a laugh.

"What are you doing?" he queried as she then moved onwards towards the contract. With a wave of her hand a quill appeared and she looked at the contract with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Oi! What are you writing?"

He'd never liked getting ignored.

"Oh, me?" Amaterasu innocently asked as she pointed at herself with her free hand. "I'm just adding the part about your chakra," she answered with a shrug. Naruto scowled. "However, it now also states that if you can come up with something else that interests me you will be rewarded accordingly and not lose your chakra."

Feeling the pressure, Naruto licked his dry lips. What could she possibly want from him that would be seen as enough?

The kami finished the text with a nice curve and then, with a new wave of her hand, the quill disappeared from sight with smoke surrounding it.

Amaterasu turned towards him again.

"Since I am – or at least appear to be – something very evil in your eyes—" she smirked as he paled, "—I thought: why not make this even more interesting? I like playing games. To gamble. So, from now on, you have got sixteen minutes to come up with an offer, if – or when – those sixteen minutes are up; my part of the deal will be executed."

Naruto looked up at her and then tilted his head to take a look at the large paper behind her. Why sixteen minutes? Fifteen would be more understandable.

"You added something else, didn't you?" he asked after a couple of seconds of thought.

"You are most likely never going to summon upon a kami after this, so what does it matter? Not that someone has ever been able to summon a kami twice, with the whole 'pay with your soul' thing we have got going on," Naruto couldn't help but smile at that. She did indeed appear very humanoid from time to time. "But to the point; yes I did."

When she didn't continue her explanation he closed his eyes and let the air leave him with a big sigh.

"Why are you not telling me?" he queried with frustration seeping into his voice.

Amaterasu smirked at the desired reaction. "Where would the fun be in that?" she mocked him and crossed her arms over her chest.

Naruto let a golden brow arch. "When making a deal, aren't both parties to know what they're agreeing upon?" he asked.

Amaterasu smiled in answer.

Naruto continued. "I'll find out sooner or later anyway."

She clicked her tongue and let her eyes wander in an eerie way before they locked themselves at something on the bottom of the pond.

"It would be rather fitting with a 'later' in your situation," she answered.

A tan hand raked through blond hair as Naruto pondered over it.

He knew he ultimately would have to sign the contract, which was the only thing that was for certain. He'd either die, letting the rest of his friends fight Akatsuki and that Tobi guy on their own – with a huge possibility of them loosing – or he'd make a deal with a kami and see what could happen. If he did wish for something – changed something – would his friends be the same? Would Kakashi still be his sensei? Would Jiraiya be alive? Would he be a part of Team Seven? Would—

"You tend to forget about me being able to hear your thoughts quite quickly, ey?" Amaterasu reminded him as she arched an elegant brow at the blond.

"Eeh..." Naruto really didn't know what to say to that. "Sorry?" he finally managed to say, though it appeared to be more of a question than a true apology.

"Now, you have got fifteen minutes left and time is ticking," she told him.

Naruto blinked. What was up with these minutes? "What happens when my time's up?" he cautiously asked.

The woman blinked, before letting a malicious grin take its place on her lips. "Your soul is mine, and you die," she said.

Naruto felt himself go pale.

"What happened to my deal about my chakra?"

Amaterasu smirked. "Well, I thought that, since I gave you the opportunity of coming up with a third option, we'll go back to the deal with your soul. I'll get your soul and chakra id you do not sign the contract. If you sign the contract without coming up with a third option, I'll only get your chakra. I can harvest souls, I cannot harvest chakra"

Well shit. There were a lot of different things encompassing this deal it seemed, and he liked none of them.

If his time was or wasn't up without him signing the contract, he'd die and Amaterasu would get his soul and chakra. If his time was or wasn't up with him signing the contract, Amaterasu would still get his chakra and he'd most likely go back to his world during different circumstances. If he signed the contract and came up with something the kami liked much better than his chakra within the time limit then—

"You will find yourself worthy the respect of a kami," a soft voice said from behind him.

Blue eyes opened, not having realised they'd closed.

Naruto turned his head to the side and met Amaterasu's dark, bottomless, eyes – even darker than Sasuke's, he mused.

"However, time still matters and it is ticking away before your very eyes," she added with a smile yet again gracing her facial features.

She vaporised to appear next to the contract, an unreadable expression in place on her face once more.

The teen let his eyes wander over to the contract before him. It was a plausible deal, so why not? He had no idea what Amaterasu would see as a bigger winning than getting his chakra though. That was the only problem with the whole agreement.

"Tick, tock."

Naruto merely snorted and started to slowly walk towards the contract. When he was standing in front of it he lifted a hand to where he was supposed to sign. Before his very eyes, a new quill appeared. It wasn't the same one as Amaterasu had used; this one was much smaller.

He hesitated, and it was all it took for the woman to giggle evilly and bump into his arm so that he made a line on the paper.

The ink was green.

"See, now you have got to finish what you started," she said and smirked, vaporising before his eyes.

He exhaled through his nose. "If I can come up with something before my time runs out, it will automatically integrate itself with the deal, won't it?" he asked.

He nearly shrieked as Amaterasu's head came through the paper before him, locking eyes as she invaded his personal bubble.

"That is correct, Blond One," she answered and removed herself from the paper, letting her body dance around the contract before settling by Naruto's side.

He frowned at her from his peripheral vision before turning his head back to the document.

Clenching his jaws, he signed his name with quick and practised movements. The katakana and hiragana characters glowed a bit before becoming a darker green.

It was permanent.

"Now that is brilliant, ey?" a voice said from behind him and he tensed.

He turned his head and noticed that she was grinning even wider than before.

"One of the reasons for me helping you is because you have proven yourself worthy of my time," she suddenly said, awakening curiosity within Naruto. "You managed to summon me. You did not drown. You are not cowering in fear. You said no the first time I offered you this. You value your chakra higher than anything else, yet here you are gambling it. You are simply a worthy candidate of my game."

She stopped for a moment.

Naruto was beginning to feel some confusion seep into his conscious. Why was she telling him this?

"You have never asked for much in return in life. You received abuse and ignorance from the people of your own village. A village you are ready to protect with your life. You have shown altruism and esteem, and that is always valued in the eyes of kami. We created you, so when we see you use what we have given you to the extent of our best expectations... let us just say we appreciate it and sometimes see it fit to reward you. Like you humans would a domesticated pet," she continued and floated over behind the contract.

A new wave with her hand and the paper was gone.

Naruto felt his shoulders drop a little as he heard this. It was not what he'd expected, but as he thought about it, it actually made some sense.

This situation was getting weirder by the moment.

He narrowed his eyes as he asked something that was beginning to bug him, "You see us humans as your pets?"

Amaterasu showed her pearly white teeth before her hair flowed up and around her, covering her mouth and eyes briefly.

"Of course," she said.

Naruto scoffed, deciding not to retort to it as he knew he'd only let his temper steer his words.

"Do you know what it is I've always wanted?" he couldn't help but ask, not knowing if she knew this or not.

Her mouth twitched a little. "No."

"You don't know?" the blond growled as he rubbed his head with a calloused hand. She knew about his life, but not about his mind? What the f—

"Ah, ah, ah. Language." She held up a finger as she scolded him like a mother would a child. "You have got an extremely potty mouth, have you not?"

Naruto arched his brows and looked her straight in the eyes. "Apparently I do."

Amaterasu didn't show amusement this time, she merely gave him a calculating look. The blond stared back at her with wonder in his eyes.

"Time's ticking," Amaterasu suddenly interrupted him. Blue eyes narrowed as she played with a piece of her hair all the while looking at him.

"Normally, we kami do not help you humans in making your decisions. But it is rather tedious to just take and give lives all the time. Sometimes I like to fill my existance with other events, and I always did like... gambling."

The teen blinked a couple of times.

"You've lost me," he then responded and crossed his arms as he stared at her with an indolent kind of boredom. What was she getting at all of a sudden?

Amaterasu rolled her eyes. "That is because you are a... what was it, ah yes... a dobe," she replied and sighed before moving over the surface they were standing upon.

Naruto was about to retort when she held up a hand, making him stop. "I am only going to do this once." He looked at her intently, wonder showing in his eyes.

Why was she helping him if she wanted his chakra or soul?

"Because this is so much more fun than merely giving and taking lives, did you not hear what I just said?" she asked him and arched an offended brow. "Who is your mentor?"

Naruto thought about it for a while before answering. "Well, my last one was Ero-sennin."

"Oh, and before that?"

"Kakashi-sensei."

"And before that?"

She was quick with the questions. Naruto barely had the time to think.

"Iruka-sensei."

"Do you love him?"

Blue eyes blinked. "I'm fond of him, as he was kind of a father figure as I grew up. I'd say I love him, yeah."

"Did you love Jiraiya? He was your Godfather after all."

Naruto felt a lump in his throat as he stared at her.

She arched a brow as if urging him on and he finally understood why she was asking these questions so quickly. We wouldn't be able to think before answering, not that it usually was a problem.

"Well, did you love him?"

The playfulness had disappeared from her face, being replaced with a stone-cold face.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He was family."

"What about the rest of your family? You mentioned this Iruka was your father figure."

He wasn't sure if she already knew the answers to these questions or not, but he answered anyway. "They're dead. I never knew my parents."

"Who raised you?"

A dark shadow passed Naruto's features. "I basically raised myself, but I got help from the old man and some of the orphanages."

"'Old man?'" Amaterasu repeated and the blond nodded.

"Yeah, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

The kami tilted her head at this. "Were you close?"

"Rather."

"Hmm, how did he die?"

Naruto inhaled before starting to explain the rather emotional answer. He'd never truly got over the old man's death.

"He lost his life when sealing away that snake-bastard's arms into the stomach of the Shinigami."

Amaterasu's eyes darkened drastically as she heard this. "Oh yes, you mentioned the Shinigami before. Your village seems to like him."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he heard that. This was the second time she'd talked about the other kami as if he were a pest. Was there something going on here or was he imagining things?

"Very well, who is this 'snake-bastard'?" she quoted.

"Orochimaru, one of the three Sannin; Jiraiya's teammate to be more exact. He's a psychotic maniac with a fascination for experimenting on anything biological, mostly humans. Especially those with the Sharingan." He snorted as he thought about a certain Uchiha. "He'd dead now though."

"And who might this Uchiha be?" she asked as the blond mentally slapped himself for forgetting her mind reading abilities.

"Uchiha Sasuke. We've known each other since a little before we entered the academy at the age of five respectively six. I met him a couple of times before that though. I guess we officially became acquaintances when we were both six."

"Acquaintances?"

"Yeah. We've always had a love-hate relationship; being mere acquaintances, then rivals, and then friends and now enemies."

"When did he change?"

"He got an offer from the snake bastard of course. It was an offer for power. Sasuke wanted the power to kill his brother. He's an avenger."

Amaterasu clicked her tongue once more. "Why did he want to kill his own brother? Someone of his own flesh and blood?"

"Because Itachi killed their clan; leaving Sasuke as the only survivor."

"So Sasuke loved his clan enough to kill his now only living family member?"

Naruto frowned. "I... I guess so."

"Would you have done the same?"

This question put the blond off. He looked up at Amaterasu and then down at the water's surface, biting the inside of his cheek as he did so. Would he actually kill his own family? Kill his only connection to the love and warmth you could only get from a family?

He inhaled deeply. "No, I would not."

"Why?"

"Because..." He thought about it for a few seconds before answering, "because I would still love them. They're family and I can't just kill them. I guess I'd see it all differently if I were to be in Sasuke's shoes, but still... killing them would be the last thing on my mind." He narrowed his eyes a little before deciding to add something else to that. "The Shinigami—"

"Do not mention his name in my presence." Her voice wasn't stern or scolding, merely informing as she said this.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk as he heard that. So she did have something against the other kami? He hadn't imagined it after all.

"You've got eleven minutes left," she suddenly said, changing the subject.

She did not continue asking him question and Naruto took that as her not wanting to continue their small game of words and no thinking.

Naruto thought deeply about it.

He didn't know what he'd like to wish for, so that left him with trying to come up with a different deal that at least left him with a positive outcome. The biggest question was how could he come up with something she'd surely agree upon rather than taking his chakra? He didn't want to change his life; he wanted to keep his friends, his sensei and his career as a shinobi.

He stopped in his thinking as he realised something.

"I can't be a ninja, can I?" he asked and frowned as he looked at Amaterasu. "If I'm giving up my chakra, that is."

She merely looked at him and so the blond took it as a yes. Alright, he hadn't really given that much though. He most certainly had to come up with something else. Being a ninja – and one day Hokage – was his dream. He couldn't give that up so easily.

It was what had kept him going, even during the toughest of times in his life.

He knew that there was still a small possibility of him being a ninja without chakra. Lee was a grand example of that, though it simply wouldn't be the same. His prime offense depended on chakra, ninjutsu.

He closed his eyes and thought more deeply about it. If he asked for something about the Shinigami perhaps? She seemed to react unexpectedly when he mentioned him.

"You have got quite the way of thinking, ey?" Amaterasu suddenly interrupted as she appeared before him once more, studying his facial features. "I believe I just told you I do not appreciate it when his name is uttered in my presence."

Naruto stared at her from behind blonde fringes. He felt a twitch in his left hand as he took in her intimidating eyes that were currently boring holes into his soul.

He furrowed his brows as Amaterasu disappeared again and left him standing there all alone. He looked out over the water and closed his eyes once more.

He wondered what would be the wisest thing to do.

Kneeling on the water's surface, staring into its depth, Naruto was still thinking about his situation and what to do. He'd already signed the contract so if he wanted to get out of this with his chakra intact he seriously needed to come up with something.

He had a hunch that he should take his chances with Amaterasu's obvious dislike towards the Shinigami, but he had no idea how he could do so. He had no connection whatsoever to the God of Death (if you didn't count Kyūbi being within him because of a deal with mentioned 'God').

"Pff."

The blond looked up and saw the Amaterasu was toying with fish in the water beneath— wait. Fish? They lived here?

"Your attention span is worse than the fish you are thinking about," Amaterasu suddenly stated as Naruto looked back to the woman from the fish that had caught his interest.

"Huh?"

Amaterasu shook her head. "It does not matter."

The teen scoffed in annoyance and went back to watching the fish, a bit more aggravated than before.

"...whatever," the blond muttered under his breath.

Amaterasu leered at him. "Now, now, do not be rude."

He felt the seriousness once more settle over the small pond.

"Choose wisely, Naruto, and you will see that humans can change some of the paranormal," Amaterasu stated slowly.

Perhaps it was the fact that she'd used his given name for the first time that made him react to what she'd said. This whole situation was weird; Amaterasu's words even weirder. He knew there was nothing he could give her personally, nothing he could offer so that he'd still keep his chakra.

He was screwed no matter what, he just hadn't come to realise it yet.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked the kami before him, frustration leaping into his voice. "I've got no idea what to give you. I can't give you anything it seems."

"Then you give up your chakra," she calmly told him with a shrug. "With that part of the deal out of the way, all you have to worry about then is what you would like to change, what you would like to wish for."

Naruto sighed and let his body fall back so that he too was lying on the surface of the water. He closed his eyes and let them wander over the thick fog that covered the blue skies he imagined above.

Frowning he decided to ask, "Can I er... 'feign' something that you may find more interesting than my chakra?"

Amaterasu looked at him as if offended. "Feign?" she asked and started to draw circles in the water; Naruto feeling the ripples make their way to his body. It was quite soothing actually, but it did not help him in making a decision.

"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't have to be me giving you something but rather me coming up with an idea that appeals to you?" he explained.

It took a few seconds for Amaterasu to show she understood, and she did so by humming.

"Could that work?" Naruto asked again.

Amaterasu shook her head. "No, not really. This deal is formed so that whatever the outcome is it has to do with you. It can be in form of a belonging, a person, a hobby, a memory or ability. The list goes on."

He grimaced in frustration.

Amaterasu sighed and rolled over so that she too was lying on her back, and then she sat up.

"You need to know you purpose. You are currently running around in circles, Blond One." She looked over her shoulder and stared at the blond head a couple of metres away from her. "Do you know what you want to achieve with this? A purpose is what makes you keep on going. You want to achieve it so badly, but for what? To do something for yourself? To compensate for something you've lost? The questions are endless as the answers to them are as well."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to understand her allegories. It was better to keep quiet so that she'd keep on helping him.

Amaterasu stood up once more and started to walk in a circle around the blond. "If you know what you want in life, you will know what to ask of me, it's as simple as that."

His eyes closed but if they'd remained open one would see the concentration within them.

"I know I want to keep my chakra—" Amaterasu smirked, "—but I want to be happy more than have something aid me through life. I—" he frowned a little as he let his eyes wander over the artificial skies in this realm.

An idea was forming in his mind and it was becoming bigger and much clearer, he just had to know something else.

"Is it possible for me to strike a deal involving a third party? I know you said I can't give you an idea, but to involve someone else – connecting them to me of course – should be possible, shouldn't it?"

Amaterasu arched a brow. "Yes, technically that is possible," she answered and disappeared in smoke, before reappearing above him, floating in the air. "However, it depends on what third party we are discussing."

Said blond smiled as he processed this, finding holes in the given information so that he could make it possible to involve this third someone. If she liked what he was about to present to her, it was possible for him to actually keep his chakra intact...

Amaterasu smiled before him and then disappeared once more.

Suddenly Naruto felt his clothes starting to become wet and he looked down at his body with a frown. His chakra should prevent his clothes from absorbing liquid, so why were they doing so?

His eyes then widened as he realised he was sinking into the water.

"What the—?!"

He quickly sat up and tried to use chakra to level his body, but for some reason he felt extremely drained. He decided to wholly disconnect his chakra and it resulted in him falling completely into water, submerging under the surface before reappearing again and taking a deep breath.

"Seven minutes left, Blond One. And I would actually like to know who this... third party... of yours is. If it is good enough, I will use that instead of taking your chakra. However..." Amaterasu's voice was distant just as before, making Naruto wonder if he was underneath the surface again, but when he took another breath he could breathe just fine, "...depending on what this may result in, you may not be able to get your wish after all."

Naruto's eyes widened as a small howl left his lips. "What the fuck?!" he enquired as he started to tread water, an angry scowl making its way onto his facial features. "You can't just change the agreement like that!"

She wrinkled her nose as if having smelt something bad. "I know you work better under pressure. That is when you make the best choices for some reason," she mused, ignoring the confused blond at first. She cleared her throat. "To be more precise; your idea involving this third party may also involve a wish or change in itself. You will then combine your price and request, hence you cannot make another wish."

He was about to yell at her again, when he suddenly felt something clench around his body, draining him even more than before. It was the most horrid feeling he'd felt. To literally feel his chakra disappear from his body left him strangely empty and lonely: it was not an encouraging feeling.

Choking on air, he exclaimed, "Okay, okay! Just stop draining me of my chakra!"

The pressure did not leave his body.

He tried to get his pulse to calm down and his mind to stop thinking of the fact that he could feel his energy disappearing.

The pressure suddenly tightened to a degree where he almost screamed, before suddenly, it just let go.

He was quivering (from the cold water or the experience, he wasn't sure), all the while trying to catch his breath. Finally being able to hear his surroundings again, without his heart beating like crazy in his ears, he hadn't realised that Amaterasu had been staring at him the whole time, awaiting an answer.

When not speaking for over ten seconds he was suddenly pulled down under the surface to be released only after a couple of milliseconds; leaving him inhaling air vigorously.

"Shit, don't do that!" he screamed out, not having it with the unreasonable treatment.

"Then let me know who this third party of yours is."

"Shit... sheesh... right, you don't like the Shinigami, do you?" he asked, licking his lips as he prepared to hold his breath.

Amaterasu appeared before him and she did not seem to be happy.

"You already know the answer," she said.

Naruto looked at her with wide eyes before feeling the pressure around his body starting yet again. His body was going numb and his vision blurred.

"Well... what if I could ask of something that will result in something bad happening to him?" he proposed, and immediately he could feel the pressure leave his body.

"Oh?," she asked. "And what do you think this 'something' may be?" she asked in a genuinely interested tone.

Naruto gulped as he gathered air in his lungs. "I... I thought, why not make this a win-win situation," he began and let his eyes meet hers without breaking. "We both dislike the Shinigami. If he's pissed we're most likely to be happy, right? Win-win situation, as I said."

Amaterasu moved her body so that she was lying on the surface, her face mere decimetres from Naruto's. The blond's breath hitched.

"Continue," she probed.

"Er... how about me asking of you to remove one of the souls from his stomach? Sending this person back to life once more?" he asked.

Personally, he liked this idea; since Amaterasu seemed to hate the Shinigami so much he could use it to his personal advantage. And yes, he was extremely selfish for the moment, but he wanted to keep his chakra. Without it, he would lose such a big part of his life, and who knew what would happen to Kyūbi. With no chakra in his system, he didn't know if the seal would break. Also, the person getting brought back to life could be the Sandaime, someone he'd held very dear in his life, or even the Yondaime.

He continued to explain his idea. "If this person got to be alive again, it would make the Shinigami appear conquerable. Don't think he'll appreciate that, will he?"

The teen awaited Amaterasu's response as she looked at him with unblinking eyes, staring into his very core. He didn't know if she was debating whether or not it was an idea she deemed worthy enough as 'payment', per say.

"He wouldn't like it," the blond repeated himself. "And you would seem... better than him? Since you're the one to defy him?" He should just shut up, he knew that, but his nerves were pressuring him into getting the hell out of this situation, and he usually did so by talking.

Amaterasu snorted as she still held eye contact. "You are the first one to ever notice my dislike for another kami and then use it to your own advantage. Bravo, Blond One, bravo. Had I stood up, you would have received a standing ovation."

She clapped her hands three times before letting a sneer out upon her lips.

"It would anger him even more if this soul he loses will make people happy, wouldn't it?"

The kami mused upon this as she got up from the water and started to walk – or rather, float – in circles around Naruto's head once more.

"Yes," she answered, "it most definitely would."

Naruto kept quiet.

He was certain that if he let his mouth do more of the job without his brain getting a share in it, he would lose his chakra anyway.

Amaterasu snorted again, giving him a glance before she let her index finger rest on her lower lip. She turned to him with a smirk.

"You have managed what no other human has done in a long, long time, Blond One; striking a deal with a kami and nearly only gaining something from it. You even made it with six minutes left of your time."

She shrugged and then turned around to walk away, letting the fog eat her body.

Naruto reacted instantly. "W-wait! Where are you going?!" he yelled after her.

The kami giggled before turning her head to the left, letting the blond see her face in profile.

He couldn't hear her last words as Amaterasu smirked and the blond felt his body fall down into the water once more.

Amaterasu looks something like the Goddess Eris from the film Sinbad. Also, search for damnengine on dA and the picture "Fog Amsterdam Forest" to see what kind of pond and fog I've thought about while writing this scene.

Want to answer some questions of mine? They will help, believe it or not. You will be able to steer the plot and the characters' behaviours/appearances.

1) Does it matter much to you that the scenes contain your favourite character? Who is your favourite anyway?
2) I'm wondering... if you have to choose, who do you prefer to see in action; Hatake Kakashi or Uchiha Sasuke?
3) Do you prefer short chapters (4-5k) with quick updates, or longer chapters (8-9k) with longer in between updates?

Cheers.