A Growing Affection

Chapter 9: Trapped: Cavern of Treachery

Naruto's first thought as he woke up was that he was sitting in a very comfortable chair. His second thought was that he was chained to a very comfortable chair. Only after that did he start to remember the earlier battle.

Naruto's eyes popped open. For a moment he was surprised he wasn't dead. He took in his surroundings, trying to determine what was going to happen. He immediately noticed his three friends were also tethered in chairs to his left. They were in a natural cavern, which had been richly outfitted as a dining room. They were seated before a magnificent hardwood table, set with beautiful china dishes and silver flatware. Naruto didn't see anyone else, so he turned his attention to the other Leaf ninja.

"Sakura," he whispered, trying to nudge the Kunoichi next to him. She mumbled but did not awaken.

"Naruto," Hinata opened her eyes and leaned past Sakura to look at her male counterpart.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted quietly, "Thank goodness. Are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied, sotto voce, "Neji used pressure points to disable me. No lingering damage. And you?"

"He punched me in the face until I passed out. But you know me, I'm a quick healer."

"Uughh," Rock Lee groaned, his eyes flickering. Then his substantial eyebrows shot skyward and his head jerked up.

"Neji, Sasuke," he exclaimed, before realizing the situation.

"Great," Naruto said, "Now if we could only get Sakura to wake up, we could figure out how to get out of here."

"I am awake, you idiot," the fiery girl lifted her head with a sigh, "It's called playing possum? Gathering information?"

"Well, everyone is finally awake," a deep, dark voice purred from the shadows. The ninja all looked in the direction of the sound, but could not pierce the darkness.

"Byakugan," Hinata said, but neither her eyes nor the veins around them changed.

"That won't work," the sibilant voice chuckled, "Those chains were specially created, they disperse and disrupt chakra. None of your jutsu will work while you are bound."

"What is it you want with us?" Lee asked carefully.

"For starters, dinner and polite conversation," the mysterious person answered, "My servants are not the most skilled linguists."

As he said that, a tray creaked into the room. It was pushed by a young woman. Or rather, the body of a teenage girl. Dressed in a maid's frock, she was in much earlier state of decay than the corpses they had faced earlier. But she was still quite dead.

"Stop," the self-proclaimed master of the dead said, "Your aroma is growing to advanced, Anora. Leave the cart."

The girl nodded and backed out of range.

"How are you doing that?" Sakura was both curious and disturbed.

"He's a demon," Naruto answered simply. The others' heads rotated to look at him.

"How did you know?" their captor sounded amused rather than upset.

"I can smell you."

"Really?" the demon sounded genuinely surprised, "That is interesting."

He stepped forward into the light, finally. The monster appeared basically human, though his facial structures were unnaturally angular. But two features marked him as other than mortal. His tapered, elegant fingers numbered only three; and his ears extended six inches before splitting and ending in two sharp points. His lavender eyes regarded them with imperious curiosity.