Where to begin? I got the idea for this story from Kakashi's Cinderella by mnmonroe. I really enjoyed the story and I wanted to do something similar with the whole classic princess story with Naruto characters. It kind of evolved into something else though... AU obviously. Light NarutoxHinata, ShikamaruxTemari. I don't own Naruto and I don't know anyone who does.
Chapter 1: Naruto Finds a Castle
Naruto Uzumaki leapt from tree to tree, pushing himself to the limit. The black ties for his headband streamed out behind him as he ran. Naruto laughed out loud to himself. He almost never got sent out on a mission by himself and it was nice to be visiting Gaara. It also gave him a chance to see just how fast he could get from the Leaf to the Sand if he pushed himself. This time he didn't have to worry about others getting tired, it was just him against the elements. He could go as fast as his body could take, and it could take a lot.
The orange and black clad genin was making good time. He was already halfway through the Land of Rivers and could be in the Sand Village by tomorrow. That was until he ran across a strange castle.
"What the heck?" Naruto said. He skidded to a stop and stared.
The castle was made out of gray stones and had a high wall surrounding it. It sat on a small island surrounded by a wide river. There was no obvious bridge leading to it. Naruto couldn't figure out why he'd never seen this place before and who could live there? He'd passed through the Land of Rivers hundreds of times on his way to the Hidden Sand Village but he'd always been with Kakashi or his fellow genin. Had they simply never taken this road? Then again, Naruto wasn't exactly traveling on any road. He'd been running there as the crow flies or in this case as the hyperactive ninja runs.
He looked back at the foreboding building one last time as he crossed the river. Lady Tsunade had said to go straight to the Sand, deliver the intel to Gaara and then come back, no side trips. This was the first mission she'd ever let him go on alone since he was technically only a genin. He didn't want to screw this up. He tore his gaze away from the castle as he finished crossing upstream and ran on. His race with himself was forgotten.
That night Naruto set up camp in the Land of Wind. As he built the fire and cooked his ramen, his mind kept drifting back to the Land of Rivers. The feudal lord of that land didn't live anywhere near that river. The Hidden Valleys Village was south of there. Who lived in that castle?
The next day, as Naruto had hoped, he entered the Hidden Sand Village. Temari met him just inside the inner walls.
"It's good to see you again Naruto," Temari greeted him. "We didn't expect you here for another day or so."
Naruto put his hands behind his head and grinned. "Well, I wanted to see how fast I could get here so…" He trailed off, ending his sentence in a chuckle. His eyes squeezed shut in a grin.
Temari rolled her eyes to the sky but said nothing.
"Shikamaru's fine by the way," Naruto said.
Temari's face paled and then almost instantly turned red. Her eyes snapped back to look at Naruto. He was grinning and scratching his head.
"What makes you think I care how that- that lazy, good-for-nothing ninja is?" Temari snapped.
"Well I don't know," Naruto continued scratching his head. "You guys are friends right?"
Temari didn't like the way Naruto smiled when he said that. She narrowed her eyes at him but only coldly said, "Gaara is waiting for you."
After Naruto was shown into the Kazekage's tower Temari made herself scarce.
"Gaara!" Naruto said walking into the office, barely waiting for the door to be opened for him. Gaara looked up from a paper he was reading and made a slight motion with his hand. His aid understood the dismissal and closed the door behind him, grimacing at Naruto's informal address.
Gaara stood up and walked around his desk to greet his friend. "Naruto, it's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too Gaara," Naruto said as they clasped hands. He seemed to suddenly remember why he was there and pulled the intelligence scroll out of his jacket and handed it to the Kazekage. "Wouldn't want to forget to give you that," Naruto chuckled.
Gaara gave a small smile and took the scroll. Setting it on the "in" pile on his desk he said, "I was about to break for tea, would you like to join me?"
"Sure!" Naruto said enthusiastically. Tea wasn't his favorite but, knowing how busy Granny Tsunade was, he realized that this might be the only time Gaara could make for him.
As if on cue, Gaara's aid entered the office with a tea tray. "Would you be so kind as to bring a cup for my guest as well?" Gaara addressed his aid.
"Of course Lord Kazekage," he man replied, bowing. He left and quickly returned with a cup for Naruto and then exited.
It's nice to have company with the tea, Gaara thought. "How is everyone at the Hidden Leaf?" Gaara asked.
Naruto filled Gaara in on how all of their mutual friends were doing. Naruto went on and on but the Kazekage didn't mind. Gaara asked in particular how Lee was and if Shikamaru was well?
Naruto assured him that they were doing well. Then, seeing the opening Gaara left from asking about Shikamaru, Naruto said, "How long do you think until Temari and Shikamaru acknowledge that they're together?"
One corner of Gaara's mouth turned up. "As long as they think they can get away with it being a secret I suppose." He stirred his tea.
"But we're ninja, it's not like we wouldn't notice!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's the same with Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei. Kakashi-sensei has been openly teasing them for years but they still act like there's something to hide!"
Years? Gaara thought. I hope not. I don't think I can keep a straight face for that long.
After Gaara thought for a moment, he noticed Naruto had stopped talking. Gaara's brow creased as he looked at him. "Is something the matter Naruto?"
Naruto looked up from his teacup which he had been staring into. "Gaara, how much do you know about the Land of Rivers? I saw this castle on my way here and I can't figure out who could live there."
"A castle?" Gaara asked, thinking it through.
"Yeah," Naruto said and explained about the island and described the castle. "Who would be that wealthy to live in such a place?"
"Well I think I've read about some rich person who retired in The Land of Rivers. She was an ambassador's wife or some such thing. But I don't even know if she's alive."
"But how would we know if that's her castle?"
"Naruto, the castle could be empty for all we know. Did you see anyone working nearby, some lights maybe?" Gaara was trying to help but he couldn't fathom why Naruto was so interested in this castle.
Naruto shook his head but he looked so deep in thought that Gaara wasn't even sure if he'd heard him. Then the blond said, "no, nobody."
"Why are you so interested?" Gaara asked.
"I don't know," Naruto said, staring into his cup again.
Naruto was going to head home right after the tea but Gaara convinced him to stay.
"Gaara is right, it's almost evening and you should rest more before your return trip anyway," Temari said. She was leading him to a guest room in the Kazekage's tower.
"I know I know, but I'm only staying one night," Naruto huffed.
The orange clad ninja was distracted and Gaara and Temari could see it. They wanted him to stay somewhere safe, if just for that night.
Once Naruto was settled into his room he realized how tired he really was. He got into bed and almost instantly fell asleep. Despite his fatigue, all night he dreamed about the castle on the river island.
The next day Naruto said goodbye to Gaara and Temari. Temari gave Naruto a small parcel and asked if he'd give it to Shikamaru. "It's official business, don't open it" she said sternly. Gaara and Naruto shared a look.
On his way home, Naruto came upon the castle again. He looked for lights or people, as Gaara had suggested. There didn't seem to be anyone around and it was hard to see if there were lights in broad daylight. Naruto figured he'd go in for a closer look. He'd gotten to the Sand sooner than expected so nobody would notice if he took a little extra time coming home. He ran across the water of the river. The castle was upstream from him but being able to run in the eddies of the island was easier.
Arriving at the bank of the island, Naruto hopped onto the land and crouched. He couldn't sense anyone but he advanced cautiously anyway. His ears strained to hear something over the sound of the rushing water.
I have to get closer, he thought. He crept right up to the wall. The stones in the wall were actually smaller than he thought. From a distance it seemed like they were higher and wider than a man is tall but up close they were multiple, smaller stones put together. The wall had settled so there were rocks and crevices here and there. Even if he couldn't use his chakra to climb, the wall would be easy to scale. That might come later, Naruto thought as he circled the castle.
The only entrance through the wall appeared to be a large oak door. Not wanting to be caught just standing in front of a random door, Naruto moved on. Running back to where he originally approached the castle, he considered his next move.
"I really have no reason to stay," Naruto considered aloud. He looked up at the wall. "As far as I can tell, the place is abandoned."
The Leaf ninja started walking away from the wall when a soft feminine voice floated down to him. The woman, whoever she was, was singing and had just walked into audible range. Naruto couldn't make out the words but there was something gentle and sad about the song. It was like a lullaby sung far too slowly.
Naruto thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard and looked up in time to dodge a cascade of soapy water falling from the sky. He tucked and rolled to the side, barely being missed by the brown suds. Jerked out of his revere, he looked up again but whoever had thrown the water was gone, along with the song.
Naruto stared up at the top of the wall for a long time but the song didn't come back and nobody else appeared. After some time, Naruto's stomach rumbled and blinking, he realized he must have spent the better part of the day at the castle. He hadn't eaten supper and the sun was getting low in the sky.
The young ninja took off running, realizing that he'd probably be late now. His stomach rumbled again. He stopped to eat and then figured he should probably just make camp. He couldn't travel as well in the dark and he was only about half a day behind where he should have been in his journey anyway.
That night instead of dreaming of the castle, he dreamed of the song and the voice of who sang it.