Sasuke doesn't mean to fall in the love with the sun, it just kind of happens.
He was lucky to get out alive, and with most of his limbs intact to boot.
Sasuke does his best to ignore the throbbing of the stump that used to be his left arm and stumbles forward, near delirious with blood loss and pure physical exhaustion. He's never been to this part of Fire Country before; most warn against coming here.
Hopefully the old tales of gods and spirits will be enough to ward his pursuers off.
Sasuke doesn't know if he believes the stories himself; he never was very superstitious. When he was a child his cousin, Shisui, dared him to enter the home of a local farming god where farmers paid sacrifices for good harvests. It was a simple little thing, made of limestone and oak. Sasuke swore up and down that he saw a silver haired man in the building but Shisui had told him that it was probably just a farmer trying to scare off mischievous kids. Sasuke, to this day, doesn't know what he believes.
So when he happens upon a set of stone stairs, he starts climbing.
He can't make out where the stairs end from his vantage point, the path trails up and the foliage of the trees block his view. Sasuke just hopes it's not at the top of a mountain or something.
…
The sun begins to set by the time he makes it to the top of the stairs. There's a massive stone palace of some sort at the end and the great arching doorways are decorated with wreaths of sunflowers. There are intricate carvings and detailing along the cool marble with what looks like real gold accents scattered about.
Sasuke has never seen such a place before.
Once, when he was a child, his parents took him and his brother to a party at the king's palace. Even that fortress was nothing compared to what lay before Sasuke now.
Sasuke had stumbled into the home of a god.
He dared not venture any further beyond the entrance of the palace, especially not in the fading light of dusk. So he settled himself next to a fountain that burbled water so clear that Sasuke could see the mosaic imagery patterned along the bottom.
Before he succumbs to exhaustion, Sasuke takes in the intricate details around him. He can see that this palace is massive and that he's really only just breached the entrance for further back he can make out in the darkness where a large hall begins.
Odd, Sasuke thinks, that he's never heard of whatever god lives here. Surely with such a massive and expensive building as this, one would think that many people would know of it to give sacrifices.
…
When he awakens, its already mid day. Whether it's the following day or more since he passed out, Sasuke isn't sure.
He sits up with a groan, his back cracking and protesting after spending so long splayed across the hard stone of the palace.
Clearly his pursuers have given up, because he doesn't think he would've woken up otherwise.
Now that the light is brighter, Sasuke takes in the shrine with far better vision. The hall that he saw before passing out is illuminated through rows of yellow tinted glass windows. The ceiling, which must be at least 30 men high, arches and smooth's out into beautiful paintings of the sky.
Sasuke runs his hands along the granite pillars that support the structure as he moves down the hallway. The stone is so glossy he can almost make out his reflection in it.
The hallway splits at the end into another corridor that is lined with wood and glass doors that are nearly as tall as the ceiling.
He meanders down the hall a bit before randomly choosing a door on his left. It takes a bit of muscle to open it and Sasuke grunts with the effort.
The doorway opens up into a large bathing room. The ceiling is glass and the walls and floor flow together in a beautiful mosaic collage. Images of great sea beasts and fish make up the images. Sasuke steps closer to investigate the image of a sea serpent and is shocked to find that the eyes of the creature are made from a massive chunk of sapphire.
If Sasuke were a lesser man, he would be robbing this place blind.
The bathing pool, that could easily fit hundreds of people, features golden statues of beautiful women and men standing on a platform in the center and pouring water from basins.
Carved into the marble of the walls are shelves lined with ornate crystal vials. Sasuke opens one up, curious, and is greeted with the sent of vanilla. Another vial smells of lavender.
Sasuke carefully returns them to their spots before exiting the room.
Before he can move to close the door behind himself, he catches site of yellow blonde hair peaking out from behind a pillar further down the corridor.
Sasuke pulls his dagger from his belt and calls out to the man, "Are you one of the bandits who attacked me?"
The man doesn't reply and Sasuke edges closer to get a better look. From his vantage point he can see that the man is wearing beautiful white robes and is decorated with many gold and ruby jewelries.
Sasuke immediately fumbles to put his weapon away, bowing to the man once the dagger is back in its sheath.
"I apologize," he says stepping forward and grimacing at the thought of how grotesque he must look in this moment, covered in blood and missing an arm, "I am a citizen of a village called Konoha and I ran into some trouble while traveling. I took refuge here; I meant no disrespect."
The man peaks out from behind the pillar more, and now that Sasuke is closer, he can see just how blue the man's eyes are.
Like the sky on a cloudless day, Sasuke thinks.
The man gives him a tentative smile and says, "I've never had any visitors before."
Sasuke takes in the man's robes again and thinks that it's an odd outfit for a monk to wear. Usually they don't wear so many jewelries or fine things.
The man steps out from behind the pillar and every movement is accompanied by a soft tinkling noise as the metals on his person hit each other.
No, Sasuke thinks, this man is not a monk. He feels the blood drain from his face, and quickly bows. He was certain the king of Fire Country was much older but perhaps this is one of his sons or grandsons? Or maybe he has stumbled beyond the border into another country and invaded the home of a foreign king. Either way, Sasuke is hoping he hasn't made too much of a fool of himself to this person of considerable wealth, his clan would never let him live it down otherwise.
There's the sound of metal tinkling before gentle fingers are running along his shoulder down to the stump of his arm. His shirt is still damp with blood so when the noble pulls his hand away, his tan fingertips are coated in red.
Sasuke flushes in embarrassment and pulls out his cleanest handkerchief and offers it to the man.
The man takes it with a chuckle and Sasuke makes sure to keep his head down and his eyes averted.
"I can heal you," the man says moving away to walk towards the bathing room Sasuke just exited from, "Come, man called Citizen"
Sasuke frowns and follows after, keeping a respectable distance. The man sits on the ground in front of the pool and pats the ground invitingly with a grin. Sasuke hesitates before sitting before him.
The man hums as he carefully unwraps the injured limb, tutting under his breath every time Sasuke winces.
"I apologize, again," Sasuke says, clearing his throat, "For the burden, but also, I must admit, I do not know your name."
The man smiles again and exposes the bloodied area on Sasuke's arm completely. It wasn't a clean cut so the bone is protruding over an inch past the flesh. How this noble is so calm in the face of such horror, Sasuke isn't sure.
"I have many names," the man says while reaching into his robes to withdraw a long cut of golden silk, "I do not think that you will be able to pronounce any of them, though. Only the wind still whispers it anymore."
Sasuke frowns and looks up to take in the man's features again. There are whisker-like markings on either cheek and Sasuke had thought them to be clan markings, but now he isn't so sure.
The man wraps the golden cloth around the wound and as soon as it's secure, Sasuke can feel a strange energy begin to warm up the limb. Like sitting in the sunlight, Sasuke thinks.
While the man runs his hands gently over the area he speaks again, "Perhaps you could give me a name, Citizen."
"Please, call me Sasuke, my lord."
The man smiles again and Sasuke would swear that it makes the whole room glow every time he does.
Sasuke then remembers the request and takes in the man's features before declaring, "If it is a name you would like, I think that perhaps Naruto might suit you my lord."
The man tilts his head to the side as he thinks, "Why that name?"
Sasuke looks away, "It means maelstrom; your eyes are blue like the waters around Uzushio. I traveled there once when I was a child; the eddies are famous."
The man leans forward into Sasuke's space and the little charms decorating his crown glitter in the light, "It is a wonderful name, thank you Sasuke."
The man pulls back and begins to unwrap Sasuke's arm. He's not expecting much of a difference, perhaps for it to be partially scabbed over so that it would make the trip home easier. However, underneath the stained silk, his skin is revealed to be fully healed as if the wound were years old instead of hours.
Sasuke gapes at the sight, even the bone that had been protruding has been dealt with and now the skin was pink and smooth.
He looks up at the man in shock, "How did you do that?"
The man smiles again and points to the glass ceiling where sunlight is filtering in, "The light holds many healing properties if one knows how to utilize it."
Sasuke blatantly stares at the man who doesn't seem at all disturbed by the forwardness.
"You're not a monk or a noble, are you?"
The man smiles again, this time with far too many teeth to be comforting, "Ah, no Sasuke, I cannot say that I am either of those things."
There's a sudden golden flash and when Sasuke is able to see again, the man is gone.
He gathers up his things and bows deeply to the room before high-tailing it out of there.
If he has a panic attack half way to Konoha, no one is the wiser.
…
When he emerges from the footpath in the woods that lead to Konoha, Sasuke is met with a most worrisome sight. The little huts and stone buildings are crumbling away, all of them overtaken by the vegetation of the forest. There are no people to be seen anywhere.
Sasuke doesn't understand-he was only gone for a few days.
He searches through his family's house and finds bits and pieces of familiar items but no sign of the previous inhabitants.
Sasuke thinks that it is almost as if the village has been abandoned for centuries.
He decides to turn tail and head towards the east, making his way towards where he knows the king's castle to be. Perhaps he will know what became of Sasuke's home.
It is several days' travel, and Sasuke feels more and more nervous when he realizes the landscape has changed as well. Footpaths that he knows to exist are no longer visible.
He passes by a hunting god's house that is in shambles. Even the gods have abandoned this land.
The castle, when Sasuke gets there, is equally as derelict and abandoned as Konoha had been. The vast, limestone halls have been ransacked by thieves and many plants and animals now reside there.
Sasuke sinks down to rest on the steps of the throne room and buries his head in his hands.
Once, when he was a child, his grandmother warned him to never go off with gods or spirits, for a moment in their world could be eons in the human world.
It is the only explanation that Sasuke has for what has happened.
He spent the night in the house of a god and those scarce few hours equated to centuries here.
Sasuke wanders the land for a long time after that, trying to find a new way now that the life he once knew is gone. He finds trouble with a group of bandits along the border of Wind Country.
Sasuke scrambles to get away and curses every time his feet sink into the roiling sand dunes. The bandits are far more used to traveling in the desert than Sasuke is and they catch up with him quickly.
He draws his dagger and parries away from the hurried swipes of one of the bandit's sword. Another draws his own weapon and advances on Sasuke's other side.
He knows he'll never escape this encounter alive and braces himself for the sting of being stabbed.
The feeling never comes, though, because in a flash of gold, Naruto is sweeping up Sasuke.
They sore above the landscape before touching down at the crest of a dune. Naruto carefully puts Sasuke back on his feet and leans into his space.
"How did you find me?" Sasuke asks, gripping onto Naruto's firm shoulder when he sinks into the sand a bit.
Naruto grins and Sasuke realizes that he was right; the god does glow every time he smiles, "The light is bright here, yes?"
Sasuke squints up at the sun before looking back to the god, "I suppose it is, yes."
Naruto smiles again and nods, as if that were the explanation right there. Sasuke still doesn't understand.
"Do you know how much time passed here in the human world while I rested in your palace?" Sasuke asks.
Naruto frowns and scratches his chin, "I do not know much of time here. I do know that human time moves quite quickly, so perhaps two or three centuries."
Sasuke figured as much and he nods, releasing his grip on Naruto and stepping back to allow a more appropriate distance to be between them.
There's the sound of tinkling as Naruto tilts his head in Sasuke's direction, "When do you think you'll come back to my palace? I have many rooms and riches to share with you."
Sasuke frowns and shakes his head. He tries to keep the anger out of his voice when he says, "I don't think I'll ever return. I spent one night there and came back to discover my whole family is gone. Not just that, but my village, my people, are all gone."
Naruto's face pinches as he considers that and Sasuke thinks that perhaps Naruto has never experienced the feeling of loss before. He imagines that being a god gets awfully lonely, though.
Naruto tilts his head at Sasuke again and with a despondent voice says, "I understand, Sasuke."
He leaves in a flash of gold and Sasuke tries not to feel guilty about sending the god away.
…
It's a year and a half later before Sasuke finds himself in need of help. He's been cornered and is barely holding his own when a flash of gold appears and sweeps him off his feet.
He already knows who it is before looking.
Naruto smiles softly down at him as they fly above the trees.
"Are you following me?" Sasuke asks the blonde once they are safely back on the ground.
Naruto points to the sky and says, "The light is quite bright here."
Sasuke realizes that Naruto thinks that that is an explanation.
He decides to change the subject, "Do you always spend so much time away from your palace? I thought gods couldn't leave their homes."
Naruto laughs like Sasuke told a particularly funny joke.
The question goes unanswered because Naruto is leaning forward a bit with a glowing grin.
"You are so shy of me, but know that no matter what, my light will always reach you."
With that, Naruto disappears and Sasuke is left reeling.
…
Sasuke seeks Naruto out himself the next time.
He steels his nerves before advancing forward up the stairs to Naruto's home.
Now that he is fully coherent, Sasuke can pinpoint when he makes the transition into the spirit world. The light shifts just so and the wildlife takes on a new sound around him.
It's achingly beautiful.
Naruto is waiting for him at the top of the stairs with a wide grin, "Sasuke of Konoha! You came to visit me again!"
The blonde god rushes forward and leaps into Sasuke's hold. Even with one arm Sasuke is able to lift the god easily and tug him close.
"I don't know how long I can stay, time passes differently here," Sasuke admits with a frown, releasing Naruto from his hold.
The blonde pouts and in a decidedly childish whine says, "You humans and your pesky time. That god isn't even that fun to hang around with-dattebayo!"
Sasuke chuckles and pushes one of the dangling charms hanging from Naruto's headpiece out of his face.
"What other kinds of gods do you spend time with?"
Naruto's face, and body, light up as he grins, "I should introduce you to-"
And then Naruto makes a series of odd sounds that remind Sasuke of the sound of crashing waves.
"-She's super sweet and she always smells really good."
Naruto must realize that Sasuke has no idea what the name he said means and he blushes a beautiful rose gold hue, "Er, sorry. I think you humans call her Beach?"
Sasuke turns and looks to the stairs that descend back to the human world and makes his decision.
He turns back to Naruto and gives him a soft smile, "I'd love to see your world."
He didn't mean to fall in love with the sun, it just kind of happened.
…
Humans look up at the night sky and see a great celestial body orbiting around their planet. It was not there before and the legends say that the sun fell in love with a human and brought him into the spirit world.
There, the sun promised his love that his light would always reach him. The human often finds himself shying from the god's love, though, waxing and waning under his adoration.
The sun does not mind, for he knows that his love is different from him. But, his promise still stands that no matter what, his light always finds a way to reach his moon.