Valentines Gift for Jasu on DA for her Troll!AU Happy Valentine. Hope all who read this enjoy and if you're a SasuNaruSasu fan, check out Yasuli's art if you haven't already. I promise you'll love her ;)
Grumpy Sasuke and Sunny Naruto
Sasuke was a small Grumpy Troll. Like all others of his race he had dark eyes, an ever grumpy expression and dark hair sticking out in every which direction, Sasuke's hair though had a tendency to stick up mostly in the back of his head. Since he was a Grumpy Troll he hated a lot of things; noise, birds, sunshine, fir needles, flowers, snakes, bears, toads, bugs… name it and Sasuke hated it unless they could be used to avoid things and animals he hated. Another trait of the Grumpy Trolls was that they liked their solitude. Or at least that's what all the other troll races had decided on. Because who would want to be around a Grumpy Troll that never smiled at you, never spoke to you and if it did never said a kind word.
But all the trolls who thought so didn't know anything.
Sasuke was munching on a sour lingonberry as he padded on bare feet over the moss of the primeval forest. All around him grew enormous firs which stood close enough together for their branches and thick growth of needles to cover most of the sky and blocked as much sunlight as they could, leaving the forest floor in a near constant dusky light. Moss grew everywhere along with all sorts of mushrooms. In this forest where the light never truly reached, save for a small number of sunspots, the trolls thrived. Not only Grumpy Trolls like Sasuke. Here also lived the many types of Mushroom Trolls; fly agarics, chanterell, puffballs and morels to name a few. Rock Trolls with lichen for beards that had great wisdom and slow movements. Wood Trolls and their smaller cousins the Stump Trolls that mostly resembled dead logs and stumps with legs, arms and tails sticking out unevenly. In the outer edges of the forest where the trees didn't grow as densely and light slipped through lived the Mini Trolls that were even smaller than Sasuke, who was hardly bigger than a mushroom himself. Mini Trolls were a friendlier race of trolls that worked together with the rodents to take care of the vegetation that was their protection against birds. In the northern parts of the forest the top of a mountain stuck up above the tree tops. In its depth lived a single couple of the rare Mountain Trolls and their children. Sasuke had only ever heard about them since they never left their mountain because apparently they thought the sun could turn them into regular rocks, therefore they only ever left their mountain at night to find food.
And last, in the very heart of the forest there was a clearing among the trees that allowed the sunlight to reach the forest floor. There was a small lake with an island covered with rocks and some hardy bushes growing stubbornly through the cracks. On that island lived the Sun Trolls. They were a very small tribe of trolls that, just as their name suggests, lived in the sun. Most of them had blond or red hair and always brightly coloured eyes.
Grumpy Sasuke stopped in the shadow of a mushroom and glared at the island and the Sun Trolls that danced across the water. Even thought they were the same size as the Grumpy Trolls and shouldn't be able to but had somehow developed the ability to walk on water. The fishes of the lake didn't pose a threat to the Sun Trolls because they didn't eat trolls, and the Sun Trolls appeared to be vegetarians. They stayed on the lake and their island and the other trolls mostly stayed away from them. Not out of dislike really, but for everyone's safety. A Sun Troll could easily capture the heart of a different troll and give them happiness, but few trolls could live in the sunlight and the Sun Trolls couldn't live without it.
Sasuke though had a very different experience of the sun-loving creatures. Grumpy Trolls and Sun Trolls were like night and day, and there was no dawn or dusk between them, only hatred. Grumpy Trolls hated the sun and the positive energy the Sun Trolls emitted, and Sun Trolls hated the dark mood the Grumpy Trolls spread around them.
But one moon ago Sasuke had happened upon a stray Sun Troll with clear blue eyes taking cover from the rain under a tree root, far from the small lake and the Sun Trolls' home island. Sasuke's first thought had been to drag the golden-haired stray into the shadows, bind him there and watch him die from the lack of sunlight. But that hadn't happened. Instead the Sun Troll had smiled at Sasuke and invited him to share his shelter. Sasuke still wasn't sure why that had happened; why he had accepted the invitation, why the Sun Troll had snuggled into his side as they watched the rain or why the Sun Troll had said something on occasion that Sasuke had only grunted quietly in answer to. Was it because the dobe hadn't realized Sasuke was a Grumpy Troll? That shouldn't be it since Sasuke not only had an ever grumpy expression, but his hair and eyes were black. It was impossible even for a Grumpy Troll to look more like a Grumpy Troll than Sasuke did. Or could it be the Sun Troll had been away from his tribe for so long he couldn't stand the loneliness anymore? That seemed like a way more reasonable explanation since Sun Trolls were very social creatures and couldn't stand solitude. Loving was easy for them and they generously spread that love all around themselves.
And that's why Sasuke was here now. The rumour about how Sun Trolls easily captured the heart of another troll was no lie. Not that Grumpy Sasuke would ever admit it out loud, but that stray Sun Troll had captured his heart without even trying. That rainy day under the tree root Sasuke had felt the closest to happy a Grumpy Troll could probably feel, and when the rain stopped and the sun came out, they had walked to the lake together with Sasuke avoiding the sunspots and the Sun Troll stopping in each one they passed to look at the sun. When they had arrived at the clearing and the lake in the evening the Sun Troll had said his name was Naruto. It had taken a while for Sasuke to gather enough courage to give his own name in return, afraid that Naruto would stop smiling at him if he did. But once he'd finally gotten his name out Naruto had smiled happily at him.
"I hope to meet you again soon, Sasuke!" he'd said before he turned around, run over the water and been greeted by his family.
Sasuke hadn't stayed to watch. Just seeing Naruto run towards someone who had been waiting for him was unexpectedly painful. Because nobody would ever wait for or welcome Sasuke back. But here he was now, hiding under a mushroom and hoped Naruto would notice him and come to greet him. Strangely though he couldn't spot Naruto among the dancing trolls. All the Sun Trolls looked the same to Sasuke though so it shouldn't be that strange. There were golden-haired Sun Trolls around Naruto's age all over the place, but Sasuke was sure none of them were Naruto. He couldn't see the lost Sun Troll anywhere.
At least not until a loud noise came from the island and Naruto and another Sun Troll came into view. Apparently they had captured a couple of dragonflies and were using them to water-ski. Sasuke's already grumpy expression turned into one of pure annoyance. Sun Trolls! Didn't they know anything but to be loud, obnoxious and sunny? It pissed Sasuke off to see Naruto laugh away with that other boy whose hair was such a dirty blond it would probably look brown in the shadow and he seemed to have red marks on his cheeks. Sasuke couldn't see very well because they moved so fast and were quite some ways away.
Naruto was a lot more daring than his friend though. When they left the outer ring of Sun Trolls on the small lake the dirty blond released his dragonfly and skidded to a stop, but not Naruto. He held on almost all the way to the shore. The dragonfly didn't want to leave the water though and turned back, that's when Naruto released it and ran the last few paces to solid ground, only a tree away from where Sasuke was hiding.
"Come back Naruto!" a voice called from the Sun Trolls' island. "You will die if you venture into the forest!"
"I won't die!" Naruto yelled back and turned to walk into the forest, but then he stopped and looked around.
Sasuke held his breath, half of him hoping Naruto wouldn't see him there and the other half was trying to fight that half down and walk up to the obviously rebellious Sun Troll.
Clear blue eyes landed on the mushroom Sasuke hid under and headed towards it, but Naruto didn't see Sasuke until he was almost there.
"Sasuke!" he greeted with an impossibly wide smile that was so sunny Sasuke had to close his eyes. "I thought the mushroom was bleeding, but it's only a lingonberry."
Huh? Sasuke looked at his hands that still held his half eaten lingonberry. He'd completely forgotten about it.
Pissed at himself for forgetting about his own food Sasuke pushed the berry into Naruto's surprised arms.
"Oh? Th-thank you Sasuke," Naruto beamed, as if the berry was the most precious gift he'd ever received. It was stupid to think so, and Sasuke was stupid too for the fluttering feeling in his tummy as he watched Naruto quickly devour the "gift" while trying not to grimace at the sourness. But as Sasuke looked at the Sun Troll's face something seemed different. Something that wasn't the same from the last time they'd seen each other.
Sasuke peered at Naruto's face. The red berry-juice the dobe managed to get all over his face and hands made it hard to see just what was different. When Naruto turned to the lake and cupped his hands to splash water on his face Sasuke realized the idiot couldn't even clean himself properly! There was still red on his face and Sasuke stepped up to wipe away the red lines on the dobe's face.
But they wouldn't go away.
Startled Sasuke jumped back. What had he done? Naruto's face, the twin lines on his face, one on each cheek, wasn't from the lingonberry. They were cuts!
"Naruto! Come back immediately!" the same voice as before echoed across the small lake and Sasuke hurriedly hid in the shadow of the mushroom again. The other Sun Trolls had seen him!
Blue eyes locked with black, and Naruto smiled sadly. "Please come back again, Sasuke. You are my friend," he said before turning around to walk home. He held a steady pace with his tail held proudly. Sasuke couldn't stop himself from looking at it, watch it sway and how the yellow tuft at the end whipped the lake's surface. But not even Naruto's proud tail could keep the Grumpy Troll from noticing how the other Sun Trolls parted to let Naruto through, mothers keeping their curious children away and men glaring. Naruto ignored them. With his head held high he passed them all and disappeared between the rocks of the island,
Sasuke turned around and left. He wasn't stupid, Naruto was going to be punished for talking to him; a Grumpy Troll. Grumpy Trolls and Sun Trolls hated each other. Sasuke didn't know of any case where a Grumpy Troll and Sun Troll had been within sight without trying to kill each other, the Grumpy Trolls by dragging the Sun Trolls into the darkness, and the Sun Trolls by dragging the Grumpy Trolls into the light. That was the truth. Sasuke would get blind and burnt from extended exposure to the sun and Naruto would shrivel up in the darkness. There was no way the two of them could be together as anything. Friends or enemies. It was better if they both stayed in their separate worlds.
And still, even if Sasuke thought so, he made a home in the lingonberry sprigs not far from the small lake. This is where Naruto found him one early morning about a month later. Since it was late summer the sky was never truly dark above the forest. This made the Sun Trolls able to be out long after the sun went down and long before the sun rose.
"Sasuke!" Naruto called out quietly when he saw the Grumpy Troll. Sasuke was most startled to see him, and even more so when a tear spilled from the Sun Troll's too clear eyes. "I found you!"
"Dobe! Why are you here?" Sasuke hissed, and it was pretty much the first real words he'd spoken to Naruto.
"I didn't see you again, so I thought I'd come and look for you. I thought I would have to search the entire forest! But you're here! You live so close!"
This was the first time Sasuke had ever felt so overwhelmed, and really, which Grumpy Troll wouldn't?! First of all Naruto had been waiting for him, had truly wanted to see Sasuke again. Secondly he'd left his precious island to look for Sasuke, had even been prepared to look all over the forest which for your information is so big and Naruto so small he would die of age long before he'd managed his task. And thirdly, he was happy now. Happy he had found Sasuke, to the point he was even crying. All those things were beyond bizarre from Sasuke's point of view. What was a Grumpy Troll to do when he had only ever managed to make his surroundings angry and hateful?
Naruto's tail swayed quietly near his feet as he tried to dry his tears, and Sasuke, at a loss, swatted at it with his own tail.
The Sun Troll jumped in shock. The tail is a troll's pride, and touching them together is very intimate. Naruto, once he realized that the touch against his tail was actually Sasuke, blushed as red as the lingonberries that grew above his head. Sasuke hated it, but he was certain his own face was just as red.
The Sun Troll however didn't let the embarrassment hold him for long. Still with slightly red cheeks he lifted his tail and used it to slap Sasuke softly across the face.
That was it. Sasuke's pride had just been insulted and he jumped the Sun Troll. Naruto wasn't late to fight back. He was a lot more ferocious fighter than Sasuke had expected of a sun creature. They wrestled in the sprigs for a long time, until both of them collapsed in the moss, pretty much equally beaten. Naruto had a twig sticking out of his hair, leaves were caught in his cloths and he sported a fresh black eye among a number of lightly bleeding cuts. Sasuke's hair was even wilder than normal and sometime during the fight Naruto had thrown him at a fallen berry that had covered him in red juice that would most likely never wash out of his cloths.
But lying there in the moss, sore and tired, Naruto started to laugh. "That was fun," he said, a tad bit astonished.
Sasuke wanted to disagree. He really did. But he couldn't. It had been fun. It had been a storm of emotions he normally didn't let out released through his fists, and now he felt oddly satisfied. Not empty at all as he thought he'd feel. It was stupid really, but this was the first time Sasuke didn't hate somebody else's company. He didn't want Naruto to go back to the lake and his tribe.
Then a ray of sunlight hit Naruto's face. He opened his eyes to absorb the light, and Sasuke was about to turn away when he noticed something. There on Naruto's cheek, just above the wound Sasuke had noticed from the last time they'd met, was yet another cut Sasuke was sure hadn't been caused by him. When Naruto turned to face him after a moment the Grumpy Troll could see the cut had a twin on the other cheek too.
The Sun Troll sighed and sat up, groaning from aching muscles. "I better go back now. I snuck away to go look for you, but the others must have noticed I'm gone by now." He turned and smiled at the Grumpy Troll looking up at him from the moss. "I will come again. I want to fight with you again."
Sasuke only blinked and waved with his tail, and Naruto got up and walked away, tail swaying happily behind him.
It was noon before Sasuke got up too and headed for the creak about two trees away from his home. There he cleaned himself and his cloths best he could, but just as he suspected the lingonberrry juice wouldn't wash out. The red colour pissed him off, but he really didn't feel like getting new cloths. He'd have to find his mother for that, and that meant he would have to leave his home where Naruto knew where to find him and… Yes, that pissed him off even more and Sasuke threw his wet cloths in a sunspot to dry as he fumed under a rock. How could he have gotten so attached to a stupid Sun Troll? What was so special about Naruto anyway? He was an idiot! A loud, stupid, happy, brightly smiling… friend.
Grumpy Trolls didn't have friends. It wasn't in their nature to make friends. But what was Naruto to Sasuke if not a friend? But he was a Sun Troll. Grumpy Trolls and Sun Trolls didn't go together. They hated each other.
Damn Naruto and his cute tail for being so confusing!
Fuming even worse than before the Grumpy Troll got out from under the rock, put on his too warm cloths and stomped back home, kicking a Puffball Troll out of his way in the process. He decided that the next time Naruto came by he would ignore him. Yup, that's exactly what he'd do. And with that satisfying thought in mind Sasuke went to clean up after their fight.
But Naruto didn't come by, not the next day, or the day after that. Not for a week, then two, and Sasuke's spirit fell. He went through his days quietly, collected seeds, berries and mushrooms that he dried so he would have something to eat in case he woke up during his hibernation in the winter. He enforced the walls of his little house, pulled a blanket of thick moss over it and dug a little deeper under it so there would be room enough for two… because Sasuke liked to have space, that's the only reason! And to have more room for food.
Still no sign of Naruto.
But he said he would come, didn't he?
After three weeks without a single glimpse of his friend Sasuke was grumpier than he'd ever been in his life. For some reason he was always thinking of his brother when he felt this bad. Not because his brother Itachi was a comforting thought as much as the cause of a lot of Sasuke's moodiness. Itachi had already found a mate and they were happily grumpy together. He had wanted Sasuke to find a mate too and told him how to seduce his mate's sister, something Sasuke had been dead set against and had therefore left to make a home in a different part of the forest. But what had Itachi said about seduction? Elegantly sway your tail? Naruto was good at that, though he moved very different from the way Itachi had shown how… most likely because Naruto didn't have seduction in mind.
Carefully hiding among the sprigs near his house Sasuke started to practice a little, because he had nothing else to do. He couldn't work more on his house and had run out of places to dry his food on. What had Itachi said? Hold your head up high and walk with… was it confidence or pride? Sasuke wasn't sure, but he tried. He lifted his head, pulled his shoulders back, took a step and swung his tail. He felt terribly stupid. He tried again but it just felt worse! What was he doing wrong? What was he even doing?!
The Grumpy Troll gave up on the stupid walk and head held high and slumped into his normal grumpy pose. Naruto wouldn't come anyway, so what was he doing? Sasuke's tail wasn't as cute as the Sun Troll's either, so no amount of elegant swaying was gonna catch his attention.
Then Sasuke felt how another tail wrapped gently around his. If it had been possible for the Grumpy Troll to jump over the fir tops he would have, he was so surprised, and when he turned around and found the other tail belonged to no other than Naruto Sasuke wanted to kill the Sun Troll dead. He had just seen a Grumpy Troll's poor attempt at seduction practice that was in truth and absolute secret for Naruto!
"Your tail is so pretty."
Sasuke gaped, still not over the horror he felt for what Naruto had caught him doing. This was sure as the witch's lair not how he'd planned this meeting to go. He'd wanted to ignore the Sun Troll's every call for Sasuke's attention!
Naruto wasn't done with trying to give Sasuke a heart-attack though. No, he continued by staggering forward and rested his head heavily on the Grumpy Troll's shoulder.
Now Sasuke found himself with two options; either he ran away and hid for the rest of his life or he died on the spot. Right then he hotly wished for a third alternative.
"Sorry Sasuke, I won't be able to see you anymore."
At the quiet voice in his ear Sasuke's pounding heart froze. Of course. He should have foreseen this. Sun Trolls and Grumpy Trolls couldn't be friends. It was impossible.
"Why?" he asked anyway.
Instead of giving a verbal answer Naruto leaned back and for the first time Sasuke got a proper look at his face. He was thinner, faded, as if he hadn't seen food or the sun in days. On each cheek he now had three scars, one for each time they had met, and only now Sasuke realized what they were; punishment. The Sun Trolls had punished Naruto for seeing a Grumpy Troll.
"They will cut my eyes next, so I won't be able to absorb sunlight anymore," Naruto explained quietly.
"Why?" Sasuke growled. "Why did you come here then? Usuratonkachi! Why are you here if you'll be killed for it?!"
"But I promised."
Sasuke was a Grumpy Troll, and as such he had no idea what he felt in that moment. It was an unfamiliar, quite scary and very warm feeling coming from a place so deep within him he didn't know where it started or that he even had it inside him, but it spread throughout his little body and made him feel fuzzy. Because wasn't it true? Hadn't he waited for Naruto all this time? Hadn't he hoped to see his stupid face again and been disappointed every time night fell?
What would he have done if Naruto had never come back?
Naruto was looking at their still linked tails. Sasuke wanted to withdraw from the unfamiliar sensation running through his body at the touch, but his tail refused to listen to that impulse and instead wrapped itself firmer around Naruto's brighter appendage.
"I… I wanted to hold tails like this," the Sun Troll admitted quietly. "I see my parents do it sometimes, and my friends are starting to look for mates and they wave their tails around so stupidly." The last part was said with a childish pout before he became serious again. "Your tail is so much prettier than theirs."
Sasuke just grunted. What else did the idiot expect him to say or do? He was still a Grumpy Troll and had yet to understand even one of the feelings running wild inside of him and Naruto wasn't helping the way he just added the number of feelings.
Naruto's stomach suddenly growled. Finally this was something Sasuke didn't need a brain to understand. With a tug at the bright troll's tail, causing a surprised jump, Sasuke led the way to his little house. He knew Naruto ate berries and the forest was overflowing with them at this time of year. Sasuke had managed to find a lot around the area he'd made a home in and picked a few of each, even of those he didn't want to eat himself, and he still denied even to himself he'd picked them in case Naruto liked them. Proved Naruto did like them. He picked out the raspberries, a chanterell and some blueberries and seeds that he took outside, sat in the only sunspot near the house that seemed to be reserved for him alone and ate food and sunshine as if there was no tomorrow. Meanwhile Sasuke sat in the shadow and watched his friend. He tried to block out the voice of Naruto from before that said he wouldn't come anymore. That his tribe would cut his eyes when he returned.
When he returned home.
The Grumpy Troll glared in the direction of the small lake and the Sun Trolls' island. Was Naruto really one of them? Did he really belong there? Sasuke was ready to admit he didn't know a lot about the Sun Trolls' tribe rules but something didn't feel right. He was however familiar with the Mini Trolls. Their tribes had a "king", as they called themselves, who watched over the tribe, made sure the work was properly done and that everyone was safely in their homes at the end of the day. If someone was missing and nobody knew what happened they went out in search for that troll. This was obviously not the case of the Sun Trolls because here was Naruto, boldly disregarding the rules of his tribe despite the fact he was going to be killed for it. How long would it take for Naruto to die after they cut his eyes?
Sasuke's train of thought stopped right there. Die? Only now he fully understood what that really meant. It meant Naruto was here to say goodbye. He wouldn't be able to come anymore because he would be dead. That thought chilled the Grumpy Troll so badly he wanted to join Naruto in the beam of sunlight. After the Sun Troll had eaten and regained his energy he would say goodbye, leave and…
"Stay here."
The Sun Troll had his mouth full of seeds when he looked up. He blinked his bright blue eyes at Sasuke who took it as encouragement.
"Don't go back. Stay here."
Naruto stared, blinked and stared again. He seemed to have forgotten there was still food in his mouth because he attempted to talk and the seeds he'd been eating flew out half chewed.
"Dobe," the Grumpy Troll grunted with distaste at the sight.
"Don call me dobe!" Naruto spluttered. "What do you mean 'stay here'? If I don't go back…"
"They can't cut your eyes."
At last that had Naruto stunned. Finally, for the first time since they met Sasuke felt like he had some sort of control. This didn't really have anything to do with feelings either so the Grumpy Troll was back in his comfort zone where he could think clearly. Naruto belonged to a tribe; it was in his instincts to always go back to it if he ever left, much like the birds that left the forest at fall and returned in the spring. He'd made a promise to Sasuke that he would come back and he had kept it, and without question he would have returned to the tribe and taken his punishment, simply because his instincts told him to go back and he knew he had broken the rules. But Sasuke was not a Sun Troll and didn't live under their rules or influence.
"Even if you say so…" the Sun Troll said weakly.
"You can stay here. Help me gather food and prepare for the winter."
"Do you Grumpy Trolls hibernate like we do?" Naruto asked.
"I think only the big trolls don't."
They sat in silence for a while, Naruto chewing slowly and thoughtfully on the last seeds. He looked a lot better now. His eyes were so much brighter from the sunlight and his skin looked healthier, more tanned than faded. Sasuke looked at the skin of his own arms and legs. It was almost white, a skin-colour he had always liked about himself since a lot of Grumpy Trolls had grey skin, and Sasuke hated grey. He looked up to find Naruto watching him with clear and slightly fearful eyes.
"I must go back," he said quietly.
Sasuke's heart fell.
"I have to… say goodbye to mom."
"…eh?"
Blue eyes peered at him from a shyly but widely smiling face. "I want to… stay here… with you, Sasuke."
"Dobe, even if you go back to say goodbye they won't let you leave again."
"I know, and I'm not going to set foot on the lake, but I'm pretty sure mom is waiting for me."
The Grumpy Troll made a face. Sun Trolls were way too optimistic. Naruto couldn't go back to where his tribe could see him, Sasuke was certain they would try to capture him if he did. But Naruto was already on his feet, and despite his best effort to look calm his tail was flicking nervously. Sasuke stared at it for a while, because no matter what he found it cute and his own tail itched and curled at the memory of how it felt to hold tails with the idiot. But that was not all, the way Naruto's tail moved Sasuke got the feeling he was indecisive. He was just standing there now too, fidgeting like a child.
"Come with me," he mumbled through a pout. "I want mom to see you."
"Usuratonkachi, I'm a Grumpy Troll! I can't walk on water and if they see us together we'll both die!"
"I want mom to see you."
…how did he do it? Sasuke had never really been in a situation where he was convinced to do something his own instincts and reason said no to, but here was Naruto doing just that and Sasuke felt how both his protests and defences fell embarrassingly flat. And when the unfair Sun Troll stepped up to him and touched their tails together he had won. Didn't mean Sasuke was coming quietly though. No, he fumed and grumbled in the heels of his friend all the way to the lake.
The afternoon light that filtrated through the trees and fell on the Sun Trolls' small lake was a sight to behold for anyone who enjoyed light displays. Sasuke wasn't one of them. The orange light was too intense for him and he shielded his eyes with a hiss. Naruto however took in every detail. Nobody was out today and only insects flew above the water. Occasionally a fish would break the surface, snap a flying bug and disappear again just as fast.
From the safety of the shadows Sasuke watched Naruto stand there, and took notice of how tense he was, to the point he was trembling slightly. Was he afraid? Or was he fighting his will to run home? If he did Sasuke wouldn't be able to stop him.
But where were the Sun Trolls?
Sasuke carefully peered at the island. The light was still too strong for him but… was it supposed to be this still here?
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a red-haired Sun Troll was running towards them. She looked small and frail to Sasuke, but when she stopped he noticed she was actually tall, at least half a head taller than him and Naruto. And she too had cuts on her face. Two pairs.
"Mom, I'm going to live with Sasuke."
The Grumpy Troll instinctively stepped back and crawled backwards underneath a root. No Sun Troll would go into the shadows, even for a Grumpy Troll.
The red-haired troll woman sure enough looked around for him, but obviously her son was more important at the moment. She made a face that was angry, hurt and despaired at the same time.
"You will die, Naruto," she said hoarsely, as if she had been screaming for a long time.
"There are sunspots in the forest, and Sasuke will be with me so I won't be lonely. And he said that if I stay with him the leader can't cut my eyes."
Sasuke crawled out of his hidey-hole and crept closer. He was still cautious about being caught, but he didn't want Naruto to be taken back with force either. It was his mother after all, and a mother troll didn't let go of her child if she deemed it too early for them to leave her. Sasuke's mother had sent him away early though with the words; "You are as mature as a grown Grumpy." Naruto's mother didn't look as eager as that. In fact she looked most hesitant, but to Sasuke's surprise she also looked thoughtful. She looked up and her clear purple eyes scanned the shadows.
"Can you come out Grumpy Troll? I want to see you once."
Sasuke's entire being screamed at him that this was his cue to run the other way, but he was rooted where he was. This was the reason Naruto had told him to come too; to let his mother see him, but it really didn't sit well with the Grumpy Troll.
"Nothing's going to hurt you Grumpy Troll, please come out."
"How can I trust you?" Sasuke called back.
The red-haired troll woman sighed in irritation. "I'm a Sun Troll, we don't lie, not even to Grumpy Trolls."
Sasuke blinked. In a sort of bizarre way the troll woman had just explained why Naruto had acted the way he did during all their meetings. When he said he'd wanted to see him again he had been serious, when he said he would come to see him again he had because… did a Sun Troll hurt if their words became lies? Was that why Naruto had looked so thin and faded when he came to him earlier that day?
And Sasuke thought the Sun Trolls had hurt Naruto. What an idiot he was. But they would still cut his eyes if he returned, because apparently Naruto couldn't lie, so Sasuke would trust that piece of information.
The Grumpy Troll stood up and walked to the edge of the shadow where the sun couldn't hit him but still let the two Sun Trolls see him, and he felt as sour as his expression was grumpy. Naruto's mother actually flinched back for a second.
Sasuke expected to see anger. He expected to see resentment. He definitely wasn't prepared to see delight on the troll woman's face.
"You must be Mikoto's son!" she squealed.
"Y-yes?"
The red-haired Sun Troll smiled, and Sasuke could see where Naruto had gotten his smile from. They looked so much alike Sasuke had to glance at the blond to make sure he was still there, and he was, looking awfully pleased. So much so that Sasuke wanted to pull out his pretty teeth.
"You look so much like her. You have her white skin! I wanted to see you," Naruto's mother continued softly. "Mikoto and I were pregnant at the same time. I wanted to see her baby. I wanted to show off Naruto. But…" she touched the cuts on her own cheeks. "When our leader found out I was friends with a Grumpy Troll he cut my face and said the next time I met with her I had to kill her and bring back her tail, or they would take my baby from me."
Sasuke's mother had been friends with a Sun Troll!? He'd never heard about this! Did his brother know? Well, it was true Sasuke had often seen his mother staring off in the distance as if she was waiting for someone, but Sasuke had never asked about it and Itachi had never said a word.
"I wanted to tell Mikoto, but I couldn't risk my baby, and I couldn't kill her. So I stayed here," Naruto's mother continued. "I want to tell her I'm sorry."
"For what?" Sasuke asked slowly.
The red-haired troll woman smiled sadly. "That I didn't come back like I said I would. That I couldn't show her my baby like I told her I would."
"So you lied?" the Grumpy pressed.
"I was not lying when I said those things. Just because a promise is broken by circumstances it doesn't make the promise a lie. I still want to see Mikoto and show her my son."
"But Mikoto is Sasuke's mom," Naruto piped in. "I can go see her now, and I will tell her you can't see her because you don't want to kill her."
The troll woman looked surprised, and then glanced at the Grumpy Troll, as if he could refuse to let Naruto do anything. He just nodded.
The Sun Troll smiled again with an odd mix of happiness and grief as her eyes welled up with tears. "I still want to see her," she said quietly before she quickly wiped her face and looked at Sasuke. "Please take care of Naruto for me."
"Naruto!"
The three trolls at the shore jumped and spun around. On the lake between them and the island now stood another Sun Troll, this one male with bright blond hair and eyes that weren't quite as blue as Naruto's, but there was still no doubt who this troll was.
"Dad?" Naruto confirmed.
The Grumpy Troll stepped back again. Naruto was okay, his mother was a little overwhelming but she was okay too, but three Sun Trolls was too much no matter who it was.
The new Sun Troll took a step towards the little group, but Naruto's mother stepped in front of her son and held her arms out, letting her mate know he wouldn't get past her.
Naruto nervously backed up. He had never seen his parents like this. He'd known he would have to leave them one day, but he'd always imagined it would be with both their blessing, not with them fighting.
Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand, prepared to run if need be. But the Sun Troll on the lake only looked incredibly sad. He slowly started to walk towards them, and for every step he took all three trolls on the shore tensed. Sasuke took notice that this Sun Troll didn't have cuts on his face, so if his guess was correct, this Sun Troll had not had any friendly encounter with a Grumpy Troll.
The new arrival stopped a few paces out on the water. "Naruto. What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to live with Sasuke in the forest," Naruto answered without hesitation, unknowingly sending another wave of warmth through Sasuke's body.
"You're going to die."
"He won't die," Naruto's mother hissed. "The sun shines on everything. Just because we don't live under the trees it doesn't mean the sun has never seen their roots."
"I know, but that's not what I meant, Kushina. Naruto, how are you going to survive the winter?"
Sasuke still stood frozen with every hair on his body standing out in alarm. What were they talking about? Survive the winter? Both Sun Trolls and Grumpy Trolls went into hibernation. What made Sasuke's den less worthy than that of the Sun Trolls? It wasn't his first winter! He knew how to dig deep, make a sleeping cocoon and close the opening! And if that wasn't enough he could keep Naruto warm with his own body!
When nobody answered the question the Sun Troll he started forward again, but his mate growled in warning, a warning he ignored.
Naruto's mother lashed out, hitting her mate in the side of his head. He quietly took the blow and without even stopping in his tracks placed a firm but gentle hand on his mate's arm, pushing her out of his way.
Now it was Sasuke's turn to growl dangerously and he tugged at Naruto's hand, hoping the frozen Sun Troll would get the hint and run.
Naruto's father stopped in front of his son and sent only one glance at the growling Grumpy Troll. The glance was hesitant, untrusting and very sad. Then he was looking at his son again.
"Naruto, do you remember what us Sun Trolls need to survive the winter?"
Sasuke glanced at his friend and saw him blink before his eyes widened.
"The blue stone," he said hoarsely and turned to Sasuke. "There's a glowing blue stone under the village where we hibernate. It has the same energy as the sun so that if we wake during the winter we still have a link to the sun."
Sasuke understood. Without that stone Naruto wouldn't survive the winter. But… it wasn't fair! If Naruto returned to the island they would cut his eyes and let him die, and if he stayed with Sasuke the winter darkness would kill him…
"I'm going to live with Sasuke in the forest."
Sasuke's head shot up, startled among a lot of other feelings he couldn't even name. There was that warm feeling again, but equal in size to that feeling was horror. He didn't want Naruto to die, and since that was apparently inevitable he absolutely didn't want to see his friend die. And he didn't want to let Naruto go back to the island either.
Damn Naruto for filling Sasuke with those feelings! Hopefully the witch would come and eat the stupid idiot for supper!
Naruto's dad however only sighed, his mother scoffed at her mate and placed a hand on her son's shoulder and gave Sasuke a firm nod to show her support.
A Sun Troll who opposed his tribe and wanted to live with a Grumpy Troll and in turn was supported by said Sun Troll's mother, the one who should be against the very idea the most. The world must be coming to an end.
"Nothing is going to change your mind, is it?" the father asked.
"No," Naruto confirmed evenly.
When the older Sun Troll sighed this time it was with a rueful smile. "You are too much like your mother. Just as stubborn. Here," he hurried to say and reached into the neck of his cloths before his mate could hit him again. Kushina had a very nasty left hook and Naruto's father didn't want to be in the receiving end of it. What he held out surprised mate, son and Grumpy Troll equally.
"It's a shard of the blue rock!" Naruto's mother breathed in awe. "Darling, how?"
"Because you are friends with a Grumpy Troll, Kushina. If you ever got it in your head to leave I wanted to make sure you'd survive. I stole this shard for that reason. Never thought I would give it to our son… though I suppose it shouldn't surprise me."
Sasuke couldn't look at the rock. The glow from it was very gentle, but it was true it held the same energy as the sun, which meant Sasuke couldn't look at it for too long or he would go blind.
"You're giving it to me?" Naruto asked as if he couldn't believe it.
"Giving it to you or forcing it on you. This is the only chance you have to live."
It was then Naruto finally understood that his parents were sending him off with their blessing. They weren't angry after all.
Tears welled up and overflowed Naruto's eyes and he couldn't keep it in any longer. He tore his hand away from Sasuke's grip and threw both arms around his father's neck out of joy. "Thank you dad. I love you."
Kushina joined the hug and Sasuke, despite his shock of Naruto letting go of him, hid deeper into the shadows to prevent the crazy family from involving him in their happy time. He'd already gone way past the line of what he was comfortable with where Sun Trolls were involved.
"You better go now, Naruto," the Sun Troll woman mumbled to her son. "Your friend is trying to crawl back into the shadows."
Naruto turned and found Sasuke wasn't where he'd left him, but luckily that white skin of his was visible against the dark moss. But there was one last thing he needed to know before he left.
"Will you be all right?"
His mother smiled brightly and tapped her face between the cuts and her eye. "I still have once more chance and your dad never broke the rules. We'll be fine, sweetheart."
His father just smiled and placed the blue stone around Naruto's neck before he turned his son around and pushed him lightly in the back. "Go ahead, son."
The young Sun Troll smiled softly. "Thank you. I love you," he told his parents for the last time.
Naruto ran into the shadow, grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him along, away from the small lake, his parents and the Sun Troll's tribe. As if Sasuke wasn't overwhelmed enough. It would probably take his whole life to understand what had happened today. But the proof was right there on Naruto's face; three scars on each cheek. The proof he had chosen Sasuke over everything else.
No, Sasuke would never understand why Naruto had chosen him, and never admit it, but he was so happy.
END