The King of the Underground
This is the story of the King of the Underground. The greatest king of them all. Everyone flocked to his kingdom in hope for a new home. And they would fall victim to the promises of golden coins. But no one ever returned. They stayed there and built the walls that grew higher and higher. No one could come in. No one could go out.
King of mortar. King of souls. He painted the world in the color of rust.
Sasuke Uchiha was king. He was a cold king. A king made of steel. A king with eyes and hair as dark as the darkness under the earth. His skin white from living away from light for so long.
But even he would tire of living under stone. He would leave his fortress to reach the highest tower of his castle. It climbed all the way to the surface. And at night, when the moon was highest in the sky, he would walk on the earth. The heart of a king would not quiver to the sight of the starlit sky.
But then one night, Sasuke's heart was no longer that of a king's. It became the heart of a man.
He gazed out of the edge of the forest to find the sun in the night. It was a male with eyes as blue as the sky and hair as gold as sunflowers. His skin was glowing from the light of the sun. The nectar of love made its way to Sasuke's heart.
But when he walked out of the forest to meet the golden creature, he frightened him. Those blue eyes widened and quivered.
Sasuke no longer had the heart of a king. His heart became simple. Small and soft. Flesh and blood.
The boy fled leaving behind the smell of nectar in Sasuke's mouth.
His heart became heavy.
He was king of the sad and the somber. He would scrape the sky and scar the earth. But nothing would bring the sun to him. Sasuke would climb out of his grave of a kingdom every night. But the other male was never to be seen.
Until one night, when the moon just rose over the forest canopy. The sun walked out of the darkness and into the silver light.
Sasuke watched and dared not approach. With bated breath, he waited. And his heart forgot that he was a king.
"Who's there?"
Despite making no sound, the weight of his heavy gaze stirred the night.
Sasuke stepped out of the dark. And the moon grazed his unmarred and pale flesh. Almost as though he were carved out of the whitest of marble. His black cloak slithered behind him. His presence towering above everything else.
Those blue eyes recognized him. And Sasuke waited for the other to flee again. But this time, he would be ready to grab that golden arm.
But the moment did not arrive. The other stepped closer. His footsteps soft. They were close now. Sasuke could stretch out his arm and touch him if he wanted to. But he didn't want to startle him again.
"Who are you?" His voice was soft. Almost a whisper.
"No one you should know," the king answered deeply.
Sasuke noticed he had scars on his face.
"Do you come from the other side of the forest?"
"You'll flee again if I tell you."
"I promise I won't." He smiled. It was golden. And Sasuke wanted it. So he grabbed the boy and wrapped him in his darkness. He stole the sun.
The heart of a man is a foolish one.
Naruto was made to live Underground. He lived in the great castle, lit by flames and nothing more. Spent his days almost alone if it weren't for the servants that scurried around him. Days and nights blended into one in the Underground. No one visited him. He didn't know why he was there. Just that the King grabbed him under the moonlit night and carried him away in the shadows.
He waited, listlessly. They brought him the sweetest of fruit and the richest of wines. Naruto ate figs that would spill nectar down his hands. He ate like a king himself, with roasted meats seasoned with saffron and anything else he could dream of.
But he began to miss the sun. And miss the smell of the air above. He wanted to drink the rain. And to hear laughter again. He waited and waited and wanted.
It was another day of nothing. Naruto lounged on an ornamented daybed. His elbow rested on his leg and head against his hand. Lazily, he flipped the pages of another book from the countless put at his disposal. The flames kept the room bright and warm.
The door creaked open. Naruto thought another servant brought him tea and sweet biscuits. He raised his head and hoped that they would talk to him, but he found his eyes to meet those of the King. He forgot the words that were going to leave his mouth.
"My apologies for not visiting you sooner." Sasuke's rich voice slipped through the air. "I have walls to build and riots to quell."
Naruto didn't know what to do. He had been left alone for too long and never had he been in the company of kings.
Sasuke glided towards him effortlessly. Naruto got up to stand, awkwardly shifting from his soft seat. But the king arrived before him sooner and pushed him down.
"Sit. There's no need to stand for me."
But it made Naruto uncomfortable. The king sat across from him. Crossed his legs and held his back straight.
"I hope you're enjoying your stay in my palace."
"Why am I here?" Naruto blurted out. He couldn't get anyone to tell him what he was doing in the Underground.
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed.
"Do you not like it here?"
Naruto's face flushed. He had spoken wrong.
"No! I just… I just don't know what someone like me is doing in your castle." His heart raced. Those dark eyes were staring deep into him.
"Is there some other place you would rather be?"
"No your highness, I…"
"Sasuke," he cut off curtly. Naruto's head slightly tilted to the right in confusion. "You are to call me Sasuke."
"But you're king."
"And since I am king, I can tell you to call me what I wish," Sasuke answered matter of factly. He leaned back a bit into his chair.
"S… Sasuke," Naruto tried to get the name out his mouth.
And the king grinned. He loved how his name sounded for the first time that he could remember.
"Sasuke, what am I doing here?"
"You're here because I want you here."
Naruto was even more confused now. He had waited for days, losing count of them, to know the reason. And he felt like the answer had slipped further away from him.
"Why do you want me here?"
Sasuke was never challenged this much before. His words were always accepted. His words were law.
"Because I want you here." And that was all he was going say on the matter. Naruto knew it would be pointless to push.
Sasuke leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin against against his hand. Naruto was still golden despite being away from the sun for so long. And he wondered what the sun tasted like. Naruto could feel the weight of those eyes. And his heart grew heavy.
"I have a home… People might come looking for me. I've been here a long time and I haven't done anything. There's no reason for me to be here. My friends are surely worried" Naruto tried to reason. He kept speaking about how he couldn't stay despite how nice it had been in the castle. He tried all modes of reason that he could muster.
Sasuke just closed his eyes, and merely listened to Naruto's voice. It was playful. A slight rasp behind some of his words. But there were times when his voice became soft and sad. Sasuke didn't stop him.
Naruto became angry. He felt ignored.
"Hey… are you listening to me, teme!" he finally snapped. His voice became especially raspy. Sasuke's eyes opened. Naruto's face was red and his breathing was heavy. It made Sasuke smile. No one had ever spoken to him that way. And it felt refreshing.
The king's smile made Naruto realize his mistake.
"Teme, was it?"
Naruto's mouth stayed parted. He didn't know what to say.
"Allow me to put your worries aside. You will stay here as my guest," he let the other's slight go.
"For how long…?" Naruto looked at Sasuke with caution.
"For as long as I'm king."
With that he swiftly stood up and left. His cloak shifting in his wake like a shadowy hem of a ghost.
Naruto was left alone once more.
And his heart felt heavy.
-Dead Edged Blade