1. Nightmares & Memories
Run. Run. Run.
I have to run. They are going to kill me.
He ran at full speed on all fours. He was covered with dirt and blood.
He has been running for almost half a day. He was beginning to tire, his muscles were burning.
Flashes of pictures of a blood splattered room filled his mind. Tears are building up in the corners of his eyes. Shaking his head, he blinks them away. He has no time for tears. He has to get away. To safety.
But who can I trust? Father trusted them, and they killed him.
I can do this on my own. I have to.
He ran though the trees. The forest was his speciality.
He could feel their presence behind him, closing in.
Stopping to think of a safe place he could go, he stood up on his legs. They were shaking.
Suddenly he felt a pair of hands pull him behind a giant tree. He struggled against strong arms. The fear of being caught froze his mind.
"Shhh. Be quite. I'm trying to help you.", a voice whispered in his ear. He stopped struggling and gave a short nod that he understood. He couldn't do much anyway.
I don't trust you, but for the time being I don't have a choice.
He felt the presence of his pursuers come closer and then they past by. They didn't notice them. He and his rescuer sighed in relief as they saw the last of the dark figures leave. For the first time he turned to his rescuer. Now he was sure he didn't know the man.
The man was tall and clad in a beige travelling cloak that went down to his sandal clad feet. He had long white hair that stood up in couple of places bound together in a long ponytail. His hands were covered in leather gloves. He had tan skin and dark eyes. Tattooed red lines ran down his face like tear marks.
"Who are you? And why should I trust you?", he asked pushing himself away from the stranger with the bit of strength he had left.
"Well, I know who you are, Naruto. I 've known you since your birth. My name is Jiraiya. I'm a friend of your father.
Naruto's face was surprised at first that the stranger knew his name, than it saddened quickly. Jiraiya noticed this.
"Come on kid. We can talk somewhere else. I don't know if we can shake them off again."
He didn't take him by the hand. He just turned and walked the opposite direction towards the town.
Shocked to where they were supposed to be going he stood where he was.
"We are not allowed out there!", he said.
"I know. And that's why they won't search for us in this direction. Or do you want to be found?"
Shaking his head he moved in Jiraiya 's direction.
I still don't trust you.
"So here we are!", Jiraiya claimed loudly opening the door. Naruto strolling in behind him. Looking around curiously he noticed that the large apartment was painted white with red borders running along the wall at half of the walls height. Pictures of half clad women were smiling down on him.
Great! He is a pervert.
Jiraiya led him to the kitchen. Just then Naruto recognized he hasn't eaten a thing since he fled from home. And that has been a whole day ago by now. His stomach growled.
"I'm sure you are hungry. I'll heat something up if you don't mind leftovers. And a cup of tea?"
Naruto nodded.
He waited in silence until Jiraiya had everything prepared.
A steaming cup of tea and two peaces of warmed up pizza sat in front of him. He didn't touch a thing.
"I didn't save you to poison your food, you know.", Jiraiya stated after a minute of silence.
Naruto looked up from his food and Jiraiya noticed tears in the boys eyes.
"I don't know who I can trust anymore.", Naruto said in a quite voice. His face and his blond hair were still covered with his fathers blood. Dirt and blood caked his clothes.
"Come on. Eat up. Then you can wash. I'll give you something else to wear and then we can start talking.", The white haired man said with a reassuring smile.
Naruto took a peace of what Jiraiya called 'pizza' and bit into it. It was delicious. He smiled for the first time since the murder attempt on his father and him.
After he ate he washed himself in Jiraiya 's bathroom. Using a bathroom for the first time in life he was surprised on how water just flowed out of the pipes, seemingly at will. Later he should ask Jiraiya how it works. It was a better way of washing up than doing it in a cold stream or a waterfall. He could get used to it. But he already missed the familiar smell of the forest and the sound of the leaves and other animals and smaller demons. He could only smell the scent of the cultivated plants inside the house. Pour beings.
He put on the strange clothes Jiraiya laid out for him. The pants were a pale blue colour made out a fabric he didn't know. The black shirt was made out of a similar fabric but much finer. He would ask about it, too. He totally ignored the socks and shoes.
What the hell were those things anyway?
Jiraiya was in the living- room sitting on the coach.
"First of all: Who are you? And how do you know me and my father? And how do you know about the ancient world of demons?", Naruto asked as he sat down.
"Well aren't you straight forward?" Jiraiya sighed. "I'm Jiraiya. The legendary toad summoner. One of the legendary three. I'm what you would call a link between the words. A half demon you can say. Your father saved my life, and I trained him."
"You trained father?", Naruto asked in disbelieve. "You don't seem to be strong."
"Your father was always way stronger than me. I just taught him how to use that strength. Now tell me what did these men, or what ever they were, want from you. Why were you being followed? Start at the beginning".
Naruto felt the man was still hiding something from him, but nothing severe. Shifting on his seat he thought back.
"The beginning? Let's see…I was training outside, when I heard a loud argument going on in side of the house. I ran inside to see what was going on. I knew father had invited the demon council to talk about the new polices and restrictions he was planning to go through with." He paused and looked up at the man. He didn't flinch at the mention of demons. Naruto figured he must have told the truth about knowing all about the demon realm. He continued:
"Father always told me I shouldn't eavesdrop on council meetings, but I never listened to him. Father never got loud towards the council before and I was curious. I heard a loud crack from the inside and the council members rushed out of the room.
One dark haired one noticed me, but didn't say anything. I ran inside. Father was so angry. I've never seen him like that before. He was glowing red with anger.". Naruto paused again to look at the white haired man sitting across from him. He didn't know if he had to explain what exactly his father looked like. The man was listening closely, his face stern.
"I just stood there until he calmed down. I asked him what happened. He just said I shouldn't worry about it. Later that night they came back. And…and…"Naruto looked down. He couldn't say it. It would come true if he did. He felt tears building up.
Jiraiya noticed the sudden uncomfortable silence. He saw tears running down the boy's face.
What did the boy have to go through? Demon or not, he is still a child.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.", he said to the broken boy in front of him.
"No. I have to tell. It's just…", Naruto said between sobs and sniffling.
- "Naruto, my son, we are going to have a hard time soon. The council members do not appreciate my way of thinking. We have to be strong. Always remember humans and demons can live together. Your mother proved that to me long ago." He paused. Naruto looked up to see his father starring at a blank space. "Come on lets train so we can protect what is precious to us." Ruffling Naruto's hair he stood up and walked past him toward the training ground outside. Naruto wanted to follow but just as his father just stepped outside he froze in his tracks. Naruto saw a shadow standing in front of his father. Naruto watched in horror as a red stain grew on the back of his fathers white cloak. A sword was sticking out several inches. The figure pushed his father back into the house almost running over him. The figure held his father by the shoulders and slowly pulled the sword of his chest. With a sudden twist the dark clad figure sliced sideward through his fathers chest splattering blood everywhere. Naruto felt the urge to scream as he felt warm blood flowing down his face. He was frozen. He didn't scream. He couldn't do anything at all. He watched as his father fell face fist to the floor without the support of the figure. The man turned directing his cold red eyes at him. "Naruto! Run!" His father yelled spitting blood while struggling to get up. The figure turned again and kicked his father hard so that he was now lying on his back.
"You are going to start a war, you fool.", Naruto heard his father say breathing heavy.
"No one is going to listen to your silly reasoning ever again Minato! I'm making sure of that!", the man said with malice in his voice as he held his sword up with both hands slamming them down into Minato's chest.
When the man turned around Naruto was gone.-
"Jiraiya, they killed him. They killed him and I couldn't do anything!"
I Just ran away.
Naruto woke up with a shock. He was sweating. The blankets were sticking to his skin. He looked around. He was in his room in Jiraiya' s house. His thoughts were scattered.
It was just a dream
A very vivid one. He could even recall his thoughts he had that day. He basically relived the worst day in his life, the day he lost everything. His father, his home, his hope. It still hurt. He could still remember the blood covered ground and the warm blood trickling down his face. He could see his father's dead eyes. He never knew his mother. All he ever had, all his memories he had as a child evolved around his father. His dream to become just as strong as him and to lead the demon council, to finally make peace with the humans. He lost everything on that day fleeing into the human world.
He gained something that day, too but he didn't realize that for a long time. He gained trust. Jiraiya trusted him, even though he was a demon child. That was what his father wanted. Humans and demons side by side. He opened up his pained heart to the old pervert and wasn't turned down. In time he had the courage to hope again.
With the years they shared a father son relationship. He was ten years old back then. Even for a demon he was young, for demons live three times longer than humans and don't age as fast. They age normally until they are about twenty then the ageing process slows down. Because of his half demon heritage Jiraiya didn't seem to age anymore either. Jiraiya was the one who taught him the differences between humans and demons. Naruto was very amused by the pictures Jiraiya showed him about how the humans saw demons as vicious creatures and not at all civilized. The other way around he had to admit that humans weren't what he saw in the books and scrolls in the demons world either. Not all humans were war enjoying creatures that always took everything away from what he once called home. They needed the wood to build their homes and to make fire and they needed the land to grow plants and build houses on. He pitied them because they didn't know how to use natures resources to it's full extent.
Jiraiya taught him many things as of how to move in the human world, to read and write, geography, politics, human ethics, and how to act human. As a fox demon he was more animalistic and had to stop walking on all fours when he was outside. And he definitely should not sniff on somebody. In the first few months he couldn't imagine how one can live in this world without going crazy. But the old man did it, so he could do it too. He had to learn it,the fact that demons exist wasn't known to all humans and nobody wanted a panic to rise.
It was a very rocky road but he managed to adjust and got to know the world.
The world he now called home for over six years now.
He calmed down. Pulling the blankets off of him he shoved his feet over the edge of the bed. He stood up raking his hands through his hair. He looked out of the window. The sun wasn't up yet so he washed up and put his clothes on quietly. He could still hear the old man snoring. He went into the kitchen and made himself breakfast.
He was startled when he heard a voice behind him.
"What are you doing up so early?" Jiraiya was standing in the doorway rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Thinking…I can't sleep…I'm going out.", Naruto answered in between bites and sips of orange juice.
"Having bad dreams again, eh? Oh well. Think about school today. I don't want an other letter of your director saying you are skipping lessons again. And say hi to Sasuke for me okay?"
Surprised Naruto watched as Jiraiya went back to bed.
Jiraiya is more protective of me than I thought. And I think he is watching me…
After his short breakfast he stepped outside and jogged to their meeting place.
It was a foggy morning.
The sun was fighting to come out and burn the fog away. The streetlights were still on as Naruto sat down. The bench was their meeting place. Sasuke always wanted to train before they had to go to school. Sasuke was a bit paranoid, but after what happened to him it was only normal. He was constantly training. He didn't want to 'slack off' and be weak when the time came he was needed. Naruto knew that he didn't want to let history repeat itself, so he trained with the shape shifting demon and he too found solace in this.
Naruto found Sasuke one year after his flight out of the demon world. Naruto was walking through the city doing his behaviour homework when he felt something strange. It was somewhat familiar and was coming out of an alley. There, hiding behind a trashcan, was a small black haired boy with red eyes. The boy just stared in front of him not even noticing anything. The boy had his arms rapped around his legs, tears streamed his face and he was rocking back and forth mumbling something.
"I…I don't…I…brother please don't…."
Later, after Naruto had brought the boy to Jiraiya' s apartment, Naruto learned the truth of Sasuke's state.
It was Jiraiya who told him. His contact people and spies had already informed him. Sasuke was a demon like himself. That explained why he was able to feel him, or at least his aura. Different than most demons the Uchiha formed a clan. The most of them were shape shifters. They were very secretive and mostly wanted to be left alone. After Naruto's father had been assassinated the demon council fought over who should be the new head of council. After a year the Uchiha clan claimed their right to lead. Being a powerful clan nobody dared to oppose them. But in the night of celebration they all got killed. It was a massacre. The entire clan got wiped out, except for Sasuke. The boy ran away from the terrible scene and managed to survive and had arrived safely in the human world, how he managed to do it he didn't know.
At first Sasuke didn't talk. He was in shock. The first time he talked he was in town with Naruto buying stuff for dinner. He had to wear sunglasses to not show his blood red eyes. He didn't know how to shape shift properly, yet.
He saw two boys standing in front of a candy shop, obviously brothers. One was taller and older then the other. The younger brother wanted to go in side.
"Little brother, you are so annoying!" The older said. Sasuke stiffened. "Come on brother! It's just candy. It doesn't take that long." The younger boy pulled the older one into the shop. Sasuke watched the scene and abruptly turned the other way and said: "You can't always have want you want."
Somehow Naruto knew that Sasuke didn't mean the two in front of the candy shop when he said it. Later Sasuke informed them that he wasn't the last of his clan, his brother was still alive. He was the one who massacred the clan.
Neither Jiraiya nor Naruto knew what to say. Naruto had felt as if his stomach turned into stone.
"His brother did it!". Was all he could think.
"You're early."
Naruto, who was lost in memories staring blankly at the horizon, didn't hear his friend approach and gave a undignified yelp.
"Do you have to scare me like that?", he almost screamed in spite of the early hour. He didn't give a damn waking others up.
"You have to be on your guard more, moron."
"You don't have sneak up to me like that while I'm thinking, bastard!"
"You and thinking…that's rare."
"Oh, shut up." Naruto turned around and crossed his arms in a mock pout.
"Do you want to pout all day or are we going to train?"
Naruto stood up and slid into an opening stance. " The usual?"
Sasuke moved back to take a more defensive stance. "Hn."
Naruto took that as a yes and charged aiming for Sasuke face. His target turned in the very last moment and guided Naruto's arm forward and pushed him in the shoulder blade with his other arm sending Naruto falling to the ground, but nothing involving his friend would be that easy he figured as Naruto used the momentum to slam both hands to the ground to steady himself while trying to kick Sasuke. Seeing it coming he managed to dodge and moved from his opponent with a smile.
"You've been practicing."
"Of course I've been practicing. I want to be able to go through with my goal. Just as much as you do."
"I haven't heard that in a while. You've been really thinking."
"Bastard!" Naruto charged again. This time fainting and bringing up his other fist in a upper cut. Sasuke took the hit to his middle and huffed as the air was hit out of him. But instead of backing out he grabbed Naruto's fist and turned hard. Naruto allowed to be propelled in order to save his wrist from being snapped and landed on the other side of Sasuke. This time Sasuke was the one who landed a hit. To Naruto's face that was.
"Fuck! That hurt!"
Sasuke smirked as he saw the bruise forming on his friend's cheek.
"Thought you would dodge, idiot."
The bruise was already being taken care of by Naruto's strange healing ability.
"I think we should call it a truce today. I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Hn. Okay."
"Do you remember our goal?"
"Why are you asking?", Sasuke asked carefully. Thanks to his almost photographic memory he could recall almost all of his memories, for the better or the worse. So of course he remembered, like it was yesterday.
(flashback)
He was sitting on a bench. He just moved in with his new 'foster parent' Kakashi Hatake, after living with Naruto and Jiraiya for almost a year. He needed time alone. He had started to get used to the playful manners of one Naruto Uzumaki. He would probable would never admit it out loud but he was his first and only friend. Kakashi was so totally different. He was lazy, and spaced out most of the time and made ambiguous remarks about almost everything. He was a wolf demon and was kicked out of the demon society at young age. He never said why. Sasuke assumed he wore a face mask to hide his canine teeth, the most unnerving thing about his appearance were his eyes they had to different colours. One was dark brown, almost black, the other was a grey kind of silver matching his hair.
"Hey Sasuke!"
He turned around and saw his blond friend coming towards him waving. Surprisingly enough the mostly hyperactive teen sat down and sat in silence.
"What are you planning to do now? You know…you weren't kicked out of the forest you could easily return. I'm sure they would welcome you. Shape shifters were always in one of the highest positions in the council."
Sasuke could easily read between the lines, even if he had never heard the story that brought Naruto to the human world. Naruto couldn't return and he was generally sad about it. He wondered how much of his normal happiness was a mask.
"I'm not planning on returning." If returning to the forest meant he would leave Naruto here in the human world only to be softened by others who didn't care for him as such, but for him as the sole clan member that was sane, he would pick the human world any time. Naruto looked at him shocked.
"I still have to find him. I want to know why…the reason he…", Sasuke reasoned. Naruto didn't have to put together who and what he meant.
"You know…I always wanted to go back. But I'm not sure if I want to anymore. It was always my dream of taking my fathers place…", Naruto said lowering his head.
"What's holding you back?", Sasuke asked.
"You don't know who I am. They'll never let me back. They'll kill me."
Sasuke stiffened, it was that serious then, huh?
"Are you going to tell me?"
"…I'm a fox demon, Sasuke. My family was one of the noble demon families, it is per se my birth right to rule the demons council. My dad was the fourth Fox Lord to do so. He always told me that humans and demons could live together and that he would fight for what he believes. He was…". Naruto paused. He was trying not to cry, but thick tears were running down his cheeks.
Sasuke was lost, he didn't know what to do. So he did the one thing he could. He put a arm around Naruto and said nothing. Naruto continued after awhile.
"He was killed, Sasuke. Right in front of me. I would be dead now, too if I was a slower runner. They followed me, tried to stab me with long throwing knives. I'm not a shape shifter, they will recognize me immediately. I just can't go back."
"Then we will have to change the way they think."
"You don't know what you are saying.", Naruto said. He sounded defeated.
"I'm pretty sure that with a bit of help, we could do it."
Naruto sprang up out of Sasuke's hold.
"I'm not going to ask you to risk your life like that for me.", he yelled. "You haven't even found your brother yet! Don't go and risk being killed before you accomplish your goal."
"OK." Sasuke said waiting for the reaction.
"Wha-? I don't know what your talking about."
"I said ok. I won't get myself killed before I reach my goal. But at least I have a goal to reach! You are just to afraid to reach out for yours!" Sasuke was getting angry now. "Just what is it that you want? What is your goal Naruto?"
Naruto was shocked into silence.
He wanted to be respected by humans and demons alike. He wanted this stupid war for power to end so that he could live peacefully. He wanted to protect everyone who was close to him. He wanted to unite the demon society so they wouldn't end up killing themselves driving their very species into extinction. Yes, that was what he wanted.
Sasuke saw the thoughtful expression turn into a grin and smiled into himself.
"And…?", he asked.
"My goal is to become the next Fox Lord!"
(End flashback)
Sasuke smiled at the memory.
"I'm asking because at some point we'd have to start planning, don't you think?"
