Author: Nami-chan.

Pairing: DateSana, MotoMoto, KojuSasu.

Disclaimers: I own nothing that my mind didn't provide

This Chapter and the others after hadn't been betaed, I did my best to make it an understandable English, but please, consider the fact that English isn't my first language.

Many thanks for all your wonderful review.

Dragon Tales

Chapter 2

The gaze of the child who fell from the sky became more intense in response of the reaction Yukimura gave. Before the strange question that had just been asked to him, he had started to make a sulky pout and had promptly removed his hair from the hand of the other child, more upset he had expected to be that he was mistaken for a girl.

Operating slowly as not to frighten Yukimura, the other grabbed a leave on top of auburn hair. Yukimura felt his cheeks heating when he noticed how much he was dirtied. It was not so surprising that this strange boy has mistaken him for a spirit.

"Could you please get off of me? It's a little difficult to breath."

Surprised, Yukimura backed away suddenly falling on his butt. "I am a boy." he finally replied in a mumble, looking away.

The strange boy sat, still seated on the pile of leaves that had cushioned his fall. He looked at the sky and noticed the large broken branches in his path where he fell down.

"Did I fell from above?" he asked, pointing. Yukimura nodded shyly, more and more intrigued by the stranger.

"And I'm still alive!" he let out, falling back on the leaves, not believing his own words.

Yukimura fidgeted, trying to explain at once all that had happened, making grand gestures with his arms, he began to speak rapidly.

"There was this thing in the sky, believe it or not it was a dragon and he roared and then I ran and hid and POW! Arrows all around and then it was scratch again and again and ah ... are you hurt anywhere? "He asked, catching his breath.

The other boy raised an eyebrow. "It hurts everywhere, more or less."

Yukimura sat down beside him thoughtful, and then he smiled, "So you are not dead because I too am alive."

He did not expect the other boy to pinch him to confirm.

"Hey! That was mean!"

Yukimura intended to respond but the other got up again, a furious expression on his face, stumbling slightly due to the pain resulting from the fall, he began to mutter angrily removing all the branch and leaves still clinging to him, cursing against something that the little heir couldn't discern.

"That bastard, what was he think he was doing? Kidnapping me? Father will have his head." He lashed out brandishing his fist toward the sky

"Ba... stard?" Yukimura tried the unknown word; this strange child should have really come from a distant land to know words like that. Another thought forced upon him, how did the other boy was going to return home, people should be looking for him, right? Didn't he not say that he was kidnapped by…minutes…

"You mean the dragon had ...? He wanted to ... to you?" Yukimura turned to a slight purplish complexion when he imagined the poor child in front of him in the claws of the monster who could have just as well used him as a dessert because of his recklessness. As he said, the face of the other child was only a few inches from his. Yukimura backed away suddenly emitting a sort of not very manly little squeal.

"You sure you're not a girl?" The other said with a smirk.

Yukimura answered with a grimace that spoke volumes about what this question inspired him. The other boy sighed, seeming to pierce Yukimura again with his lone eye, making the young Sanada uncomfortable. He fidgeted again still sitting on the pile of leaves.

"Um ... uh ... maybe you could tell me your name? I'm Yukimura." he asked with a shifty look.

"I'm Masamune, future great Daimyo of Oshu. Nice to meet you, Yukimura." He took a bossy look hands on his hips, this time with a big smile full of teeth.

Yukimura tried to hide his laughter behind his hand. As he thought so, the strange boy was probably someone important, an heir much like him, someone who would understand, he just couldn't remember where Oshu was. Rarely leaving the family home, he knew nothing of the world that his sensei had taught him, and that his father had told him one morning on the hill, pointing to the city and lands adjacent to the castle. His gaze turned back on Masamune who was a stretching up, finishing to get rid of his pain.

What Yukimura didn't know was that Masamune had found the sound of his laughter pleasant and his main train of thought focused on looking for a way to hear it again, without restrain.

"Where are we?" he asked without facing Yukimura, cutting off his reverie.

Yukimura eyes seemed to darken, for some reason he didn't know, seeing this stranger leave was the last thing he wanted.

"We are in the woods behind my family castle, Ueda Castle."

Again, the one-eyed boy began to take a thoughtful look and thought out loud, drawing the Yukimura attention who tried to register some incoherent rumbling of words. He inclined his head to the side, puzzled by the attitude of this child which he thought was more singular by every passing minute.

"I can easily find the way home from here, I am currently living in the summer residence of my clan in the south of the city ... it's just ... I do not want to go yet, what if both of us had some fun instead?"

Yukimura didn't notice right away that he was speaking directly to him, when he finally understood what the other had said he almost threw himself on him to express how overjoyed he was. Unfortunately, his joy was soon replaced by the sad reality and because of the excessive rationality which could sometimes show the heir of the Sanada.

"But ... wasn't it better that you go home, someone must be worried about you, right?" Yukimura got up, looking towards the path he had followed to get here.

Masamune simply shrugged his shoulders. "It's only my guardian and me, a bit of anxiety is not going to kill him. I really want to play; for once there is no adult to bother me. And I just had been kidnapped! I need to clear up my mind a bit!"

Yukimura had a serious doubt, but Masamune's words made him happy, it was reassuring to hear how this one could be like him, it was as if Masamune literally fell from heaven to cheer him up . A Part of him doesn't wanted to believe that the boy was for real, he began to think he had fallen asleep under a tree from boredom and all that was a dream. But a sincere smile lit up his russet eyes, if it was a dream, why not lives it to the end?

"Catch me then!" He launched, pulling on Masamune sleeve, quickly escaping in the opposite direction. He didn't suspect that he had fallen right in where the other wanted him to.

Masamune rolled up his sleeves, an air of challenges appeared on his child face, proud to have won the consent of Yukimura.

"Let's party!" he cried, running after him.

Ooooooooooo

The forest wasn't so quiet now. Birdsong rang again with the call of the end of the season. The regular lapping sound the river emitted gave a sense of calm and serenity.

Yukimura, standing in the middle of the stream, his hakama tied up to avoid wetting it, looked at his reflection in the water before plunging his hands wanting to wash himself.

Masamune was sitting on a rock, his feet in the water, watching him. The future of Daimyo Oshu took advantage of the break they took in their game, tired in a pleasant way. He internally praised Yukimura for the endurance which he displayed. He never seemed to have enough, being as creative as easy to handle, he had found in him the perfect companion. He did not want to get away from him, and for the first time in his life, he wished to have the power to stop the time.

"Ah, Masamune look!"

Disturbed in its contemplation, the young brunet frowned but still he came to see what bothered his new friend.

"Here, look it's a fish!"

And suddenly had the urge to push the other into the river, his brow nervously ticked as evidence of his self-control. Then he had an idea, one more for the sole purpose of impressing Yukimura. He positioned himself behind the fish whose scales were shimmering reflections on the surface. He silenced Yukimura by placing a finger on his own mouth, then he rolled up his sleeve and plunged his arm in a quick movement, removing it instantly, only to find with his good eye ... that his hand was empty and that the vile fish was already far away.

Yukimura held back at first, then seeing the expression of a dumbfounded Masamune, he burst out laughing, holding his sides. At first Masamune folded his arms and groaned, before finally decided that hearing Yukimura laughing so much was not so far from the effect he wanted, his laughter rose as well accompanying Yukimura's.

They lie down on the borders of the river, slowly catching their breath, remain of laughter coming out here and there. Yukimura turned his head to look at Masamune, Did he, in his short life, had one day as fantastic as this one?

"And it wasn't a dream after all ..." he murmured more to himself.

A silence fell between them, a silence carrying of many things as Masamune fingers interlaced around Yukimura's. The brunet had in mind to interrupt silence when a gurgling sound rose from the belly of his companion.

"I hadn't eaten anything since morning." justified Masamune putting his hand on his stomach which growled again.

Yukimura lighted up, sitting up, he groped his clothes under Masamune questioning eye. He put out a neatly folded towel from a pocket inside his kimono and unfolded it carefully. Masamune wondered how this thing hadn't been destroyed considering their hours of crazy games and running of all kinds. Yukimura had to think that he had been really distracted to forget his treasure.

"It's a Mitarashi dango! I can share if you want!"

He presented a stick to Masamune decorated with four delicious looking balls, a sort of sauce stuck on it. It was the first time that the young one-eyed saw such a thing and clearly, is astonishment didn't go unnoticed by this great dango eater that was Yukimura.

"You never have eaten one?" there was a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Masamune merely shook his head passing a nervous hand through his hair, it was hard to accept that innocent and impressionable Yukimura could overtake him on something how futile it was.

"Then I let you have the first bite!" that was a huge sacrifice for him, considering he started salivating as soon as he had opened the cloth.

Masamune advanced cautiously toward the candy in front of him, breathing in the smell first, he glanced at Yukimura in the hope of ensuring that everything would be fine. He answered by a nod, his smile widening as the mouth of Masamune approached.

When the lips of the little brown haired closed around the first sweet ball, an incoherent sound formed in his throat while his brain registered informations of happiness, and everything happened all at once. Without noticing it, Masamune has already swallowed the last piece. Registering , although too late, his stupidity Masamune wanted to apologize to Yukimura. It's what would have happened if his breath had not been interrupted by a violent tackle, laying him on the ground.

"Yuki-chan! I'm sorry, it was too good!" He tried to defend himself.

Yukimura stopped, just to show him his watered eyes, his face distorted by a mixture of sadness and betrayal; he knew that Masamune didn't do it on purpose but still...

"It was my dangoooo" he whined.

Masamune did not have time to soften before his friend immediately continued with an attack that no one, not even Sasuke was able to resist. Indeed, very soon Masamune burst out laughing, his body contorting in all directions trying to escape the 'tickle of death'.

"Give me back my dango !"

"But I caaaannnn't ahahaha!"

Everything stopped so suddenly that Masamune stopped breathing, Yukimura stood up like a spring, peering into the distance between the trees.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice reduced to a whisper.

Masamune calmed down and listened, worried by the sudden nervousness of the other one, he saw a shadow, and suddenly head many distant voices of adults.

"Yukimura-sama," shouted one of them not far away.

"I think they are looking for me ..." Yukimura seemed confused. "Masamune, I must go back." He got up, avoiding brown haired gaze.

Masamune grabbed him, putting his arms around his waist to hold him back, he knew that they should be separated before long, he just would have given everything to preventing that to happen now.

"I don't want you to leave." He muttered.

"Then come with me." Yukimura held out his hand, inviting Masamune to follow him. In that very instant if he had asked Masamune to follow him before the gate of hell he probably would have done it, no he would have gladly done it, but Masamune was too lucid for his age, too intelligent. Half-heartedly, he let go of Yukimura with a heart-breaking sigh, then he said.

"I can't be seen by an adult ... anyone but Kojuuro and my father should know that I'm here, you saw what happened when the dragon learned about it, right?"

Yukimura shook his head saddened, showing his understanding; he took both Masamune's hands in his own and squeezed biting his bottom lip to keep himself from crying. A new series of calls sounded, closer this time. Yukimura retreated a few steps back, his eyes not leaving the blue-gray of Masamune one.

"When will we see each other again?" he ventured to ask.

Masamune thought for a second, pressed by the time, one idea came to him. "The festival! Yes, the festival in three days, I would wear a fox mask."

"I'll be there, I promise."

And Yukimura turned away from him, feeling Masamune gaze follow in his footsteps as he ran faster and faster, waking up from a sweet dream which unfortunately lasted only one afternoon. They both knew that there was a chance that this doesn't stop here, then nothing could stop them to found each other again, this thought tore a smile to Yukimura saddened features.

Carefully avoiding the men looking for him, Yukimura returned through the hole in the wall, remembering this time to protect his face from the dirt and once out the other side dusting himself as much as possible. Nobody was looking for him inside the castle, it was quiet.

Despite the falling night, the servants had lit only one room whose light halo brightened one part of the garden. Yukimura went immediately to this one, still euphoric from the day he had passed, impatient to ask his father if he could go to the festival in three days. Removing his sandals before entering the room, he opened the sliding door before stopping halfway.

His mother was kneeling crying all her tears out, a man, which he could only distinguish the feet, was stretched out before her.

"Danna!"

Sasuke was also in this room, he rushed to the heir of Sanada pushing him out, immediately closing the door behind him. Yukimura had even less time to react as the ninja pressed him against his chest, putting a hand through his tousled hair trying to comfort the child.

Yukimura pushed him away barely enough to ask innocently. "Sasuke? Mother, why mother is crying?"

The ninja tightened his arms around the boy; Yukimura could perceive the pain felt by his protector. It took a few seconds to Sasuke and a deep breath so that it has enough to look at Yukimura in front of him, one hand on each of his shoulders, his golden orbs fixed in in the little boy eyes.

"Danna ... you will have to be strong okay ..." his voice shook slightly, but he knew he was the only one to announce this terrible news.

"Sasuke you scare me." Confessed the child.

The young man did not resist, taking the child in his arms again, he spoke softly. "Yukimura ... Lord, Lord Masayuki, there was an accident, he died ... Yukimura."

The little hands of the new Lord of the Sanada twitched on Sasuke back...

TBC