Home is Where the Heart Is

Celestia193's Author's Note: Alright, time for some pre-family bonding, so be prepared for the sweet and the sad. Also, foreheads are magical, especially Uchiha foreheads.

Chapter 3

"Itachi?" There's a firm knock on the door. "Is the child awake now?" It was the king, come to check on the newcomer.

"He's awake, but he's still adjusting." How could he explain this to his father?

The door opens and Fugaku steps inside, followed closely by his wife. The king glances towards the bed, where the child sits, and he did not like what he saw. The boy's eyes had dropped immediately to the floor, and he appeared to want nothing more than to disappear into the sheets and never be seen again. Fear. He knew the look of terror well enough to recognize it in a child, even tamped down and suppressed. So perhaps…a gentler touch? "Mikoto…perhaps you might speak to the boy?"

Well she could try. The boy looked…well, not happy to be there to put it mildly. "Alright." She smiles at her husband and kisses his cheek before caressing Itachi's. "I'll see you both at breakfast then."

"Very well." Fugaku frowns slightly at the sight of the child, but retraces his steps in any case. "Come, Itachi. Perhaps we can work ourselves up an appetite before your mother joins us."

Itachi nods and quickly departs with his father. Though he casts a backward glance at Sasuke. He was obviously worried about him.

Sasuke's eyes stayed fixed on the floor, his fingers clasping together and twitching as the queen approaches him. A queen. He was seen by a king and queen. It was…surreal and terrifying at the same time.

"It's alright." She smiles at him and strides over. "May, I sit with you?" He reminded her of a frightened cat. So cute, but he'd probably bite if approached too quickly.

He shuffles towards the end of the bed immediately, leaving the queen with plenty of room to sit down, if that's what she wanted.

The queen sits down and continues smiling reassuringly. "Thank you. I am not aware of all the details that brought you to us, but I do understand that this must all be overwhelming to you."

Overwhelming was one way to put it. "Yes, Ma'am." Sasuke reverted to his three cardinal rules when dealing with important people, like businessmen, politicians, teachers, or in this case, a monarch. Answer directly and politely. Speak only when spoken to. And keep your head DOWN. He probably should have done so earlier, with the prince, but he had been running on emotions instead of logic. His emotions were still running high, but he could force it, if he had to. Force himself to tamp them down and out of sight.

"You can call me Mikoto." She smiles and caresses his cheek. "You do look as though you could be my actual son. It's uncanny really." She tilts her head. "Are you sure you are not from a wild tribe?"

He looked…like he could be her son? Sasuke blinks, daring just a small peek at the queen's face. It was astonishing, she really did look like him. But how, was the question. "No, I'm not. I…don't know what that is." A wild tribe? Was that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? Would it be better if he was? Or did it not matter either way?

"Ah well you see, before I married Fugaku, I was from a wild tribe myself." She smiles at him. "You look as though you could be related to me, so that's why I asked. It's not a bad thing to be wild, even if some of the city elves might be...well a bit skittish of the concept or envious, depending on who you ask." She winks at him.

"Oh." Sasuke fidgets, feeling his face heat up at the gesture. It was strange, girls did that all the time, but when she did it, it made him feel…warm, if only for a moment. There was something familiar about her, and yet utterly foreign at the same time. "I don't know much about elves, so I couldn't say."

"Like humans, there are many kinds of elves." She shakes her head and smile at that. "We're far more alike than we are different though, even if we prefer not to admit it sometimes."

Well, that was both surprising, and not at the same time. Perhaps there were some things that didn't change, no matter your world, or if you had pointy ears or not. Which Sasuke still didn't understand. "…Itachi called me a Seeker. But if there are humans in this world as well, then why would I change species?" Maybe it would be rude to ask, but Sasuke wanted to know.

"Well there are more elves than humans in this region. So you blend in better." She pauses as though considering it. "We also live longer. So you might just need longer to accomplish whatever you're supposed to do or there could be another reason why you are an elf and not a human here, that will be revealed in time." How could she explain this to a frightened, lost child? "Magic can sometimes be very straightforward and other times, it can be frustratingly cryptic."

So he was supposed to be alone here even longer? Fantastic… "And how am I supposed to go back?" The book hadn't exactly come with an instruction manual.

"Well you may or may not be able to go back. Seeking is based on your heart's desire." She presses a kiss to his forehead. "Meaning, if you can find that here you will stay and if you can not, you will be sent back to your home world. Well at least...I believe that's what is happening."

Sasuke's eyes widen, and he presses a hand to his forehead. "W-Why did you do that?" No one ever did that to him. At least…not as far as he could remember.

"I suppose that it's just a mother's instinct. You may not be my son, but you are a child in need of comfort." She smiles at him.

A child in need of comfort. No one ever said that about him before. "I-I see…" It was a rather foreign concept to him. Well, he knew that other teenagers and younger kids got along with their parents, at least some of them did. It just…wasn't something he was used to. Attention wasn't something he was used to. "I guess…it just shocked me a little. I don't have…" Parents. He didn't have parents anymore, because those horrid foster 'parents' didn't count. It had been over a decade, he was only four then.

"Well I don't know who they were. Here such a thing would be unthinkable, but I assume they have their reasons." She sighs and shakes her head. "If you wish to leave, we will not stop you. Though I truly don't know where you plan to go. To my knowledge, you can't return home." She smiles at him. "At least wait until your injuries are healed before setting off though. It would be most inconsiderate of you to get yourself killed off after Itachi, his friends, and the healers put so much effort into saving you. You wouldn't want to be rude by dying to thank them, would you?"

The words slipped out before he could stop them. "What would be unthinkable? Dying in an accident and leaving your four year old to the 'mercy' of the system? Or carting a kid around, hoping that someone will actually WANT them?" Sasuke could feel his eyes burning, but he refused to show it. He refused to show his emotions any more than he already had. "…Either way, it's not right for me to stay here. You've all done more than enough. I'm a survivor, I'll manage…" Besides, he hadn't asked for them to save him. They didn't have to go and play paramedics.

"I'm sorry that your parents died." That did explain so much. Though next part was just as troubling, if not more. "You are free to go, if you wish after you are healed. Should you attempt to leave before then, well...for your own good I will water lasso you to keep you from getting yourself killed so easily." She sighs. "I may not be able to help you once you leave the palace, but you are currently under our care until you're better. I won't have you die while in my care."

In her care? She…cared? About him? The cursed foster kid that no one wanted? "Yes Ma'am." If she was going to care, even a little, then he could be good, he could be obedient. At least…for a little while. He could just leave later, if they didn't kick him out first.

She smiles as though pleased with his reaction. "Good. You should rest. Someone will come for you to take you to breakfast if you feel up to dining with us and if not, they'll bring you something later."

"…Okay." He wasn't really in a position to refuse, anyway. And he honestly didn't feel like eating right about now. Maybe by lunch, or dinner, he'd be hungry. Maybe. For now, sleep seemed like a good idea. "…Could you…tell your son that I'm sorry for taking up his bed?"

"I'll tell him." She tilts her head at him. "Though I doubt Itachi is worried about such a trivial matter. We have many beds, but there is only one you. Sleep well, Sasuke." With that, the queen saunters off.

Sasuke's cheeks warm once more as he slowly, hesitantly burrows back into the bed. It was warm and soft. And it smelled like pine and berries and spices he didn't have names for. It was…comforting.

The dining hall was busy that morning, with many members of the royal family milling about, moving from table to table as the breakfast conversations came into full swing. It was one of the aspects of court life here that Fugaku preferred. He had seen how the other kingdoms conducted matters within their palaces, and it always seemed rather cold. Especially in…certain kingdoms.

Still, there was more than a little chatter within earshot concerning the boy Itachi had brought back with him last night. "Very well, Itachi, as I do not have your mother's impossibly sharp ears, would you tell me now what you know of this boy? Starting, preferably, with the more basic information…" His sudden appearance seemed very…odd, though not downright suspicious.

Itachi nods at his father as he commences the explanation. "His name is Sasuke." That was the easy part. "He says he's nearly sixteen summers. I was out in a hunting party when I came across him. A nightspawn was attacking him." The boy was very lucky to be alive really.

Fugaku nearly chokes on his elderberries at the proclamation. "You said nearly sixteen summers? But the boy looks nearly forty summers." He knew that appearances could be deceiving, but that was a rather difficult fact to swallow. The nightspawn, he could see from the way the boy looked when he was rushed into the palace last night.

"I feel the same way." Itachi nods at his father sympathetically. "He does seem sincere about his age though."

"If he is sincere, then where exactly are his kin?" Fugaku couldn't imagine letting such a young child out of sight for more than half a day, at most.

Mikoto walks into the dining hall and sighs. "Dead. His parents have been dead since he was a small child." Well an even smaller child.

The king raises an eyebrow at his wife. "And someone has allowed a small child to wander about on their own?" How foolish, reckless, and irresponsible.

"From my understanding, yes." She sighs sadly and nods.

"…" Needless to say, Fugaku did not approve of this at all. "I see. Mikoto, I will request that you tell me what happened later. Itachi can continue watching the boy, if he feels it necessary." And while he tried to decide what would be done with the boy. Obviously, if those around him could not be trusted to keep him safe, there were no sufficient arguments that could be made to support sending him back to…wherever it is that he came from.

"Yes, My Love." She nods at him as their son does the same. The entire situation was disturbing, but that poor boy was obviously in so much pain that it called out to her heart.

Later that day, Itachi goes into Sasuke's room. Well technically, it was his room, but that mattered little. "At least he's getting some sleep." He sighs in relief at that. The boy looked much more peaceful sleeping like that.

The boy in question was tangled up in the blankets, sleeping unusually soundly. Usually, he was a very light sleeper, by habit, not by choice. Every little bump in the night was usually enough to wake him, sometimes even to send him into a panic. But today, all was unnaturally calm, as though the sleep was induced by magic.

Itachi vaguely wonders, if the sleep HAD been induced by magic. Maybe, his mother had encouraged the boy to take a sleeping potion or something.

Stretching out like a little kitten, Sasuke rolls over, as much as he can roll over, all wrapped up in the mess he'd made of Itachi's bed. "Mom…Dad…" A small smile blossoms on his face, nearly obscured by a dark sheet pulled up over his cheek.

"The poor child." Itachi sighs as he watches him. Well it seemed that Sasuke had loved his birth parents. Though they were clearly dead. "At least you can get some rest now." He sits on the bed and runs his fingers through the other elf's hair in a gesture of comfort.

Humming softly in his sleep, the gentle touch is enough to clue Sasuke in to someone being…there, and he slowly opens his eyes, frowning as he sees a blurry face. "…Dad…?"

Wait, no…it couldn't be. He was… Sasuke blinks again, ridding himself of the sleep in his eyes. The smile disappears like a wisp of smoke blown away by the breeze. "Oh…Your Highness…I'm sorry, I took your bed…"

"It's alright, I gave it to you." Itachi smiles at him and continues running his fingers through the messy black hair. "You can keep it all you need and there's no need to apologize."

That was…not what Sasuke was used to hearing. "…Are you sure? Your mother…the queen, she said…that she would lasso me or something if I tried to leave." Which was strange enough in and of itself. "…What's going to happen to me?"

Itachi sighs at the way the child shrinks in on himself, as though to make himself small and insignificant. Invisible. "Well that's really up to you, she just wants you to recover physically before you leave...if you decide to."

Minding his injured arm, Sasuke rolls onto his back, staring up at the man who looked…only a few years older than him, but whose physical age probably belied his true age. "What do you mean 'if I decide to'?" The way he saw it, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He could hardly hang around the palace. "There's…probably someone who is going to look for me." One person. Kakashi.

"If you came from another world, I'd be rather shocked if someone managed to follow you here." Itachi shakes his head. "After you're healed, it's truly up to you."

"I didn't mean it like that." Sasuke doubted that Kakashi would figure out just where he'd ended up. "But…sooner of later, Kakashi's going to figure out that I didn't just run away again." Especially since when he was younger, his favorite place to run to…was Kakashi's apartment. That didn't usually go over too well, and often ended in Sasuke being put in a new home. Again. "He's the one who tries to make sure that shit like this doesn't happen to me. Well, minus the inter-dimensional travel part…"

"Oh." Itachi tilts his head. "He is your guardian then?" This Kakashi person was certainly going to be worried if that was the case. He must be frantic by now.

"No, he's…" How could Sasuke explain this in a way that would make sense to someone who likely had no idea what the foster system was. "He's in charge of placing me with temporary families who are supposed to look after me." And taking him away when things got really bad. "He comes around once in a while to make sure that I'm okay, or to see if I need to be moved again." It was something that happened, on average, every five to six months, though Sasuke had set a record at two and a half years with that last family. "He would probably have taken me in himself, but there were…legal complications."

"Ah so he...runs an orphanage?" Itachi had heard of such places. Though they tended to have few charges.

"No, he kept me out of orphanages. There's a system in my world where families will agree to take in orphans or other children who can't be raised by their parents, and look after them. It helps to keep the orphanages from getting too crowded. Sometimes the parents adopt them, sometimes not. A lot of kids are kept long term, but then you have some problem cases…" And Sasuke was a textbook example, no matter how hard he tried to make things work. "Some of us get tossed around until we age out, and finally allowed to live on our own." Like a bag of old laundry that no one wanted.

"That sounds rather traumatic." It did explain a lot. "Well, here we don't have this...kind of system." Thank goodness, apparently. "Our orphanages tend to be on the small side. Children are regarded very highly here."

Sasuke's gaze darkens. "Then they're lucky. Where I come from, a lot of us are seen as nuisances. Couples looking to adopt like to go for babies. Once we're a certain age, we're just not cute enough anymore and no one wants us."

"Well that is not the case here." He smiles at him. "I wouldn't say you'd be viewed as a baby...more like a human of five summers."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Sasuke glares at him, onyx eyes dull and cold, and voice as bitter as an unripe grapefruit. "I was four when I was put into the system, and still, no one wanted me. So if you're expecting me to have good memories of being that age, it's not happening."

"I'm saying, that if you want it...you could easily find a family here." He watches him uncertainly. Itachi didn't want to hurt the elf further. "If that's not what you wish, I can certainly understand that. You've been through so much. It would be perfectly understandable."

A family? That was the naive wish of a child. Sasuke had realized at the age of ten that no one wanted him, and by the age of thirteen, he was already questioning why. Now, he'd stopped wondering, for the most part, and just accepted it as fact. "Somehow, I doubt that one that actually wants me is going to just pop out of thin air."

"I don't know, you seem to have stumbled upon another world and changed your species overnight, anything is possible." Itachi smiles at him.

"Right, I'm still trying to figure out how the fuck that happened." Not to mention why. Or if any of this was really real. But Sasuke would have to figure out that stuff later. "…If I find whatever I'm looking for here, can I just…take it and go back?"

"Well...I'm not really sure to be honest. I know very little about Seekers." That was magic far beyond his skill level. "I may be something of a childhood prodigy when it comes to magic, but you're talking about secrets that take hundreds of years to learn. As the Seeker though, the older mages could tell you about such things."

Great…so he had to talk to someone. Sasuke sighs, his gaze dropping back to the sheets. "Would they even agree to see me?" He wasn't from this kingdom, this world, or even really an elf. There was no guarantee that they would say yes.

"They would agree to see you because you're a Seeker." Itachi nods at him.

Really? They would agree just like that? "So…where are they?" Maybe Sasuke could sneak out in the middle of the night and go see them. Or the middle of the day, depending on what hours they worked. But…there had to be some kind of mage working the night shift, right? What if someone needed a magical problem solved at two in the morning?

"I can have them come and visit you." Itachi shakes his head. "My mother would probably lasso me instead of you, if I let you out of this room now."

"Damn it." Sasuke pouts a little at being caught. "You all really want to keep me locked in here." He wasn't some naughty puppy that needed to be put in a kennel.

"Mostly because your wounds are serious enough that if you reopen them, you're at serious risk for bleeding to death." Itachi shakes his head. "It's not because we want to keep you prisoner."

Wait, what now? "They were that serious?" Just how much had they neglected to tell him? Sasuke stills, his eyes moving to the bandages still wrapped securely around his arm. Or…had he forgotten? Ugh, it made his head hurt. "…I thought that I was half-delirious at the time, so I didn't bother to check…"

"Sasuke, as I said…you're very lucky to be alive." Itachi frowns and shakes his head. "We aren't being overprotective motherhens...it took our two best healers the entire evening and well into the night to stabilize you."

"…I see…" So he'd nearly died, then. "Thank you." It was the polite thing to say when someone saved your life, for better or worse. Sasuke would have to decide which this turned out to be later. For now, it was probably best that he find out how to see those mages. The sooner he had answers, the better.

"Rest and I shall go and find a mage who can help answer your questions." Itachi sighs as he pokes his forehead. "So don't be foolish. I know that you don't particularly want to be here, but you are safe here."

There was that word again. Safe. He was…safe here. At least, according to Itachi. Sasuke's hands grip the blankets, curling them around himself, even as he scowls slightly at having his forehead poked. "Why did you poke me? It's annoying."

"My mother kisses my forehead as a sign of affection." Itachi laughs softly. "I figured that might be a bit odd for us. So I decided a poke was better."

A sign of…affection? Sasuke touches his forehead, recalling the queen kissing him there. "She…did that before." They were showing him affection? But they didn't even know him.

"Well I wouldn't be surprised by that. By our standards, you're a young child who was badly injured and it's...eerie, but you look more like her son than even I do." Itachi tilts his head. "I've never seen anything like it."

Sasuke's heart sinks a little. "But that's just a coincidence." It was nothing more than that. He was just some random kid who got dropped into their forest.

"That's true, but still." He smiles at him. "Besides, you've also shown a lot of bravery. Most people in your position would be screaming or curled up in a ball crying." He pokes his forehead again. "She probably respects that."

A pale little nose scrunches up. "Itachi!" Honestly, what was with the prince and poking? Not that it really mattered in the long run. "…Whatever…I did all my crying a long time ago." He hadn't cried in years. His tears had all dried up by now. Besides, tears had never helped him in the slightest, not even when he made sure they were silent.

"Such a miserable place this Earth must be." Itachi eyes him with sadness and sighs heavily. "I imagine even the nightspawn had more mercy than this place you call home."

"Home, huh…" That was a notion Sasuke hadn't nursed in a while. "…It's where I've always been. So if that makes it home, then I guess you could call it that."

"An incredibly sad way to describe where you're from, but maybe you should stop trying to get back there." He shakes his head. "It's up to you, but it doesn't seem as though you really want to."

To Sasuke, wanting to go back or not didn't really matter. He had a middle school education, and still had to figure out what to do with his life once he was free of foster care. And while this dream-like place was nice, Sasuke still didn't know what he was supposed to DO here. Become an elf and do elfy things?

He sighs, closing his eyes for a moment. "For now, figuring out what to DO is probably best." Once he knew what he was supposed to do here, maybe then he could figure out how to go back to where things made sense.

"Well I'm certain someone would take you into their family or you could at least be taught a trade." Itachi nods at him. "Do you have any interests or skills?"

"…I'm good at sports, and I've always scored the highest marks in my year at school." Though Sasuke didn't see how that would apply here. "I can fight, too. Kakashi taught me martial arts."

"Well you could be a warrior, hunter, or a scholar." Itachi smiles at him. "There are, of course, many other options in the trades and crafts."

Sasuke kind of had to wonder just how many options there were for young elves. Well, ones that were older than him, at least. Maybe if he picked up something here, he would be better equipped when he went back, maybe for an apprenticeship, or at least to be able to find his own food. "…What could someone my age do without raising eyebrows?"

"Well there are many apprenticeship that one could do. Though most elves your age are not old enough to be in them. But considering your background, perhaps an exception could be made." Though, short of making it an official order, Itachi doubted that there would be many willing to take on an apprentice under the age of twenty.

Sasuke sighs frustratedly. "Right, because I'm basically five years old to you people, so I'm too young to do anything." He'd been relegated to being a child, again. Well, in the worst case scenario, he could always just…hunt for his own food until he found a way back. Kakashi had, at one point, taught him how to make a fire from twigs and rocks and such. "Learning to shoot a bow would probably be more helpful right now, anyway."

"Yes, we do encourage all our people to at least try a few archery lessons, anyway." Itachi nods approvingly. "Who knows, maybe you'll find you're naturally gifted at it?"

"Like everything else I try…" At least, that's what his teachers said, and sometimes it was true, but mostly, there was a lot of silent hard work involved. Still, there was still one problem that Sasuke couldn't see getting around. "I'm still going to be locked in here until I heal, aren't I?"

"I would say a few days at least, but if you like, I can get you some books to read." Itachi smiles at him. "I'm sure that there is a lot that you wish to know about Avalon."

"Alright." At least he wouldn't be bored if he got some reading in. Wait… "I don't suppose that they're written in English or Japanese…" Because if they were written in some elven tongue, that might cause Sasuke a few problems.

Itachi blinks. He had expected there to be some sort of magic that would help Sasuke read it. He could speak like an elf without trying to. "Well I'll just have to ensure that you're taught our written word…" This was going to take a while. Sasuke certainly couldn't be sent out as any sort of apprentice until he knew at least that much.

Sasuke sighs irritably. "Good thing I'm considered a genius…" Otherwise this was going to take forever. "I don't suppose that you have a dictionary or something that I can write notes in? I can…" He doubted they knew what photographic memory or eidetic memory meant, so… "I can memorize things that I see, so if I saw the words side by side…"

"We do have many dictionaries." Itachi nods at him. "I shall go and fetch one. Is there anything else that you would like?"

"Something to write with, and someone to dictate the words so I can translate them." Maybe that was asking too much, but there wasn't really any other way to go about this. But at least this way, Sasuke wouldn't be bored out of his mind while waiting for his injuries to heal.

"I'm certain I can find a tutor to dictate for you." The boy certainly seemed the studious type. "I shall be back with everything shortly." There were advantages to being a prince, after all.