Edit: I edited this... there were a lot of mistakes, and I forgot to give the girl a name! I feel so stupid, lol. I didn't have internet when I wrote it, so I was going to go back in later and add a name and I didn't. So yah, the girl's name that was with Naruto is Sato Haruka (last name, first name).
Author's Note: I feel awful, really, about not posting something for two months! I was going to get around to it, but other things were busy and wrapping up, and before I knew it! it was June. Tomorrow's my birthday as well, so think of this as an early birthday present. I plan on writing another chapter this month, too. Things are finally getting somewhere. Sorry it's starting out so slow, in my opinion. It's just I type, get distracted, then realize that there's still so much I have to get to and through.
(This story was written in the time of Team 7, before Sasuke leaves Konoha, and it takes place in a slightly alternate story universe.)
POV: Naruto (Unless said otherwise)
Pairing: SasuNaru
Chapter Rating: PG-13 (Language, minor violence)
Disclaimer: I totally DO own all these characters... in my head. Unfortunately, Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto in and out of his head.
Song: "Sleep" - Phish
I wake up with a vision blurred
And all my efforts are deterred
To reconstruct this image lost
They're certain things my mind won't do
And even though they're very few
The image glistens like a gem
Repairing is not one of them
Chapter Two: Sleep
I spent the night down in the cave, filling my lungs with dust and dirt. It made my throat. Now that I thought about it, weren't caves usually wet, and not dry? I usually got this musty feeling whenever I was in one, but now I just felt incredibly dry. My throat was raw and my voice sounded like a toad's when I woke up. Well, not really...but close enough. I needed something to drink. If I stayed down here too long I'd be too weak to even try getting out.
Along with all that, my neck and back were kind of sore, and my arm was of no more use to me. It was dead. Using your arm as a pillow is not the best idea, but I thought it'd be better than the ground.
I pinched at the skin on my upper arm. Your arms a least were a bit squishy and floppy with all that skin and stuff.
I slowly rolled myself up off the ground and took a few trudges around in a circle to get feeling back into my feet.
Then I tripped.
"Or maybe just get used to my feet again..." I muttered, rubbing at the back of my head. Some dirt crumpled and fell from my hair. How I wished I had some water at the moment. My tan skin was growing darker the more time I spent in the cave. There was a find coat of night dust on me, giving me a new layer...a new look.
As I ran my hands down my arms I could feel the dust getting caught in the creases of my fingers, getting mixed up under my finger nails, or thrown down to the floor. If this was how much progress I was making with my arms, then I gave up on the idea of dusting off my clothing. It was take forever, and the dust was probably glued to the fabric by now.
Letting out a cough that turned into a weak hacking, I kind of wished for a moment I had something to wipe my face off with. Get all the dust away from where I breathed. Right now would be a perfect time for it to rain. I could catch some of the rain that fell down through the hole. It didn't rain, though, to my disappointment. I grimaced and let out a long sigh, walking towards the morning light that swam down the hole. I was glad that the hole hadn't been covered by something yet. I liked the light that I received, no matter how small it was.
I looked over at that spot where Sasuke had been, somehow hoping he'd be there. I was worried about him, I admitted. Can't say how shaken up I'd been to see him missing. Shit... it sucked. As much as he angered me at times, he was my teammate, my friend. And the last I'd seen him he was injured. It drove me crazy with all the questions I had running through my head. His well-being, his kidnappers- were they good or bad, was he good or bad? How could I have just left him there? Where in the world did he go? How did he go? Wasn't he unconscious when I went into the hole? Why the hell did he choose to wake up when I wasn't there? And if he didn't wake up, it must have been someone else taking him, right? And then there was the possibility of him waking up and getting out himself, but how would he have done that? There were only two exits, and one was a dead end. Plus, if he'd gone in there I would have run into him...right?
I walked over to the hole above my head, more like scampered over, my body full of worry. I glanced straight into the light that seemed to overflow the hole. I stretched out my arms, reaching my hands. The ceiling was barely within my reach, and if I gave a little jump I could brush my fingers on the cool and rough surface. Some of the dirt let loose and misted down on my face. I resisted the urge to sneeze and looked up again.
I didn't think. I just jumped.
My fingers clawed, slid, gripped. I couldn't get much of a grip; I kind of hung for a moment. I could have used chakra, but I was low. I was still weak. Sleeping helped, but it'd been bad sleep. And if I used what chakra I had to get out, then ran into somebody (bad), I wouldn't stand a chance.
Suddenly there was a shadow over the hole and I stepped back, wondering if it was a somebody or a something. Was it looking down? Could it be Sasuke?
I kind of gave up on that idea when they didn't say anything, and I took that moment to push my feet in reverse and locate the other hole. I was speeding up with my own heartbeat, my hands were running along the wall faster than my feet were trying to. I found the space, and slid in. More like dove in feet first, throwing up dust. I shuffled backwards, palms pressing me back, my feet digging, pushing me back, back, back. I was on my stomach, my breath choking me, and then I heard a thump. I'd hidden my presence... I knew the person was here, in this cave. The only thing I didn't know is if they knew I was in the cave.
Sasuke's POV
I was upside down. My eyes seemed to want to flip the images, make them make more sense. I let myself hang there, every muscle relaxed as if I were still asleep. Or, at least, to give them the false impression that I still was.
The sky I saw was bright and blue, almost the familiar blue of a certain someone. It had its small spots of clouds, but for the most part was clear. The ground off to the side was dark, but the grass was a pale green going on yellow. It looked sparse, as if it were dying. The ground beneath us was plain dirt, and I figured it to be a road or path. Little dust sprays tickled my arms. They were flopped over, dangling towards the ground. The position was uncomfortable, but I held it and let my body lay there.
We were on horseback. The clip and clop on the hooves, the occasional grunt, the unevenness on each step were recognizable. With every shift of its stomach, or lean in its step rocked and swayed me. Occasionally the presence beside me would sniff or clear their throat. The tone was higher, and I guess it was a female. She was to my left, I could feel her arms above me on the reins. From the clap of the reins, I could hear off patterns of hooves, realizing there were more than just this horse. But how many, I couldn't tell. Somehow my chakra was being restricted, but I wouldn't push agains the barriers. They would know I was awake.
I was tired, too. Not in the exhausted way, but sore tired. I didn't know how long I'd been on this horse, but the position I was in was awkward. I knew when I got out of it, it wasn't going to feel so great. It was already taking a lot of restraint not to move out of it now. Being unconscious was sounding a lot nicer to me.
I wondered if they'd drugged me, or just assumed I wouldn't wake up. It was hard to recall what exactly had happened, but I feel I'd been sleeping for quite some time. My head hurt as I pushed through my mind for memories. And in my mind I saw a piece of steel on the path. It was what Kakashi and I had been examining before we'd been attacked...ambushed? Sakura was yelling something to me next, and then I briefly felt myself falling. I was absorbed by the water. Unfortunately, my memories stopped with something orange in my vision. Wouldn't take much to guess who that was.
Speaking of him, had he fallen in like I had? And come to think of it, where was he? I wondered if they had him on a different horse or if he'd been taken elsewhere by the currents. With his luck, he was probably lost. I couldn't really say anything negative with my own predicament, though. I didn't know which situation was better off. Probably his. He'd be able to run into Kakashi and Sakura if he just back tracked.
I wouldn't admit, ever, to worrying about him. I would die first, which wasn't really an option. There was someone I had to kill first. But damn, why in the world was I thinking about Naruto so much? He and my brother were usually at the top of the list of problems in my mind. It was very annoying, but at the same time, thinking of Naruto was somehow comforting. Maybe it was that obnoxious, orange suit, bright blonde hair, and blue, blue eyes. They were so distracting, so freaking bright at times. Just looking at him made your skin burn up, either with annoyance, or like staring at someone wearing winter clothes on a hot day in the middle of summer. Very uncomfortable, very irritating.
There was that saying in the school, though, that bright objects were hypnotizing... That just seemed to fit Naruto... I didn't even want to think about it any further. I had to hold back a sigh of anger when I realized I was still in the company of the strangers. I was still alive. Which was a good thing. They could have done away with me when I was out, or they could be waiting until I woke up to get information from me and then kill me.
I wondered how long exactly I could feign sleep.
Naruto's POV
"Hello." My breath stiffened, then seemed to evaporate straight from my throat. How in the world...?
"I know you're here. Don't worry. Here, listen, I'm setting my stuff down by the light. No weapons, I'm clean. You hear, yes? And now I'm walking away from them."
I could hear their footsteps stop outside of the hole I was in, maybe five feet or more away.
"I'm going to sit down, and I want you to come out. I'm not going to hurt you."
I didn't move.
"Do you want me to lay down? I could put my hands in the air if it would make you feel better. I don't want to hurt you. I won't, I promise."
My curiosity got the better of me. If this person really was good, that means they could help me get out of here.
"What is your name?" I tried to sound angry, strong. It was kind of hard when your voice was raspy with dust, but I wanted to pose some sort of danger, in case they were lying to me.
"I am Sato Haruka, from the Land of Keys."
She didn't shift or move, so I pulled myself out at a slow pace. I tried to be as graceful as I could for a boy shuffling out of a hole on his stomach. Unfortunately, I ended up being as klutzy as ever and fell, flat-facing the ground.
I heard her giggle slightly, but then stop, not wanting to make me feel bad, I suppose, or just trying to be polite. I blushed furiously, grinning like an idiot as I pulled myself up. I sat in front of her, barely making out her figure by the faint light, and rubbed the back of my head with my hand. It was a habit I'd picked up when I'd done something embarrassing.
"I'm Uzamaki. Uzamaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be the Hokage one day!" I gave a big thumbs up, but then laughed a bit nervously. I could feel a smile being directed my way. My whole body felt flustered and warm. I could feel warm and kind feelings in my direction. It was a nice and comfortable feeling, one that made me very relaxed.
"So...uh... how'd you get down here? Where am I?"
There was silence for a moment; she must have been deep in thought. "You're just past the boarder to the Land of Keys. You've fallen into one of our cave trap systems. We have a lot of these around the boarder. They're periodically checked for any intruders who might have fallen in."
"I-I'm not trying to intrude," I protested. "I'm here on business, I mean, I was, but uhhh... I kind of got lost from my group, then lost in general." Suddenly my mind flashed to Sasuke. "Did somebody come here yesterday?"
She shook her head, then stopped, reconsidering. "Normally our checks are scheduled. Today is the official "check", but sometimes when we get suspicious, somebody will check at any time. May I ask why?"
"Well, you see..." I didn't know if I should tell her about Sasuke. What if he hadn't been taken, and in fact, just gotten out of the cave by himself? Then if I told her he was here what would she do? My head was spinning. "You see...I uh, I don't feel so good."
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I said I don't feel-" It took me a moment to realize that she wasn't asking me, that she wasn't wondering what I said, she was apologizing.
"Please trust me," she said quickly, as if panicked. She scooted forward and caught my head as my body lunged towards the ground. Her hand were cool on my forehead as she stroked it. "This will just put you to sleep temporarily, I'm just trying to help. I'm going to get you out of this cave. I'm sorry, I won't hurt you, please trust me." She was rushing her words, trying to get it through to me as I drifted off to sleep. I could only feel how cool and wonderful her fingers felt against my burning forehead. And then panic that I couldn't control my body. I was telling myself to wake up, but at the same time I wasn't listening. What was happening to me? How could she do this to me? I wondered, wondered, wondered if I could trust her.
