Freshly Fallen Snow
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Well, I was planning on updating this sooner. Unfortunately, one can never predict which stories inspiration will strike first. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: I haven't really decided how big of a role Naruto will have in this story. Whether he's comical relief or getting a more 'serious' part. So please feel free to weigh in on that.
Chapter 7
This place was nothing like home. The grand ballroom of Arendelle's capital was a far cry from the more humble dwellings that Sasuke was used to living in.
"I think even the Daimyo's might be jealous of this place." Naruto whispers to Sasuke.
Sasuke could only nod in agreement. Though the fact that, the people of Arendelle had been working at a furious pace to 'transform' the ballroom might have had something to do with it.
Glorious. There was simply no other way around it. "Probably." Sasuke sighs as he looks around and notices hundreds of people had already filed in. "The chandeliers made out of ice were a nice touch." With many more, trying to get through the door.
"Why do you look so grumpy?" Naruto glances at Sasuke in concern.
He wasn't grumpy. Sasuke didn't know how to explain how he felt at the moment, but grumpy wasn't exactly right.
"I'm dressed up like I belong in a fairytale." The Uchiha in question rolls his eyes as he gestures to his magnificent dark purple robes. "Someone is going to ask me to dance."
Naruto just bursts outs laughing at that. "So you can't dance?" Because he was an idiot and didn't realize the gravity of the situation.
This wasn't the Leaf. This wasn't their world. This was Arendelle and the two of them were both likely going to make fools out of themselves.
"I've never had a reason to dance." Sasuke almost slaps Naruto upside the head for his comment, but thinks better of it. "Besides, our dances are probably nothing like theirs and we have no way of knowing what cultural taboos we might be breaking just by standing around looking like idiots."
Not only that, but he had kissed Elsa. Another accidental kiss, but still Sasuke didn't know what he was supposed to do about that.
"I think you're just nervous because you and the queen were making out." Naruto's playful banter was really beginning to grate on Sasuke's nerves.
He wouldn't call it making out though. Not exactly. Though it had definitely been more enjoyable than the two monstrosities of kisses he had shared with Naruto.
Screw it. Sasuke whacks him upside the head. "Just shut up and try not to embarrass the hell out of the poor woman." It was obvious that the blonde queen had put her heart and soul into preparing this ball.
He wasn't going to let Naruto screw it up because he wanted to tease him. That and Sasuke just hated being taunted in general, even if it was well-intentioned.
"You really like her." Naruto smiles at Sasuke was some people start dancing. "You know, if you have kids with her…they'd probably have water affinities."
Sasuke would have smacked Naruto again, if he wasn't so thrown off by that comment. He had no idea how the Hokage had figured that out, but curiosity gotten the better of him.
"How do you figure that?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow.
He really should have known better than to ask that, but Naruto had unintentionally exploited his weakness. He'd always wanted to restore his Clan and despite always wanting to do so, Sasuke had never really given much thought to what his children's abilities would be. (Well other than hopefully activating their Sharingans and being able to use fire).
Naruto just grins at him. "Well you figure she has snow and ice for chakra and you have fire." Ohhh. "So the fire would just melt her snow and ice and you'd get Suigetsus."
Sasuke twitches at that. No, he most assuredly did not want Suigetsus for children. He didn't have the patience for that.
"They wouldn't be Suigetsus." Sasuke shrugs. "Having water for a chakra nature is fine, but I don't want mercenaries with sword fetishes for children."
Of course, he'd probably try to teach them how to use a sword at some point. It was a useful weapon to wield and Sasuke had grown increasingly fond of swords of the years. There was a limit though.
Naruto snickers like the cat that caught the canary. "So you admit that you are thinking about it." Wonderful. Sasuke had apparently fallen into some kind of trap, after all.
"Only because you brought it up!" Sasuke hisses at him.
His annoyance was at odds with the grandness of the event. Everyone was dressed in their best and the food smelled delicious. He didn't belong here. No matter how much he might wish he did.
Naruto chuckles and shakes his head. "You still thought about it, after I did though." What kind of logic was that?
"Naruto, you really are an idiot sometimes." That or maybe the blond really just enjoyed being smacked around.
A few minutes later, Isabella arrives at the castle. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Queen Elsa had done an exceptional job at organizing the ball. Not that it would save her.
"They're new." The emerald queen tilts her head when she sees Sasuke and Naruto. "Well, perhaps I'll investigate the matter more thoroughly later."
Though it looked like the blonde man would be rather lucky to make it through the night. His 'companion' was glaring daggers at him. Interesting.
"Oh." That's when Isabella hears a feminine voice coming closer to her. "Welcome Queen Isabella." It was Elsa. "We're so glad that you could make it."
The woman was completely clueless. "I'm glad to be here." She'd invited her straight into her home and looked at her with such trusting eyes that Isabella almost felt guilty for what she was about to do. "Here, I brought you a gift." She gestures towards the 'wine' bottle in her hands.
That wouldn't stop her from doing what needed to be done though. Isabella was going to be the richest woman on the planet soon. Friendly eyes weren't going to change that.
"Thank you." Elsa smiles as she takes it. "I'll just put it on the gift table."
No. That simply wouldn't do at all. She needed to make sure that the snow queen drank it and no one else.
She smiles at her 'friend.' "I'd prefer it, if it was taken to your chambers." Of course, she'd have to tread very carefully. "The wine is very special and I had it made specifically for you."
Elsa looks confused at that, but nods as she summons a guard forth. "Please take this wine to my chambers." Wonderful. Everything was going exactly how it should.
The guard bows to her and quickly sets off. Hmm. That was interesting. Elsa's staff was actually competent.
"Thank you." Isabella smiles at Elsa. "I do hope that you enjoy the festivities." She gestures towards the two strangers. "If you don't mind me asking, who are they?"
Elsa follows her gesture and smiles. "That's Naruto and Sasuke." She pauses for a moment. "They're from far away. So you'll have to forgive them, if they aren't overly familiar with our customs."
Ah. That did make sense. Isabella could feel the magic in them from all away across the room.
She would have remembered encountering either of those men before. "I see." She winks at Isabella. "Perhaps, I should introduce myself before they're swarmed too much."
It was already too late for that though. Several women had spotted both men and Isabella didn't see a ring on either of them. Oh boy. These silly girls would be the death of her.
"Alright." She smiles. "They're both very friendly."
Good. It was interesting. Their powers were so tangible. The two men were doing nothing of great importance, but it radiated from them in waves.
"I'll keep that in mind." The dark queen smiles as she saunters over to the pair of them. "Hello, gentleman." The other women were smart enough to move out of the way of a monarch. "I'm Queen Isabella. Might I have the honor of your names?"
The blond just grins at her. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki." A bundle of sunshine this one. "This is Sasuke."
Sasuke's power seemed darker than Naruto's. So he was more interesting by default, but the blue eyed one was giving off quite a lot of energy. Perhaps the second man was trying to cloak his abilities and the first wasn't?
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." She smiles at Naruto. "Would you care to dance?" She glances at Sasuke. "Oh and you as well. I do love meeting new people."
Sasuke nods at her politely, but Isabella wasn't blind. His eyes were following Elsa more than her. Interesting.
"Great!" Naruto beams as he wraps his arms around her waist. "You're going to have to teach me how to dance like your people though."
Isabella laughs softly and nods as she leads him away from Sasuke. This attraction between the stranger and queen was an unexpected development, but one that she could use to her advantage.
A few hours later, Elsa smiles. It looked like the ball was a success so far. Though she was starting to feel bad for Sasuke.
"I didn't know you could dance the Arendelle way." She giggles as she makes her way over to him. "Though I guess some things truly are universal."
Sasuke shakes his head at her. "I'm just copying their movements." Oh. Sasuke was a fast learner then.
The poor man must be thoroughly exhausted by now though. His dance card and Naruto's were probably the fullest in the place, next to her own.
"Then you're doing an exceptionally good job." Elsa laughs softly as she wraps her arms around her neck. "Come. You can dance with me and then I'll help you escape to the garden for awhile."
Sasuke smirks at her as his hands soon fall to her waist. One thing was obvious, Sasuke was not nearly as bashful when he was doing something on purpose as when he did on accident.
"Why would I need to escape to the gardens?" Her partner twirls her around gracefully. "I rather like the view here. You and Anna did a fantastic job organizing this thing."
This thing? This clearly was a man who didn't understand the purpose of balls. Oh well. That was fine. He meant well.
Elsa smiles as they sway to the music together. "To rest your feet mostly." She looks around at everyone who was staring at them. "You seem to be popular."
Sasuke snorts at that. He did have a habit of doing that in a sarcastic way. Maybe, that was normal in the Leaf Village though.
"Only because they don't know me." He smiles at her. "You don't have to worry about my feet though. I'm a ninja." Sasuke twirls her under his arm. "I can handle a little dancing, but I suppose it would be rude to turn down an invitation from a queen."
Yes, he was rather sarcastic. It was different than the types of jokes that Elsa was used to. Still, she didn't mind it.
"Yes, it would be extremely rude." She nods sagely. "It might even cause a diplomatic incident."
Two could play the Sarcasm Game. Though maybe, she should come up with a better name for it. She'd have to work on that later though.
Sasuke shakes his head, but she could see amusement dancing in his eyes. Her companion had caught onto the fact that she was willing to indulge his eccentricities for the night.
"In that case, it would be my honor to join you in the gardens." His hold was firm, but loose enough that she could have gotten away with ease. "Though I doubt many flowers are blooming in the dead of winter."
Elsa shakes her head and smiles. "I can always make us ice roses." If she could make a castle, the queen could damn sure make ice flowers.
Sasuke smirks at that and spins her around some more. He nods as the music continues swirling around the two of them. There was something very exciting about that combination that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"I'm sure you could." The dance ends and the two of them slowly try to sneak out of the ballroom. "I'm sure you can do anything you put your mind too actually, even making a talking snowman."
Elsa laughs at that. "That's true." She probably shouldn't have, but she finds herself slowly threading her fingers through Sasuke's. "Do they have talking snowmen where you come from?"
Sasuke shakes his head as the slip off together. "No, but I do have an Aoda." Right. Hmm. That was a tough call.
Which was better an Olaf or an Aoda. Nevermind. She shouldn't compare like that. It was rude.
"He does seem like a nice…snake." Elsa figures she should say something.
Sasuke chuckles as they leave behind the other partygoers. "The nicest snake of them all." He was probably used to people making jokes about his giant snake, Elsa muses.
Naruto smiles as he spins Isabella around. "This isn't so hard." Mostly, it was a lot of twirling and spinning. "So you're a queen, huh?"
The woman's eyes were so damn green. He'd never seen e yes that exact shade before. Then again, this was another dimension. Maybe, Isabella's eyes were normal here.
"I'm glad that you're catching on so quickly." She smiles at him as they continue dancing. "You're correct though. I am a queen."
That did explain the crown. It was just that Naruto hadn't actually expected to run into another queen here, besides Elsa. This world apparently was far more complicated than he had thought.
He spins her around more though. "I gotta say this place is lucky." The blond grins at her. "It's got at least two beautiful queens and it's really pretty around here with all the snow and stuff."
He'd never really been a winter guy. Though there was something beautiful about the way sunlight occasionally hit the snow just right and lit up the place. That and it was always nice to have a chance to throw snowballs at Sasuke.
"You're too kind." Isabella smiles at him. "Queen Elsa says that you and your companion are from far away? I should very much like to learn about the land that you hail from."
She really was a queen. Naruto had rarely heard anyone speak so formally before. Probably because most people knew that his personality wasn't really cut out for that sort of stuff and they tended to give him a break.
"Yeah." Naruto nods at her as he notices Olaf dancing out of the corner of his eye. "We're from far away and our kingdom is a lot different than this one. Still, Arendelle seems like a very nice place."
Hopefully, that was formal enough not to offend her. The last thing Naruto needed was to cause a diplomatic incident over something like that.
"That's kind of you to say." She smiles at him. "So tell me of your magic . I could sense it even from across the room."
Naruto blinks at that. Suddenly, he found himself feeling rather tongue-tied. He hadn't expected that anyone around here would be able to sense chakra.
Meanwhile Anna leads Kristoff outside. She was trying her best not to giggle, but it was hard not to. She had been right all along.
"Anna, you really shouldn't spy on them." Her husband sighs.
To which, she shoots him a rather dirty look. "I'm not spying on them." This was just her making sure that Elsa was safe and happy. What was so wrong with that?
It was her job to do so. After all, without her…their kingdom might still be stuck in a permanent winter.
"Right." Kristoff shakes his head disapprovingly. "You're just watching them." That was right. "Without their knowledge." Right again. "That's definitely not spying." Hmpf. Now, he was just making fun of her.
Fortunately though, she could hear every word the two of them were saying and the conversation was interesting to say the least. Though that might just be the romantic in her.
"See?" Elsa smiles at him. "I told you that we could have flowers even in winter."
Her sister had created a beautiful rose made out of ice. Anna had never seen anything like it before and even Sasuke looked more than a little impressed.
"That's some impressive chakra control." He gingerly takes it into his hand. "Perhaps, not the most practical usage for it, but it is beautiful."
It was as if the ninja thought that he would break the rose, just by touching it. Well that or he would melt it. Actually on second thought, Sasuke probably had a good reason to be worried about such a thing happening.
His magic was different than Elsa's. Whereas her sister flourished in the cold, Sasuke was the opposite. He controlled fire and lightning.
"Thank you." She smiles at him. "So how are your feet feeling?"
Sasuke just shrugs at that. "Alright." He smirks at her. "Ninjas don't get tired that easily. How are your royal feet doing?"
Elsa rolls her eyes at that, but Anna could tell she was really amused. That was the same sort of look that the princess gave Kristoff whenever he was trying to be a smart aleck.
"The royal feet are sore, but they'll be fine by tomorrow." Elsa laughs.
Sasuke nods somberly as if that was some sort of grand declaration. "Good." He chuckles and kisses her forehead. "I'm sure the people of Arendelle will be relieved to hear that."
Yes! "He kissed her!" Anna starts doing a happy dance.
Only to see Elsa and Sasuke look towards their direction. Luckily, Kristoff pulls her behind some snow covered trees. Otherwise, they would have been caught.
"Anna, it was only a kiss on the cheek." Her husband shakes his head in amusement at her antics.
Well yeah. It was a start though. One step at a time. It looked like she was really going to get a Brother-In-Law, after all!
"Baby steps." She nods at him stubbornly.
Kristoff just laughs and drags her off. The princess didn't even protest though. After all, she really didn't want to get caught listening to Elsa's and Sasuke's private conversation!