Chapter Title:'VIII. Roselind's Magic Dance'
Belonging To:'MiKADo'
Author:Miss.Yamapi.Kara
Genre:Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Humour
Warnings: None outstanding
Rating: T
Base: 'Naruto' by Masashi Kishimoto
Chapter Summary: Knowing that their quest will require teamwork, the seven try to become more sociable with each other. Mikado believes that the best way for this to happen is to feast together. Celebration before infiltration – the new warrior's code.

Chapter Soundtrack: 'Enchantment' Yanni, 'Until The Last Moment' Yanni, 'It's Only The Fairytale' ('Mai-HiME' ST), 'The Butterfly' Celtic Women, 'Magic Dance' David Bowie

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over the manga, anime or other variations of what I know as 'Naruto'. I am gaining no profit from this piece.
All material other than the characters of 'Naruto' and setting of 'Naruto' is claimed as the sole property of myself.

Heads Up: If necessary, action will be taken to protect my own writing. It would be greatly appreciated if fellow avid-writers, all readers or general persons would respect the content of this document and not copy it. If it is desired by anyone to use any part of the text on the page, I would bid him or her to contact me and it shall be discussed.

Miss.Yamapi.Kara

Author's Note: I realised that I hadn't been very careful with Mikado's character in the last chapter. I've now changed a couple of lines in chapter 7, but they're not essential to read. I'll be more careful from now on! ;P And yes, Mikado is a very indecisive and capricious character; whether or not that's because of her changing form so often is really up to you to judge. She's just plainly strange. Oh, and WARNING: I am dealing with a Sasuke somewhat unlike the Sasuke of the series; therefore, he will seem somewhat 'out-of-character'. Events leading up to his meeting with Mikado have caused Sasuke to become different. The next chapter might explain things a little. Basically, I am doing my best to keep Sasuke (and Naruto, for that matter) as in-character as per (worship) Masashi Kishimoto as I can, while adapting them to my story. Please keep this in mind. Thankyou!

Proceeding...


MiKADo

-

VIII. Roselind's Magic Dance

-

When Mikado said that all they need do was step out their door to be shown the way to the dining room, she wasn't kidding.

As Naruto and Sasuke exited their room, having finished bathing and dressing, they stumbled down the first few steps of a black obsidian stone staircase. Sasuke bumped into Naruto's back, successfully halting his descent. As he glanced behind him he saw their door had disappeared. A smooth crimson coloured wall had replaced it. He sighed heavily, telling himself he should really have expected that, and turned back around.

"You okay?" Naruto questioned with concern showing in his eyes.

Sasuke blinked and nodded once. He had been caught off-guard by the question and didn't understand why it had made him feel so vulnerable – there was no reason he shouldn't be all right.

"I just didn't like the sound of that sigh." Naruto explained. The concern in his eyes had been replaced by calm.

Had Naruto not turned to walk down the stairs at that moment, he would have witnessed a rather comical expression on his best friend's face: something between embarrassment and brain malfunction.

'What exactly did it sound like?' Sasuke was confused by one too many things about that exchange.

Deciding to shrug it off, he followed after Naruto. The staircase was extremely short, the first step of which stood only a couple of metres off the floor. Having reached the last step, Sasuke looked around and noticed that they had entered directly into the dining room. All four walls of the room were painted crimson and the floor was panelled with dark oak wood, which felt cool under their bare feet. From the centre of a similarly fashioned ceiling hung a lamp in the shape of a giant flower; the shining yellow bulb was surrounded by four expansive glass petals, which curved outwards and faded into purple glass nearing the edges. In each of the four corners of the room stood a silver suit of armour, each one slightly different to the last. The only other thing inside the room, which had no visible doors or windows leading into or out of it, was the gigantic rectangular table of thick red wood that was set with eight places and laden with mountains of mouth-watering, richly scented foods. The dishes were veiled by a huge translucent-white cloth.

Five of the eight places were already occupied.

"Oh! Naruto, Sasuke! Please, come join us! As you can see, Aldehyde is now the only one missing." Mikado waved for the two newcomers to take a seat. They did so.

This time, Sasuke made sure that Emery would have no opportunity to come anywhere near him. As it was, Mikado sat at the head of the table. To her right was Hatsu, to her left was Weith. Beside Hatsu sat Carmine; beside Weith was Emery. Sasuke sat between Carmine and Naruto. Although there were nine seats vacant at the table, only one other place was set and no empty seats were beside Sasuke, therefore not leaving him open to attack.

He sighed heavily again, this time in relief.

"You sure you're okay?" Naruto's concern had returned.

"I'm fine." Sasuke kept the gladness he felt from showing on his face as he averted his eyes. He knew he didn't deserve Naruto's attention, but he still refused to openly show any appreciation of it.

And appreciate it, he did.

Mikado twirled a loose strand of purple hair around her finger, "The dear man must always arrive fashionably late." She smiled sarcastically to herself. Setting her other hand on the table, she thrummed her blue fingernails against the surface. The small clicks drew Naruto's attention towards her. Mikado crossed one leg over the other and continued thrumming. Realising that she hadn't changed appearance again, Naruto looked around the table to see that everyone was wearing a robe similar to hers. Carmine and Emery wore those absent of sleeves, identical to Mikado's, while the males around the table wore short-sleeved robes.

They all shimmered with changing colours under the light of the flower-shaped lamp.

Naruto looked across the table to Emery, who had obviously worked hard to wash herself free of dirt and grime. Her skin was clean and a healthy tan. Her hair was dry, which Naruto realised happened automatically on arrival in this room, and pulled into a much neater tail secured by a new rubber tie. Naruto concluded that a peculiar shade of black-grey was indeed Emery's natural hair colour; it looked considerably more healthy after being washed. Her eyes gleamed with barely contained happiness and Naruto expected her smile to split her face into two at any moment. It was upsetting to realise that Emery probably had never experienced such treatment before in her entire life.

Wanting to distract himself from such thoughts, Naruto looked to Weith. He too had cleaned up nicely. He had shaved and was also tanned underneath the layer of dirt that had covered him. With the sleeves of the robe cut short, the scars that littered his arms were now visible. None were particularly distinctive, but each arm as a whole bared many. Weith had his arms crossed casually across his chest.

Both girl and man looked refreshed and relaxed.

Similarly, Carmine and Hatsu also seemed more relaxed. They remained well-groomed, as expected of the upper-class, but Naruto felt the tension from earlier had dissipated. He smiled and leaned back into his chair, hoping that Sasuke would also loosen up a little soon; he knew that Sasuke wouldn't let his guard down completely.

Hatsu was speaking to Carmine, "I am glad to be rid of the royal garments." He smoothed his hands over the robe he was wearing.

"Hatsu, please." Carmine admonished with a disapproving look, her free golden hair shifting as she turned her head to the small boy.

"I meant only because there are so many pieces to the costume." He pouted, like the child he should be.

Carmine did her best to disguise her grin with a chastising scowl.

Suddenly, a door appeared at the top of the staircase. It was the same strange door that lead to Aldehyde's room. Said man stepped out, closed the door behind himself and walked calmly down the steps.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at how easily Aldehyde had accepted the staircase-from-nowhere and vanishing of the door, 'So, he really has been here before.'

"Good evening, deviant." Mikado purred, smirking with satisfaction at having used one of Orioto's beloved descriptions of Aldehyde.

"Good evening to you as well, my dear." Aldehyde winked at Mikado and took his seat beside Emery.

Mikado rolled her eyes and asked, "Pray tell, what took you so long?"

Aldehyde pouted playfully and leaned back, resting one arm over the back of Emery's chair, "Nothing in particular."

Emery carefully looked at the man from the corner of her eye, not wanting to look at him directly. She squeaked and blushed when he grinned at her suggestively.

Mikado'e eyebrow twitched but she didn't say anything to the man's unseemly behaviour. Instead, she picked up her goblet and stood, holding it out before her by the stem, golden and etched with filigree like the other seven, "Everyone, please take up your drinks." Aldehyde became serious and sat straight in his chair. The goblets were raised. Sasuke noticed right away that they were all empty and was actually quite interested to see how Mikado would fill them. In the next moment, she turned her goblet upside-down, waited a split-second, and turned it right side up again. Sasuke watched carefully as a thick, though transparent, red liquid gradually began to fill the cup he held. He saw Naruto inspect his own cup, moving like a confused meerkat, perplexed as to where the liquid was coming from. Sasuke looked into his own again. It seemed as though the drink was rising from the bottom of the chalice itself.

A bubbling giggle made him look to Mikado. She seemed amused at the varying reactions she was receiving.

Carmine whispered under her breath to Sasuke, "This is the customary action to begin Friday's Feast. All priests have been granted this ability since the time of the first Mikado; however, they only summon water."

Sasuke inclined his head to show he had heard. As he did, he saw that Emery was just as amazed as both he and Naruto. She stared into her goblet, both hands cupped around it as if any sudden movement on her part might disturb the miraculous act. It was obvious that Emery had never seen this happen before. Sasuke almost sympathised, realising that she had probably never attended any remarkable gathering in her homeland, 'It's completely different, seeing the things Mikado can do and then having it happen in your own two hands.'

The girl discarded her amazement when Mikado spoke.

"In acknowledgment of that which we pursue," Mikado's voice rang out in the room, "we drink and dance tonight. For our end it is, that we now pray." She raised her cup higher and her smoldering stare followed it, "With this feast, we remember Friday and know our fight." Hatsu, Carmine and Weith raised their goblets as Mikado did, and Emery, Sasuke and Naruto copied the motion; Mikado finished, "For Mikado, we now feast!"

"Marked!" Hatsu, Carmine and Weith responded together. Emery, Sasuke and Naruto echoed the reply.

Together, the eight drank from their respective cups. The liquid was sweet, not like wine but rather similar to a syrupy juice.

As they set their goblets down, every one of them felt a new connection made to every other person in that room.

Naruto looked to Sasuke. Sasuke looked at Naruto.

With Naruto's eyes sparkling and his smile conveying excitement no words could describe, Sasuke knew that he was supposed to be there. At that moment, he knew beyond a doubt that his place was beside Naruto, fighting against the thing that wanted to keep the two of them apart.

Then and there, he made a vow to never let that happen again.

"Well then," Mikado grinned slyly, "let us begin!" With one smooth movement, she pulled the translucent cloth from the table and flung it towards the ceiling. The sudden up-draft of air caused the delicious smells to waft upwards as well, invading the senses of everyone at the table. As the cloth hovered back down, it began to vanish.

Hatsu gasped at the sight that greeted them and uttered in awe, "Thankyou, Mikado. This is marvellous."

The table was covered in innumerable plates, each holding a delicacy more attractive than the last. There were golden brown roasts and cobs of corn, steaming bowls of soups surrounded by powdered loaves of bread; platters of crisp, fresh fruits were piled high between crystal pitchers of water, and bottles of both sweet and savoury sauces were strewn over the table. An assortment of cakes and pastries decorated the end of the table, creating a pretty display of glazed cherries and sweet trappings. A crystal bowl of cream, full and soft like an edible tuft of cloud, had been placed in the centre of the desserts, between two boats of dark chocolate and vibrant pink strawberry sauce.

Mikado resumed her seat and slid a small glass full of dark grapes towards herself. She plucked three from it and slid it back. Emery was quick to do the same, obviously becoming more fond of Mikado with every move she made. She too took three grapes, watching closely how the Goddess moved, daintily and effortlessly, and tried to emulate the actions. Mikado noticed and offered a saucer of boiled eggs to Emery. The girl took one and beamed, "Thankyou, sister!"

Sasuke caught the surprise that flitted across the Goddess' face, before it gave way to a kind smile.

As the others all began feasting on the banquet, Naruto was lost as to where he should begin. Practically salivating at the sight of all of it, he looked from dish to dish, "Aw man, where to start..."

"The white sauce is delicious when combined with those rolls." A heavily accented voice sounded to Naruto's right. He looked in that direction but saw no one there. Naruto shook his head and reached for the white sauce.

"Oh, I do recommend the green salad. Drizzle some of that oil on it and you will fall in love!" Another voice, higher in tone and much more exaggerated than the last spoke to Naruto's left.

He whipped his head around and came face to face with Sasuke, "Uh.. Did you hear that?" Naruto asked with an unsure raise of his eyebrow.

Sasuke was about to reply when another different voice interrupted, "Don't listen to them. One of those tortes is just what you need. They are divine."

"The choice is obvious: choose the soup." The last voice was clipped and considerably deeper than the other three.

Naruto looked to Mikado with pleading eyes, "Tell me I'm not going crazy!"

Mikado laughed and held a hand up to her mouth; it seemed she'd been waiting for a reaction to the newest oddity.

"Don't mind them, they're just pleased to have more dinner guests." She gestured to the four corners of the room with delicate turns of her wrists. In those corners, stood the suits of armour, as still and lifeless as they had been before.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Naruto deadpanned.

"She's not, they really do enjoy the company." Aldehyde chuckled as he brought a forkful of potatoes to his mouth.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce to you the Four Suits." Mikado looked first to her right, to a suit with large sharp spikes radiating from its shoulder armour, "This is the Suit of Spades." The suit raised an arm with a jerk and saluted the group. Mikado looked to her left, "The Suit of Clubs." It leaned on a gigantic metal club-like weapon with one hand and saluted with the other. The next suit had a shining helmet in the shape of a European dragon's head, "This is the Suit of Diamonds." This one also saluted. The last suit carried a silver spear, topped by a spearhead in the shape of a typical heart, "And this is the Suit of Hearts."

"Charmed." The Suit of Hearts stepped forward and bowed, then stepped back into its original position.

"As are we." Carmine beamed, as though this was the greatest thing she had ever seen.

Emery twitched her nose and looked at the suits suspiciously.

Mikado's eyes shone with affection for her Suits and Naruto was reminded again of that motherly aura she seemed to carry.

"My, what lovely guests, Miss Mikado!" The Suit of Spades gushed happily.

"I say, they are a diverse bunch." The Suit of Clubs observed.

"Aldehyde, good to see you, old chap!" The Suit of Diamonds raised its hand in greeting.

"And you, friend. Mikado has been caring for you accordingly, I see; you're shining like the day you were fashioned." Aldehyde smiled his dazzling smile and nodded to the Suit.

"Indeed, she treats us well." The Suit replied.

Weith laughed heartily and tore into a leg of roast, "Mikado, you sure have some wild things running around here."

Mikado laughed, "The Four Suits keep me company while I dine alone. They are treasured to me also."

Naruto decided it wouldn't hurt to take the advice of someone who – something that – dined with Mikado often, regardless of whether or not it could actually taste the food. "So, the soup, was it?" Then again, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if these Suits possessed the five senses. Sasuke made a noise deep in his throat somewhat similar to a laugh as he bit into a piece of bread, and Naruto scoffed good-humouredly at him, "They gotta know what they're talking about."

The group continued with the feast, each enjoying their fill while the Four Suits offered conversation enough to entertain a gaggle of geese.


Some time later, the eight had finished their meals and were satisfied. They were still conversing long after eating, and had become relatively comfortable speaking with one another.

Sasuke was the only exception. He would answer questions in short sentences but would never offer to begin a conversation or ask a question himself. If it was something that Naruto could easily answer or provide on his own, then Sasuke would gladly let him do so. Naruto wasn't unhappy about the arrangement – that was just how things were with Sasuke.

"I see. You are not all from the same world. Extraordinary." The Suit of Diamonds, among the other Suits, had become rather interested in the whole story.

"Jolly good! An adventure!" The Suit of Spades added giddily.

"Well, you should be off to your celebrating! Don't let us keep you." The Suit of Clubs came forward and picked up Weith's plate. It raised its helmet and dropped the entire thing down the hatch.

"That's one way to clear a plate." Weith snorted. Naruto decided that he was practiced in hiding his surprise behind sarcastic comments. He often seemed indifferent towards the things happening around him, unless one knew how to read him.

"Yes, you still have lots to enjoy tonight!" The Suit of Hearts joined the others who were now busy picking up dishes and sliding them into their helmets.

"What else are we doing, sister?" Emery picked at something stuck between her teeth with her nails.

"We are heading to another room," Mikado materialised a silver toothpick into her left hand and offered it to Emery, "to begin the active festivities." She spoke quietly while addressing the girl.

Sasuke watched as Emery took the toothpick from Mikado's hand. When Mikado turned to the rest of the group, Emery inspected the metal stick. She seemed a little confused. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched when the girl, at a loss as to what to do with the thing, tucked the toothpick away in her hair for safe-keeping.

'I wonder what else she has hidden..' Sasuke was inwardly dumbfounded.

"Now, if you would," Mikado stood with a fluid movement, her robe shifting with a silky slipping sound, "follow me to the realm of music, dance and general merriness." Her emerald eyes shone with mirth and her pale, unpainted lips curved into a smirk.

Sasuke considered her carefully, 'Mikado's speaking more formally again.. but she also sounds as if she's joking, somehow... Her personality really must be altered by her appearance.'

"Thankyou, Four Suits, for your wonderful company." Mikado gave an exaggerated bow while a chorus of thanks came from the others.

The Suits also bowed and bid the guests goodnight, reclaiming their positions in their corners after having cleared the table. It was spotless.

Mikado smiled at the Suits one last time before heading towards the wall on her left.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, abruptly frowning when he saw the look on his face, "You gotta stop analysing everything," he examined Sasuke's guarded features, "Even if she's a bit weird, Mikado's doing all this for her kids." Naruto stood up and started to walk the way Mikado had gone.

Sasuke wished he could follow Naruto's example and believe in that. He stood up to follow Naruto but did not walk beside him, 'How much do we really know about all this?' His mind supplied the answer, 'Only as much as Mikado has told us.'

He didn't want to be suspicious but it was in his nature to question everything, after all.

The eight had passed through a conjured doorway; as Mikado had neared the wall, it split and parted, creating a simple passage from the dining room into the next room, which was infinitely different to the last.

In fact, it was more a meadow than a room. Carpeted by grass, healthy light greens scattered with tufts of dark green, the verdant 'room' stretched far into the distance with no boundaries other than the horizon visible. Absent of a ceiling, when one looked up a dark expanse of star-studded night sky filled the space any usual roof should occupy. It was impossible to judge how far away or near the sky was. Not one cloud obscured the majestic array of glittering jewels that dotted the blue vastness. There were also no trees in sight. There were, however, a set of twelve equal-height flat-topped stones surrounding a tall pyre. The stones were carved from the precious gem moonstone and shone with reflected light from the tinsel pin-pricks above. Around the pyre, thirty-two sticks of incense had been pushed into the soft earth at evenly spaced intervals. They were dark red in colour and reached almost half a metre in height. A breeze swept by; it was cool and caressed the hair, carrying with it soft pink petals of an unidentifiable species of flower. As the gentle wind rested, the petals lilted to the grass.

Naruto stooped to pick up a petal, feeling its velvety texture between his fingers. He turned around and held it up to Sasuke. The dark-eyed young man seemed unaware of himself at that moment – he had allowed the awe he felt to flood over his face and set in his eyes, letting them shine in a wonder Naruto had never before seen on him. He smiled as Sasuke accepted the petal and watched how his friend marvelled at it, almost as if it was the most delicate thing in the world.

"Mikado," Naruto breathed, "This is magical."

Mikado's eyes were sadly nostalgic, "I know."

Aldehyde appeared beside her then, with the same look of sad-happiness causing the changing blues of his eyes to shimmer. He said nothing.

Hatsu had reached out to take Carmine's hand in his. The woman squeezed her charge's fingers to let him know she was with him.

Feeling the change in atmosphere around her, Emery perceived the moment to be one of intimacy, something to be shared with a friend. A frown marred her face as she realised she didn't have such a person. Noticing her unhappiness, Weith sighed to himself. Knowing he would regret it later, he reached out a hand and let it sit atop of Emery's head. Surprised, the girl looked up. Weith did his best to smile at her, and seemed to succeed in pleasing her: she returned the smile shyly and blushed before looking back out into the never-ending sky.

Another breeze moved past. Sasuke blinked and became alert.

Naruto frowned at the change and stood back up, "What's wrong?"

"Shh!" Sasuke whispered. He let the petal fall, but before it reached the ground it was caught in another light wind.

"..I hear it.." Naruto's voice was low and subdued, an exhaled breath lost in the music that had begun to sneak its way into the air around them.

High clinking sounds, bells on the stems of daisies; a wavering, singing violin; the plucking of a guitar, high thrums and dulled pats, not unlike dancing steps of a child, becoming steadily louder, closer.

Like music from a music box.

Naruto slowly began to grin, "It's back.."

This time, Sasuke didn't feel the need to take Naruto's hand in his. But he did anyway.

Startled, Naruto looked down to see his hand joined with Sasuke's. He smiled. He wasn't going to question it.

At hearing the violin becoming louder and the beat of the music becoming faster, Mikado turned and looked up at Aldehyde, "Why don't we?"

Aldehyde grinned down at her affectionately, obviously relieved by the way her melancholy thoughts had dissipated, "Yes, let's." He took her hand in his and pulled her close, curling his arm around her shoulders; in the next moment, he reversed the action, swinging her forward in a twirling flurry of shifting colours – black, green, purple, blue, scarlet – which she ended with a thudding stomp of her feet.

Posed before the pyre, Mikado's eyes flashed and the wood burst into hot, crackling flames. Aldehyde jumped swiftly onto one of the moonstone blocks and held his hands out before him. He shook his head once to cast his tied up hair over his shoulder. Mikado spun around just in time to witness a violin of blood red wood and ebony black strings appear in his upturned palms. He swung his arm in a large arc, calling a bow, similarly coloured and fashioned with black hair, from the air. He laid violin to shoulder and bow to strings, and began playing a tune. Deliberate strokes became rhythmic see-sawing notes. The pitch climbed and fell, while Aldehyde's arms glided gracefully back and forth.

Mikado twirled around once and set off to skip around the pyre. The ends of her robe flared with her running hops and she clicked her fingers to bring a spark to each of the incense sticks she passed. The scent of lemon and dried sugar plums spiced the faint smell of the fire's smoke. Halting and bending low, she lit the last stick by blowing on it gently until smoke began to spiral upwards from its tip.

Hatsu had tugged Carmine forward and now shared a stone with her as a seat. Emery had copied the motion, however Weith had chosen a stone separate to hers, which she pounced onto to sit cross-legged and clap her hands along with Aldehyde's playing.

Naruto whooped and threw up a fist to egg on the playing before pulling Sasuke towards another stone. They sat together and watched Mikado dance around the rock that Aldehyde swayed atop of. Their hands remained joined.

Suddenly, Aldehyde dragged the bow, making it sound almost as though the music were about to trip over itself, but then launched into a quick and complicated rhythm of twisting pitches and resonating hums.

Mikado began to dance faster. She whipped her head in the direction of the fire and let her hair come undone. The lilac strands swiped through the air with her fast movements, bounced as she jumped and followed every curving swoop her body made. She closed her eyes and began to sing.

At first, her voice was a low mumble, mimicking the sounds of the violin itself. The next moment she began to twirl on the spot, and as she did, her voice became louder, higher. The humming became words of a foreign language, ancient and rolling from her tongue.

Still, she spun. Her robe fanned out around her and undulated like an iridescent wave. Her hair splayed about her. The music became faster. Aldehyde closed his eyes as well. His fingers blurred over the strings with the speed of his playing.

His voice joined Mikado's.

When they reached a certain note, Naruto's hand tightened around Sasuke's. But Sasuke didn't notice because his vision had begun to swim.

Naruto, too, could only see spinning shades of black and blue and green and black and blue and green.

Their ears were filled with the chanting and they began to sweat. A drop slid down the bridge of Naruto's nose and he squeezed his eyes shut. Sasuke gripped the rock with his free hand and held Naruto's even tighter with the other. Both began to suck in breaths of air that burnt their tongues, heated as it was by the fire.

The spinning went faster, faster, faster. Still faster, faster, faster.

Aldehyde's fingers flew; Mikado's feet might not even have touched the ground.

With one final strong pull on the violin's bow, a reverberating ring ended the chaos.

Mikado collapsed where she stood.

In the silence of the moment, Naruto and Sasuke both slowly regained their wits.

As if a frosty mist had settled in, the air around Naruto and Sasuke became cool once more. They released each other's hands to wipe the sweat from their faces. Swallowing once, Sasuke noted he could no longer taste the ash from before. Naruto placed a hand over his heart and felt the beats return to normal.

Looking quickly from Hatsu and Carmine to Emery and then Weith, not one of them seemed to have experienced the same thing. They were entirely entranced by Mikado's performance. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and wished they had an explanation for what had just happened.

Aldehyde sunk slowly onto his heels and breathed in deeply. Resting his elbows on his knees and hanging his hands over them, he tapped at the wood of the violin and laughed at Mikado, "You know how to make me work, little spitfire."

She rolled over, seeming absolutely unaffected by her vigorous dancing. As she sat up and smoothed her hands over her hair, it flattened and became neat once again. Mikado was not panting, not sweating – she only grinned and laughed, a genuinely joyful sound, "You always keep up, dearest."

Aldehyde held out a hand, which Mikado accepted, and he helped to pull her up to stand. He, however, remained seated on the cold rock. Mikado added, "And Roselind would never let you down." She touched the strings of the violin lightly.

Stepping back from Aldehyde, Mikado swept her eyes over her audience, "And now, it is your turn to dance!" She threw her arms up over her head, calling upon the invisible melody makers of the fields to begin their music again.

A beat began, like hitting a taught drum; strumming and bells and hundreds of other sounds joined together to create a lively tune that begged to be moved along with.

Hatsu stood and pleaded with Carmine, "Come, Carmine! Dance with me, please!" She eventually gave in.

Emery was already on her feet, jumping about with reckless abandon and utter disregard for rhythm of any sort. She squealed and cartwheeled, not knowing a limit to enjoyment.

Weith resigned himself to a comfortable position on the ground, leaning back against the stone he had previously been sitting on. He was content to watch the flames of the fire waltz to their own tune.

Having decided to put the strange episode of vertigo behind him, Naruto accepted the fact that he wouldn't be getting Sasuke up to dance. Instead, when Aldehyde neared him and held out his hand, Naruto grinned and jumped up to join in.

Sasuke tried not to notice – he wanted to concentrate on the unusual experience he had just been through – but he couldn't help but watch as Naruto's eyes lit up. As his friend danced with Emery and played the part of the dashing prince in her dancing game, he realised that Naruto really was very good with people. The way he handled the inconsistent girl impressed him.

After some time of dancing with Emery, Naruto noticed that Aldehyde had sat down on one of the rocks and was plucking at the strings of his violin, rather than using his bow. The contemplative look in his eyes betrayed the neutral expression on his face.

Naruto twirled Emery around one last time, before bowing in a perfect gentlemanly fashion and saying, "Would you excuse me, princess? I have matters to attend to." He wiggled his eyebrows for added effect.

Emery giggled and nodded. She did her best curtsy and hopped away to join Hatsu and Carmine.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto made his way over to Aldehyde, 'Now's as good a time as any..' Well aware that Aldehyde knew of his presence beside him, Naruto got straight to the point, "So, who are you?"

Tall, dark and mysterious didn't even blink. His eyes remained trained on the flames of the fire, which cast a warm orange light over his face, "I am Aldehyde."

'Ok, let's try again.' Naruto huffed and sat on the ground next to the rock, "I know that. And you know I know that. You also know what I meant by my question."

Aldehyde smiled and glanced at Naruto, "I am who she wants me to be." His nails clipped at the ebony coloured strings. A few black strands of his hair fell over his eyes as he looked down at the violin.

Leaning one arm on the surface of the rock, Naruto questioned further, "What's that supposed to mean?" His tone was light and casual.

"It means that who I am depends on what Mikado needs." Aldehyde's lips turned into a soft curve as he looked back into the fire. His eyes became less burdened.

Naruto studied his face and the way the shadows danced over it, "So you're not a God?"

Aldehyde chuckled, a rich deep sound that stirred something in Naruto, "No, I'm not a God."

'For someone who's not a God, he sure gives the impression of one.' Naruto, despite being only slightly closer to understanding Aldehyde, was pleased with the reaction he had gotten.

Taking his eyes off the flames, Aldehyde stretched his neck towards the sky. His eyes shifted as if he were counting every single glinting star he could see, and his bangs fell back over his ears.

Naruto noticed something then that he hadn't before: above Aldehyde's right eye, cutting through his eyebrow, was a scar. No longer than Naruto's littlest finger, it was extremely thin, 'It looks like a scar from a blade..'

"How did that happen?" Naruto asked with an honest interest, not being able to contain his curiosity. His voice became slightly raspy when he spoke quietly.

Aldehyde knew what Naruto was referring to. His eyebrows furrowed a fraction and his mouth twisted into a scowl small enough to miss, "It was meant for her."

The admission was almost lost to the hissing of the fire.

Again, Aldehyde's voice had managed to evoke something within Naruto. As his gaze trailed away from the man next to him, it moved slowly towards Sasuke. Naruto wasn't sure why, but something about the way Aldehyde spoke reminded him of his best friend. There was conviction in his voice; every syllable he uttered had some purpose, some meaning, and much of that meaning was tied to Mikado. Naruto thought to himself, 'He makes it sound like he lives for Mikado.' Looking back at the man who had begun to play his violin once more, Naruto believed he understood him a little better, 'Well, yeah. 'Cause if he doesn't have Mikado,' he looked again at Sasuke and a tiny smile tugged at his lips, 'what else is there for him.'

On the other side of the fire, a wayward ember caught Sasuke's attention, flickering amber and red as it floated through the air, and led his eyes towards Mikado. She was sitting, back to him, on bent knees in front of the stone furthest from him and to his right. Curling a piece of her jagged-cut hair around her finger, she focussed on what looked to be a pack of cards being tossed and shuffled through the air. All by themselves, of course. Intrigued, Sasuke stood and walked towards the Goddess.

As he reached her side, Mikado smiled and held out her hand. The cards laid themselves face-down onto her palm, one by one, with repetitive 'shink' sounds. She didn't look at Sasuke as she fingered the edges of the pack, "Would you care for a few words of insight?"

Sasuke's face remained blank, "Insight, Miss Mikado?" The mystical feeling that the atmosphere of fire-light under a night sky created seemed to make that offer all the more appealing.

This time, she twisted her neck to look at him over her shoulder, "I won't tell you again, darling; I need no address but simply my name." She grinned as she noticed he had picked up on her taunting tone, "But yes," she turned back to the moonstone block, "insight I offer, to those who would care for it."

Sasuke smirked and moved to sit across from her, on the other side of the block.

"I am glad you are open to your future." Mikado said.

Roselind's singing and the bewitching music continued to play in the background while Sasuke became fully attentive to Mikado's words, "You are able to see one's future?"

"It is not something I see, rather something I am able to anticipate." She tilted her head and her expression softened further, "I can interpret the energies of many worlds, many designs. By doing so, I am able to perceive general events in a person's past, present or future. And as we all know, the past and present both affect one's future."

Sasuke nodded, "I see: it's not something you control."

Mikado's eyes expressed an amount of caution, "Yes, but it is advisable that not everyone would appreciate such information."

"That's understandable." Sasuke sighed at the thought of being told he would not come out of this ordeal with his life, 'Then again, it doesn't sound like she can find out about intricate details. Maybe a little insight wouldn't hurt..'

Speaking evenly, Sasuke ventured a tentative thought, "Knowing that you can relate general events, there's nothing to say that the information I am told cannot be used to my advantage."

Mikado's face erupted into a proud smile, "Oh, I knew you would see that. Sasuke, you do not disappoint."

Despite himself, Sasuke smiled a small smile and averted his eyes. He hadn't been praised in a long while; he had forgotten how good it felt to be recognised. In fact, he hadn't cared about being recognised in over ten years. He wondered at the unfamiliar feeling of wanting to be seen.

As she shuffled the cards one last time, Mikado hummed sweetly. Looking up and into the depths of Sasuke's dark eyes, she asked him to hold out one of his hands. He held out his right. Mikado took note of that and placed the deck into his palm.

"Please, shuffle those cards until you feel satisfied." She instructed him.

"These channel the energies that you interpret?" Sasuke's voice was void of the excitement he was beginning to feel.

"Very astute of you, dearling." She nodded as he looked back to the cards in his hands.

"All right. I'm done."

"Very good. Now, with your right hand, please place the deck into my own hand again." She held her right hand out to accept the cards, "Thankyou." Mikado fanned the cards out in one flick, still only using her right hand. She closed her eyes before saying, "Choose one card with your right hand and lay it face-down in the centre of the stone."

Sasuke studied her face closely; Mikado's facial muscles were completely relaxed. Glancing at the cards, he raised an eyebrow as one seemed to catch his attention immediately. It may have been an effect of the glowing fire, but the card seemed to radiate a warm yellow glow of its own. Reaching out with his right hand, as per Mikado's instructions, he slid the card from the deck. He placed it lightly onto the smooth stone. Following his instincts, he allowed his palm to rest over it for a brief moment. The coolness of the stone seeped through the card and into his hand, calming his racing blood. He retracted his hand.

Mikado opened her eyes and looked into Sasuke's. Against the darkness of the night sky reaching out behind her, Mikado's eyes gleamed a more magical green. Sasuke would have sworn they sparkled with tiny specks of white light.

She reached out her right hand and rested it over the card just as Sasuke had done only seconds before, all the while maintaining eye-contact with Sasuke.

Mikado began to speak before turning the card over, reassuring Sasuke that she would indeed be truthful in her words; her voice was gentle, "The Queen of Cups. She tells me there is a compassionate female in your life who nurtures those special to her. The Queen speaks of emotion, telling you that the female looks upon you lovingly." Mikado smiled at the fortunate message of the card, "Choosing this card signifies an importance of acknowledging your dreams – they may convey hidden messages."

Sasuke's lips quivered slightly, not from tears but from doubt, "You're telling the truth?" He was slightly surprised at his willingness to be as open with her as he was, but told himself that he was really only being paranoid when he felt suspicious of her.

Maybe Naruto was right – maybe he should stop analysing everything. In any case, Mikado could not have influenced his decision in the card he chose. He did not feel wary of her explanation of the cards in the least. Additionally, the message of the Queen of Cups seemed to describe Mikado herself – it was as if he was being told that it was all right to trust her.

'Yes. I really do have to stop analysing things.' Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes.

As if she had expected his internal dilemma, Mikado caught his eyes with her own and assured him kindly, "I swear on Aldehyde's life that I have spoken the truth." She picked up the card and placed it back into the middle of the pack, shuffling it a little.

Aldehyde's silky voice rose over the music to reach them from the other side of the fire, "Hey, I heard that! Don't be betting my life, woman!"

Mikado didn't even turn around to bark a retort. Instead she smiled, her eyes becoming half-lidded and causing the designs around them to shift. She all but whispered, "His life is more dear to me than my own."

Sasuke accepted her guarantee silently, not at all sure about what he should say or do after such a solemn statement.

Luckily for him, Naruto chose that moment to yell and squawk about hitting his toe on some irresponsibly situated log, regardless that said log had no tangible form. Mikado chuckled and Sasuke excused himself with a nod of his head.

The festivities continued long into the night until everyone was thoroughly exhausted and prepared for a restful sleep.


After returning to their room, Naruto and Sasuke readied themselves to sleep. They had been told that if they left their robes hanging on a hook on a wall of their room, that Naruto was convinced had not been there before, that the robes would be clean the next time they picked them up. Therefore, Naruto and Sasuke took turns showering and replaced the robes, happy to use them as their bed clothes.

As Sasuke exited the bathroom, Naruto spoke from his position under the covers of the bed, "What do you think it's like, having so many kids?"

Sasuke understood that Naruto's question referred to Mikado and her position as Mother Goddess of Mikado, but he decided to tease, "Painful?"

Naruto rolled over to scrutinise Sasuke, "Did you just make a joke?"

His reply was a careless snort.

Naruto didn't relent his staring as Sasuke climbed in on the other side of the bed. The lights went out, something else Mikado had told them would be independently regulated.

Sasuke was not facing Naruto but he didn't have to be, and neither did he require light, to know that Naruto was still staring at him.

He rolled over to face his friend, "What?" He breathed out. Sasuke felt the mattress shift as Naruto rolled onto his stomach, possibly to hide his hesitance at breaching the next topic of discussion. As Sasuke's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, he was able to make out the pensive look on Naruto's face.

"She acts a lot like a mother, doesn't she?" Naruto's voice was an airy whisper. He cleared his throat and flattened his cheek against his folded hands, looking in Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke blinked, "Perhaps."

"She really likes Emery. And did you see when she pat Hatsu on the head like that?" Naruto couldn't help but smile at the memory, "She really cares about the people in Mikado. If she chose us to help them, she must think we can do it." He searched Sasuke's eyes for some sort of agreement.

"Mm." Sasuke was reluctant to speak.

"What?" Naruto prodded.

Sasuke shifted his head to a more comfortable position against his pillow, "I agree that she holds affection for those people, but I don't know how much she knows about them."

"What do you mean?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed; he wasn't following.

Sasuke spoke slowly, unsure how to word his thoughts, "She seems dedicated to some things more than others."

Naruto was at once defensive of Mikado, "What's that supposed to mean?" He leaned up onto his elbows.

Sasuke's hand reached out to grip Naruto's forearm gently in order to express an unspoken apology, "I didn't mean anything bad by it," Sasuke sighed in exasperation – Naruto had a talent for tiring him out, "I just meant she can't have a lot of contact with the people in Mikado if she's their one Goddess, and lives here." He added the afterthought.

Naruto lowered his head and, when Sasuke withdrew his hand, turned onto his side so he was facing Sasuke properly, "So, what do you think she's dedicated to, then?" He was genuinely curious.

"She's dedicated to Aldehyde." It was said matter-of-factly.

Naruto mulled over the information. A period of silence ensued.

When he spoke again, it was with a thoughtful tone, "You know, Aldehyde has a scar above his right eye." Naruto looked to that area on Sasuke's face, "He got it protecting Mikado."

"There's more to them than we know." Sasuke ignored the impulse to touch every scar he carried that was caused while acting to protect Naruto.

Naruto fought the same urge.

Throughout their history together, Naruto and Sasuke had probably given each other just as many marks as they had taken hits for the other. Nevertheless, they looked upon every one with only the thought of each other. To Naruto, everything was worth it for his best friend. To Sasuke, nothing was worth anything without Naruto.

"This isn't our fault." Sasuke whispered. He said it as much to reassure himself as Naruto.

"I know." Naruto replied, just as quietly.

Even though they knew it was because of them that the spirit had moved on, they had no way of knowing that this could possibly happen. In defeating Orochimaru, they only knew that they were finding freedom for themselves.

"We'll do our best, won't we?" Naruto had already decided for himself, but he wanted Sasuke with him.

Sasuke didn't smile, but Naruto heard the conviction in his voice, "Of course."

Comfortable with the silence that ensued between them, both decided to end the conversation there. It went without saying that they were ready for the next day. It went without saying that they would support each other in whatever situation they found themselves in.

Sasuke watched Naruto as he shifted onto his back and closed his eyes.

He must have fallen asleep just staring at his best friend's face, because the next thing he knew was an enveloping darkness.


Hi, hi! I hope you enjoyed chapter 8! I would really appreciate some feedback on the descriptions in this chapter. Are they too long? Did you like them? Hope you're looking forward to chapter 9!

Oh, and does anyone have an opinion of the English dub of 'Air Gear' that he/she'd like to share? I'm personally not so fond of it.. Go MaNGa!! ... Just something I thought I'd ask. :P