I decided to post what is done while sitting at work cause I feel bad for those anxious readers. Thanks to those who commented to show their support :D
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
The sun broke over the horizon, its sun beams causing the morning dew to sparkle along the ground and castle walls. Several servants were already moving about the area, getting ready for the upcoming day. There was stock and horses to feed, some vegetables to harvest and training was an everyday thing in the Uzumaki kingdom. The small area where people sold their wares began to slowly open their small shops for the day.
Kushina stood at her balcony that was off her room and watched the sun. She hugged herself closely, pulling in her robe tighter around her neck. The cool winds of autumn were getting closer with each coming day. Glancing at the mountains in the far off horizon she could see the snow glistening off some of the peaks. Another reminder that the cold winter would still be coming, as every other year. She let out a long sigh, her heated breath visible in the chill of the air. No matter what happens, the seasons continue on.
She thought of Sasuke, when she last saw his body, strapped to the body of the beast, flying off into the night. She frowned sadly at the thought, praying hard that he had survived and was still on his quest. She wiped away a stray tear that got away. NO! She could think that Sasuke had perished, it was impossible. The Uchiha's were strong, smart and clever. Even if Sasuke escaped the binds, she was certain that he would be able to adjust and survive wherever he was. The Uchiha group should be arriving soon, she shivered slightly. She clung to the hope that their search wouldn't be in vain. Turning quickly, she needed to get ready for breakfast and play the role of the blushing bride with Orochimaru.
"I trust you slept well my lord?" Kushina asked out as she poked at her breakfast, taking dainty little bites. Her large green eyes watched the snake closely.
"As well as to be expected my queen," Orochimaru purred out as he took a drink from his goblet. "You're bedding is exquisite, I must know where you got the filling for I may just take some back myself!" He chuckled out while putting his goblet back on the table.
"Oh my lord, you flatter me," Kushina giggled out and looked away. Mentally she gagged. "They are nothing but feathers from our local fowl that fill those beds. I'm certain my maids can show your men the finer details if you so wish." She fluttered her eyelashes before grabbing her goblet. 'I'd rather shove those feathers down your throat,' she thought to herself.
Orochimaru's eyes twinkled and his tongue licked his lips as he watched Kushina. He then cleared his throat, pushing away his plate of unfinished food. "My queen, I wanted to discuss with you what we touched on last night." Kushina tilted her head at him in question. "The issue your kingdom is having with that dragon," he lowered his voice slightly. Kushina sat up straighter slightly, quietly dropping her cutlery beside her plate and then folding her hands underneath her chin. Her green eyes locked on him and he found himself pleased with her nonverbal response and apparent interest in what he was saying. 'Well trained and obedient. Fine quality in a woman.' His inner self purred with excitement while he thought of how he could break the queen in his bed chamber.
"I have sent for my personal," he hesitated for a moment deciding on what to call his necromancer. He certainly didn't want the queen to get excited or worried about a powerful magical being. "...medium." He watched the queen's eyes and when she barely blinked and her face remained stoic he continued. "She has been by my side since she was a young girl, being trained specifically for my kingdom and she holds the highest loyalty to me."
Kushina's mind was racing with questions about this so called medium that Orochimaru just mentioned. 'He had his own witch? What kind of powers does she hold? What danger is my kingdom in when she arrives?' She struggled not to frown or move her eyes with curiosity and concern as she continued to keep her eyes wide with no sense of interest on the snake before her. Quickly she thought of an answer, "oh my lord," her voice sounded surprised. "Will she, well," she bit her bottom lip for effect. "Is she more of a personal servant to my lord's desires?" She twisted her voice to sound jealous, though the whole prospect of being sexual with Orochimaru made her want to vomit. She gave a little glare with her eyes, giving the impression that she was jealous of the fact of a young lady coming to her home and Orochimaru stating that the medium was his.
Orochimaru snorted out a pleased sound from the queen's response. He enjoyed his women being obedient and the thought of the queen actually being jealous of his necromancer made his ego swell. He released a small crooked smile and licked his lips, leaning forward slightly towards Kushina. "Oh ho! Is someone jealous?" he whispered in a teasing voice.
Kushina looked away and struggled not to spew her breakfast on the floor. She knew she had to keep up the facade as long as possible. Pushing her fingers to her lips and giving Orochimaru a bashful look she responded, "oh my lord, of course not. I-I was just curious." She stuttered her voice out and blinked her green eyes rapidly at her, feigning innocence.
Orochimaru then reached out and grabbed Kushina's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Fear not my queen. For you are all I have eyes for. My medium is only helpful in my needs of planning strategies and quests. She has a gift for seeing the possible answers to many of my questions." He rubbed his thumb across Kushina's knuckles softly and Kushina gave a shy smile in response while lowering her eyes.
Kushina felt as if her skin was melting where Orochimaru touched. But a thought came across her, 'perhaps this medium may give some insight to Sasuke and his quest.' She mentally made a plan to try and get the woman medium alone sometime and hopefully be able to determine if she was as loyal to Ocohimaru as he thinks. As she stayed seated in Orochimaru's presence as he went on about his medium attending the castle, hope began to rise in her heart.
==intermission==
Later in the day, Kushina was pacing in her sitting room, clenching her teeth and practically growling under her breath. She had been playing the dumb witted female all day! The only pleasing fact was she could see that Ocochimaru apparently just loved the fact that she may be a simpleton of a woman just aching to please a man. She ran her hand hard through her long hair, pulling at it slightly to get the pain to make her forget how she wanted to vomit on the very thought of giving herself to that man!
A knock on her door had her rushing to her vanity, picking up her brush and smoothing out her dress. When she felt she was prepared she called out for the person to enter.
"Your majesty," the voice called out and Kushina relaxed her shoulders, putting her brush back down. She turned quickly to rise and the gray haired head of the guards was in a bowed position, waiting for her to release him.
"Kakashi," Kushina called out and the gray haired man rose. "What news do you bring?" She spoke in a hushed tone, who knows what ears were around now with the Sound King being present in her home.
"The matter has been settled. There is no need to worry yourself over the fine details." Kakashi knew how to talk in a settled tone with his queen and even felt the tension rise in the kingdom when the Sound King arrived.
Kushina hummed out a pleased response. "Well then, I suspect that the Sound king's men are all settled and well taken care of as well? I can't have my future husband's men ignored!" Her voice was spoken louder now with authority. Better to give the impression that she was only interested in Orochimaru's well being.
"As you wish my queen," Kakashi replied and bowed deeply.
"As well, I have been informed that more guests are arriving shortly by order of the king, so you are to go and gather the necessary information to ensure that we have the best accommodations prepared for their arrival." Her voice sounded sharp and authoritative. "Best get to it now." Kushina clapped her hands with a snap, a sign that she was dismissing him.
"Yes your majesty," Kakashi gave a dry response and turned to leave the room. He knew not to retort and how clever his queen was, therefore his responses were smooth as well as his exit.
Kushina released a long sigh when Kakashi left the room. Running her fingers through her hair, she bit her bottom lip and frowned. She needed to work on a plan should the young medium was willing to help her. May the gods have mercy on her.
~elsewhere in the Uchiha kingdom~
Itachi read the message from Kushina, his teeth grinding harshly with each sentence. Anger rose to a boil when he read that the King of Sound had invited himself to the Uzumaki kingdom early, now of all times. He slapped his hands together harshly, releasing a frustrated growl from between his teeth. Itachi was no fool. He knew that Orochimaru was up to something to end up in the kingdom early and there was no doubt, it most likely had to do with the presence of the dragon. Itachi believed that Orochimaru had a plan to at least subdue the beast and make it his own, dead or alive.
He leaned back in his chair when a thought came forward. But if has the means to locate the dragon quicker than the other knights, then the possibility of locating Sasuke could also be swifter. But how to keep the information from Orochimaru that Sasuke was missing and possibly with the dragon? The less that Orochimaru knew of the Uchiha kingdom's involvement with Queen Kushina, the better. He rubbed his chin with his thumb and finger in thought.
"Yamato," he whispered out to the empty room. "He will know what to do." Yes, Captain Yamato was the best overseer of his troup. He was from a line of generations that were loyal with the Uchiha's for as long as he had researched. If there was anyone he could trust with his life, it was Captain Yamato. The man was extremely clever and brilliant, and would think the same way Itachi would in any situation. Since the queen had sent the same message to the captain leading the knights, there was no doubt that Yamato would think the same way Itachi was currently. He ran his hand through his long hair locks slowly as he dropped the now crumpled message to the floor. At least this was something that lowered his frustrations a fraction. In the meantime, he would have to compile information on the different possible outcomes that could rise from this new circumstance.
~elsewhere between Uchiha and Uzumaki kingdoms~
The small boy scurried across the baron landscape, his scarf tucked in tight around his neck, his toque pulled down over his ears to keep out the cool winds of the air. The swift movements of his legs caused his pants to rustle out but it didn't slow the boy down. He grit his teeth, his mind filled with pride as he drew closer to his goal, the small encampment was just on the horizon. He could see the small spirals of campfire smoke near the tents. It appeared the men were starting to wake and doing their morning rituals and Konohamaru quickened his pace. After all, he was on a mission.
He slowed slightly when he came up to the edge of the camp, his eyes looking about for what he figured would be an older man, the captain of the guards usually was. Several of the knights looked at him and he smiled his toothy grin and waved. Many of the men nodded their heads and smiled before going on with their business. When Konohamaru found a larger tent than the rest, he knew that this must be the captain's tent. Coming to the closed flaps of the tent, he stood before the guard outside the opening and saluted him. His lips were pressed firmly together and his eyes held a look of seriousness.
The man smiled in response at the actions of the boy. "What do you need lad?" the guard asked with mock seriousness.
"I have a serious message for the captain from the Queen," Konohamaru snapped back, sounding as serious as he could.
The guard chuckled, "just wait here." He smiled when Konohamaru responded with a 'sir!' and clicked his heels together and the guard slipped into the captain's tent. Only a minute or so had passed and the guard poked his head out and beckoned the boy to come in.
Konohamaru held back his gasp when he entered the tent. He had never seen a captain's tent before, sure from the outside at a distance, but never the inside! Furs lined the floor, chairs were set up in a circle where the captain would meet with his crew, a table with various scrolls and tapestries hung proudly showing the Uchiha kingdom crest. His eyes were wide as he took in the sight before the sound of a man clearing his throat snapped his head towards the sound.
The captain was tall, broad shouldered and piercing black eyes. His short dark brown hair was cut short, spiked and his jaw and cheek bones contrasted his stern glare. Konohamaru looked up, his eyes wide in awe. The man screamed authority. His dark brow raised when Konohamaru appeared speechless and waited for the boy to speak.
Finding his voice and wetting his lips, Konohamaru finally spoke. Reaching into his inside pocket, he pulled out the folded message and handed it to the captain. "A message from Queen Uzumaki sir," he squeaked out and flipped the message towards the man.
Captain Yamato flipped the parchment from the boy's fingers and quickly slid his fingers through the wax seal. His lips pinched tight as he read the message silently, his eyes skimming back and forth. When he was finished, he quickly folded the parchment back up and stepped over to his sleeping mats. Bending quickly and finding the small cloth bag from beneath somewhere Konohamaru couldn't see, he quickly shoved his fingers into the bag, pulled out some articles and shoved the bag back into its hiding place. Standing and turning, his hand closed around the articles he came back to Konohamaru and ruffled the boy's hair with his other hand.
"Good job little one. This is for you and your bravery," Captain Yamato's voice was deep and authoritative. He held out his closed hand and waited for the boy to hold out his own hand.
Konohamaru squinted his eyes in confusion as he slowly outstretched his open palm. The captain then opened his palm and a few coins fell into Konohamaru's hand. His eyes opened wide at the cold coins that fell into his hand and he looked up at the brunette captain in surprise.
Yamato just smiled at the boy, "now get going back home. Your job is done." Yamato stepped past the boy and called for his second in command from the opening of the tent before coming back into the tent. He tilted his head at seeing the small boy still standing where he had left him. "Get going now kid, we got work to do here," Yamato called out.
Konohamaru turned to the voice and pinched his lips, his face scrunched up in thought. He gnawed his bottom lip for a few moments and shoved the coin into his pocket. "Is there a message I can take back to the captain sir?" he asked in a stern voice, his eyes looking up directly into Yamato's eyes.
Yamato smirked slightly. The look of determination was a delightful sight to see in such a young lad. Yamato had no concerns that this young one was loyal to the Uzumaki kingdom, especially if he had been entrusted with delivering the message directly from the Queen herself that held such essential information. Clicking his tongue and rubbing at his chin with his fingers, he knelt down so he could be eye to eye with the young boy. The boy's eyes watched his every move and Yamato couldn't help but feel that the boy reminded him of himself at that age. Leaning his elbow on his bent knee to hold his balance, he took a breath and examined the boy's determined face. "Okay kid. You seem to be loyal to the Queen so I'll trust you to take this message back to her, okay? Can you memorize it well?" He almost chuckled when the boy gasped in surprise and then nodded his head eagerly. Leaning forward, Yamato whispered into the boy's ear and when he leaned back, he looked firmly at him. "Got it?" he asked firmly. The boy nodded quickly and gave a salute.
"You have my word sir!" Konohamaru barked out sternly.
Yamato nodded in response and stood up. "You are dismissed then." He chuckled when the boy whipped his hand down and made a beeline for the tent flaps. He turned quickly before leaving, bowed, saluted once again before turning and heading out. Yamato chuckled quietly to himself as he settled himself in one of his chairs and waited for his second in command to arrive.
==xx00x00x00x00x00xx==
Sasuke's eyes flickered open and his mind was blank on where he was for a moment. The area was dark, with nothing but a hint of light in the darkness. He blinked some more, forcing his eyes to focus. He was slightly cold, no doubt that is why he woke up and his nose picked up the scent of moisture and mildew.
He turned his head quickly and looked about, his memory flashing back to the forefront of his mind. 'I'm in a cave, that's right, the dragon,' he thought to himself. He peered through the darkness, scoping the area. He remembers sitting at the fire and feeling tired, laying down and watching the dragon's movements. He obviously fell asleep, his body and mind at the point of exhaustion and with a full belly, natural causes to have his body fall into a deep sleep.
The fire was just a small pile of glowing coals. Still casting a bit of heat, but not enough to surpass the shiver that ran over his skin. He looked about the area, wondering where the dragon may be, but the darkness was too thick with only that slight hint of light from somewhere far in the distance. Sitting up slowly, he realized there were some of the old wool blankets piled on him and nearby. His hand fondled the blankets, 'did the dragon bring these to me?' He certainly didn't bring any of those old wool blankets with him as he approached the fire before. He pulled the blankets up to him and wrapped it around his legs and waist, his thoughts still curious on why the dragon would have brought these two him while he slept. He rubbed his temples, his head overwhelmed with thoughts that were beginning to cause pain between his eyes. It was just too much…
He reached to find some more dried twigs nearby, and tossed them into the coals and waited for the heat to reach him. He didn't know how long he had been asleep and it was apparent that there was a lot going on that he needed to sort out, slowly. He didn't think his mentality could handle any more surprises.
He thought about the last interaction with the beast. He turned his head suddenly, his fingers brushing through the ground around him, breathed out a sigh of relief when he found his notebook and satchel nearby. Brushing off the sand, he brought his notebook onto his lap and opened it. The fire was starting to build and casted soft lighting so he reviewed what he had recorded.
He was brought out of his thoughts when the vibrations shook through the ground. Gasping in surprise, he braced himself while the vibrations echoed throughout the darkness. The fire flickered slightly and dust fell from the ceilings high above. Sasuke could hear small stones bouncing down the walls and onto the cave floor. The vibrations were one thing but the howling wail was another. 'The beast,' he thought. But the howl wasn't the same that he heard over the fields of the Uzumaki kingdom, this sound was incredibly different. 'It isn't threatening, but … but." Sasuke quickly shoved his notebook into his bag and turned his head about, trying to determine where the sound had come from. The groaning wail echoed again, but not quite as piercing as before. 'It sounds…exhausted?' he thought as he got up and began to walk into the darkness, away from the fire.
Sasuke squinted through the darkness, with only the flickering firelight behind him and the small hint of a light beam that was far in the distance available to try and make out anything. He walked slowly, toeing the ground at each step and his ears listening carefully.
The ground vibrated again and he shot his arms out to keep his balance, but the wail of the dragon sounded as well and he turned his eyes to the source of the sound. Taking careful steps he made his way through the darkened area, noticing that he was walking towards the small beam of light that was far off. There were now sounds of scratching, rock debris falling and then a vibration of the ground, and Sasuke guessed that the dragon had fallen into the floor. The light became brighter, and he could finally see the beam of light coming from high in the ceiling of the cave. The large figure of the dragon was beneath the beam of light, pacing beneath the light, its large head looking up towards the light.
Sasuke hesitated as the beast hoisted itself onto its hindlegs, it's talons from its front feet grasping onto the wall of the cave when it crashed it's front body against it. He watched in fascination as the dragon attempted to climb the rock wall towards the source of light. Looking up, Sasuke could see that the light was indeed coming through an opening. The opening appeared wide enough to fit the dragon through, but it was situated high into the ceiling. 'Surely the dragon could fly up there? That must be the way in and out?' Sasuke thought.
The dragon's wings did extend and flutter, as it attempted to climb up the rock wall. The wind from the grand leather wings created dust to stir and pebbles to fall from the rock wall and ceiling. Sasuke held his arm over his head to shield his eyes from the debris that began to circle around him while watching the dragon scale the rock, like a cat climbing a tree.
The beam of light that erupted suddenly had Sasuke turning his face away from the dragon, closing his eyes tight from the flash. The ground vibrated once again, harder this time and Sasuke found himself wobbling his body to keep his balance. And then the wailing screech echoed again and Sasuke covered his ears from the sound. Peeking out, he noticed the sudden blinding flash of light was no longer present but the dragon was on the ground again, rolling over from it's side and back onto it's four legs.
'What the hell just happened?' He was just watching said dragon climb the wall, using its wings to get up towards the opening high in the ceiling, obvious that it was going to leave and suddenly it's on the ground again? 'Did it lose its footing? Did it slip? Did a piece of the wall crumble?' Sasuke looked at the rock faced wall, noticing that it was indeed covered in massive scratches, no doubt from the dragon's talons, but did not see any reason for the dragon to fall.
The dragon had gotten on all four legs again and went back to the wall. Again the beast used its front legs to grab a hold of the rock, it's wings fluttered wildly to assist it while clawing its way up and it appeared to be making progress. But again, as Sasuke watched, a sudden blinding flash of light was seen, so bright he could feel his eyes burn from it and was forced to shield his eyes immediately. The ground shook, as if something fell and Sasuke looked quickly. The blinding light was gone, but the dragon was again on the ground, fallen from the wall, and it released a long howling wail. Its head swinging slowly and the leather wings flapping at the ground, hard, like the beast was irritated.
Sasuke rubbed his chin briefly, questions going through his mind. The dragon was now apparently frustrated, but didn't appear to be going back up the wall. It hung it's head and bit at its front foot, a snarl escaping its throat. Sasuke decided to sit, figuring he was safer quite a distance away from the beast as he observed its behaviour. He pulled out his notebook and pencil from his satchel and began sketching. At this distance and with the bit of light coming from above, Sasuke was able to make out more details of the entirety of the beast, something that he is certain no other person has been able to do. His hand moved fast across the page, his fingers dragging out the lead of his pencil with easy practice on the paper as it copied what his eyes were seeing.
The dragon gnawed at its front foot for some time, it's tail twitching and thumping aimlessly, kind of like a cat and deep rumbling growls escaped the throat. Sasuke wondered if it hurt it's foot while climbing? When falling? He scoffed, 'would take more than that to hurt a dragon, since nothing penetrated it's body at the Uzumaki kingdom.'
After a few minutes more, the dragon huffed out a long breath, with a quiet sound that Sasuke would almost consider sounding like a whine. Shoving his notebook back into his satchel, he watched the dragon make its way back onto its feet and wander back deeper into the cave. Curious, he followed slowly, to see what more he could discover. The sound of water floated to his ears, and he knew there was water somewhere in here, since the dragon brought him fish recently. The light from high above was still enough for shadows to emerge. He could see large boulders in various areas, the ground he walked on was still rough with pebbles and sand, but he still followed the sounds of the dragon walking, the large feet causing a loud crunching noise to echo.
He didn't know how far he walked, he was taking it slow, not wanting to be face to face with the dragon anytime soon. He was still uncertain if the beast was just toying with him and waiting to eat him, after all, it was still a giant, wild, unhinged, unpredictable monster. The light from the top was now behind him, that casted a shadow before him but he kept walking slowly. He could hear the brushing of the dragon's tail at times, dragging over the cave floor, but it didn't stop. Sasuke stopped when he realized that the walls had closed in more and he squinted his eyes to observe. It seemed that the cave was turning, and he stretched his arm out to the cave wall and followed it till there was a curve. Peering around the corner, there was more darkness, the light that was high above him was now behind him and couldn't penetrate around the corner. Frowning, Sasuke was torn on what to do next. He could hear the dragon's footsteps echoing through the darkness, but without light he couldn't go forward.
His fingers brushed on husks of vegetation on the walls. He pinched his fingers and realized the vegetation on the walls was dry. No doubt from not having proper sun to help them grow or water, hard to say, but either way, Sasuke had an idea. He grabbed handfuls of the dried husks of plants, squeezing the leaves together the best he could with his hands. Feeling his way on the floor, he was pleased to find a larger flat stone, he placed the balls of dried plants on. Finding some smaller stones, he struck them together furiously, pleased that some of the stones contained minerals within them that could cause a spark. With a little bit of talent and luck, Sasuke managed to get some sparks settling onto the crushed leaves. Pleased with his work, he picked up the flat stone with a few flames on it, grabbed more fuel for the flames and walked into the darkness.
He didn't get very far before twinkling lights bounced about a few meters away from him caused by the reflection of the small flames in his hand. Curiosity was now flowing through him as he took a few more steps towards the twinkling lights. His eyes flashed to the movement to the far left, where the massive shadow of the dragon stood, as if watching Sasuke and determining Sasuke's movement. Sasuke stopped and held his breath. His eyes flickered between the shadow of the dragon and the twinkling lights. When the dragon just snorted out and appeared to turn its head to look away, Sasuke took a few more steps towards the lights that intrigued him so.
"Treasure," he whispered in a breath. The sight was amazing. Though much of it was buried beneath stones and dirt, it was obvious what had taken up such a large area of this part of the cave. There was enough treasure here to most likely be the leader of an entire continent. Sasuke had seen his share of treasure before, but nothing like this. Kneeling to a knee on the edge, he reached out to touch the glittering piles of coins, precious gems, jewelry, dishes, you name it, it was there.
A roar snapped him backwards and the vibrations through the area had him falling onto his ass. The rock that held his flickering flames fell to the ground, almost going completely out. Sasuke scrambled backwards when he saw the dragon charging towards him, huffing out snarls with it's lowered head and opened jaws. He went back as far as he could before his back was hit by a cold stone wall. The dragon stopped between him and the mounds of golden treasure, its heated breath huffing out angrily, it's eyes focused directly on him. It maneuvered it's body so Sasuke couldn't make out the piles of treasure and a long heated ominous growl vibrated across Sasuke's skin. Terrified, he lifted his arms to shield his head, waiting for his impending doom.
Several seconds passed and nothing came of the dragon other than it's heated breaths that continued to wash across Sasuke's body. He slowly lowered his arms and opened his eyes. The flickering of what was left of his makeshift torch was nothing more than a few flickering ashes somewhere behind the dragon. He was sheathed in darkness once more, and his heart fluttered fearfully because he could feel the presence of the dragon before him.
He let out a gasp of surprise when the scaled skin of the dragon pushed briefly on his arms and chest. His back scraped against the cold stone wall at the assault that had him hissing out in pain. A growled breath released into the darkness and Sasuke's breath hitched when he saw the long beam of fire suddenly appear and stretch out across the length of the cave. The dragon had released a long fire ball of light and it caught several areas of vegetation clinging to the cave walls on fire, that burned for a bit giving the area some light. Sasuke could see the way out that he had come through and the dragon's eyes stared back at him intently. It then moved back, it's eyes flickering to the way out while it moved back towards the mounds of golden treasure.
Taking the hint, Sasuke scrambled to his feet and began to swiftly inch his way along the wall that led the way out. He watched the dragon closely, it didn't follow, nor did it move in any other direction, it just watched him while he made his way back from where he came. Once he made it around the corner, he leaned against the cave wall and let out a long shaky breath. He could see the dim light high in the ceiling several yards away and knew that he was just subtly told that he needed to get out of that cavern with all the treasure and that he should be lucky that he was alive to do so.
~much later~
Sasuke looked at his notebook by the small crackling fire, going over the sketchings and writings that he had been working on for the time he had been sitting at the fire. How long had he been sitting at that fire? He did not really know. Not a full day, that's for sure, but it had to be at least several hours. He could only base his time around the fire from the times that he had relieved himself.
The dragon had since come back, but it had pushed its muzzle at the various piles of artifacts that Sasuke had seen before, and it appeared the dragon was making sure they were all still there. The couple woolen blankets that he had found on himself when he woke, Sasuke had rearranged them so he could sit on them comfortably. He still found it unbelievable that the dragon could have brought them to him while he slept, but there was no other reasonable explanation how they ended up on him. From what he could see and determine, there was no one but himself and the dragon in this large dark and damp cave. A cave that he still had no clue how big it was, nor how far it went in certain directions.
Hit with an idea, Sasuke looked around him, the lights of the small flames flickering off the cave walls that were nearest to him and he began to draw an outline of the walls on some back pages of his notebook. Turning the book when he was done with the immediate area, he turned to see the dragon lying over by the piles of woolen blankets seemingly doing nothing, so he took a breath and decided to stand up. His plan? He wanted to walk along the sides of the wall and sketch the area to the best of his ability. Perhaps he could find a way out for himself while doing so while getting an idea of how big this cavern was. When the dragon didn't appear to move from it's position when he moved and shuffled about, Sasuke began to walk along the wall slowly, following it into the darkness, stopping every few feet to quickly sketch in his book. With the small flickering of flames behind him, and the small streak of light above him, Sasuke was pleased that he was able to get the majority of the area that he had already been in, sketched in his book. Looking over his shoulder to where he last saw the dragon, he could make out its massive silhouette still where it was before he started. Deciding that he had done enough, he didn't want to risk going back to where the apparent treasure was, Sasuke headed back to the small dieing flames of the fire.
Sitting carefully back onto the folded blankets, he looked closely at the design he made of the area. Glancing around him and using his pencil, he smoothed out the lines, adding small markings to where the piles of debris was and words, he stopped and took a good look at what he created. He frowned when he looked at the open area that he knew was at least to the other cavern of treasure but there was still a large area unknown to him. He knew there had to be a lake or stream or something as well, since he heard the water and the dragon had brought live fish.
He let out a long breath, suddenly feeling weary of his predicament. So far he hadn't seen an exit, other than the large fissure high in the ceiling that he was certain that he could not climb up to. He gnawed at his bottom lip and ran his fingers through his hair, giving a grimace when he felt how filthy his hair was. He then refused to think negatively of the situation.
Grabbing his satchel, he began to go through the articles that were tucked away. He pulled out the dragon scales and examined them in the firelight. They were still casting rainbow type colours when turned in the light, but he noted they were definitely smaller than what the dragon had now. He glanced over to where the beast still lay and briefly wondered if the dragon shed scales on a regular basis? Would he find any in this cave? He shrugged slightly before putting the scales down on the blanket beside him. His fingers curled around the small leather scabbard that he knew belonged to Naruto. His heart clenched seeing the piece of leather in his hand again. The pain reminded him of the piece of fabric that he had as well, and he pulled it out, laying it out on the ground between his legs. The soft glow of the firelight reflected off the old piece of cloth with the Uzumaki crest on it. Sasuke felt the anger rise in his gut again seeing Naruto's possessions and glared at the dragon that was still on the far side of the cavern.
'If only there was some weak spot on that beast, I - I would take care of it now!' He clenched his fists and teeth, fighting the sadness that was welling up and twisting to anger. It was much easier to be angry towards a beast. Wouldn't it be perfect if he could just take the beast down now, visions of him being able to release his grief and anger into the flesh of that thing!
A thought flashed his mind and he quickly brought his hands to his hips and looked down. 'FUCK!' he mentally screamed. His sword was not on him! He slammed his fists down on the blankets beneath him, wanting to scream out his frustrations. Of course he didn't have his sword! He ended up strapped to the belly of that fucking beast during the fight! He forced his hands to clench the old blankets beneath him and bite his bottom lip so he wouldn't make noise that might attract the dragon towards him. Realizing he had nothing to protect himself should the dragon decide to attack, his rationale came forward reminding him of where he was and the predicament he was in.
When his anger simmered to a small boil he let out a long breath and rubbed his temples. He needed to stop and think logically. Digging back into his bag, he brought out the scroll that was Naruto's and unraveled it. Perhaps there was something more he could figure out on it. He gently leveled it out before him, taking care to not be too close to the small flames. The same markings stared back at him, as if mocking him that there was nothing new to see, but still he studied the markings again, noting that the obvious mountains were drawn at the far corner of the map. Some of the wording that was written all over Sasuke went over again.
His finger stopped at some of the words, "...real open wide," he whispered as he looked at the childish writing. "...cursed sleep with broken glass," he continued to whisper. The words were written over the scribbled markings that looked like the mountains in the Uzumaki kingdom. Feeling frustrated, he turned the scroll parchment over, wondering if anything was on the back, but he was certain there wasn't. And he was right.
Why was he looking at this childish thing anyhow? He could feel his frustrations rising again. Rushing his fingers through his hair, he glanced back down at the paper, which had turned slightly from its original position.
"Real wide open…" he whispered again out loud.
What the fuck was that even supposed to mean?
He huffed out a breath. "Nothing but gibberish words of a 10 year old," he grumbled and flopped his chin on his palm, his elbow leaning on his knee. Folding up the scroll again, he grabbed his notebook instead and began to review his notes.
Flipping through the earlier pages, he stopped suddenly and read an entry, his lips forming the words as they whispered out into the air. Grabbing the scroll again and unfolding it, he looked from the scroll to his notebook over and over.
"Could he have meant…" Sasuke looked again at the words from the song written in his notebook…
The door to another realm opens wide…
A dragon lay in cursed sleep, now woken in his shattered cage…
He pinched his lips together in thought. The words were too close to the same. 'But what does that mean?!' he thought angrily. Just because there are a few words that were written by a ten year old boy in a picture that appear close to some old maids lullaby… it shouldn't mean anything! Sasuke sighed loudly. Most likely the fatigue was taking a toll on him physically and mentally. It's not like he was in predicaments like this everyday.
Movement and the ground vibrating had him look towards where the dragon lay. He could see in the soft glow that the creature was moving and he watched carefully. The beast walked gracefully, considering its size, and didn't come towards Sasuke. It moved into the darkened area where Sasuke knew the one cavern with treasure was held.
Several minutes went by before the ground vibrated again, and Sasuke recognized the vibrations as the dragon walking and getting closer. His body stiffened, ready to fight or flight should it come down to it and he squinted his eyes to try and see into the darkness. The dragon's head came into the soft glow of the small fire, its elegant long neck holding it up several meters high and Sasuke was still amazed at how something so fierce and dangerous could also look so elegant.
The dragon stopped and its head lowered slowly towards the fire. It's massive jaws opened and just as before, a mound of silver scaled fish fell to the ground, some still flopping about. The dragon then turned away back into the darkness. Sasuke waited, but the dragon did not return and the growling from his empty stomach took precedence on wondering why the dragon did not return. Stabbing several fish onto a thick branch, he made work of cooking up some food.
