Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Yes, I know, 'tis the bane of my existence.
A/N: hey guys.. very sorry that this chapter came so late... yeah, I've been really busy lately. Oh well. Is this one longer than the previous one? Hopefully... I haven't really compared them. Hmm.. ALSO. As a warning, I'm really really bad at writing battle scenes. No joke. So I am apologizing beforehand for it!! I'm hoping that this chapter doesn't confuse y'all too much... yeah.. nothing much else. Enjoy aite? Peace. ; )
Ghostninja85: nono, don't worry.. this won't turn out like Romeo and Juliet. I'm not writing directionless so I know how I want it to end... and it's def. far from a Shakespeare thing. Haha.
Miekje: yup, the Elite Guard ravens are larger than a 'normal' raven. Teehee what did you expect? They're special! .
Noniechan: Naruto can't transform b/c the High Shinobi sealed the Kyuubi when he was a baby remember? It was to protect Naruto's identity as the Thiasa and the heir to the throne.
All my other reviewers: THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!!!! I luv y'all!! muah ok.. now onward w/ the story...
The Legend of the Thiasa
Chapter 3: Destined Confrontation
The air was filled with tension. The birds' chirping still sounded and the sweet smell of the forest still lingered, but Naruto was no longer aware of them. Instead he glanced around, a bit frantically, at his surroundings, looking for a way out. He did not want to fight again. He had no desire to kill again. Unfortunately, his examination of the area proved futile. The two men were in a small clearing with barely enough room to maneuver. Trees loomed above them, with the lowest braches dozens of feet above Naruto's head. Crap! He wouldn't be able to escape by jumping on the tree branches. He shifted his feet, trying to find good footing on the still damp grass. Finally, he forced himself to look at his attacker.
Naruto stifled a gasp. The raven –boy's eyes were still fixed determinedly on him and the intensity of his gaze scared him. His face seemed like it was all sharp angles at first, but the more Naruto examined, the softer his features became. In different circumstances, Naruto would have called him beautiful. Naruto could see the boy's pale, muscular body through the skintight black uniform he wore. Several scars were scattered across the Avian's bare arms but they were faint and few. Dully, Naruto wondered who had put those scars there – and whether they were still alive.
The blonde shook his head slightly. Stop thinking like that! This guy's only your age... he's probably a pushover. Determination flared in his blue eyes once again. No bloody bird was going to best him, Umino Naruto!
With no warning, Naruto leaped into the air. His hands blurred as he performed the necessary seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried. Instantly, thirty clones surrounded the clearing. Each one snarling in rage, they rushed at Sasuke with their kunais withdrawn.
Sasuke was surprised. What a foolish boy – attacking HIM! No one had made the first move against him in a long, long time. What was this kid thinking? Did he WANT to die? Too busy smirking to himself, he was caught off guard by the clones' massive attack. Sasuke was forced to scramble to his feet rather ungracefully to avoid the flashing blades. Regaining his poise, he casually kicked and punched his way through the crowd. With little poofs, the clones slowly were eliminated.
'This is so amateur,' Sasuke scoffed. Wait 'til he told his brother – Itachi would get a good laugh from the Canis' foolishness. Unfortunately, he was overconfident and failed to notice another Naruto attacking him until it was too late.
"Arrgggh!" the blonde growled as he finally reached striking distance. Quickly, before Sasuke could react, Naruto slashed at him. Sasuke's face hardened as he sent a punch in the blonde's direction. Naruto flew back, landing heavily on his back and wincing in pain. He struggled to get back up. Meanwhile, Sasuke lifted up his arm and stared in pure amazement. There was blood dripping down from a shallow gash on his left wrist. The pain was nothing compared to the blow to his ego. His blood had not been drawn since ... four years ago. And that last time had been by Itachi. How could this ... this ... mutt manage to injure him!!
Rage filled his being. Unspeakable anger began to radiate from his skin. Underneath all the layers of anger, the rational part of him panicked. No, no, no! Not again! Vainly, Sasuke struggled to regain control of himself, of this curse within him. His efforts were easily pushed aside however and his inner monster was freed. His deadly bloodlust overtook his mind.
On the other side of the clearing, Naruto had painfully gotten to his feet. Panting, he watched as his enemy examined the wound he had given him. Naruto felt a triumphant feeling rise within him that soon turned into sickening dread when he realized that the Avian had clenched his fists and was breathing hard in anger.
Sasuke became very still and when he raised his eyes, Naruto felt an involuntary shudder run up his spine. This man in front of him was not ... human anymore.
"No one draws my blood and lives..." Sasuke growled in a low voice and his red eyes became even harder. Naruto stumbled back a few steps. What had happened to the boy?? What was this ... this thing in front of him?? Horrified, he looked into blood red eyes that had tightened in rage.
Sasuke watched, mildly amused at the stricken teen. This mutt was not worth any real effort on his part. He would toy with him before he killed him – it would be proper revenge for wounding him. He grinned evilly and felt his grin grow wider at the wary fear in the blonde's eyes.
"As thanks for this wound you gave me," he said. "I shall return the favor." With that, he was gone. Naruto glanced frantically around him, searching for the black-haired boy. Where did he go?
"I'm right behind you." Naruto spun around and was immediately punched in the face. As he fell to the ground he felt a sharp pain on his upper left arm. Sparing a glance downward, he saw a neat gash, the blood already dripping out and staining his sleeve. Gritting his teeth, he got to his feet, once more, searching for his enemy.
"Above you." Eyes widening in surprise and horror, Naruto threw his head back and was rewarded with a powerful kick. The same sharp pain came from his arm, except this time it was lower. His sleeve was beginning to become heavy with blood.
The third time, Naruto was ready. As soon as the boy appeared, he launched himself at him. The boy smirked and disappeared once more. "Too slow," came the harsh whisper and again Naruto found himself on the ground, with another mark on his arm.
Panting, Naruto struggled to his feet. He glanced down at his left arm which was dripping a good amount of blood. Suddenly, he realized with a sinking feeling what the raven-boy was doing.
'He's marking down my arm, until he gets to my wrist,' he thought.
As if reading his mind, Sasuke reappeared and smirked. "Don't worry too much. Your arm won't hurt anymore when you're dead."
Naruto was suddenly angry. Who was this boy to toy with him? He was not going to go down like this! Adrenaline filled his body and he threw himself at the Avian, yelling wildly. The two clashed in a blur of blades and limbs. But slowly, it became apparent to even Naruto that he was losing badly as he gained more and more gashes on his arm. He watched, helpless, as Sasuke slashed one last time at his wrist. Pain shot through his arm.
Sasuke smiled coldly. "Are you ready to die now?" he advanced on Naruto, who was swaying on his feet. Dismissively, he examined the boy.
"You're not worth my blade." Sasuke sneered. A good punch would do just fine. The blonde gripped his kunai tighter. Suddenly, Sasuke rushed at Naruto for the final blow. Naruto watched the boy come and with a last powerful surge of determination, he twisted, caught Sasuke's punch, forced it down and brought his own kunai up.
Sasuke stared in bitter amazement. He looked into clear sapphire eyes that burned with determination. He held still but could still feel the cold metal against his throat. His own kunai was pressed just as firmly against Naruto's throat, having been brought up in a flash of instinctive defense. A standstill.
The two boys were completely still, each holding a blade at the other's throat with their right hands. Their left hands were still intertwined, fingers turning white with pressure. Silence dropped heavily upon their shoulders as they panted, trying to catch their breaths. Slowly, Sasuke's eyes faded into their original obsidian black as his bloodlust disappeared. Able to see and think clearly now, Sasuke was intrigued at the position he was in. It surprised him that this clearly immature boy had managed to back him into a draw.
'Still,' he thought condescendingly. 'that doesn't change the fact that he's inexperienced.'
Sasuke smirked and he prepared to toy with this boy. "You won't kill me."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You don't know me – you can't say that," he growled.
"You're too weak. You don't have what it takes to be out here. To kill." Sasuke's superior smile had faded to be replaced with a serious expression.
Hatred came, bitter and unbidden, to Naruto as he stared into dark eyes. It burned through him as memories of his childhood flashed across his mind's eye. For years, that's all he had heard from those around him and it irked him that it still hurt as badly as when he had heard it the first time.
Suddenly, he was five again. Standing in front of his entire class, their eyes bored into him, sending waves of heat and embarrassment through his body. Why were they all staring? He wished they would look away.
"Naruto?" the gentle voice of his teacher broke the silence. It was tinged with impatience. "I asked you to introduce yourself AND your alter form. Come on now, we don't have all day. Change for us."
Naruto turned his head and stared up at his teacher, confusion evident upon his face. "Alter form? How do I change?"
Peals of laughter resounded in the room as the small woman gaped at the innocent blonde child. How could he not know how to shift to his alter form? Even worse, how could he not even know about alter forms?? Quickly, she recovered and slowly, she walked her student through the process. At least, she tried to. Ten minutes later, she was even more bewildered than before. This child... it was as if he COULDN'T change!
Naruto glanced tearfully at his classmates. They were still laughing, but a voice cut through the glee, painfully clear in its disgust.
"What a freak!" Naruto cringed. He wasn't a freak! He shook his head violently, trying to deny it but soon, other voices joined in, tossing ugly words down at him.
"Weirdo!"
"Loser!"
"Freak! Freak! Freak!" Their laughter continued to grow.
Finally, Naruto burst into tears. "Stop it!" he cried and ran from the room to find Iruka's comforting embrace and confront the painful truth that he was different. A freak.
Concentrating on each other, both boys, dark and light, failed to notice the soft blue light that was slowly spreading around their touching left wrists.
Sasuke watched as Naruto's eyes grew distant. Curiously, he wondered what he was thinking about. He watched as flickers of emotions surfaced and died in those beautiful blue eyes. What could possibly be so painful to remember? Surprised, he caught a glimpse of loneliness and emptiness. No, that couldn't be. He must have interpreted it wrong – it was probably just frustration.
Naruto shook his head slightly, clearing it of pointless memories. Instead, he concentrated his anger on the Avian in front of him. As confidently and coldly as he could, he answered Sasuke's challenge.
"I may be weak now, but I will make myself strong."
Sasuke was mildly amazed at the determination that filled the blonde's eyes once again. No, that was definitely not emptiness he saw just then. Contemplating a bit, it occurred to him that this mutt had never once tried to shift. Surprising actually – most of their breed were too cowardly to fight in their human forms. That was the problem with the Canis – they relied on their alter forms way too much in battle. Curious rose in him and he decided to pose the question.
"Why haven't you transformed? Most of your kind would have by now."
Naruto stared, confused by the genuine curiosity he heard in his enemy's voice. What right did this person have to know? He opened his mouth, prepared to hurl an insult but to his surprise, the words he formed betrayed him.
"I can't transform." Inside, Naruto cursed himself. Now the Avian knew his weakness and would kill him. Stiffening, he waited for the inevitable blows.
"Why not?" Surprise showed on the dark boy's face.
Tersely, he responded, "I was born this way. I've never been able to transform." As an afterthought he added in a bitter tone, "I'm a freak."
Small red and white sparks flickered across the two boys' skins. Their mingling blood slowed as the little orbs of light played along the gashes and healed them. Having done this, they settled on the skin and sank in, leaving a slight tingling feeling that neither boy noticed.
'Ah,' thought Sasuke, satisfied. 'I've heard about these cripples. Of course the first one to show up in more than a hundred years would be in the Canis clan.'
Soaking his voice in cold contempt he mocked the vulnerable boy. "I agree – you ARE a freak." Sasuke snorted lightly. "No wonder you were put on patrol duty instead of being allowed to fight in the main battle." His eyes flashed as he delivered the final blow. "Nobody wants a cripple like you."
Naruto's face hardened instantly. Rage tightened his features as he unconsciously bared his teeth in a snarl. How. Dare. He. Red tinted his vision and he no longer cared whether he died or not. All that mattered now was this bastard's death. With a growl, he pushed his kunai that was resting against the Avian's pale throat in a forceful slashing motion.
Sasuke's eyes widened as soon as he realized what Naruto was doing. Retaliating, he slashed at the Canis' throat as well, even as it occurred to him that it was too late, that both of them were going to die. He closed his eyes and waited patiently for the wave of pain.
A second passed before the two realized that they stood unharmed. Horrified, they stared at the last remaining sparks that played across the unbroken skin on their necks and quickly disappeared once more. Blades hung limply from their hands as they pulled away from each other. Only then did they become aware of the growing tingling in their left wrists.
The two enemies glanced frantically at their healed wrists before lifting up their heads to stare, bewildered and scared, at the other that stood before them.
Preview:
"What the hell!!!" Naruto lunged at Sasuke and caught hold of his shirt. "Tell me what the fuck happened! Why can't I hurt you?? What are all these damn sparks?!" he growled.
Hesitantly, Sasuke spoke, disbelief and shock still evident in his voice. "You aren't going to like this..."