Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. I can only scramble to bask in the edges of its beauty.
A/N: sorry guys for such a long wait. My brother is seriously on the computer like.. 24/7. and since we share the computer... conflicts all around. Anyhoo. I think this is my longest chapter yet? It took me forever to get thro it. It's kind of dull, but necessary.
Don't worry, I promise that the next couple of chapters will be MUCH MUCH more interesting.. .
Ghostninja85: see? If you prod me enuf I'll update! Hahah thnx for the support!
Iceheart19: the Brae clan is pretty much the Hyuuga family. Their alter forms are bears and they are the guardians of Miehra Lake
Izumi: yup, he did kill all those people. When his bloodlust overtakes him, he can't really control himself. But then afterwards, he feels all guilty – which is why he dreams about the people he killed.
Miako: yup, I've read most of her books, but a really long time ago.. so I've forgotten most of them XD and I purposely dropped the N in AviaN coz .. umm.. I dunno. I wanted my fic to be different from her books.
The BirdFox Hybrid Productions: I've already added the lil GaaNeji hints. Yay! ::munches messily on cookies::
Lili: hahah what can I say... ur always the best supporter ever. I heart you! Heheh I'll cya when school starts. ::wails::
And thank you so so much to all my other reviewers!!!! You guys seriously make me smile!
Important Note: Updates for this fic will slow down as the school year starts. I'm a junior this year, and what with my four weighted classes, two of which are AP classes... not to mention the standardized tests... But don't worry, I'll try my very best to keep working on it during my few moments of spare time! Thank you all for understanding! Kisses and hugs all around.
The Legend of the Thiasa
Chapter 6: Building Bridges
Iruka paced nervously around the small room. The familiar rhythm of his steps soothed him, but only somewhat. After all these years of stressing over Naruto, he had memorized the steps between the two walls. Mentally, he counted each footstep to distract himself from Naruto's tardiness. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Turn. One. Two –
Iruka's head shot up at a small sound from the corridor outside. Faint hope flickered in his eyes but quickly died as Naruto failed to emerge through the doorway. Damnit! Where was he? He knew how serious his father was about curfew. Iruka knew that underneath Naruto's loud, obnoxious exterior, the kid really did care about him and never broke his rule. For that, Iruka was grateful. It was just too risky for a young Canis to be out during the night, let alone the heir to the throne!
The worried man's lips thinned as visions of Naruto's circumstances assaulted him. What if Naruto had been attacked by a group of Avian? What if he was chained inside their horrible prisons at this very moment? What if he was badly hurt? What if he was dead?
Iruka shook his head vehemently to try and dispel his morbid thoughts. Stop that! Naruto was probably fine. He had probably... eaten some ramen and fallen asleep somewhere. Yes that was it. Iruka chided himself gently. Naruto was, after all, a teenager. Teenagers made mistakes all the time.
Still. He couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness from him. Sighing, he compromised. If Naruto was still not home in two hours time, he would go to Tsunade.
The two hours passed so slowly, Iruka had gotten up several times to check his clock's working condition. But finally, they were up and Iruka bolted out the door. Taking a few running steps, he realized what a sight he was and slowed down to a brisk walk. His urgency carried him to the Grand Residence where he flung open the door, not bothering to knock.
He was met with an empty reception room. Damnit! Iruka gritted his teeth and tried to think calmly. A polite cough materialized from the corner. Iruka swung his head toward the direction it came from to see a guard he had missed. Now that he looked more closely, he could see various different guards situated throughout the room. Another slight cough came. "May I help you sir?"
"Yes. I need to see the queen immediately," Inwardly he cursed. The guard was one that had been admitted after he had left the High Shinobis. He would not recognize that he had been the former Fifth and probably would not let him in that easily.
"I'm sorry sir," the guard explained, exasperated. "It's one in the morning and the queen is sleeping. You'll have to come back tomorrow – public reception hours are from 2-5 in the afternoon."
Damnit! It still irked him even though Iruka had expected that response. He quickly ran through his options and decided that he would have to use the document Tsunade had given him. Fishing through his inner pockets while the guard watched apathetically, it took him several moments to find the creased piece of paper. He finally pulled that tattered piece out with a triumphant grin and waved it in the guard's direction.
"This document says that I am entitled to see Her Majesty at any time," as he spoke he walked quickly over to the guard. Frowning slightly, the guard took the wrinkled piece of paper and glanced over it. He handed it back and bowed.
"My apologies, sir. Stay right here and I'll go fetch the queen," with that, he turned and slipped through the doors he was guarding. Iruka sighed and waited patiently. A few minutes passed before a sleepy Tsunade was escorted through the doors. Her blonde hair was tussled and hung loosely down her back, free of its usual ties and she was still attempting to tie her dark red robe when she appeared. Brown eyes gazed hazily and warily around before catching sight of Iruka.
She yawned loudly. "Iruka. It's one in the morning. This had better be important."
"It is," Iruka said tightly, his fists involuntarily clenching. His eyes flickered to the various guards standing throughout the room and Tsunade understood.
"Guards," she called. "If you would leave us, please." The guards shuffled away, confident that their queen knew what she was doing. Besides, Tsunade clearly could take care of herself, sleepy or not. When the last sounds of footsteps had faded away, she gestured to a couch tucked away in a corner.
"Why don't we sit down?" Iruka complied and moments later had poured out all his worries about Naruto's lateness. Tsunade's countenance grew grimmer with each detail. The very thought that their future king was out there in the open at night with no protection whatsoever scared her to no end. She breathed deeply, trying to clear her mind of emotions so she could think clearly. It wouldn't do to have her affections for the energetic youth cloud her judgment.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she was forced to come to the only solution she had. Sighing, she told Iruka. "We can't do anything." Seeing his mouth opening and his features tightening, she hurried to explain. "Iruka, think clearly about this. It's late at night and the only active soldiers at the moment are on guard duty. We can't take them away from their posts to search for what they think is an insignificant teen. We have no idea where he went, either. Even if we did send out search teams, we wouldn't have a clue as to where to start. Naruto's probably fine. He can take care of himself."
The former Fifth mulled over her explanation unhappily. She was right and he hated it. Grimacing, he slowly nodded his consent but let his worry show in his eyes. Tsunade, seeing the emotion, patted his hand understandably. "He'll be fine."
"...I hope so."
Sasuke shifted in his sleep. He felt sunlight penetrating his closed lids and stubbornly burrowed his face deeper into his pillow. Strange, he couldn't remember a time when his pillow had been this warm. He breathed deeply, preparing to slip back into slumber. He smelled a heady scent of vanilla, ramen, and oddly enough, wind. It smelled good. His breathing evened and slowly, he realized that he could hear a constant thumping sound. What the hell? Forcing his eyes to crack open, he was met with an expanse of bright orange. He ignored his body's protests at the loss of warmth and pulled away slightly. Shocked, he stared into Naruto's peaceful, sleeping face. It was only now that he became aware of his mate's arms draped loosely around him. What. The. Hell?!?! His shock faded away and coming to his senses, Sasuke scrambled quickly to his feet and stared disbelievingly at Naruto.
Naruto stirred at Sasuke's sudden movements. He wondered hazily why his body suddenly felt so chilled. Groaning, he forced his right eye to crack open. He saw ground and leaves and Sasuke's feet and – the fuck? Both eyes wide open now, he titled his head and swept his gaze up to meet Sasuke's furious face. He frowned slightly. Why the hell was he so angry? It wasn't like he had done anything to him and – oh wait. Memories of last night flashed through Naruto's mind and he realized that Sasuke must have woken up to find himself in his arms. Naruto blushed wildly and attempted to hide his burning face by struggling into a sitting position. He waited for the inevitable explosion.
He didn't have to wait long. "Why the fuck were you holding me?" Sasuke's voice held a raw anger that made Naruto shiver but underlying it, he could almost hear a thread of embarrassment. He raised his gaze to met Sasuke's and saw with a tiny bit of amusement that his cheeks were tinted slightly pink. His thoughts were cut abruptly from musing over his mate's blush by Sasuke's next actions.
In another wave of embarrassment and rage, Sasuke forgot the rules of their bond and sent a furious kick toward Naruto's head. Naruto's mind was still clouded with sleep and it slowed his movements.
'Shit!' in his growing anger he shouted at his mate. [SASUKE!]
Sasuke's mind reverberated with the strength of Naruto's thought, however he could not slow his kick. Again, his foot connected with the invisible barrier that prevented him from hurting Naruto. The pain from the barrier and from Naruto's forceful mind-speech dissipated Sasuke's anger somewhat. Unhappily, he set his foot down and settled for a murderous glare.
"Explain yourself," he growled darkly.
By now, Naruto felt his own temper rise. "What the fuck! You were the one who pulled me into your fucking nightmare! And when I woke up, would you rather me leave you to freeze?!" He leapt to his feet, cheeks flaming not in embarrassment but in anger now.
"I – " Sasuke stopped his retort as memories of last night's nightmare came back to him suddenly. Involuntarily, he shuddered slightly. Last night had been the worst one yet. He brow creased as he concentrated. He remembered how when the dream had gotten incredibly tortuous, he had heard a faint voice that had grown stronger singing to him, soothing him, and he had slipped gratefully into dark sleep. He blushed. That must have been Naruto.
Averting his gaze, Sasuke mumbled an apology before quickly changing the subject. "D'you think the waters have gone down by now?"
Sullenly, Naruto turned his head and grumbled. "How would I know?"
Sasuke brushed past the blonde and walked quickly to the banks of the island. During the brief walk, he fiercely attempted to dispel his embarrassment to no avail. Upon reaching the waters, he frowned. They were still pretty high. Damnit, he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible! He sensed Naruto's presence behind him even before he heard his footsteps. Without turning around, he spoke.
"When the waters go down enough, we'll swim across." He registered Naruto's grunt of agreement and prayed fervently to Kyarae to lower the waters quickly before he went insane.
"I'm hungry," Naruto's voice broke the silence. Sasuke turned slightly and saw Naruto's woeful expression as he clutched his stomach. "You don't suppose we'll find some ramen here?"
"Baka," Sasuke replied exasperatedly. "Is that all you ever eat?" He turned and started back toward the trees.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "Where are you going?"
"To find food."
Half an hour later, the two boys sat contently in the clearing, a half-finished pile of berries and apples in front of them. For some unknown reason, the food loosened their barriers and the two fell to easy conversation. Soon enough, the topic shifted to the current war.
Naruto tilted his head back to gaze with hard eyes at the dancing leaves above. In his right hand, he held an apple which he was munching happily on. When he spoke, his voice was vehement and strong. "I hate the war. If I could do anything to stop it, I would."
Sasuke glanced at his partner, a little surprised. It seemed as if everyone at home never spoke about the war's toll. It was always talk about how glorifying the war was, how just it was, how much honor they were gaining by dying for the Avia clan. He had always suspected that no one really supported the war anymore but that they continued to fight out of stubbornness and habit.
"I've lost too many friends and family for this war to be just," Naruto continued in a softer voice. As he spoke, he sent Sasuke images of his numerous friends who he'd lost. An overwhelming feeling of grief accompanied the pictures and it made Sasuke's heart wrench in an unfamiliar way. Naruto sent blurred images of funerals, and people crying, of injuries and blood. Lastly, an image of a burly man flickered through his mind, so fast he wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't been for Naruto's extra strong wave of anguish that came with it. He understood immediately that this was the first person Naruto had killed and felt a new empathy for his partner.
Sasuke's voice was equally soft and sorrowful. "My family used to be large and powerful, but it seems as if each year, the numbers grow smaller." He too sent images of his family and friends that had died needlessly for pointless battles. He struggled to hold his grief back from the link, but failed and it poured over with an intensity that scared him. He managed to keep the knowledge of his bloodlust back however. He didn't think he was ready to share that pain with Naruto yet.
A few minutes of silence followed. Naruto had finished his food and had stretched out on the ground. The lack of sleep from last night was catching up to him and he could feel his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. "I hate the fighting. I hate the killing. It doesn't make any sense." Naruto's words became slower and sleepier. "If I could stop it all...I wish...I could... stop...it..."
Sasuke listened to Naruto's deep breathing and shifted to look at him. Sunlight danced on his face and Sasuke wondered how he could look so peaceful and angelic when he was sleeping. His brow creased. Angelic? Did he really think that? He shook his head quickly, his black hair flying from side to side. No, Naruto was anything BUT angelic. He cast another look at his mate – odd how he was starting to think of him as his mate now – and his thoughts ground to a halt. For several moments, Sasuke sat there, gazing at Naruto with soft eyes and an unusual tightening feeling in his chest.
Naruto awoke slowly. His eyes cracked open halfway and immediately squinted at the bright light that invaded them. Gradually, his eyes adjusted and he opened them fully. It was nighttime already and there was a cheery, dancing fire in front of him. Sasuke sat across him, a small stick dangling loosely from his right hand. Dark eyes were trained on the flames and it seemed to Naruto that he was far away at the moment. Naruto watched, mesmerized, as the light from the small fire flickered across Sasuke's face. Shadows came and went and Naruto was unable to tear his gaze away.
Sasuke spoke softly, startling Naruto all the same. "Is it hard, not being able to change?" He lifted his gaze from the fire to Naruto and the blonde could see the depth and honesty in his eyes. He struggled up into a sitting position and breathed deeply a few times before answering.
"Yes." His blue eyes seemed to grow dim with memories as he stared blankly into the fire. Sasuke waited patiently for him to continue. Naruto spoke hesitantly after a few seconds. "When I was small, I was always teased and bullied because I wasn't like the rest of them. If they were feeling especially spiteful, they'd all change into their canine forms and attack me mockingly. My father," Naruto's voice caught slightly but he recovered and continued. "My father would see me come home every day with bruises and cuts. I know he tried to hide his worry from me, but I could see it in his eyes. I kept wishing that I could do something to take away his pain. That's why I worked hard at developing my other skills - to make up for not being able to change, y'know."
Naruto fell silent. He wondered why he trusted Sasuke with his childhood memories. For all he knew, the boy could just turn right back around and laugh at him. His worries were cut short when Sasuke's voice drifted softly across the fire.
"The Uchiha family clan was always very powerful. Ever since I was young, my mother told me stories about our greatness and how I had so much to uphold. But sometime when I wasn't paying attention, the stories changed. Now, it was no longer I had to uphold the Uchiha name but that I had to live up to my brother's name. Itachi..." Sasuke paused. "he was – is - the genius of our family. No matter what he does, he excels at it. Sometimes, I wish I could be just like him. But then, other times, I wish he had never been born."
Sasuke stopped, feeling slightly self-conscious. What was it about Naruto that brought out these words? He had never told anyone else about these feelings, even though he had a hunch Kakashi-sama already knew. He glanced at Naruto unsurely. Seeing the soft distant expression on his face reassured Sasuke in an odd way. Without taking his eyes off of Naruto's face, he changed the subject quietly.
"The waters will be down in the morning. We'll swim across then." A faint flicker of emotion ran across the blonde's face as acknowledgement before Sasuke continued. "We should get some sleep."
He shifted gracefully from his sitting position to a position on his back to reinforce his words. Lids slid down over dark eyes as he stilled his body. After a few minutes, he heard soft scuffling sounds that confirmed that Naruto had laid down as well. Quiet fell peaceably over the campsite, enveloping the two with its thick comfort. Breathing grew deeper as the nighttime air rocked them slowly, closer and closer to sleep.
Sasuke listened to Naruto's breathing and strangely, found a sort of contentment in it. It soon became even and deep and Sasuke was sure he was fast asleep. Soundlessly, he turned to face his mate across the dying fire. The last struggling flickers of flame cast sharp shadows across Naruto's sleeping profile. His face was relaxed and peaceful and the more Sasuke gazed at him, the more he became aware of an unfamiliar tightening in his chest.
He frowned slightly and focused on the feeling. He felt acutely now, the disarray his mind and heart were in. All because Naruto breezed into his life, took the rest of his life. He was sharp and he recalled the very faint memories of some of emotions Naruto stirred in him. Trust. Liking. His mouth tightened even more. He wasn't supposed to trust or like. Trusting someone always, ultimately, led to betrayal. Itachi had drilled into him again and again to betray or be betrayed but he had adopted his own approach. If there is no trust, then any ill-will cannot be counted as betrayal.
Sasuke blinked deliberately and slowly. Trust kills. Wasn't that a fact set in stone? Those who befriended the enemy were traitors themselves. The truths of his young, hardened heart lingered in his mind as he drifted off to sleep. Trust kills. Trust turns to liking. Liking turns to love. Love hurts. Love is a burden.
Love kills.
When Sasuke awoke, bright sunlight struck his eyes immediately. He clenched them shut even tighter and brought up his arm to shield his face. Slowly, he eased them open and struggled into a sitting position, fighting a yawn. Eyes now fully open, he surveyed the crude campsite. Naruto was gone. He felt a faint flicker of worry wriggle in his stomach before he quickly squashed it.
Sasuke got to his feet and stretched. Hopefully the waters would be down by now. He wanted to get the hell off this island. Noisy crunching sounds heralded Naruto's entrance. A joyous grin shone through.
"Look Sasuke!" Naruto crouched and carefully placed the pile he had been carrying in his arms on the ground. "Breaaakfast!" Easy and eager laughter followed.
Not unkindly, Sasuke wondered how Naruto could be so excited over bruised berries and fruit. But then again, from what he had seen in Naruto's mind so far, food was always cause for a celebration. The two of them sat down amicably and shared their simple meal. Naruto provided most of the conversation, naturally. He had apparently gone down to the banks and seen that the water level had dropped significantly during the night. Silently, Sasuke offered praise up to Kyarae for answering his prayer.
After hurrying through breakfast, the two eagerly went to the edge of the island for the last time. With a whoop of excitement, Naruto rushed into the waters. A ghost of a smile graced Sasuke's lips before he stepped more gracefully into the river.
The two boys were joyous. In the middle of the river, Naruto turned and splashed Sasuke, who had been following close behind. Mischievous laughter burst out of the blonde that was soon cut short by Sasuke's massive wave of retaliation. Naruto sputtered angrily.
"Bastard!"
Sasuke's usually emotionless eyes shone with amusement. "You started it."
Naruto opened his mouth but could find no retort. He HAD started it. So, instead, he snapped his mouth closed and proceeded to fling as much water as he could at Sasuke for revenge. In seconds it had turned into a full fledged water fight.
Thirty minutes later, both boys were exhausted as they crawled up on the opposite bank. Naruto, feeling the exhilaration of freedom once more, managed to somehow find a new burst of energy. He ran up and down the bank, shouting insane insults at the island that had held them captive, then proceeded to perform a victory dance complete with all the yelling. Sasuke watched, perplexed and slightly amused. How the HELL did that boy have so much energy??
Eventually though, Naruto calmed down and trotted over to where Sasuke was sitting.
"Ne, Sasuke!"
"What?"
"We really should take off our clothes to let them dry before going home."
Sasuke's head shot up as he stared incredulously at Naruto and instantly regretted it. The blonde's clothes were still soaked from the swim and they clung to his body damply. Toned muscles could be seen through the wet fabric and it left very little to imagination.
Naruto pouted, mistaking Sasuke's stare for scorn. "We can't go home with wet clothes. They'll want to know how they got wet."
Slowly, the words penetrated Sasuke's mind and he processed them. Surprisingly, Naruto was right, for once. He nodded hesitantly.
Instantly, Naruto was wriggling out of his orange jacket. It came off easily and was thrown carelessly to the side. Sasuke watched, torn yet fascinated, as Naruto started on his black undershirt. It proved to be more difficult for the blonde's clumsiness and took him several moments longer to be rid of. When it finally did peel off with a damp protest, Naruto sighed in contentment and grinned at Sasuke.
"I hate wet clothing." Naruto started to remove his drenched pants but stopped abruptly when he realized that Sasuke still sat fully clothed. "Sasuke, why are you still sitting there?"
Sasuke blushed slightly and turned his head away. Slowly, he pulled his shirt over his head, leaving him in his fishnet undershirt. He felt aqua eyes focusing on him and fought to keep the redness from spreading on his cheeks. Even more self-consciously, he struggled out of the thin layer of black netting. He spared a quick glance through his lashes at Naruto.
Mistake. Naruto was still watching him, only now, he sat in only his colorful boxers. Sasuke berated himself mentally. He had let his embarrassment override his usually acute senses. How could he not have noticed Naruto stepping out of his pants? What was with him? He was acting like Lady Sakura or Lady Ino. He repressed a shudder at the thought of his two most avid fangirls.
To distract himself from the lingering image of Naruto, he focused intensely on the task of removing his now uncomfortably drenched pants. Soon, he was left with only his black boxers on as well. Sasuke set about arranging all the clothing neatly so they could get the most sun and dry faster.
Halfway through his motions, Sasuke came upon an idea. He straightened and stared thoughtfully off into space.
"Ne, Sasuke!" Naruto's loud voice rang close to his ear, once again interrupted his thought process. "Why'd you stop?"
Startled, Sasuke turned quickly and was met with Naruto's questioning face two inches away. He leapt away and to his feet.
"Damnit, Naruto! Don't do that!" Sasuke fumed inwardly. Why did Naruto have this deadening effect on his senses? He had been so absorbed in arranging the clothes to distract himself from Naruto's body that he hadn't noticed the blonde's presence behind him, watching him.
"Do what?!" Naruto retorted defensively. He had crept up quietly behind Sasuke to see what he was doing. As he was standing behind him, he had become aware of Sasuke's scent – a cool yet infuriatingly heady mixture of mint, soap, and something else Naruto could not name yet reminded him strongly of raw power. He had become entranced with the scent and had not moved away. Sasuke's sudden halt in movement had shaken him to his senses. Now, Sasuke stood before him, nearly naked, and Naruto could not help but stare.
Sasuke's skin was incredibly pale, reminding Naruto of moonlight across still waters. Toned muscles tightened and relaxed under nearly flawless skin. His slender fingers tensed at his side. His black hair hung in spikes, askew and in odd angles due to the swim and Naruto had a sudden longing to tame the wild strands of hair with his fingers. Forcibly, Naruto tore his gaze from Sasuke's body to his face before his thoughts could continue.
"I – well – "Sasuke stopped and gathered his scattered thoughts to form a coherent sentence. "Stop interrupting me when I'm thinking!"
"Well, excuse me!" Naruto huffed. He turned away and grumbled, "It's not like I asked to be stuck with a prick like you for the rest of my life."
Sasuke sighed. "Look, I was just thinking of a way to make our clothes dry faster, ok?"
Naruto turned back, all resentment gone from his face. "Really? How?"
As Naruto turned back to him, Sasuke's breath hitched. He got his first clear view of an expanse of the blonde's tanned body. Muscles that were normally hidden by bulky clothing were apparent now. They rippled and flowed smoothly as he moved. Messy locks of blonde hair framed his face. Blue eyes, as clear and life-giving as running water sat above a small nose, and a wide smile. Sasuke stared, enthralled with Naruto's perfection. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel his dazedness. Sasuke forced himself to look away, even though his entire body cried out in protest.
"Ah, well." He stammered slightly then caught hold of himself. "I was thinking that we could use our chakra to heat up the clothing."
Naruto brightened. "Cool. Let me try."
Sasuke opened his mouth to tell him that it required a delicate, precise amount of chakra, but Naruto was already channeling chakra toward his orange jacket. The jacket glowed brightly for a second with Naruto's blue chakra before bursting into flames. Naruto yelped and the flow of blue was cut off abruptly. The fire died as quickly as it had started, leaving behind a pile of ashes.
As Naruto mourned the loss of his favorite article of clothing, Sasuke shook his head with bemusement and set to work. He quickly dried his own clothes and then Naruto's remaining clothes.
"C'mon, get dressed." He told Naruto curtly. "What are you – no! Naruto, don't take the ashes! It's just a jacket!"
Preview:
It was too quiet. He knew it and felt it the moment he landed. His gaze swept his surroundings and it confirmed the fact that something was wrong. Things were knocked over, thrown, and left in disarray. There was no one. He began to walk faster and faster up the pathway that led to the tower, not trusting his voice to call for the people he knew should have been there. He reached the heavy oak door and slammed it open. His eyes stared incredulously at the splashes of blood that decorated the walls.
He glanced to his right and his heart halted. It was Naka, one of his distant cousins. Her once laughing eyes now stared blankly ahead, the brilliant green now faded and glazed over. Blood covered her everywhere. She was supposed to be on guard duty tonight.
He tore his eyes away and broke into a run. He fought the Panic that rose in him and clawed at his throat. A frightening silence pounded in his ears, his mind, chilling him and tightening around his chest. Fear made his hands shake.