For those that enjoyed Two Swans and/or are currently enjoying The Dingo Ate My Baby here's a Naruto Version Snow White, for you all. A SasuNaru one, this time. This is one of my all-time favorite pairings and I'm surprised it took me so long to do one of them. Same AU as the other two mentioned above, and though it's not necessary to read either of them to understand this one, a few things about this AU in general are explained there.

(x) means NOTE, which are below.

Title: White, Red, Black and Orange
Chapter: One
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Characters: major: Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, Iruka, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Asuma, Gai, Zabuza, Narutominor: Hokage. Raki
Relationships: slight onesided NaruSasu

Notes:

1. The Uchiha witch clan (details in The Dingo Ate My Baby) lives in Konohagakure, like in the anime/manga.
2. Sasuke and Naruto are both about eight or nine years old at this point.
3. Kakashi, Iruka, Gai and Asuma are probably relatively young, actually, but . . .well, never mind that.


In fairy tales, there are people who are good, and then there are people who are bad. But Sasuke's life had never really resembled a fairy tale, in spite of it all. He had never met a single person that was completely black as wood, nor had he ever encountered someone who was pure as snow.

Back when he had lived relatively happily with his clan—the Uchiha witch clan of Konohagakure (x)—he had believed this to be true, though. He thought his father, his mother, his brother were all perfect. He thought they were good and would never do a single thing to hurt him. And then he had come home from the academy to find his home pooled with crimson water, red as his Sharingan.

And his brother, dressed in the usual garb of his people, with a simple fan on his back, standing over it all; his face, as always, completely serious. Sasuke had not suspected his brother, even then, even with the blood on his hands.

Asking what had happened was almost too much for the boy, but the question was choked out weakly, nonetheless. He received a cut on his cheek—and it stung, and it felt odd because no one had ever aimed such an attack on him before—in response.

He ran. Afterward, he would feel weak and guilty about it, even though there was no one left to save anyway.

He ran, and Itachi mocked him. "Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the strongest of all?"

And a rumbling voice from inside their house answered. Sasuke could just barely make it out, and no doubt that was Itachi's mischievous intent. "Thou, O Itachi, art the strongest of all!"

I will run away, anywhere, and never come home again.

Any would think that Itachi went after him, afraid of the truth he would spill, or the vengeance he would try to reap against him when older, but he did not follow the boy. In his mind, this child was no threat to him, and never would be. So he went to join the shadows, confident that he was the strongest Uchiha left alive.

Meanwhile, Sasuke ran. His clothes ripped and got soiled, but he did not care, his eyes melting into red in his fury. The forest was dark, black like his hair and usual eyes, but not as heavy and shadowy as he felt. The memory of what had occurred was like a sinister cloud over his heart and it overshadowed everything. The thorns bit him, and the stones made weak attempts to obstruct him, but to no avail.

Finally, he arrived tired and broken at a small house. Without even thinking, he entered, finding it thankfully empty. He would simply rest a little, before the true owners of this house come by, and then he'd escape so far away that Itachi would never find him. The shadows inside the house were beginning to grow long, but Sasuke could make out the white tablecloth, so much like his own pale skin, and the seven bowls that been lain upon it. Sasuke gingerly approached the food, his stomach making itself known for the first time since he had left Konohagakure.

So he nibbled a little on the pieces of the meat and the slices of fruit jumbled on the plates, not taking more from one than from the other. He sipped from every cup equally, which was not an especially wise idea, because each cup was filled with sake. It began to have an immediate effect on the young (x) boy, and he staggered weakly towards the beds—three of which lied under the window where the cool breeze could slip through the cracks, the other five against the opposite wall—nearest to him. With that, he fell into the first one in a drunken lurch. In his confused state, he didn't know one thing from another, and apologized energetically to each six beds before falling—unconscious—onto the seventh.

And the sky grew dark, and the still Sasuke slumbered on. Eventually, light footsteps were heard outside—though not by Sasuke—and the door was opened wide. Seven loud voices made the empty cottage constrict upon itself. It took the group a good couple of seconds to realize the intrusion.

Tsunade was the one who caught sight of her chair, the pillow she carefully placed on it now on the floor.

Asuma asked who had been eating off his plate, seeing it astray and only half full.

Iruka noticed his carefully prepared broccoli soup had been sipped at.

Gai realized with shock that his apple was full of bite marks.

Jiraiya cried out in surprise at seeing a good portion of his sake gone.

Zabuza growled at the sight of his pineapple chunks now dunked into his pea soup.

Kakashi wondered vaguely why the table was pushed a good three feet away from its usual standing place.

Then, as they turned their gaze towards their dear beds, they caught another fright, all seven of them. Someone had been in their bed, had rolled around and had mussed them all up. Except, that is, for Kakashi's, because Sasuke was still in his bed, and was still rolled around his blankets. All they could make out was a large bundle of blankets, so they lit seven candles and approached Kakashi's bed carefully.

And when the light shown upon the flushed face of the young boy, none of them could resist the softening of their hearts—save Zabuza, who was reminded by this boy of things he would have rather have forgotten—for this boy was so vulnerable and full of youth, even in his sleep. Youth was one thing something none of the dwarves could claim to have much of anymore (x). Zabuka would have gladly have woken the boy and demanded an explanation, but the other six were firm on the subject. And the general consensus was to leave the boy be until morn, when a decision could be made clearly.

And so Kakashi slept on top of the cleared tablecloth, because the sensible Iruka had denied the wily masked dwarf a way into his bed. And so they slept through that first night, not knowing it was the first of many to come—to Kakashi and Zabuka's slight displeasure.

This night, Sasuke had the first of his nightmares, and they were like stallions that chased after his restlessly and forever, an eternal reminder of his weakness and cowardice. The black in his heart only grew stronger.

In the morning, the dwarves awoke to find the young boy still resting. They debated quietly on what to do with him, now that the sun was out and pouring his white light upon the earth once more.

Tsunade wanted to force the boy to return home. No doubt there was someone worried about him, and it would be selfish of them to keep him around for themselves.

Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette and agreed vaguely with the woman, earning him a few sideways glances from some of his male companions.

Iruka argued passionately that Tsunade was right, and that they would have to convince the boy that running away his troubles was not the correct way to do things.

Gai cried that this was the mere beginnings of the springtime of this youth, and they he should spend them in whatever he felt in his heart was right.

Jiraiya didn't care very much either way, and said so proudly. Tsunade promptly smacked him upside the head in response. He winked sideways at Zabuza, who simple frowned.

The self-same Zabuza announced they should kill him. He could easily return him and tell everyone about his family, and then what? They all completely ignored that idea.

Kakashi did not respond at all. He stomped over to where the thin boy dozed, and shook him awake promptly.

Sasuke did not welcome the abrupt interruption of his gentle rest, as could be expected. He did not immediately remember the events of the day before, but still he was quick to react in his defense. He pushed at the silver-haired dwarf with the small bit of strength to could manage to gather at that moment, and successfully made Kakashi fall to the floor.

"What. . . where am I?" He asked, his voice still groggy with sleep, his mind blissfully confused.

Asuma snorted lightly, and chewed on the end of his cigarette. "Our house. What are doing here, now that's the better question."

But Sasuke was too preoccupied with memories and the sore feeling he was getting in his legs to pay attention to the dwarf's trivial words.

"I . . . Itachi!" Looking around desperately, though he wasn't quite sure what he was searching for, Sasuke jumped up from the bed he had been sleeping on. "I have to get out of here." Without so much as an apology to the dwarves, he moved to rush out of the cottage. They were not slow just because their legs were shorter than the average human's, though. Gai and Zabuza both moved to stop him, one because of didn't want the boy to leave hungry and the other because he thought the little idiot owed them something as compensation.

Sasuke tripped, and fell flat on his face. He did not pick himself up as quickly as he normally would have, the shock of being tripped by two dwarves too much for him.

"Look, I'm sorry for overstaying my welcome, but I needed somewhere to stay for the night . . . my brother, he's . . . shit, I don't have time for this! Itachi wants to kill me! I have to get away before he finds—"

Tsunade put a hand to silence the boy, who had begun to trip over his own words, and she was afraid of losing complete understanding of what he was saying soon. "Wait a minute! Itachi? Who the hell is he, and who the hell are you?"

But Sasuke would not stop to answer her questions, and he simply shook his head instead. "No, I can't wait, he'll . . . oh my god, I can't stop here because . . . there was so much there!" He looked up at them, and none of them could deny the sorrow and confusion they found in those pair of ebony eyes.

Iruka could not help himself. He wrapped the boy in a motherly embrace, and soothingly patted his back. "It's okay. He can't get you here. You're completely safe . . . sh . . . " All the others looked at the pair blankly, excluding Kakashi, who looked just plain jealous. Since when had Iruka taken decisions that should have rightfully have been everyone's into his own hands?

"No, my brother . . . he killed them all, and there's no way you could stop him, not just a bunch of dwarves," Gai and Asume managed to hold back Zabuza, who took that as a personal insult.

"Who'd he kill, eh?" Jiraiya asked gruffly, crossing his arms across his broad chest as he looked over the scene in front of him carefully. Iruka looked up sharply and gave the white-haired dwarf a scathing look before realizing who he was glaring at, and blushed furiously.

"What's your name?" Iruka asked softly, his arms still wrapped tightly around the boy with the sad, hurt eyes. Thin, white lips muttered something, but he could not make it out. "What did you say?"

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

They all froze at those words, even the rambunctious Zabuza. Uchiha. The notorious witch clan that shelved themselves up in Konohagakure. Every single one of the dwarves, each for a different reason, was housed in this little cottage because of their avoidance of Konohagakure. Had the castle, and the Hokage that lived in it, finally come for them despite all their trouble to stay out of his way?

"Sasuke . . . who did Itachi kill?"

Sasuke let out a hiccup that could have been a small sob. "All of them. He . . . there was so much . . . his eyes were red . . . red as blood—"

Kakashi interrupted him before he could stutter on. "Who did he kill, boy?"

When he looked up at them, his eyes were no longer black as wood, but red. Red like the crimson water he had seen pooled around his parents just a few hours before. "Everyone. I'm the only other Uchiha left alive."


A large wet nose poked at the blonde, and he tried to slap it away. Instead of the nose removing itself, the blonde only got a bite on the arm, and a loud, drawn out growl. The boy groaned in discomfort and pulled himself out of his bed. The cap on his head in lopsided, and he rights it groggily. "What do you want, Raki?"

There was an earsplitting bark, and then Raki set off running, obviously expecting the blonde boy to follow her. He did not see himself having too much of a choice in the matter, so he did.

Through the woods the boy and the fox ran. Both knew their way around the place well, as they had lived there all their lives. They had no name for this forest, lush and green and beautiful as they found it. Naruto had grown up with these foxes and had unconsciously assimilated their habits. And foxes needed no name for things.

Would anything change if they decided to call it Forest of the Foxes? Would it change the foxes' position in the large scale of things? It would not give them more power, or make them less hungry in the winter. So this place remained itself, and nothing more.

The blonde knew where they were headed before he even caught sight of the smoke from the chimneystack. The cottage in which the seven dwarves lazed about. He used to play trick on them all the time, but there was only so long you could play around with the heads of the same seven people. The boy didn't know what they were doing there, and it didn't really interest him to know at all, either. As long as they didn't bother him, he would not bother them . . . much.

The foxes had never shown much interest in their either . . . then why was Raki bringing him here? They went around the brick house, and towards the garden, where the boy remembered fondly having dung up potatoes once with some of the foxes. There was a window back there, he remembered vaguely, and sure enough the fox lifted its front paws off the ground to place them on the windowsill above the garden.

The blue-eyed boy made a point the steer around the tomatoes and cabbages. It wouldn't be smart to get him mad, he thought to himself as he approached the window. He kneels just below the windowsill, in case one of those attentive dwarves saw him. He was about to ask what Raki expected from him when her ear twitched. So she wanted him to listen, then?

At first, he couldn't make out anything. Some scuffling, perhaps, but nothing important. Then a voice.

There were seven dwarves living this cottage, and hearing voices inside was usually nothing especially unusual. This was different. This was the voice of a boy, possibly even his own age?

"What do I do now?"

The blonde hadn't hurt a young voice in years . . . if ever. This intrigued him, and he found himself leaning against the cottage wall to get as close as possible. It sounded sad this voice, and it yearned for something. The boy did not know how to read into things, nor did he have the knowledge of how to read people—he could barely read to begin with. But he felt this, and it was different from anything he could have been taught.

He noticed that the fox's gaze was fixated on him, finally, and he frowned. "What is it you brought me here for?" he mouthed. She simple tilted her head towards the cottage. Him. Glancing toward the window above, he wondered if he dared take a peak . . . just a small glance.

Raki caught his eye, and blinked affirmatively. Well, if Raki, one of the most reckless foxes among the bunch, thought it would be alright for him to try . . . He lifted his head so that his eyes were just about the windowsill, and his bob of hair was the only thing visible from inside. There, on the bed, with his back turned conveniently towards him, sat the boy.

Skin white was snow. Hair black as wood. The blonde wanted him to turn around so urgently that he nearly spoke. But he managed to hold his tongue and merely stared. Something in him fluttered, and the feeling was completely new. When the pale boy's hand reached up to brush a long lock out of his eyes, the blonde instinctively dunked back down.

He squatted there for who knew how long, but he could not stop his heart from thumping. He shot Raki a frightened look, but she simply began licking between her legs unperturbedly.

Then, slowly, his opened his mouth to speak. His hands clenched and unclenched as he tried to build up the courage to say something—anything—so this boy.

"Hi there. My name's Naruto."