O.C. #2 : -cracking up at Flame Gazer's review- Oh, that was funny. I have to say, the reviews are really good. Out's not here to say anything, but I'm sure she would say they sounded poetic.
Chapter 9 - My Dear King
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"Naruto!" Captain Kakashi called as if mad. Naruto jerked awake immediately and turned to the flap of his tent moments before it was opened.
"Um...Good morning?" Naruto tried.
"Naruto, we're going into battle again." Kakashi explained. "We're up against Merdal's troops. Naruto, he's ruthless. And almost as important to the Uchiha Kingdom as Prince Itachi was."
For a moment, Naruto's thoughts floated back to the boy he'd left at the lake, the one who'd left him years ago and had come back. But Naruto hadn't gone back...he'd left forever. That boy was a prince too...did no one care for him now? This thought caused his heart to clench and he had to shake himself to get a clear head.
"I'll be writing to Hinata before we leave. Do you have anything to tell them? After all, you are the King and will soon be the one ruling instead." Kakashi asked.
"No." Naruto shook his head. "Oh!" he nodded. "Tell Sakura the Prince isn't all he seems." Naruto muttered sadly.
"Of course." Kakashi left the tent. "Better get ready Naruto. We're leaving soon."
"Yes sir!" and he began to pack.
-
'Hinata,
Last I wrote, I said that there was a possibility that Naruto's heart was broken. I have no proof of this, but my own interpretations. He started running off every night after the death of the King and Queen. Each time he left, and each time he returned, he seemed happy.
The day after we received the news, I found him in the forest. I'm pretty sure someone was in the bushes then. Last night, he left immediately after I spoke with him. I thought it was good that he had found someone, since it was obvious he was meeting someone. The one that had been in the bushes.
But when he came back, he was in tears. I got the feeling that he'd been emotionally hurt by someone precious to him. Naruto has found someone in the midst of a war, on the grounds of a battlefield. He should be happy.
Something foreboding is on the horizon, I can feel it Hinata. The King is in danger here, but he won't leave. I know he won't. Even if he was hurt by them, he won't stray very far. I'll do my best to protect him, but there's not much I can do.
Something tells me this fateful happening...is necessary. I only pray it will all turn out well in the end.
-Captain Fehrock
P.S. Naruto has asked me to have you tell Sakura "The Prince isn't all he seems." I wonder if something that passed through my head, is passing through yours too? You're smart after all.'
Hinata finished reading the letter, her eyes wide. She was pretty sure her and the captain had come to the same conclusion about the royals.
"Well?" Sakura asked.
"You've received a personal message from the King himself Sakura." Hinata said in an important yet happy voice. "He says, 'The Prince isn't all he seems.'"
Sakura's face scrunched up.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked in an almost preppy tone.
"I don't know." Hinata replied, but it was obvious she knew something. "Anyway, they're most likely in battle by now. We should get to work." and she walked off.
"Wha-But!" Sakura followed after her, wanting to know what the message meant.
-
"This battle will be nothing like the other battles we've been in. Do not let your guards down for even a spilt moment. These are the best of the best of the Uchihan warriors, as we know it. Don't ask why we had to attack them, they would've attacked us if we hadn't...and that would've meant our demise." Kakashi briefed the men as they hid in the trees a good 100 ft from the other army.
They were walking in their direction, so this speech had to be fast.
"We'll be counting on all of you to save each other as best you can. And our kingdom, our King..." his eyes flicked to Naruto, who looked up, for a moment before he continued. "Depend on you to protect them."
The men nodded, still somehow empowered by Naruto's mere presence...they apparently had not heard his crying session...good for them.
Naruto nodded and stood up, his sword on his back. They all formed their lines or packs and then...They charged.
"Forward!" Kakashi bellowed and they were off like horses in a race, or like the forest they were in was on fire.
It was less than a minute later when they were locked with the enemy. Naruto was about to kill his first enemy when something shot through him. Pain? Awareness? He didn't know, but in his pause, the other warrior went to stab him. He dodged but it still grazed his right shoulder due to their close range.
The warrior smirked, feeling he had victory, and Naruto's eyes started turning red. Then the warrior was suddenly thrust to the side, landing in a heap, dead after hitting someone's sword. Naruto's eyes reverted back, but his opponent had seen it.
Their swords were locked, but neither could mistake who the other was. Sasuke and Naruto.
'Why?' Sasuke asked in his mind, a strangely pained looked on his face. 'Why'd you have to be my enemy? You're gentle and sad...like me...Why are we fighting like this?'
"Naruto!" he yelled slightly to be heard over the clashing around them.
"What Sasuke?" Naruto asked at normal level, holding the parry well.
"Why...why are we-" he was cut off.
"We're fighting because we're on opposite sides, it's that easy."
"But we aren't enemies!"
"I never said we were." Naruto said, his voice soft and his head down. "I don't want to be your enemy Sasuke...but you became that enemy the moment you betrayed me!" he yelled, lifting his head and pushing at the parry, pushing Sasuke backwards. Sasuke noted tears running down his cheeks.
Still, he pushed back, and it was a near stand still, with one of them taking a step back or forward every so often. The battles around them seemed to disappear and no one seemed to matter except the person in front of them. How long this went on, they would never really know...but it was cut off abruptly as a yell penetrated Naruto's mind, his eyes widening and breaking the trance that had been set.
"Captain!" he yelled, pushing one final time to move Sasuke away before he turned and ran for the older man. Sasuke blinked at a glimmer of silver but followed. (1) "Get away!" Naruto yelled as his eyes flared red and he slashed the horde of soldiers that had ganged up on his captain.
They yelled as they ran at him instead, but each time one ran up, Naruto would strike them down like lightning. He spins as he slashes at three that attack him and spots Sasuke coming closer, maneuvering around the other fights. He brushed off the feeling he should know the other boy (this amnesia-ness induced by the red-eye effect) and continued his fight.
The soldiers dead, Naruto's eyes reverted to blue again and he fell down next to Kakashi. The silver haired captain seemed to have been stabbed and was bleeding badly. Naruto moved him to a slight sitting position, bracing him with his arms.
"Captain! Captain don't die!" he cried. "Don't you dare die on me Kakashi..." he muttered softly. "I swear I'll raise you from your grave and kill you myself if you die!"
"Naruto..." Kakashi opened his eyes. "Run away. It's possible we're all going to die here..."
"No! I won't run! And we won't die!" he defied. Kakashi hit him as hard as he could in the head.
"You may...think that now Naruto...But, my dear King Uzumaki..." he seemed to be having trouble now. "You must live. Your kingdom...still needs you too much...Now run!"
"I wo-" Naruto yelped as someone grabbed his hair and yanked on it hard.
Sasuke was standing a few feet away, frozen unless someone charged him (then he slashed). Naruto was the...the KING! Merdal had grabbed the blonde by the hair.
"Lemme go!" Naruto squirmed as he was picked up by the taller, stronger man.
"Naruto...!" Kakashi went to stand up but Merdal kicked him in his wound and he fell down, writhing in pain.
"Fall back men!" Merdal yelled, and his voice boomed over the entire field. "Fall back! I've got what we need!" and he went to leave.
"You're not taking me anywhere!" Naruto yelled and, having been tossed over Merdal's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, began pounding as hard as he could on the man's back.
"Stop squirming...you little royal brat!" Merdal hit Naruto in the back of the neck and he instantly passed out. "Now, I said Fall Back!" and he began walking away.
Sasuke blinked out of his daze and went over to the wounded Kakashi.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a whisper.
"I see now...It's easy to see you're the one." Kakashi muttered after merely glancing at the young soldier before him.
"The One?" Sasuke asked quietly.
"The one...Naruto always paints and writes about. The one Naruto...loves." Silver eyes closed, and Kakashi stopped moving. Sasuke felt his heart tighten, and tears stung at his eyes but didn't fall.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Naruto asked in a serious tone.
"None of your business." The boy snarled back, he had regained himself quite.
"Well anyways, what side are you on?" he ventured. The boy, Sasuke, smirked and seemed proud.
"The proud Uchiha Kingdom." he said with an air of defiance.
"Heh, well, have you heard the news from the Uzumaki Kingdom?" Naruto seemed indifferent.
"What about it?" Sasuke asked with a bit of anger.
"Itachi, the first heir to the Uchiha throne, attacked the Uzumaki castle-"
"I know that." Sasuke cut him off.
"Yea, so? He got in successfully and started killing everyone off. The 'royals' are dead." Naruto said bitterly.
"Well, that's good. The war is over then, and Itachi will take the throne." Sasuke seemed almost sad about this.
"Hey, this war is far from over. And that two-faced-good-for-nothing Itachi guy was killed by the king the same time he killed the king." Naruto snapped.
"Itachi is dead?" The black haired boy gasped.
"Yea. Now, I'm leaving." Naruto turned away.
"Wait!"
"Huh? What?" He turned a bit to face him.
"What happened to the prince?" Sasuke blurted out before thinking. Naruto blinked, then shrugged.
"If he's still alive...he's not at the castle..." he seemed suddenly sad.
"Oh..." Sasuke looked at the ground and seemed about to cry, but didn't.
"W-what's your last name?" Sasuke stuttered. Naruto blinked.
"My last name?" Naruto paused. "Technically? Uzumaki."
"Naruto...Uzumaki...Naruto..." he muttered as he fought off his tears before he stood. "Save your captain and I'll save your King!" he yelled to the remaining soldiers before taking off, not even noticing the freaked out and bewildered looks he'd caused and left behind.
(1) Can anyone guess the glimmer of silver?
