Fugitive

In truth, Naruto initially had no intention of running away. He stormed out of the communications room and downstairs, going almost instinctively to the place he knew would make him feel better. As he slipped inside Sasuke's room, which was now thankfully empty, he looked at the frail form with simmering anger. The conversation with Tsunade through Yamato had made it very clear: Sasuke was unnecessary to Konoha. So long as they had Naruto and Kurama, that was all that was needed.

But what if they didn't have him? What if he just…left. Disappeared off the grid? Could he honestly do it? And what of his friends? His anger abated just a bit at the thought of not seeing Kakashi, Iruka, Sakura, or any of their classmates again. They'd worry and he hated the idea of putting them through that uncertainty. Maybe he'd find a way to send a message to them letting them know he was alright.

Naruto absolutely refused to leave Sasuke behind though and while he had no definitive plan, he had no desire to stay here anymore. Running high on his emotions, he drew closer to Sasuke's bed and began to carefully turn off the monitors. For each device shut down, he'd pause, ensuring that Sasuke showed no change. With a murmured apology, he gently pulled the IV out of his arm (at least this time they'd placed it in his slightly less dominate right hand. He smiled that Sakura had remembered this detail), rubbing the reddened skin to ease any pain.

However, once he reached the breathing mask, he completely halted. Would Sasuke be able to breathe without it? He could try to remove it and see, but time was of the essence and he couldn't risk being found out before he could escape. Instead, he followed the trail of the tube from the mask to find that it connected to a heavy, yet relatively small oxygen tank.

"Let's see here…" he murmured, reaching over for his jacket, which lay across Sasuke still. Instead of putting it on, he double-knotted it around his waist, giving an experimental tug to ensure it was secure. Picking up the tank, he maneuvered it behind him and tucked it in, the result looking almost like a scuba diving rig. He jumped a few times and was pleased when it didn't fall down.

With that established, he took the thin sheets from the bed and swathed Sasuke in them. Tenderly picking him up, he shared his chakra once more, hoping it'd be enough to keep him warm. He easily made his way over to the window, but hesitated and thought about leaving at least a goodbye message for his friends. His hands though were already full and instead, he tugged off his headband, taking a moment to look at the Konoha symbol.

Even now, wearing the headband made him so proud and brought forth the feelings of belonging. It reminded him of how connected he was to everyone, that everyone in Konoha was a team. To him, it was a symbol of love, a sign that after years of so much hurt, he'd made it.

Yet now…those feelings were also mingled with betrayal. Konoha had cracks in its happy family. Which, he understood no family was perfect, but sometimes, even if you love someone or something, you needed to get away so that you could come back with newfound perspective and understanding. There was no way he could ever say he hated Konoha and completely mean it, but the time had come for them to have a break.

He placed his headband on the windowsill, just like Sasuke had once done so long ago. Throwing open the window, he bristled at the freezing winds that lashed his face and turned Sasuke's to where it could be protected against his chest. Tapping easily into his power, he launched off and soared across the sky.

Implementing his flying, he was able to cover much more ground and as a blur, he flew across the Land of Iron's border. Vaguely, he heard shouts from below, but there was no way anyone of them would be able to keep up. He smiled triumphantly, feeling just that more free and unrestrained.

Once he crossed the border though, he altered his direction to instead head east. This put the washed-out sun at his back as it began to set. For several hours he enjoyed the relative quiet, appreciating the wind made warm by his chakra as it rushed through his hair.

That is, until he heard a hollow sucking sound come from the bundle in his arms. Instantly, a stab of fear ran through Naruto and he descended, kneeling to the ground. He shook Sasuke but didn't get a response. No, please no…

But he already knew the answer. As he untied his jacket from his waist and picked up the oxygen tank, he could tell that it was empty. Why hadn't he thought to search out another one? There wouldn't have been enough time, he answered himself. Could he maybe buy a new one? But from where? And either way, wouldn't someone ask questions?

Not like I can afford it either way, he thought ruefully. If he took Sasuke to another hospital, that would maybe allow him to get ahold of another one, but he'd have to show his insurance card if he wanted to avoid paying every cent he currently had. Either way though, that would leave a trail. With reluctance, he slowly removed the mask from Sasuke's face, shoving the entire set out of sight in a clump of withering trees.

With it removed, Sasuke gasped in his sleep, his body working hard to pull in air. Naruto swallowed down the scream that wanted to rise, instead leaning over the body to breathe air into his mouth. How just would it be, for him to have ripped apart heaven and earth to find Sasuke, all to be the one to kill him. He would never be able to carry that burden. Rather, he wouldn't allow himself to carry it. He knew his Sasuke; he was a fighter in every sense of the word. This would not be his end.

After minutes of giving air, Sasuke at last gave a shuddering gasp, his eyes flickering rapidly under their lids but not opening. Naruto gently coaxed him with soft words and pleas, rubbing his chest, hoping maybe it'd aid in circulation and as a means to comfort himself. In time, the ragged breaths quieted down and Sasuke's chest rose and fell in a regular pattern.

That'd been close. Absolutely too close. With trembling hands, Naruto wrapped Sasuke up again, hefting him in his arms. He looked back to where they'd come, the hundreds of miles that would lead him once more to the Land of Iron. Or, if he went south, he'd return to the Land of Earth. Looking back east, he gazed into the far distance at what lay before him. As far as he could see, the earth was barren, the snow no longer present, but the ground was still frozen underneath. Except for a dying tree here or there, no other landmarks stood out.

As he stood there shivering, forgetting for a moment to warm himself as he continued to warm Sasuke, he understood that at some point, rationality needed to take precedence over pride. Rationality told him to at least go south, head to one of the Land of Earth's villages, and let Sasuke properly recuperate. However…pride was a strong and fickle thing. It contradicted any rational thought and refused to give in, no matter the amount of evidence to the contrary.

He breathed out a long sigh, taking a step that would lead him south. But…just what may lay ahead? Perhaps there was a village there—

You know there isn't. Stop being stubborn.

Still…there could be—

Go back, Naruto.

Just let me—

Ignoring his reason, he continued on his current path. For another hour, he flew faster than before, desperate for anything, any sign that they weren't completely alone.

However, at the end of two hours, the landscape still looked nearly identical as before. The sun had gone completely down, as had the temperature and he again shivered. He hadn't realized it would take so much energy to not only fly but to ensure Sasuke was at least stable. As a result, he already knew his own core temperature was dropping.

Now, he was faced with another two decisions and neither of them was very uplifting: He could forge on ahead and hope to reach somewhere where he could stay the night, namely provide food to restore his energy. Or he could go back…but going back meant that without a doubt, he wouldn't come across another village for at least four or more hours.

He chose to keep east, though by now, his pride and reason had both fallen silent. His flying had been reduced to drifting and he had to touch back down to the ground often. He pushed forward only for Sasuke's sake.

At one point he stumbled, nearly falling onto the dusty, frigid ground. His bones creaked in a way that'd fit for someone much older than him, but as he straightened up, he blinked his eyes in the darkness to see…light. Multiple lights, tiny pinpoints like fireflies that'd been frozen to one spot. It took his brain a moment to logically process what he was seeing, but at last it all clicked together.

With renewed vigor, he ran towards the village. In his excitement, he nearly plunged headlong into a busy street, but forced his feet to stop. People might want to help if they saw Sasuke's condition, but it'd mean concocting a story and while his brain had woken up a bit, it hadn't gotten beyond "village=food" right now.

Instead, he sat Sasuke against a tree, one that looked much healthier than those in the barren wastelands they'd traveled across. "Stay here for just a moment; I'll be back with something to eat," he whispered and as Sasuke's head fell against his chest, Naruto smiled and pretended that it'd been a nod.

Setting off, ideally, he would've loved to find a ramen stand, something hot to warm him up. For now, he'd have to settle with something quick that could be taken on the go. Slipping inside a convenience store, he purchased a few stuffed bread buns, weaving around some men working to unload several boxes of food to restock.

As he stepped outside with his purchases, he noticed a lot of commotion from the other end of the village. Dipping into an alley, he hopped up onto a roof and scanned the skyline and it didn't take long for him to find his target.

Rising formidably into the night were several ships that he'd failed to notice earlier in his excitement. This town was an ocean port and despite himself, Naruto gave a quiet whistle at just how much distance he'd covered. From the ships, several crews worked to load and unload heavy boxes that looked exactly like the kind those in the store were unpacking.

Looking down at the plastic bag full of food, Naruto knew it wouldn't last them long, though thanks to the hours he'd put in over the last few months, he and Sasuke would be okay if they chose to stay here for a while. However…Naruto found himself becoming rather ambitious again. He was curious to know where the ships had come from, what land produced such an array of goods that it could easily do trade with other villages and nations.

It only took an instant and his mind had once again decided.

Sprinting back to the tree, he found Sasuke just where he'd left him, covered in a faint red glow of chakra. "I think it's long overdue that we take a cruise, Sasuke!" he giggled, picking the other boy up. "It won't be first class though, sorry about that. Maybe we can save that for our honeymoon," he joked.

With so much activity buzzing around the docks, no one noticed when Naruto slipped into the cargo hold of one of the ships. He settled himself near the back, hoping that the large crates that were still on board were for outbound at the next destination and didn't need to be unloaded here. He also crossed his fingers that this ship wasn't piloted by shinobi but to be safe, he reluctantly dissipated the chakra emanating from Sasuke.

Before he could even shiver, Naruto again took off his jacket, wrapping that around the other teen's shoulders and snuggled under the sheets with him. He waited with abated breath for someone to find them, but at last, he could hear the sound of a heavy chain being raised as the anchor was brought back up. Within the hour, the boat started to rock side to side much more and Naruto knew that they were now out on the ocean.

Quietly digging in the bag from the store, he unwrapped one of the buns covered in sesame seeds and tore it in half. "Hey, wake up," he whispered to his companion.

Sasuke's eyes flickered open briefly and Naruto took that moment to gently push a small piece of bread into his mouth. However, when his eyes closed again, Naruto twisted his mouth in a frown, not sure how he was going to get nutrients into Sasuke. As it would happen though, general nature kicked in and at feeling the food in his mouth, Sasuke slowly chewed and gave a tiny swallow. Naruto was certain though he was still asleep.

He continued that way, placing tiny pieces of food in Sasuke's mouth and while patiently waiting for Sasuke to swallow, he'd take a bite of his own food. "Hey, Sasuke, did I ever tell you about the time me, Guy-sensei, Yamato and Killer Bee took a boat to the Turtle island?"

But of course, Sasuke didn't reply.

Undaunted, Naruto continued, "It was a loooong trip, but still pretty fun! I found out that Bushier Brow-sensei gets seasick easily, so it was kinda gross at first but you learned to just tune it out. Oh! And that's also when I found out my clones can rebel against me! It was a crazy trip, but the real fun was when we finally arrived and Killer Bee began to train me. He even taught me some mad flows, yo!"

Realizing he was getting too loud, he slapped a hand over his mouth and listened. When no one came to investigate, he resumed his storytelling. "During that training, Kurama and I finally began to understand each other more. People look at me funny when I tell that to them, that he and I are…well, I'd say we're friends," he smiled, rubbing his hair bashfully.

"And one day, Sasuke, I hope you can get to know him and become friends too. As much as I want to become Hokage, I also want the nations to finally see from both Killer Bee and I that the Tailed Beasts aren't wild creatures that need to be chained down. They have thoughts and feelings, exactly like we do. In fact, a lot of them are really cute and funny."

As softly as he could, he began to sing a song taught to him by the Tailed Beasts which they'd used to help teach him their names. By the second round of the song though, he'd fallen asleep, not realizing just how exhausted he was from only this one day.

~.~.~

When he awoke, he could instantly tell the ship had docked once again. Their movement had slowed down considerably compared to previously. On the sides of the cargo hold were several portholes and he could see it was now daylight. The door to the hold hadn't been opened yet, which meant this might be his best chance to slip out.

Picking up the bread wrappers and brushing away the crumbs, he again pulled Sasuke up in his arms. He must've been given some pretty heavy medicine if he'd managed to sleep over a day.

Naruto peeked open the side door meant for crew members when they weren't loading or unloading and didn't see anyone around. Swiftly, he ran to the side of the ship and jumped off the rail, flying over the shoreline before touching down in a quiet green field. He curiously looked around, wondering, what nation was this? He was grateful that at least it was much warmer here, but that meant that likely, they'd traveled south after all.

However, as he looked around to gain his bearings, something in the distance looked vaguely familiar. It was a palace, one befit of Imperial royalty and a memory tugged at him, begging for him to remember. He'd been here before…a long time ago…

Like taking a breath of much needed air, the memories flooded back to him. His recount had been stalled as these fields hadn't always looked like this. Naruto remembered this land better as being covered in thick snow, much like the Land of Iron. In fact, that was exactly the name of this nation: the Land of Snow.

A long time ago, back when Team 7 was still together (due to Sasuke being gone for so long, anything before his departure felt like a lifetime ago), they'd been given an assignment to escort an actress to this nation. As with nearly every escort mission they'd been given though, things quickly unraveled and became more dangerous. It was revealed that the actress was actually the princess and rightful heir to the throne for her Land. Her uncle had assassinated her father, thus usurping him. A young Kakashi had managed to rescue her during that time, bringing her safely to the mainland instead.

During Team 7's stay, Naruto remembered assisting the princess in defeating her uncle, thus restoring her to power (though she'd been highly reluctant to accept it or to even step foot ever again in the Land of Snow). The battle's victory also came with the added benefit of the spell on the nation being broken, with the years-long snow finally being erased. Informally, the nation was now called the Land of Spring.

As all of this came back to him, Naruto felt his face break into a massive grin. Of anywhere they could've ended up, this had to be the most perfect location. The Land of Snow/Spring was not only an extremely far distance from Konoha, the nation had minimal dealings with other countries. They'd even opted out of joining the Allied Shinobi Forces, choosing to stay completely out of the war, meaning they held no ties with the Shinobi Union as well.

With high hopes, he carried Sasuke with him to stand bravely before the palace gates. He didn't respond negatively to the guards' initial denial of entry as he expected nothing less. However, when he told them his name, a guard left to communicate this with the princess and returned with a look of awe and wonderment as to just who Naruto was. "Princess Koyuki will see you now," he said stiffly, turning to guide them into the grand palace.

"That boy, does he need medical treatment?" another guard asked, nodding at Sasuke.

For a moment, Naruto thought about saying no but he instantly felt awful. He'd denied Sasuke medical attention long enough and even if he hated being away from him, it'd be weird to carry him into the meeting with the princess. It'd also be rude to make her come to him in the hospital wing. This time, he let rationality do the talking. "Yeah, if you have a complete hospital here, that'd be great. His chakra points were blocked but that was taken care of at the last hospital. At times, he has trouble breathing without a mask though."

As Naruto gently handed Sasuke off, the man peered at him curiously. "You mean he was in a hospital already? Why didn't you leave him there?"

Shit, I said too much. "Some…things happened. It's why I'd like to see the Princess, actually." He hadn't expected himself to tell the honest truth, but he was happy he'd done so. It'd mean not having to trip over a lie.

He was taken to a small tearoom where two steaming cups were already set out. In looking at the finery around him, he grimaced at his reflection in his tea, pulling at strands of hair to try to make himself more presentable. However, until he could get a bath, it was a futile effort and he resigned himself to drinking the delicate beverage.

When the princess at last strode in, he glanced at her appearance and was too slow in hiding a smile; he'd once had a massive crush on her. She too looked down at herself, grinning, as instead of the layered kimono that should've been worn by someone of her status, she'd opted for pants and a traditional shirt that tied shut. She shrugged, admitting, "I like horseback riding and none of that girly side-saddle stuff. I like being ready at all times."

Naruto loved that she didn't care for formalities and launched immediately into the reason for his visit. As she listened, nodding at times, she took a small glass bottle from a drawer built into the table and poured it into her tea. After giving a stir, she took a sip while muttering something about it being "happy hour." Continuing with his story, he felt himself relax just that much more.

"So lemme get this straight; you're here to pretty much seek sanctuary," she said when he'd finished, her voice not taking on a slur just yet but her eyes had become slightly red. "Well, isn't that about right! Now it all comes full circle."

She tucked a lock of raven hair behind an ear and pulled something out of her pocket. It was a small stationary pad of paper and a pen. As she began to write, she said, "Take this letter and give it to the immigration office. I've signed it with a special code that they'll recognize as coming from me, so they'll take it seriously. I've requested for you your little lover to be set up with visas with an indefinite expiration date." Tearing the paper out, she slid it to him with a wry, "You're welcome."

Naruto had taken care to weave around the fact that he and Sasuke were dating and as he stared at her open-mouthed, she laughed. "If he was just your friend, even your best friend, you would've left him at the previous hospital to be cared for. It's much more plausible that you'd drag him across an ocean due to you two being together and not wanting to be apart. Hey, I might not be the most perceptive, but I have my moments."

With flaming cheeks, he chose to instead bow his thanks. "You don't know how much this means to me…" he said.

She waved him off, again taking out the small glass bottle but drinking from it directly this time. "I'm sure I do. I was sort of in the same situation once. Sucks that your Hokage is being a bit of an overbearing bitch—I can say that, you can't—but it is what it is. Stay here as long as you like until you get things figured out."

Giving another slow bow, he took his leave. His heart felt lighter than it had in months and he felt almost giddy at the thought of finally being able to spend time with Sasuke without the judgement of others. For the time being, this was more than he could've hoped for and he fully intended to savor every minute of it.

If you have no idea who Princess Koyuki is, don't worry too much on it. I went waaay back to the very first Naruto movie in order to receive inspiration for this chapter :)