Wonders and Miracles
Disclaimer: I still have yet to find the legal papers necessary for me to own Naruto. Darn.
Author's Note: My God, I haven't been back to karate since last summer. I felt so lost. It looks like I can't stay away for much longer though. I love it too much. Ah, well. This might mean that I won't be able to update as much, but hopefully not. I'm having way too much fun writing this story to stop now.
Warning: Religious stuff is gonna be all over this story, so if you're gonna get offended, don't tell me about it or don't read it. And if you do tell me about it, don't yell at me.
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"You have sanctuary."
"But not freedom. Gypsies don't do well inside stone walls."-Quasimodo and Esmerelda(Hunchback of Notre Dame)
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The moonlight streaming through the mosaics were a sight that few saw. Not many came to church in the dead of night and certainly not by climbing the ledges and into an open window that led to the back storage rooms. It wasn't difficult, not for Naruto who had been climbing for as long as he could remember. The sky was where he felt safe, like the higher he went up, the farther away problems seemed. Sighing contentedly, Naruto swung his legs over a banister of a balcony and looked over at the city. The moon made it seem like there was no hate coursing through the very woodwork of it, that there was nothing wrong with the world. A bitter smile made its way to his face. If only that were the truth.
-?-?-?-?
Sasuke looked up at the looming walls of the church. "So, how're we supposed to get in?"
Itachi scanned the walls. Knowing Naruto, he would've gone in through a high place. Then again, the blonde probably didn't want to be followed and had probably closed whatever he'd gotten through behind him. Walking around his brother, Itachi bent slightly to examine to lock. It was a fairly simple one; After all, who would want to steal from a church?
"Picking the lock of a church?" Sasuke hissed.
"It's the least of my crimes." Itachi replied, hearing the lock click and carefully pushing the door open.
"I don't think I want an explanation."
"I don't recall ever saying I was going to give you one."
Sasuke resisted the urge to strangle him. A) They were in a church and B) Sasuke would probably still need him later. "Naruto? You in here?" Sasuke called in a whisper, the sound echoing through the pews and up towards the ceiling.
A shadow moved across the wall and the slightest flash was all Sasuke could see.
"Naruto, don't be a fool. It's us." Itachi added.
A blonde head peered around the corner. "You guys were thieves in a past life, I know it. At least, you were, Itachi. Sasuke was probably still a bastard." The teasing smile lit up the room.
"What're you doing here?" Sasuke asked as Naruto leapt down, seeming to slow I midair and land easily on a pew, with not a whisper of a sound.
"Getting out. The hideout was getting real stuffy."
"You've been there for two days." Itachi reminded him.
Naruto shrugged. "My head couldn't come up with any more ideas. And I was running out of paint."
"Paint?"
Naruto didn't meet Sasuke's eyes, instead choosing to let his gaze wander to the carved angels along the columns. Sasuke couldn't see very well, not from the lack of light, but he could have sworn that there was a pink tinge to the dark-skinned cheeks.
"It's nothing."
It was silent for a long time. Neither of the trio really minded, not even Naruto. He could hear their breathing, the slight shuffle of their footsteps. Naruto's hand ran along the grooves of the graceful statues, staying far from the gaze of the Virgin at the altar. Itachi simply leaned back in a pew in the middle, eyes observing everything. Sasuke's footsteps were already becoming familiar to Naruto as he walked on the second floor, making shadows on the tiled floor when he walked by a window.
"Is that the guards?" Naruto asked, back stiffening and in a position that said he was five seconds from springing up the stairs.
Itachi and Sasuke were immediately by the door Sasuke, the only legal one among them, peered through the slight crack. "It's them. Why would they be here though?"
"Does it matter?" Naruto whispered harshly, already on the second floor, Itachi halfway up. "Come on! We're dead if we're found!"
The guards were murmuring at the picked lock. Sasuke backed up towards the stairs. "We can call sanctuary, can't we?"
Naruto rolled his eyes and ran back to the younger brother, grabbing his pale hand. "If there's a chance to escape, never ever take the chance to be in a cage."
-?-?-?-?
How strange it felt to be among the rooftops. Naruto was a natural at this and Itachi's feet flew over the tiled roofs with practiced ease. Sasuke forced himself not to stumble or run into something as he watched the city. It felt so different to be above the city rather than walking through it. Was this how gypsies lived?"
Sasuke was jerked forcefully out of his musings as Naruto caught him by the collar and yanked him against a niche in the wall, all their sides pressing painfully against each other.
"Damn, but the captain's good. I never woulda guessed a church for gypsies to be hiding. I woulda thought that the priest would kick the dirty thieves out."
Both brothers felt a muscled arm tense against their sides and both immediately held the blonde back. A low, short growl was heard from his throat, but he silenced himself. The guards continued farther down the street, out of hearing and sight range. Cautiously, the three slipped out.
"We're not going to make it with the three of us." Naruto said, eyes glancing everywhere, as though looking for a way out.
"We'll split up and meet at the hideout. Sasuke, go with Naruto." Itachi told them.
Sasuke bristled slightly at the order, but said nothing. Itachi turned and ran into the alley's shadows, seeming to become one with the shadows.
A tug on his hand made Sasuke look back at Naruto. "Come on, Sasuke. We need to get back on the rooftop. It's faster and safer."
-?-?-?-?
It seemed like they'd been running forever and Sasuke's lungs were burning for air and his legs were aching. For some reason, the fact that Naruto was only panting slightly surprised him until he remembered that Naruto lived this life. If you couldn't run fast or long, then you didn't stand much chance on the streets. That added to the fact that he was an acrobat had gotten the blonde enduring lungs and strong legs. Sasuke nearly lost Naruto on a particularly big jump between two roofs had it not been for a calloused hand that was becoming familiar grabbing his forearm at the last minute.
"How much farther is it?"
Naruto only smiled and stopped, crouching near a large plank of wood and knocking on it twice, pausing for a moment, and knocking three more times. Their secret knock. Two sea foam eyes peeked out from behind the wood, taking in the two young men in front of the entrance before propping it open the entire way.
Naruto leaped inside without a qualm, but Sasuke peered over the edge, unable to see much beside dull colors. "Relax, Sasuke. The fall is shorter than me. You'll make it."
Sasuke had no choice but to trust Naruto's words and let himself jump into the dark.
"So this is the infamous Sasuke Uchiha." The words were quiet, hoarse with the slightest hint of mockery in the voice. Sasuke turned to look at the redhead that had bee in the show, the one with love tattooed on his forehead.
"What's your point?"
"Gaara Sabaku." The redhead introduced himself before looking at Naruto. "Itachi beat you guys here and Tsunade's mad at you."
Naruto sighed. "Of course she is. Is there ever a time when she isn't?"
-?-?-?-?
"You're a downright idiot, ya know that?" Tsunade told the blonde harshly. She'd b been worried when Shikamaru had reported Naruto gone.
Naruto's lips upturned in a perfect imitation of an angel. "But I'm your baka, Tsunade. And at least I wasn't caught by the carabinieri."
It was the first time that Sasuke had ever heard another language come from the blonde's lips. The languages couldn't be related though, not with how different they sounded.
"Don't start, brat. You're lucky Itachi got here first and explained everything. Oh, and welcome Sasuke. I can't say everyone will welcome you, that would b asking for a miracle, but you're allowed to stay here as long as you like."
"That's crazy. The entire guard is looking for him." Kankurou broke in, coming from his room.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "They're looking for us too, smart one."
"Yeah, but the more people they're in an uproar over, the higher the chance that they'll look here."
"So we're supposed to just leave him in the streets, just like that?!"
"Quiense."
Shikamaru ordered form his position on the floor, staring up at the
ceiling. "We don't have to leave Sasuke on the streets. One, he
hasn't even said if he wants to stay here or not and two, why would
they have any reason to suspect him of hanging out with us? I don't
think he walks around wearing a sign screaming it to the world, so
we're safe. Or, as safe as we're gonna get."
Nobody
could argue with that logic and Naruto smirked at Kankurou. Sasuke
was startled at the fierce protection of him. Of Naruto, it seemed
more reasonable, but Shikamaru had met him just a few days ago.
Sasuke followed the Spanish man's line of sight to the ceiling and
found that the stone had been painted with willowy branches, suns and
moons, clouds, stars things in the sky. Sasuke traced a hawk with his
eye and was amazed by the skill. It all looked so real.
"I was running out of paint."
Sasuke turned to Naruto, who definitely had a blush adorning his whiskered cheeks. "Is this what you meant earlier?"
"Si."
Sasuke looked at him confusedly. "I thought you couldn't speak Spanish?"
"I can't."
"So then…"
"Oh! The word for yes is the same in both Spanish and Italian."
"You're Italian?" Sasuke had never seen an Italian, so he wouldn't have had any insight to whether Naruto looked like them or not.
"Mm. On my mom's side. My dad's Japanese."
"That's an odd mix." Sasuke commented.
Naruto ran a hand through the unruly blonde spikes and shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"Wait, so where are you all from?"
"Shikamaru's family is from Spain, obviously, Kiba's from France, although he got split from his family a little before he met up with us. Tenten and Sakura are from France and Ino is from Germany. Gaara and Kankurou are from Egypt. They had a sister too, but she went missing during a sandstorm."
"Egypt…"
Naruto smiled. "They don't look like it, do they?"
"I imagined Egyptians a little darker."
The Italian mix laughed. "Don't tell them that, though. Kankurou's touchy about it."
"Going back to the topic I started on, you painted all those?"
"Mmhmm. If we get stuck in here for a long period of time, I get real restless, so that helps a bit."
"Looks like the rumors about Italy are true." At Naruto's puzzled look, Sasuke explained, "A lot of famous painters are Italian."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah. The day I become a famous painter is the day I live in a palazzo."
"Mira, if you guys are gonna talk all night, be my guest. Just keep it down, please?"" Shikamaru called from his room. Neither of the boys had noticed the room emptying. "Buenas noches."
"All right,
all right. Buonanotte." Naruto replied, tugging Sasuke in
the direction of his and Gaara's shared room. "Are you sleepy?"
"Exhausted."
Naruto chuckled softly. "Then go ahead and take my bed. Gaara, you won't mind, right?"
The redhead shook a negative. Naruto gently pushed Sasuke into the room.
"Where will you sleep?" Sasuke asked.
"There's a hundred different places to sleep. The others are just mostly without beds. Relax, I'm not gonna get caught or nothing. Buonanotte."
"Good night." Sasuke figured that's what Naruto meant, but he said it anyways. It felt strange to be with so many people. His house had servants and such, but it was empty, with all the daily routines and such, that it just grew boring. Sasuke doubted that that would ever happen around here.
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Translations! I got the Italian from The Thief Lord, an awesome book. The Spanish is from my own knowledge, but the spelling might not be accurate. I'm bad at spelling Spanish.
Italian: Buonanotte-Good night
Carabinieri-police
Spanish: Quiense-everyone be quiet
Mira-Look
Buenas noches-Good night