The Journeys We Stumble Upon
Hello loves, a little late, but still here.
Sasuke knew his life wasn't easy. When the midwife had removed him from his mother, she held him up in the air with great confusion and fear.
For there upon the pink child's face, was a curved lip. For there within the child's deep eyes, was a brightness that could only be given by the hand of the sun.
It was upon his arrival that his mother had wished him dead if only for him not to be killed by Danzo. That his father begged the midwife with pleading hope to keep it a secret that his son held such emotions at birth.
He knew life would not be easy.
Sasuke wiped his tear driven eyes as he was once again knocked upon the ground, the wind snatched from his lungs harshly like the cold filling an open door.
"Get up." The monotone voice spoke immediately. Sasuke stood and stared into the bored eyes of his trainer.
He could not tell if she were angry because her eyes and voice remained the same; emotionless; devoid of any life.
"Again." She commanded and instantly her sword crashed down against Sasuke's.
The boy grew red with embarrassment as it happened. His sword was already up to cease his chest being ripped open by the metal, but the speed of it shocked him, making the boy fall back on his bottom.
More tears that never fell, just remained beneath the lids, shimmering the irises and lighting the way for late tears.
"Tanshi-sensei. I am so-"
"Through my years of teaching at this slave school, I have learned that sorry is not enough. Sometimes, you must actually change."
Sasuke stood, his head down in shame.
"You know what happens when you do not improve in your chosen skill, correct?"
"I will be hanged as I am no longer a contributing part to society."
"That is true. And you have been here for months now, Sasuke. With no signs of improvement."
Sasuke, if it were possible, lowered his head even more. "I understand, master."
Tanshi-sensei nodded in disappointment. "Very well. I will contact the executioner first thing tomorrow. Go and sleep well, Sa-"
"Kaasan."
Both trainer and child looked to the sliding doors that had opened. Tanshi-sensei's son was there, holding a basket of fruit.
He was a strong handsome young boy, no older than twelve. Sasuke noted as he grew older.
"I've brought us fruit before dinner." The boy stilled upon seeing Sasuke with his head down in shame. "Gomen if I am intruding."
The woman shook her head. "It is alright, Umeji. Me and this boy's meeting has been adjourned."
Umeji's eyes went from his mother's scorned face to Sasuke's ashamed one. He knew it wasn't his place to ask and it was already odd to walk in when the warrior was busy training her slaves, but Umeji felt instinctively drawn to the eight year old.
"This boy has been training to be a fighting slave for months and has shown no progress. Kare wa mohaya koko ni inai darou."
Umeji stepped back in near fright. "Be here no longer? Has an execution already been placed?"
"First thing tomorrow morning." The woman muttered, grabbing the sword from Sasuke's grip.
"But Kaasan. Maybe he is not designed for swords and scars."
Tanshi's head turned in subtle confusion and peaked interest. "Anata no kotoba o setsumei suru, shōnen." Explain your words, boy.
Umeji pointed. "Look at him. He has more beauty than a slave woman. His limbs are slender and his eyes are dark to the point of seduction. If properly trained, he could make riches when he is ready."
Tanshi looked over Sasuke. "He is….prettier than some...most maybe. Take your shirt off boy."
Sasuke nodded hastily, clumsily and removed the dirty shirt, revealing pink scars from practice.
She grunted. "Indeed not made for scars. Very well. I will go change his societal purpose and when he is fully healed from those disgusting scars, we will begin seduction training immediately. You are in luck, boy."
The warrior made her exit as she lived, powerful and heavy, wind sloshing against the ground, rain blowing against the sky. Discoursed, awkward, opposite, but powerful no less.
She'd left Umeji and Sasuke where they were; Sasuke, as a slave, kept his head forward, waiting on a dismissal. Umeji staring at him with odd eyes.
They stood there for what could have been tears, both not knowing the other's thoughts, but wanting to desperately.
Sasuke wondered why the boy would save his life as if it mattered. He wanted to be dismissed, but that wasn't happening. He wanted to look at Umeji, if only to search for hate in those eyes he could never find.
And so he did something idiotic….something that would get him hanged. He looked into Umeji's eyes with no fear, only to become frightened.
Umeji was doing what he did. What was forbidden and what he thought only he could do. Umeji's lips were curved oddly upward.
The twelve year old looked down at his fruit, letting an easy sound from his throat. He tried not to stare at Sasuke, as if he were the sun. But he saw him, like the sun, even without looking.
"You have saved my life. I thank you. Shikashi, naze?" Why.
"How long have you been at this slave school, Sasuke? Since you were six and I, ten, correct?" He asked instead answered.
"Yes."
"And in those two years, one would think these odd feelings went away."
The raven's head tilted. "Gomen?"
"I still cannot stop watching you as you leave, Sasuke. My breath never ceases to abandon me when I find you looking somewhere, staring at the colors instead of the picture."
Sasuke jumped, his hands pleading. "You will not tell on me will you?"
Another soft sound from Umeji. "I will never get used to you."
NSNS
"Sleep at once." Tanshi commanded as she blew the lamp of the bedroom.
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut as darkness filled the void, not wanting to see the creatures lurking in the dark.
It was silent in the room despite having twelve beds full of children and the boy couldn't imagine their fears as well.
So he closed his eyes to dream because dreaming was the only escape from this harsh life of gross men and touches.
"Pssst. Sasuke-kun? Are you awake? Sasuke?" He arose, staring at the white haired boy in the bed across from him.
Suigetsu was odd. When he first met Sasuke, the slave school had been reading about the history of the world.
The pale boy had pushed his book into Sasuke's lap and bossingly pointed to an aging tree. "That tree is great, no?"
He remembered staring offended, because no one in their sane minds would interrupt him, or even go near him.
"It's only a tree." He remembered scowling, trying hard to hold on his true delight of how beautiful the tree really was. He didn't want to explain the color. He didn't want to be hurt.
But what he remembered most was the way Suigetsu boldly sneered at him. "Are you blind? The tree's color is breathtaking."
He had turned his head. "Color?" He once asked, not because he didn't know it, but because he did.
Suigetsu looked to be impatient now. But that look didn't match the explosive words that left his mouth in that library. "Yes you idiot! Green is the best color! And do you know why? Because, there are more shades than whiskers on a fox, and every one of them is green. Some are nascent, bright, yet still pale enough to glint from above. Others are the deepest green of mid-summer leaves, every one an efficient factory for making sugar. Between these two are every shade, every hue. Some have an undertone of blue, others yellow."
They had been friends ever since then.
He grunted. "What, Sue?"
The boy came over. "Look at this painting I found by the horses."
When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the moon peeking through the window leaned forward just to get a better look, he stared at the painting.
The scene is a small row boat on the sand, abandoned to rot in the abrasive and damp air of the beachfront. It was a small painting, and Sasuke said just that.
Suigetsu nodded. "I believe so too. I wonder why the artist did that. Were they short on canvas and oils or was there a point? I want to see what is around it. Is it truly alone or does it simply appear to be that way?"
Sasuke hummed and leaned forward, whispering in the boy's ears. "Perhaps just off the canvas is a man with sanding paper and a fresh pot of poppy coloured paint, a man with skin more craggy than the rocks and hair whiter than the sea foam spray. He will paint the boat and set sail for a journey beyond his land."
Sasuke's emotions, Suigetsu once admitted to himself, were stronger than his own. He was so skilled in those forbidden emotions, that he could make up a story on the spot and make it sound as if it came from a book.
Thinking of a man with craggy skin, the boy's lips went up at Sasuke with a soft giggle.
"Goodnight, Sasuke."
"Goodnight, Sue."
It was the next morning that Suigetsu was hanged and burned before Sasuke. Supposedly, someone had caught him in the act of smiling and told one of the slave heads.
And when Suigetsu had finally stopped screaming, maybe because of the flames, maybe because of the suffocating of the rope, the slave children and the executioner watched his body burn beneath the soft yellow and orange flames.
They asked Sasuke why water gushed from his eyes and he had lied and told them it was because of the thick smoke and the smell of his flesh.
NSNS
When he was fifteen, he was taken by a man who had bought his services for the night.
Sasuke could remember nothing but blood and pain and crying the entire time. He felt like he were being ripped apart by the large man and ripped apart he was. Sasuke soreness kept him in the healing center and he wished so badly that God wake him from this horrible dream they called life.
Just please kill him so that he could wake up.
Sometimes, Sasuke Uchiha could feel his own bones straining under the weight of all the lives he was not living. All the lives he could never be.
Sasuke knew life would not be easy, but why must it be this hard?
"That man killed my family." He heatedly whispered in Naruto's cabin, where he had risen.
"That man," Naruto spoke easily, "is my father. He is not a bad man, Sasuke. You must trust me."
"I lost family because of him. I would not have to give my body away if it were not for him. How stupid can you be? He is just like Danzo!"
It was then Naruto snapped. His blue eyes did not turn red, but they simmered into a slight grey, one before a raging storm.
"That man killed your family because he was following orders! Just as you do! Just as I do! The only difference is, you get pleasure from yours!"
The cabin grew silent, as did the rest of the world, it seemed. Their anger was fueled by the feelings that frightened them. Feelings neither could explain, nor ignore. And that anger, being so heavily fueled by compassion, interest, tolerance, kindness, sympathy, and love, led them to say things that hurt. Things they did not mean.
Sasuke wanted to cry as rage filled his belly. He felt his own ears getting hot, so he glared at Naruto. "HOW DARE YOU?"
The blond sneered then, laughing with no joy in his eyes.
"You think this is funny?" The Uchiha snapped.
"Quite the contrary. I think this is immature. This world is not a fairytale Sasuke. Despite the creatures that roam it; no matter the things a human can face without dying; this world is as it is. What it is. You must realize that. You must understand that Kakashi Hatake was given the order to kill your family just as he was given the order to raise me into a weapon."
Sasuke turned away from Naruto harshly, and his sniffles filled the air, making their war end. Naruto felt the pain in his own chest as the other man cried, so he stepped forward with concern.
"Sasuke?" He whispered. "I didn't mean what I said. About you taking pleasure from your orders."
The raven abruptly left the cabin, and Naruto wanted to respect the man and give him the privacy he needed.
He stood there for what seemed to be days. Eventually there was a soft knock upon the door and he looked up, finding his father with a solemn gaze.
Naruto looked away. What could he say to the man? What could he ask? Kakashi told him he wasn't a perfect man and Naruto once believed him.
Kakashi Hatake had always killed. But killing Sasuke's family made life a little more queer.
Naruto looked to the ceiling of the cabin. "Dear God," he prayed aloud, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life."
The ANBU warrior's arms folded over themselves. "Why must you wish a thing like that?" He asked his odd son.
Naruto only shook his head. "So that I may be the earth Sasuke will curl upon when he is ready to weep."
Sasuke's name made Kakashi's eyes advert. The raven's name pushed the soldier into the mind filled with thoughts that hated him.
Since he was four, he had been trained to kill ruthlessly. He had taken families more often than God. But Sasuke's story….. Sasuke's story hurt the most.
"Don't, tousan. Even Sasuke knows this is not your doing. He is only hurt."
Kakashi nodded. "Very well. I will let you get your rest before morning."
Sasuke watched the tides of the sea dance in the moonlight. Standing over the front balcony of the ship, the man was inclined to believe that everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.
He felt free there, in that moment; even if he had not a single idea of what he was doing here, nor where he was going.
"The stars are breathtaking tonight, no?"
Sasuke turned to the voice behind him, watching the green eyed man walk and rest near him. He felt instinctively like he'd seen that blond hair and those green eyes before. He felt that he knew that small smile, but he ignored those thoughts.
"They are stars." He murmured in return, resting a palm beneath his chin. "Here since the beginning of time and bound to stay there."
"Yes, but it is the origin that keeps it all interesting. Every time one billion years go by, God crumbles the old moon into stars, Sasuke."
Sasuke then looked over at the stranger, moving back with his eyes narrowed. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
The man smiled. "And to think that after saving your life, you'd remember me."
The Uchiha looked at the man. Really looked at the man. "Umeji?" He whispered, as if it were a secret. As if they were in that slave school with Suigetsu, afraid to be seen smiling.
Because that was how they were raised. Umeji had been his friend since the beginning, and had once saved his life.
Umeji stepped away as if the moon would brighten for a better view. "The one and only."
Sasuke broke into a grin and he shook his head in slight denial with each lost question. "Where did you-? How did you-? How?"
"I think we both know how."
Sasuke jumped forward, throwing his arms around the man's neck with eagerness. "It is so great to see you."
Umeji let out an oof sound and laughed slowly. "It's great to….finally be seen."
A moment passed and Sasuke finally let go of his old friend, choosing to look him over. "My God, it's been so long. I haven't seen you since…"
He trailed off, the memory hitting him like a great water storm, rising and hugging the earth.
"See, I told you so. It says here that the world belongs to Danzo." Suigetsu smugly stated as he marked his history book. "Thank me later when you get that question right on the test."
Sasuke scowled, letting his pretty face turn grim. "That makes no sense though. The world belongs to God. How can Danzo claim that power?"
Suigetsu shook his head. "Fear, you idiot. And besides, why are you so surprised? Danzo has ruled the world since we were in our mother's wombs."
The raven's eyes shifted to the side again and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As he blinked, they dripped from his eyelids and slid down the cheeks. Sasuke bit his lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from his mouth; Suigetsu's heart sank.
"Sasuke, what's wrong?"
"He just doesn't take care of it. The world, I mean."
His friend smiled and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Well, when it's our turn to rule the world, we'll change everything, right Sasuke?"
The Uchiha thought and nodded with determination. "Right. If this world were mine, the colors would be king."
"If this world were mine…." Suigetsu trailed, "stories would be queen."
Sasuke laughed. "And people can laugh and dream and smile."
"And be crazy!" The two, long forgetting their studying, flew back with giggles that danced into the night.
Umeji nodded. "Since Suigetsu." He whispered.
Sasuke nodded. "You have so much to tell me. Isn't it odd that the journeys we stumble upon are those we've already taken?"
"I have wine in my cabin. If you would like to hear the story."
Sasuke's head tilted because, although nothing of the sort was said, he knew what Umeji was implying. "Are you infatuated with me, Umeji. Is this what you are trying to tell me?"
Umeji laughed, looking away. "I am only on this ship because of you, Sasuke. Because I must protect the lifelong friendship of Death and the traveling wizard. But upon boarding this ship, several years prior, I am hoping that death will fall for me even if he is connected to the wizard."
Sasuke did not understand this tale about Death and the traveling wizard, nor did he understand how important he was. So he asked "you are only here because of me? What do you mean?"
Umeji shook his head. "I see that you have not been told. But what I wish you to know is that I have always dreamed of being with you. And because of the circumstances, it is nothing but that. A dream, all a dream; that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down. But I wish you to know that you inspired it.
So, if you ever want, you can come to my cabin. If you ever need me, you can."
Sasuke held his head and chest as visions beheld him.
"Tell me, what would you like?" He whispered in a soothing manner.
They stared at one another for a moment pass. "I would like to go forth from this place without being followed by death."
He shrunk back, his obsidian eyes narrowed. "A cunning one, I see. To ask for immortality when death himself hands it over."
Naruto humbly shook his head. "No man can be immortal. But to himself, he is. He may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead."
"And you are wise because you know this? Or think you know it?"
"I am wise because I know that I know nothing." The man murmured.
And Sasuke continued to question him about these words, and after a moment, allowed the man to question him. They spoke until finally the man wished to continue his journey.
And death, unwilling, handed the man a cloak of immortality, and he stood aside, watching as the man left.
He watched the wizard leave with a part of his own soul, wishing more than anything that the man would come back.
NSNS
When they had met once more, Naruto was old. And Naruto was ready to die. And Naruto smiled at him.
"If you can see the light at daybreak, you cannot care if you die at dusk."
And in the faint glow of the early moonlight, Sasuke smiled, not caring if this man saw.
Naruto smiled too. "Tell me again how you took hold of this job, old friend."
He laughed and reached out his hand for the taking. "Come, Naruto."
And when they had decided to spend half of forever together, right in that moment, they had decided to give half their souls to one another.
Sasuke looked away. "I cannot. In the past six months, I have befriended a fellow slave. And in those months, I have lived a thousand different lives with that man through my memories. I cannot understand how I know him, or from where, but I know him. And beyond knowing him, I love him.
All humans have souls, Umeji. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. I cannot love you the way I love him."
Realisation of what he just said caused Umeji's words to become caught in his throat. He looked up and stared at Sasuke in bewilderment.
Before he could say anything, someone behind him coughed. Both man looked to see an ANBU warrior.
"I would like to speak with Sasuke Uchiha, if I am not interrupting."
Umeji softly scowled. "Why, yes, you are int-"
"Very well." Sasuke mouthed off. "These matters must be important. I will see you later, Umeji."
The green eyed man's mouth closed and he nodded in defeat, walking off.
Sasuke sighed in relief. "Thank you for that. And you can take your mask off, Kakashi Hatake. I know who you are and there is no need to hide."
"I have been hiding my whole life," the man countered, but Kakashi did remove his mask.
They stood quiet for a moment. "I am not a good man, Sasuke, and I am sorry. Since I was four years old, I was a murderer. Since I was four, I was a killer. And I am sorry for that. And the irony of it all is that I was raised to be perfect."
A bird hops over the quay as if too lazy to spread its white-grey wings. Kakashi admires its yellow beak, though the way it droops downward to a point puts him in mind of a witch.
The boy imagines the pointed end to be like the nose and the beady eyes to be conjuring dark spells. He giggles at his own imagination and wanders after the bird, flapping his arms and wiggling as he walks.
"Kakashi!" The four year old straightens himself out, loses his smile, loses his laugh, and his dreams. Because despite being only four, he knows a few things about the world.
He turns to the man who he has known for sometime, the man who has taken from him his parents and the dreams of being himself.
He admires the man though, because he is evil without fault. He is evil enough to make it seem normal. He is himself and he does not hide like Kakashi does.
Danzo is a monster, and, on countless occasions, has told Kakashi that he will be too.
The man stares at the boy for sometime. "It is time."
The boy nods, and rests his arms against his sides, forgetting about the bird and the dream and the escape.
He leaves the beach and the happiness behind so that he can follow Danzo to his underground prison without fault; without hesitation; without remorse.
The prison is dank and dark and only Lord Danzo's worst enemies and most profane traitors hold the honor of dying here.
The most profane traitors like Kakashi's blood father, who he has not seen since the tender age of two; who he cannot remember; who stole from Lord Danzo, or who didn't.
Kakashi knows a lot about the world and Kakashi knows that Danzo likes loyalty. Kakashi knows Danzo is a hypocrite and does not practice what he preaches to the people.
Danzo tells them that love, happiness, joy, and dreaming will get one hanged.
But Danzo had seen his best ANBU warrior, Sakumo Hatake, have a child, and he grew envious. He wanted Kakashi Hatake as his own son and grew to love the boy as such.
So Sakumo didn't really steal from him, but Kakashi did not understand.
He watches Danzo open a door and the boy steps in first, staring at his blood father with no emotion.
"Kakashi." He looks up toward Danzo, who is holding a blade toward him, telling him to take it.
And he does. He takes the blade and holds it like Danzo has been telling him how for the past two years. He holds it as if he were ready to strike.
Danzo nods and Kakashi moves toward the chained man slowly.
Danzo speaks in a soft tone. "Do not be afraid, my son. He is weaker than you. Take the strike, Kakashi. He will pay for his crimes."
Sakumo takes the moment to look up, something that he has not done in a year. Something that the heroes do in tales right before they are killed.
"Kakashi, I know that you are young and I know you are afraid, but you don't have to do this. Danzo is full of lies."
The boy only stares; because how did Sakumo know he was afraid?
Danzo grunts. "Now, Kakashi."
The boy's arms are quick to leave his shoulders and rest there again. The only thing showing that it was all true was Sakumo's head falling from his shoulders and the blood spraying Kakashi's face.
The boy drops the blade and moves back in shock. Danzo lifts him and turns him away from the scene, patting Kakashi's back softly.
"I love you." He murmurs to the boy, his son. "I love you. You are so perfect. You are born perfect and you are raised to be perfect. And you will go on to do perfect things."
Sasuke stared in shock. "Danzo raised you? As his son? Loved you? As his son?"
Kakashi nodded. "It is hypocritical, no? The way people are killed because of happiness and love? But Danzo hates Naruto so much, that he loves him. And he loves me so much that he trusted me."
Sasuke looked away. "But...it seems….you loved him too."
Kakashi nodded in guilt. "I loved him the same reason Naruto loves me. Because he raised me and prided me and let me use emotions that no one else could. Even Naruto doesn't know this yet.
I loved him until I began to understand the world. I loved him until I met Naruto all those years ago. And while I was asked to raise Naruto as a weapon, I did not raise him to be perfect.
Growing up, I saw things I shouldn't have. Witnessed people lose themselves in Danzo's world. I've watched people break because of me."
Kakashi's eyes filled up and Sasuke thought it odd to see such a strong man losing himself in the guilt he could not control.
"And then I felt sad because I realized that once people are broken in certain ways, they can't ever be fixed, and this is something nobody ever told me when I was young and it never failed to surprise me, as I grew older and saw the people in my life break one by one. I often wondered when my turn was going to be, or if it had already happened."
Kakashi broke his speech with a full sob, but he held it in. and he threw his mask on the deck. "I have learned that sometimes sorry is not enough. Sometimes you actually have to change.
I am not a good man, Sasuke, even if I was raised to be perfect."
Sasuke shook his head. "But you have risked all for your son. And not only that, you have kept him as he was born so that he could still fall for me when I met him."
Kakashi smiled softly. "Still, now that I don't have to be perfect, I can be good."
The man nodded a small thank you. And felt that maybe one day, he would look to Kakashi and not see his own family hovering in sadness behind the man. "Kakashi, if I may ask, what is all this?"
Silver white brows raised. "This?"
"This boat. This ship. Where is it taking me? Why am I here? What is the resistance?"
"Aah." Kakashi looked up. "I suppose you and Naruto have so much to learn. When you are ready, bring Naruto to the main deck in two hours, please."
When Sasuke went to search for Naruto, he held against him his heart and the desire for Naruto to forgive.
He held against him the hope that whatever this journey was, they would travel it together.
He inhaled as he stared at the wooden door of Naruto's cabin, and then he knocked.
"Come in." He heard Naruto speak on the other side.
Slowly, the Uchiha pushed the door open, finding the blond turned away from the door, sharpening his blades.
The man was filled with disgusting scars covered his back like a hundred silvery pink snakes. They were monsters that ate him away.
But he was so beautiful. He was so damn beautiful to Sasuke that it hurt to look away.
Despite those scars, he was still handsome. Underneath that damaged skin was the bone structure of a god and his eyes were the blue of glacier water.
Sasuke felt embarrassed and so he closed his eyes. And when he closed his eyes he saw Naruto. And when he saw Naruto, he saw love, and thus a different life.
One of the first things Sasuke remembered about Naruto was that he was the kid who sat at the back of their classroom, always drumming on the desk with his ink feathers.
And he'd kick the chair of Ino, the pretty girl in front of him, but when she turned around to scold him, he would always give the biggest smile and flash his dimples at her; that was how he always got his way. Sasuke always admired that ability to worm his way out of any situation.
Ino-chan would roll her eyes and shake her head as he spoke to her calmly, but she would smile, Sasuke remembered.
Iruka-sensei would scold Naruto just enough so he would not be a distraction, but Naruto was his favorite student. They all knew that.
But what Sasuke remembered most was the way Naruto only bothered him. Of course Ino was pretty and Iruka gave him attention, but Sasuke liked to believe that Naruto liked him most.
Everyone said it anyway.
Even though he would not kick Sasuke's chair, he would bother him all the time, ask to walk him home, and sometimes even made it obvious that he really liked the boy.
He remembered when Naruto had run past as he spoke to Ino. He remembered the blond had stopped, yelled "konnichiwa, Sasuke," kissed him on the cheek, and ran before the Uchiha could bruise him.
Ino-chan shook her head dismissively at the common behavior while her friend wiped his cheek with a rant.
"He is impeccably foul and immature." Sasuke grunted.
Ino-chan had only laughed and grabbed his arm. "Say what like about the boy, but we all know he loves you."
Sasuke shook his head, looking toward the ground now. "No. He bothers you everyday and uses his stupid charm on you."
Ino shrugged and both looked to Naruto, who stood by his friends and joked and laughed and fooled like a child and not a teen.
"You know once I heard him talking to Shikamaru about you. Shikamaru had asked him whether he liked me.
Naruto had laughed and he said 'Ino is really pretty and easy to anger. But Sasuke is different though. He is not that pretty, Shikamaru, but he is rather beautiful.''"
Sasuke took those words and he thought about them. He watched Kiba say something to Naruto and the blond turned a red color. He laughed easily, steady, and turned to look at Sasuke.
Their eyes met and the blond smiled softly, giving the raven a small, unusually shy wave.
Ino-chan had laughed. "Told you."
NSNS
But they were not in their old village of Konoha now. They were not children. They did not go to school anymore.
Iruka-sensei was dead and so were the other scholars the Minamoto felt would teach about Taira culture.
Ino-chan could no longer be pretty after the great battle of 1156. The great battle that sliced her face in two. The great battle the she wished had killed her.
In this moment, on this day in 1180, a lieutenant read the paper over and over again before he ran from his tent, rushing to the great tent of his superior.
He stormed into the tent of the general. "Rikugun-Taishō. The Minamoto are marching here this moment. We must abandon camp."
The general sat quietly, his back facing his lieutenant as he sharpened his blade. "Let them come, subordinate. I have fought well and I intend to die well."
Sasuke's eyes widened and the letter flailed in his arms. "But, Sama, it is just us now. Kakashi's army has failed. He urges me to remove you immediately."
Everything had changed since they grew up, but Naruto and Sasuke stayed the same.
Even as the general, Naruto still bothered Sasuke as if he still had a schoolhouse crush.
Even as Lieutenant, Sasuke still believed it.
They hadn't changed. And now at the hour of their deaths, Sasuke feared that they never would.
"My father has spent his entire life protecting me. It has to stop here, if only he can live for himself."
"But, general-"
"Sasuke.." the sharp call of his first name ceased his urges. " If you wish to leave, you may, but I am not leaving this spot. Let them come."
A silence rocked both men gently and Sasuke moved forward to sit next to his superior.
"You will never change, Uzumaki. My God, this reminds me of when we were young. How stubborn you were."
"And you will never change." Naruto murmured, glancing over with a soft smile. "You would follow me into hell. Are you sure you want to stay, Sasuke? Risk your own life?"
"Yes…"
"We cannot surrender because they will not allow us. The Minamoto condemn homosexuality."
Sasuke closed his eyes then and his tears fell softly. He leaned closer to Naruto, held his pale hand against the whisker marks.
"Yes. I love you too much."
Naruto smiled although the Uchiha could not see. "We will find a way to be together without burdens. I know it, Sasuke. We always come back to one another. It's fate."
Sasuke only hummed this time, wanting to bask in Naruto's hold before the troops arrived.
"Sasuke?"
The Uchiha's eyes opened and he stared at the man standing right before him, eyes full of worry.
"Are you alright, Sasuke?"
Sasuke blinked, reaching up to grab hold of the team hand upon his cheek. "Yes." He whispered with a croaky smile. "Now that I am here with you, I'm alright."
Naruto watched his tears fall and since Sasuke held tightly his arm, he drew the other up, wiping them.
"Then why must you cry? Why do your tears fall?"
"I just….. I love you is all."
Naruto smiled then, leaning forward to kiss the Uchiha's forehead. "Thank you, Sasuke."
"If the moon smiled…" Sasuke murmured, moving back to stare at the blond. "She would resemble you, Naruto. You leave the same impression of something beautiful."
Sasuke breathed deep. In. Out. Within a split second, Naruto lifted him; it was like they'd been doing it forever. Time was forgotten. The side of Naruto's thighs were pressed against his.
The Uzumaki was sure of himself; he was in control. Sasuke surrendered completely. Because he had wanted this for so long now, craved his human flesh, his tongue tasting his breath.
He felt for him, Naruto reached for his chest, pulling him up, and they twisted and turned and it started all over again like a cycle.
Sasuke sensed everything, the immense magnetic field between them. Fire. But did Naruto?
The blond was all logic and feigned cool detachment until he touched his skin. Then something not only stirred in him, but it took over his thinking. The rest of his world became an unimportant blur that was banished into the far recesses of his mind. The only thing that mattered was touching Sasuke more, kissing his mouth, his stomach, his breasts. He tried to be gentle with Sasuke's clothing, not to rip the lace, but it was hard. His hands were made for work and brutal fighting rather than tiny clasps.
"Naruto…" Sasuke whimpered. "You will not hurt me. I am not pure."
Naruto looked at him for a while. Them he shook his head. "There is a kind of sex that is done with love. I want to show you."
And so the raven let him. Starting at his knees, Naruto let his hands touch gently, slowly moving them up to the pale waist and then pausing for a reaction. Sasuke looked, locking their eyes, beginning blue into deepest brown. Naruto's right hand raised to Sasuke's hair, tucking the obsidian wisps behind an ear.
And Sasuke smiled with a laugh as Naruto came closer, urging him to create a masterpiece together.
Naruto awoke to soft sheets, and the light trickled in by Sasuke's closed eyes. Shedding himself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, Naruto clenched his eyes shut as he soaked in the warmth of his covers and the man near him. Putting his arms around Sasuke, the man once more fell asleep.
"Naruto, Sasuke."
His eyes shot up and he woke like he was hooked up the mains. No sleepiness, no slow warming up. Within seconds of realizing he was unconscious, Naruto was on his feet, eyes wide, dreams not just forgotten, but erased.
He grabbed his sword, stood naked, and held it up to the voice by the door. Sasuke himself sat up with a small scream, shielding his pale body with the sheets.
It was Kakashi, his hands and brows raised in confusion. Sasuke sighed in relief and turned to Naruto, who put the blade down, but made no notion to cover his naked body.
"Naruto," he scolded, "put some clothes on."
Naruto shrugged. "The man raised me, Sasuke. This is nothing he hasn't seen before."
Sasuke cringed when Kakashi nodded in confirmation. "Have you no shame?"
Naruto halted and took a look over his body. He touched his hard chest and then stared at his hanging penis with a smile. "Shameful of this? Not even a little."
It was both Sasuke and Kakashi that scoffed then. "You raised him?!"
"I asked you to come to the main deck several hours prior." Kakashi countered. "So I expect both of you to be there in three minutes."
Naruto nodded and slumped on the bed again. This must have angered his father. "Now!"
The blond jumped up and began dressing in a grumpy manner. Kakashi nodded with a deep scowl. "Boy, I will slit your throat. Hurry up!"
He stormed out after that and Sasuke hid his laugh well.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared around the beautiful ship and they widened even more at the people standing around.
Talking; laughing; a few children running; playing; smiling. Smiling. So many people were smiling.
There was a thump near him and he turned, finding Naruto on the floor, his large fox licking all over his face.
"Haha...okay... Kurama...haha…. I missed you too, fox...haha!"
"Boys." The call to them was soft, rolling thunder that billowed across the dark skies on a stormy night. It was deep and made everyone turn to look at them, Kurama stop, and Naruto and Sasuke stare at the speaker.
It was Hiashi Hyuuga, owner of the Hyuuga slaves and clan leader. Naruto stood quickly and bowed as did Sasuke.
A very queer thing occurred; Hiashi looked between them both oddly and then he bowed. "Welcome to the resistance, leaders. Now the fight will begin."
The two passed looks. "Resistance?"
"Leaders? Fight?" Sasuke muttered.
Hiashi nodded. "Yes… Ever since Danzo ordered Kakashi-san to kill your family…" he pointed to Sasuke. "And ever since he had men kill yours the resistance has been a part of this society. And here we are."
"What's so great about us?" Naruto wondered. "We are simply slaves."
Hiashi actually laughed then. "No. You are the creators of love and happiness. Your forbidden emotions are stronger than any of ours. And once before, your first meeting was a simple change of fate.
The traveling wizard was bound to die when he crossed the river and Death had let him live. Through their speaking, they became close. And somehow, they vowed to spend half of forever together."
Sasuke held his temple. "My visions." He murmured.
Hiashi nodded. "Danzo has tried for years to keep you both apart, if only to keep order himself through fear. But when Hinata told me that Sasuke was opened by a rum owner, I contacted Kakashi and took action immediately."
"You knew my father?" Naruto wondered aloud.
"Know." The clan leader corrected. "When Danzo told him you would be taken to become a fighter slave, I offered to buy you to keep you safe."
Naruto thought for some time before he nodded. "Thank you." He murmured. "But what does the resistance do exactly?"
"Once we are strong enough, we will overthrow Danzo's rule and give Sasuke the power his family once held. And Naruto will have his royalty back. I promise we will do everything in our power to not only keep you alive, but most importantly keep you together."
Both men took those words in and a few minutes to really understand their role in this 'war.'
Sasuke, who always had a sense of power in him, took the first step forward. "Very well. What we must first do is meet the crew and assign roles. Naruto will be captain."
Hiashi nodded, but Naruto shook his head. "I have no experience-"
Sasuke smiled at him. "It will come naturally to you, Naruto. Trust me."
The pirate had the tanned and leathery skin that went with years on the deck of a boat. Blue eyes that had begun as the color of the sea, but grew lighter and lighter with the wisdom of it.
He spoke with a deep gravelly voice and wore a patch over one eye. When he walked he limped, but there was nothing else about him that would elicit sympathy. He was armed to the teeth with daggers and pistols and dressed all in black. The only thing that was white on him was his beard and he wore it with pride. Any pirate that lived long enough to see white hair was one to be feared and respected.
Sasuke respected him immensely.
They stared for a while before Kurama knocked his heavy head against Naruto's leg. The blond nodded. "I trust you."
Sasuke smiled. "And as Captain, you may choose the rest of the roles."
Naruto laughed at the raven's cleverness and requested that everyone stand in a straight line on the deck. It took a few minutes and finally both were going down the line meeting the crew.
"I've read once…" Naruto began, "that a Quartermaster is almost as equal as the captain. Using his power, he maintains order settles quarrels, and distributes essential things to the crew. Sasuke has a sense of power in him and therefore will be Quartermaster. Is that clear?"
"Aye! Aye!" They hollered with enthusiasm and Sasuke blushed.
"However, Sasuke is not very skilled in swordsmanship. Although it will come naturally to him, he will need a little assistance. Is there anyone willing to admit that they are very skilled in weaponry?"
Somewhere down the line, a man raised his hand. Naruto missed the way Sasuke's eyes narrowed, so he smiled at the man that stepped forward. He looked for marks on his face because he did not know the color of his eyes or hair.
He shook the man's hand. "Very well. What is your name?"
The man did not really smile at him, but more so at Sasuke. "Umeji, captain. My name is Umeji."
"Very well. From this moment on, you shall be Sasuke's personal trainer and this vessel's master Gunner. You are hereby responsible for our swords, guns, and ammunition. This includes keeping the powder dry, keeping the canons clear of rust, and making sure all weapons are in good repair."
"Aye! Aye!"
Naruto looked around and spotted Neji, Hinata's cousin. "Your eyes are the best of the best, Neji. And therefore, you will be in charge of navigation and sailing the ship. You direct our course and look after maps."
Neji bowed graciously. "Aye! Aye!"
"Sakura," Naruto called to the former pleasure slave Hinata also rescued. "You are great in both keeping appearances up and healing. You will take the role of our Carpenter and surgeon, okay?"
Sakura bowed with a heavy nod.
"That means you are responsible for the well being off the wooden hull."
Naruto pointed to a man near her. "What is your name?"
"My name is Asuma, captain."
"Do you think you can supervise re the maintenance of the vessel and the supply stores? Are you able to inspect the ship, our sails, as well as rigging crew each morning, reporting their state to me?"
Asuma nodded. "Yes, Sama."
"Very well, Asuma. Sakura, be advised that you work under the direction of Asuma and Sasuke."
"Aye! Aye!"
Naruto smiled and moved down. He pointed to five people and asked them to state their names.
"Haku" one bowed.
"Karin."
"Deidara."
"Shikamaru."
"Lee."
Naruto looked at each for a long moment, trying to remember their faces well. "I chose each of you because your bodies are lithe and seem flexible. You will be my crew of riggers, which means you all will be in charge of furling and releasing the sails."
"Aye! Aye!"
He watched. He pointed to a very tall grey man, his father, Hiashi, a woman with two buns in her head, and a woman with a fan.
"Names?"
"Tenten."
"Temari."
"Kisame."
Naruto smiled. "Father, Hiashi, you three…. You are now our team of able bodied sailors. You must know any job that you are able to do. You must read the skies, weather, wind, but most importantly my moods."
Tenten laughed at the last statement and Naruto smiled even brighter.
"Hinata, I am promoting you to Master, you are in charge of those without proper roles and you are my partner on missions."
The warrior nodded. "Thank you."
Finally, Naruto looked to the children. Most of them looked afraid to even look up at him, including Hanabi. But right between the children was a small boy staring Naruto directly in the eyes. Naruto smirked maliciously.
"You. Come forward."
The boy did without hesitation and the children began murmuring, afraid for their friend.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi, captain." And to add, the boy have Naruto a thumbs up.
Naruto stared. Stared. Stared. "You little runt…" he smiled. Unlatching his sword, the man held it out. The others kids began murmuring even louder now.
Konohamaru stared at it for a while, his entire face representing shock.
"Take it." Naruto insisted. And finally, given the word, the boy did. "This sword now belongs to you, Konohamaru. As my apprentice and as the first mate, I expect you to use it for good."
Konohamaru looked up, still in shock. "Really? Me? I am the first mate?"
Naruto nodded and messed up his hair. "That's right. You have a lot of power around here now, so if anyone gives you problems, you tell me first. Got that?"
Konohamaru smiled big. "Got it!"
The crew cheered too and Naruto nodded. "Our meeting is now adjourned. We set sail for a different country immediately. That means get to work. Neji, set a course. Hinata, I would like all the crew documents in my cabin before nightfall."
Umeji raised his hand. "Captain, would you like me to start training Sasuke-sama?"
"No." Naruto spoke, and he found it odd that Umeji seemed so eager about it, as if he knew Sasuke. "You can start collecting weapons and inspecting them."
Umeji bowed and when Naruto turned, Sasuke was gone. The man sighed.
He found Sasuke an hour after they set sail for Kumogakure. The raven was watching the sky as Kurama lay next to his leg.
Naruto looked up with a smile. "Hey."
Sasuke smiled softly and looked down. "Hello, Captain."
Naruto laughed. "The meeting went well. I suppose we are meant to be."
Sasuke blushed red, looking at his own hands. "Is that okay with you?"
Naruto grunted. "What?"
"That we are supposed to be together? Does it bother you?"
Naruto thought then. "Hm. It is strange the way we are thrown into this lifestyle with no knowledge of what's going on? It is strange that I know you without really knowing you. It is strange that I've met you, who is as forbidden as I. Everything is strange. Everything is queer. But..."
Sasuke looked back at him.
"I do take comfort knowing that this strange road we find ourselves upon can only be traveled together."
The Uchiha smiled. "Me too." He whispered.
Sasuke wasn't doing a thing that Naruto could see, except standing there, leaning on the ship's railing, holding the universe together.
This was so long. Anyway, do keep an eye on Umeji. He is important to this fanfic. That means his role can be good, bad, or ugly in the treacherous lives of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto's pretty conceited, huh? But hey, we all have our sins. Naruto has a few and Sasuke does as well. This isn't a fairytale guys. It's a tragedy. Expect drama, pain, and hurt, from here on out. It can only get worse, right?
This is not focusing on pirates. That section toward the end with assigning roles was more so going into depth with context and history. Please don't even come close to assuming this is a pirate story. Not even close. Just because they are traveling by ship does not mean they're pirates.