A/N: Hey Everyone! Gasp at my quick updating! I feel as if I haven't done back to back updates in a while but I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter. I don't think this story will be too long; maybe four or five more chapters then we get to the end. Don't hold me to that though haha I need to get back to my other story. Anyway, on towards the chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't Own.

Chapter 5

In the Woods

…

"Thank you so much for staying here, I hope next time you will choose us again," the tiny old man said as he took the room key back. Sasuke nodded and bowed graciously to his elder before turning to the squirming blonde.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke questioned both him and the inn keeper looking to Naruto instantly. The blonde stilled, like a deer caught in bright headlights. He turned slightly towards the two and gave them the biggest grin he could muster.

"Nothing but I thought I packed my map in here." Naruto answered honestly to both onlookers. "I guess I must have forgotten it back at the orphanage."

"We don't need a map. Lavonia is probably the simplest place to venture to without getting lost." Sasuke stated, crossing his arms for no more arguments.

"Oh! So are you both traveling to Lavonia?" the old man squeaked from behind the raven. Sasuke pursed his lips in annoyance, not really liking the idea of telling him their destination. Regardless, he was taught to respect his elders and turned back to the other with a nod.

"Yes sir we are. I believe if we go through Fanon Forest and cross the Decorous Bridge, it would be a straight trek from there." Sasuke responded back out of politeness. The old man did help wash his clothes last night and sew up the torn shirt; courtesy was the least he could offer.

"A very clear cut path indeed," The elder mumbled, nodding his head in approval. The raven shot a smirk at his blonde companion, proving the other wrong. There was definitely no need for a map.

"-but, have you heard the rumors recently concerning those forest my dear boy?" he finished with a slightly crazed look in his eyes. Sasuke refrained himself from sighing out in agitation, why were they still here talking to this weird man? No one would take that bait.

"Come on Naruto lets-"

"Wait! What rumors?" Except for Naruto.

The lord wanted to palm slap his face. Did lonely inn keepers really have nothing else to do? He guessed not, seeing that many would jump at any chance of striking up a conversation with travelers. Maybe that was just something Sasuke didn't understand. Talking was only necessary to get your point across, other than that, it was well over rated.

"You mean you haven't' heard about the rumors?" the man began again, leaning across the counter for an extra effect. Sasuke watched the blonde slowly lean over, completely entranced in the fabrication that was going to be foretold. Really, Naruto was falling right into the other's trap.

"No old man, are they that bad?" the prince inquired not blinking just in case he'd miss the response.

"Terrible! They're horrible," the inn keeper yelled, hands flying up in the air. Others in the lobby turned to see the commotion and the nobleman couldn't help but want to drag the idiot out of there.

"Naruto lets-"

"Not too long ago, a pair of travelers journeyed by this tavern too." The old man started. Sasuke glared keenly at the other for cutting him off but it was useless, both morons were staring intensively at each other now. Even if a war were to break loose neither would know.

"The two travelers were headed to Niota, a small town before Lavonia. When they asked me for directions, I told them the quickest route was through the Fanon Forest. I didn't think much about it until both men returned the next day, screaming about a hidden beast."

"What! A hidden beast?" Naruto exclaimed, a bit of fear flashed across his face.

"Yes! They both said that there was nothing strange at first but once night fall hit, strange things begin happening." The old man continued, voice lowering to an almost silent degree. "First, there was a continuous hoot of an owl. The older male didn't think much about it as he stroked the flaming fires but for some reason, everything in the forest became eerily silent."

Sasuke listened to the tale, disbelief written all over his face. He cursed his fate for having to travel with such a gullible prince. Seeing as Naruto was virtually on the counter trying listen to the man, nothing could be done to deter his attention.

"What else happened?" the blonde dared to ask, already feeling a chill running through his spine.

"Well, both travelers thought nothing of it until they heard a rumbling in the woods. The brave younger traveler steadily went to check what it was and that's when he saw it!"

Naruto literally fell back a little as the old man practically climbed over the counter top to get his point across. "The creature's hair was long and white, fangs practically aching to have a taste of blood, and the howl of its roar was enough to send anyone into shock!"

"Che, alright, scary monster in the forest now let's go Naruto," Sasuke finally stated out, patience gone. He treaded over to the blonde and pulled at the other's arm. Naruto, still in a daze from the story let the other drag him away.

"Beware travelers! Beware the hidden beast!" The crazy old man yelled after them, even as the door swung shut. "Beware!"

"I hate old inn keepers," Sasuke grumbled mostly to himself. "That was possibly the most idiotic, unbelievable tale I've heard through all my travels."

Naruto seemed to have snapped out of his trance and looked to the raven haired man. "Wait, you mean…it was all a lie?"

"Of course it was! Every inn keeper I've encounter always have some sort of scary rumor to tell before you leave. It's like a horrible farewell tradition for us travelers."

Naruto nodded, not thinking much about it anymore. He couldn't deny the fact that he hated scary stories. His mother use to frighten him all the time with haunting stories of neighboring kingdoms. Even though he was young, the damage was permanent and stuck with him since then. He hated his curiosity for wanting to listen to them but afterwards, his paranoia didn't know how to quit.

"Come on, the forest is about half a day's walk so we have to hurry in order to set up camp for the night." Sasuke said, snapping Naruto out of his musings.

The blonde shivered a bit at the thought of the forest. "So we're still traveling through the forest?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't we, it's the quickest route to the ca-" the lord stopped mid-sentence and thought about Naruto's questions. "Don't tell me you're afraid because of that old man's lies?"

"No!" the prince defended a bit too quickly, turning away from the other's scrutinizing gaze. "I was just curious to see your reactions, wondering if you were frightened by it." Adding in a sheepish laugh.

Sasuke had to keep himself from snorting at such a lame excuse. Being the better man, he decided to let the blonde have this one and replied with a drawn out "Right."

Both travelers walked through the streets, admiring the variety of vendors selling their merchandise. Sasuke contemplated on buying some items since it would be a bit til they reached another town. Fortunately, Naruto was already ahead of him, stopping at different places to grab at numerous items.

"Oi bastard!" the prince hollered back to him, forgetting all about the story. "Come here and pay for the stuff."

Sasuke shook his head at the blonde's banter but gave in and strode over to pay for the items. A happy Naruto meant a less annoying one.

…

"Hey dobe, go grab some wood so we can get the fire started." Sasuke ordered, throwing his sack of items to the ground. He glared at it for a second, remembering the stupid argument they had earlier.

Flashback

"Hey, Sasuke, I think we need another bag." Naruto suggested to the man.

"Well I know we don't." Sasuke finalized back.

"I'm being serious! Look, all this stuff is barely fitting," the prince pointed out. It was true though, the pot they had just recently bought was hardly finding space in the sack. But Sasuke wouldn't let up.

"It looks fine to me," Sasuke countered, keeping his amusement to a mild degree. Naruto's face contorting into anger was priceless to watch. Though, the raven really didn't think they needed so much. Not that he was against carrying some of the load, three days in the wilderness was not enough to pack two bags.

"Look prissy bastard, if you don't want to carry a bag I can drag them both, just go get another one!" the prince yelled back. It was loud enough that on lookers began to whisper not too quietly about what a lazy partner the blonde had. Sasuke scowled a bit and glared at the by passers.

"Fine idiot."

End Flashback

Even after pledging to carry both bags, Sasuke ended up having to haul the heavier one anyway. He noted the blonde nodding absently before walking off in the north direction. The nobleman eyed the area a bit before settling down. It was a good clearing surrounded by a shroud of bushes near the side. The land was flat and suitable enough for them to lay some blankets down for sleep. He decided to set the place up early since there was still enough light left before the sun vanished.

Sasuke worked in peace, setting up the necessary things. So into his work, he didn't even notice Naruto returning with a huge pile of dry wood to burn. The blonde carelessly dropped it to the floor, nowhere near Sasuke's bedding area and proceeded to start the fire. He grabbed a few pieces and walked over towards the raven.

The pair worked in silence, Sasuke putting out things and Naruto actually succeeding in building the fire. It wasn't until nightfall did both men plop onto the thin mats in exhaustion.

"See, if we didn't get that extra bag, we'd be sleeping on dirt." Naruto said cheekily, grinning at the lord. Sasuke didn't reply but instead grabbed a pot from the sack. Inserting a wooden rode through the handles, he easily placed it over the fire. It was held up by two Y sticks, standing up sturdily from the ground thanks to a blonde haired prince.

Naruto watched intently as Sasuke poured a container of what seemed like beef stew they had purchased from a nice mother of four. Her husband was a traveling merchant and to make money at home, she sold carry out soup. All it took was just some reheating, was her words. The only bad thing was the soup merely lasted two days if it wasn't refrigerated.

"Hey Sasuke do you need-" Naruto stopped for a second, when he heard a faint noise in the background. The blonde didn't even catch that the sun had already set and the only light was coming from the blazing fire. Looking up into the sky the stars shone radiantly too but the moon was only half apparent.

"What?" Sasuke asked, opening the can's lid to pour the soup in. He grabbed at a ladle and stirred the contents in the pot continuously as Naruto stilled.

"Do you hear that?" the blonde finally answered. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in confusion until the faint noise made it to his ears.

"It's just owls hooting at night dobe, that's what they do." The raven said with an eye roll. If he ever met that inn keeper again, he'd be sure to nail those lips shut.

"Yeah but the old man said that after night fall the travelers…" the prince trailed off, thinking mostly to himself. Sasuke shrugged at the moron's antics and constantly rotated his wrist to mix the soup.

"Why is it so quiet Sasuke?" Naruto asked, scooting a bit closer to the lord.

"Maybe it's because no one's talking now move over or else the fire might burn you," Sasuke retorted back. The blonde apologized inaudibly before scurrying back behind the raven. The paranoia was getting to him and it didn't help that the old man's words kept repeating over and over like a mantra in his head. So lost in thought, Naruto didn't even realize when Sasuke handed him a bowl of soup.

"Dobe," the raven stated, trying to snap the idiot out of his delusions. "Food."

Having the sweet aroma hit his nostrils; he instantly forgot about the rumor and thanked the other graciously. They both ate in a comfortable manner and after finishing everything off, rinsing the dishes with what little water they had, Naruto regretted becoming so frightened.

"Oi Sasuke, you know I really don't like scary stories," the blonde admitted as he lied down on his mat for the night.

"Really, I couldn't even tell," Sasuke voiced back sarcastically with a smirk in place. He gently probed at the fire with the wooden rode, volunteering to keep watch first.

Naruto smiled lightly instead of getting angry. Maybe it was the fact that he had a full stomach of good food and was lying down comfortably but, everything was just right. At that moment, he didn't have a care for anything else in the world and nothing mattered. Until a slight rumbling in the bushes jerked him wide awake.

"What was that?" the blonde hastily muttered out to Sasuke. The raven heard it too but was much more rational than the other.

"It was probably nothing just go-"

Before he could finish the sentence, the unnerving sound grew louder and the bushes begin to shake as if something was going to come out.

Naruto made a beeline dash and quickly latched onto Sasuke, holding him as tightly as possible.

"It's the hidden monster and it's going to eat us!" Naruto shouted into the wilderness. His gripped tightened around the other and was practically clinging on for dear life. "Sasuke I'm sorry for calling you a bastard! I don't actually hate you, you're a pretty nice guy regardless of all those horrible comments you make about me being dumb."

"Dobe what are you-"

"I think you're attractive!" Naruto blurted out unconsciously, snuggling his face into the other's silky smooth hair. Sasuke chuckled to himself at the honest outburst; the blonde was truly an idiot. He was about to comment back when he caught sight of something white appearing from behind the bushes.

"Agh hidden monster!" Naruto screamed, shielding his face from the onslaught of undesirable vision to come. Long bloodied fangs and hideously bulging eyes, he could imagine it all.

"Hey kid, who you calling a hidden monster?" a gruff voice answered back. "Wait did I interrupt something?"

The blonde stopped in mid scream and slowly turned to see this monster. What he saw was surprisingly just a huge man. The older guy had red lines drawn down his eyes and was wearing more of an older style of Japanese clothing, clearly not from around the area. His hair on the other hand was frightening as it trailed well past his backside towards the ground. To top it off, it was undeniably white. No wonder people mistook him for a monster.

"Don't tell me you guys are into that kinky dirty talk where hidden monster is code name for your-"

"Ugh No! You old man pervert!" Naruto bellowed back, swiftly detaching himself from Sasuke. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm out on research boy! There's this nice onsen house not too far from here, great for exploration!" the man bellowed out before giving a wide grin. "So, what brings you two lovers to this side of the woods?"

"We're not lovers," Naruto grumbled back, a huge blush covering his face when he remembered what he said. "Just traveling companions."

"Sure sure, traveling companions with benefits right? Well, nice to meet you! But farewell I'm off to do conduct some studies!" the old man stated before making his way back into the bush.

Before any of them could ask what the stranger's name was, he vanished into the shrouds of darkness. Leaving behind a very confused raven and a very embarrassed blonde.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted with a crooked smirk before grabbing a few more pieces of wood to throw into the dwindling fire. "Hidden monster right?"

"Shut up bastard," Naruto defended, his pride level sinking down to zero. "His hair was misleading."

"Right," The raven replied back, voice dripped with skepticism. "So what does that have to do with you thinking I'm sexy?"

Naruto almost tripped getting back to his mat. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before replying, "I only said attractive, bastard not sexy. Jeez, just when I thought your ego couldn't get any bigger."

Sasuke only smiled softly in return but didn't say anymore for the night.

…

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I actually really liked the whole writing process of this one. I kept thinking back to that SpongeBob episode of the hash slinging slasher or something along those lines. Please review though!