…Once upon a Modern Tale…
Pairing: Naruto x Sasuke
Warning: Shounen ai,
Inspired by: Robin Hood, Love among the Walnuts, and always by my wacko imagination
Summary: AU (NaruSasu) Once upon a time, there lived an extremely handsome and exceedingly rich young man. But, he didn't care for any of it, and so he locked himself up in his large manor, never coming out. Then, one day, he met the most amazing person; a beautiful boy with cerulean blue eyes. This is where our Modern Tale begins, with a Modern Robin Hood, and a Modern love story.
Please forgive my bad usages of Japanese terms; I don't speak the language so I have almost no idea how to use them.
Disclaimer: Naruto and anything related does not belong to me. Don't sue.
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Fifth
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Now, children, I shall tell the tale as it happened. Thus, I will not alter some important detail. You see, this is the climax, and everything is going to get so much more complicated now…
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Naruto scowled as he walked home. He's usually very happy, but something's been bothering him ever since he met that Uchiha Sasuke. What was that nagging feeling, telling him that he has done something wrong? Naruto sighed – a very deflated sound – and kept on walking. He tried to shake the feeling off, but it persisted, and it made him think.
You see, that feeling was guilt. You could say that our blonde has suddenly found his conscience again, and it was bothering the heck out of him. Where was that conscience when he tricked all those other millionaires and gave all their money to charities, some may want to know? It was probably buried and squished in between all the bitterness he had for the rich. But now, our blonde isn't so sure, and he's beginning to doubt himself and his actions. 'Am I really doing the right thing?' 'Isn't there some other way, besides stealing?' He was bothered by these thoughts; a thief who doubts his morals is a danger to both himself and the ones he loves.
"What are you doing to me, Sasuke?" Naruto muttered to the air. The sky was clear, but the sun was setting. Everything had a lazy feeling to it, which was exactly the opposite of what he felt like right now. All these strange thoughts were bouncing around his head; thoughts that haven't even surfaced for many years.
'You just met the guy, and now you're going ga-ga over him?! Get a hold of yourself, Naruto!" Our Robin Hood crossed his arms at the back of his head. He tilted his head up to the sky, and drowned himself in his thoughts.
'Why does everything have to get so confusing now? Especially when….' He still didn't notice the raven-haired boy trailing after him.
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Sasuke had been following Naruto for a long time. Two hours - to be exact. (He kept checking his watch). The blonde was walking really slowly, which did test Sasuke's patience. Where was he going anyway? Wherever it was, it was sure far away. Briefly, he pondered over the idea of tossing some money, or a bus ticket, in front of the blonde, just so he'd get where he was going faster. But then he would have to risk getting caught. So much for that idea…
Sasuke watched silently as Naruto sighed, and stared up at the sky. It was strange. He didn't seem as together, or sure of himself, as when he had stepped in front of his limo. (Nope, neither the Uchiha, nor I still can't get over that fact- I mean, he stepped in front of a moving car!) Sasuke became even more suspicious. Even though he didn't have much experience with deception, he still sensed that something was wrong with the way Naruto was acting towards him. It was too rushed.
The Uchiha could still remember when Naruto had blushed at him. That seemed rushed too, and his eyes didn't change at all. When the blonde flushed, Sasuke got a good glimpse of the other boy's eyes. It was a shock to him. Naruto's eyes, which were so clear and blue before, looked dead. The sparkle was gone in an instant, and Sasuke got a jolt up his spine telling him that he was seeing the true Naruto. It was then that he felt Naruto was lying to him- had been lying to him the entire time. At the same time he realized this, he felt sad too, because he knew something – or someone- had done something to make the blonde's eyes look dead.
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The house was old. It didn't look particularly poor, although it was located in a bad neighbourhood. The entrance was painted a light shade of brown, and the curtains were pale gold, with orange fox patterns. Naruto pushed open the door, and walked in.
Sasuke stayed quiet and watched. He waited a bit longer, but just was he was about to turn away, the door opened again and Naruto walked off once more.
Once he was sure the blonde was out of sight, he walked up to the house. Our noble was sure, even to this day, what made him knock on that door. Maybe it was because he was curious at whom this Naruto person was, or perhaps it was just because he was simply not thinking straight.
A smiling brown-haired man opened the door. His eyes looked tired, and Sasuke suspected that his hair has had more shine to it before. "Yes, may I help you?"
Sasuke wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. "Uh, I'm looking for an Uzumaki Naruto…"
"Oh…please don't tell me he's in some kind of trouble…." The man sighed, and gestured for the boy to go in. Sasuke complied and stepped into the house. A sweet smell reached his nose. The house looked pretty decent from the inside. The furniture was a bit old, but everything was kept clean and orderly. "Please sit….um?"
"Hayato Ryu (1)." He didn't know why he lied- it just slipped out.
"Hayato-san, Naruto's a sweet person. Whatever he broke, I can pay for it," he paused. "Just….please don't tell him that I did." The brown-haired man sounded defeated.
Sasuke shook his head, "Naruto didn't break anything (He graciously decided to leave out the fact that the blonde did shatter a priceless heirloom). I'm his….friend, and I was wondering if he was home."
A silence, "This is his house, right?"
"Hai," the man nodded, "but, I'm afraid you just missed him. He went out a short while ago, and I don't know where he's going."
Sasuke offered a polite smile, and thanked the brown-haired man. He stood up and turned to go.
"Please, wait." Sasuke glanced back. "I'm Umino Iruka - Naruto's adoptive parent. It….it won't be much help, but I can tell you where he might be. "
The Uchiha nodded and said that it would be much appreciated. As he neared the worn door, he heard Iruka-san whisper quietly.
"He's so distant these days; I don't know what's going on. He just seems like something's bothering him, and he won't talk to me. Please, Hayato-san, find out what's wrong and help him."
Sasuke nodded once more, and gently closed the door behind him. The soft click of the lock mixed with the words, 'He's never had a single friend before'.
The sun made the worn door seem like the soft earth, and the curtains; like the sun. The foxes danced mischievously on the sunlit surfact – all clad in orange fur. Sasuke now knew why he was so attracted to Uzumaki Naruto – they were both lonely; him by choice; Naruto by fate.
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Sasuke walked towards the orphanage Iruka-san had mentioned. He briefly wondered why he didn't take the bus. Just because Naruto hadn't, didn't mean he can't. But to him, walking felt more real right now. It was as if he didn't walk, he would lose himself. He needed to stay close to the ground now. There was a bad feeling gathering in his spine. (Poor, poor confused Sasuke-kun!)
The orphanage was poor looking too. It was in the same neighbourhoood – the streets were filled with garbage and the trash cans overflowed. There was an awful smell in the air; like bitterness. Sasuke kept walking and wished he brought a coat along. The dusk was coming, and everything was beginning to get colder.
As he neared the place, something looked amiss. There were no children running around. 'What kind of orphanage is this?" The windows were boarded shut with old wood, and the school seemed to be deserted. A large gate stood looming before him. It was the entrance to the abandoned place. He touched two fingers to the door, and felt the cold numbing his fingertips. A haunting wind blew by, and rustled dead leaves off the ground. Sasuke looked for Naruto, but he couldn't see anyone. Then, he heard a creaking flowing in rhythm with the howling wind. It was coming from behind the school.
There was a broken slide at the back field. An ancient playground sat upon dead, brittle grass. The creaking was coming from a swing set. One of the seats had been torn off, and hung limply from one string. The other was occupied by a beautiful boy with blonde hair. He looked distant.
To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto started talking to himself. At first he didn't understand what the other boy was talking about. He was saying something about Hyuuga Neji, and Subaku no Gaara. Also something about this school, and about his Iruka-sensei… He sounded so sad while muttering these words – not sounding in the least like the person Sasuke knew.
Sasuke knew the daring, bashful and quick tempered boy. He knew the beautiful, yet dead-eyed blonde named Naruto. But this sad and bitter person on the swing – he could not recognize.
Naruto stood up and left as the sun completely set. Sasuke no longer felt cold. Now, he understood –almost- everything. All he had to do was go home and confirm it.
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(1) Yeah, I borrowed two characters' names from "Gokusen". –heh- I really like that show! In case you're wondering, the characters' names are Hayato Yabuki and Odagiri Ryu. –grins-
For those who think that this story is moving too fast, and that the characters are acting strange. Yeah, I agree. But, this was meant to be a short, short story, and so it is going to move fast. Also, since this is a fairy tale the love might not make sense. It could be seen as infatuation, and I guess it is. I mean, take "Cinderella", or "Snow White" for example. Does the female protagonist actually spend any time with the Prince? Nope. They just fall in love; the end. There really is no explanation for it.
I want my story to follow that format. Short, sweet, to the point, and…fairy tale like. So please, try to not over-think the 'why' and concentrate more instead on the 'feeling'. This story is supposed to be wacky, funny, and infatuated. Maybe suspenseful too…
Thanks for all your opinions, and I respect them, but I had to clarify that up. –heh- Maybe I could have gone slower?
Thanks to Kagerou-chan!
P.S. Yes, sorry for the short chapter!
-Horologii
