Blurred Lines

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

"My father should be back soon. He can explain everything to you. In the meantime, are you hungry or thirsty?" Naruto asks brightly.

Sasuke blinks. He was pretty sure that he was on a date with a Viking. A Viking who could transform into a dragon. This had to be the strangest dream that he had ever had.

"That's good and yeah. I'm a little hungry." He admits.

"Good! What do you like? I have chicken, fish, lamb, ham, deer, or elk? Oh and obviously I have ale, wine, or water." The Viking inquires.

Sasuke pauses. He wasn't really sure if his answer would be held against him or not. After awhile, he decides chicken was likely the safest bet. He had to cook that right?

"Chicken and some wine sounds good." Sasuke says with a smile.

Naruto nods and heads off. He comes back a short while later with a tray of wine and chicken on it. Sasuke felt his mouth water at the sight and scent. For some reason, he was suddenly ravenous.

"Here." Naruto says with a smile as he sits by Sasuke and wraps some furs around him, before he hands him the food.

"Thank you. You're very kind." Sasuke says as he sips his wine and begins devouring his meal.

It tasted so good. Suddenly, Sasuke realizes why he was that hungry. It had likely been almost a day since he ate in this dream. It was strange that he dreamed the sensation of hunger so accurately, but he decides not to question it.

"I don't have a reason not to be. I want you to stay. You'll be safer here and our tribe would greatly benefit from having a Traveler. That and I'd like to be kind to you in other ways." Naruto says.

Sasuke almost chokes on his wine. That was probably subtle by Viking Standards, but the implication was clear. The blonde was interested in him for more than just his magic.

That was probably a good thing. The raven haired college student didn't even have any magic. Well at least he didn't think that he did. This was a dream after all. Maybe he did have some sort of abilities here.

"You're a Viking." Sasuke says.

"Yes, I'm a proud Viking too! I've gone on a three raids already!" Naruto informs him.

Sasuke was sure that was supposed to impress him and it did on some level. He knew enough about Viking History to realize that those raids could be very dangerous. People often died on them. Naruto was either skilled in battle, extremely lucky, or both.

"You're people don't have a problem with the idea of two men being…kind to each other?" Sasuke asks in surprise.

"My people are special. We are Dragoons. We can turn into Dragons. Dragoons can take a Mate from either gender. It doesn't really matter to us whether someone marries a man or a woman." The blue eyed Viking explains.

Sasuke blinks as he tries to process that. Great. Vikings who were all about equality when it came to 'Mating.' He wasn't sure what surprised him more. The fact that they could turn into dragons or that.

"That's good to know that your people are so open-minded. I think you're great, Naruto. I really do. This isn't my home though. I don't belong here." Sasuke tells him.

"Well I know that you're a Forest Elf and we're Dragoons, but our village is in a forest. There's no reason why you should feel uncomfortable here. There are plenty of Dragoons that take husbands or wives from other species. No one is going to look down on you for being an elf." Naruto assures him.

Lovely. The Vikings were open about homosexuality and apparently weren't speciesists. That would have given him a warm fuzzy feeling, if he wasn't so terrified. He needed to get home and he needed to get home now.

"I'm glad to hear that. You're people sound like a kind people. I'm a Traveler though. I should go back to my own world." The young man tries again.

"Well yeah. You don't have to stay there though. You can come back and forth." The blue eyed Viking says.

That was possible? Wait. He was dreaming. Anything was possible. He just couldn't tell Naruto that. He probably wouldn't believe him or think Sasuke was in denial.

"Maybe. I don't even know how I do it though." Sasuke admits.

"That's alright. I'm sure that my father will be able to help you learn how to control it." The blonde assures him.

"Hopefully. Why does your village want a Traveler so badly though? Do you want to go to another world?" Sasuke asks warily.

Naruto shakes his head. No. They had everything that they needed here. There were literally thousands, if not tens of thousands of civilizations that they could raid. His tribe was more than happy in their own world.

"No. Travelers can go back and forth between realms, but they also have other kinds of magic. It's just that it varies from Traveler to Traveler what kind of magic they have. It's always powerful though." The Viking Prince confesses.

Sasuke bites into his chicken as he considers that. Naruto's tribe wanted him for his magic. The blonde wanted him for his magic AND his body. Though by the sounds of things, that would be the case wherever he went anyway.

Maybe he should stay with the Vikings. It was just a dream anyway. Did it really matter? Naruto was offering him a shelter, food, and well companionship. It'd be a dumb move to turn all that down in a world that he knew so little about.

"So you want to be able to use my magic to your advantage in exchange for allowing me to join your tribe?" The Traveler asks cautiously.

"Exactly. Well that's what my village will want anyway. I want more than that, but I can be patient. I know that elves tend to take awhile to fall in love. Your kind tends to follow your head. We follow our hearts." He says.

A Viking was essentially telling him that he believed that he was in love with him. Love at first sight. Sasuke didn't know how to respond to that. That was sweet and a little scary. A man who had survived three raids could do some serious damage, if he got angry because he felt rejected.

"Good to know. Well if your father doesn't have any objections to me staying with your tribe, I think that you're right. It's a good idea." Sasuke says.

Naruto grins and his eyes sparkle with happiness at the raven haired man's words. Despite everything, Sasuke felt himself returning the blonde's smile. It was just so sincere. How could he not respond in kind?

"Wonderful! That's wonderful news. I'm sure that you'll like it here. Don't worry. We won't let any of the goblins get you." Naruto says.

"Goblins?" Sasuke asks in disbelief.

He didn't know why he was surprised. Naruto could turn into a dragon and he was an elf. Goblins were the next "logical" step in this bizarre dream world he had crafted fro himself.

"Yes, Goblins. Trust me, you'll want to avoid them. They are pretty vicious and sneaky. Not pleasant to gaze upon either!" The Viking Prince warns him.

"They also have a rather foul odor." Sasuke hears someone else say as he immediately gets behind Naruto when he realizes another Viking had likely just entered the cave.

"It's alright, Sasuke. That's my father. King Minato." Naruto whispers to the elf.

Sasuke visibly relaxes at that. If Naruto was into him, that probably meant Minato wasn't planning to mount his head on a pike or something. That and he was a Traveler. It was likely that "recruiting" him had been the King's idea.

"Sasuke? So that's your name. I have been wondering about that. I see that my son has been playing the part of a good host. I imagine that you're rather confused about all this. Tell me, do you intentionally travel between the realms or is it just something that happens without your trying?" Minato asks.

"It just happens. I have no idea what is causing me to come here or what compels me back to my world." Sasuke admits honestly.

He knew that he was just dreaming, but not why he was still dreaming the same dream. Why were his dreams so vivid? His dreams never used to be like this. Something was wrong.

"Ah a latent talent then." Minato says knowledgably.

"Yes, it looks that way." Sasuke says, not entirely sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"We can help him though, right?" Naruto asks his father anxiously.

He didn't want anything to happen to his elf. Magic was wonderful, but it could also be dangerous. It could especially be dangerous when you didn't know what you were doing.

"Yes, we can help him." The Viking King says confidently and Sasuke smiles.

Naruto certainly took after his father. Both had blonde hair and blue eyes with powerful builds. For Vikings, he assumed they were both rather easy going. Then again, they were also Dragoons. That might explain why they were much more sociable towards strangers than he would have expected Vikings to be.

"Thank you." Sasuke whispers with a smile.

"For now, you should probably get some sleep. Something tells me that you've had a long journey, even in this world. My son likes to travel far and wide. He goes wherever his wings take him." The older Viking notes in amusement.

"It was a long trip. Thank you. Thank you for everything." Sasuke whispers as Minato turns to walk off.

It surprised Sasuke that the Viking King was willing to leave him alone. Sasuke would have thought that Minato would watch him like a hawk. Maybe he just trusted Naruto to do it for him?

"Oh and Naruto, please ensure that our guest remains comfortable. I know naught what world he hails from, but a Viking is never a poor host." Minato says with a grin, just before darting out of sight.

"Right!" Naruto agrees and Sasuke once again found himself smiling, despite the strange situation.

"I'm a very lucky elf to have stumbled into you." He says.

Naruto nods his head in agreement rather vigorously, causing Sasuke to laugh. Well if he was going to have psychotic dreams about Vikings, he might as well dream about a hot one. There was no harm in engaging in a little fantasy, now and then…right?

Meanwhile Orochimaru frowns in his office. He knew that Sasuke was the key to returning home. He just find a way to convince the Uchiha to take him back.

"That's easier said than done. He might be questioning his sanity at this very moment." The college professors whispers to himself.

That was the sad thing about Travelers. So many of them went insane because they had no idea what was happening to them. It was quite sad, really. He couldn't allow that to happen to Sasuke though.

That handsome boy was his best chance at returning to his Kingdom. Oh how he missed his Kingdom. It had been so long that Orochimaru had almost forgotten what it was like to be a Goblin, let alone the Goblin King.

"There has to be a way." He says to himself.

Orochimaru had wanted Sasuke to become his assistant. That would have been the easiest way to get some quality time with him. He could have earned the boy's trust. Unfortunately, Sasuke had rejected that offer.

It wasn't as though he could force the college student to become his assistant. He would have to think of something else. Preferably something else before the boy might go insane.

"Well he's friends with Jugo, Karin, and Suigetsu. Perhaps one of them might be able to tell me something useful." He wonders out loud.

He almost immediately scratches that idea. They were too close to Sasuke. If Sasuke was already wary of him, his friends would know that. They wouldn't tell him anything.

"Maybe a degree of separation is called for." He smirks to himself.

He could have someone else get close to one of Sasuke's friends. Then that person would get closer to Sasuke by extension or learn something about the Traveler from his friend. That could work.

"Kimimaro might be a good choice." He decides.

Kimimaro wasn't from this realm either. The poor fairy had gotten chucked through the veil when he was banished on accident. Since then, the beautiful creature had become his constant companion. Where else was he going to go?

This world was still strange to him even after all these years. Orochimaru had largely adapted and so had Kimimaro to a degree, but not as well. The green eyed fairy clearly was suffering from melancholy. He knew that he didn't belong in this world.

"I'll go speak with him at once." The professor says as he heads off to do exactly that.

Elsewhere Sasuke was currently draped in a lot of furs. He was positive that they would have been worth thousands in his world. For humane reasons, he never would have worn fur on Earth. This was a dream though.

He didn't mind snuggling up to their warmth in a dream. That and it was nice to doze off as the blonde was recounting his various adventures on raids. Naruto was definitely trying to show off and Sasuke didn't mind. It was somehow cute.

"Yeah so we made off with entire ships worth of gold that time!" Naruto exclaims brightly as he finishes his tale.

"That's good." Sasuke says with a yawn.

"You should get some sleep, elf." Naruto says as he lays down next to Sasuke and wraps his arms around him.

Sasuke feels himself blush. The Viking certainly wasn't shy about expressing his interest and holy shit! Was that a sword or his actual sword pressed up against his ass?

"You aren't going to try to ravish me in my sleep or something, are you?" He asks.

"No. I wouldn't do that. I want you to be fully awake when I ravish you." Naruto says merrily.

"Wonderful. You're a pervert, but an honorable one." Sasuke mutters in amusement as he curls up closer to Naruto drifts off to slip.

Not long after that, he awoke with a straight in the bathtub. He shivers when he realizes the water was now cold. He had been in there awhile. The bath had been hot when he fell asleep.

"Damn it. Why does it all feel so real?" He asks himself as he gets out of the water.

This wasn't normal. This couldn't possibly be normal. Was there a chance that Orochimaru might actually be right about alternate realities?

"I hope not. If it's real, then that means that a goblin might actually have a go at me and my chastity is in very real danger." He mutters.

He shivers at that last part, but it wasn't from fear. Well at least not mostly. By Viking Standards, Sasuke was sure that Naruto was considered the model boyfriend. Sasuke wasn't a Viking though.

He didn't even belong in that world. There was also that thing about the blonde turning into a dragon. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure if that was a deal breaker or not.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" He growls and tries to dry off.

This was crazy. He wasn't dating a Viking. It was just an absurdly realistic set of dreams. That was all.

"And now, I look like a prune." He says with a sigh as he notices his hands were completely wrinkled from the water.

He shakes his head and quickly dresses. That's when he calls Suigetsu. Maybe some time doing normal stuff would be good for him. That might chase away the dreams.

It didn't matter that Naruto was gorgeous and sweet in a strange way. He wasn't real. Sasuke needed to focus on the real world and that was that. Maybe Suigetsu could help him achieve that.

Hey. I know it's late, but do you want to go swimming? ~ Sasuke.

Suigetsu loved swimming. Really, sometimes the Uchiha thought that his friend might actually be part dolphin or something. It was incredible. He should really try out for the Olympic Swim Team one day.

Sure. I'll meet you at the lake. Everything, alright? Did Orochimaru do something creepy? ~ Suigetsu.

It's a long story. Meet you there in twenty minutes. ~ Sasuke.

With that, Sasuke puts his phone away and heads off. Maybe swimming would clear his head. He wasn't as obsessed with swimming as his white haired friend was, but he still liked it.

Maybe some physical activity would be helpful. It might relieve his stress or whatever was causing these strange dreams. He still hadn't ruled out the possibility that it had something to do with his term papers though.

"There you are. So what's up? It has to be pretty bad, if you can't tell me about it over the phone." The violet eyed man inquires.

"Orochimaru asked me to be his research assistant. I told him know. That guy is way too obsessed." Sasuke says with a sigh as he joins Suigetsu in the water.

Suigetsu blinks. Yeah. He had been afraid of something like that. Well at least Sasuke was smart enough to tell that prehistoric pervert no. That was something at least.

"Smart move. I probably would have kicked him in the nuts. We all know what he'd like you to assist him with." He states bluntly.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are about as subtle as a bull in a China Shop?" Sasuke retorts.

"All the time. Did he try to grab you or something? You seem pretty rattled and that's not like you. I can count on my left hand the number of times that I've actually seen you freak out about anything." His friend asks.

Sasuke shakes his head. If Orochimaru had tried to touch him, he would have kicked him in the nuts. He also would have reported the sicko.

"No. Nothing like that. Promise you won't laugh? This is going to sound really stupid." The raven haired man pleads.

Suigetsu raises an eyebrow. Oh yeah. Something was up. Something really big was up.

"I won't laugh. Come on, Sasuke. I know that I can be a dick sometimes. We're still friends though. That's just messing around. That doesn't mean anything. If it's something serious though, you know that I have your back." He promises.

"Alright. I've been having these really unusual dreams lately. They're really vivid. I swear, they feel so real." Sasuke whispers.

How could he possibly explain this? How could he explain this without sounding crazy? Sasuke wasn't sure such a thing was possible, but he knew that he had to try.

"That happens to everyone sometimes. What are the dreams about?" Suigetsu asks.

"All sorts of things. In the dreams, I'm different. I'm an elf. That's not all. There are Vikings. Vikings that can turn into dragons." The other man continues.

Well that was a new one. The violet eyed man honestly didn't know that Sasuke was that creative. Usually, it was Karin who was the space cadet.

"That sounds interesting. What kind of elf are we talking? Like a little elf or a sexy elf?" His friend inquires.

"I'm regular my regular height. My ears are pointed though. I'm a lot faster, stronger, and have more stamina too. My senses also much stronger. I can see things much more clearly. My hearing is way better. Hell even my sense of smell is like a million times better. I'm some kind of Forest Elf, I guess." Sasuke tells him.

A Forest Elf. Right. Of course, Suigetsu thinks to himself. That made perfect sense. What other kind of elf could His Royal Prissyness possible be, he thinks to himself slyly.

"Right. So you're all one with nature and shit. What was that you said about fucking dragons and Vikings?!" Suigetsu demands.

"There's a tribe of Vikings. They're special though. Some of them can turn into Dragons, like Naruto can." He says.

He knew that he was taking a gamble here. Suigetsu was probably going to tell Sasuke that he needed to get laid. Having a dream lover wasn't healthy.

It didn't really matter that the most he had done with the blonde was cuddle. Sasuke was still positive that that was not a good sign for his mental health. Maybe he did need to get a real boyfriend, he privately muses.

"Wait. Hold on. Who is Naruto?" The other member of Taka demands.

"He's one of the Vikings. He can turn into a dragon. A really big dragon with golden scales and blue eyes." Sasuke explains.

"Right. Of course. You can't have just any Viking Dragon in your dreams. You need a GOLDEN one. Sasuke, you're even a Diva in your dreams. That's really fucked up." Suigetsu says with laugh.

Sasuke shakes his head. He didn't think it was funny. He was possibly going insane. He would have appreciated it, if Suigetsu could have saved the dumb jokes for awhile.

"Whatever. His scale color doesn't really matter." Sasuke blushes.

"You're blushing. Awe. You have a crush on the Viking! That's sweet, Sasuke. You know he's not real, right?" Suigetsu asks.

"I know that! It's just that the dreams feel so real. It's freaking me out. Maybe I should see a shrink." Sasuke mutters.

Oh that was bad. Sasuke actually wanted to seek professional help. This was some serious shit, Suigetsu realizes.

"Well if you think that'd be a good idea, you probably should talk to someone. I know that I'm taking a psychology class, but that doesn't make me a professional." The other college student says.

"Yeah. I know. No one would ever use your name and professional in the same sentence anyway. I just needed to talk to someone. Maybe I'm going crazy. That or I've been writing too many term papers. Maybe I'm just stressed out from the Orochimaru situation. I don't know." Sasuke says with a asigh.

"Hey, it's not that bad. I mean so what? You're having some vivid dreams about a hot Viking that turns into a dragon. It could be worse. Though I gotta say, I never thought that you were that creative or kinky." Suigetsu taunts him.

Sasuke's eyes narrow. That's it. He dunks Suigetsu under the water. He had that one coming. He was so not in the mood to be teased. Not with everything going on.

Naturally, Suigetsu returns the favor. Soon enough, it was an all out war. Sasuke knew that his resistance was futile. He was stronger and faster than Suigetsu on land, but in the water it was another story. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to try though.

"TAKE THAT!" Sasuke yells at his friend.

"Ha! You don't actually think that's going to stop me, do you?!" The violet eyed man demands as he dunks Sasuke.

That was how they spent the rest of the night. Splashing and horsing around in the water. By the end of the night, Sasuke was exhausted as he says goodbye to Suigetsu and heads back to his dorm.

"Maybe that will chase the goblins away." He muses to himself as he yawns and plops down onto his bed, falling asleep instantly.