Blurred Lines

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

Chapter Notation: Last chapter, I said that they weren't getting off that easily. This chapter, you will find out why. Don't worry, I have plans for our two less than friendly goblins.

Chapter 12

Sasuke had to admit, the ship was fast. Itachi's boyfriend definitely knew his ships. Perhaps that wasn't surprising though. He was a merman.

"So how does that work with you and Kisame, exactly?" Sasuke asks as they swiftly head towards the Irish Coast.

"Oh well Kisame can grow legs for a few hours at a time. I also don't want to go into details about merman biology, but all the parts are there." Itachi says with a smile.

Sasuke suddenly looks a little green around the gills. He was glad that Itachi had found love. It was also a damn good thing that he apparently liked to spoil Itachi with gifts like ships. He still didn't want to think about his brother actually getting cuddly with the merman though.

"Th-at's good to know. I was going to ask how do you kiss him? His teeth look like a shark's." Sasuke clarifies.

"Oh well those are retractable. He can make them human or merman sharp. It just depends on his preference." His elder brother explains.

"Good. Good. Well I'm glad that you have someone. That's great. How long do you think that it will take us to get to Ireland?" The younger Uchiha inquires.

Itachi pauses as he considers it. They were traveling at a rather swift pace. He didn't think that it would take too long.

"I'd say a half hour or an hour at most. Really, Sasuke. It's no more different than your Dragoon. He can transform into a dragon or a man. It's all a matter of choice." He clarifies.

"Yeah. I think I get it now. They are going to be so angry with me. I kinda went off without them. I figured that the element of surprise was too powerful not to take advantage of." The raven haired man admits with a sigh.

"In other words, you were extremely foolish. You could have gotten us all killed because you went off with only half of a plan. Fortunately for you, you have a lot of dumb luck and you're an Uchiha. Even half of a plan from an Uchiha is generally enough to get the job done." Itachi says with a smirk as he pokes his forehead once more.

Sasuke glares at Itachi! Enough with the forehead poking thing! His big brother apparently wasn't' going to let that go.

"Will you STOP doing that?!" He demands.

"I haven't seen you in years. We have a lot of catching up to do. That includes annoying you. Oh and once Naruto gets his claws on you, forehead pokes are really going to be the least of your concerns." The smoky eyed elf informs him.

That statement causes Sasuke to gulp. Damn it. Itachi was right. Naruto was going to be furious with him and he had a good reason to. His brother hadn't been wrong when he said that Sasuke could have gotten them all killed.

"I'm going to hide behind you when we land." Sasuke whispers.

"Foolish little brother, do you really think that will stop a Viking?" Itachi asks with a smirk.

Meanwhile Jugo blinks. The magic that had changed Karin into a Siren and transformed Suigetsu into a merman was now swirling around him. That made him nervous to put it mildly.

He really didn't have any way of knowing what he was going to turn into. That thought scared Jugo. A merman and a Siren weren't bad, but there were clearly other creatures here. Hopefully, the college student wasn't about to get turned into a goblin or something! That would be awful.

"Relax. Let the magic run its course." Gaara calls out to him reassuringly.

Jugo forces a smile at the red head. He did appreciate the support. That didn't change the situation though. At any moment, his life could be changed forever in ways that he didn't understand. With that in mind, it was extremely difficult to relax.

"Oh wow!" Karin breathes in awe a few minutes later, once it was over.

"What?! What happened?!" Jugo asks as he looks down and he was relieved to see that he still had legs.

Well he wasn't a merman. He probably wasn't a Siren either. What was he? That's when he felt something brush against his arms and goes to investigate.

Wings? Not feathery wings either. They were translucent white wings. Fairy wings? Had he been turned into a fairy?

"They're beautiful, Jugo." Karin tells him.

"Thanks. I wonder if they can actually support me though. They're quite nice too look at, but I don't think they can handle my weight." He muses.

"Oh trust me. They can. Magic is capable of working miracles. That and it's the power of youth!" Guy says and Lee nods his head excitedly in agreement.

A few minutes later, Itachi and Sasuke arrive on the coast of Ireland. Sasuke winces when he saw a golden dragon flying overhead. That had to be Naruto.

His fears were confirmed when the dragon swooped down and picked Sasuke off of the ship with his feet. Thankfully, Naruto at least didn't slice him to ribbons with those wicked looking talons.

"Sasuke, you said you were exploring the countryside! You didn't say you were going sailing! What in the name of Odin is going on?!" He demands.

"Naruto, can you p-put me down? I'll explain. I promise." Sasuke says as he tries not to look down.

It was one thing to ride on Naruto's back. It was another for him to be carried around by his feet. What if golden dragon accidentally dropped him?!

"You have a lot of explaining to do!" Naruto grumbles as he flies him back to the shore.

Sasuke wasn't the only Uchiha being greeted by their significant other though. Kisame summons a gust of water underneath him to splash him onto the ship where Itachi was. The merman didn't waste any time in quickly forming legs sand rushing over to Itachi.

Kisame spins his lover around happily. Itachi was alive! He was alive and didn't seem to be hurt! It was a miracle!

"Kisame, I missed you too. I missed you more than you'll ever know, but please stop spinning me. You're making me dizzy, my love." The other elf pleads.

"Oh right. Sorry. I got carried away there for a minute. We never stopped trying to get you back. I sunk most of that bastard's fleet." Kisame assures him.

"That does sound like you. He may have mentioned your exploits a few times in a most irritated fashion. I slit his throat. I'm not sure if he actually died though or not. We had to leave quickly." Itachi says.

Kisame smirks. That was his elf. Beautiful, but very deadly. He might be a pacifist by nature, but Itachi did believe in self-defense.

"That sounds like you as well. So it looks like your little brother managed to rescue you, after all. Good. Well some of his friends showed up. One of them transformed into a merman. I've been teaching the kid how to transform between merman and human." The relieved lover informs him.

Itachi blinks. Some of Sasuke's friends had made it here? That was impossible though. Surely, Sasuke would have noticed that he had brought them right? Unless…

"The portal when he fell asleep must not have completely disappeared. His friends must have gone looking for him and gotten sucked in." He whispers.

"Yeah. That seems to be what happened. I'm not sure what the other ones are, but Suigetsu is a merman. Your kid brother is in for one Hell of a surprise. That's assuming that LoverBoy over there, ever lets him go." The sharp toothed man chuckles.

"That's likely going to be awhile. Dragoons are known to be rather overprotective of their lovers and Sasuke did just knowingly put himself in harm's way." Itachi reasons.

Back at the castle, Mikoto watches the scene with no small amount of amusement. It reminded her of when they first arrived in Eien No Yume. It had been quite the adjustment to say the least.

"Now that his friends are here, I think Sasuke will be even more inclined to stay." She whispers to her husband.

"One would think so. Still it does no good to get our hopes up. His soul will make the decision. I'm just glad to see him alive, healthy, and happy again. I never would have thought that he would have a soft spot for Vikings, but who am I to judge?" He notes mischievously.

"Mmm a fine point, My Love." Mikoto agrees.

That's when Guy looks around. Sasuke had been away for too long. His powers of youth were telling him that something was amiss.

"Have any of you seen Sasuke?" The Leprechaun King inquires.

"Not for awhile. Naruto did mention that Sasuke wanted to explore more of Ireland. It's a safe place. While I would prefer that he didn't wander off, he is a Traveler. It's in his blood to explore." Fugaku answers.

Guy nods. That answer seems to satisfy him for the moment because he goes back to inspecting his pot of gold. The Uchihas had learned a long time ago, that that part of the myths was entirely accurate. Leprechauns sure loved their gold.

It didn't take long for Itachi, Suigetsu, and Kisame to walk back to the castle. Naruto flies towards the castle and lands with Sasuke still firmly wrapped in his feet. The dragon was currently glaring at his beloved elf and it didn't take a genius to realize something major had happened.

"ITACHI! YOU'RE SAFE!" Mikoto says as she hurls herself at the older elf and hugs him tightly.

Fugaku runs over to Itachi and joins the family embrace. Sasuke watches from his position of being held hostage by his lover's rather large foot. He grumbles at Naruto.

"You don't get to join the reunion until you tell me what you did." Naruto insists.

"Alright. Alright. I knew that the Goblin King didn't know me yet. Travelers are valuable here. He just let me in. I was able to find Itachi's cell and rescue him. Itachi had a ship that he used to get us back here. Apparently, Kisame gave him one." Sasuke says in a rush.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Sasuke, goblins are not exactly known for being friendly. You actually waltzed in there ALONE and rescued Itachi?! I don't know whether to be impressed or if I want to strangle you for being so stupid!" Naruto growls at him.

Fugaku shakes his head as he overhears the Dragoon's conversation with his youngest son. Oh boy. He didn't envy Sasuke at the moment. He was dealing with a very huffy Dragoon.

"Don't be too hard on him. I've missed that boy for years. I'd rather not have him become Dragon Chow." He warns Naruto.

"I'd never seriously hurt him. I'm not above tying him up and giving his arse the spanking that he deserves though! Honestly, Sasuke how could you be that reckless! You could have been killed!" Naruto growls more.

Sasuke gulps. Uh oh. While he wasn't necessarily opposed to spanking in general, Naruto was a Viking. A really strong and angry Viking. His spankings might be a little harder than he felt comfortable with.

"I had to save my brother. I'm sorry that I was sneaky, but when I found out that Orochimaru and Kimimaro were from this world I took them back. They helped me save Itachi. It worked." He says.

He figured that Naruto, his family, and the others would only get more angry, if he didn't' tell them full truth. They'd probably find out later anyway. Itachi would likely tell them.

Really, it was just smarter to be honest. Sasuke might as well get all his lumps out of the way. Whatever. It was worth it. Itachi was back. He was safe and that's what mattered most.

"You went off with Orochimaru?! Are you insane?!" Naruto hisses at him.

It was now Mikoto's and Fugaku's turn to give Sasuke dirty looks. It wasn't entirely his fault. He probably didn't know who he had been dealing with, but still. It was Orochimaru.

"I had to do something to get Itachi back. Besides, it worked. I don't care that he's a creep. My brother is safe. You can be mad at me if you want. I deserve it, but I don't regret what I did. You would have done the same thing to save your father." Sasuke snaps at him.

The blonde Viking sighs. Sadly, he couldn't really argue with that point. He would have done it, if it meant saving his father. He could understand why his elf had behaved so foolishly, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.

"Don't do it again. Don't run off like that, especially not with Orochimaru. Kimimaro is one thing. He's a fairy. They're mischievous, but they usually aren't evil. Orochimaru is evil. He might be less evil than Danzo, but he's still bad news." Naruto warns him.

"I'm not going to do it again. I only did it the first time because I wanted to save Itachi!" Sasuke protests.

"Good. You can go see your friends then. They arrived shortly after you snuck off." Naruto grumbles as he releases him.

Sasuke sighs and strokes Naruto's golden scaly face. He knew that the Dragoon was only being this way because he cared. He had been worried about him. He just hoped that he would eventually forgive him.

"Alright. I'll go try to explain to them what is going on and then we can talk. Alright?" Sasuke asks.

"Yeah. We can do that. I'm going to give that arse of yours the spanking you earned for this stunt." Naruto growls at him and Sasuke gulps as he heads over to reunite with the rest of Taka.

"Sasuke, what the Hell is going on? Why am I part fish? Karin is a freaking Siren and Jugo is a fairy! A fairy!" Suigetsu demands.

The raven haired college student rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Oh boy. This was going to take a lot of explaining.

"When you cross over to this realm, sometimes your body changes. It's a natural camouflage. I'm not really sure if there are any actual humans here. So far I've seen fae, elves, unicorns, Dragoons, leprechauns, goblins, banshees, and just about everything else that you can imagine though." Sasuke tries to explain.

"How did we get here? What do you mean by crossing over?" Karin demands.

"Well I'm a Traveler. Travelers are people who can walk between realms. I didn't do it on purpose. One day, I went to bed and the next thing I knew, I was here. I'm really not sure how the three of you got to Eien No Yume." He says thoughtfully.

"This place has a name?!" Suigetsu and Karin demand.

Jugo shakes his head at their antics. Of course the place had a name. You couldn't just have a place without a name. Just because it was magical, didn't mean it was nameless.

"Well yeah. Anyway, my family has apparently been living here for years. They got stuck. They couldn't go back to Earth." Sasuke continues.

He could only hope that somehow his friends would understand. This had to be absolutely terrifying for them. Sasuke knew that it was for him originally. It still was sometimes.

"Your family is here?" Jugo asks in shock.

"Yes, you might not recognize them from the pictures because their species changed. The beautiful banshee is my mother. The fae with the fangs is my father. Itachi is another elf." He introduces them.

"It's so nice to meet some of Sasuke's friends." Mikoto offers sweetly.

"Um nice to meet you too. I think. I'm Suigetsu." The white haired man says.

Mikoto laughs at his terrified expression and hugs Itachi tighter. Sasuke's friends were in for a very steep learning curve. She didn't particularly envy them at the moment.

"I'm Karin!" The red headed Siren introduces herself proudly.

"A pleasure to meet you." Fugaku states as he watches the newcomers seriously.

"And I'm Jugo." The rather large fairy states and the Uchiha all nod in confirmation.

Well that went better than he expected. Honestly, Sasuke figured that Taka would freak out. They were in a completely different world and their species had changed.

The thought suddenly occurs to him that they might just be in shock. This could be the calm before the storm and when that storm hit, it was going to be ugly. Really, really ugly.

He could easily imagine them snapping out of it later. Karin was likely going to wail like a banshee. Suigetsu would panic. Jugo might get angry.

An angry Jugo was a rare, but frightening sight. That was one of the main reasons why Sasuke tried to desperately to help his friend through his various issues. Very few people could handle it, when that man snapped.

"King Guy, would you mind if we stayed at your castle for awhile longer? My friends really need to get used to everything before we start traveling again." Sasuke asks.

"Oh that's fine! It's very youthful to make new friends and we leprechauns pride ourselves on our hospitality!" Guy informs him.

Sasuke smiles and nods in relief. Well that was one problem down. Now, he just had to figure out a way to pacify his furious boyfriend. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

"Great. Naruto, you wanna go inside and talk about this?" Sasuke asks.

"You're damn right, I want to talk about this!" Naruto says he transforms back into a man and follows his elf inside.

Meanwhile Kimimaro arrives at the waterfall. He knew that Sasuke would keep his word. He seemed like an honest sort.

"I'm glad that he managed to save his brother." He whispers to himself.

Kimimaro's own heart was not so happy though. He had left Jugo behind. His only hope of ever seeing him again was based on Sasuke's goodwill. He didn't particularly like feeling so helpless.

While he was sure that Sasuke would come and meet with him, he wasn't sure what would happen after that. Would Jugo even want to come to the other world? Would he believe Sasuke?

"It's quite possible that he would just think that Sasuke has gone mad. There is no reason for Jugo to believe him. Not really." The fairy whispers to himself.

"Are you still melancholy over that damn human?" Kimimaro hears an all too familiar voice ask.

That's when he stiffens. He would recognize that voice from anywhere. It was Orochimaru. Until recently, he had always considered the man to be a forced ally. All bets were now off.

They were home. There was no reason for the former Goblin King to seek him out. The silver haired fairy couldn't help but feel nervous at the fact that the other man had.

"What do you want?" He asks the goblin.

"I want your help in retaking my Kingdom. Even with Danzo dead, it won't be easy. That and we can't even be sure that Danzo is dead. Itachi slit his throat, but he didn't stay long enough to ensure that no one came to his aid in time." The former college professor reasons.

This causes the green eyed being to raise his eyebrow. He had absolutely no idea why Orochimaru thought that he would help him. Why should he stick his neck out for the other man?

"And why would I assist you in this endeavor? There is a very good chance that you'll fail. If you do, it will mean that we'll both be put to death. Likely in rather horrific ways, I might add. What's in it for me?" The fairy inquires.

"A place at my Court. A home. You'll be richer than you could ever have dreamed of. If the human comes to our world, you may take him with you. I imagine that he'd be a lot happier in a castle than frolicking about in the woods. Don't you think?" The dark haired goblin asks slyly.

"You don't know him then. Jugo isn't a man who cares only for gold and power like yourself. He'd be perfectly happy, frolicking in the forest." Kimimaro retorts.

"Are you saying that you have no intention of helping me?" The goblin growls at him.

"That's correct. I have no intention of assisting you in your suicide mission. What happens to the Goblin Kingdom is of no concern to me." He states.

Orochimaru feels his blood boil with rage. How dare Kimimaro abandon him in such a fashion?! Oh he would come to regret this decision.

"Well I do hope for your sake, that you will change your mind. If not, well bad things happen to fairies who cross goblins." He warns Kimimaro, before disappearing into the Irish countryside.

Back at the Goblin Castle, the guards had found Danzo. The man was clinging to life, if only by a thread. Kabuto was treating him in the medical ward.

The man was far closer to death's door than he was to the world of the living. That wouldn't stop him though. He would at least stabilize him. This unexpected turn of events could only work in his favor.

"He's going to need a blood transfusion." Kabuto says as he and the other healers begin to work on exactly that.

If he could "save" Danzo's life, that meant the Goblin King would be in his debt. From there, it would be a short while until he was named Danzo's successor. Once that happened, he would wait a suitable amount of time for an "accident" to occur.

After the accident, he would be the next King. It would all work out rather perfectly. Sadly, there was just one problem.

"There we go. The transfusion is working." He says happily to the other healers with fake cheer.

He had to save Danzo's life first. That was no easy feat. Whoever had attacked the Goblin King had struck true. It was likely only out of sheer stubbornness that Danzo still breathed.

Kabuto didn't know this for a fact, but he knew it in his gut. He wasn't sure how, but somehow Itachi Uchiha was responsible for their King's current condition. That was just fine with the silver haired goblin though.

The healer and advisor had no particular love for Danzo. He was cruel and ruthless. Kabuto was a survivor though. Despite being one of Orochimaru's favorites, he had survived the transition of power. Not many of Orochimaru's former followers could say the same.

"I think he's stable for now. If he pulls through the night, he'll have a fighting chance." Kabuto says with a smirk.

It would be a long night. The goblin had no doubts of that. Still Kabuto was confident that he could help Danzo pull through, for now.

Danzo's and Orochimaru's biggest mistake was believing that they could control the Travelers. Travelers couldn't be controlled. The only way to control them was to kill them really.

It wasn't his first goal to kill them, but he would. If those damn Travelers set foot in HIS Kingdom again, he would ensure that they would regret it or his name wasn't Kabuto.