Blurred Lines
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 13
Sasuke gulps nervously, once he was alone with his boyfriend. Well, at least that's what the youngest Uchiha thought Naruto was to him. He was sure that the Viking would use another description. That didn't really matter at the moment though. What mattered is that he was dealing with one very irritated Dragoon.
"I know that you did it to save Itachi, but that was stupid! You're smarter than that! You can't just run off like that! The Goblin Kingdom is dangerous, Sasuke!" Naruto growls at him as he pins Sasuke to the bed.
Sasuke squirms underneath him. His back was towards Naruto. That made him feel equal parts nervous and aroused. The blonde was every inch a Viking Warrior and that meant that the elf wasn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
He was just too strong. Sasuke had always considered himself to be in good shape, but he wasn't in Viking Shape. His entire body didn't ripple with the strength of an ancient warrior and a mythological beast.
"I know that it was dangerous. I had to try though. You know that I did. I'm sorry that I made you worry. Really, I am. It worked though, didn't it?" The raven haired man whispers.
Naruto sighs. He couldn't really argue with that. Sasuke had manage to rescue his brother and neither of them were injured. That was nothing short of a miracle.
His elf was a miracle though. His infuriatingly beautiful and reckless elf that he was still considering strangling or claiming until the other man couldn't walk. That way, Sasuke wouldn't be able to pull a stupid stunt like this ever again.
"Yes, it worked. You got very lucky." Naruto growls.
"I know. I'm sorry. Can you let me up now?" Sasuke inquires hopefully.
"No. I think that your fine arse is going to stay right where you are for now. It's really the only way that I can be sure that you won't run off again." The blonde states bluntly.
Sasuke sighs. Well he had that one coming. That was fair. Still it was a bit awkward to be pinned underneath someone that could transform into a dragon. He really did need to learn how to use his magic more to balance out the power dynamics of their relationship.
"Naruto, why would I want to go anywhere? I have my family, my friends, and I have you. There's no where else that I would rather be." The Traveler says.
He wasn't lying. Really, he did have everything that he wanted at the moment. Sasuke was realistic though. He knew that he had to reassure the Viking that he wasn't a "flight risk."
"You're trying to flatter me. Hoping to charm me into letting you go." The Dragoon observes in a somewhat sulky tone.
Sasuke couldn't believe it. Dragoons could sulk. Honestly, the things that he learned in this realm were truly amazing sometimes.
"Well yeah, but that doesn't make it any less true." Sasuke whispers.
"You're going to be the death of me. You know that, right?" Naruto says as he places a kiss to his elf's cheek.
"I hope not. I prefer to have a living boyfriend. I'm not into dead people." The Traveler says slyly.
This causes the Viking to tilt his head in confusion. What was a boyfriend? Oh and more importantly, what did the elf mean when he said that he wasn't into dead people?
"Your tongue is strange to me. I confess that I'm unfamiliar with the term boyfriend and I'm uncertain what you mean by the dead people comment." He says forlornly.
"Damn. I'm sorry. I keep forgetting. Boyfriend is just a term that some people in my time use to describe the man who is dating them. I mean courting. Yeah. Courting! Not being into dead people means that I'm not attracted to corpses. So yeah, I'd rather keep you alive." Sasuke explains.
Naruto finds himself smiling at Sasuke's explanation. At least in his own way, the elf was saying that he viewed their relationship as a serious one. That was a good sign.
"Well I am glad that you view me as your boyfriend and I'm going to assume that you were jesting about the corpses. Honestly, you get the most disturbing ideas into your head sometimes." Naruto observes.
"Oh believe me, I know. It's a good thing that I have you around to distract me from those disturbing ideas." The elf says slyly.
"That you do, but you are naught getting off that easily. You still need to be punished." The blue eyed Viking warns him.
With that being said, he brings his hand down on Sasuke's backside. Sasuke yips in surprise. He wasn't sure that he would classify it as painful, but it wasn't gentle.
"Naruto!" Sasuke hisses at him in annoyance.
"No. No. You behaved poorly. You put your life and the life of your brother at risk. I don't care what happens to Orochimaru and I'm unfamiliar with Kimimaro, but I can't let that go unaddressed. How are you ever going to learn how to be a good elf, if you aren't disciplined when you are a bad one?" He asks and with that, Naruto spanks him again.
"Naruto, seriously! Knock that off!" The other man growls at him.
Naruto wasn't really familiar with that phrase, but the intent was unmistakable. Sasuke wanted him to cease his disciplining.
"I should give you more than two swats to that arse of yours for what you did, but I think that I've gotten my point across." Naruto says as he gets off Sasuke and pulls the elf into his lap.
"Yeah! You have. You didn't need to go all caveman. Sheesh." Sasuke grumbles.
"A very strange tongue, indeed. I suppose it matters naught though. You certainly know how to use it well in every way that matters." The blonde says as he caresses Sasuke's cheek.
Sasuke smiles and kisses Naruto. He was a little bit of a caveman, but honestly that was probably to be expected. He was from another era.
That and he was a Dragoon. It might not be fair to hold him to the same standards that he would have held a modern human boyfriend to. Besides, Naruto had stopped when he told him to. It was alright.
Naruto returns the kiss happily. Well at least his elf was safe. That's what mattered most. Hopefully, he had learned his lesson.
"I love you. I don't want anything to happen to you. I can't protect you, if I don't know where you're going." He says, after breaking the kiss.
"I love you too. Naruto, I'm not helpless. You're a big bad Viking Dragoon, but I'm a Traveler. I have magic. That and I'm an elf. I'm not exactly a damsel in distress." Sasuke informs him.
"Oh I know you're strong, but Dragoons protect our Mates. That's just who we are." The blonde tells him and Sasuke sighs, nodding in understanding.
It was quite possible that Naruto couldn't help it. He couldn't help that he was overprotective. He was a Dragon. Dragons were probably just wired differently. Sasuke knew that Naruto meant well though and so for now, he was fine with just leaving it at that.
Meanwhile Kabuto checks on Danzo. His condition had stabilized for now. It would be so easy just to kill the King. Everyone would have assumed that the neck injury was too severe for him to overcome, but that would be unwise.
"I need to get him to label me as his Successor." The silver haired goblin murmurs.
Kabuto had just saved Danzo's life. There was a good chance that the injured goblin might name him his Successor without any prompting. Despite that, Kabuto had to be sure. So he was prepared to take drastic measures.
He smirks as a pink haired witch made her way over to Danzo's bedside. She was from a strange land known as America or the United States. It was one of the more modern times. Goblins rarely ventured to that era or corner of the world, but Kabuto was more than willing to go out of his way to find useful allies and that was how he discovered Sakura.
"Can you do it?" He asks as he glances at the sleeping Goblin King.
"Aye. I can do it, but it will cost you. I'm not going to meddle in the Goblin Kingdom's affairs without getting something in return." She tells him.
"Name your price. You can have anything that you like." The goblin replies.
Sakura pauses as she considers her words carefully. She wasn't entirely certain that she could trust Kabuto. The opportunity was too good to pass up though. She might get a chance to return to the other realm.
"I wasn't always part of this place. Many years ago, there was a bright explosion of light. I got sucked into this realm. I should like to go back to Earth. You say that you've found a Traveler. Do you think that he could take me there?" Sakura asks.
"I'd say it's possible. I can make no promise. If he is incapable, I will give you a place in my Court, if you like." Kabuto promises.
Sakura bites her lower lip nervously. She didn't want to be part of the Goblin Kingdom. She didn't even want to be part of the snapshot in time that she was frozen in. She wanted to go forward.
Time in Eien No Yume was a funny thing. People aged, but time didn't move forward. It was divided into sections. One had only to travel to get to another era, but your own home would never move forward.
Oh the seasons would change. People would celebrate new years, but essentially they were frozen. The Vikings for instance would never eventually settle and have descendents who could drive cars, for instance.
"I'll take your deal. I don't like the fact that I have no real protection save for my magic. There are so many supernatural beings here and not all of them are friendly. It would be a smarter play to go with the Devil that I know." She observes.
That's what she missed the most really. Going forward. Sakura sometimes traveled to other sections. From what she gathered in the real world, it was the year 2017. Had she not been sucked into that bright light, the witch might already be dead of old age.
That or she'd be close to it. Still she would have had the chance to live her life. She would have had the chance to see how things changed as time went by naturally. She shouldn't be able to travel for a few days and go to Ancient Egypt and then sail in another direction to find the modern era. That just wasn't natural.
"That's a very wise decision. Caste the spell and we shall adjourn for dinner." He states with a sly smile.
"Very well." Sakura says as he her hands begin to glow green and she waves them over Danzo's head.
The spell would make him do Kabuto's bidding. Sakura wasn't a vampire, but it was similar to how a vampire's Compulsion worked. It was possible that Danzo's will might simply overpower her own, but she didn't find that too likely. She could be a very stubborn woman, when she had to be.
Back at the Irish Castle, the rest of Taka was still in a daze. None of them really knew how to react to all of this. They were in a completely different world and apparently their friend was somehow magical.
"I still can't believe that I can turn into a freaking fish." Suigetsu grumbles.
"Oh quiet! It's not that bad! At least you smell better this way!" Karin snaps at him.
"What did you say?!" The violet eyed merman demands.
Jugo just shakes his head and sighs. He didn't think that now was really the time to be bickering. He wanted to help Sasuke, but Sasuke had gone with the blonde willingly. That had to mean that he was relatively safe.
"I know what you are thinking. Please put your mind at ease. Naruto would never hurt Sasuke." Mikoto assures Jugo.
Jugo couldn't help but smile at the banshee. The woman was quite empathetic it would seem. That was rather at odds with what little he knew about banshees. Then again, he was an almost seven foot tall fairy. Jugo didn't exactly have any room to talk.
"Good. I'm glad to hear that." The orange haired man replies.
"Yeah. That's a good point. So the blonde dragon is safe?" Suigetsu asks incredulously.
"Of course, he's safe. You really shouldn't judge someone solely on their species. That's wrong." Fugaku chastises the sword lover.
Suigetus just gapes at the Fae in response. Really? He had to go there? It wasn't his fault that he didn't know how to handle a dragon!
"Yeah! Suigetsu!" Karin joins in.
"Unbelievable. I think I'm gonna go for a swim on the beach. I don't really know how long, I can hold this form." He mutters as he heads off.
Jugo quickly follows Suigetsu. The last thing that they needed was to be at each other's throats. He knew that his friend hadn't meant any harm. It was a logical question.
After all, he had been concerned for Sasuke's safety. He had assumed that a dragon was a threat as well. The fairy was just as 'guilty' as his other friend. It wasn't fair that only the violet eyed merman had gotten singled out.
"Suigetsu!" Jugo calls out as he sees the white haired college student dive into the water.
"It's fine, Jugo. I just needed to get away for a bit. I'm not running off or anything. Well, maybe I should say that I'm not swimming off. It's not a big deal. I just wasn't in the mood to put up with a lecture."' He states.
"I get it. This is all really intense. None of us were prepared for this. They shouldn't have singled you out like that. It wasn't fair." The gentle giant says.
Suigetsu nods. Yeah. He didn't really care for being made into the bad guy because he had been worried about their friend. How was he supposed to know that friendly dragons were a thing?
Sure, Naruto had given him a ride. That didn't necessarily mean that he was a good dragon though. That and he had seemed rather irritated at their friend. It was only natural that he would be worried about Sasuke.
"Yeah. It wasn't. I'll be okay though. What about you? Are you going to be okay with being a fairy?" The other Taka Member asks.
"I guess I'll have to learn to be okay with it. It doesn't look like any of us have a choice in this matter. Besides, there are worse things to be than a fairy." Jugo says with a shrug.
Later that day, the rather diverse group has dinner in the Irish Dinning Hall. Sasuke blinks. He'd never seen so many potato dishes in all his life. Well, that was okay. He liked potatoes.
"You really need to eat more." Naruto informs Sasuke as he scoops him up into his lap.
Sasuke feels his face burn. He knew that his parents and apparently Itachi were okay with him dating Naruto, but he hadn't really gotten around to telling his other friends. That and Guy was applauding the move. Not to mention the Egyptian Rulers were watching them with poorly disguised appreciation.
"Alright. I'll eat more. I can do that in my own chair though."" Sasuke retorts.
"I know you could, but I rather like where you are sitting. The view is nice and this way, I know that you aren't going to run off again." Naruto tells him and Sasuke was suddenly now very aware of the blonde's arm slung around his waist.
It disturbed him really. Naruto was a lot stronger than him physically. That thought should have terrified him and it did to a certain extent, but mostly it either turned him on or annoyed him. Right now, it was both.
"You're so lucky that you're cute. Otherwise, you would be the one getting a spanking for this stunt." Sasuke whispers into Naruto's ear as he leans back.
"That's my feisty elf." Naruto says smugly and kisses his cheek.
Sasuke shakes his head. Well Naruto was apparently Naruto. The Dragoon apparently had one mode and that was ON. Whether he was angry or frisky, it didn't matter. The blonde was rarely just content to sit around and do nothing.
Itachi snorts in amusement as he smiels at Kisame. While Sasuke's physical type might be vastly different than his, in some ways their tastes were almost exactly the same. They were both in love with outrageously animalistic men. Men with almost no sense of shame or modesty.
"Reminds me of us." Kisame says with a smirk.
"Yes, I was just thinking the same thing actually. There were many times when I thought about strangling you for your unseemly behavior." The elder Uchiha brother admits.
"You're beautiful, but you're crazy. I don't care what fancy magic tricks you have. You couldn't beat me in a real fight." Kisame informs him bluntly.
Itachi raises an eyebrow. So that's how it was? Well two could play that game. It seemed that his lover needed to be reminded of just what a capable fighter, Itachi Uchiha truly was.
"I think that in my absence, your memory has failed you. I seem to remember our battles going quite differently." The Traveler replies.
"Sasuke, your family's a little weird. You know that, right?" Karin asks.
"Yeah. I know. I love them though, but they are a little eccentric." Sasuke says with a shrug.
Most people had a crazy cat lady or brash uncle in the family. Sasuke had a brother who was dating a merman. It was a bit more extreme than most people's family's eccentricities, but it didn't matter. He was just glad to have found them again.
"A little is putting it rather mildly." Jugo observes as he bites into his baked potato.
Sasuke shrugs once more in response and begins eating. Naruto apparently thought that he was on the verge of starvation or something. It was silly, but Sasuke didn't really mind humoring him. Besides, the food was quite good.
"Do you really think that's the last we'll see of Danzo and Orochimaru?" Gaara asks.
"The power of youth is strong! I doubt that even Danzo is going to survive having his throat slit. I'd be more worried about Orochimaru." Guy says thoughtfully.
Sasuke mentally concede that the hyper leprechaun had a point. He'd seen Itachi attack the elderly Goblin King. After seeing that, the youngest Traveler didn't think that there was much of chance that his brother's kidnapper had survived.
Orochimaru was still alive though. Would the goblin leave it at that? Sasuke had brought him home and Orochimaru had helped him save Itachi. As far as he was concerned, they were even. That didn't necessarily meant that the college professor felt the same way though.
"I wouldn't count on that. Until Danzo's body has been burned to nothing more than ash and the ash has been scattered across the ocean, I won't believe he's dead." Kisame says.
Itachi smiles and caresses his Mate's cheek. The merman was so protective of him. It was really one of his most attractive (and infuriating) qualities.
"I love you too. I must confess that I have had similar thoughts. You don't need to worry for the moment though. I'm home. Sasuke rescued me and thanks to your ship, we were able to return with ease." Itachi tells him.
That made Kisame feel a bit better. He had been able to help Itachi get out of there. It just hadn't been in the way that he wanted. Unfortunately, he was a merman and couldn't have staged a rescue like Sasuke did.
He could achieve human form for a few hours, but eventually he needed to get back in water. There just wouldn't have been enough time. Though he had settled for utterly decimating Danzo's fleet.
"Good. I'm glad. Let's keep it that way." The merman replies.
"So it's over?" Karin asks hopefully.
"It looks like it's over for the moment. I have fears that this is merely the calm before the storm though. Danzo was the Goblin King and the former King has returned. There will be a power struggle in the Goblin Kingdom." Mei observes.
Gaara nods in agreement. His wife was just as intelligent as she was beautiful. They could only hope that the goblins internal strife stayed exactly that. Internal.
He wanted to believe that would be the case, but the red head didn't. His gut told him that they hadn't seen the last of Orochimaru and possibly Danzo. They needed to be ready.
"Naruto, you should contact your father and let him know that Itachi has been rescued. In the meantime, I think that it would be a good idea for Kisame's Kingdom, the Vikings, China, and my own to begin preparing for a potential war. The goblins will likely be fighting amongst themselves, but we have no way of knowing that it the conflict will remain solely in their borders." The red head reasons.
Sasuke blinks. That sounded rather ominous to put it lightly. Gaara didn't strike him as the type of man who was easily prone to panic. If he thought there was a good chance that the conflict would spill over, there probably was.
"I'll send him a letter immediately." Naruto assures Gaara.
"Well my love, perhaps we should retire early and send our own letter." Fugaku suggests.
"That sounds like a good idea. Goodnight, Sasuke. Goodnight, Itachi. We love you." Mikoto says as she kisses her son's cheeks and heads off with her husband.
The rest of the meal passes without incident. Sasuke honestly didn't think that he had ever eaten that much in his entire life. He was stuffed. His Dragoon was rather insistent that he eat a decent meal and the elf had foolishly humored him.
"Come to bed." Naruto says as he takes Sasuke's hand in his own and begins leading the Traveler off.
That wasn't a request. It was a command. At the moment though, Sasuke didn't mind following it. He really should try to sleep off his full stomach.
"Alright." Sasuke says as he allows himself to be taken back to their room.
Naruto smiles at the lack of protest and shuts the door behind them. Once that was done, he lays down in the bed and Sasuke soon joins him. The blonde frowns as he realizes that Sasuke would be disappearing soon again.
"What's wrong?" The youngest Uchiha asks.
"I just don't like that you leave every single time you fall asleep. That's all. I know you can't help it though." Naruto admits.
"Believe me, it's a little jarring for me as well. Like you said though, we just have to deal with it." Sasuke replies and with that, he snuggles into Naruto's side.
Naruto nods in agreement. It didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep. A very deep sleep that Sasuke didn't wake up from until the next morning. That's when he realized something. He hadn't traveled back to Earth. He had spent the entire night in Naruto's arms.