AN: Yosh! The song that inspired…. Dynamite by Taio Cruise… why? I do not know :P enjoy!
Naruto finished his coffee and food in the company of the young read head, who's name he learned, was Tom. The butler and cook stood to the side, listening and whispering to themselves. Tom was served as well, the plate of croissants was gone soon enough, with him thanking cook over and over again.
The lively chattering boy had Naruto smiling more than he usually did. Despite the dire situation, he saw the young man was trying to make him smile. It was endearing. He decided his laziness was enough, they needed to get a move on.
Cook thrust a bag of food at him, insisting that it was going to come in handy when on the road. Naruto decided it was best not to argue. He took with a soft "thank you" and a peck on the ruddy cheek. She blushed and puckered them out of the kitchen through the back door. It led straight to the yard, which Naruto thought was much more convenient anyways.
As they made their way to the center of the yard, the group of remaining men walked up to him and Tom. He sized each one up, they were all tall and strongly built. He suspected that they were especially chosen to help him. He had read the report, realizing that he needed to go into town to relay the message to the police.
They came on foot. He asked them all whether they had any skills in combat and learned that each of them had some basic knowledge of swordsmanship but only Tom and another older man had experience with guns.
Naruto thought about the position he was in. He knew that he could catch that thing alone, he actually preferred it that way. If he went alone, no one would get hurt. And he was sure these men were eager but untrained ion combat at all. They were simply the best the village could give him. Endearing, but not enough.
He decided to try his luck. He needed this to look convincing.
Ordering a horse for them each, he instructed only two muskets to be brought for the two men. He had his own at his side at all times. The stable boy obeyed running to his every command. Naruto decided he'd put him up for training…no… he'd ask Sasuke to put him up for training. Naruto clenched his teeth.
The horses were brought. He decided not to bring his hounds, they made a racket. He needed stealth. He'd rely on his own skills from here. The bag with food was packed onto his horse and Naruto brought himself up easily in the stirrup. He looked around him, it was clear that every man could ride well.
He took off at a leisurely pace, not wanting to tire his horse yet, relying on the easy trot to get them to the outskirts of the forest in short time. The men around him talked and guffawed, happy to be out doing something else than tending to their houses.
Naruto envied them. They had their own place in the world, they knew where they belonged.
They stood on the edge of the forest. It was very dense; it would be hard getting through that thickness riding. Even in the midday sun it was darker in there.
He jumped off and led his horse by the bridle. The men followed his lead.
He turned back to them when they were a bit into the wilderness. "If we should get separated, I want you all to return to the village. Not only is it illegal for you to be on these lands without me, but it is far too dangerous and none of you are properly trained to fight this without me. Is that understood?"
They nodded virgously and he smiled to himself. They were a spirited bunch, he almost considered taking them.
"Now then…" he proceeded, "we move onward in pairs, no one is to stay alone."
They continued, Naruto watchful to stay close to the forests edge. He would hate it if they got lost in here. They were his responsibility after all. He inhaled the deep smell of the forest, closing his eyes. This was the smell he loved, freshly ground leaves, rotten, and the moistness that only came with the cool breezes that blew through the branches.
He'd miss this.
He siged, peeking at the group in front of him. Now more than ever, he could tell they had never hunted like this before. They huddled in a group, talking and joking amongst themselves, paying no heed to their surroundings.
It was almost too easy to lose them. He just stopped and waited for them to get a little further out before mounting his horse and galloping in the opposite direction into the heart of the bush.
He knew that no animal that size would rumble around the edges of the forest, that was nature. And he knew the noises these men were making would scare away anything alive within a five mile radius. No he needed to do this the right way.
It was easy to maneuver the horse between the branches alone. He enjoyed the wild ride, the wind in his hair. Somewhere along the wild chase his hair came loose, the long golden mane flew behind him like a flag. He cursed at it, but then laughed at the wild moment. This was something that he loved. The wild speed, the freedom form the restraining holds of society. This was it.
He was headed in the direction he last saw the beast. He decided that looking around was best done from the place last seen. He doubted the animal would be there, but he hoped to find some clues. Until then, well… he could enjoy himself.
The thundering of hooves behind him slowed him a bit. He wondered if they managed to track him. If they had, well, he had to give it to them, they must be good. Not many people could ride at full speed through this forest. Skill was necessary.
He whipped his head back to see and what he saw made him bring his horse to a full stop. The animal heaved into the air, kicking out with its front hooves, obviously mad at the sudden change of it's master mind. Naruto hung on easily, and eased the horse down slowly.
Truth be told, the horse was lucky his master still had his mind. Because to Naruto it seemed like it had been blown away by the smug individual sitting proudly in front of him.
Sasuke couldn't eat. He had seen the sadness in those eyes as Naruto turned his back to him at the manor. He realized that the moment was more than it let on. With the death of his step father, Naruto had lost all social standing in his society. Not that the blonde used much of it, Sasuke knew that Naruto didn't like to mix with the high class, preferring the country, his hunts and the wild life he lead.
He had wondered into the kitchen after the men left, curious to the pull the place had to the blonde. He scared the cook frightfully and apologized profusely as she spluttered and blushed. It was clear that they considered Naruto more as family, him as master.
He sat at the crude wooden table, noting how different this was from the luxury of the rooms outside. He had never thought there would be a difference. He ran his finger over the uneven structure.
The cook looked at him strangely, like she was afraid he'd hurt her. He had to agree that what he was doing would be considered shameful and degrading to his family and friends. For once, he decided not to care.
Soon cook seemed to warm up to him a bit. He tried his utmost not to look too stiff, it was not something that came easily after years of being polished by his life. But he tried. He even received a cup of coffee. He knew it for what it was, but he had never expected the difference to be so great.
He finally understood Naruto.
"I'll be coming over often for this." He smiled at cook and she smiled back.
"that's what master Naruto said too…" she cut off quickly, flashing him an apologetic look.
Sasuke waved her worries aside, not caring for titles. "Please, no need for formalities when I'm here…at least here…"
She looked at him steadily. Tehn she began to tell him of Naruto. How he was brought to them, how every circle he should have been welcomed at shunned him. And how he finally decided to give up trying to fit in. She told him how he excelled at school how the late master loved him and was proud of all his accomplishments.
Sasuke asked her if he was ever rude or compulsive. She was shocked, swearing up and down that he was the sweetest lamb on earth. "A better heart you won't find sir… not in our world."
He though about that, he realized that Naruto was just an ass to him. And this too, he knew the blonde fought with himself internally. Sometime he could see.
He excused himself from the table and walked quickly outside into the yard. Walking into the stables he spotted the young lad working there and asked him to set up his horse. He walked over to the shed and after a good inspection, shoes a musket. He wasn't good with them… but he was sure that going anywhere unarmed was not a good idea.
As he was making his way back to the stable he walked by a rose bush, he absentmindedly picked a rose and popped his head back into the kitchen only to scare cook again.
He gave her the rose, thanking for the coffee and awkwardly made a half bow before stopping himself. She looked at him bewildered and grabbed him in a rib-crushing hug.
Sasuke left there with a pain in his chest and feeling happier than he had ever before in his life.
He took off at full speed, hoping to catch the group that Naruto led away a while ago. The road was smooth, dry and the sun was up high. He enjoyed the gallop, and kept a lookout for the men.
All he heard were voices from the thicket. He would have passed them but they were visibly shaking and he easily turned and maneuvered into the forest.
He found them, all babbling between themselves quickly. It took a moment for them to realize he was there. They took in his clothes and posture. They deemed him important.
He stood there, listening to them complain and wail about not getting separated.
"Who is lost?"
The red headed man from before spoke up. "Master Naruto sir."
Sasuke laughed. "I assure you men, master Naruto is not lost. He knows these forests better than anyone here. It is you… who are lost."
They looked at him, realizing the truth in his words.
"the path is not far off from the road, I suggest you get on it and get home, wait for word on the situation there."
"But sir… we walked for a long time, how could we be on the edge?"
Sasuke realized Naruto's plan then, laughing inwardly at the sly man's tactics.
"I'll go look for him, you will go home."
They didn't argue further, instinctively knowing their place.
He sped off into the thickset of bushes. He somehow knew that Naruto would go into the heart of the forest. He decided to see if his instincts were correct.
They were. Soon, he heard the heavy beating of his horse and it was a minute before he saw him from the side distance. His hair was loose, a cascade of gold that flew giddly behind him. His face was smiling, a real smile that he never saw before. Never so unguarded and truthful. He realized not many people knew the truth of what the blonde was feeling.
He sped up, and it was clear that Naruto knew he was being followed. His shoulders tensed, and he became more alert.
Sasuke was a trained horse rider, gaining himself awards along the way, it was easy for his trained eye to spot the difference imposture and attitude.
When Naruto's horse heaved up onto its hind legs, his heart shuddered with dread at what might happen.
Nothing did, Naruto maneuvering himself expertly in the saddle. For a frozen moment, he looked like a god, hovering over him, sun beating through his golden mane. He was Zeus. And Sasuke was ready to switch into paganism.
Only after the horse came down, and the scowl returned to the previously surprised blue eyes, that he dared himself to speak up.
"Not nice… leaving your men out there like that… Naruto."
AN: CLIFFIE! Why? Because I was dealt with one earlier today… Im taking my revenge here… again… some typos MAY occur… scratch that… this is me… they WILL occur… I ask you not to hate.. I write and edit alone, so I might omit some mistakes… But I know how frustrating that might be… gomen -.-