And happy Monday to you all. What better way to make a Monday than post a new chapter of this tale.
Grab a cuppa tea or coffee, put your feet up and tell me what you think, thats totally appreciated :)
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Sasuke stretched his arms and legs under the covers staring up at the high vaulted ceilings of the room he was to be staying in. After his long discussion with Queen Kushina the night before, filling in the blanks of what Itachi had already talked to him about, Sasuke began to explain how the brothers were to assist the Uzumaki kingdom.
At first Kushina was appalled at the thought of her and Sasuke too wed. She of course brought up how she was like a mother to him, the age difference and how such a proposal of marriage would never be accepted by other kingdoms. Sasuke had choked and sputtered on his tea when Kushina brought up she was much too old to birth children anymore, and what would the Uchiha kingdom do if he sired no heirs? Kushina giggled helplessly after seeing Sasuke's pale face and panicked expression while she prattled on about a sexual relations and having children. She ended up wiping her eyes from the joyful tears she shed and thanked Sasuke endlessly for making her laugh so hard. Sasuke winced slightly when that memory of Kushina and sex conversation came to the forefront of his mind again.
After a much longer discussion, Kushina did bend to the idea with a long sigh and a look of defeat. She would readily accept Sasuke's marriage proposal should that be their only option. Sasuke comforted the elder Queen by starting to explain what his quest consisted of. Kushina's expressions went to confusion, hope and despair on several occasions, but kept quiet and let Sasuke finish. As a mother, Sasuke knew there would always be that spark of hope that her son was still alive, but as the weeks, months became years, with no trace of the small blond boy, keeping that spark going had certainly shown the strain on Kushina. But Sasuke, with his years of research, a twinkle of hope flashed in her eyes and Sasuke felt a surge of ambition rise within himself as well. They planned to start the gathering of research this morning after breakfast, and with that in mind, Sasuke rose from the bed and prepared himself for breakfast.
...some time later...
Sasuke and Kushina stood over a large table, open books and scrolls spread out, Sasuke making notes in a small leather bound book in his hand. Kushina confirmed the areas that were searched in the beginning on maps, noting what was found and not found. She cried when she pointed out areas that Naruto used to play, and how Naruto would always give the palace guards a panic attack as he tried to outfox them by hiding and taking off. They discussed a little more about what characters were brought in to be interviewed, and Kushina moved a stack of notebooks towards Sasuke.
"These were the notes from the dozens of interviews from the special species and magical beings that were brought in," she whispered out, the pain laced through her voice.
Sasuke could see that the notebooks had been well worn, the wear and tear apparent on their leather bindings, the pages swollen at the edges from how many fingers had turned those pages over and over. He placed his fingers over the stack, his eyes watching Kushina's quivering lower lip, her trembling fingers, and he grasped those frail fingers, tugging gently at the elder queen, pulling her close to him. He wrapped his arm around shoulders, gently pulling her into his chest and hugging her warmly. "Fear not, I will find the answers," he whispered into her hair. "Be strong a little longer."
Gathering up what information he had written in his notebook, he tucked away the stack of interview notes into his satchel and decided to start in Naruto's old room. Kushina excused herself, after her emotional struggle, she asked Sasuke to inform her when he was going to start on his travels, in the meantime she would tell the kitchen staff to start on supplies.
Sasuke stepped into the room that was created to hold all of Naruto's belongings. His eyes adjusted to the dull lighting in the room, the curtains were drawn to hold back the sunlight and only allow a soft glow to access the articles stacked about. Slipping the door closed behind him, Sasuke noted that there was a wardrobe on one wall, with several articles stacked neatly beside it. A four post bed frame was situated on the adjoining wall, a mattress but no bedding and the curtains tied back. A sad frown escaped his lips seeing the bed, set up for Naruto's return, but not completely set up. Scanning more corners of the room, near the fireplace that stood cold, there were dozens of Naruto's old toys, lying against the walls, looking forlorn and lonely, as if missing their former master. Sasuke knelt beside a small pile of toys, his fingers brushing over the articles that were piled together. Small wooden swords, wooden shields and child sized helmets sat in the dark and memories of Sasuke and Naruto playing knights came to the forefront of his mind.
~~memory~~
"Hah! The trail leads this way Sasuke! They couldn't have gone far!" Naruto bellowed out, holding the small wooden sword out, pointing to a trail of grass and flowers on the castle floor. He pushed his small helmet up off of his eyes and looked at Sasuke with a beaming smile.
Sasuke, holding his own wooden sword and shield, looked at the mess on the floor. "Your mom is gonna freak out when she sees the mess you made dobe," Sasuke smirked out and he pointed towards the floor.
"Will you hurry up teme! They're getting away with the princess!" Naruto growled at Sasuke. "What if they feed the princess to the dragon babies!" Naruto put his hands on his hips and poked his tongue out at his friend.
Sasuke shook his head and pushed his one small helmet over his own eyes. He then held up his small wooden sword to Naruto, "onward ho!" His small voice cawed out strongly. "Let's go dobe!" He smacked his wooden sword against Naruto's and started running down the hall, Naruto laughing and crowing out behind him.
~~end memory~~
Sasuke sighed out, sadness brewed in his chest as he recalled that time. They were maybe 8 years old, playing knights in the castle one day, both of their parents scolding them later for bringing in handfuls of grass and flowers to lay all over the castle corridors as their imagination had them on a quest to save the kingdom's princess. He stood, leaving the pile of old wooden toys alone and he moved to another area.
He wasn't sure what he was looking for, something, anything that could have been a clue he figured, something that would lead him to where Naruto may have gone that fateful day. He came across a bunch of books and scrolls, packed together in some wooden boxes, tucked into the corner near a large chest. Opening the chest, he found it was full of Naruto's clothing, several sizes of when Naruto last wore them. He bit his bottom lip while moving the clothing to the side, being careful to not disturb them too much, since it was without a doubt Kushina had gone through them on several occasions. Seeing several articles of clothing that he recalled seeing Naruto in, he quickly closed the chest to save himself from any more memories of those happier times coming forward. He moved his attention to the crates full of books and scrolls. Sitting on the floor next to the crates, he began to flip through each article.
Surrounded by piles of books and scrolls, Sasuke found himself concentrating on one particular scroll. It was full of scribbles but there was something else about it that he couldn't put his finger on. It was Naruto's writing of course in various areas, but there were scriptures of wording that he was certain Naruto didn't think of on his own. Especially at his age. Could he have copied these scriptures from somewhere? They were riddles, and Sasuke had seen familiar scripts in his years of studying various spells, legends and stories that he had in his own library. Grabbing his notebook, he quickly copied the areas that he found suspicious for future reference.
Naruto's imagination was always full of quests, stories and old tales that Sasuke often found himself dragged into. Today, when Sasuke would remember their childhood antics, he realized that Naruto's imagination was something he had never seen in any other child. Naruto's flare for exploring and what may lie beyond something as simple as a small cave in the forest was, to say the least, fascinating and exciting. Naruto always had a flair to spark thrill into their days. Sasuke quietly wondered if Naruto was still here, would he have become a world explorer? Naruto would talk about what was beyond the forest, beyond the rocks, his stories full of ancient beings, whirlwind adventures, demons, dragon slayers, and of course the princess that always needed to be rescued.
Sasuke sat up, puzzle pieces in his mind sliding together, putting together a possible plan that Naruto may have inadvertently been putting together and he pulled the scroll up and looked at it again. The lines drawn in pencil may have looked like rubbish to some, but Sasuke's eyes began to put together a potential pattern. Circular marks, overlapping each other, with numbers and riddles, he squinted at the scroll and-and-
Quickly rolling up the scroll, he stood and tucked the scroll into his satchel. Making his way to the door, he stopped, quickly looking around the room once more before giving it a nod and leaving quietly. He had an inclination of something, but he would need to sit down with his other notes to put together what answers he was certain were there.
He met with Kushina at dinner, the two of them sitting in a small dining area quietly poking at the food laid before them by the staff. The room was lit with candles, and like most other rooms in the small castle, the walls were bare, stone and thin curtains were pulled back at the windows to let in the last few evening sun rays.
"I am going to begin at daybreak your majesty," Sasuke spoke out, breaking the silence of the room. He poked a piece of meat and brought it to his mouth. He didn't miss the hesitation in the queen's movements when he spoke. "I have narrowed down some areas that I want to explore and I suspect I will be away for several days at a time." Kushina frowned slightly, her eyes downcast at her plate, her fork moving aimlessly. Sasuke bit his bottom lip, "your majesty. Please let-"
Kushina held her other hand up to silence Sasuke, who shut his lips immediately. "I just need you to understand something Sasuke," Kushina whispered out and she lifted her eyes to meet Sasuke's, her lips now pinched tight. "I understand why you are doing this." Her eyes softened. "But please, do me the favor of taking care of yourself." Her face dropped, the sadness now apparent in her face. "I could never forgive myself if something happened to you. I-It's hard enough that-," she gasped unexpectedly. "It's my fault that you lost your parents as it is," she whispered out, her voice thick with guilt.
Sasuke just stared, frozen in his spot at the words.
"You don't know already how thankful and appreciative I am that you are wanting to do this, for the kingdom, for me," she lifted her palm and waved it out, her gesture indicating the kingdom. "But Sasuke," her voice suddenly sharp and her eyes held black orbs steady. She banged her open palm on the table, "promise me, really promise me Sasuke, that you will return safely." Her lips were pinched tight but quivered, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears but she held herself steady, even if it looked like she was ready to collapse in exhaustion.
Sasuke didn't move, his eyes held steady by the shimmering dull emerald green eyes that he had known all his life. This strong, vibrant woman, that he had come to know as a second mother, was slowly deteriorating before him from heartbreak and despair. He dropped his eyes, a thought invading his memory quickly.
~memory~
"Promise me Sasuke! You have tah promise!" Naruto yelled at him, holding and pointing out his two fingers at Sasuke that held a bit of blood on them from a small cut that went across the skin. He gave a serious face, a frown on his small childish looks as his blue eyes glowered at Sasuke.
Sasuke snorted at the two fingers, seeing the small pearl sized drops of blood that came from the cuts. "That's so gross dobe." He opened his mouth, sticking his tongue out like he would if he had eaten something foul. "I'm not touching that and I'm not cutting myself. It's stupid!" Sasuke spat back and crossed his arms, his eyes scowling back at the little blond.
"Aw common Sawww-skeeee!" Naruto whined out, his bottom lip coming out in a pout, his frustrated face no longer there. "How else are we gonna be friends forever!? You're my best friend! We can be joined forever! No matter what!" Naruto shoved his fingers out again towards Sasuke, the small drops of blood smeared on his fingers, a clot was starting to form over the cuts. "Pleeeeee-zzzz?"
Sasuke watched those blue eyes grow impossibly large, those blue eyes that shimmered slightly, the pout of those lips and Sasuke felt his eyes roll and hold out his two fingers at the blond with a huff. "Fine," he huffed out, his eyes looking up at the sky. He heard Naruto give a little whoop before the blond grabbed his fingers and the pinch of pain that followed when Naruto took his little knife and scratched a cut across his fingers. Within seconds, Naruto's fingers were squeezed with his own, their blood being pushed out between their knuckles and Naruto beamed a bright smile while giving their now joined hands a shake.
"Friends forever Sasuke, no matter what, I promise." Blue eyes looked determined with a smile.
"And if we are ever lost, we'll find each other, promise." Black eyes returned the determined look with a grin.
~end memory~
Sasuke pinched the bridge between his nose trying to suppress the sudden memory. The particular memory sparked sadness in his chest that he wasn't prepared for. He clenched his teeth. "What if I can't keep my promise," Sasuke whispered out, his eyes still not looking up to meet the queens. "What if this - there is the chance -fuck, I-I don't want to-," Sasuke sputtered out. He turned to look away, his hand threading through his hair in frustration and he banged his elbow on the table. His riddled thoughts were interrupted when Kushina pulled him into her body and hugged him tightly. He hung his arms and released his head into her hold.
"I'm sorry Sasuke, that was improper and selfish of me," Kushina whispered as she began to stroke Sasuke's thick hair slowly, as a mother would to a child. "Do what you must, but - be safe." She continued to hold him and stroke his hair for as long as Sasuke allowed it, she took in the quiet moments of peace for as much as she could.
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Sasuke waved back at the queen as he trotted out of the castle gate, his destination set in mind as his first stop. The people looked on with curiosity now, since it was apparent that the Queen knew the traveler, dozens of curious eyes watched Sasuke while his horse slowly made its way between the shacks that were left of the homes.
Sasuke had studied the route the night prior, deciding to start from the beginning, from the day the Uzumaki heir went missing, where he was seen going and working his way from that starting point. Naruto was seen heading east, where the land meets the sea and a host of steep dangerous cliffs. Sasuke of course was familiar with the areas around the kingdom, he and Naruto exploring as far as their parents would allow. The world they lived in held a host of dangers, but there were always guards and some sort of ward, whether magical or weapons experienced, that would keep close to the boys on their outdoor adventures to keep them safe.
Keeping his eyes focused on the area during his ride, he often would slow his steed to look at the scroll that he had pulled from Naruto's room the other night. Looking out at the distance, he could see the drop off that indicated the jagged drop off of the cliffs. The tall brown grass swayed in the wind and if one wasn't careful, the tall grass was concealing and one could find themselves taking their last step in life. He dismounted his horse when he arrived and took a deep breath of the sea air. There was always a wind, no matter the time of day and year, with the area being so open, the sea and the death drop of cliffs, but Sasuke found the view peaceful. His eyes slowly took in the area, looking over the edge to the jagged rocks below, the surf slamming against the cliffs and finally out to sea. The tide was out, therefore various areas that are most often underwater were visible and Sasuke saw several different formations that usually aren't seen. He sat on the edge of the cliff, crossing his legs and taking out the scroll. Rolling it out carefully since the wind never settles, he turned the parchment left and right, studying the lines and circles that were on one particular corner.
"The lines here," he began talking aloud to himself, "could mean water." He studied the wavy lines and crooked lines of another area. Using his finger to trace the marks, he looked up to the north to see a mound of jagged boulders that were uncovered. Tilting his head, he looked back down to the scroll, then held up the parchment, gripping it tight with his hands so the wind would rip it from him. The jagged lines on the scroll matched the outline of the boulders on the sandy floor below. "Shit!" Sasuke cursed out, looking again at the lines and circles, realizing the match before shoving it back in his bag and quickly mounted his horse, heading straight for one area that sloped close enough down to the sea bed.
Leaving his steed where the grass met the sand, Sasuke hurried over to the area where the group of rocks lay, deep out in the surf. With the tide out, it was easy to approach the cluster, and his eyes scanned the area, noting the thick covering of algae covered the irregular areas of the rocks, long strings of plants clung tightly and several dozens of barnacles were glued hard to the lower areas where the waves still tickled the underside of the huddled rock. The closer he got, the bigger the rocks appeared, and it was obvious that these weren't small rocks in a pile, they were part of the mountain cliffs, most likely connected deep underground. Ignoring his self examination of the rock origins, his eyes roamed over the face of each uneven surface, not knowing what he might be looking for. Discovering the crudely drawn scribblings that matched the area of the rock excited him, but he had no idea if it was even a clue.
"Well fuck," he muttered to himself, threading his fingers through his hair. What was he thinking? Just because a few scribbles looked like this group of rock, didn't mean it was a secret map to a hidden treasure! "What the hell am I thin-" He snapped his teeth shut with a loud click when a beam of light flashed his eye. He stepped back slightly, moving his head a fraction to see what it was that caught his attention. The sun, which was behind him, had hit something within the rock that flashed again. Curious, Sasuke climbed the slicked boulder that was before him to get to the larger boulder that was behind it. Taking care not to slip on the slick algae and weeds, his hands grasping at the wet cold sea plant life, his eyes didn't leave the spot he saw the sparkle of something that didn't belong. He managed to push himself against the larger boulder to see a crack going through the stone. And embedded past the opening of the crack, and shoved as far as the item could squeeze into, was a small teal coloured stone and it was the length of a man's thumb. Sasuke's fingers barely fit into the crack, but with a little bit of persistence, he was able to edge the small stone from the tight confines of the boulder. Grasping it tight in his hand, he pulled his hand back and was surprised to find a string of weeds coming along with it. Thinking nothing of it, and wanting to get his feet back onto solid ground, he tightened his grip on it and turned himself back to head back to the sandy beach.
Once his feet were stable on the beach, he opened his hand to examine the object. Eyes widened when he took in the object, his thumb running up the smooth surface of the stone. Holding it up closer to his face, his heart sped up in revelation that the weeds attached to the stone were tangled with a thin leather rope that was secured with a small tight knot that went through a small perfect circular hole at the top of the stone. His hand shook when he twirled his fingers through the thin leather rope and released the stone from his grasp. The stone fell and stopped, the thin leather cord being held by his hands swung lazily in the wind to the teal coloured stone.
But it wasn't a stone, it was a crystal, cut in a long smooth design, smoothed edges to allow it to shine brightly with two small circular black marbled balls that hugged each side of the crystal, the black marble giving that extra glow to the teal crystal. The crystal, the small black marbles on each side, the leather cord, Sasuke knew exactly what it was he had discovered. After all, he had seen it for as long as he could remember.
'It's Naruto's necklace, but how…' Sasuke's breath quickened at the realization of this discovery. For as long as he could remember, this necklace hung around Naruto's neck, a gift from his grandmother, the previous Queen Uzumaki. He grasped the necklace from the crystal and squeezed it in his palm. He looked to the large jagged pile of boulders, that would only be seen when the tide was out. 'Speaking of tide,' Sasuke thought to himself as he looked down to see the wave swells getting longer and larger. He turned towards the shore, where his steed stood lazily waiting for his master's return. He gave the steed a praising pat on his thick neck before moving onto a patch of tall grass and sat again. Pulling out the scroll, he looked at the lines again, seeing the matching shapes of the lines to the group of rocks.
"What were you thinking dobe?" Sasuke spoke out, his heart shot a jolt of pain when the old nickname left his lips and his horse let out a whisper of a whinny of a response. He hadn't spoken that nickname for years. "And what is the point of this?" He shook the scroll in his hands, finding himself getting frustrated at his questions with no answers. He opened his palm, the crystal sparkling from the sun high above him, rolling it between his fingers. "And how did this end up there?" He glanced over at the pile of rock that was slowly sinking under the sea waves. Visions came to his mind of Naruto hanging onto the pile of jagged rock, trapped by the raging sea waves, unable to get back to land as the sea slowly dragged him under. Sasuke shook his head, no, he wouldn't think of such things. But that didn't explain how his crystal necklace became lodged in rock that was only visible when the tide was out and only if someone was really looking. How did it last after all this time? He pulled out his notebook, making a note of how he came across the necklace before taking a close look at the necklace again. He then slipped the thin leather over his head, tucking the gem under his shirt. The crystal felt cool against his skin, yet the weight of it felt comforting, as if a part of his friend was still with him.
He unfolded the scroll out across his lap, looking again at the scribbles and markings that were made several years ago. With his unexpected find, his curiosity was getting the best of him and he moved the sheet about again, trying to decipher what the other markings could mean. Looking to the north, he saw where the sea stretched out, the land the same for miles and miles. Looking behind him, he could see the mountains on the horizon to the west, covered in a light white haze because of how far they were and clouds hung long above the snow tipped peaks. The land that was before the mountains were the foothills, carved into the land looking like the sea, but frozen in time with its giant swells creating the hills. He squinted to see more where the lands began to dip and surge, remembering the times that he and Naruto would roll down the steep slopes in a race, their bodies covered with grass, twigs, dirt from the ground when they would reach the bottom. Their laughter could be heard rolling over the hills and Sasuke could remember the chaperons trying to keep up with them and begging the two boys to take it slower and not be putting themselves in such a dangerous situation.
~memory~
"Oi, Sasuke," Naruto breathed out heavily, lying on the cool grass. His body was covered in twigs and leaves, sticking all over his clothing and hair. The two were catching their breath after their bodies stopped rolling.
"Hn?" Sasuke responded between breaths.
"Did you know what I heard?" Naruto turned his head and beamed a smile, his blue eyes squinting in excitement.
"That you're a dobe?" Sasuke snorted out and smirked back at the small blond.
"Mah you teme!" Naruto shot back, throwing a small twig at the raven haired boy. He rolled onto his stomach and quickly sat up, crossing his legs and pouted, looking away from his friend.
Sasuke laughed and threw a handful of twigs back at the blond boy. "See! You're such a crybaby," Sasuke teased out. When the blond only huffed and stuck his bottom lip out farther, Sasuke sat up and sat closer to him, giving him a playful shove. "Stop being such a baby and tell me," Sasuke huffed out.
Like magic, blue eyes sparkled with glee and a smile appeared on those lips. "Okay!" Naruto turned slightly to look directly at Sasuke. "The old lady who sells those star fruit things? You know with the big black mole on her chin?" Naruto shook his head excitedly, his eyes looking at Sasuke for verification. Sasuke nodded in response. "Well, she was telling me this story about how pirates used to come to this land and hide all their treasure! Right here! In these hills!" Naruto waved both his arms out widely.
Sasuke snorted out in disbelief. "Yeah right, whatever. Your family has been living here for hundreds of thousands of years! They haven't seen pirates!" Sasuke waved his hand past his face, showing that he didn't believe a word of it.
"But Sasssss...it could have happened!" He whined out, dropping his head back and leaning back against his arms looking up at the sky. Sasuke snorted out a sound again of disbelief. Naruto quickly sat up straight again. "But she told me the pirates all got eaten!"
"That's so stupid dobe," Sasuke let out a exasperated sound.
"No No! Really!" Naruto leaned forward and put his hands on the ground. "She said a big old dragon found them and cooked them all like roast pig, then ate them all up for hanging around here!" His voice was loud and excited.
"There's no such things as dragons, dobe," Sasuke retaliated and stuck his tongue out at the blond before getting up and brushing off his clothes. "I'm hungry, let's go."
"No really Sassss-keeee! Wait!" Naruto jumped up and ran after his friend.
~end memory~
Sasuke's eyes came back into focus, his eyes looking across the horizon at where the foothills started. The more he traveled about here, the more the memories of his childhood friend surfaced. His throat burned slightly as a lump formed. He pinched the bridge of his nose tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to get a hold of himself, remembering those times wasn't helping. Looking down at the scroll again, he eyes fell to lines that crossed and crossed, with circles on the end. Small diamond designs were scrawled in a bunch with the words 'pirate lay waste' below the designs and looked like there was an eating bowl. Turning the paper in his hand again, his mind formed a design in his head and he looked over to where the foothills started and back at the paper again. He pinched his lips in thought and scratched at his chin. Standing, he grabbed his notebook and made more notes, shoved it back into his bag and mounted his horse. Clicking his tongue and pulling softly on the reins, he had the horse move into a slow walk towards the foothills.
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So, this story is not like others I have written, and I am still curious to see if this type of adventure is of interest. Do drop a line and say what you will, always appreciated!
Beta rambles:
My apologies for not keeping my tumblr or tweets up to date, but you know, life happens. I am always always always available through message! :) Either through tumblr, tweet, gmail chat and messages through tiktok are cool too!