Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Faerie Tale ❯ Chapter 1

Title: Fairy Tale Part 1

Author: Theablackthorn

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto

Warnings: BL

Note: Part of my 100 themes Challenge no:61.

It was dark, shadowy, the slow tap-tap of rain dripping through the foliage over head one of the few sounds to be heard in the quiet woods. The moonlight barely penetrated this deeply into the forest, the tiniest dapples of milky white light littering the forest floor was all the light there was.

It was the rustle of leaf litter close by that roused the unconscious warrior, slumped against a silver birch tree, a dark, glossy hand print the only interruption along the pale white bark. He woke without a sound, his hand clenching against the open wound in his chest, he gave no clue that he was conscious and aware other than that small movement.

His breathing remained deep and even, the pain he felt suppressed as he gritted his teeth and listened intently. He could feel how cold and clammy his skin was, his time sat propped against the pale tree leaving him open to the elements. The cotton shirt under his armour was drenched, he was grateful for the leather encasing his legs as he sat in, what was likely a mix of mud and blood.

He knew someone was out there, knew it from the quiet rustle of leaves, the echoing silence that filled the deep forest surrounding him and the deep sense of thick magic that rubbed against his senses like a needy feline. It made the fine hairs on his nape stand on end. He betrayed nothing, his body naturally still, waiting, patiently for what was coming for him.

He wasn't afraid.

His dark eyes flicked to his side where his blade lay, sheathed and unassuming in its glossy scabbard, the sageo was torn and he'd have to replace it if he got out of this alive.

The leather wrapped handle held the same dark glossy hand print that was pressed to the tree and starting to run under the light rainfall.

The weapon was within his reach if something truly threatening drew closer. He could hear more rustling as whomever it was neared. From the amount of noise they were making it was clear they were no trained warrior, their idea of stealth a sham at best, but that meant little - you didn't have to be a warrior in this world to be deadly.

It wouldn't be long until they found him; he was out in the open, though his dark clothing offered some cover in the gloom under the forest canopy. But he also knew that he'd left a trail of his own blood behind him, the glamour he'd cast and was struggling to maintain could only hide it for so long and they often failed against the senses of the beasts that hunted him.

Sight, touch, sound and taste could be fooled but the nose didn't lie.

Only the strongest of their kind could make a glamour so real that a person could get lost inside it, people like his brother, the one person who wasn't here to help him this time around.

He drew his hand away from his chest slowly, wincing and gritting his teeth so hard they ground against each other with a creek that sounded like modern gunfire to his ears. He looked down at his leather encased hand; his blood made the thick hide shine in the pale moon's light as a shaft penetrated the stirring leaves overhead.

He made no sound, but for the quiet creak as he settled, the battle hardened boiled leather cuirass and shoulder guards rubbing quietly together. The arrow that penetrated his chest had struck deep, but thankfully not true, otherwise he would be dead - not wounded. He had no question about what his pursuers were aiming for - his death was their top priority, as their Master commanded.

He felt around inside himself, searching hard for that well pool of power that flowed from within. His mind remained aware of the outside as he searched inside himself taking in every movement, every sound in preparation. He may be injured but he would fight until the death if he had too.

What he found inside was barely a trickle of power in comparison to the wellspring that normally flowed within. He looked at the broken strands and empty spaces inside, the space was normally filled with a multitude of bronze filaments that created a web of raw magic spilling out from the dark tangled knot - like a spider amidst its web. The filaments now hung limply down the sides of that tight knot, the very heart of his magic, the strands almost black with the loss of magical essence even as that tight coil of power burned a deep crimson - all his heart magic shielded within. He felt scraped out inside, bereft of gift's he'd used since the crib.

He watched as those same filaments tried desperately to mend themselves, thread's reaching towards there counter parts and pulsing along with his heartbeat as they tried to fuse back together. But each time something thick and dark grew between them, making them shrivel back from each other going brittle and crumbling to dust.

He closed his mind's eye; feeling where his finger's pressed to his open wound as he tried to stem the flow of his life's blood. The lack of magic available to him, the shaft that had penetrated his chest and the way those magic threads were repelled from each other, unable to fuse themselves together suggested poison.

He could guess that the arrow that had penetrated his thick boiled leather breastplate was iron tipped. Iron was deadly to their kind, the mere touch could burn and bubble the skin. That his magic was attempting but not succeeding in restoring itself from the rich natural source of essence surrounding him suggested that some iron had remained in the wound after he had pulled the arrow out.

He took a steady breath, the pattern never faltering as he heard that rustle again, hand cautiously reaching out as his head raised just enough to look up from his bowed position and not give his conscious state away.

It was at that moment that he heard a familiar voice calling for him by name in hushed but urgent whispers, “Sasuke…Sasuke...bastard, were are you?”

His head lifted higher, his dark gaze filling with a rich spark of colour in the heavy darkness, bright golden blond hair and a worried frown greeted his gaze and he sighed in relief.

The fox stepped into a shaft of moonlight and Sasuke couldn't help but admire the way the milky white light that dappled the ground, highlighted Naruto's hair like a halo, made his warm caramel coloured skin glow or how it defined the dark tipped ears that bracketed his head.

Apparently Naruto still hadn't quite managed complete control of his powers; the stray thought brought a tiny quirk to his lip, before he recovered that familiar uncaring mask. He glared hard at the noisy blond straining for magic even though there was none. He stared at the blond silently for a few moments, not being able to see the ghost of defined muscles through threadbare fabric and he shook the thought away, concentrating on getting the idiot to help him.

Sasuke called out in a hushed voice, hand finding and pulling his sword to his side, “Idiot, stop announcing our position!”

Sasuke bit back a groan as he shifted his injured shoulder to bring the sword to his drawing hand. Though this person looked like Naruto, Sasuke was all too aware that glamour was a power most fey folk possessed.

The real Naruto wasn't capable of such tricks, but it was perfectly feasible that this wasn't Naruto.

He watched the fox draw closer at the sound of his scolding voice.

He could hear Naruto sputtering in indignation, “Bastard, you're an ungrateful asshole!”

Sasuke balled up his energy and pushed himself a little shakily to his feet, drawing his blade to press against a tanned throat.

Naruto glared at him for his troubles, but Sasuke's face remained hard as he spoke, “Speak true, are you Naruto, fox changeling?”

“Bastard, of course it's me!”

“Yes or no. Lie and I run you through; this blade is made of iron.”

“Fucking! Yes it's me you..!”

Sasuke slumped to the ground; relief ending the tension that had held him up for those few precious moments, pain ricocheted through his jarred chest and shoulder as he landed heavily on his knees. He never let go of his sword but he leant heavily back against the tree trunk.

“Shit, bastard what the fuck happened to you?”

Sasuke grunted softly, eyes squeezing shut at the rush of pain in his chest the noise caused.

A moment later he felt claw tipped hands running across his chest, his hand was gently moved from the wound he'd been applying pressure to. He heard Naruto's deep intake of breath before the fox started to mumble and grouse in a tone Sasuke couldn't quite understand.

Sasuke felt the buckles of his breastplate being released, the weight that had constricted his chest finally being pulled away. He took a few deep breaths - something he hadn't realised that he hadn't been able do up until that point.

His armour plating had been crushing his clearly damaged ribs.

“Better?”

“Hn.”

“Ungrateful, Uchiha.”

Sasuke's eyes opened wide as he reached out, fisting the cloth at Naruto's throat and drawing him close whispering fiercely, “Don't say that name out here.”

Naruto's eyes were wide blue pools, before he bit his lip with a sharp canine, nodding silently.

“I… sorry, I forgot.”

Sasuke ignored the apology; Naruto could be a complete space case when he was worried about something and this appeared to be one of those times. Though why Naruto was concerned about him was a mystery.

Sasuke looked around swiftly searching for the shadows that had chased him into the woods. The mere mention of that name would draw them here like a pack of bloodhounds. He wasn't able to look behind him as his back was pressed against the trees wide trunk, but he tried straining his wound as he glared into the darkness, spreading his senses out - searching.

Sasuke murmured quietly, “I need to get out of here.”

Naruto stayed close to Sasuke kneeling before him in the mud, uncaring of the thick squelch as the weight of his body pressed into the earth, mud seeping through the weave of his trousers causing a chill.

He followed Sasuke's lead, piercing blue eyes scanning the shadows for the slightest movement, raising his head to take long draws through his nose, scenting the air as his tails flicked back and forth restlessly. His eyes kept darting around, searching the space behind Sasuke that he couldn't see and then flitting back to his bloodied form.

“Yes we do. Can you go back to the court?”

Sasuke shook his head but said nothing, thinking hard, brows furrowed in concentration. If only Itachi were still around, he'd have safe haven with him. But then if he was still here this would never have happened.

He was jostled from his thoughts when Naruto drew closer, hot breath brushing across his cheek and ear.

“I'll take you to the den; no one will know where you are.”

Sasuke shivered at the warmth that caressed him like the rays of the summer sun at Naruto's light touch. He knew he'd lost a lot of blood but the sensations that warmth caused made something tighten low and heavy inside him.

He quickly pushed those thoughts and feelings away, he knew what they were and he'd lived with them for the last year without letting them have free reign. Sasuke pushed the blond away with his balled hand, releasing the fabric of his shirt from his fingers as he nodded in answer.

Naruto grinned, displaying the whisker marks of his heritage and the two slightly elongated canines in his mouth. “Good.”

Sasuke let the blond haul him up; he stood with one arm slung over broad shoulders, his side straining a little at the three inch difference in height. He looked around silently; he could feel something sinister drawing closer sending a chill up his spine. He didn't try to shake it off, not wanting to jostle his injury further.

Sasuke spoke with mocking tones drawing his mind away from other things, “It's a shame you haven't got your magic under control yet, Dobe. We'd be covered and gone in a flash.”

He looked up at the soft snort that came from Naruto, eyebrow arching in question, “What?”

“You've been gone a month bastard, who says I haven't gotten somewhere in that time?”

“It's not possible to tame and learn your power's in a month!”

“Says who?” Sasuke didn't have a chance to gainsay the blond as he made a few gestures with his free hand and grinned unrepentantly.

Sasuke felt something hot and warm rush over his skin, and an empty space opened in front of them. It wavered at the edges like a mirage, blurring the forest around it from view.

Sasuke looked from the open portal through one of the `backdoors' into faerie and then back to Naruto who had yet to stop grinning like a mad man.

“You…”

“Yes.”

And without any further comment the two walked as quickly as they could through the doorway Naruto had created.

Sasuke could feel his head starting to swim, the effect of the blood loss finally catching up. But he held his body up by sheer force of will and Naruto's supporting arm.

They stepped out of the forest and through what could only be called empty space, devoid of colour, sound, air this place was the between that acted as a backdoor from one realm to the other, and then they were in a small, low ceilinged room, made of hard packed Earth.

Sasuke's first impression was that an artist's paint pallet had exploded over the room. The space was littered with bright tapestries made from coarse wool, clothes and other everyday detritus in innumerable colours.

Naruto looked down at Sasuke holding him just a little tighter, a little closer arm wrapped firmly around his waist.

“What do you...shit, Sas'?”

That's when Naruto realised that Sasuke had collapsed; he hadn't even felt his weight increase as he leant further into him. Sasuke's thick black lashes lay against the pale skin of his cheeks like sooty smudges and Naruto did his best to ignore the stirring in his body at the sight. He pivoted slowly around so he could lift the unconscious Uchiha up and place him on the bed.

As he stripped away Sasuke's remaining armour, fighting down the blush that tried to rise as he parted blood soaked cotton from pale flesh. He could see Sasuke's skin was clammy, a fine sweat braking out as a light pink tinge entered Sasuke's cheeks. When Naruto peeled more of that blood soaked cotton from Sasuke's toned chest he growled low and deep.

Somebody had poisoned the bastard.

There was a fine network of dark lines following Sasuke's blood vessels, spidering out over his left pectoral - leading for his heart.

You need the old hag, kit.

Naruto nodded, accustomed to the voice that sounded like a rough growl in his mind, it had been there for as long as he could remember.

“Will he be alright by himself?”

Naruto had never gotten out of the habit of speaking to that voice out loud, many people and fey alike had found it odd that he spoke to himself often - but he didn't care.

If you go now, I shall watch over him.

“I'll hurry.”

Naruto spun away, grabbing up a rag and soaking it under the tap, quickly placing it over Sasuke's forehead, noticing the flush darkening as it creept over his milky white skin. Naruto didn't wait around, knowing Baa-chan could help Sasuke far better than he could.

Naruto disappeared the same way he had arrived, his claws rending a hole in the fabric of space, as he headed to the river bank of the Ouzel in search of the old woman.