Fox Magic 12: Legends (Part 1)
F o x M a g i c
by akaitsume
~---------------------------~
Genre: AU(ish)/Drama/Action/Adventure/Romance/Mystery
Pairings: NaruSasuNaru
Rating: R (for the moment)
Warnings: Fantasy-esque, Zoomorphism, AU, a liberal dose of Japanese mythology, violence, strong language, references to abuse/torture in later chapters, and (eventually) limes and lemons.
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns with the characters, but I think I'm having more fun with them at this point than he is. No profit is made from tinkering with them.
Summary: A decision made in the heat of the moment leaves Sasuke questioning his past, his future, and his convictions, all while dealing with an ancient, all-powerful fox demon whose grudge transcends both time and space. NaruSasuNaru, canonish AU
~--------------------------------------~
Naruto’s skin was practically vibrating as he stared at the giant doors blocking his exit from Konoha. The red hiragana “a” and “un” on each door stared at him, taunting him, even as patrol ninjas moved to open the heavy panels of wood. Naruto’s heart pounded sharply with excitement, and he jiggled anxiously on his toes to shed some excess energy.
He was going to leave Konoha’s boundaries. He was going to leave Konoha, without his ring or his guilt or his chakra telling him to return to his master’s side. He was going to walk out those doors, and not return until he was damn well ready.
Like a free man.
Naruto’s breath shortened at the thought, pupils slitting involuntarily as he physically restrained himself from leaping over the city wall and racing out into the surrounding forests. He wanted to feel the wind in his hair again; smell the dirt and the grass beneath his feet, warmed by the sun; leap over ravines and crawl up cliffs and howl to the world at large that he was here, even though it had forgotten him. He wanted the freedom he’d once had so badly that he could taste the air, a sharp, leafy mint that rolled on his tongue. His teeth elongated within his mouth, and his scalp tingled as his hair ruffled with the wild chakra surging through him, demanding to be released. Inhaling sharply, he shut his eyes and tilted his head back against the morning sun.
The giant doors began to creak.
Naruto’s right hand clenched involuntarily on the rough strap of the travelling pack slung over his shoulders, chakra-sharpened nails biting into the fabric. It had been so fucking long. Ever since his enslavement, he’d been trapped within Konoha’s great walls. In the later years, he’d been trapped within the Uchiha complex, cocooned by so many man-made barriers that he could hardly sense the outside world anymore. Occasionally, he’d gotten a brief taste of the outside, like when he’d raced to protect Sasuke from those Sound ninjas, but he’d always been hounded by his ring and chakra, with voices in his head screaming at him to return.
But now, there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of the wind, the smell of the new clothes on his back, and the fierce pounding of his heart in his chest. His ring lay cold and heavy on his finger.
And it was all because of Sasuke. The gloomy, pissy, short-tempered bastard who happened to be the most gloriously wonderful person on the planet. Possibly the most fantastic person ever born. People should compose ballads in his honor.
Peeling his eyes open, Naruto snuck a glance at the stoic young man standing next to him. Sasuke’s eyes flitted towards him, curiosity flickering within them. Naruto bit his lip and turned away, eyes glued to the slowly parting doors before him. As they were going on an official mission, they had to formally leave through these doors and return through them when finished. Thus, Naruto had to go through the torture of watching them open, granting him his freedom inch by painful, heart-stopping inch. His stomach churned, bile biting the back of his throat as he stared.
He couldn’t stand it. His leg muscles jumped, ready to fling himself at the doors and claw at them until they broke down. He was so close, so fucking close to escape, and gods, he wasn’t entirely sure that he’d be able to control himself once those doors opened fully.
The doors had opened enough to reveal the road before them. The road that would take him away from this godforsaken place.
A strange keening noise welled up in his throat before he could stop it, but Naruto managed to swallow it down, ducking his head to avoid the strange look Sasuke shot him. He bounced on the balls of his feet again, staring through the fringe of his blond locks as his passageway grew wider and wider. His blood was on fire, his senses had sharpened to an almost painful degree, and he could hear birds nearly two miles away already. He wanted to leave.
The patrol ninjas grunted and settled back against the doors, smiling grimly at the two waiting ninjas. They opened their mouths, which Naruto took to mean they were speaking, but it was too late. His mind had already cleared. He was beyond comprehension of these tiny little humans, and far beyond caring.
The doors were open.
The world was his.
* * *
Sasuke eyed Naruto uneasily as the two patrol ninjas secured the doors. The blond had been acting strangely ever since they’d left Tsunade’s office, first peppering Sasuke’s abused ears with chatter, and finally falling into a strange, tense silence. Sasuke had been forced to drag Naruto into a clothing shop, something he’d been certain that the blond would enjoy, and instead of reveling in the experience, Naruto had simply given him a wild-eyed look and grabbed the first things he saw.
Which, unfortunately for Naruto, had included orange pants and a horrifying orange jacket with a thick, white trim that Sasuke would rather burn than see worn on any humanoid. Sasuke had wrestled the clothing out of his grip and thrown them back into the bargain bin they came from, ignoring Naruto’s shrill protests. The blond had then quickly bought a deep red shirt and black pants, and hustled Sasuke out of the store before the brunet could complain. The fox demon’s eyes had still held a wild, nearly feral gleam within them, and he’d been practically vibrating with unshed energy until they finally reached Konoha’s main gates, packed and ready to go.
Frankly, Sasuke was surprised that Naruto hadn’t simply jumped out of his skin, slung it over his shoulder like an empty jumpsuit, and run for the hills.
While the two doors opened, Sasuke wasn’t entirely convinced that Naruto wouldn’t do exactly that. The crystal Sasuke wore had warmed upon his chest, nearly burning his skin through his black shirt. At the same time, chakra had swirled tightly around the blond demon, a tiny, invisible web of power that teased the hair on Sasuke’s neck and arms into standing on end. The demon had only glanced at him once while they waited.
And now that the doors were open, Naruto had abruptly stopped his fidgeting and had gone perfectly still.
After latching a hidden bolt at the bottom of the door, the patrol guards straightened and gave Sasuke and his companion a dry grin.
“Well, you’re all free to go,” one commented, leaning back against the heavy wooden door. “Good luck in Sand. I heard they’re not very…accommodating these days.”
Sasuke acknowledged them with a short nod, shifting the pack on his back and stepping forward. The wide dirt road before them stretched on into the rolling hills in the distance, lush forests encroaching upon its edges. Fingers lifting to the necklace at his throat, he glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. The blond’s red eyes were staring blankly into the distance.
Frowning, Sasuke stopped walking and angled his body back towards the other man. The two patrol guards curiously looked back and forth between them.
“Oi, Naruto,” Sasuke called irritably. “Come on. We don’t have all day.”
Naruto blinked slowly, swinging his eyes over to the waiting brunet. The intensity of his crimson gaze slammed into Sasuke, causing the younger man to freeze instinctively. Chakra crackled hypnotically over the demon’s skin, drawing Sasuke’s abruptly Sharingan-lit eyes like a dancing flame. He could feel that power reaching out to him, curling around his arms and legs. Unconsciously, Sasuke’s breath caught in his throat.
“Uchiha.” The single word had been ground out of Naruto’s throat, roughly piercing the sudden, thick silence. “Tell me that I can leave Konoha.”
Forcing himself to take a shallow breath, Sasuke gathered himself and nodded curtly. “Naruto, I-” His voice cut off at a sharp glance from the blond, a warning clear in the demon’s eyes. Sasuke reconsidered his words, glancing warily at the eavesdropping guards. To his surprise, the two men appeared frozen in place, unblinking and unseeing. Sasuke swallowed with difficulty and returned his gaze to the tense demon before him. He took another breath.
“Kyuubi no Kitsune, I grant you permission to leave Konoha’s boundaries,” he stated with as much authority as he could muster. As soon as the last word left his mouth, the necklace around his neck flushed with warmth that echoed in his chest, ripping a gasp from his lips. Instinctively, he clutched at the crystal.
Naruto exhaled loudly, ducking his head as his shoulders slumped in relief. He stood like that for a moment, just long enough for the two guards to resume movement. Concerned despite himself, Sasuke took a step forward.
“WOOHOO!!”
The loud whoop from the blond startled Sasuke into an undignified jump as the blond’s head snapped up, both tanned fists pumping at the air. In seconds, the blond had raced over to where Sasuke stood, snagged his hand, and begun dragging him down the winding road, laughing as he went. Behind them, the bewildered guards dutifully shut Konoha’s doors.
Just as the running pair hit the first line of trees, Sasuke’s brain caught up to him. Scowling, he dug in his heels and tore his hand free.
“Naruto, what the fuck is the matter with you?” he demanded. Without warning, Naruto spun about and grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, grinning at him with a nearly maniacal light glinting in his eyes.
“The matter? You want to know what’s the matter with me??” Naruto tossed his head back and laughed, speckled sunlight from the canopy above dancing over his features. Sasuke stared at him. “Nothing! Nothing’s the matter with me, you fantastic, wonderful creature!”
And then, an unspeakable horror occurred.
Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke and lifted him, spinning about in circles.
Sasuke was being violated.
After making an embarrassing squeaking sound that he’d deny to his dying day, Sasuke violently squirmed free of the demon’s overly exuberant grip. Hitting the ground heavily, he swung his right fist into Naruto’s left cheek.
CRACK.
“Don’t you EVER touch me like that again!!” Sasuke yelled, chest heaving. Mortified, he felt his cheeks heating with an unstoppable blush. No one, no one in all his years had dared to touch him that way. Just the memory of the embrace made his skin crawl unpleasantly.
Unfazed, Naruto rubbed his cheek and grinned. “Sorry,” he replied in an utterly insincere manner. “But do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve been outside Konoha’s boundaries? Do you have any idea…any concept of…”
Excitement visibly bubbling over, Naruto began pacing from tree to tree, placing a hand reverently on each as he passed it. Breathing sharply and rapidly, Naruto glanced at Sasuke through drastically dilated pupils.
“I…you…” Faster than even Sasuke’s eyes could follow, Naruto appeared in front of him, face millimeters away from Sasuke’s own. Sasuke reared back reflexively, only to have Naruto grab him by the upper arms and stare into the brunet’s distinctly unsettled gaze. “Thank you.”
Sasuke leaned as far back as the demon’s grip would allow, then issued an uncomfortable, “You’re welcome.”
Naruto shook his head. “No, I mean…I can’t express how…”
Abruptly, the demon dissolved into Old Japanese, babbling in words and phrases that hadn’t been used since 794 AD. Sasuke stared incredulously at the man in front of him, standing stock still as unfamiliar words washed over him.
…A “few hundred” years old my ASS. Naruto was speaking in a language so archaic that Sasuke couldn’t understand a word of it, just so the demon could express himself properly. Mentally shaking himself, Sasuke scowled.
“Naruto!” The babbling stopped. “Japanese. Look into it.” When the blond stared blankly at him, Sasuke sighed. “I don’t understand a word you’re saying. If you’re going to express your undying gratitude, at least do it in a language I can understand!”
Naruto paused, then grinned unrepentantly. “If modern Japanese weren’t so self-limiting, maybe I could.” His grin took on a bit of a feral quality at the edges. “Do you want me to translate what I said?”
“Definitely not.”
A wicked light gleaming in his red eyes, Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke, nearly pressing himself against the Uchiha heir’s body. A quick tightening of the hands on his biceps halted Sasuke’s attempt to step back, and the Uchiha found himself forced to look up into the face of the demon who was suddenly, inexplicably taller than him. Swallowing uncomfortably, Sasuke scowled up at him.
“Naruto…” he ground out as a warning.
Unnaturally sharp teeth glinted in the dappled sunlight as the demon’s grin grew. “All I was saying, Sasuke-kun,” he began, voice lowered to a deep rumble, “is that I’m so happy I could kiss you.”
Poof.
Without warning, a confused Naruto found himself holding a log in his hands. He blinked in surprise, then glanced up at the Uchiha, who was now standing several meters away with a murderous expression on his face. He glanced back down at the log.
“Aw.”
“Don’t. Even. Think about it.” Irritated at having to fight down another blush, Sasuke strode past the demon, heading deeper into the woods. “We don’t have time to play your little games.”
Naruto tossed the log aside and trotted up to the irate Uchiha’s side. “Lighten up, Sasuke,” he replied cheerily. “It’s not like I was actually going to plant one on you. I’m just trying to convey my gratitude.”
“Do me a favor. Don’t.” Sasuke glared at him. “And, for the last time, stop flirting with me. It’s disturbing.”
Naruto shrugged carelessly, linking his hands behind his head and staring up at the thick, high canopy above their heads.
“I can’t help it. I’m stuck with you, you’re pretty, and you keep proving that you’re not the heartless dick I thought you were. Flirting is the natural consequence.” The blond tilted his head to the side, slanting a glance at his fuming master. “At least you know I’m not serious. I told you, I’m not into Uchihas.”
Sasuke grunted in reply, glowering at being called “pretty.” Grumpily, he increased his stride.
“I don’t care. We have enough on our hands with this mission. I don’t want to have to deal with-”
“Worrying about your virtue?”
“…Your insinu-what?” Sasuke took a deep breath, gathering the shreds of his patience and temper. He ground his teeth together. If I keep rising to the bait, Naruto’s jokes will never stop. With great difficulty, he forced himself to adopt a cool, professional tone. “Sand is a good five days away from Konoha, and that’s assuming we spend most of our time running. The Kazekage won’t be inclined to be gracious, and probably stands to benefit if something happens to us or to the team he assigns us. I’ll need you on your guard.”
Naruto sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sure I can handle him and his goons. You forget, you’re traveling with the number one demon in the land.” He winked. “We’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure your capable hands have it covered,” Sasuke replied dryly, “but try to keep an eye out anyway.”
The demon grunted. “Whatever.” Without warning, Naruto leapt up into the thick branches above them, racing ahead with powerful strides. He glanced back over his shoulder, calling out, “If it takes us a full five days to get there, Sasuke, it’ll be because your pansy ass slowed me down! Get a move on!”
Snarling, Sasuke followed suit, but the demon’s silhouette disappeared within moments. His temples began to throb.
I’m going to kill him before this mission is over.
* * *
Wind howled in Naruto’s ears as he delightedly sprang from tree to tree, flexing muscles that had gone mostly unused for centuries. Adrenaline surged through him and he took a giant leap, launching himself briefly out over the canopy before crashing through it again. He laughed heartily.
This was his land. The Fire Country had belonged to him long before it had been named. Every tree, every mountain, every spirit and animal was under his dominion, and no one else’s. None could challenge him, and few were foolish enough to even try. He owned it, breathing life into the world just as it breathed life into him. Gods, he’d missed it. He’d missed feeling the forest wrap itself around him like a comforting blanket, missed tapping into the threads of power that wove themselves throughout the world he’d known.
He missed it with an ache that squeezed at his ribcage, crushing under the weight of his regret.
Abruptly, regret shifted to rage, a tree creaking ominously beneath him in harmony with the demonic chakra suddenly spilling forth. Naruto’s teeth bared unconsciously.
How DARE he take this from me. Denying me what is mine by BIRTH.
He growled furiously, fists clenched as wave after wave of potent rage crashed through him, clawing at his throat and nerves like a wild beast. The trees around him groaned in sympathy.
He’ll pay. I swear on my life that bastard will PAY.
A sweet-scented wind cut past his nose, startling him out of his dark thoughts. Slowing his strides, Naruto briefly closed his eyes and inhaled. The reminder of his newfound freedom caused the rage to ebb, smoldering at the base of his heart. As if it recognized its usefulness, the gentle breeze curled about him, whispering in his ears and teasing his wild hair. Naruto sighed, opening his eyes. A few more strides brought him to the edge of a sharp slope, and he paused on a thick branch.
The world seemed to expand before him, deep valleys and green mountains greeting him with a faint, warm hum. The mountaintops were dotted with the steam from natural hot springs, wisps that languidly curled upwards to mix with low-lying clouds. Patches of earth and forest soaked in the warm morning sunlight that peeked between the clouds. With a faint chuckle, the breeze that had swirled around Naruto’s head flew off, joining the wind that streamed down the mountainside and into the valley.
Pensively, Naruto raised a clawed hand to his cheek, touching the weak residue of chakra that had been left by the breeze. A bit more of his rage burned away as he took in the living remains of his past realm. The sky did not cry out his name, and the trees did not cheer in his presence like they once did. The spirits that he had relied upon, the demons and elementals that had made the world thrive… He couldn’t feel their presence. At that realization, his heart gave a sick thump, and he sank down into a crouch onto the thick, worn limb, brushing his fingertips against the gnarled, cracked bark. The world suddenly felt hollow, like he’d stepped into a great void. Breathing sharply through his nose, Naruto clenched his teeth and stared mindlessly at the landscape before him. Unbidden, a growl rose to his lips, and he dug his fingers into the branch with a sharp crack.
Where the hell had all the magic gone from the world?
Naruto’s growl deepened, red eyes sweeping anxiously back and forth. Who was responsible? They couldn’t have all died while he was gone, could they? The cool chakra on his cheek faded away, and he lifted a hand to rub at it irritably. The moment he shifted, however, an epiphany struck him. His hand froze.
Are they all hiding?
Naruto’s hands began to tremble. Swallowing with anticipation, he leaned down and pressed his cheek against the branch of the tree. Gently, he pushed a wave of chakra through the bark, calling voicelessly. Nothing responded, except for the faint hum of living matter. Unconvinced, he pushed again. And again.
<……………>
Naruto’s breath caught.
<………u……>
A sleepy voice, quiet from centuries of silence, finally responded. With a flash of heat, joy lanced through Naruto and danced up his throat, escaping in a light, happy cry. Grinning wildly, he pushed again.
<……Kyuu……?>
Naruto’s grin widened.
The tree spirit seemed to wince at his enthusiasm, the bark-like skin crinkling unpleasantly.
The leaves of the tree rustled in a weary sigh.
A lump appeared in Naruto’s throat, and he had to swallow with difficulty to remove it. He nodded sharply, withdrawing his chakra without a word of goodbye. Wearily, he sat upon the branch of the tree, one leg swinging gently and one leg propped up. He gazed out over the mountains, one hand bouncing gently at the wrist where it rested upon his upraised leg. A maelstrom of indefinable emotions swirled through him, tinged heavily with joy and profound sadness. Joy at the discovery that he was not, as he’d feared, alone.
Sadness that in his absence, the vitality of the land had withered away to nothing. Nothing. If he hadn’t lost his war, if he’d focused on his duties instead of his birthright…
Naruto clenched his teeth furiously, and slammed his fist upon the bark of the tree. The leaves rustled irritably.
I can fix this, he swore to himself, growling under his breath. It doesn’t have to stay this way. I have a chance now.
Eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully, he raised his eyes to the sky. His chest tightened.
And it’s all…because of Sasuke.
Part 2
Back to the beginning