The Legend of Naruto and Sasuke

Disclaimer: Fortunately, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. A request done for lj user vastian_steel and beta'd by the fabulous lj user sollunar. Enjoy!

Try living with eight other girls, Naruto thought furiously, as he glared at another persistent suitor of Sakura, practically baring his sharp teeth.

The guy was a total wimp, actually letting out a small unmanly scream before rejoining the crowd. Sakura turned toward him, brushing away her short pink hair as she sighed. "You are such a troublesome little brother."

Naruto hmphed but did not contradict her. Sakura was known not only for her beauty but also her supernatural strength. That still didn't mean he could just let some jerk mess around with his sister.

Or any of his seven other sisters either. He was their only brother and damnit; it was his responsibility to test the stupid suitors out.

He spotted Moegi and Ino from the corner of his eyes, the two of them picking out some accessories from the market, Ino admiring a light purple silk scarf in her hands.

He shot Shikamaru a look, what are you waiting for?, before said boy murmured "So troublesome," under his breath but went to join Ino. Naruto grinned and elbowed Sakura on her left side.

He got punched on his face for actually sharing his opinion with her. He pouted, his left hand on his cheek. "Why do you have to do this every time," he said, his voice coming out as a whine, "It's cruel, Sakura!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, scanning the crowd. "That'll teach you how to treat a lady. You don't go and elbow people on the side." Her voice was strict and reminded him of his grandmother, a small warning to not argue if he didn't want to have broken teeth next.

He sighed and his gaze settled on Hinata, his blue-haired shy big sister, laughing with one of the guards. The two of them were watching some puppies in a big metal cage, Kiba already supporting one in his arms.

"Oi! Dog-face," he cried out, stomping in their direction. Hinata froze upon seeing him but he did not look away from Kiba, who looked quite annoyed by his arrival. "What do you think you are doing, flirting like that with my sister!!?"

He heard Sakura sigh beside him and went to grab the smirking-asshole-Kiba by his uniform shirt instead.

Anyway, let's just say it was a completely normal day for the overprotective Naruto and his exasperated sisters.

- - - - - - - -

His grandmother sighed, her brown eyes never leaving his blue ones, as if daring him to disagree with her idea. Well it wasn't an idea but more an order, but anyway…

"No," Naruto said stubbornly, his lips turned down as he continued to glare at her.

Tsunade's right eyebrow twitched. "You little brat," she began, slamming her fist again on his bedroom wall, "You have to let them live their lives! You can't be their protector forever, you know!"

The last sentence was said more warmly and affectionately, which made him turn his head toward his bedroom window. "Yeah but-,"

"No 'but'," Tsunade continued, sitting down next to him on his bed. "Hinata, Tenten, Temari, Ino and Sakura are already old enough to marry. I know it and you know it too," The pout on his face remained but he did not say a word, refusing to really acknowledge it. He heard his grandmother sigh beside him, and his short blond hair was suddenly massaged by a strong but soft hand. "You should also begin to think about it before your perverted grandfather butts in."

He grunted at that, his arms still crossed across his chest, looking down at their family heirloom. The necklace chain was not gold or pure silver, but the clear blue from the crystal was genuine and meant a lot to his grandmother.

And to him too.

He had been quite surprised when one day, after fighting off some invaders from their land, he woke up with the necklace around his neck. His grandmother had smiled tenderly before flicking gently his forehead. "Don't you lose it, you stupid brat," she had said.

It was not exactly a manly necklace but he still wore it proudly around his neck. Generations of history linked itself around this small accessory and he was really grateful she trusted him enough to pass it down to his next generation. He had thought she would eventually leave it to one of his sisters who would have given it to their husbands as a sign of their love.

The hand in his hair suddenly left his head and he turned around to face his grandmother. "Don't go spacing out each time we talk about this," Tsunade said, her eyes looking at him affectionately but seriously, "You are going to face it sooner or later."

"I know," Naruto said, his shoulders slumping down as he exhaled. But before Tsunade had a chance to approach the subject again, he quickly took his lyre from his bed stand and jumped toward the door. "Gotta go! Be back later," he cried out as he disappeared from his grandmother's sight.

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her forehead gently as she watched him run toward the forest from his bedroom window. "Little brat."

- - - - - - - - -

The sky was really beautiful from this spot, Naruto thought, relaxing against a tree. There was a small waterfall near his resting spot and the sun rays were hitting the leaves of the trees in breathtaking ways. It almost looked like a mystical place.

Grinning, he took out his lyre from beside him and slowly began to let his fingers run through the strings. His voice carried out in the wood as the melody slowly worked its charms. Some birds sat in the branches of his tree, looking down at him. A small rabbit family peeked out of their hole and joined him. As his fingers continued to work magic and his voice enchanting the wood, he heard small footsteps come toward his way. The sound was almost nonexistent, but being a good warrior too, he recognized the sound.

The footsteps seemed hesitant.

He continued to play and sing, still aware of the presence some meters away from him. It did not seem dangerous but the aura was almost as strong as his. It made Naruto a bit wary.

He finished the song abruptly, lifting his head toward the stranger. A black-haired boy who looked like his age was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed against his chest. His black pants were mostly covered by another black cloth that went from his waist to his knees, supported with a purple obi. His shirt was white but did not really cover his chest. His skin was paler than Naruto's and his eyes were red.

"Who are you," he asked, getting up and preparing himself for an attack. He was not sure what the other boy wanted but he did not seem to want a nice little chit-chat.

The boy did not move away from the tree and instead looked at the lyre then at him again. "What are you," was the reply.

The rich, deep voice sent an uncomfortable shiver down Naruto's back but he ignored it. Mostly, he was angry by the other boy's comment at the moment. "What am I!? Do I look like an animal to you, bastard?"

Silence. Naruto's right fist began to shake, anger boiling in his blood as the boy continued to look at him passively.

He quickly vanished from the black-haired boy's sight, his warrior training kicking in as he aimed a punch at the back of the boy's head. He missed by a second, as a punch made its way into Naruto's stomach. He fell onto the grass, wiping away saliva as Naruto glared at the other boy.

His expression was not as passive as before, Naruto noted with satisfaction, as the boy frowned down at him. Then he completely vanished from his sight.

Naruto hmphed as he couldn't sense the other boy around anymore. "Coward."

- - - - - - - -

The next day, he came to the same spot, suspiciously looking around for the other boy, his lyre at his right hip. Realizing the boy was not present, he quickly detached the lyre from his hip and his fingers stroked the strings. His voice slowly began to enchant the forest again as the music resonated through the wood. Animals began to surround him again, the wind slowly ruffling through his hair.

He almost smirked as he heard footsteps approach him from behind. He stopped chanting and turned around. "If it isn't the bastard again!"

This time, the boy approached him until they were some inches away from each other. He looked at the lyre in his hands, then at Naruto's face. "Are you a nymph?"

Naruto's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the question. "Are you mental!? Do I look like a girl to you," he said, his voice almost growling.

The other one snorted, clearly not intimidated. "Well, you are clearly an eyesore," he said, eyes scanning his orange-black uniform distastefully.

"What did you say," Naruto yelled, his hand almost managing to grab a piece of the white shirt. Unfortunately, the boy's speed was better than Naruto's and his hand grabbed only air. Upon looking at Naruto's angry reaction, the other one let out a small "hmph".

Naruto exhaled, trying to calm his fraying nerves. "Why did you ask me if I was a nymph anyway?"

His question made the boy narrow his eyes at him. "What kind of lyre is that?"

Naruto looked down at his golden lyre, suddenly forgetting his anger.

"That's my special lyre," Naruto explained, turning around to sit down against a tree. The other boy took some steps toward him but did not sit down beside him. At this distance, Naruto could suddenly see that the boy's eyes were black and not red like the day before. Maybe his vision had tricked him…? "My father, Namikaze Minato, gave it to me."

He expected the boy to laugh at him, to tell him that there was no way he could be the son of a God. He waited a bit more but when no sound came out from the other boy's mouth, he raised his gaze.

"I see," the boy finally replied. And that was that.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the other one's reaction. The black-haired boy continued to look at the lyre though. "And your chant? Is it enchanted as well?"

The question threw him off guard a bit. No one had really asked him that. "Um…," he began, rubbing his chin. "Don't know."

The other one looked exasperated at his answer but managed to retain a still expression. "Who taught you then? Namikaze Minato again?"

That he could answer. "No," he replied quickly, memories of red hair dancing in the wind as a beautiful voice resonated through his head. "My mother did."

For some reason, he was beginning to feel relaxed around the other boy. "What are you doing in the wood? Hunting?"

"Nothing," was the reply he got as Sasuke approached closer and put his hand against the tree. "I'm a dryad."

"A dry-what?" Naruto answered, looking up with confusion plastered on his face.

The other one sighed softly, brushing his hand against the tree again. "I'm a nymph of the forest."

Naruto's eyes were the size of plates by then. "Y-you are a f-fairy!!?" He shouted, watching the other boy place his hands against his ears as if to block the noise out, glaring down at him.

"I'm a dryad," was the irritated answer he got. And before he could ask another question, the boy continued. "Don't go around playing the lyre in this area anymore."

And again, before he could reply to this insane demand, the boy vanished.

- - - - - - - -

The third day, as soon as he stepped into the forest, he began to sing and play with his lyre, the usual animal crew surrounding him as he walked toward his spot near the waterfall.

This time, it did not even take the bastard one minute before he arrived. "Haven't I warned you to not play this thing again?"

He stuck out his tongue at the other boy, sitting cross-legged on the grass. "Whatever, fairy-boy."

He saw the boy glare at him and for some reason, it bought him satisfaction. He was about to sing and run his fingers on the strings again but then he felt something choke him for a second before releasing his neck.

He saw the black-haired boy smirk down at him, Naruto's necklace hanging by its chain in his right hand before he disappeared from sight.

"You BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!"

He yelled into the woods, rage and fear pushing its way down on his stomach. Goddamnit, Tsunade was going to skin him alive.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Sasuke felt strangely satisfied as he heard the yelling. He continued to run through the woods before he arrived near a small lake. He looked at the necklace in his hand, running his fingers on the crystal's smooth surface. It was quite beautiful, he had to admit.

He had stolen the necklace on a whim. There was nothing beside the lyre the idiot traveled with and it was not like he was going to take the blond's shirt or pants. The necklace had seemed quite valuable and it only confirmed his thoughts as he heard the idiot angrily yell at him as he vanished.

For some reason, stealing the lyre had seemed like a wrong decision. The thing was powerful and he didn't know what would happen if he tried to play it. And it wasn't as if he could ask the idiot to stop playing the lyre because of his little problem. Sasuke had discovered the problem the second time he met the blond in the wood. The charm of the lyre had him heading toward the other boy but the real problem was that it made him horny. And there was no way in hell he would admit that to the idiot.

He tied the necklace around the handle of his sword and then put the sword into his scabbard. Then he went back to join the nymphs.

- - - - - - -

Naruto tried to make himself as small as possible as he entered the house. It was just his own damn luck that he stumbled on Hinata and Kiba again. The brown-haired boy irritated Naruto sometimes, but as he saw him carrying his sister's big wooden desk with difficulty, he had to admit it wouldn't be the end of the world to see them end up together one day.

Technically, he already approved of their relationship but there was no way he would admit it soon to the dog-face.

He passed by them, quietly going up the stairs, seeing Shikamaru standing against Ino's bedroom door and yawning. His back was still in an alert position though.

As troublesome as it seemed, he really hoped the two of them would hurry up and get married. Shikamaru may only be a guard, as Kiba was, but Naruto knew they were a lot better than those rich cowardly princes. If he had to leave his sisters in someone's hands, it would be because he acknowledged their strength and not because they were loaded with money.

Kiba was a good fighter, thought a bit hot-headed. Shikamaru could handle any kind of situation and come out of it brilliantly.

Maybe it was a bit childish on his part, but he was also beginning to analyze the little Konohamaru, who played with Moegi sometimes.

He reached his bedroom and as soon as he landed on his bed, he heard his door slowly being opened. Thinking it was his grandmother, he quickly pretended to be asleep.

"Naruto?"

The voice definitively wasn't Tsunade's. "Are you sleeping?"

He peeked an eye open, looking at Shion. She was making her way toward the bed. "What is it, Shion?"

She looked quite nervous before grabbing him by his shoulders. "Taruho…," she said, the blush on her cheeks beginning to bother Naruto. "He k-kissed me."

Naruto's stomach went cold for a second, and then he exhaled slowly. His little sister's violet eyes looked at him expectantly, the blush still coloring her cheeks. "Do you like him?"

She nodded slowly then looked at the floor. The things a big brother does, Naruto thought, encircling his sister in his arms. She looked a bit surprised before she returned his hug firmly. "I'm glad," he whispered.

He got rewarded by a little squeeze.

- - - - - - -

The next day, he rose early in order to avoid Tsunade and managed to fail as he ran into Tenten on his way to the kitchen. She stumbled, and then glared up at him. "Naruto, watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said, helping her up. Then he noticed the backpack she had on her shoulder and scowled. "Where are you going with all those weapons?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I'm going to train," she said, collecting some of the swords that had fallen down from her pack when he had collided with her. "I'm a warrior too, you know."

That was not what made him suspicious. "With whom?"

He heard her sigh irritably, not even turning toward him as she made her way toward the front door. Just as he was about to follow her, he felt a shadow upon him.

"You already know who," Temari said calmly, and then went into the kitchen.

He snorted, brushing away the dust from his orange pants and joined her in the kitchen. Amaru was already eating some toast and smiled when she saw him. Still feeling irritated by Tenten's departure to join the stupid-asshole-kendo trainer Neji, he only nodded instead of his normal "Good morning!!!!" greeting.

Amaru raised an eyebrow at Temari, who only shook her head exasperatedly.

Ignoring both of them, he grabbed a piece of toast and made his way out of the mansion. He walked toward the forest, his mind set to find the stupid black-haired thief and give him the beating of his life.

Just as he entered the forest, he heard someone talking and that made him stop rigidly. Maybe it was the asshole…

He hid himself behind a tree, hearing only the 'squick squick squick' of an animal before taking a good look.

There was a really weird-looking boy crouching down on one knee and talking to a squirrel. As the animal continued his little 'squick' sound, the green-clothed boy nodded.

As if he understood a damn thing, Naruto thought, his right eyebrow frowning bemusedly.

What really made Naruto speechless was when the damn squirrel turned in his way, squicking a bit more before hearing the boy murmur a "Is that so" and turned to also look at him.

As if the animal had told him of his presence.

He almost wanted to run away because for god sake's, he hadn't seen anyone weirder than this boy. His hair was bowl-shaped and his big rounded eyes, god. The green clothes showed how well-built the guy was but it was still so ugly.

And because the other boy seemed to actually want to talk to him, he quickly vanished from sight. And it really wasn't an easy thing because the weird boy was following him and he was running fast.

Really, really fast.

Naruto had to hide himself into a foxhole to actually escape from the weird one. That was shameful!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto spent the whole day searching for the dark-haired one but he caught no sign of him. He thought it was a bit weird because normally, the other boy showed up each time he played the lyre.

Disappointed and wanting to cry for losing the necklace, he went home dejectedly and then nearly had a heart attack.

The weird boy was holding flowers in his hands and was crying out "Sakura-san," from outside. It was nearly 10 pm too!!

Naruto grabbed the green clothes, and put his hand on the boy's mouth. "Are you crazy!? Do you know what time it is already?! And what do you want with my sister!?"

The boy suddenly went silent; his eyes seemed to glow in the dark. "Allow me to introduce myself," he announced loudly, grabbing both of Naruto's hands before he could say anything. "I am Rock Lee, a dojo-challenger who travels around the world in order to become the ultimate karate man!"

His voice was resonating through Naruto's poor head loudly, practically knocking him out on the spot. He firmly squeezed his eyes, his brain regaining some sense before he glared at the boy. "What do you want with my sister?"

If anything, Lee seemed even more excited than before. Naruto's hands practically hurt by the way Lee continued to squeeze them. This weird-looking boy was strong.

"I'd like to ask permission to court your beautiful sister," Lee yelled, bringing Naruto even closer against him. Naruto grimaced at their proximity but answered the question nonetheless. "No way!"

That made the boy release his hold on the blond's hands, which Naruto was extremely grateful for, and look at him in surprise.

Okay, maybe his answer had been a bit harsh, but there was no way Sakura would ever want to go with this guy. He was freaky looking and he talked to damn squirrels.

Nodding at his reasoning, he went into the house, not looking back at the other boy as he slammed the door close.

- - - - - - - -

The next day came quickly and he went even earlier than yesterday to the forest this time. He couldn't avoid his grandmother forever and goddamnit, he did not want to lose the trust she had placed into him.

And by surprise, he saw Lee again. Lee still hadn't spotted him, thank god, and as Naruto was about to continue on his merry way, he froze at Lee's words.

"A dryad was killed," Lee asked the squirrel, who answered by a 'squick'. Wasn't the black-haired boy a dryad too?

Unfortunately, the story of the dryad's death was told in complete nonsense and Naruto had to grit his teeth to not yell. What if the dryad who died had been the black-haired boy? Did that mean he would never be able to recover his necklace again!?

Sighing in resignation, he made his way toward Lee. The boy stopped as he sensed him approach and turned toward Naruto.

Then silence.

Feeling a bit guilty about the past night's event, he put his hand behind his neck and scratched his blond hair. "About yesterday, I'm sorry."

He expected the weird-looking boy to snort at him or tell him to fuck off but was taken by surprise as the boy only nodded. "Apology accepted."

It felt a bit ridiculous how easy that had been. He sat down next to the boy, who looked a bit surprised by Naruto's action. "So," Naruto said, looking at the brown squirrel. "You can speak to squirrels."

"That is right," Lee replied, listening as the squirrel made another 'squick squick' sound. Then Lee turned toward him. "She tells me you've been here quite frequently for the past week. She also says she loves your music."

Naruto's eyes rounded a bit at that and smiled down at the small animal. "Why, thank you, little one."

He grinned at Lee, who smiled back at him.

They continued to talk for the whole afternoon, Lee explaining how he suddenly saw his sister at the market the other day and fell in love with her at first sight. Naruto sighed a bit at that, because even though he came to actually like Lee, there was no way Sakura would accept Lee. He was too weird.

Naruto's stomach growled a bit and before he asked Lee if he wanted to go eat at his home, he remembered the conversation from earlier.

"That's right! Lee, you were talking about the death of a dryad earlier. Do you know what he looks like?" Naruto asked, a bit nervous.

Lee raised his big eyebrows. "You've seen a dryad?"

Naruto made a confused face. "What? Is that so special?"

"It is," Lee replied, looking once more excited. "There is only a small amount of people who actually see them. Naruto-kun, you must be blessed by the gods!"

Naruto didn't really think so but… "Anyway, did the squirrel tell you what the dryad looked like?"

"Unfortunately, she did not." Lee said, "but she told me his name was Sasuke."

Sasuke, heh?

The name was not really fairy-like. "Did she tell you anything else about this Sasuke," he asked, his voice trying not to sound too hopeful.

"She told me a bit about the tragic rumour but nothing else," Lee continued, looking a bit uncomfortable about the subject.

Which, of course, made Naruto want to know.

"What? What," He asked, grabbing Lee by the shoulders. "What tragic rumour!?"

"She told me there used to be a lot more dryads around this area. But someone killed all the dryads and for some reason, Sasuke is the only survivor," Lee said, looking at him seriously. "And that some days ago, someone mysteriously killed Sasuke too."

Instead of anger, Naruto felt pity for the black-haired boy. If there was no other dryad who lived around this area, he was sure that the boy he had met had been Sasuke. Even if the boy had been a bastard, it was more understandable now that Naruto knew he was a lonely bastard. He felt now as uncomfortable as Lee.

As Lee was about to stand up from his position, Naruto pulled on the back of his shirt. "Do you think I could talk with the squirrel tomorrow?"

Lee's white teeth were his answer and Naruto felt relieved.

- - - - - -

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him when Naruto introduced Lee the next morning. It wasn't as bad as Naruto had expected, but it did not go well either. Sakura did not seem to handle things to tell him kindly to 'go away' but Lee's perseverance impressed Naruto.

It really was too bad because Naruto would have approved of him. He was strong, kind and honest.

Naruto sighed, looking through the corner of his eyes as Lee tried to help Sakura with her bags even though it was more than easy for his sister to carry them with her powerful strength.

Really, it was too bad.

"Lee, let's get going!" He shouted over his shoulder, already making his way toward the road. Lee seemed torn between attempting to help Sakura again and follow him but he finally followed after bidding a small farewell to Sakura.

They managed to find the same squirrel, well Lee did but anyway. They sat down on the grass and Naruto began asking questions.

"Do you know where the body is," Naruto said, looking at the squirrel. The small thing answered 'squirk squirk squirk squirk' and Naruto looked at Lee for help.

"She said the place is near water. A lot of water," Lee translated, and was answered by another 'squirk' as if agreeing with his choice of words.

"Can you take us there," Naruto asked, and then waited for Lee's translation. Lee looked up with a smile and nodded.

Grinning in return, they followed the squirrel for a good thirty minutes before Naruto spotted the black-haired boy.

His face was in the dirt, a lot of blood surrounding him. Naruto froze in his tracks and gasped. A violent fight, Naruto thought, looking at Sasuke's neck.

Lee approached Sasuke first, slowly bringing the boy onto his back. His mouth had some dry blood on his lips but Naruto's eyes stayed on his neck.

Three little spirals that looked like raindrop were tattooed. Naruto had seen Sasuke three times before and he knew he never saw that on the boy's neck before today.

"What does it mean," he whispered, his hand resting on Sasuke's shoulder. His skin was cold.

- - - - - - - - - - -

His grandfather kept looking weirdly at the three little dots on Sasuke's neck. For some reason, Naruto knew that Jiraiya knew something.

Lee and Naruto had carried Sasuke back to his house, laying him on Naruto's bed and asked for his grandfather help. Now the three of them were looking at the black-haired boy.

"What is it," Naruto asked, voicing his thoughts. His grandfather frowned a bit at him before finally sighing.

"It is Orochimaru," Jiraiya said seriously, something that was quite rare. Meaning that Orochimaru guy probably was really dangerous.

"Then why kill a dryad? Do they have special powers or something!?"

Naruto asked, anger building inside him as they continued to look at Sasuke's unmoving body. It was strange but Naruto felt really angry that someone killed the boy.

"Who knows," his grandfather answered, still looking at the seal. "Orochimaru has killed for nothing."

His fists began to shake at his side. To kill for nothing.

That was something Naruto found completely unforgivable.

"Who's that Orochimaru-asshole," Naruto asked, gritting his teeth together. He was a bit surprised at himself at how rough his voice came out.

Jiraiya took a long look at him before shaking his head. "Forget it brat," Jiraiya said, though he looked apologetic. "There's nothing you can do against him."

Naruto slammed his bedroom door loudly behind him.

- - - - - - - - - -

He visited his father's temple in Delphi. The moon illuminated the temple roof in a mystical way. Nobody was around and the silence was not something Naruto normally welcomed but this time, it felt comfortable.

His knees touched the dirty ground as he placed his forehead against the cold floor. "Father, I'm begging you, help me choose the right direction."

The statue of Namikaze Minato did not come to life. The ground did not shake. Nothing happened.

He felt a bit foolish. This God may be his father, but unlike his sisters, he had never met his own father. His mother, while she was still alive, had explained to him that his father had only shortly lived with her and then never came back. And from what he knew, Namikaze Minato had many other offspring other than him.

Really, he should have expected it.

As he was about to leave, a really powerful whirl of wind went directly toward him. Naruto did not have the time to dodge it and prepared himself to taste dirt and closed his eyes firmly shut.

Instead of an unpleasant feeling, the wind was warm and he swore he could hear someone murmuring. He opened his eyes but saw nothing but the gentle whirl of wind around him.

"Underworld," was the word he could hear. And the more he heard it, the more Naruto seemed to suspect something.

The voice was asking for permission. To bring him down there.

He clutched the lyre attached to his left hip with his hand and inhaled the warm air.

"I accept."

- - - - - - - - - -

The Underworld smelled awful, Naruto thought, almost vomiting immediately as he took his first breath there. Darkness was almost complete too, if not for the way the water seemed to glow some meters away from him. And before he could approach the small wooden boat on the side of the glowing large lake, he heard it.

An inhuman warm exhale of breath. The hot air that came toward his way actually lifted dust from the ground and his body shifted centimetres away from his original place. And that was when everything clicked in Naruto's head.

The something that was breathing ruthlessly before him was none other than the Cerberus, the legendary three-headed dog. The guardian of the Underwold gate.

He could feel his left hand shake badly as he detached the lyre from his hip. Unfortunately, his fingers brushed the strings and the noise resonated through the cave.

Loudly.

Six unbelievably large red eyes snapped open. If the eyes were almost Naruto's height, he did not want to imagine how big the dog really was. Before he could place the lyre correctly in his hands and finally begin to sing, a strong paw knocked the air out of him.

Naruto heard the crack of his head as it hit the rocky wall behind him. It hurts.

The creature seemed to take pleasure in toying with him, Naruto thought anxiously, as the dog emitted something that strongly resembled an evil growl-laugh. Still, stubborn as ever, Naruto quickly searched for his lyre only to find out he left it beside the three-headed dog.

Spitting out some blood, he slowly raised himself to his feet. How he wished he had Lee's speed at the moment. Or Shikamaru's brain.

But still being who he was, Naruto darted as quickly as he could toward his lyre. One of the heads almost managed to bite off his head from his neck. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he quickly grabbed the lyre on the ground.

And was thrown back on the hard floor around fifteen meters away as he could feel his entire back sting. God, the dog had slashed him across his back!

He could feel blood slowly drenching both his shirt and his pants but paid no attention to it. Biting his lips, he stopped his tears from falling before moving his trembling fingers across the strings.

The beast was only three meters away before Naruto finally found his voice and sang.

Naruto sang for an entire hour before the creature finally slammed its heads down on the ground and went back to dreaming.

By this time, the blood had finished rolling down his back. The wound was still stinging badly but it was okay because he knew he wouldn't die from this.

He was still half-god.

He lifted himself up on shaky legs, his lyre seemed to pound ten times its normal weight and he advanced toward the wooden boat.

And he froze again as he saw exactly what created the glow in the water. Billions of people were floating inside, emitting desperate little agonizing cries. He had not noticed them because of the Cerberus. He took some wobbly breaths before hopping in the boat and taking the wooden oars. He looked straight ahead of him even as he saw people gripping his oars.

It was sad. It was sickening.

He felt relief pulse through his entire being as he reached the second side of the cave. Quickly hopping off the boat, his relief was only short-lived as he noticed two figures apparently waiting for him.

The man's face was hidden behind his dark hair, his lips turned downward. His skin was pale and his clothes seemed like a black cloud floating through the air. The woman beside him had blue indigo hair, her skin less pale than the man's but wearing the same kind of clothes.

They seemed ready to attack him.

Naruto realized that he didn't stand a chance against the two of them. He was still shaking from his fight against the three-headed beast and his body felt like it would break if he had to raise his fist to punch either one. He also no longer had his speed.

He slowly raised his lyre in his hands; the woman moved to attack him but the man put his arm in front of her.

Naruto then played to his heart's content. His fingers produced an enthralling heartbreaking sound as he sang.

He thought about the tragedy that Lee told him about, he thought about the way Sasuke's familiar presence irritated him but also made him so curious and somehow happy to argue with, he thought about Sasuke's cold skin when he brushed his hand against his shoulder, he thought about Sasuke…

He was not aware anymore of what he was singing, putting his heart into the song and hoping that something would happen.

And it did.

The woman shed a tear, looking at him with such sadness that his fingers stopped playing and his throat suddenly felt too dry to make any sounds. The man's face remained hidden by his hair but he lifted his head more steadily in his direction.

"What do you wish for?"

Maybe his throat really was too dehydrated, Naruto thought, as he coughed a bit. His voice came out trembling and rough but he did not care. "Sasuke."

It was just after he said the name that he felt extremely foolish. There was probably millions if not billions of Sasukes down here. As he was about to tell him who exactly Sasuke was, the man brought a hand up in the air, as if to silence him.

Naruto shut his mouth.

"Alright," the god said, but Naruto sensed a 'but' somewhere in his tone. "But if you as much as look behind you when you go toward the light, he'll forever be trapped here."

Just when Naruto was about to ask him "What light?" he saw a straight and powerful light coming straight at him. He gulped, not even daring to turn around.

Breathing harshly, he forced his body to move slowly toward the light, his heart beating so strongly in his chest that Naruto was afraid it would actually jump out of his ribcage. Just some feet away from what he could guess was the exit, his legs gave out underneath him and he firmly shut his eyes the moment he fell.

A pointy rock stabbed him under his jaw but he still didn't open his eyes, feeling the pain. He pushed his bruised left hand on the ground and shakily lifted himself up.

Naruto could tell his right ankle was twisted from the fall, and he slowly took the final step toward the exit, eyes still closed just in case.

Then he fell again, but this time was completely different. The ground was still hard but softer. The air smelled fresh and he could hear birds chirping in the air.

He opened his eyes just long enough to see he was in the familiar surroundings of the forest before closing them again.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next time he opened them, he also knew right away where he was. He recognized his bedroom ceiling immediately and released a relieved breath.

His head was still spinning a bit and his back and his ankle hurt like hell. Feeling the wind slowly ruffle his blond hair, he turned toward the window.

A strange, long gray-haired figure was sitting by his open window, looking at the moon. Some weird, big-looking hands were attached to his back that looked like wings. He could also spot black pants with a familiar purple obi and that was when Naruto's mystery was solved.

"Sasuke?" he asked, his voice still coarse from earlier but the clean air made it easier to breathe. Red eyes met Naruto's gaze and even though they looked nothing like Sasuke's black ones, he could still recognize them.

Naruto felt like laughing. He did and regretted it a second later because of his sore throat.

Coughing a bit, he heard the boy approach him and stand beside him. Silence filled the night but Naruto felt comfortable.

"Those are sure weird wings you got there," Naruto said softly, and couldn't stop the small lift of his lips.

He heard Sasuke answering with a small 'hn' before feeling the mattress dip under Sasuke's weight, making him shift a bit.

And that was when he felt Tsunade's necklace being sandwiched between his neck and the pillow. He brought his bruised hand from under the blanket and brought the necklace to his face.

The clear blue crystal was back around his neck again.

"You thief," he said, but his voice did not sound irritated or angry, it sounded warm. He looked up at Sasuke, who watched him with his incredibly red eyes. With the way the moon illuminated his room, Sasuke seemed even more inhuman, but Naruto did not feel any fear.

He closed his eyes for a second before he heard Sasuke's voice murmur a small "Idiot" under his breath. Then nothing.

Sasuke had left.

- - - - - - - - - - -

For the next two weeks, his sisters treated him like he was made of glass. They also kept talking about a mysterious beautiful black-haired boy they managed to catch a glimpse of two weeks ago. Naruto's ears were ready to fall off.

Not only Sasuke did not visit him again, but Naruto had been bombarded by questions he certainly did not want to answer. His grandmother, an amazing doctor, had watched over his recovery and now he couldn't feel the pain on his back anymore. He also had a small concussion but it was healed by now. His ankle was also healed perfectly.

But what he was really grateful for was the fact that she did not question him. She seemed to understand on some level that he did not want to talk about it, so she just smacked him softly on the side of his head and murmured, "Idiotic little brat."

His grandfather had not questioned him either but looked somehow proud of him. It confused Naruto a bit but he appreciated it. Lee had also been a great help. He rested beside him, not demanding to know what happened. Just telling him about his journey as a dojo-challenger and what he learned from the squirrels and a bit of this and that…

Somehow, he was not as surprised as he should have been, staring down from his bedroom window, as he watched Sakura walking beside Lee, her genuine laugh reaching his ears.

Shikamaru also visited him, playing chess with him even though Naruto was clearly not a challenge. Kiba came to annoy him but they mostly ended up joking together. Taruho had come to introduce himself, Shion smiling brilliantly as he acknowledged the man. Konohamaru had burst through his door, demanding Naruto to help him with some pranks but Moegi smacked him on the head before he even reached Naruto's bed. And believe it or not, Neji even came to visit on the first day of his hospitalisation.

He should have felt more than alright by all those visits. He knew he already somehow accepted each of his sisters' suitors in his heart and hoped Temari's and Amaru's ones would be less troublesome.

But damnit, it somehow put him in a bad mood that the bastard had not shown up.

- - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Tsunade finally released him from his bedroom prison and he made his way toward the forest as soon as he finished breakfast.

Excitement pulsed in his blood, his legs taking two steps at a time as he approached the familiar forest spot. He slowly sat down against a tree, taking care to avoid rubbing his back scars on the tree trunk. As he was about to brush his fingers against the strings of his lyre, a pale hand snatched away Naruto's hand away from the instrument.

"Stop playing that thing," Sasuke said, squeezing Naruto's right hand a bit.

Naruto glared up at him, wanting to punch him and hug him at the same time. "You ungrateful asshole! You're talking about the thing that saved your poor butt from the pit and yet you're still-"

It was soft and tentative, but lips were pressing against Naruto's. They were a bit dry and cold but they felt comfortable. Then he felt Sasuke's breath against the left corner of his lips, brushing against Naruto's skin again. "That thing's making me horny."

Naruto's eyes widened at Sasuke's admission and he couldn't help but laugh. He heard Sasuke snort irritably above him and before the boy could move away, Naruto yanked on a black lock of hair.

His lips were still upward as they met Sasuke's, the touch still hesitant at first before Naruto finally found the courage to slowly brush his tongue against the other boy lips. His right hand was released from Sasuke's grip as the same hand found its way to hold Naruto's right hip possessively.

They separated, Naruto's tongue tasting somehow different. "My fingers didn't even brush the strings you know," Naruto said, grinning at the way Sasuke's face flushed a bit before the other boy zoomed in for a kiss again.

Naruto lost himself on the new sensation of a tongue battling his own, of his hands exploring the body before him as Sasuke did the same to him.

It was new, it was good and it was Sasuke.

And who knows. Maybe Sasuke may really end up stealing the necklace from him after all.