Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto in disguise; hence I do not own Naruto.

Warnings: Rated M. Yaoi. Slash. MxM

Pairings: SasuNaru, mentions of GaaNeji.

A/N: This baby is 24 pages long. No kidding. 12point Times New Roman. Srsly. Oh well, I wanted to bring you all a Christmas Gift! It's been a long year, and I think y'all deserve it :) Well, I shall keep you no longer, Proceed little minions.

Update: I've corrected some mistakes (mostly grammar) since that sort of thing bothers me. it's a nearly abysmal change however.

Myth

Finally reaching the peak of the hill he gazed down upon the land beyond it. At last he had managed to leave the Forests of Sey behind him and reached the Plains of Gratitude. The end of the gnarled trees and muddy trails was the only sign that he had crossed the border into the land of Konh, and even as he looked out at the wide-spread fields of autumn grass he saw nothing to suggest a presence of the living. He was at the eastern edge of this country, and just as the western lakes and mountains were avoided in his own land, the eastern forests and cliffs were evaded here.

Inhospitable wildlife was the least worrying part of Konh, however. He felt a sliver of fear and doubt he had not known for years creep up his spine as he recalled the many stories he had listened to during his travels. Whispers of creatures known only in legend; Fairies and Nymphs, Diggers and Skyfolk, Centaurs, Dragons, Giants and Trolls. He knew some of them existed, and some he could only hope did not. Konh was ruled by the Council of Fire, and its seats were occupied by a number of different creatures. Centaurs, he knew, as well as Fairies, though whether the Nymphs were absent because they did not exist or due to their shyness of all peoples none but a Konhian could tell. The Skyfolk had a seat, but the Mermaids did not, and he had no issue finding reason for that. Mermaids lived in several countries, including his own. That was why the western lakes were carefully kept away from.

The Council housed humans as well; the three leaders of the Human clans of Konh, the Head and the High One of the Magician's order of the North. And, it was rumoured in some places, Immortals…

He shook his head as if to shake the thoughts out of it. No use in pondering it now, anyway, he still had a full cycle of the moon worth of walking before he reached the capital city of Hachri and could finish his assignment. On horseback the journey would have taken no more than two or three weeks, but then he would have been forced to travel by road to the southern pass and then northwards along the mountains before reaching Konh. It would have taken him months more, even on the back of a mount, than his way through the highlands, and his employer had insisted the mission was urgent. He unconsciously reached for the case fastened by his hip. He knew no more of its contents than that it was to be delivered to the Council of Fire as soon as possible. He had been hired by a nobleman in his homeland to carry it by the fastest path to Konh, and had accepted more out of curiosity than necessity for money. Konh had always intrigued him, but he had yet to visit the country despite all the time he spent travelling. Now, at last, he had the opportunity to roam the Country of Myths freely.

Filled now by the familiar sense of excitement and determination which only unexplored territory brought him, he began the descent towards the plains.

As the weeks passed the weather grew steadily colder and the morning frost claimed the land until all was covered permanently in a mantle of glimmering ice. In the waning of the moon of the second to last month of the year the first snow coated the world in the night and did not leave until mid-day. Since he travelled cross-country from the mountain range he encountered few places where he was offered a warm rest. This bothered him only little, however. The Trackers had long since learned to withstand any trouble nature might pit against them.

He had noticed that nature here seemed more present than it did in other places. He had met a couple of other Trackers who had visited Konh, and neither had been able to explain the difference in the wilderness, but now that he felt it he knew of what they had been talking. The landscape seemed both more welcoming and more unfriendly than any he had encountered. As long as he did not stray from his course, and kept in mind to be civil to all living things around him, he had no trouble. And still, he had a nagging suspicion that should he behave badly or linger in the wrong place, he might find that the trees had eyes and the grass had claws. Spurred by this unnatural feeling, he hastened his pace across the wide fields and past the slumbering forests.

Occasionally, he would spot a city or village in the distance, or else find his trail wound alongside fields of grain covered in snow, but he made no detours to visit the clusters of houses, nor did he meet any people. When only three quarters of the last moon cycle of the year remained, he finally reached the southern road. He would follow it to its origin in the far north; Hachri, capital city of Konh.

The road was far more populated than the lonely trails he had trudged down from the west, being the main road and thoroughfare of Konh, leading from Hachri in the north all the way to the southern border. Thus, he met people for the first time in many months –and what people they were: Centaurs traveling in couples or groups, their chests and heads protected against the cold by warm fur, their beautiful bows barely visible, encased in leather bindings. A small company of Skyfolk made their way towards the city overhead, a Goblin and an Elf were caught in fierce discussion on a wagon heading south. By the road he spotted a Fairy who seemed to be talking to a pile of rocks and mud sticking up from the snowy covers –that is until the pile shuddered violently and a pair of beady eyes blinked up at the tiny Fairy. Among these myths come to life wandered humans and animals like in any other country, though every now and again he would come across the robe of a sorcerer or the unmistakable armour of a northern warrior. In the evening he would always find shelter in one of the many inns along the way where he spent the nights alone in seclusion, drinking the local liquor and watching the habitants of the land intently.

He would never have become a Tracker had it not been for his insatiable curiosity, and in a land as novel and strange as Konh he couldn't quite constrain it. Therefore, his last days travelling were spent watching everyone around him with an intense concentration he had nearly forgotten he possessed. Finally, he arrived, on the eighteenth day of the twelfth moon –or so he thought at least; Trackers, although they excelled at finding ways in the wild, had little need to know the exact date of the year or –in some cases –in what turn of the moon they reached their destination. He was fairly certain this time around, though, since he had been surrounded by people for several days, all of whom seemed to be discussing the end of the year celebrations and how many days remained until the days of Might. The days of Might, he had concluded, seemed to be a local nickname for the Midwinter Celebrations, which began on Christmas Eve, continued through New Year's Eve and ended with the Festival of the Gods during the first full moon of the year.

As such, only four days remained until the Celebrations were to begin when he trudged along the icy road to the crest of a steep hill to find himself –when he had reached it –staring down at his destination. Hachri was a bustling city embraced in the arms of the mountains, half-cut out of the stone at the base of the closest one it spread up across the mountainside and out across the plain. Snow had drowned the forests and fields outside the city walls and covered the roofs and towers in glimmering white. The city gates and the roads they emitted were all packed with bustling people on their way to and from the city, all rushing to make it in time for the Celebrations. He looked down upon the spectacle for a while, taking into detail the height of the cut-outs in the mountain and wondering how deep into the stone they had built. His eyes skimmed the buildings of the city, noticing a straight avenue leading from the southern gate all the way to the foot of the mountain, where it smoothed out into an icy square and steep steps leading into the mountain halls. He woke from his reveries when someone roughly collided with his shoulder.

"Move outta tha way will ya?", said a beardy man with a gruff voice as he pushed past. Realising that the middle of the road was hardly the best place for contemplation, he headed off, now down the steep slope towards the city.

"What's your business?", the woman was dressed in administrator robes of the council and was scrutinising his tattered clothes and unwashed appearance without even trying to hide her discontent. He frowned at her –his clothes were well cared for though they were well used, and he washed regularly even while travelling, but trackers were hardly known to be prissy about their appearance and usually people respected them anyway. This woman didn't seem to recognise that however, and the thought that she may not realise what he was swirled into place in his mind. Trackers were much rarer here than in other countries, perhaps not everyone knew the insignia on his cloak here. He decided that whatever the issue was, it wasn't his problem… yet. The idea that she might not recognise him bothered him mostly since he had been hoping to stay at the Tracker House, guesthouses for his kin that could be found in any major city –and many smaller ones –in the world. Though they were often very modest, and in a city like this where Trackers were unusual the presence of a Tracker house did not necessarily mean that all the city's habitants would recognise his trade.

"I'm here to see Moderator Mifune", he informed her stiffly. She looked even sourer than before.

"Name and business?", she asked formally. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Sasuke. I'm here to see Moderator Mifune", he repeated. She pursed her lips and squinted at one of the rolls of parchment on her desk. He glanced around the hall, it should have been freezing, what with the stoned walls and floors and the open archways leading to the stairs outside. It was comfortably toasty though, and he wasn't very surprised. He had seen many practises of heating magic before. He pulled back from deliberating whether they heated the entire mountainside this way when the administrator looked back up at him.

"You're not on the chart", she said curtly, "Please state your matter of business and I shall make an official appliance. You will be called if-", but Sasuke cut her off, rather irked. He had come straight to the council without eating, resting or bathing and this woman was getting on his last nerve. Sasuke was not a sociable person, even when he had not spent months travelling alone, rushing through winter wilderness.

"Of course I'm not on the chart", he growled, "I'm here to deliver a message." She blinked.

"Well you should have said so immediately, you'll leave the message here and I shall-"

"The hell you will", Sasuke cut her off again, "I'm ordered to deliver this message to the Moderator personally." The woman straightened up in her seat, apparently very affronted by his insinuation that she was unreliable.

"The Moderator is very busy", she snapped, "either you leave the message here with me and I will hand it to him at the next opportune time, or you leave and return when there is time for you." Fending off an urge to strangle her, Sasuke bent down across her desk so that they were face to face.

"I have walked for four months", he said, his voice dangerously low, "through the western waters of Kumo, where the mermaids dwell in thousands. Through the marches of lost souls, where one step wrong is your end. Through the eastern cliffs of Konh where nothing lives but evil, and across the plains crusted with ice and snow. I have walked for four months to deliver this urgent message as soon as possible, and you will not stop me from walking right past you and find the Moderator." He finished the speech off with one of his signature glares. The administrator woman leant back, looking alarmed.

"I- I'll go get him", she squeaked. And she was out of her chair and heading for one of the doors leading into the mountain faster than Sasuke would have deemed possible. Perhaps she was afraid that if she took too long he would stalk off to find the moderator on his own, for she returned in a flash and escorted him to a small audience room adjacent to the welcoming hall. It took another few minutes before the moderator appeared, looking politely curious. His lined face was that of an old man, but the lack of grey in his long black hair and beard told Sasuke that he couldn't be much older than forty. Responsibility, he concluded, made one age faster.

"Ah", said moderator Mifune, "Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded affirmatively, Mifune smiled, "You are most welcome, I am Moderator Mifune." When the tracker still didn't reply he continued: "I was not expecting you for another month at the least; you must have travelled through dangerous lands to arrive here so quickly. I am most grateful however; I have been waiting eagerly for that message." His eyes slid down to rest on the case at Sasuke's hip and the tracker narrowed his eyes. He felt a strange protectiveness towards the scroll which he had risked his life to protect the last few months.

"Of course", he replied smoothly, "my employer informed me that he would send a hawk to tell you I was on my way. As well as what password to receive before handing the message over." He stared unwaveringly into the black orbs of the Moderator.

"Naturally", said Mifune, "but the password was not written in a message by hawk, it is too unsafe. That is why you were employed after all." Sasuke smirked; the Moderator seemed to be the real deal. "The password", Mifune continued, "is 'when the sun rises over the lands, it shines less brightly than the two most precious beings.' I do not know its meaning however, perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"No", said Sasuke curtly as he unfastened the case. He handed it over to the Moderator, glancing at the administrator woman in the process, she had not left the room and seemed on the verge of speech. Mifune hummed noncommittally.

"Oh well. I thank you for your troubles, young man, but I must ask another favour of you." Sasuke felt disappointed. He had known when he accepted the mission that it would probably come to this, but it made him no less happy about it. He had hoped to have some time to explore the land of Konh.

"Yes?", he said impatiently. He was longing to at least get a bath, a meal and some sleep in a real bed before heading off to the wilderness again.

"Would you stay here until the Council had been in session and then carry the Council's reply back to Kumo?" Sasuke sighed heavily.

"I had hoped to stay and see more of your country", he said resignedly, "but if it is of importance I will-", but he was cut off by the woman who had finally decided to speak up, pushing her red hair away from her face and taking a tone of deep disapproval.

"Moderator Mifune. I do not see why this… man… should be given the honour of carrying a message from the Council when we have plenty of bearers ourselves. Besides, who knows whether he is even reliable? We know nothing about him, nor his purpose or-"

"Enough, Karin", said Moderator Mifune sternly, "you are insulting a guest, and someone who has done us a great favour. As for his reliability, you have certainly not studied the ways of the world enough if you do not recognise him!" Sasuke stiffened at these words, so the old man knew who he was. He shouldn't be surprised considering whom his employer was, but it stilled chilled him when others knew of his background. He preferred to remain unnoticed and well-informed. The woman called Karin looked terrified, glancing between the two of them rapidly as if trying to discern some sort of invisible connection. Finally she turned to Sasuke and bowed slightly.

"My apologies sir, I was out of line." Sasuke didn't answer, he wanted to leave.

"This", said Moderator Mifune to Karin, oblivious of Sasuke's wishes to remain anonymous, "is Uchiha Sasuke of the noble house of Uchiha from Kamiri in Kumo. He has chosen life as a Tracker and is known amongst them as Crimson Hawk, the fastest messenger in the Allied lands." Karin's eyes widened at this, but Mifune continued relentlessly: "it is no coincidence that he was given this mission, not only for his ability to travel quickly, but since Uchiha Fugaku –the sender of this very message –trusts him enough to hand it to him. Naturally, I too shall trust his judgement." Karin looked very small at this point, and Sasuke wondered silently if it was truly wise to tell a mere employee this amount of information. But he did not ponder very long, his muscles ached for rest and his stomach for food. Resolutely he turned to the Moderator.

"I have completed my mission. I shall remain in the city during the Celebrations, if you would wish to send a reply to my father I shall be happy to deliver it. Until then I bid you both farewell." He bowed stiffly to them both, received the customary 'farewell's and left the room.

He had already reached the winding snowy streets outside when he realised he had forgot to ask for directions to the Tracker House. Annoyed with himself and grumpy in general as one tend to be when hungry, tired and filthy he prowled down one of the side streets that sprung off the main avenue of the city. He appreciated in passing the magic that seemed to surge through the city, filling every inch, helped by the presence of a multitude of mythical creatures. He made a mental note to research each race during his stay, to be prepared when he next visited the country. The cobbled street wound onwards in front of him, coated by an ever thicker blanket of white, drifting down from the grey clouds above as the last hours of light slowly faded from the world. He reached a small square and reviewed it in frustration; no Tracker house in sight, and he had not acquired the payment for his services so staying at an expensive inn was out of the question.

"Ho", said a lofty voice to his left, "the tatty poor man is lost?" he spun to face whoever had insulted him, but found no one. The square was empty save for a few locals –two humans and three centaurs –milling about at the other side.

"Who's there?", he gnarled out between clenched teeth.

"Ho", said the voice again, "bad eyes as well? I am not surprised." Sasuke –miffed at the slight against his eyes –scanned the area beside him, finding –at last –his woe bringer perched on one of the branches in the thorny bush right next to him. She was small, no taller than the span of his hand from fingertip to base, and sported a lithe frame draped in a shimmering purple gown which looked much too thin for the icy weather. But what was the most intriguing were the translucent, fragile-looking wings which sprouted from her back, and how the air around her seemed to glitter softly, sparks flying around as she threw her long blonde hair over one shoulder. He zeroed in on her and glared.

"What do you want?", the fairy giggled and smirked at him.

"Ho", she said again, "the filthy man has the nerve to be rude to me? I, the most beautiful of all the Fae? Know your place, pathetic homeless man." Sasuke felt an overwhelming urge to crush the creature in his fist. "But then", she continued, unaware of the impeding threat of annihilation, "all men act strange around me. Even such a low-life as you must see it, right? How astoundingly lovely I look? How my hair glows and my eyes shimmer? Am I not the most dashing creature you have ever seen?" She giggled again and Sasuke felt the fingers of his left hand twitch.

"Hn", he replied and, with a substantial amount of self-control, turned to walk away. He only managed to take a few steps, however, before he heard an angry screech behind him and felt a burning impact on his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder to see what hit him he noticed a burn the size of a small fist at the back of his cloak. His Tracker's cloak. Furious, he turned to face the tiny woman who looked smug, condescending and irked at the same time.

"The worthless man dares to walk away from me?", she said, her voice much more high-pitched than earlier, "you shall pay for your insolence less you redeem yourself, peasant!" Sasuke glowered at her.

"Why should I be afraid of something as small and easily crushed as an insect?", he questioned gruffly, "do you have an idea what damage you have caused?", the fairy flew up from the branch at alarming speed, hovering in the air with her hair on end with sparks and her eyes alight with anger.

"You- you! I will curse you with eternal suffering you worthless bum!", she yelled, and much to Sasuke's chagrin she started chanting in a strange, musical language he had never heard. He was contemplating his escape when a voice cut through the spell, rousing the fairy from her fixed mumble.

"Ino!", the fairy spun to face the caller, and Sasuke laid eyes on his saviour. The man was slightly shorter than him, and though he had the startlingly blonde hair and cerulean eyes of a Northerner his skin looked faintly tanned. He was undoubtedly human, which Sasuke regarded as a good sign.

"I'm busy", snapped Ino the fairy to the blonde, who smiled brilliantly back at her.

"I am sorry to intrude, my lady, and how I wish each time I see you I was one of the Fae so I could court you as my wife!", the blonde made a great show of looking sappily admiring, "but then, the world would be a sad place indeed if your astonishing beauty would be monopolised by one singe male!", to Sasuke's surprise –and amusement –the fairy looked both placated and much more friendly than she had during her entire talk with the tracker.

"Well", she said arrogantly, "I cannot argue with you on that", she flattened her wayward hair with a petite hand and asked: "so what do you want?" the blonde human's smile was unwavering.

"Well, I thought I should call you. You see, I just heard that some of the visiting Fae from down south were talking trash about you down at the Fiery Stallion."

"What?", she looked positively livid now, "those- those-", and with a shriek much worse than the one she had thrown at Sasuke, she was off, speeding away across the square with alarming speed. The tracker was left standing with his saviour in the snowfall and gathering darkness. He turned to face the blonde, only to find him laughing merrily and stretching a tan hand towards Sasuke.

"You sure know how to upset women don't you?", he said with a grin while Sasuke shook his hand, "I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, and just for the record, fairies do not make good enemies."

"Uchiha Sasuke", muttered the Tracker, "and I did not intend to earn her enmity." This only caused the man –Naruto –to laugh even harder.

"No social skills, eh?", he said cheerfully, "well, what are you doing around here at nightfall, Uchiha Sasuke?" Sasuke glared at him. No social skills indeed. He just didn't like keeping the company of morons.

"Hn", he answered sulkily, "I'm looking for the Tracker House.", Naruto's blue eyes widened slightly and sought out the insignia on his cloak –really, did no one in this city notice these things?

"Oh so you're a Tracker!", he exclaimed, "well that does explain your appearance", he grinned unabashedly at Sasuke, "we don't get a lot of you up here, so it's always unexpected." Sasuke raised an eyebrow and the blonde finished both the sentence and his hope and patience by adding: "and there's no Tracker House in Hachri." Sasuke was silent for a long while before repeating, in a very low voice:

"There's no tracker house in Hachri?", he felt the fatigue of months of travelling course through him. He had nowhere to sleep.

"No…", said Naruto slowly, suddenly serious. His blue eyes narrowed and Sasuke had an uncomfortable feeling that he was being thoroughly scrutinised. "Well…", said Naruto at last, "if you have nowhere to stay I have space to spare." Sasuke stared at him. It wasn't that unusual for people to offer their homes to a tracker –it was considered good fortune to do so –but he somehow had the impression that Naruto couldn't care less for his trade. It intrigued him greatly.

"I would be honoured to be in your care", he answered formally. Naruto's grave expression vanished in an instant, replaced again by a brilliant smile.

"It's settled then", he said, "let's get going, you look like you haven't had a bath in months."

"Hn", said Sasuke, irritated, "I do wash while I travel, idiot, unfortunately I don't have the luxury of hot water and soap. My deepest apologies." Naruto acted offended, though his loud laugh made it highly unconvincing.

"Well aren't you a bastard? Is that any way to speak to a man kindly offering you a roof over your head?"

Naruto led him through the town to the foot of the mountain, and then up several long, winding stairs which brought them up along the side to the highest part of the city. The houses here were cut into the stone with thin, snaky roads on which you could only walk one or two in breadth at the most lest you tumble down the mountainside to your death far below. Small walls had been cut out to prevent this, but they reached no higher than Sasuke's kneecaps. He soon realised three things: first, the owners of these tiny odd houses seemed to focus more energy on their plants than their living space. Though everything was in deep slumber and covered thickly by ice and snow he could tell that in summer this part of the city would be blossoming to the point of being drowned in greenery. Second; all the habitants of this peculiar place were absent. The windows were dark, the streets empty and a strange sense of forlorn isolation lay everywhere. Third; this must be one of the original settlements of the city, long before it even became one, perhaps theoldest one. The houses looked ancient when he studied them closer, and had adapted that wonky irregular appearance which could only be caused by the stone being worn down for many centuries. He had the distinct impression that this little village had rested on the mountainside long before any human thought of building a city there.

They climbed farther and farther up on weathered stairs cut into the mountain until they reached one of the highest levels, where Naruto stopped in front of a massive wooden door. Like the other doors he had seen on the way, the wood had images of trees and animals carved into it. He stared at them while Naruto unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The inside of the house was a pleasant surprise. It was larger than it indicated since the rooms stretched into the mountain itself, and the walls –though made of stone, looked well cared for and sturdy. It was warm, too much so to be only due to the crackling fire, and even though the snow lay thick outside a multitude of green plants littered the rooms. Great, arched windows faced the outside and gave an astounding view of the city. They also led to a slim balcony –supported by the roof of a house on the level below –enclosed by a human-sized stone-railing which was covered in snow.

All in all; it was a very welcoming place, Sasuke concluded when he had removed his grimy boots and stepped onto a soft green rug. Naruto paid no heed to the Tracker's inspection of his house, but bustled away for a few moments only to return and usher Sasuke off to take a bath while he made dinner.

The bathtub –a large, wooden bowl big enough for a grown man to fit into –was already filled to the brim with steamy water. The air was filled with fumes of what Sasuke identified as oils and soap, though all he could see in the water were sporadic flower-petals swimming on the surface. He didn't ponder it further though, faced with his first warm bath since leaving his father's house. He relished in the warm water and soft scents and scrubbed every trace of dirt from his body and hair. Although he wished that he could have also washed his clothes, he realised as he rose from the tub and looked at the filthy heap of fabric on the floor. He didn't need to worry, however, since Naruto had supplied him with a tunic and trousers made from some rich, yet light material he had never come across before. He dried off and donned them, the black fabric contrasting against his skin, and turned to the mirror perched above the tub. He had never seen a mirror so flawless and sharp before –what was reflected back at him was no less than his prefect replica. It frightened him a bit, and he wondered silently what magic could be done with such a thing.

For the moment, however, he was content with seeing his real self for the first time in months. He wasn't vain –if he was he would never had become a Tracker –but he still liked to see his own face every once in a while –without the grime and sweat caked into his hair and mud slashed on his skin. Now he looked quite like he had when he had still been his father's son: creamy pale skin –unperturbed by the rays of the sun, as all Uchiha's –midnight eyes and raven hair reaching his shoulders. It had grown a lot since he last saw it washed, and the water weighed it down so it clung to the back of his neck, still he knew it would become a mess of dark locks, standing up in the back, as soon as it dried.

At home he had been quite coveted –never as much as his brother but enough to be a nuisance –and though it held many advantages to look handsome, one of the best parts of his chosen lifestyle was no doubt that he was no longer subjected to that kind of admiration –at least not for any longer period of time. Whenever he entered a city and washed up he would attract a certain amount of attention, but most kept away when they saw the insignia on his cloak. People generally liked and respected trackers, but they kept their distance –somehow their lifestyle frightened people. He was not fearless himself, he thought as he considered the strange city of Hachri. Its creatures, its humans and its magic, it all scared him.

Before leaving the bathroom he carefully folded his own clothes and perched them atop a small oak chest, then threw his cloak around his shoulders. The main room was filled with a heavenly scent of cooked meat, fried vegetables and newly baked bread when he entered it. Naruto looked up from the small table where he had been setting down a large plate filled with some strange root Sasuke had never seen. Blue eyes widened slightly and the blonde chuckled warmly.

"Well, you clean up nice", Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "and that quirking your eyebrow thing works much better too", Naruto straightened up and grinned at him, "you almost look like nobility. Who'd have thought, huh?"

"Hn. Like you would know the face of nobility, idiot", the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, almost a reflex from his childhood. Old habits die hard. Naruto looked amused.

"You'd be surprised what I know", he said cryptically. Sasuke felt a tug of intrigue.

"Hn", his gaze wandered to the small feast on the table, "shall we just agree not to judge a book by its cover then?", he looked back to the blonde, "and eat." Naruto laughed again, he seemed to do so most of the time, and agreed.

The food was delicious, even though Sasuke only knew what he was eating half of the time, and they consumed it in silence until the plates were all wiped clean. Then they moved to a set of comfortable armchairs by the fire, and Naruto picked up what looked like a half-finished knife-handle, placed it in his lap and started winding a thick string around it with practised movements. Sasuke took this as his cue to fetch his own working kit and get started on repairing the hole in his cloak. It took practised skill to do this, since a Tracker's cloak was made from a very rare fabric, weaved by the most skilled craftspeople in the world, a small clan that lived in the regions to the Far East. It was strong, light, warm yet breathing and nearly resistant to filth. Very convenient. Naruto looked up as he set to work.

"Shouldn't you clean that before you mend it?", he asked curiously. Sasuke glanced up at him.

"No need. The dirt doesn't stick. As soon as it's dried up completely I'll brush it over and it'll be clean.", Naruto made a small noise of comprehension.

"Ah. Sage-Cloth. I didn't know your cloaks were made from that." Sasuke glanced at him again; he really shouldn't have judged Naruto so soon. Few knew about Sage-Cloth outside the Tracker's Guild.

"We don't usually talk about it", he replied.

"But you talked about it now."

"You let me stay in your house", Sasuke said, partially to convince himself.

"It's not my house", said Naruto with a smile. Sasuke hand stilled –the needle halfway through the fabric of his cloak.

"What?", Naruto laughed.

"You look terrified!", he snorted. "I'm not breaking in or anything", he said, not convincing Sasuke in the least, "didn't you notice all the other houses are empty?"

"Hn", grunted Sasuke.

"Well, this part of the city –the ancient quarter –is where the Sprites live", explained Naruto. When he didn't receive any sign of understanding from his raven-haired guest he continued: "it's nearly Christmas Eve, the Midwinter Solstice of the Spirit World is approaching, so they're all at the Sacred Grove on their Holy Mountain." Sasuke stared at him, speechless.

"Well, I can see you're no magician", said Naruto impatiently, "all Sprites travel to the same place during the Celebrations every year", Sasuke nodded, that he understood, "so I'm borrowing my friend's house for a few weeks."

"Then…", said Sasuke, "where do you live?" Naruto smiled.

"Down in south-east quarter, but I like to stay here during the Celebrations, it's so quiet you know? Besides, the view is great." Sasuke couldn't argue with that, so he opted for silence instead. Naruto interpreted it –quite correctly –as acceptance of the blonde's story.

They worked in silence for some time, each focusing on their handy work, and Sasuke was starting to feel drowsy. He had been travelling for months and the day had been eventful –even someone as disciplined as himself would be fatigued. Finally, Naruto rose from his chair and disappeared into the next room, when he returned he was carrying two large wooden mugs filled with steaming liquid. He handed one to Sasuke, explaining it was a local brew:

"The Sprites make it. And they love it so it's damn rare to find, but my friend doesn't mind if I take some. As a matter of fact, he rarely fusses over anything at all –says it's too troublesome.", Sasuke felt a sudden connection –based on what he thought of as mutual understanding –towards the Sprite he had never met and smirked to himself while Naruto took a large gulp and continued: "So I've told you about one of my friends, tell me about one of yours." Sasuke carefully sipped the hot drink; it tasted of cinnamon and herbs and warmed him as it slid down his throat.

"Well…", he said slowly –he didn't have that many friends, "Trackers don't usually make good friends since we travel so much", he could tell the blonde didn't believe him, so he grudgingly went on, "but I have a… friend in my hometown."

"Oh yeah? What's their name?", asked Naruto curiously. Sasuke was silent for a while, conjuring from his memory pictures of people from his home. Most of them he would consider rivals or beneficial acquaintances rather than actual friends. Still, there was one who had managed to worm their way into his heart. Through brute force and underhanded methods, but still.

"Sakura", he said, "we grew up together, I suppose. She's a healer." Naruto looked at him, completely serious for once.

"Your lover?", Sasuke shook his head. He couldn't deny that the thought of marrying Sakura had passed his mind more than once –she was the only woman he could stand –but he didn't hold any affections for her beside those of a friend. And he always travelled, which made for a lousy husband. Most Trackers didn't wed at all, and those who did sacrificed their roaming lifestyle for it. It was not unusual to hear about a Tracker who had fallen in love, married and then when the glamour of love wore off left their families and returned to their trade. There was a saying amongst his kin:

"Not one man or woman can ever hold to them beauty, passion, enticement or loyalty to rival that of the winding road, the starry sky, the slumbering mountain or the never-ending sea. Pray that they never try, and pray that you never forget it."

"Just a friend", he said. Naruto said nothing, wearing a peculiar expression which Sasuke could not place. This bothered him; even before his travels he had been excellent at reading other people, and yet Naruto left him wondering more often than he was comfortable with. He had a nagging suspicion that there was more to the blonde than he knew –as if something unearthly was lurking behind those blue eyes. But then again, he reasoned, he was in a city of magic the like of which he had never seen, and people here were bound to be different from those he usually encountered.

Naruto nodded in understanding at last, and the subject never rose again during that evening. Instead they discussed common things, the ways of the city and what Sasuke had seen during his journeys. When he spoke of a stirring in the south –a change for the worse in those lands the last time he visited –Naruto looked distant and sombre. In the end the spirit of sleep engulfed them, and they both went to bed. Naruto in the master bedroom deeper into the mountain, and Sasuke in the guestroom just next to the main one. Before he disappeared through the doorway he threw one last glance at the glowing hearth, thinking to himself that this was –in many ways –the oddest day in his life so far. Though, he rectified, not necessarily a bad one, simply one beyond any he had ever had previously.

The forthcoming days he spent with Naruto as a guide. He had suggested to the blonde the morning after their meeting that he find a guesthouse to stay at, but Naruto had past it over with a wave of his hand and a stray comment in which he told the Tracker that all the inns of the city were full anyway in Yuletide. Instead, he kept living in the house of Naruto's friend with the blonde, and during the days they explored the city of Hachri; from the Quarters of Fae to the streets of the centaurs. They prowled into the poorer parts of the city, which were much better kept than Sasuke was used to, and visited an orphanage there. The parentless children greeted Naruto with such joy that it nearly overwhelmed the Tracker, and Naruto explained that he often dropped by to play with them and help the nurses. The personnel who worked there all nodded in greeting, and the children clung to Naruto and chimed 'or-an-ge-nii-san' over and over. Naruto told Sasuke when they left that the first time he had come there he had worn a cloak of bright orange which earned him the nickname. During these days, Sasuke felt carefree for the first time in many years gone, and he found that Naruto could make him laugh without much effort, and make him wonder about the things in the world he knew nothing of.

One morning, two days before Christmas Eve and the start of the Yuletide celebrations, Naruto did not lead him along the path down to the city, but turned their tracks upwards. They followed the stony steps past the last rows of houses and ended up on a trail which clung to the mountainside, leading out of sight.

When they reached the end of it they found the most magical –and in a way most terrifying –place Sasuke had ever seen. Naruto called it "the sacred grove of the Sprites", but explained that it had existed there long before the Sprites had come to the world at all. It was a place which seemed unperturbed by the chilling mid-winter outside its borders. Light sunshine which could not come from the murky skies overhead played on the ground, the trees were lush with leaves and greenery and the grass was a mat of emerald velvet. In the air buzzed bumblebees and dragonflies, and the air was warm and smelled of fresh herbs and vegetation. The magic there was thick enough that even Sasuke felt it; simmering before his eyes like the heat in a scorching desert.

He stared around the grove, entranced, whilst Naruto talked about it. Mother Nature made these places, he explained, and the Sprites and other magic folk built their settlements near them. Sasuke realised that the feeling of the grove reminded him of what he had felt in the wilderness of Konh, but multiplied many thousand times until it was tangible in every movement he made. He also felt a tug, a pulling sensation, from one end of the small thicket, as if there was something there –except there wasn't. The place that called his attention was a niche between two great trees, right by the wall of the mountain. He stared at it, his instinct telling him there was something there, but his eyes contradicting it. When he focused he also felt another pull, as if something was tugging at his spirit, but it led to Naruto instead. Confused and slightly frightened, he led his thoughts to other matters. He had long since learned not to question certain things lest he wanted trouble, and magic and unearthly sensations were definitely some of them. Instead, he turned to watch as a squirrel hurried up the trunk of a tree nearby.

"The animals", he said to Naruto, "doesn't this place confuse them?", the blonde smiled.

"The animals know Mother Nature better than any human ever could." He said. "Injured or dying animals travel to these places, and the Sprites, Nymphs and Spirits help them if they can, for these are holy grounds where any beings life must be cherished." Sasuke stared at him.

"So Nymphs are real then?", he asked. The blonde had proved many times over to know much more of the magic side of the world than Sasuke would have thought possible. Naruto's smile grew wider, and his eyes glinted with something the Tracker could not place –as they had done many times during the days they had spent together.

"As real as you and me", said Naruto, "Now what say you we had back and eat luncheon, hm?"

They spent the afternoon in the Christmas Market, which reminded Sasuke much of any other market, except for the sudden appearance of magical objects or beings. He accidentally walked into an elf, and not until Naruto came to save him was he able to get away from the irate creature –whose temper had not improved when Sasuke had tried to explain that he was so wee little that the Tracker had not seen him. Still, when they returned to the house on the mountain they were both in high spirits, and Sasuke had managed –at last –to purchase an oil he needed for taking care of his leather equipment. He had gotten it from another Tracker –the first he had seen since entering the city –and he was very pleased about it since it had worried him that he had none left.

The next day, the day before the start of the festivities, was spent exploring the older parts of the city. It was the streets closest to the foot of the mountain, where entrance to the halls of council lay and the old guilds were located. This part of the capital fascinated Sasuke, for it was the beginning, the birth of the city itself. He had been itching to visit it, and especially to view up-close the tall tower that stood by its edges. Naruto had said that the old walls that once enclosed the area had been removed, but that the tower stood right beside where they had once been. It was by far the highest building in the city, perfectly circular it stretched impossibly high, past even the Sprites' cottages on the mountain, and seemed to almost touch the clouds overhead. When they drew close Sasuke noticed that it looked as ancient as the cobbled street it stood by, hundreds, maybe even a thousand years old or more. The stone looked weathered and old, yet intact, and it gave off an air of ancient power. The windows, placed in circles around the tower at exactly the same distance in neat rows, were whole but dark and empty-looking. The giant metal doors were sealed shut.

When he turned to look at Naruto and ask more about the tower he caught the look that had fleeted by on the blonde's face so many times, now in place as he looked up at the distant top of the tower. He looked forlorn, or maybe just like someone who knows too much. Naruto's blue eyes expressed emotions Sasuke had never felt, and could not understand.

"It's as old as the city", said Naruto, the look replaced by a small smile, "they say it was built to watch over the city and the land, back when Konh only stretched as far as you can see from the top", he turned to look at Sasuke, "some say the founders of our country –great magicians –lived there." The tracker looked at the entrance.

"What's inside?", he asked.

"The key was lost long ago", Naruto answered, "and it is protected by magic so no one can enter without it. That's why it's intact still, the magic keeps it from falling apart."

They stood silent, looking up at the grand stature. Finally, Naruto grabbed his arm and dragged him away to look at the guilds, but the strange building, and its mixed sensation of power and shelter, did lingered in Sasuke's thoughts for many hours.

That night was the best one yet, after a late supper they stood on the balcony and watched the festivities unfurl beneath them. Though it was not strictly Christmas Eve just yet the people of the city had already started rejoicing that the Midwinter Celebrations were about to begin. It was a spectacle unlike any Sasuke had seen in another city, though all people –northerners especially –celebrated the last festival of the year. The market had transformed from a raging trading-area to row upon row of booths selling masks, popular cuisine and decorations, and it had spread across the city like wildfire, filling every street and square. Between the stands milled thousands of people and magical beings dressed in colourful clothing and glittering jewellery. When midnight drew nigh the fireworks began; exploding flames in every colour and shape: fierce dragons that swooped down on the city, giant trees of emerald and gold that towered above them in the skies, a thousand Fae –made solely from painted sparks –shot through the heavens. The spectacle enraptured the Tracker, awed him in ways that he had not been awed in years. And then it happened.

Sasuke did not know who started it; he only knew that it happened. Filled with childish thrill he had turned to Naruto, he had looked down into azure eyes, and time had stood still. Still to the day he died he could not tell who had closed the distance between them, who had leaned down or up to capture the lips of the other. He could not remember who had deepened the kiss, who had taken the lead inside, who had been the first to grab a hold of the other in a grip that threatened to never let go.

But he did know the softness of the carpet indoors as they lay down it, the heat of Naruto's tanner skin against his own, the fire in his veins as he kissed the blonde over and over, traced patterns on his flesh and explored every inch of Naruto's body. He recalled the blazing lust in blue eyes, the urgency in blunt nails against his back, the passion of wanton lips.

He knew that he, despite never having practiced intimacy with another man, knew what to do. Knew to trail his fingers across the soft skin of Naruto's thighs and push the digits inside him, knew to prepare him with mumbled words and butterfly kisses across collarbone and chest. He remembered the desire in his limbs as he looked down on the other, as he saw this man he had come to call friend –completely his. And it was unlike any love or wanting he had ever experienced.

He never forgot the feeling of being one with the other. Of sliding into him with a caution and hunger he had never cared to practice. Of feeling Naruto's slim legs around him, the blonde's breathing uneven against his neck as he moved. Of hearing the soft sounds, the quiet moans, of both himself and Naruto as he pushed ever deeper into the thick heat of the figure beneath him. Nor did he forget that as they drew closer to the edge of white oblivion, while the fireworks blasted the sky outside and the distant shouts and laugher of the people below accompanied that of their own quick breathing and loud, wanton noises, he felt for the first time in his life the magic in the air all around them, the invisible crackling embers of the world, and he felt a connection of deep, ancient kind between them. It was a rope, twined around their tangled bodies, which whispered of greater things, of fate and suffering.

Sasuke did not think, throughout his life, that he would be unable to recall the moment that they came, how Naruto's beautiful eyes –so erratic and expressive –hid behind his lids, how his own closed without a thought, how the blonde tugged him down for one last kiss, and how magic, lust and heat –mingled and morphed –exploded within him. Unearthly pleasure, then darkness.

When he woke the next morning Naruto was nowhere to be found. He was in the master bedroom, though how he got there he did not know, and he knew instinctively that the house was empty. Bleak, winter sun filtered through the vines that grew across the window and shed light on the crumpled bedclothes, and he knew –without any evidence –that another body had lain there during the night, curled up against him.

He was in a state that could not be described in words, the euphoria of the night lingered yet mixed with emptiness and sorrow for which he had no explanation. As he dressed and ate of the bread, fruit and nuts in the kitchen he came to terms with this strange melancholy.

Uchiha Sasuke had learned, through years of experience and a lifetime of observation, to never trust anything but the hard facts and his own wit and knowledge. Yet, ever since he came to this place he had relied more on instinct and certainty of heart or soul than his own mind. It was easy, he concluded, to be enveloped in the magic of Konh. And, he realised a split-second later, in the mystery of Naruto.

Still that very instinct and certainty was what told him that if he trusted his mind, he would never see the blonde again, and that he –for the first time in his life –did not want to let this human slip away from him. The more he tried to think, the more indisputable became his intuition, and the more firm his belief that if he did not act he would lose his blue-eyed friend.

In this battle of minds and heart the words that his mentor –a man of strange customs yet much knowledge –had told him long ago came back to him.

"Sasuke", Orochimaru had said in his usual, soft voice. They had travelled together for years then, and Sasuke's training was nearly finished, "there is one important thing I have left to tell you." The youth had turned to his mentor, surprised since Orochimaru was never overly-dramatic; it simply wasn't in his nature. The man had come to Sasuke's city when the raven was just a child, and with his gentle voice he had enthralled the boy, made him fall in love with the life of the Trackers. He frightened many, with his snake-like manners and bizarre, golden eyes, but Sasuke had never feared him, and he had taught the youth more than any other. Besides, though Orochimaru's odd ways could be questioned, Sasuke liked the smooth, soundless behaviour and the man's lacking need for theatrics.

And now the man was looking more serious than Sasuke had ever seen him, a steely glint in his eyes that told the raven that he would probably disagree with his mentor on whatever was to be said, and his long limbs perfectly still beneath the canopy of the forest. So still, indeed, that he nearly shrank into the shadows and vanished, a skill Sasuke had often wished he too possessed.

"Yes?", he answered tersely, not liking the sombre mood, and quite impatient to move on so they could reach the city they were heading towards, where a hot bath and lavish food awaited them. Orochimaru was silent for a long time before speaking.

"I have taught you, and you know instinctively –blessed as you are by a genius mind –to never trust anything but your own wit and perception", said his mentor, Sasuke listened with rapt attention, he knew by the grave voice that the delicate words were imperative, "I have told you that this is the only way to avoid deception by lies or magic, and I have spoken the truth." Orochimaru inhaled soundlessly. "But you most also know, child, that what makes a man of honour and wisdom is neither his mind nor his knowledge. It is his heart and soul. And to become truly strong, or wise, you must learn when it is time to abandon the voice of reason and follow your instinct alone. Only one who knows this, and who recognises the time to follow his heart's instruction, is truly a man of the world." Sasuke watched him when he had finished speaking.

"I know to trust my instincts", he said. Orochimaru shook his head.

"The instinct of survival is simply another word for perception", he murmured, "this has nothing to do with caution, and everything to do with forsaking caution." Sasuke snorted.

"He who would forsake caution is a fool", he said coldly, "and will end up dead in a heartbeat." Once again Orochimaru shook his head, as if Sasuke was but an ignorant child –the raven hated it.

"No, Sasuke. In nearly all times that is the truth, but the times when it is not are also the times of great change. The human heart is wiser and more powerful than any magic, weapon or mind we possess, and to not realise this… that is true folly. And he who would refuse the voice of himself –the better part –is the real fool."

He had remembered this all his life, but never really understood the meaning of Orochimaru's words. And yet now, he thought he might finally appreciate what his mentor had spoken of. And if he was wrong, then he would willingly pay the price for that folly. Filled with the same respect for his mentor which he had known as a child, he left the Sprite's cottage and went to search for Naruto.

He scanned the city, every place they had visited, and many they had not; the orphanage, the square of the Fae where they had met… thrice he got lost, but found his way again. He shuffled through the snowy streets, past the joyful people – all filled with the spirit of the festival. He asked many of them, including people he had met in Naruto's company, but none of them knew who he spoke of when he said the blonde's name, and every one of them assured him that they had seen him in the company of someone with a completely different one. Even the nurses at the orphanage told him that the boy he had been with was not called Naruto, but Kisune. The more people he spoke to, the more confused he became and his head was swarmed with different names for the blonde man he had come to know.

He spent a long time in the south-east quarter –a part of the town he and Naruto had never visited –looking for the blonde's own home. But he still found nothing, not even the whisper of a shadow to tell him that the man named Naruto in fact existed. When the sky grew darker, he made his way up the mountain –frozen to the core and exasperated enough to lose his usual calm demeanour. It wasn't until he reached the stair leading up to the house he had stayed in for days, glancing at the windows to see if there was a fire lit inside, that he remembered one place where he had yet to look.

The path to the grove was more perilous in the dark –the thin trail was slippery with ice, concealed under a blanket of white snow and hard to see in the gathering darkness. At the end of the path he did not even have the faint lights of the city to guide him, since the track twisted 'round the mountain and brought Hachri out of sight.

When he entered the grove, however, he found it illuminated by a mystic light that seemed to emanate from the plants and earth itself, and which was heightened by the presence of a hundred fireflies leisurely dancing around in the warm air. He knew that he had found the right place immediately –not because the blonde was there, but because when the same tug in his attention that he had felt last time, yet stronger, called his attention to the trees by the mountain he did not find it empty like last time.

Between the two grand trees was darkness too thick to be a stony wall and when he closed in on the opening he could see a faint light beyond the shadowy obscurity. He walked in without a trace of hesitation –he was a tracker, unknown territory did not scare him, magical or not –and found that as soon as he entered the blackness it became lighter, like the forest on a night when the moon is full.

The path he was on did not lead into the mountain, of that much he was sure. The walls around him were not made of any earthly substance, and the road ahead seemed to fade out into the distance. He moved just the same, as he had for so many years –one foot before the other, one step at a time. Soon he found that the unreal place made way for a picture in front of him. It grew larger and clearer as he walked ever closer, until it was too large for him to view completely with one glance and he came to a halt before it. He was looking down on the city of Hachri, and the familiar view made him realise that he must be close to the top of the Sprite's village. As he stepped through the picture, however, he did not step onto the familiar, rough stairs, but onto a bridge made of stone. He was certain the crossing had not been there before, and that no one but him could see it now as it wound, unsupported, through the air above the city.

He should have been frightened, or at least worried, by the obviously unnatural construction, and the manner in which he had found it. But instead he practised the collected calm he had spent many years training, and pushed all such thoughts away while he trudged on along the bridge. He could see the small people below, immersed in the magical festivities of Christmas Eve –so far from him in both mind and body.

He knew –in his mind –where the bridge would end, and so was not surprised when he saw his destination, the only place in the city tall and magical enough to be the birthplace of an overpass like the one he was walking on. The tower was massive even from this height, and stretched towards the heavens above him as he drew near. Where the bridge ended, in a grand valve of stone, he found a great wooden door, untouched by time and weather.

It opened easily, swinging outward on well-oiled hinges to let him in. the light in the tower was not unlike that in the grove, it had no source, but still illuminated the room he was in with a faint glow. It was a grand chamber, perfectly round and occupying the entire floor. High walls of stone with arched windows, each a perfect masterpiece in glazier-handiwork and each separated from the next by exquisite mosaics. In the centre of the room, sunk into the floor so one had to step down to reach it, was a circular table of polished black stone, surrounded by fourteen majestic white chairs –they too of polished stone.

Sasuke followed the wall, slowly taking in the mosaics as he passed them. There were fourteen, each depicting a person and each reaching from the floor to the far ceiling of the chamber. The mosaics colouring the air around them he assumed to be symbolic for their magic, for some of them had it pouring from their hands, while others were wrapped in it like a cloak. They all wore the same insignia on some part of their attire; a leaf encased in a flame. He had reached the far side of the room and looked up at the mosaic of a young man with hair red as blood, lidded aquamarine eyes and the insignia placed on the clasp of his cloak, when he noticed the stairs.

He was quite certain they had not been there when he entered the chamber, but suddenly he was at their base, and he could see them winding upwards through the roof, curving along the wall in a spiral. He glanced back at the table and the mosaics, but started climbing. He didn't know how his search for Naruto had led to this, but somehow he was not surprised, and he knew that the stairs were there for him to climb. Trudging up the spiral stairs he passed several rooms; he caught glances of statues, grand rooms and even a chamber filled from floor to ceiling with shelves on which thousands of books stood in neat rows. Along the walls of these rooms were smaller mosaics depicting great wars, kingdoms of ancient legend and even the rise and destruction of the horrendous evil of the Western Kingdom of old. More often than not one or more of the figures from the first chamber were at the centre of these pictures, directing, participating or controlling the events.

Finally the stairs came to an end, and abruptly he felt the icy winter air on his skin for the first time since entering the grove. He had reached the roof, a large, round platform high above ground, covered with snow. Still, he realised, the snow did not cling to dead trees or withered bushes, but to blossoming greenery and clinging ranks with colourful flowers and wide leaves. The winter was as strong here as in any other place, but it did not seem to affect the rooftop garden at all.

He did not pay attention to it for long, however, for at the opposite side of the platform, resting his arms on the top of the stonewall which encased the roof, stood Naruto.

Thick snowflakes were falling, coating the blonde in a mantle of white. Sasuke made his way through the droves towards him, walking as silently as he could –though he had never perfected his mentor's technique. When he was only a few steps away the blonde spoke:

"You found me." Sasuke snorted, found him indeed. Through the worst case of supernatural events he had ever heard of. He moved over to stand next to the blonde, he too resting his elbows on the cold stone. The city lay far away now, its sound muffled into nothingness and only the flickering lights of the lanterns proved that it was even there.

"It wasn't exactly easy", he said. Naruto stared at the distant city below.

"You shouldn't have been able to at all", he said, "but I suppose since it's you I shouldn't be surprised." Sasuke didn't question this further, sensing that he would not receive an answer. Instead he changed the subject, asking what he had spent the whole day wondering.

"Why did you leave?" Naruto still would not look at him.

"It's for the best if we part ways", he said. Sasuke, who was usually a rather even-tempered and unemotional person, felt the spark of anger which had simmered in him all day grow into a scorching flame in his abdomen.

"If you expect me to accept that without reason you really do not know me at all", he answered coldly. Naruto sighed and laid his head to rest on his arms, still propped up on the wall.

"I figured you wouldn't", he mumbled, "but you wouldn't understand." The fury warmed the Tracker's limbs, but he refused to submit to it. Instead, he stared at the lights of Hachri and attempted to clear his head. Somehow, he knew –and had known –that there was something off about Naruto, and considering what he knew of the man he had made an educated guess that it concerned his past. And that Naruto's troubled past was the very thing that had caused the blonde's disappearance that morning. He also knew that though they had spent time getting to know each-other, they had never talked about their childhood or youth, never explained their mannerisms or why they disliked certain things or people. He knew that he would have to begin, but he dreaded it. Sasuke had never enjoyed long speeches, and never had he contemplated making one about himself. He took a deep breath, utilising all the Trackers' methods for inner calm.

"I grew up in Kamiri", he began, Naruto still stared ahead but he could tell that he was listening, "my father, Uchiha Fugaku, is a noble and the protector of the city. He is one of the five King's men in Kumo, amongst the most powerful people in the country." He stared out at the darkness and watched the heavy snow whirl past; it was hard for him to talk about this, in more ways than one. "I have an older brother, Itachi, he's… brilliant. A prodigy, a once-in-a-century genius. I was never good enough to rival him, and my parents never let me forget it. I was always a failure."

He refused to look anywhere but the falling snow as he continued:

"I was jealous of him, but I also loved him. He was my older brother, he…", his speech faltered, and then began anew, "As I grew older my admiration turned to hate. I hated him for getting all the attention, hated him for always stealing the recognition that was rightfully mine." He paused. "And then one day, when I was twelve, a Tracker came to the city and stayed in our citadel. He had delivered a message to father, I think. The Tracker –Orochimaru –was the first, or well, the second –Sakura was the first –to care more about me than my brother. He didn't bother with Itachi at all, but he spent long evenings telling me about the life and trade of his kin. He… changed me. Within a fortnight I had decided to go with him when he left and begin my life as a Tracker." Sasuke smiled as he remembered his awe as a twelve-year-old when faced with a life so different from what he had always known.

"For me", he went on, "a Tracker's life seemed like the ultimate freedom. No rules, no people, no court-manners, no older brothers to outshine you… and to travel the world… my father was furious, of course. He threatened me with all sorts of things, told me I was no son of his. My mother cried. But I was relentless, certain that this was the life I was meant to lead. I don't know how Itachi reacted… he was always good at hiding his emotions." It was easier to talk now, as if a burden was being lifted from his shoulders and chest, making him as light as the snow around them.

"I asked myself many times", he told the darkness, "why I made that choice. Sakura said once that I was running away from my hardships. I was inclined to agree with her until Orochimaru told me that no one who did not love the road and the land could ever keep up with the life of a Tracker, and that his interest in me was no coincidence. Then I started wondering instead, what I was looking for during my travels. Orochimaru is a scientist at heart, and has always travelled in search of new things to study but I…" He stared ahead, no longer seeing the snow or the lights of the city, "I think I have been looking for a place to call home. A place to which I can always return when I am weary and weak. A place which will accept me for who I am, not who I could have been." He paused, gripping at the cold stone with numb fingers. "And I thought I had found it here."

Naruto, for the first time since he arrived, looked up at him. Pain danced in cerulean eyes and the forlorn look that had sometimes crossed his face during the last few days was etched in every feature of his face. They fell silent, for how long Sasuke didn't know. Perhaps a few minutes, perhaps hours or days or weeks. Finally, Naruto spoke:

"I am not a part of this time", he said, and his blue eyes left Sasuke's dark ones to stare at the city once more. Naruto paused for several minutes before continuing: "This tower… was built by a good friend of mine when this city was no more than a Sprite's village and a few human cottages. He built it so that we –my kin –could watch over the land and the city we created. The most magical land in the world." Sasuke couldn't speak. He had known that Naruto was something… else… but he had never thought it would be something like this.

"I grew up long before that", said Naruto, "and though my family –my brothers, my parents –my friends and my lovers grew old and died, I stayed the same. Ages went by, the people of all lands and origins shunned me, called me a monster. Only the folks of magic accepted me. Fae and Sprite's, Spirits and Nymphs…", Naruto trailed off, staring into the distance, "And then I met other like me, others of my kin. It was we who created this land and these cities, and who ruled and protected them for many years." He inhaled sharply. "There were fourteen of us. Gaara –who build this tower –and his lover Neji were my closest friends, but I loved all of them as siblings. That was my age, my time, and it's gone." He finally looked up at Sasuke again, his expression sombre. "They are all gone, Sasuke", he said, "Spirits in the wind. Even Gaara and Neji met their end –together in death as in life. Only I remain. And for hundreds of years I have lived half a life. I no longer wish for the company of others, for I will lose them again before I have had time to know them, and I have often considered…", he studied his fingers, "dying." Then, unexpectedly, he laughed and said:

"But how sad would it not be to end my life in suicide, with no one to miss me and no one to know my deed, when I have lived so long and survived so much?" Sasuke had no answer, he felt cold to the bone though he could not feel the chill of winter anymore. "And then", said Naruto with a voice more bitter than Sasuke had heard from him to that point, "you come along. And you don't even carry magic in your veins so you have no clue how shocked I was that day." He turned to look at the raven, his eyes sharp with the knowledge of an inhumanly long life. "You should feel a trace of it now, though –the connection."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, confused. Connection? He remembered feeling a magical connection the night before, but he had thought that had to do with the magic in the air and Naruto's own supernatural properties. Still, he focused his mind, trying to find it. It was still there, a soft tone reverberating between them, linking them together. He looked into Naruto's blue eyes.

"See?", said the blonde, "it sang in my magic as soon as you entered the city, otherwise I would have never come down from Shikamaru's house. And when I found you… I nearly went deaf. Magically." He glared at the Tracker. "I didn't know what to make of you, a worn and dirty traveller… it made more sense when I learned what you are, though." Sasuke opened his mouth to question this, but was cut off before he had the chance to.

"It was an immortal, a friend of mine, who founded the Trackers", Naruto explained, "and although you don't know it, you are more like magicians than normal folk. Or rather, you are in tune with Mother Nature's magic, and so with the weave of the world." Sasuke didn't fully understand, but decided to stay silent; the blonde seemed to be getting irate. "I didn't know what to do with you!" Naruto exclaimed, "I have never felt a magic link that strong to another human, so I couldn't just leave you alone, and then it just… escalated." He slumped on the wall, as if all power had suddenly left him. Sasuke smirked, gently placing a hand on the smaller man's head and weaving his fingers through blonde tresses.

"I was quite confused myself", he admitted, "until I remembered something my Mentor told me long ago; about abandoning reason and whatnot." Naruto glanced up at him.

"You passed through the tower on your way here", he said quietly, "you saw the difference in our worlds. And…", he looked down at the stone, "I can't take losing another person. And I know that if I let this go on…" Sasuke frowned.

"So you'll go on living without purpose?" he snapped, the fury of before back in full swing, "you'll rot away here on your own?"

"You don't understand", Naruto whispered, "you don't know what it feels like to see the people you know and love and care about grow old and die while you're still the same, stuck in time."

"I don't care", Sasuke deadpanned, "so I grow old and die? At least you've known me until then haven't you? It's better to have a lifetime than no time at all." He was still running his fingers through the blonde's hair, but they were shaking with anger.

"You'll grow to hate me too", murmured Naruto, "because I will be young forever. You'll say you won't but you will…" Sasuke retracted his fingers, and placed both hands on Naruto's shoulders instead, pulling him away from the edge and spinning him around to face him.

"Listen", he said and looked straight into the blue eyes of the shorter man, "I don't know what it feels like to live forever, but you sound as if you've forgotten how to live at all. I don't care if people have hated you before; I thought you would know that I am not like normal people." He brought up a hand to caress the other's cheek. "Naruto." He put all the power and stubbornness he possessed into that one word. "In a few days I will leave Hachri. I have to carry a reply to my father. Then, I am free to go wherever I please. Come with me."

"I have seen the world a hundred times over", said Naruto. Sasuke shook his head.

"No. You have seen a hundred worlds. The world changes, and so does the people and creatures in it. You have never seen the world as it is now, its cities and roads and forests and rivers and seas. And you have never seen the world with me." He couldn't read the expression on Naruto's face, but continued all the same. He had never met a person able to make him trust his feelings rather than his head, and who could make him laugh so lightly and often, but the blonde had managed that and he would not let him go, "and when I die, then at least you will know that you have made my life better than it would have been without you."

"Sasuke…"

"Besides", Sasuke pushed on relentlessly, "there is evil stirring in the south. I've felt it myself. Perhaps, if you are lucky", he smirked, "neither of us will live through the storm that is coming, and you will get your hero's death. And I will never have to grow old." Naruto smiled, very slightly, at him.

"Well that sounds unpleasant." He remarked.

"I've heard death often is", Sasuke replied, smiling down at the blonde.

"Perhaps…", said Naruto pensively, "I have stayed here for too long and wallowed in my own misery. I was known for my positive attitude once, you know." Sasuke laughed.

"Idiot", he said affectionately and ruffled Naruto's blonde hair so the snow that had clung to it melted against his fingers, "so what do you say? Will you come with me and face our doom in the deserts of the southlands?" Naruto grinned at him.

"Only if I can show you all the places along the way that I have lived in, helped build or put into ruins", he said cheekily.

"Sounds fair." Naruto opened his mouth to say something more, but was silenced by forceful lips. Sasuke wound his arms around the blonde's waist and drew him close, deepening the kiss. His eyes closed, he only felt Naruto relax against him and realised that he had won, not a battle of words, but he had conquered one of those moments in time Orochimaru had talked about. Then, he paid the thought no more heed and immersed himself in kissing Naruto, feeling his arms around his neck, the warmth of his body, the smell of herbs and caramel.

The snow whirled around them, two people at the top of a tower to which no human had entrance. Below them, the city of Hachri celebrated Christmas Eve, the day of the year when the magic was the thickest and the icy chill the worst. But though snowflakes caught in their hair and eyelashes, the two men were not cold. And although danger from the south threatened the world and they had met only days before, they felt no fear, and had no doubts.

Many pens have told the story of Naruto –last of the Immortals –and Sasuke –the swiftest Tracker of the age –as they travelled the world and faced their demons. Few are those who have not heard of their bravery at the great siege of the eastern walls, or their cleverness when they were trapped in the ancient keep of Jinchuuriki. There are many songs of their part in the last battle against the southern armies, when evil at last was thrown back and defeated.

It is said, that after the menace was chased away they travelled together to every land and every people, across the seas and to lands unknown to any but the most adventurous. And it is told that when Sasuke at last was taken by age, his hair white as snow and his back and knees bent, they vanished. Some say, however, amongst the Sprites in particular, that they did not disappear, but travelled on their last journey together to the north, to their home. A few say that they disappeared into the Tower where no man can set foot, and has not been seen since. Though if you would ask a Nymph or a Sprite, or the Spirits of the earthly matters, they would tell you that if you climb the mountain as far as you can reach, to the edge where the snow of the peak begins, and look down upon the city of Hachri; then if the day is clear and your eyes sharp, you might see at the top of the Tower a great white tomb, wide enough for two, encased in a garden that blossoms even in the darkest and coldest of winters.

A/N: Phew. It's done. And in time for Christmas Eve too… Well, Merry Christmas Everyone!
Question: If you had one wish, whatever you wanted, what would you ask for for Christmas?

PLEASE REVIEW little darlings! I've pulled a lot of all-nighters for your sake to finish this;)

Update: The New Year's eve story is on ice for the moment, more info on my profile:)

~Note: The Names of Lands and Cities are versions made by me –without much thought –of the names in Naruto. I do not know if they actually mean something.
Konh – Konohagakure.
Hachri – Hachibi + ri (I realise that this one does not follow the pattern, but Hi no Kuni is boring to make a name out of)
Kumo – Kumogakure
Kamiri – Kaminari no Kuni
Some things like the Plains of Gratitude or Forest of Sey are just made up.

Happy Christmas
Yours truly

~DoD