Legend of the Lovers
folder
Naruto AU/AR › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
1
Views:
1,356
Reviews:
4
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0
Currently Reading:
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Category:
Naruto AU/AR › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
1
Views:
1,356
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I don't own Naruto, I just play and I don't make a profit from this.
Legend of the Lovers
This is based loosely on Pele's Revenge, an old folklore I found somewhere. And yeah, I do live, expect normal updates in the near future since I have a life again.
~~ The trunk of the tree was twisted, the grooves were deep with age as it wound around itself as it reached for the sky. It always caught the eye of those who passed it, how could it not with its gnarled branches and disfigured trunk? But as the tree reached the top, the most beautiful dark blue flowers bloomed, their rarity making it a crime against the gods if they were picked.An old woman, her once black hair now gone white, stood at the tree and bowed her head in prayer, a small child at her side gazing at her as if she were crazy. After she said her prayers, he tugged on her hand impatiently, dark round eyes wide with curiosity.
“Grandmamere, why do you pray to that ugly tree?” The child asked, cocking his head as a fond smile passed over her lips.
“Because this ugly tree, as you put it, child, is my Oncle Itachi and my Oncle Naruto. I was only a little girl when my Grandpere Sasuke told me the tale of his brother,” she answered, patience shining in her own dark eyes.
“How can that tree be your oncles?” He asked, scrunching his nose as he thought about how painful it would be to have your body twisted into something that hideous and not to be able to move around. His young mind could not wrap his head around what offense was given against the gods to punish them so if that was the case.
“They were transformed, Naruto by a jealous god who had coveted him and Itachi...well why don’t I tell you the story, hm?” She asked, chuckling when the child nodded enthusiastically. She led him to tree, sitting down as her old bones cracked with age and patted the soft grass beside her, “come sit and let me tell you the story of Naruto and Itachi and this hauntingly beautiful tree.”
--
A tan blur flashed through the forest, slightly long, wild blond hair flowing behind him as the body skidded to a halt on the edge of the forest. It was forbidden for him to step beyond his prison, but ever since he had caught the glimpse of a local village man, the temptation had became too much and Naruto just couldn’t help himself, he longed to be free and to pursue his own wants.
As he gazed out to the village a few yards away,Naruto couldn’t help the rebelliousness that rose up within him, for so long he had lived under the forest gods thumb, always catering to its needs. But Naruto had longed for freedom, a life away from the canopy of the forest and to find someone to love outside of the forest and away from Kurama. Naruto wanted to be his own person and be able to think for himself, not take orders from a god that was spoiled beyond belief.
A foot stepped out of the forest and Naruto felt the bonds of his imprisonment disappear with every step he took away from the dark forest. His heart felt light for the first time in his life and Naruto grinned widely as he walked through the field, the sun warm on his skin even though it was blinding him. Kurama couldn’t reach him beyond the forest and Naruto had never been happier. He took his time walking through the meadow, the grass so high that it touched his hip, Naruto had never seen the world outside of the forest.
Bright blue eyes took in every detail of the open world around him, the forest had been dark, sunlight barely filtering through the canopy of leaves and branches that intertwined to create villages connected by them, it was how the long forgotten people of the forest lived in these shifting times where the gods were fading and no one believed in magic anymore. The Great Purge of centuries ago had left a deep scar on his people who hid among the humans or retreated so deep into nature that they would never find them.
Their world was so secretive that it suffocated Naruto to the point that he would sneak out to the the top canopy of the forest and find himself a good strong spot to lie in the sun. It was the closest he could get to actual freedom at the time and he took advantage of the free time he had when Kurama wasn’t summoning him for some inane reason.
But now Naruto was free of the forest that bound him to Kurama and it meant he could start anew in the nearest village. He had no illusions that it would be hard to start up again, especially when he was a stranger no one had ever seen before. Naruto had some knowledge of human customs since he was naturally curious about them and he himself was a human. He knew nothing of his species and felt a hollowness in his heart because he was not permitted to interact with them.
He felt the invisible chains of his captor fade away as he moved further and further away from the forest, covering ground due to secrets he had learned from the forest creatures he had made friends with. Naruto was considered a child of the forest because he had been raised there under Kurama and no had dared to challenge the forest god’s will. The children were afraid of the fox god’s mighty temper and with good reason, in the days of old, Kurama would decimate whole villages if something was not to his liking.
It wasn’t long before Naruto spotted a village, a huge grin split his lips as he caught sight of children playing on the outskirts, mothers performing their daily duties as they kept an eye on the playing bodies. They were aware of the dangers that laid beyond the protection of a village and could defend themselves if the men were away. But children were a different story, they had no understanding of danger and would more than likely take it as play. The game the children were playing was halted as they caught sight of the blond stranger, moving to stand behind their mother’s skirt as the women inspected him, frowning as they examined him.
“And who might you be?” One of the women asked harshly, grasping the crude broom in her hand as her blue eyes roamed Naruto’s body suspiciously. They more than likely thought him some thief or another and was here to take what he could from them.
“I’m Naruto, I’m traveling far from home to see the world,” the half-lie slipped out of his mouth easily as he grinned, a hand scratching the back of his neck nervously. He tried to present himself as innocent, though he wondered if that only set them on edge even more.
“Do you not own anything?” Another woman piped up, her own green eyes looking for any personal effects that Naruto may have had if were indeed a traveler like he claimed. Naruto felt naked under their gaze as his feet shifted. How in the world was he going to explain that he had no personal effects, short of being robbed and even then, his excuse would be lame.
“I ran away from home,” this time Naruto stuck to the truth, as the grin fell from his face. He didn’t want to think of what he had left behind in order to escape Kurama. The only thing he had was a leather thong that had a bright blue crystal dangling from it, Naruto refused to leave the last remnant of his birth parents behind. Kurama had tried for the past two decades to take it from him, but the blond had fought him every inch of the way.
Immediately the woman began to fuss over Naruto, bringing him into the village and shoving him into one of the huts, while she prepared a meal consisting of bread and soup. The smell was unlike anything Naruto had ever smelled before, the children of the forest had a different way of preparing foods that was unique to them. But he had never smelled human food before, and it was very enticing.
“What are you making?” He asked curiously as he moved from the table trying to peer over the woman’s shoulders, but was blocked when she bumped out of the way. Even though he was taller than most men, Naruto still couldn’t crane his neck enough to glimpse what was in the pot.
“You will see when I’m finished,” the pink haired chastised as she whacked his hand with a wooden spoon, sending Naruto back to the table to watch as his food was being prepared. “Now I believe you introduced yourself, but none of us have yet. I’m Sakura and that useless cow over there is Ino.”
Naruto followed Sakura’s hand and stared at a blond woman with blue eyes, the woman rolled her eyes at the barb, but didn’t say anything otherwise. Naruto guessed it had been common for these two to squabble, he already liked the feeling of being in this village and it seemed like the people were reasonable enough if the women were anything to go by. Naruto seriously hoped he could stay here, it was so different from the forest that he was instantly in love with it.
If he could stay here for the rest of his life, Naruto would be content, he could learn about the culture he was denied by Kurama for most of his life. He knew he had been lucky that this had been the first village he happened upon, with seemingly nice people. He couldn’t imagine if he had stumbled on a town of vagrants or even a group of bandits. They had been common in the forest, trying to make it their home before the children would either force them out or slaughter them at night.
“So tell us, where are you from? We rarely get visitors from the direction you traveled,” Sakura asked with an easy smile as he set the meal down in front of Naruto. It was a dish the blond had never seen before and he shakily grabbed the rough looking utensils Sakura laid out before him.
“I’m from the other side of The Great Forest,” he answered as truthfully as possible, If he were to tell her that he was from the forest itself, he knew his life would be forfeit.
The women in the hut gasped as their hands flew to their mouths, their eyes were scared as they swiveled around the room, looking for any creature that might have latched onto Naruto. But when they were sure there was no such thing in the home, they looked back to the blond.
“How did survive the forest? Everyone knows that it is forbidden to enter since you never come back alive,” Sakura asked, taking a seat next to Naruto and studying the young man.
A hand immediately went to the back of his head and Naruto scratched it nervously, he had no lie lined up for this question and had no idea what to say. Kurama had anyone who entered the forest murdered before they took even five steps, and to come up with an answer would appease Sakura would be hard.
“Is it that gem?” Ino asked, eyeing the necklace that hung from Naruto’s neck. A hand immediately grasped as Naruto smiled sadly.
“My parents gave it to me they died and left me in the care of my oncle. I hadn’t realized that this gem had a protection spell on it,” Naruto answered, the smile still on his face. He didn’t want to think about his parents, not now when he was with strangers. Shukaku would have made fun of him for such a thought as crying for people he didn’t know.
“Oh that has to be it!” Sakura stated, clasping her hands together as he green eyes glowed. “Such a sad story! We’ll make sure you’re taken care of here! The men should be back soon from their hunting, one of our younger boys finally became a man today! We’re celebrating tonight and with you here, you can help us finish the chores!”
Blue eyes went wide at the hard glint that seemed to have entered Sakura’s eyes. He wasn’t even here for but for a few moments and they were already putting him to work. But he supposed that was the way of the world and he could tell that they needed help with the heavier lifting if his observation from earlier was anything to go by.
“Uh, sure, I don’t see why I can not help you since you did make me this food,” Naruto answered, watching the smiles that split the women’s faces and he knew whatever he had signed on for was something the village men had avoided at all costs.
By the time the sun was setting, the village had been decorated to the women's specifications, Naruto was dog tired from all the labor but to see them happy only made him smile brighter. The work had been hard, but he would rather have done it than let the women attempt it. He had removed his vest long ago, the sun was too harsh and the fur only made him that much hotter as he worked. Sakura had promised to take good care of the vest, though he wasn’t sure what that meant and hadn’t put another thought towards it, he only hoped that it came back in one piece.
The line of men in the distance had the women cackling as their silhouettes disturbed the beautiful sunset. But Naruto could tell they were excited, apparently they hadn’t had a celebration like this in ages and were excited about it. For one night they could forget about the dark forest that laid beyond their village and how they couldn’t cross it to visit the villages on the other side to trade. In the East, from Naruto understood, was a village who didn’t trade at all and kept their wares to themselves, never letting anyone from the outside visit unless they were going to stay permanently.
Shielding his eyes from the sun, Naruto could tell there were several men and they were carrying big game with them, he knew it wasn’t from the forest, so that meant whatever animal they had, probably had wandered out of the forest and they had taken advantage of that. It almost looked like a bear, Naruto’s eyes were sharp, they had to be when he was dealing with Kurama and his temper. He had learned to hide his bulky fairly well over the years when the fox god was furious with him.
Blue eyes widened in shock from the roof as they caught sight of the human that he had seen before. The man who had stood outside of his prison and stared at it as though it were some puzzle to be solved. Naruto didn’t know his name, but knew that he would soon come to find out. Slipping from the roof, he landed on his feet gracefully, years of racing through the trees in the forest had done wonders for his balance and taking impacts like that. A few of women looked on in shocked before swooning over how amazing he was.
Naruto wasn’t used to such attention, especially by women. In the forest, if anyone else had so much as looked at him with a hint of want in their eyes, it caused Kurama to rampage. A giant fox with nine tails was something that was hard to calm down. But somehow Naruto had pulled it off every time, the forest had taught him techniques that were never available to humankind and he thanked it every time.
The men entered the village, those who had wives were greeted by the fussy women as they went over their man with a fine toothed comb. When they were satisfied that there no injuries, they gave them a quick kiss on the cheek before sending them off to wash up and change clothing.
“Here’s your vest, I cleaned it up for you since it seemed dirty,” Sakura’s voice distracted Naruto from the greetings as he smiled widely.
“Thank you, Sakura. So this celebration, how long will it last?” He asked curiously, he had never seen a human celebration and knew that the ones the children of the forest had lasted for days with copious amount of wine and ale. He didn’t know if humans were the same way, hopefully he would see something new and exciting tonight.
“Throughout the night, it is the only time besides weddings that we allow ourselves some celebration,” Sakura answered, her green eyes watching the men. “We have a lot to be thankful for, but we also have so much work to do around the village that we can not celebrate all the time. But we allow ourselves nights like these because we know we deserve them. Other people may not believe us about the fox god that lives in the forest, but we know he exists and every time we celebrate it reminds us that we’re here to celebrate. We can not take things for granted and never do.”
“Then you go celebrate, thank you for cleaning my vest up,” Naruto said, the grin still in place though his heart was heavy. To celebrate even though you knew your village could be decimated at any time struck something deep within the blond.
“Sakura, who is this?” Naruto froze as he caught sight of the man that had been haunting him ever since he saw him. The man was even more beautiful up close, and the blond could tell that he was older, but still looked quite good even though he had more than likely been at least three decades old. Long dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail as long bangs framed the pale face, a long straight nose complemented the man’s face well. If Naruto hadn’t been attracted to him before, he was now.
“This is Naruto, Itachi,” the woman said pleasantly as she pushed the blond closer to her brother-in-law. “He’ll be staying here from now on, he traveled through the forest to get here!”
“It’s a pleasure,” Itachi answered though his tone told a different story as he offered his hand to the taller man and shook it. Naruto felt how strong his grip was and was surprised, it was stronger than he would have thought and returned it with his own strong one.
“The same, your women are something,” Naruto said, he was nervous because he never thought he would see this man again. The smooth skin sent a spark through him and Naruto knew he had to have Itachi, but he didn’t know a thing about the man and made a silent vow that he would change that.
“We can’t always protect them and so we take precautions,” Itachi looked to Sakura and gave her a concerned look. “Why don’t you go go find Sasuke, I believe he missed you.”
Sakura snorted before giving Itachi a peck on the cheek, “I think time would stop if that man ever admitted to missing me.”
The silence between the two men was loud in Naruto’s ears, without Sakura there to fill it, he felt lost. Looking to Itachi, he gave the smaller man a tentative smile, showing the man just how nervous he was. It was something Naruto rarely did, but he was intruding on this village and basically had no place in it, he hoped by showing how sincere he was that he would be well received.
“I don’t know what you told our women, but I will keep an eye on you. People do not travel through that forest and live,” Itachi’s voice was like the ice in the winter, hard, sharp and cold. His eyes though, dark as they were, were even colder and Naruto’s heart dropped. He knew that wooing this man would not be easy.
“You’re right,” Naruto snorted, crossing his arms and looking to the forest, his blue eyes weary as he thought of his life. “I left, slipped out under the watch of the sun.”
“If that god comes here looking for you, I will not hesitate to hand you over,” Itachi warned, dark eyes narrowing at the taller man. “I will not have my people die because you refused Kurama’s will.”
“I understand,” Naruto answered, blue eyes going to the ground. He knew it would be a long, hard road to win the trust of these people, especially if the word of where he came from spread around. “I only wish that you do not tell them the truth, they like what I told them and have been making up wild stories all day, it helped them with their work and setting up the celebration.”
By now large fires had been lit, the flames dancing and lighting the night sky that had draped the world. They lit Itachi’s skin with a glow that made the man look as though he were a descendant of the heavens.
“They do love their stories,” Itachi mumbled sourly, his dark gaze wandering to the fires and watching them, the red flames dancing in the dark eyes. “I will have an eye on you, Naruto. If you do anything to endanger this village or the people that live here...”
“You don’t have to threaten me,” the blond replied, rolling his eyes. He had never met a being that was as stubborn as this one. But he supposed, determined would be a better word to describe the man he had only known a few minutes.
“I do,” Itachi answered, turning his eyes to the younger man. “You will stay with me in my home, you will not stray far from my sight and you will not be allowed weapons.”
The blond head only nodded in response, the long wild hair shaking and dancing red in the glow of the fires. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his freedom, especially now that he was finally free of the forest, did this man not know anything? Of course the children of the forest never wandered to share their knowledge with humans. He followed the man when he began to move through the huts, not saying a word as people greeted Itachi with respect and asked him small favors.
It seemed that the man was a leader of sorts in the village and took care of it. If Itachi had a wife, Naruto wondered where she was. He knew there was not always the chance that someone had the same preference as he did. And if he got his hopes up, only for them to come crashing down around him, Naruto didn’t want to think having to wander alone in this world without someone who genuinely loved him. Living in the forest, he had been deprived of affection, Kurama preferring to keep the human by his side.
With a heavy look in his eyes, Naruto looked to the sky and sent off a silent prayer that he would make a decent life here and that Itachi’s untrust would ebb away with time as he proved himself to be a good person and not some monster that the man believed him to be. All Naruto wanted was one chance to prove himself to Itachi and make the man see that he was not a threat.
The weeks had melted together and Naruto found himself a place among the women as their handyman of sorts, Itachi wouldn’t allow him to go on the hunts, preferring to leave the blond among the women as a sign that he was not accepted. But for whatever reason, it didn’t bother Naruto, he found the easy chatter between them fun and light.
They were always thankful to him, he made sure that he done the heavier jobs that the women otherwise left until last. Naruto wouldn’t let them lift a finger to help, and had won them over with that alone. He had only wished that Itachi could see that he fit in here, despite the fact that he refused to groom his hair and preferred to sleep outside on clear nights under the stars.
It was as if Itachi was purposely keeping him at arm’s length, not engaging in any conversation when Naruto tried to strike one up. But Itachi only gave him a serious glare before stalking off to his room, ordering that he not be disturbed unless someone from the village needed him. Naruto didn’t know what the man did in there, and when he had tried to pry, Itachi had only banished him from the house for a few nights, he had to go stay with the man’s brother, Sasuke.
Sakura had always enjoyed having him over, her belly was round with child and Naruto had taken to making her things for the newborn when he would arrive into the world. He had already made a crib with intricate designs of a tree canopy with birds and bugs zooming over it. On the what looked to be the forest floor, there were animals such as deer and bears lining up.
Sakura had loved the crib when she first laid eyes on it, praising Naruto’s talents and asking him what other things he could make. And soon, the blond had his own little trade set up in town, he made all kinds of wooden trinkets for the children, whether it was a surprise from a family member or just something the child had asked for.
It had taken a lot of arguments for Naruto to accept some kind of payment for his work. It didn’t feel right to him to be given payment for something he enjoyed doing and came naturally to him. But after several people had left him some form of payment behind, Naruto had begun to start taking them. He didn’t care what he received, just as long as his work was appreciated.
Today he had done all the hard work and finished early, it felt good to have worked in the early morning, the sun barely rising across the horizon and the cool breeze tickling his skin. He always worked shirtless, making the women swarm around as he worked. It didn’t matter if they had sweethearts, the sight of Naruto sweaty had them swooning and stopping to stare at him.
Naruto had come to love the village in the short time he was here and normally had a smile on his face whenever he was out of Itachi’s house. Sasuke was more talkative than his brother most times and if Naruto wanted a good conversation, he had to go to the younger man. It was often that his thoughts turned to what he had done wrong to Itachi, why the man was so against him staying in the village. The excuse of being attached to Kurama was one he hated and Naruto wanted to punch Itachi in the face, but after dealing with the fox god all of his life, the blond would just deflate and dejectedly turn away from Itachi.
Giving up was not an option, at least not for Naruto. So he started to do small chores around Itachi’s home, making the man raise an eyebrow, but there had been no other reaction. Naruto was to the point of just saying to hell with it, when a voice called his name.
It was frail, but yet it held all the hope in the world, turning his head, Naruto saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his existence. There was no doubt that she was Itachi’s mothers, the facial features gave it away too easily. So he went up to her and smiled, though he was nervous as to why she would want an audience with him. Itachi was always with once a day, and he didn’t know went on at these meetings, though he supposed it was a son taking care of a mother.
“Come inside, Naruto,” Mikoto said softly, a charming smile on her lips as she gestured the blond into her home.
He complied, only because he didn’t want to upset the mother of his current love interest, Naruto knew if he messed this up, Itachi would be even colder than ever. The house was decorated with several word carvings picturing animals and crude young boys. He was fascinated with them as blue eyes studied the art form, taking in how exquisite every piece was.
“My late husband made those,” Mikoto’s soft tone broke through the silence as she sat down on a chair, motioning for Naruto to follow her actions.
“They’re very well made,” Naruto commented, smiling easily as he sat, his eyes roaming over Mikoto’s ill frame. Sasuke had talked of his mother and how she was ill most of the time, the village didn’t really have a healer of any sort and so Mikoto had struggled with her illness for a little over a year now.
“He loved making them, and the rumor is, you have quite the talent as well, Naruto.” Mikoto handed Naruto a cup of water as she watched him. “You care an awful lot for my son.”
The large body froze as if he were a child caught with the day’s pie in his hands, he hadn’t known it was that obvknown it was quite that obvious how he felt for Itachi. Naruto thought he had hidden it well. He took a sip of his drink as he eyed Mikoto, trying to work out her intention, but her face didn't give her thoughts away. He was nervous, Naruto wouldn't lie about that. Mikoto had a commanding presence around her that demanded your respect.
"I do," he answered evenly, not wanting to lie to her in case she were in favor of this union. "But I am afraid that I will have to give up. "
"Now why would you do that?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as if she didn't understand him.
"Well, if he is not interested in me, why should I continue to chase him?"
"So you're giving because my songs playing hard to get? That doesn't sound like you from what I've gathered from the gossip."
"Well, no, but I'm not going to force myself on someone who won't even talk to me even though I speak until my throat is hoarse. I'm not that kind of person," Naruto growled, even though he hadn't meant to. The thought of what Kurama had done to him swept up to the front of his mind as he tried to forget it. He had a new life now, here in Konoha and he planned to keep it that way. The forest god had no place in his life now and he wouldn't let him rule his life any longer.
Mikoto’s laughter filled the house as Naruto gaped at her, wondering why she was laughing, her small frame shaking with the effort. “I’m sorry, it’s just that Itachi has always been a serious child and I was hoping he would grow out of it, but he is thirty summers old now and I am afraid that if he has not grown out of it by now, he never will. You just have to push harder, Naruto, and prove to him that you want to be with him for life, my son will take nothing less that.”
Just as Naruto was about to answer her, Mikoto started to cough violently, her dainty hand flying to her mouth to catch the blood that spilled from her mouth. Naruto jumped from his seat and hovered over her, trying to remember what to do in this type of situation, he saw a cloth sitting nearby on the table and quickly grabbed it, pressing it to Mikoto’s mouth as she grasped it from him. Naruto had seen this sickness before among the humans and knew of only one person who could help Mikoto this far into it, but he would have to travel through Kurama’s forest to get there. But if it made Itachi happy to have his mother healthy, then he would gladly do it.
“I want you to rest, I know of someone who can cure you, it will take me two days to go there and come back,” Naruto explained as he helped the woman to her feet and guided to her to her room and to her warm bed. “I will be back before you know it.”
The village was finally in sight and Naruto grinned, he had made it back before two days were up, something that made him proud since it meant that Mikoto could be treated sooner rather than later. But his protesting body made the pain known as he picked up his pace, the journey hadn’t been without incident and he tried his best to hide even though Chiyo was already eyeing him suspiciously, the old woman didn’t say anything but Naruto had a feeling she was aware of his condition but didn’t say anything out of respect.
Mikoto’s health was much more important than his own, she was living on borrowed time as it was and if Chiyo exhausted herself on Naruto, she would not be able to heal the sickly woman. But Naruto also knew the healing ways of the children of the forest and could at least care of the minor stuff himself, like the huge gash in his leg from an encounter with some of the wild life, trying to prevent him from passing through the forest.
He pushed the elder of Suna along, knowing that she could easily could keep up, even at her old age. If Naruto hadn’t been a friend of Gaara, having saved the boy when he was younger, there was no way the old woman would have been able to step one foot outside of her village. Finding Mikoto’s house wasn’t hard, the town was still asleep in the early morning light, not a soul stirring just yet.
Letting himself into the dark house, Naruto guided Chiyo around in the dark, he wouldn’t light candles just yet, wanting this to happen without Itachi's interference. Mikoto’s room was silent except for the sound of her labored breathing, something Naruto didn’t want to hear because of what it could mean. Stepping lighting on the floor, he rounded her bed and gently shook her shoulder, ignoring his own as she stirred, blinking confused dark eyes at him as she woke.
“I thought you would not be so soon,” she whispered, as if were a ghost paying her a visit.
“I made good time,” Naruto answered, easily hiding his pain with his gruff voice. “This is Chiyo of Suna, she is the healer in her village and the best.”
“It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mikoto of the Uchiha clan,” Chiyo stated respectfully. “If I may be allowed to approach the bed, I can assess your condition better have have an idea of the best treatment that will help you.”
Mikoto nodded as Naruto moved, his legs giving out as he fell to the floor in a heap, his body had finally given out on him, his lessons from the forest couldn’t even save him now as his vision swam and finally blacked out, the last thing he saw being Mikoto’s shocked face as she frantically snapped a command at Chiyo.
He could voices, one he recognized and another that was vaguely familiar. The slightest thought hurt his head, but he was determined to know just who was at his side, wiping his forehead with a damp piece of cloth. Not many people actually touched Naruto in the village, they believed him to be some sort of hero since he had passed through the forest unscathed the first time, he could only imagine what they had to say now that he had managed someone through from Suna.
Blue eyes opened and widened in surprise as Naruto recognized Itachi’s hand, which was almost identical to his mothers. The blond head turned, eyes meeting an unreadable dark gaze, Itachi was hard to read the best of times and when his expression like it was now, it was near impossible and frustrated Naruto to no end.
A cup of water handed to the blond and Naruto drank it slowly, knowing that he could easily choke if were to drink it too fast. When his throat was wet and not scratchy he was able to speak finally, though his voice was still hoarse.
“Is your mother better?” Were the first words out of his mouth, Itachi’s face was now readable and Naruto wanted to shrink back at the furious expression.
“What were you thinking traveling through the forest!” Itachi's voice wasn’t raised in volume, but that didn’t stop Naruto from flinching at the older man. “What if Kurama had found you? What would happen to you then? What would happen to me?”
Naruto blinked at the questions, he had always been under the assumption that Itachi had never cared for him, that he was just an annoyance to the older man. To hear the questions flow from the mouth, had him stunned so he couldn’t answer.
“I don’t know how you did it, but,” Itachi hesitated, frowning as though he had to think about his answer carefully. “You are part of my life, do you know how silent my home was without your inane chatter? What possessed you to go get a healer?”
“I wanted to see you happy,” Naruto answered as he sat up, pinning Itachi with sad blue eyes. “You never indicated you wanted me around, and when I learned your mother was ill, I wanted to help her, so you could know how much you mean to me. I wouldn’t travel through that forest again for anyone but you, Kurama’s cronies almost caught me twice.”
Itachi sighed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, his dark eyes still ablaze with fury. “I was a fool, I’ll admit, Naruto. You were different than other pursuers and that threw me off.”
Huffing, Naruto moved from the bed and grabbed Itachi by the collar of his shirt and drug the man into a possessive kiss, not giving the older one time to respond as he hauled the smaller frame into the bed, showing off his impressive strength as the other man yielded to him, elegant hands twining in the blond hair.
Nothing existed but them as the world faded from their minds and they focused on each other,tongues sweeping against each as Itachi brought his body closer to Naruto’s, wanting more contact even though they were clothed. Naruto’s larger hands grasped Itachi’s narrow hips and brought him even closer, there was not a gap in between their bodies as they drank one in another.
As with all kisses, it needed to end so they could breath, their heavy pants filling the air. Naruto rested his forehead against Itachi’s as their breathing regulated and laughed, the sound startling the man in his lap as they tipped over, Naruto’s larger form covering Itachi.
“How’s your mother?” He had to know if his efforts were worth what he had gone through to get Chiyo here to the village, Naruto wanted Mikoto to be alive.
“She’ll be fine, though I am worried that you’re asking about her at a time like this,” Itachi purred, rolling his hips up into Naruto’s, gasping when his erection made contact with the blond’s.
Naruto cursed at the contact, taking Itachi’s hands and pinning them above his head before taking the mouth captive again, harshly nipping the sweet lips before plundering in and taking what he wanted. His imagination had never lived up to this moment, the feel of Itachi’s body against his own was just so much more delectable than his nightly fantasies.
Passion he had never known before welled up from deep within and consumed Naruto as he began to tear furiously at the clothes that kept Itachi’s skin from his view. It was almost as he were possessed by something otherworldly as the clothes were ripped from their bodies and Naruto devoured Itachi’s lips once again, like it was a sweet wine he couldn’t get enough of.
They rubbed against each other, soaking in the feel of skin against skin, the feeling sprinting straight to their bones. They enjoyed the sensations that shuddered through their bodies as their cock rubbed against one another, precome slicking the way.
Teeth broke skin as Naruto thrusted harder, his blood a burning river through his veins as it coursed through his frame. He had never wanted someone as much as he wanted Itachi before. His skin was hot as it skimmed against Itachi’s, the coolness of the other’s skin not even cooling his own as they continued to rub against each other.
Naruto growled as he reached for an ointment jar on the table beside the bed, he liberally coated his fingers before tracing the pink bud resting between Itachi’s cheeks. The light body was flushed with a light pink color gracing his skin. It was a sight that Naruto committed to his memory, and he knew he wouldn’t forget in the years to come either.
A finger slipped inside, meeting slight resistance as it slipped past the tight ring of muscle. It wiggles around, slighting stretching the entrance as another finger slipped in, Itachi’s body tensing before a wet mouth covered a nipple to distract the older man from the slight pain as Naruto continued to stretch him.
It wasn’t long after Naruto had his fingers deep in Itachi’s ass when the other man began to beg. The blond wasn’t one to deny such beautiful words as he worked the ass around his fingers, grazing over the bundle of nerves light and listening to the hitching breaths Itachi took like htey were prayers sent to him.
His cock was surrounded by warmth and tightness and Naruto moaned at the sensation, he still couldn’t believe that he was buried balls deep into Itachi. his back arched as it glistened with sweat in the candlelight. Naruto controlled himself at first, letting Itachi adjust to the intrusion on his own terms. A long, shaky breath left the blond’s lips, it was hard to control himself when he was finally with the man he wanted ever since he had seen him.
“Move!” Itachi growled, dark eyes narrowing before he shifted his hips, forcing Naruto’s cock to move within him.
And the older man was obliged as Naruto pulled out and sunk back into the velvet heat, growling as Itachi moaned as the cock brushed his gland. They were lost in one another, the sound of their flesh making contact and moans filling the air around them. Bodies were on fire, the flame burning deep within them both as they sought pleasure with one another until the reached the precipice and both men let go.
The days after that were spent differently than Naruto was used to, Itachi had opened up a little day by day, revealing more of his complex personality each day. Naruto appreciated it and had revealed his own past with Kurama with his new lover. The small town of Konoha celebrated their union, knowing that both were in tihs for life.
Naruto didn’t mind the fact that Itachi was off on hunts most day while he was in the village selling his wood carvings to the people. It was comfortable for them since Itachi liked to head up the hunting parties and Naruto enjoyed his craft. But the blond couldn’t help the feeling that had settled into his bones deeply, almost as if it was warning something evil was coming his way.
It was a day that had started like any other, the skies were clear and the sun beat lazily down on the awakening village. Hardly a soul was stirring at the hour, except for one, Naruto, who was waiting on his lover to return from the latest hunt. The sunrise was red and gold, the dark red color reminded him of Kurama’s long and wild hair flowing in the wind.
Turning his head to the forest, a reaction Naruto couldn’t control, his stomach dropped as he recognized the large fox barreling its way to the village. He couldn’t let the people of Konoha suffer because he was selfish and wanted to be free from the forest. Naruto only regretted that he couldn’t say goodbye to Itachi as he slid from the roof of the house he shared with Itachi and ran out to meet Kurama, the god shifting into his human form as Naruto met him halfway.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” The god boomed, his voice deep like the roots of the trees that inhabited his home. The green eyes were glowing with disappointment, anger and betrayal, emotions that Naruto thought he never would have seen expressed before.
“I found something precious,” was all Naruto said before anger became the dominant emotion and the god’s eyes glowed a light green as he cursed the blond.
“And you shall not know it any longer!” Kurama hissed, gathering his magic to cast his spell over the blond. “From this day forward, you will be the tree that grows in the earth, you will never speak to another soul, you will not age, you will not die! This is your punishment for turning your back on me!”
Defiant blue eyes widened as they caught sight of Itachi returning from this trip, his pace hurried as he tried to rush to Naruto, but he was too late, already Naruto’s leg were beginning to twist and gnarl, flesh turning to bark as the curse took root in his body. He only smiled at Itachi before the top of his body became bark as well and he could no longer communicate.
Kurama eyed the human that had stolen Naruto’s heart before disappearing. He had finished what he had set out to do and no more, leaving Itachi speechless as he approached the tree, resting his forehead against the rough bark and sighing.
He knew Kurama had made his Naruto an ugly tree on purpose, it held no personality of his former lover and it burned Itachi to his core. Stricken with grief, he beseeched the gods invoking them to visit him. He would set this to rights, it was the least he could do as the gods appeared before him.
“I ask one thing of you, please return him to a human,” Itachi asked respectively, knowing that they preferred requests to be blunt and straight to the point.
“We can not,” Tsunade answered, shaking her golden hair, eyes glancing forlornly at the tree. “I am afraid that your request has to be denied, we do not interfere with each other’s spells so blatantly.”
“Then let me join him,” Itachi said sternly, his dark eyes showing how much he supported his own statement. “Let me become as he has.”
Looking to her fellow gods, who nodded that their heads at Itachi’s request, Tsunade cast her own spell for the mortal to join his lover, but not as another tree, but as a beautiful dark blue flower that littered the golden leaves of the twisted tree.
~~
“That’s what really happened?” The child asked, dark eyes round as he had hung onto his grandmother’s every word, the story already burned into his mind as he looked to the tree that was slowly wilting.
Izumi chuckled at her grandson’s eyes, smiling gently as she kissed his forehead. “Yes, that’s what really happened. Would you have done the same as Itachi?”
“Of course!” The small boy answered, proud that he had not hesitated with his answer, as he crossed his little arms, scowling at the thought that no one was willing to go that far for the person they loved. “Who wouldn’t?”
“A lot of people, my little one,” the old woman answered as she stood, her knees cracking from the effort as her grandson helped her. He had a big heart for such a small child and she knew that heart would come to grow as he became a man. She gave one last look to the beautiful tree and offered a silent prayer that her grandson would always be looked after before heading off, knowing that even though it could not talk back, her words had been heard.