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“Is- is it Konoha, finally?” Naruto gasped.
He slumped against a tree to catch his breath. Sasuke was kneeling on the branch of the same tree, one hand shading his eyes from the glaring sun as he tried to work out where they were and where to go next.
“It’s not and you know it.”
There was a clearing near them and right beyond it a great dark forest that stretched across their vision, seemingly unending. Being shinobis from Konoha, they were used to forests, their depth and darkness, the various predators, poisonous plants and herbs disguised as food. A forest was also life giving, aside from being abundant in food; it also provided protection against those predators and against enemies.
This forest though, was nothing like what they had back home. It loomed above them, cold, dark and menacing. The trees looked ancient and gnarled, and no birds or insects visibly dwelled in their leaves and trunks.
“I don’t like this,” Sasuke muttered.
“Scared?” Naruto jibed.
“We passed scared a week ago, dobe,” Sasuke answered easily.
“Let’s just go in. There’s nowhere else to go, unless, you want to go back?” Naruto said with a slight touch of uncertainty in his voice.
“Now, who’s scared?” Sasuke smirked before dropping to the ground.
“Not me!” Naruto stood up, dusting his pants before suddenly running. “First one inside the forest gets the last rice ball! Hahaha!”
Sasuke rushed to catch up. He nearly passed him, but Naruto had gotten too much of a head start. He was a split second behind. Naruto grinned widely at Sasuke.
They jumped across the branches of the trees, careful and wary now that they were inside the forest. It was darker and quieter than even the deepest parts of Konoha forests. It didn’t feel too menacing though. After what seemed like miles to them, they came to a small clearing, where they agreed to rest.
Sasuke sat down at the edge of it before opening his pack. He laid out their food, careful not spill any of the mushrooms, herbs, and dried meat. The last rice ball, preserved through a special jutsu, was the last of what a kindly old woman had given them in a tiny village in Fire country around two weeks ago. He gave it to Naruto who smiled cheekily at him before breaking it and giving him half. He frowned but didn’t refuse the offer.
After their supper Sasuke was lying on the ground, his neck propped up against a root, thinking where they’d go, when he heard a shout.
Naruto had discovered a well. It was covered with vines and moss but when they dropped a stone into it, they discovered that the surface of the water was close to the top of the well. Sasuke wanted Naruto to drink it first to make sure it was clean. Naruto stuck his tongue out and drank anyway because his water canteen was running out. They refilled their containers and washed themselves before preparing for sleep. They slept on a branch of a huge tree. It was big enough that they could have stretched their limbs and not fallen off. But they slept back to back, for warmth and protection; both of them had one hand curled around a kunai.
The two shinobis rose early the next morning. They calculated how long before their food ran out: two days. They had seen no animals or edible plants when they had gone through the forest and were now wondering how far the forest went.
“Want to try a summon again?” Naruto asked.
Sasuke shook his head, dark hair falling across his eyes before he swept it back again. “Not a snake. We don’t have food to bribe it with. Toad?”
Naruto performed the summon and Gamakichi appeared in a tiny burst of smoke.
Gamakichi looked around before saying, “Hey Boss, where are we?”
Naruto sighed. “We were hoping you could tell us.”
“Well, you’re still in the same place as last time that’s for sure.”
“And what place is that?” Sasuke asked.
“I don’t know. Neither here nor there.”
It was exactly what the toad had said last time it had been summoned.
Naruto looked annoyed and was about to say something when the toad suddenly said, “Hey, there’s a cousin! Let’s ask him.”
The pair turned to where the toad was pointing. A pair of bulging eyes was staring curiously at them from inside the well. It squeaked when it noticed them looking and its dull green and warty cheeks bloomed red for being caught staring. It climbed out of the well and faced Gamakichi.
“Forgive me stranger for mine lack of courtesy. I live in this well, and though thy servants have partaken of its water without mine permission, I begrudge thee not for I have known the hardships of a traveling. I am called Gorf and how may I address thou?”
The toad scratched his head with one webbed hand. “Erm, I’m Gamakichi. And-”
“We’re not his servants!” Naruto yelled.
“Yeah, that loud blond guy over there, he’s my boss.” Gamakichi pointed to Naruto with a thumb.
“Damn right,” Naruto nodded, his arms crossed on his chest.
The frog looked for confused for a minute before looking horrified. It muttered to itself and despite their honed senses, the two shinobis barely managed to catch the words which sounded like “humanity… forgotten… not an animal… have taken ooover!” The last was said in such a wailing tone that Gamakichi hopped to the unhappy frog quickly and patted it on the back. Sasuke sweatdropped and exchanged a glance with Naruto, who merely shrugged.
“Art thou enchanted too?” Gorf asked the toad tearfully while wiping his nose on Gamakichi’s vest.
“Eh, I don’t know if you’d call it that,” Gamakichi answered while forcibly pulling his clothes from Gorf’s stubborn fingers. He finally got Gorf off by holding his vest carefully with both hands and pushing the frog away with one foot.
The frog was still sniffling when Naruto kneeled in front of him. Naruto opened his mouth to speak when Sasuke, who had been silently observing the situation, suddenly shouted. He turned, caught a heavy gold ball with his forehead, and went down.
Sasuke leaped to where Naruto was lying, three shuriken in each hand, sharingan in his eyes, and watched the movement in the bushes come closer.
A pretty girl in a heavy gown bounced into view, golden hair piled up artfully on her head; her hands held her dress but could not keep it completely off the ground. She came to a stop when she noticed the two men, one who looked like he was sleeping on the ground and the other… the other… she held her breath, then gasped, and inhaled exhaled at a fast rate. The gorgeous dark stranger regarded her warily before putting away the things in his hands back to a holster on his right thigh.
Sasuke realized that the girl still hadn’t caught her breath, perhaps she had asthma. Then again… he sighed wearily. It was the same reaction wherever he went.
“We’d like to ask shelter for the night. Is your house near?” he asked bluntly.
“Ah, ah, yes. Umm… the castle is that way.” She pointed to the direction she had come from.
Castle? Sasuke thought curiously. He lifted Naruto’s arm over his shoulders, his own arm supporting the sleeping man around the waist, before half-dragging him to where the girl had pointed.
Once they were out of sight, the girl fell to the ground, her eyes shining with happy tears as she imagined the man’s deep dark eyes again. Her long drawn out sigh was interrupted when a tiny voice sounded beside her.
“What ails thee, King's daughter? Thou weepest so that even a stone would show pity.”
It was an ugly green frog. Actually, there were two of them. She poked the one with the clothes with a stick because a clothed frog is naturally stranger than a talking one.
“Hey! Stop it!” Gamakichi grabbed the stick away from her before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
The other frog prodded her and because she didn’t want to be touched by the slimy thing again, she said, “Ah! old water-splasher, is it thou? I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well.”
The frog, not one to let such an opportunity go to waste, nearly asked her for a jar of flies, before remembering who he was. He made a deal with her to live in her room, eat her food, and even sleep with her! The little frog blushed as he jumped back in his well to get the golden ball. When he came up though, the princess took the plaything and ran away.
"Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take me with thee. I can't run as thou canst."
But the princess had caught up with Sasuke and nothing could tear her attention away from him.
The King, seeing how much his daughter was besotted with Sasuke, wanted to send the two men away but could not ignore Naruto’s injury especially since Sasuke explained that the princess had caused it. He bade a servant go lead them to west end of the castle, far from the princess’ rooms. Sasuke gritted his teeth when he realized how far he had to walk as Naruto seemed to weigh heavier each second.
When Sasuke and Naruto had turned the corner outside the hall, the princess turned to the King, asking angrily why he had not made the servant carry Naruto.
“Why? He’s strong enough to carry him himself, is he not?” the King asked.
“He is weary and hungry and you did not even invite him to sup with us!” the princess exclaimed.
“And you were not even concerned about his unconscious companion!” the King snapped, pointing at the several drops of blood on the floor.
The princess lowered her head ashamed, wondering if Sasuke would hold this against her even when they were married.
“Get that starry eyed look out of your eyes!” the King roared.
The princess started at his tone.
“Go, get out of my sight but do not go near those men.”
“Stop that yelling,” Naruto slurred as he stirred in Sasuke’s arms.
“If you’re awake you can walk by yourself,” Sasuke said grumpily. He let him go but caught him when swayed towards the ground.
“Stupid idiot,” he muttered underneath his breath.
They walked for a long long while through wide halls and narrow corridors. Sasuke memorized the various turns they made. Finally the servant stopped in front of a set of doors and bowed before leaving them. Sasuke dumped Naruto on a bed inside the room. He waited as the wound on Naruto’s head healed itself. Naruto’s eyes fluttered open and glanced around the room confusedly.
Sasuke explained the situation briefly then motioned to Naruto to make room for him. The bed was very soft and warm and they relaxed but they slept back to back as always, kunais under their pillows.
The pair was awakened by a knock on the door and a servant, bringing formal clothes in their size, told them to dress for supper. They bathed and dressed and headed out to the dining hall. Naruto wore a bandage on his forehead.
The King was seated at the head of the table, the princess seated at his left, and a high ranking nobleman at his right. Naruto and Sasuke were seated quite far from them. The princess’ neck ached from having to crane it around or above the heads of the many courtiers separating them.
“Hey!” Naruto whispered loudly, motioning to the other courtiers, “How come their plates are golden and ours aren’t?”
“Who cares? It’s probably fake anyway.” Sasuke shrugged and went back to eating and stuffing a box under his coat with food.
“What are you doing? Why didn’t I think of that?” Naruto said before Sasuke shushed him. He looked around and noticed that the old geezer beside him had fallen asleep, his face precariously close to his soup bowl. Naruto inched a hand forward and took the various golden knives beside him. He would have reached around him for his forks and spoons if not for Sasuke’s elbow digging into his side.
“If it’s fake they won’t miss it,” Naruto whispered grinning.
Sasuke only shook his head.
They had nearly finished eating, the King was laughing uproariously at a joke made by one of the courtiers when there was a knock on the door.
"Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me." A voice said.
They all watched as the princess opened the door only to slam it close again. She went back to her seat, looking nervous and guilty.
The King saw plainly that her heart was beating violently, and was pleased. He said, "My child, what art thou so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry thee away?" "Ah, no," replied she. "It is no giant but a disgusting frog."
In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried,
"Princess! youngest princess!
Open the door for me!
Dost thou not know what thou saidst to me
Yesterday by the cool waters of the fountain?
Princess, youngest princess!
Open the door for me!"
Then said the King, "That which thou hast promised must thou perform. Go and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and cried, "Lift me up beside thee." She delayed, until at last the King commanded her to do it. When the frog was once on the chair he wanted to be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, "Now, push thy little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together." She did this, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly. The frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked her. At length he said, "I have eaten and am satisfied; now I am tired, carry me into thy little room and make thy little silken bed ready, and we will both lie down and go to sleep."
The King's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her pretty, clean little bed.
Naruto stood up. “Hey now, we can take care of the little guy, right Sasuke?”
But the King grew angry and said to the princess, "He who helped thee when thou wert in trouble ought not afterwards to be despised by thee."
The princess picked up the frog and took it away, looking beseechingly at Sasuke until her father was glaring at both her and Sasuke.
“I think we’ve overstayed,” Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded.
That night they prepared their things, found the kitchen and took some food. Naruto insisted they drop by the princess’ room as well, but found her sleeping with some guy.
“Poor frog,” Naruto said sadly as they climbed the wall. “Ya think she just threw him in some trashcan?”
“He’s probably alright. He mentioned something about being enchanted. That’s good magic isn’t it?” Sasuke answered.
“I’m not sure,” Naruto said. “But he would have said cursed if it was a curse.”
They both shrugged and focused on disarming and putting the guards on the wall to sleep before moving forward into the darkness. A moment later, a voice floated towards the wall.
“So where are we going again?”
The answering shrug could not be seen, of course.