A/N: It's actually been about a year since I've written a longer fanfic, so please excuse me for any…uh, mistakes, I guess? Anyway, let's get down to the important stuff.

b Disclaimer/b Naruto, or any of the characters that appear here, are not mine. They're property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, if it pleases you, I do own this nifty blue scarf!

b Warning/b This us extremely, wooo--off-the-chart AU. The guys aren't even ninjas. Another little factoid that I think you should know is that it's Sasunaru shounen ai . That means that Sasuke and Naruto like each other romantically. Got a problem with that? Sorry.

Okay, now to the stuff you're all waiting for:

Deep Blue Sunshine

"Legends are true, legends are free

this is the legend of you and me"

Chapter One: Natural Reflection

He never intended this to be a normal trip.

On the contrary, when street rumors flew around, wildly claiming that a monster lurked in the Southern forest, Sasuke knew that interesting times lied ahead. A terrible demon was waiting for innocent travelers in a small clearing? A vicious animal was preying upon the poor souls who ran across the vile thing? He found it pathetic that these commoners wasted such time on silly tales.

But at the same time, his confidents spoke of an odd occurrence in the forest. An illusive creature, they said. One had the small detail of a lake, or a pond, where the monster lounges around. Others swore that it produced long, sharp canines. Some said that the monster had mesmerizing eyes, like a seducer. The high-ranked bodyguard and his tutor, Kakashi, even vouched for it.

"Doesn't it intrigue you, Sasuke?" Kakashi prodded at him with a teasing voice, peering at him with his uncovered eye, "It must be terribly dull just lounging around the castle. And with all those cooks feeding you—"

Of course, they would never allow him out of the castle, even if he wanted them to find out. Seriously, Sasuke would be the laughingstock of the counsel if he were to be caught "investigating silly fairy—tales". And as much as he hated to admit it, he needed the council to believe he was on their side.

Arrogant old fools. If it wasn't for Itachi's abandonment…

Sasuke shifted his thoughts back to the task at hand. Swiftly, he scanned for the guards below. They switched positions at this time, though only for a few scarce moments. He waited for the perfect time and jumped from the balcony, silently pushing the force of the impact back into the ground as he landed. He pulled a lock of his ebony black hair from his eyes and darted across the courtyard.

Sakura Haruno, daughter of one of the nobles and next in line of the Haruno family, sat on the edge of the water fountain, humming cheerfully.

Shit.

Of all times, Sakura had to stalk him now! Couldn't she just find some other hobby to occupy her without torturing him?

He quickly slid behind a hedge, aiming for another way out. If he could just slip between the statue and the rose bush, the rest of the path would be clear until he reached the actual city. Hopefully the rough, green traveler clothes would look poor enough to pass him by the peasants without a second glance.

Setting his alternate route to action, he crept alongside the hedge and watched Sakura weave some flowers into a wreath. He scooped up a pebble from the ground and chucked it in the opposite direction, hitting the opposite statue.

"Sasuke?"

While she was looking the other way, he darted past the fountain and narrowly squeezed through the passageway. His cloak caught onto the thorns of the rose bush. Sasuke cursed in his mind and crouched. He turned and picked out the fabric roughly, scratching his fingers on the thorns. Sakura turned to his direction.

"Sasuke? Is that you?"

The ebony haired boy untangled the cloak just at the right time, twisting behind the rose bush before the girl could see him. That had been i too /i close.

Once he deemed it safe, he hastily began to walk towards the city. He pulled his hood up so no one could see his identity without concentrating on him. He paid a few lousy gold pieces for some peasant clothes—a ripped cloak, a rough tunic, and some baggy, dirty pants—just in case the occasion ever arose. Luckily, he looked just like everyone else in the crowd .

Pale skin, dark wisps of hair…only an Uchiha had those characteristics, and all Uchiha were nobility of the highest caliber.

All Uchiha were royalty. And he was the only one left. Itachi didn't count.

In his straying thoughts, he didn't realize that his feet took him to the outskirts of Konoha.

"Tch…pay attention to what you're doing…"

There, a stable. Sasuke pulled out the meager pouch and knocked on the door. A haggard looking man answered with suspicion. Sasuke wriggled his nose at the stench. It was probably just the stable, but he wouldn't be surprised if the man emitted the stench itself.

"Ay? What does a scoundrel like you want?"

Foolish peasants like this one always aggravated Sasuke to no end. Where was the common courtesy?

Digging out two golden coins, he offered them to the rough man in a polite gesture.

"I want a decent horse to travel on. Is this possible?"

The greedy look in the old man's eye told him so. Hastily grabbing a bridle and saddle from the nearby wall, the stable owner showed the ebony-haired boy to the horses. There in the wooden stalls, horses that he assumed were mixed breeds snorted and thumped restlessly at his arrival. The two stopped at a dark stallion.

Wrestling the bridle onto the horse's snout, the old man dislodged the stall door and led the stallion out.

"This one here is a strong one. Name's Hellfire."

Hellfire stomped his hooves impatiently at the man attaching the saddle, almost as if he was too proud to be held by a mere stable keeper. Sasuke smirked as he saw this, enjoying the little show.

It looks like Hellfire and him would go well together.

He passed the coins onto the owner and took the reigns from the all—too—happy man, leading Hellfire back into the streets. They seemed more crowded now that it was the late afternoon, according to the sun. Merchants were crying out to the last minute shoppers before they closed down, and errand—runners scurried around for their last deeds of the day. The village looked so chaotic at this time that Sasuke wondered if it was even possible to squeeze his horse and himself into the streets without suffocating.

Still, he had to try. Gripping the reigns, he carefully led Hellfire through the congested crowd. The smells of alcohol, hearty food, and the sweaty villagers made him feel nauseous. Back at the castle, the air always reminded him of flowers and incense. How could people stand this stench?

As soon as the crowds trickled away, Sasuke decided to mount Hellfire. At first he took the reigns in his left hand and tried to step into the hook, but Hellfire sidestepped. Sasuke stumbled from the loss of ground and muttered beneath his breath. The horse wasn't stupid.

He stood straight and gazed at the stallion with a steadfast, proud expression. Hellfire returned the gaze back, snorting lightly.

"Let me on." He demanded in his royal tone. Princes do not ask; they command. Pride held his head up high.

Hellfire stomped his hoof and snorted, pulling on the reigns a bit. It almost was as if he was telling Sasuke to buzz off.

But the prince refused to acknowledge it and tried again. This time he didn't have the chance to stumble. Hellfire moved completely.

The Sharingan, the proof of Uchiha heritage and a feared bloodline limit, flashed and swirled in his eyes, staining his retinas blood red and giving him the appearance of a demon. Hellfire stilled.

He smirked and jumped onto the stallion's back, barely having the time to completely adjust the reigns before the stallion shot off. The city soon became thinner and the countryside grew, ridding Sasuke of the noisy experience of the city. Instead, the peaceful landscape of wheat and corn filled his view. In the horizon, a steady line of trees marked his destination.

He never saw the Southern forest in real life, but the maps in the study showed that it stretched until it touched the sea. He heard of legends of the Southern forest. Fairies supposedly lived there, causing mischief and mayhem. Those rumors were definitely false; his father used to use the forest as a type of secret base once, with a conjunction of a neighboring Kingdom. He didn't remember which one, but it wasn't that important. After the border dispute, father and his secret army abandoned the forest, having accomplished his task. No one had touched the woods since then—at least, those who weren't afraid to enter.

Speak of the devil. Hellfire rushed right into the Southern Forest.

But as the trees swallowed him into their territory, and the light dimmed from the thick leaves of the oaks and pines, he couldn't help but think that somehow this forest was unusual. The foliage created eerie shadows on the thick floor, almost governing the very life of the woods itself. Animals spied on him from the branches or the trunks curiously, not once afraid of the intruder. Cascades of leaves passed by him as the horse trudged deeper and deeper into the unknown.

Eventually, Sasuke pulled on the reigns to slow the horse. It was so dark that he pondered whether or not to use the Sharingan. The faint smell of the ocean drifted upon his nose, and he grimaced.

Maybe they went too far…

But first he'd stop at this pond. Hellfire must be quenched, and as much as he didn't seem to care, he wasn't a slave driver.

"Here," He pulled the reigns back to make the stallion halt. Sasuke pulled himself off and massaged his legs.

"What a long ride…" He mumbled to himself as the feeling crept back into his feet. He glanced over at the horse who watched the pond.

"Why aren't you drinking anything?"

Edging over to the water, he cupped his hands and trapped the liquid. The cool substance slipped through his fingers as he brought it to his face.

The solution splashed onto his skin and the stinging taste of salt lingered on his lips. It was salt water. No wonder Hellfire wasn't drinking.

Frowning at the misfortune, he picked up a pebble and skipped it across the lake. Now that his day had been officially wasted, he supposed it was time to go back. After all, the castle would be in a mess right now. They probably assumed that he took up training in on of his secret spots on the grounds. Hiding Hellfire wouldn't be a problem either. He'd simply pay for a better stable—keeper to care for the horse until his return.

Hellfire pranced uncomfortably and Sasuke had to snap out of his reverie to calm the horse down. He looked over at the lake—where the source of Hellfire's discomfort lied—to find something odd swimming in the water. A thin breach of water trailed around in circles, following a streamlined silver-scaled fin of sorts. A small trickle of fear and curiosity kept Sasuke glued to the sight.

Of course, the lake, the small clearing! The monster wasn't here because it didn't live around the lake; it lived in the lake!

Letting go of Hellfire, Sasuke pushed back his cloak and unsheathed the hidden blade at his side, expecting the creature to burst out of the water and attack. He had the upper hand of movement, since it looked like the pond was only fifty yards across. Not to mention the chakra control Kakashi taught him.

And just as he thought, the creature sunk deeper into the lake, producing large ripples on the lake surface, only to shoot out unexpectedly out of the water. Thousands of crystal drops splintered out of the glassy reflection, shattering the silence of the forest and Sasuke's expectations.

The creature twirled in the air with one fluid motion, encased by the glittering shards of water, and stared at Sasuke.

Golden hair, silver scales, fair and infinitely beautiful.

Deep blue eyes.