The cursed One
He did not know how far he had run, whether it had been hours or just minutes, but his body forced him down to his knees.
Tired, the blond settled on an icy tree trunk, the thick haori around his shoulders still giving him sufficient warmth.
Lost in thought, he looked at the fabric. It was not his haori. This was human.
He dragged it furiously from his shoulders and threw it in the snow. He did not want it, did not want the pity of this human, only to be chased out afterwards.
Why had he done that? He didn‘t understand. Only slowly the confused spirit of the fox calmed down. No matter how many times he thought about it, it made no sense.
Heavy steps made him startle from his thoughts. Panicked, he looked around, saw a snowy depression under a ledge, and darted in. He did not want to fall victim to those brutes again.
Carefully, the fox demon peered out of his hiding place, recognizing two tall men.
"Hey!"
The blonde jerked back in shock. Did they discover him?
"What's that?", asked the larger of the two, kneeling beside the Haori that was still lying in the snow and picked it up.
"Such good fabric and it’s just lying around? What a waste! Now it belongs to me. ", Grinning, he put the Haori on, the coat of arms of the Uchiha clan clearly visible on the back.
"T-that- Take it off!" His companion stammered frantically, backing away from him in terror.
Amazed, the big man looked over his shoulder, recognizing the symbol of the clan and tore the fabric fearfully from his body.
"The cursed clan! This is the sign of the cursed clan! Let’s get out of here! "
Hastily, the two hurried away, leaving Naruto in deep confusion.
Only slowly he ventured out of his hiding place, looking at the fabric lying in the snow.
"Cursed Clan?" He repeated the words of the two men silently.
"Do you want to know it?"
Confused, the fox demon looked up and around. No one was there. Who said that?
"Without guidance you wander in world of humans, little demon. But do not be afraid. You were gifted something, that no human shall ever have. The spirits of nature accompany you, show you the way. So tell me, little demon, do you want to know it, the secret of this boy? "
"Who are you?"
Bewildered, Naruto cocked his furry ears and waited. Nothing. No sign of life, no movement. Only the soft whisper of this strange voice.
"I am the spirit of the wind."
"Spirit of the Wind?" Naruto repeated softly, looking down at the soft fabric in his fingers. Did he want to know?
"What does that mean?" He asked quietly, feeling the curiosity continue to swell inside him. Yes, he wanted to know, this secret.
Softly the cold wind played around him, gently whispering the answer to his question.
"Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a clan as powerful as the demons themselves. The high priests of this clan cared for the shrines of the gods, the spirits, and even the demons. A time when humans and demons lived in harmony almost peacefully. But humans have a dark side. Greed for power drove them to subdue the most powerful demon. They hunted her, the white vixen and had no idea what fate sealed them. It is said that who dwells in their vicinity, longer than a day, must die. The curse that also befell the boy's family. He's the last of them. The last of the Uchiha clan. "
Naruto stared at the fabric in his hands, unable to believe what he just had heard. That was it, the secret of the blind boy?
"If you want to know the whole truth, you just have to walk in his memories.
But remember: never play with time, because nothing can bring it back. "
The voice of the spirit disappeared in the soft whisper of the wind, whistling through the stony mountains.
Still completely overrun by all the facts that had just been revealed to him, the blond straightened up again. If he wanted to know the whole truth, then he had to walk in the memories? He remembered the abilities that rested inside him.
But should he really risk it?
The cursed clan. A clan whose dark side had turned against the fox spirits, had hunted them. What should be different about this boy? He was one of them.
Still indecisive, the blond quarrelled with himself. The desire to know more, to satisfy his curiosity, could not be shaken off and yet they were accompanied by his concerns. He shouldn‘t and yet he could not help wanting it.
◊◊◊
Surprised, Sasuke raised his head as he heard footsteps. Footsteps that seemed strangely familiar to him. Nobody came voluntarily in his vicinity. Everyone knew about the fate of his clan.
It went quiet suddenly. Somewhat irritated, the black-haired listened to the silence.
Only the wind whistled through the bare trees, but he was not alone. He could feel it, the warm chakra of the blond.
"I told you to go. Get lost! " He hissed at him, not sure from which distance he was watching him.
Pouting, Naruto pushed his lower lip forward. Why was that guy snapping at him again? He hadn’t done anything to him. A bit gruff, he threw his Haori towards him.
"I wanted to bring this back," he replied, but he did not move.
"Besides ... I owe you something."
Surprised, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. What should he owe him?
"You saved me. I can not just leave without thanking you. "
A small grin lay on the blondes face. He was a fox demon, a proud, faithful being. It simply contradicted his nature to go without a word of thanks. That he casually wanted to know more about this person, he did not tell him.
"My name is Naruto."
"Just go.", Sasuke blocked the on-coming conversation, picked up the Haori from the ground and folded it.
"Eh?"
"You don’t seem to be the brightest bulb in the box at all.“
"Hey! Take that back! "
Shaking his head, Sasuke turned away and disappeared back into his hut.
Disgusted with this boy’s behaviour, the blonde stood watching him. It took him a few seconds to realize that the Uchiha had just left him.
"Hey!"
Angry, he stomped towards the house, slamming against the locked door.
"Open up now! You cannot just leave me outside here! What is wrong with you? First you rescue me and then you throw me out ?! "
Annoyed, the fox vented his anger, shaking the door. What was wrong with this person?
When he got no reaction after a few minutes, Naruto stopped, leaning his head against the door.
"Oh, come on ... don’t be like that..." he begged softly, then simply sat down at the door and waited. At some point he had to come out again. At least Naruto thought so.