HOME | DD

Description
Part 5. "Otura & Rura"

The sun burns brightly in the clear blue sky while the tree's wave softly in the warm breeze. Sunlight shines through their leaves and reflects on the river water which is filled with all kinds of fish. They swim through the water as they try to hide away or escape from their enemy's such as other fish, birds, wild animals or humans. Next to the river burns a small fire where Sasuke had decided to take a break from his journey. He already caught some fish from the river and has lied them next to the fire to get himself some water. In the water he looks at his reflection for some time as he gets lost in his thought. He still has his hairstyle the same way as he used to have and caries a long sleeved black shirt with a v-neck and a small also black cord around his middle, black jeans and standard shinobi sandals. On the back of his shirt is the small symbol of the Uchiha clan visible just above the sheath of his sword which he carries on his back.

I have changed a lot... Sasuke thinks as he compares his reflection with the way it used to be when he hated the village so much, when he was still a part of team seven and before that, when his parents were still alive. But I'm still different from the way I was back then... A small smile spreads on Sasuke's lips. I don't think I'll ever be the way I was back then and it's better that way. Everything that's happened to me, no matter how painful, has become a part of who I am and I've become stronger because of it. I'm sure that mother and father would think so too... Sasuke fills his bottle with water and intends to turn around as he hears a deep growl. Being so lost in his thought Sasuke didn't hear the intruder of his camp come closer to the fire and the fish he had caught. Slowly Sasuke turns some more so he can take a look at who it is that's threatening him. His eyes widen when he sees the big, majestic, black lion who slowly gets closer to the fish, denying his instinct of fear for the fire. Fascinated Sasuke sits as still as he can while he observes the creature in front of him. He had never seen a black lion before, in fact he had never heard of the existence of them. Brown yellowish lions, white lions, yes. But black lions were something else. Not to mention that this wasn't a small one. The more Sasuke observes him the more he notices the little details that stand out. The black lion has a scar from his right nose thrill till above his right eye causing it to be blind. His left eye is focused on Sasuke though as he eats two of the five fish. Sasuke also notices that despise the size of the lion he appears to be rather thin. The majestic beast growls lowly once more before taking the rest of the fish in his mouth, filled with sharp blinking teeth, before he turns to head to the forest again. Sasuke breaths out not knowing he was holding it in. He then softly smiles and makes his way closer to the fire to burn it up a little and catches some fish again. He can't help but look every now and then to the direction the lion disappeared to, wondering where it went. He couldn't have gone that far. The place is surrounded by high cliffs and this valley isn't all that big. Sasuke closes his eyes for a moment and turns to stare into the fire before him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After resting for a while Sasuke decides to travel further. The clouds gather quickly now, chasing away the heat that lasted for the past few days. When the first drops fall Sasuke smiles softly as he looks up, welcoming the cooling weather after walking in such heat for a few days. He ignores how soaked he gets after it starts to rain harder and continues to walk further, not even quickening his step. After a few hours of walking he suddenly holds still as an old instinct of fear takes him over. His heart races and his senses are on high alert as he looks around him, wondering what it is that calls forth this age-old instinct. He notices how he is not the only one feeling it as he sees the animals living in the valley run from the direction he came from. Birds, rabbits, mouse's, deer's, foxes, squirrels, wild horses, buffaloes and other animals rush by him, fearing what is behind them more than the human in front of them. Taking a few steps back Sasuke focuses on what could frighten him like this and notices the booming sound that's getting louder and louder. The louder the sound gets the closer it comes and the stronger Sasuke's instincts tell him to run, run for his life. His eyes widen in fear when he sees a huge amount of water, mud, animal caskets and broken trees coming his way with full speed. The river in the valley had been closed off on one side by rocks where there used to be a waterfall. Due to the sudden water pressure that had build up before the rocks, the water finally manages to burst through, treading past the river borders, causing death and destruction on his way.

Sasuke rushes up into the trees, not knowing when the valley stops or where to find a safe spot he just rushes forward. When the water starts to close in on him he quickly teleports ahead for a few mile. Thunder crashes through the sky where the clouds have become so dark that it nearly looks night. In the light of it, Sasuke can see the cliffs and rushes towards it, while he notices how the water doesn't go higher than half the cliffs. From the corner of his eye Sasuke notices a cave in the rocks where the water won't reach. He quickly teleports towards it, knowing that he won't be much saver on the open fields outside the valley.

Once he's in the cave Sasuke turns around to see the massive destruction that the gone wild river is causing. He then turns around and summons a small flame in the palm of his hand that alights the dark cave. With his back to the storming weather Sasuke walks deeper into the cave and turns the corner that it seems to make. From then he can walk onwards in a straight line for a couple of meters until he reaches a dead end shaped like a dome.

A soft growl makes him turn to the left of the cave where he finds a small black lion cub in a corner, all alone and frightened. Slowly Sasuke slides himself down against the wall opposite of the lion cub.

The lion I saw earlier today is probably this one's father. Sasuke thinks and sees the remains of some fish not far from the young lion. But what about the mother? Why would a black male lion hunt food for the younger ones? Normally the females hunt. Unless of course... Taking a closer look at the wild kitten, Sasuke notices how skinny it seems to be. The father was rather thin too and instead of hunting a deer or so it steals some small fish that already had been caught. I guess he had to take care of his child all alone... Sasuke leans with his chin on his arm which rests on his pulled up knees while in his other hand he still holds the small flame. He sighs softly as he keeps observing the small lion who is slowly falling asleep under his soft growls. After some time Sasuke senses how sleep starts to take him over as well and he lets the small flame die out as he lies down. Before he drifts of to a dreamless sleep he thinks about the majestic black lion who is probably still out there in the storm and Sasuke hopes he will make it out okay so he can take care of his child.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When Sasuke wakes up the next morning he doesn't open his eyes as he senses how a small wet nose is sniffling his arm. The little fur bal, what Sasuke guesses to be the lion cub, walks around him some more, exploring what has come into its home. It starts to sniff Sasuke's hand and licks it, causing Sasuke to smile as he carefully takes a peek. His smile soon falters though and is replaced by a hiss as the cup bites in his hand. Out of fear for the sudden movement, the little black lion runs back to his sleeping place while Sasuke sits up and takes a look at his hand which is slightly damaged. Sasuke shrugs it off and stretches his arms as he stands up. He looks at the lion cub and then further around the cave which is now enlightened by the light of the next day. He notices how there is no trace of the big, majestic, father lion and Sasuke fears the worst. He walks past the lion cub and heads for the entrance of the cave where he looks over the valley. A death silence clings in the air as Sasuke looks over the destroyed valley that is in ruins caused by the water. The water level has lowered, tree's are overthrown and torn from the ground, animal body's scattered over the muddy ground and the early morning sun is reflected on the many pools of water around the river which has drastically grown in its size. Sasuke takes it all in, scanning the area in silence until his eyes see the black creature half underneath a fallen tree not far from the style path that leads to the cave. Even from such a distance it's clear for Sasuke to see that it's dead. He closes his eyes and sighs deeply. So he didn't make it... Sasuke thinks before he opens his eyes again and walks into the cave where he finds the lion cub crawled back against the wall. You are a orphan now to huh... If I leave you, you will most likely die... Sasuke thinks as he looks at the little black fur ball with his usual stoic look. The cub growls lowly as it tries to hide himself into the corner some more and Sasuke can see the fear in its eyes. Sasuke takes a deep breath before he turns around and heads out, leaving the cub by itself.

After Sasuke left the cub starts to calm down a little, but gets uneasy quickly again. His father hasn't shown himself in quite some time and the storm from before had made him feel very uneasy and afraid. When the stranger had come into his house he had panicked a bit but eventually he started to calm down as he realized that the stranger had meant no harm. The sound of someone else's breath could always get to calm him down. The stranger had shown no signs of danger or panic and that had its effect on the little lion cub.
Now he was all alone again. The scent of death clings in the air and comes from outside the cave. Scared and alone the little lion cub mewls and whines, hoping for an answer from his father, the stranger, or just anyone... Anyone who could hear him. Who could help him and prove to him that he wasn't utterly and miserably alone...

"Well, well. It seems you start to miss me already then?" Sasuke says and chuckles as the little cub yelps and jumps into the air of fright for the sudden sound. With still a faint smile on his face Sasuke gets closer to the little lion on which the cub takes a defensive position and growls softly. On a few meter distance Sasuke slowly sits down and after a bit the cub does the same. When nothing happens the black little orbs notice the five fish that Sasuke is holding. Carefully Sasuke lays the fish in front of him and patiently awaits the black lions reaction. His hunger and curiosity eventually win it from his fear as he carefully gets closer, step for step. Sasuke observes him while making sure not to move an inch. Before he can take the cub away with him he would have to win his trust and that takes time, patience and determination. Slowly and carefully the cub takes the first fish in his mouth and then retreats quickly to a safe distance from Sasuke where it starts to dig in on his reward for being so brave. Sasuke in the meantime starts on a fish himself, never taking his eyes of the cub. They continue this until all fish are eaten on which the cub dares to stay closer and closer each time he takes a fish. By the time Sasuke stands up and walks to the entrance of the cave, giving the impression of leaving, the little cub mewls and whines. Not wanting to be left behind, the little cub walks onward after Sasuke but is too afraid to get close. Not just because of Sasuke, but also because of the scent from outside.

Sasuke sighs as he kneels down and stretches his hand towards the frightened little lion. The little lion waver but comes closer to Sasuke's hand and smells it to take in his scent. Sasuke smiles when he licks his fingers and picks the cub up to hold it in his arms despite the little fur balls struggling. The cub growls as it struggles against Sasuke's hold and Sasuke hisses at the sharp small claws that enter his skin. Yet he doesn't let go and he hums softly to calm the cub down which eventually works. He strokes the soft black fur while the little lion gets used to his scent and develops a feeling of safety. Sasuke smiles and stops his humming as the little fur ball in his arms starts to purr. He stands up and walks to the exit of the cave with the lion cub still in his arms, ready to continue his journey with his new companion.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When the seven year old Sasuke opens his eyes he looks at the ceiling of his own bedroom. He smiles as he rushes out of bed and opens his bedroom door causing the delicious scent of breakfast to reach his nose. He grins as he speeds of the stairs towards the kitchen where his mother is making breakfast.

"You're gonna fall when you run of the stairs like that, my foolish little brother." Itachi says as he stands in the doorframe that leads to the living room.

"I'll be fine, nii-san!" Sasuke says as he turns around to wave Itachi's statement away without holding back his phase. "Good morning, oka-san." He says as he enters the kitchen and walks up to her.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Mikoto answers as she smiles warmly at him on which Sasuke just grins with closed eyes.

Suddenly Sasuke notices how silent it has become and opens his eyes again, finding the room a lot darker and grim then just a second ago. His mother stands completely still and Itachi has his head bowed towards the ground so Sasuke can't see his eyes.

"O-oka-san..?" Sasuke asks unsure as he reaches out for her, feeling a sudden threat.

"Why?" Was his mothers reply and Sasuke notices how cold her normally warm voice sounds. He gasps and quickly takes a few steps back as his mother turns around. Her skin paler than ever, her lips nearly bleu like there isn't any blood in it, but most of all, her eyes that were no longer there, like they were cut out.

"Why didn't you prevent this, my son?" She asks on which tears brim in Sasuke's eyes as he takes another step back out of fear and disbelief.

"N-nii-san!" He calls but as he looks at Itachi he notices that he has the same changes his mother has. Sasuke's heartbeat fastens as he starts to panic inside, not understanding what the hell is going on.

"Sasuke... My eyes... Why did you have to take them... How could you kill me, your own brother..." Itachi says as he takes a step towards Sasuke who backs off of the two only more.

"No... I-I didn't..." Tears flow down Sasuke's face as he keeps stepping back.

"Why couldn't you have been stronger, my son... If only you had been strong enough..." Comes the voice of his father as Fugaku enters the room and shortly after everything around them disappears. Leaving only the darkness to surround them.

"You could have noticed this, Sasuke. Why didn't you take care of our body's like a proper son would have done..." His mother says on which Sasuke shakes his head.

"You disappoint me, Sasuke... You should have been stronger, like your brother was. You let us down..." His father says sternly.

"No..." Little Sasuke says softly as he keeps stepping back while his heart rate quickens and his breathing gets unsteady.

"Foolish little brother... Why couldn't you have seen things through... How could you not have more faith in your brother to have a solid reason..." Itachi says disappointedly.

"No..." Sasuke says again and closes his eyes and ears as he stands still, wishing it all to disappear.

"This is all your fault..." The three family members say on which Sasuke starts to shout his denial as he lets himself fall to his knees.

"P-please forgive me..." Sasuke begs between his tears and sobs. "Please s-stop... I didn't mean to! I-I'm so... so sorry... I'm sorry...Please forgive me, oka-san... oto-san... nii-san..."

His family members keep closing in on him, ignoring the poor child's begging, pleads and apologies. Sasuke backs down as he shoves away from them, trying to avoid looking at their faces, the black and bloody holes where their eyes used to be.

"Please stop looking at me like that! Please don't show me this!" Sasuke shouts. "Don't look at me!"

Sasuke sits up quickly while panting and stares wide eyed at his hands which lie on his lap. As he looks around he notices the night black sky with their sparkling stars and the fire that still burns slightly. A wet feeling on his fingers causes Sasuke to look down again and a sad smile spreads on his lips.

"Sorry, Rura. Did I wake you?" Sasuke says to the little lion that has crawled on his lap and licks Sasuke's fingers reassuringly. Sasuke sighs as his breath and heartbeat seem to have taken their normal rhythm again and wipes his tears away. He lays down again on his side in his sleeping bag while he rests with his head on his arm. Rura crawls up next to him, feeling safe because of Sasuke's reassuring scent and warmth. Sasuke smiles as he softly strokes Rura's fur causing him to purr.

Another one of those nightmares... Damn it... Sasuke thinks as he closes his eyes. Even after all these years he still has so many nightmares because of the trauma's that he had gotten. He knows that a seven year old could not have prevented anything from happening and that it isn't his fault. But unconsciously he keeps blaming himself. I wish I could let it go... Naruto... I wish you were here...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Days later Sasuke travels over a muddy road that leads through reed fields towards a poor farming village. Rura walks along side him, exploring the fields every now and then, playing with small animals like mousses or butterflies. Sasuke softly chuckles as Rura stumbles on his own feet as he chases after a mouse and he falls on his cute cat face in the mud. He then sits up and wipes the mud from his nose with his paw and intends to run off again but is stopped by Sasuke who picks him up.

"You really are getting into trouble easily huh..." Sasuke says softly as he wipes the remaining mud of the little lions head and paws. Rura purrs softly as he makes himself comfortable in Sasuke's arms. A scream causes Sasuke to instantly look up and he rushes to where the sound comes from.

"Nooo..!" Cries a woman as she walks out of her house after a man with a dark brown cape, a black bandana on his head and a crying girl in his arms. He walks towards a black horse where another horse and his rider stand next to. "Please, not my baby... Please give her back." The woman cries as she pulls his arm. The man easily sways her away causing her to fall to the ground.

"Mother!" Cries the girl who is pulled on the horse as the man sits behind her.

"You don't have the right amount of money and nothing else to offer me. This price will do for now. Make sure you have the money ready when I come by again next month or I will take your other child as well." The man says as he turns his horse and kicks his sides.

"Mother!" The girl screams as they ride of and the woman sits on her knees as she cries desperately in her hands.

Laying the lion cub on his shoulder Sasuke rushes of, ignoring the pain of sharp little nails that dig into his skin. He runs past the crying mother and follows the trail of the horses, determined to save the young girl they kidnapped. Sasuke jumps up into the trees as he rushes on, intending to follow them to their hideout where he can take care of the group all at once so they won't ever bring any harm to that innocent village again.
Once they've reached a camp near high cliffs, the man hands the girl over to another man who pushes her into a cage. There are two large tents standing with their back to the cliffs, cages stand a couple of meters away from them with the side to the cliffs and rocks behind them, on the other side of the tents there is the place where the horses stay and a fireplace in the middle of it all.

Carefully Sasuke watches from high in a tree where the men go. They enter one of the tents, where another five people are, which Sasuke can sense. In the mean time the girl crawls to the back of her cage where she crawls up as a ball. Sasuke silently puts Rura on a branch, warning him to stay, and summons a shadow clone who goes to the cage of the girl to free her while the real one heads for the tent. Sneaking around the tent Sasuke can hear the men inside talk.

"How old?" A dark voice asks.

"Six, seven, maybe eight. Dark brown, long hair and green eyes." Sasuke recognizes the voice as to be the one who had kidnapped the girl.

"Good. That will help with selling her for a high price greatly. Any defects?" The other man asks again. Sasuke's blood boils at hearing them talk about that innocent child as if she were nothing but an object.

"Not that we've noticed thus far. The money we can get for her will most likely be even more then what we would have gotten out of that woman. We should take their children more often." Sasuke has heard enough. Readying Chidori he cuts the back of the tent open and rushes in.

"What the-" The man can't even finish his sentence as Sasuke uses Chidori on his chest.

He manages to kill two more before the others are over their shock and they start to attack him. Sasuke easily dodges their attack and finishes the job quickly. He takes another look at the things in the tent before he sets it on fire. On a scroll that he finds are names written with numbers behind them, which Sasuke guesses to be age and price. Behind the numbers stand other names and places. He takes the scroll with him before he searches the rest through. Finding nothing more of importance he uses his fireball jutsu to burn the rest of the tent and the stuff inside including the body's.

Sasuke then searches through the other tent where he finds a mass amount of money. Stolen money, blood money... Intending to give it to the poor farming village where the girl and her mother live, he seals it away in a scroll. Finding nothing more of value he burns also this tent. He frees the horses, who rush of in fear of the fire, picks up Rura and heads back towards the village, knowing that half way he would be reunited with his clone and the girl.

While the real one had gone towards the tent the clone had made his way to the cage of the girl. He used Chidori to open the lock on the cage which had awoken the girl. The fear for him was readable in her eyes as she backed away from him.

"It's alright." The clone whispered. "I'm gonna get you out of here and bring you back to your mother."

While the fear left her eyes the girl was still cautious and kept her guard up as she took the hand Sasuke had held out to her. Carefully he took her in his arms as he stood up and jumped away from the camp where the fight inside the tent had just began. About a mile from the camp, near a big, old tree, they held still and Sasuke let the girl on the ground.

"What is your name?" He asked as he wiped a tear of the little girls cheek.

"Marille..." The girl whispered silently on which Sasuke kindly smiled at her.

"My name is... O-Otura." Sasuke said, remembering to use his fake name so no-one can track him down, being a rogue ninja. The real one joins them shortly after and sees everything out of the clones point of view as he undoes the jutsu.

"Come I shall take you to your mother." Sasuke says but notices how the girl stares with big eyes at the little lion cub on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke kneels down in front of the girl as he takes Rura of his shoulder who crawls up to him in fear of the strange little girl in front of him who looks just as curious at him as he at her. "His name is Rura." Sasuke says as he pets the little black lion, trying to calm it down.

"Rura..." Marille softly says on which Sasuke nods. She reaches out towards the cub who watches her cautiously, but let her pet him. The girl smiles at what she is doing and Sasuke can read the amazement in her eyes. She looks surprised when Rura starts to purr and looks at Sasuke wide eyed.

"Why does he do that?" The girl asks curiously.

"It's his way of telling you that he is happy. He likes it when you pet him." Sasuke explains as he puts the cub on his shoulder again. "I've got to take you home. Your mother must be very worried about you."

Marille nods and wraps her arms around Sasuke's neck as he jumps up into the trees and rushes back to the small village. By sunset they make it to Marille's house where Sasuke puts her down and she rushes of towards her home, calling out for her mother all the way. When the door opens and the woman steps out, her eyes widen and she drops the plate she was drying to quickly walk up to her daughter. They fall into each other's arms as they cry and hold each other tight. Sasuke watches the heartwarming scenery before him, feeling a slight pain in his chest as he remembers his own mother and how he wishes he could see and speak to her one more time.
When Marille let's go of her mother she points at Sasuke who takes it as a sign to get closer.

"So you are the young man who saved my daughter?" The woman asks and takes Sasuke's hand in hers as he nods. "I cannot express my thanks in any way. If there is anything I can do for you..." The woman says.

"Well, I have this." Sasuke says as he holds up the scroll. "In this scroll I've sealed all the money those men took from your village. I can trust you to share this to those who belong it to?"

"Yes, of course." The woman says as she wipes the tears of joy from her eyes. "Oh, please come inside. I have just made some warm tea and you must be hungry." The woman walks towards her house as she waves him in. Marille comes out of the house, having heard what her mother had said, and takes Sasuke's hand as she leads him into their small, cozy house.

"My name Marianne. Tell me your name dear." She says as she prepares the tea in the kitchen while Marille leads Sasuke to a kitchen table.

"My name is Otura. Thanks for your hospitality." Sasuke says as he sits down and Marille walks around him to sit next to him. Sasuke notices how focused she is on Rura so he sets the little lion cub on the table so she can pet him, which Rura rewards with his purring.

"My, my, isn't that a big kitten." Marianne says as she puts the tray with tea down on the table and sits herself.

"His name is Rura." Marille says proudly and grins as she scratches the cub behind its ear.

"It is actually a lion cub. His father died due to a great storm. He would have starved to death if I left him on his own, so I took him with me as my traveling companion." Sasuke explains and thanks the Marianne as she hands him over a cup of tea.

"I see. So you are a traveler then. Do you have anywhere to spend the night? It is already getting dark and you can stay here for as long as you wish. It is the least I can do for saving my precious daughter." Marianne says and smiles kindly.

"I think I might take you up on that offer. If it isn't too much trouble."

"Not at all, dear." They talk a bit more about Sasuke's travels, the village and the men who had taken Marille. A boy around five years old, walks into the kitchen and stares with big eyes at Rura as he comes closer.

"Nori, look. His name is Rura." Marille says as she holds Rura, but puts him down on the table again as he starts to struggle. The little boy comes closer and both Sasuke and Marianne watch in silence as the boy starts to pet the little lion, who just accepts it.

"I guess it's time to start making dinner." Marianne says as she stands up and puts the tray away in kitchen.

"If there is anything I can help with." Sasuke offers as he stands up but Marianne shakes her head.

"No, that is really not necessary. I would though, like it if you keep an eye on the kids." Sasuke nods at her request and sits down to watch how the children play with Rura. He smiles as Marille shows Nori how to properly pet Rura. Nori looks from the little lion to Sasuke to Marille and then suddenly hugs his sister.

"What's wrong Nori?" Marille asks as the boy hides his face in her chest. He mumbles something Sasuke can't understand.

"I'm not gone. Otura-nii-san saved me." The girl says as she looks at Sasuke and the boy does the same.

"Otura-nii-san?" The boy asks while he still holds his sister. Sasuke nods and smiles kindly at him.

"That's right. You don't have to worry. Those men won't come to take your sister away from you again." Sasuke says on which the boy shyly nods. He then runs out of the kitchen towards what Sasuke guesses to be his room. Shortly after he comes back and pulls his sister with him. She first wavers but then follows him.

"Those two are very close." Sasuke says, knowing that Marianne listens to him. Rura crawls onto Sasuke's lap where he lazily lays down and falls asleep.

"Mostly yes. Sometimes they fight but most of the time Nori will follow Marille wherever she goes. He really looks up to her." Marianne says and Sasuke remembers the time he and Itachi were like that. "Do you have any siblings?" Marianne asks.

"A brother." Sasuke answers. "We used to be like that as well..." Marianne can see the sadness in his eyes and decides not to ask anymore about it.

When dinner is ready they eat all together. They talk about casual things and Sasuke enjoys the coziness and the nostalgic feeling of having family. After dinner Marianne shows him where the guest room is and asks him whether he would like to bring the children to bed, which Sasuke agrees to do.

"Otura-nii-san?" Marille asks as Sasuke tugs in her brother.

"Yes, Marille?" He says as he sits at her bedside.

"Will you stay with us? I promise I will be good." She says and her words warm Sasuke's heart.

"M-me too! Please stay?" Her brother pleads. Sasuke hesitates with his answer. He has never been in such a situation before and wouldn't want to break the children's heart or disappoint them.

"I will stay for tonight... But I will have to go tomorrow." Sasuke says on which tears well up in Marille's eyes. She quickly sits up and hugs Sasuke tightly.

"Why? Why do you have to go?" She asks with a trembling voice and before Sasuke can answer her brother joins in on the hug.

"Don't go." He softly says. On which Sasuke sighs as he unsurely hugs them back.

"I have to go. There are more children out there who got separated from their parents. I will seek them out and bring them home."

"So you will save them?" Marille asks as she looks up with wet eyes and Sasuke nods.

"Now it is time for you guys to sleep." He says as he frees himself from their hug and then tugs them in again. "Sleep well you two and I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke says as he walks to the door.

"You too, Otura-nii-san." The two say in sync on which Sasuke smiles before he silently closes the door.

"They really love you, you know." Marianne says, having heard everything. "You would make a great parent some day." Sasuke softly smiles as he heads towards the guest room.

"I doubt that... I guess I call it a night. I see you tomorrow." Sasuke says as he opens the door. "Thanks again, for your hospitality."

"You are very welcome. Have a good night." Marianne says as she goes around the room to dim the lights.

"You too." Sasuke says before he closes the door behind him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lying in bed Sasuke smiles at the memory of how those children acted with each other as well as with him. So innocent... So pure... Showing that they care so easily even though they don't know a thing about me. Sasuke thinks. But I doubt whiter I would be such a great parent... Sasuke turns on his side and closes his eyes as he tries to think about something else. Unconsciously his thoughts go to a certain blond, like almost every night. I wonder... Would that dobe be a good parent some day? Bet he does... Sakura or Hinata would most likely be there to take over most of the time. I'm almost feeling sorry for them, taken how clumsy Naruto can be... I'm sure though that they'll manage. He'll be happy for sure. Sasuke clutches his shirt at the place his heart is, feeling the pain of missing his love. I shouldn't think about him... I must find someone else someday... Let him go... Damn it... It doesn't work though. Not being able to get Naruto of his mind, Sasuke decides to distract himself as he summons his backpack. Out of it he takes the scroll he took from the camp and looks at all the places that are written on it. Deciding where to go next and where afterwards, for Sasuke is determined to punish those who sold or bought those innocent children and will bring them back to their home.

To be continued...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Heya, minna! Srry for the long wait! Took me some time to vigure out what I would do with Sasuke. I think I've figured it out now.. Plenty ideas so I can go on for a while longer.

Upcoming chapter will probably be Naru's POV again. Would be about time that the rest of his friends find out about his pregnancy. *evil grin*

Please leave me some comments! Tell me what ya like/don't like, think would happen, wish would happen etc.

How do you guys think Naru's friends will react? XD

Next upload will be after the upload of 'Sasunaru; two friends one fanfic!' part 20!

Description
Part 5. "Otura & Rura"

The sun burns brightly in the clear blue sky while the tree's wave softly in the warm breeze. Sunlight shines through their leaves and reflects on the river water which is filled with all kinds of fish. They swim through the water as they try to hide away or escape from their enemy's such as other fish, birds, wild animals or humans. Next to the river burns a small fire where Sasuke had decided to take a break from his journey. He already caught some fish from the river and has lied them next to the fire to get himself some water. In the water he looks at his reflection for some time as he gets lost in his thought. He still has his hairstyle the same way as he used to have and caries a long sleeved black shirt with a v-neck and a small also black cord around his middle, black jeans and standard shinobi sandals. On the back of his shirt is the small symbol of the Uchiha clan visible just above the sheath of his sword which he carries on his back.

I have changed a lot... Sasuke thinks as he compares his reflection with the way it used to be when he hated the village so much, when he was still a part of team seven and before that, when his parents were still alive. But I'm still different from the way I was back then... A small smile spreads on Sasuke's lips. I don't think I'll ever be the way I was back then and it's better that way. Everything that's happened to me, no matter how painful, has become a part of who I am and I've become stronger because of it. I'm sure that mother and father would think so too... Sasuke fills his bottle with water and intends to turn around as he hears a deep growl. Being so lost in his thought Sasuke didn't hear the intruder of his camp come closer to the fire and the fish he had caught. Slowly Sasuke turns some more so he can take a look at who it is that's threatening him. His eyes widen when he sees the big, majestic, black lion who slowly gets closer to the fish, denying his instinct of fear for the fire. Fascinated Sasuke sits as still as he can while he observes the creature in front of him. He had never seen a black lion before, in fact he had never heard of the existence of them. Brown yellowish lions, white lions, yes. But black lions were something else. Not to mention that this wasn't a small one. The more Sasuke observes him the more he notices the little details that stand out. The black lion has a scar from his right nose thrill till above his right eye causing it to be blind. His left eye is focused on Sasuke though as he eats two of the five fish. Sasuke also notices that despise the size of the lion he appears to be rather thin. The majestic beast growls lowly once more before taking the rest of the fish in his mouth, filled with sharp blinking teeth, before he turns to head to the forest again. Sasuke breaths out not knowing he was holding it in. He then softly smiles and makes his way closer to the fire to burn it up a little and catches some fish again. He can't help but look every now and then to the direction the lion disappeared to, wondering where it went. He couldn't have gone that far. The place is surrounded by high cliffs and this valley isn't all that big. Sasuke closes his eyes for a moment and turns to stare into the fire before him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After resting for a while Sasuke decides to travel further. The clouds gather quickly now, chasing away the heat that lasted for the past few days. When the first drops fall Sasuke smiles softly as he looks up, welcoming the cooling weather after walking in such heat for a few days. He ignores how soaked he gets after it starts to rain harder and continues to walk further, not even quickening his step. After a few hours of walking he suddenly holds still as an old instinct of fear takes him over. His heart races and his senses are on high alert as he looks around him, wondering what it is that calls forth this age-old instinct. He notices how he is not the only one feeling it as he sees the animals living in the valley run from the direction he came from. Birds, rabbits, mouse's, deer's, foxes, squirrels, wild horses, buffaloes and other animals rush by him, fearing what is behind them more than the human in front of them. Taking a few steps back Sasuke focuses on what could frighten him like this and notices the booming sound that's getting louder and louder. The louder the sound gets the closer it comes and the stronger Sasuke's instincts tell him to run, run for his life. His eyes widen in fear when he sees a huge amount of water, mud, animal caskets and broken trees coming his way with full speed. The river in the valley had been closed off on one side by rocks where there used to be a waterfall. Due to the sudden water pressure that had build up before the rocks, the water finally manages to burst through, treading past the river borders, causing death and destruction on his way.

Sasuke rushes up into the trees, not knowing when the valley stops or where to find a safe spot he just rushes forward. When the water starts to close in on him he quickly teleports ahead for a few mile. Thunder crashes through the sky where the clouds have become so dark that it nearly looks night. In the light of it, Sasuke can see the cliffs and rushes towards it, while he notices how the water doesn't go higher than half the cliffs. From the corner of his eye Sasuke notices a cave in the rocks where the water won't reach. He quickly teleports towards it, knowing that he won't be much saver on the open fields outside the valley.

Once he's in the cave Sasuke turns around to see the massive destruction that the gone wild river is causing. He then turns around and summons a small flame in the palm of his hand that alights the dark cave. With his back to the storming weather Sasuke walks deeper into the cave and turns the corner that it seems to make. From then he can walk onwards in a straight line for a couple of meters until he reaches a dead end shaped like a dome.

A soft growl makes him turn to the left of the cave where he finds a small black lion cub in a corner, all alone and frightened. Slowly Sasuke slides himself down against the wall opposite of the lion cub.

The lion I saw earlier today is probably this one's father. Sasuke thinks and sees the remains of some fish not far from the young lion. But what about the mother? Why would a black male lion hunt food for the younger ones? Normally the females hunt. Unless of course... Taking a closer look at the wild kitten, Sasuke notices how skinny it seems to be. The father was rather thin too and instead of hunting a deer or so it steals some small fish that already had been caught. I guess he had to take care of his child all alone... Sasuke leans with his chin on his arm which rests on his pulled up knees while in his other hand he still holds the small flame. He sighs softly as he keeps observing the small lion who is slowly falling asleep under his soft growls. After some time Sasuke senses how sleep starts to take him over as well and he lets the small flame die out as he lies down. Before he drifts of to a dreamless sleep he thinks about the majestic black lion who is probably still out there in the storm and Sasuke hopes he will make it out okay so he can take care of his child.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When Sasuke wakes up the next morning he doesn't open his eyes as he senses how a small wet nose is sniffling his arm. The little fur bal, what Sasuke guesses to be the lion cub, walks around him some more, exploring what has come into its home. It starts to sniff Sasuke's hand and licks it, causing Sasuke to smile as he carefully takes a peek. His smile soon falters though and is replaced by a hiss as the cup bites in his hand. Out of fear for the sudden movement, the little black lion runs back to his sleeping place while Sasuke sits up and takes a look at his hand which is slightly damaged. Sasuke shrugs it off and stretches his arms as he stands up. He looks at the lion cub and then further around the cave which is now enlightened by the light of the next day. He notices how there is no trace of the big, majestic, father lion and Sasuke fears the worst. He walks past the lion cub and heads for the entrance of the cave where he looks over the valley. A death silence clings in the air as Sasuke looks over the destroyed valley that is in ruins caused by the water. The water level has lowered, tree's are overthrown and torn from the ground, animal body's scattered over the muddy ground and the early morning sun is reflected on the many pools of water around the river which has drastically grown in its size. Sasuke takes it all in, scanning the area in silence until his eyes see the black creature half underneath a fallen tree not far from the style path that leads to the cave. Even from such a distance it's clear for Sasuke to see that it's dead. He closes his eyes and sighs deeply. So he didn't make it... Sasuke thinks before he opens his eyes again and walks into the cave where he finds the lion cub crawled back against the wall. You are a orphan now to huh... If I leave you, you will most likely die... Sasuke thinks as he looks at the little black fur ball with his usual stoic look. The cub growls lowly as it tries to hide himself into the corner some more and Sasuke can see the fear in its eyes. Sasuke takes a deep breath before he turns around and heads out, leaving the cub by itself.

After Sasuke left the cub starts to calm down a little, but gets uneasy quickly again. His father hasn't shown himself in quite some time and the storm from before had made him feel very uneasy and afraid. When the stranger had come into his house he had panicked a bit but eventually he started to calm down as he realized that the stranger had meant no harm. The sound of someone else's breath could always get to calm him down. The stranger had shown no signs of danger or panic and that had its effect on the little lion cub.
Now he was all alone again. The scent of death clings in the air and comes from outside the cave. Scared and alone the little lion cub mewls and whines, hoping for an answer from his father, the stranger, or just anyone... Anyone who could hear him. Who could help him and prove to him that he wasn't utterly and miserably alone...

"Well, well. It seems you start to miss me already then?" Sasuke says and chuckles as the little cub yelps and jumps into the air of fright for the sudden sound. With still a faint smile on his face Sasuke gets closer to the little lion on which the cub takes a defensive position and growls softly. On a few meter distance Sasuke slowly sits down and after a bit the cub does the same. When nothing happens the black little orbs notice the five fish that Sasuke is holding. Carefully Sasuke lays the fish in front of him and patiently awaits the black lions reaction. His hunger and curiosity eventually win it from his fear as he carefully gets closer, step for step. Sasuke observes him while making sure not to move an inch. Before he can take the cub away with him he would have to win his trust and that takes time, patience and determination. Slowly and carefully the cub takes the first fish in his mouth and then retreats quickly to a safe distance from Sasuke where it starts to dig in on his reward for being so brave. Sasuke in the meantime starts on a fish himself, never taking his eyes of the cub. They continue this until all fish are eaten on which the cub dares to stay closer and closer each time he takes a fish. By the time Sasuke stands up and walks to the entrance of the cave, giving the impression of leaving, the little cub mewls and whines. Not wanting to be left behind, the little cub walks onward after Sasuke but is too afraid to get close. Not just because of Sasuke, but also because of the scent from outside.

Sasuke sighs as he kneels down and stretches his hand towards the frightened little lion. The little lion waver but comes closer to Sasuke's hand and smells it to take in his scent. Sasuke smiles when he licks his fingers and picks the cub up to hold it in his arms despite the little fur balls struggling. The cub growls as it struggles against Sasuke's hold and Sasuke hisses at the sharp small claws that enter his skin. Yet he doesn't let go and he hums softly to calm the cub down which eventually works. He strokes the soft black fur while the little lion gets used to his scent and develops a feeling of safety. Sasuke smiles and stops his humming as the little fur ball in his arms starts to purr. He stands up and walks to the exit of the cave with the lion cub still in his arms, ready to continue his journey with his new companion.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When the seven year old Sasuke opens his eyes he looks at the ceiling of his own bedroom. He smiles as he rushes out of bed and opens his bedroom door causing the delicious scent of breakfast to reach his nose. He grins as he speeds of the stairs towards the kitchen where his mother is making breakfast.

"You're gonna fall when you run of the stairs like that, my foolish little brother." Itachi says as he stands in the doorframe that leads to the living room.

"I'll be fine, nii-san!" Sasuke says as he turns around to wave Itachi's statement away without holding back his phase. "Good morning, oka-san." He says as he enters the kitchen and walks up to her.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Mikoto answers as she smiles warmly at him on which Sasuke just grins with closed eyes.

Suddenly Sasuke notices how silent it has become and opens his eyes again, finding the room a lot darker and grim then just a second ago. His mother stands completely still and Itachi has his head bowed towards the ground so Sasuke can't see his eyes.

"O-oka-san..?" Sasuke asks unsure as he reaches out for her, feeling a sudden threat.

"Why?" Was his mothers reply and Sasuke notices how cold her normally warm voice sounds. He gasps and quickly takes a few steps back as his mother turns around. Her skin paler than ever, her lips nearly bleu like there isn't any blood in it, but most of all, her eyes that were no longer there, like they were cut out.

"Why didn't you prevent this, my son?" She asks on which tears brim in Sasuke's eyes as he takes another step back out of fear and disbelief.

"N-nii-san!" He calls but as he looks at Itachi he notices that he has the same changes his mother has. Sasuke's heartbeat fastens as he starts to panic inside, not understanding what the hell is going on.

"Sasuke... My eyes... Why did you have to take them... How could you kill me, your own brother..." Itachi says as he takes a step towards Sasuke who backs off of the two only more.

"No... I-I didn't..." Tears flow down Sasuke's face as he keeps stepping back.

"Why couldn't you have been stronger, my son... If only you had been strong enough..." Comes the voice of his father as Fugaku enters the room and shortly after everything around them disappears. Leaving only the darkness to surround them.

"You could have noticed this, Sasuke. Why didn't you take care of our body's like a proper son would have done..." His mother says on which Sasuke shakes his head.

"You disappoint me, Sasuke... You should have been stronger, like your brother was. You let us down..." His father says sternly.

"No..." Little Sasuke says softly as he keeps stepping back while his heart rate quickens and his breathing gets unsteady.

"Foolish little brother... Why couldn't you have seen things through... How could you not have more faith in your brother to have a solid reason..." Itachi says disappointedly.

"No..." Sasuke says again and closes his eyes and ears as he stands still, wishing it all to disappear.

"This is all your fault..." The three family members say on which Sasuke starts to shout his denial as he lets himself fall to his knees.

"P-please forgive me..." Sasuke begs between his tears and sobs. "Please s-stop... I didn't mean to! I-I'm so... so sorry... I'm sorry...Please forgive me, oka-san... oto-san... nii-san..."

His family members keep closing in on him, ignoring the poor child's begging, pleads and apologies. Sasuke backs down as he shoves away from them, trying to avoid looking at their faces, the black and bloody holes where their eyes used to be.

"Please stop looking at me like that! Please don't show me this!" Sasuke shouts. "Don't look at me!"

Sasuke sits up quickly while panting and stares wide eyed at his hands which lie on his lap. As he looks around he notices the night black sky with their sparkling stars and the fire that still burns slightly. A wet feeling on his fingers causes Sasuke to look down again and a sad smile spreads on his lips.

"Sorry, Rura. Did I wake you?" Sasuke says to the little lion that has crawled on his lap and licks Sasuke's fingers reassuringly. Sasuke sighs as his breath and heartbeat seem to have taken their normal rhythm again and wipes his tears away. He lays down again on his side in his sleeping bag while he rests with his head on his arm. Rura crawls up next to him, feeling safe because of Sasuke's reassuring scent and warmth. Sasuke smiles as he softly strokes Rura's fur causing him to purr.

Another one of those nightmares... Damn it... Sasuke thinks as he closes his eyes. Even after all these years he still has so many nightmares because of the trauma's that he had gotten. He knows that a seven year old could not have prevented anything from happening and that it isn't his fault. But unconsciously he keeps blaming himself. I wish I could let it go... Naruto... I wish you were here...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Days later Sasuke travels over a muddy road that leads through reed fields towards a poor farming village. Rura walks along side him, exploring the fields every now and then, playing with small animals like mousses or butterflies. Sasuke softly chuckles as Rura stumbles on his own feet as he chases after a mouse and he falls on his cute cat face in the mud. He then sits up and wipes the mud from his nose with his paw and intends to run off again but is stopped by Sasuke who picks him up.

"You really are getting into trouble easily huh..." Sasuke says softly as he wipes the remaining mud of the little lions head and paws. Rura purrs softly as he makes himself comfortable in Sasuke's arms. A scream causes Sasuke to instantly look up and he rushes to where the sound comes from.

"Nooo..!" Cries a woman as she walks out of her house after a man with a dark brown cape, a black bandana on his head and a crying girl in his arms. He walks towards a black horse where another horse and his rider stand next to. "Please, not my baby... Please give her back." The woman cries as she pulls his arm. The man easily sways her away causing her to fall to the ground.

"Mother!" Cries the girl who is pulled on the horse as the man sits behind her.

"You don't have the right amount of money and nothing else to offer me. This price will do for now. Make sure you have the money ready when I come by again next month or I will take your other child as well." The man says as he turns his horse and kicks his sides.

"Mother!" The girl screams as they ride of and the woman sits on her knees as she cries desperately in her hands.

Laying the lion cub on his shoulder Sasuke rushes of, ignoring the pain of sharp little nails that dig into his skin. He runs past the crying mother and follows the trail of the horses, determined to save the young girl they kidnapped. Sasuke jumps up into the trees as he rushes on, intending to follow them to their hideout where he can take care of the group all at once so they won't ever bring any harm to that innocent village again.
Once they've reached a camp near high cliffs, the man hands the girl over to another man who pushes her into a cage. There are two large tents standing with their back to the cliffs, cages stand a couple of meters away from them with the side to the cliffs and rocks behind them, on the other side of the tents there is the place where the horses stay and a fireplace in the middle of it all.

Carefully Sasuke watches from high in a tree where the men go. They enter one of the tents, where another five people are, which Sasuke can sense. In the mean time the girl crawls to the back of her cage where she crawls up as a ball. Sasuke silently puts Rura on a branch, warning him to stay, and summons a shadow clone who goes to the cage of the girl to free her while the real one heads for the tent. Sneaking around the tent Sasuke can hear the men inside talk.

"How old?" A dark voice asks.

"Six, seven, maybe eight. Dark brown, long hair and green eyes." Sasuke recognizes the voice as to be the one who had kidnapped the girl.

"Good. That will help with selling her for a high price greatly. Any defects?" The other man asks again. Sasuke's blood boils at hearing them talk about that innocent child as if she were nothing but an object.

"Not that we've noticed thus far. The money we can get for her will most likely be even more then what we would have gotten out of that woman. We should take their children more often." Sasuke has heard enough. Readying Chidori he cuts the back of the tent open and rushes in.

"What the-" The man can't even finish his sentence as Sasuke uses Chidori on his chest.

He manages to kill two more before the others are over their shock and they start to attack him. Sasuke easily dodges their attack and finishes the job quickly. He takes another look at the things in the tent before he sets it on fire. On a scroll that he finds are names written with numbers behind them, which Sasuke guesses to be age and price. Behind the numbers stand other names and places. He takes the scroll with him before he searches the rest through. Finding nothing more of importance he uses his fireball jutsu to burn the rest of the tent and the stuff inside including the body's.

Sasuke then searches through the other tent where he finds a mass amount of money. Stolen money, blood money... Intending to give it to the poor farming village where the girl and her mother live, he seals it away in a scroll. Finding nothing more of value he burns also this tent. He frees the horses, who rush of in fear of the fire, picks up Rura and heads back towards the village, knowing that half way he would be reunited with his clone and the girl.

While the real one had gone towards the tent the clone had made his way to the cage of the girl. He used Chidori to open the lock on the cage which had awoken the girl. The fear for him was readable in her eyes as she backed away from him.

"It's alright." The clone whispered. "I'm gonna get you out of here and bring you back to your mother."

While the fear left her eyes the girl was still cautious and kept her guard up as she took the hand Sasuke had held out to her. Carefully he took her in his arms as he stood up and jumped away from the camp where the fight inside the tent had just began. About a mile from the camp, near a big, old tree, they held still and Sasuke let the girl on the ground.

"What is your name?" He asked as he wiped a tear of the little girls cheek.

"Marille..." The girl whispered silently on which Sasuke kindly smiled at her.

"My name is... O-Otura." Sasuke said, remembering to use his fake name so no-one can track him down, being a rogue ninja. The real one joins them shortly after and sees everything out of the clones point of view as he undoes the jutsu.

"Come I shall take you to your mother." Sasuke says but notices how the girl stares with big eyes at the little lion cub on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke kneels down in front of the girl as he takes Rura of his shoulder who crawls up to him in fear of the strange little girl in front of him who looks just as curious at him as he at her. "His name is Rura." Sasuke says as he pets the little black lion, trying to calm it down.

"Rura..." Marille softly says on which Sasuke nods. She reaches out towards the cub who watches her cautiously, but let her pet him. The girl smiles at what she is doing and Sasuke can read the amazement in her eyes. She looks surprised when Rura starts to purr and looks at Sasuke wide eyed.

"Why does he do that?" The girl asks curiously.

"It's his way of telling you that he is happy. He likes it when you pet him." Sasuke explains as he puts the cub on his shoulder again. "I've got to take you home. Your mother must be very worried about you."

Marille nods and wraps her arms around Sasuke's neck as he jumps up into the trees and rushes back to the small village. By sunset they make it to Marille's house where Sasuke puts her down and she rushes of towards her home, calling out for her mother all the way. When the door opens and the woman steps out, her eyes widen and she drops the plate she was drying to quickly walk up to her daughter. They fall into each other's arms as they cry and hold each other tight. Sasuke watches the heartwarming scenery before him, feeling a slight pain in his chest as he remembers his own mother and how he wishes he could see and speak to her one more time.
When Marille let's go of her mother she points at Sasuke who takes it as a sign to get closer.

"So you are the young man who saved my daughter?" The woman asks and takes Sasuke's hand in hers as he nods. "I cannot express my thanks in any way. If there is anything I can do for you..." The woman says.

"Well, I have this." Sasuke says as he holds up the scroll. "In this scroll I've sealed all the money those men took from your village. I can trust you to share this to those who belong it to?"

"Yes, of course." The woman says as she wipes the tears of joy from her eyes. "Oh, please come inside. I have just made some warm tea and you must be hungry." The woman walks towards her house as she waves him in. Marille comes out of the house, having heard what her mother had said, and takes Sasuke's hand as she leads him into their small, cozy house.

"My name Marianne. Tell me your name dear." She says as she prepares the tea in the kitchen while Marille leads Sasuke to a kitchen table.

"My name is Otura. Thanks for your hospitality." Sasuke says as he sits down and Marille walks around him to sit next to him. Sasuke notices how focused she is on Rura so he sets the little lion cub on the table so she can pet him, which Rura rewards with his purring.

"My, my, isn't that a big kitten." Marianne says as she puts the tray with tea down on the table and sits herself.

"His name is Rura." Marille says proudly and grins as she scratches the cub behind its ear.

"It is actually a lion cub. His father died due to a great storm. He would have starved to death if I left him on his own, so I took him with me as my traveling companion." Sasuke explains and thanks the Marianne as she hands him over a cup of tea.

"I see. So you are a traveler then. Do you have anywhere to spend the night? It is already getting dark and you can stay here for as long as you wish. It is the least I can do for saving my precious daughter." Marianne says and smiles kindly.

"I think I might take you up on that offer. If it isn't too much trouble."

"Not at all, dear." They talk a bit more about Sasuke's travels, the village and the men who had taken Marille. A boy around five years old, walks into the kitchen and stares with big eyes at Rura as he comes closer.

"Nori, look. His name is Rura." Marille says as she holds Rura, but puts him down on the table again as he starts to struggle. The little boy comes closer and both Sasuke and Marianne watch in silence as the boy starts to pet the little lion, who just accepts it.

"I guess it's time to start making dinner." Marianne says as she stands up and puts the tray away in kitchen.

"If there is anything I can help with." Sasuke offers as he stands up but Marianne shakes her head.

"No, that is really not necessary. I would though, like it if you keep an eye on the kids." Sasuke nods at her request and sits down to watch how the children play with Rura. He smiles as Marille shows Nori how to properly pet Rura. Nori looks from the little lion to Sasuke to Marille and then suddenly hugs his sister.

"What's wrong Nori?" Marille asks as the boy hides his face in her chest. He mumbles something Sasuke can't understand.

"I'm not gone. Otura-nii-san saved me." The girl says as she looks at Sasuke and the boy does the same.

"Otura-nii-san?" The boy asks while he still holds his sister. Sasuke nods and smiles kindly at him.

"That's right. You don't have to worry. Those men won't come to take your sister away from you again." Sasuke says on which the boy shyly nods. He then runs out of the kitchen towards what Sasuke guesses to be his room. Shortly after he comes back and pulls his sister with him. She first wavers but then follows him.

"Those two are very close." Sasuke says, knowing that Marianne listens to him. Rura crawls onto Sasuke's lap where he lazily lays down and falls asleep.

"Mostly yes. Sometimes they fight but most of the time Nori will follow Marille wherever she goes. He really looks up to her." Marianne says and Sasuke remembers the time he and Itachi were like that. "Do you have any siblings?" Marianne asks.

"A brother." Sasuke answers. "We used to be like that as well..." Marianne can see the sadness in his eyes and decides not to ask anymore about it.

When dinner is ready they eat all together. They talk about casual things and Sasuke enjoys the coziness and the nostalgic feeling of having family. After dinner Marianne shows him where the guest room is and asks him whether he would like to bring the children to bed, which Sasuke agrees to do.

"Otura-nii-san?" Marille asks as Sasuke tugs in her brother.

"Yes, Marille?" He says as he sits at her bedside.

"Will you stay with us? I promise I will be good." She says and her words warm Sasuke's heart.

"M-me too! Please stay?" Her brother pleads. Sasuke hesitates with his answer. He has never been in such a situation before and wouldn't want to break the children's heart or disappoint them.

"I will stay for tonight... But I will have to go tomorrow." Sasuke says on which tears well up in Marille's eyes. She quickly sits up and hugs Sasuke tightly.

"Why? Why do you have to go?" She asks with a trembling voice and before Sasuke can answer her brother joins in on the hug.

"Don't go." He softly says. On which Sasuke sighs as he unsurely hugs them back.

"I have to go. There are more children out there who got separated from their parents. I will seek them out and bring them home."

"So you will save them?" Marille asks as she looks up with wet eyes and Sasuke nods.

"Now it is time for you guys to sleep." He says as he frees himself from their hug and then tugs them in again. "Sleep well you two and I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke says as he walks to the door.

"You too, Otura-nii-san." The two say in sync on which Sasuke smiles before he silently closes the door.

"They really love you, you know." Marianne says, having heard everything. "You would make a great parent some day." Sasuke softly smiles as he heads towards the guest room.

"I doubt that... I guess I call it a night. I see you tomorrow." Sasuke says as he opens the door. "Thanks again, for your hospitality."

"You are very welcome. Have a good night." Marianne says as she goes around the room to dim the lights.

"You too." Sasuke says before he closes the door behind him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lying in bed Sasuke smiles at the memory of how those children acted with each other as well as with him. So innocent... So pure... Showing that they care so easily even though they don't know a thing about me. Sasuke thinks. But I doubt whiter I would be such a great parent... Sasuke turns on his side and closes his eyes as he tries to think about something else. Unconsciously his thoughts go to a certain blond, like almost every night. I wonder... Would that dobe be a good parent some day? Bet he does... Sakura or Hinata would most likely be there to take over most of the time. I'm almost feeling sorry for them, taken how clumsy Naruto can be... I'm sure though that they'll manage. He'll be happy for sure. Sasuke clutches his shirt at the place his heart is, feeling the pain of missing his love. I shouldn't think about him... I must find someone else someday... Let him go... Damn it... It doesn't work though. Not being able to get Naruto of his mind, Sasuke decides to distract himself as he summons his backpack. Out of it he takes the scroll he took from the camp and looks at all the places that are written on it. Deciding where to go next and where afterwards, for Sasuke is determined to punish those who sold or bought those innocent children and will bring them back to their home.

To be continued...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Heya, minna! Srry for the long wait! Took me some time to vigure out what I would do with Sasuke. I think I've figured it out now.. Plenty ideas so I can go on for a while longer.

Upcoming chapter will probably be Naru's POV again. Would be about time that the rest of his friends find out about his pregnancy. *evil grin*

Please leave me some comments! Tell me what ya like/don't like, think would happen, wish would happen etc.

How do you guys think Naru's friends will react? XD

Next upload will be after the upload of 'Sasunaru; two friends one fanfic!' part 20!