This was originally made for Naruto's birthday, FYI :)

All Was Golden

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Once upon a time, in the early times of the Earth, when just about everything had a name; a face; life inside of them, the Sun had gotten lost. He had been traveling on the way to reach the other side of the Earth in his daily journey, when disaster struck; the day got lost when he strayed from his path and had no way of finding his way again.

The forest he found himself in was dark and he was alone--not scared, but alone and cold. There would be no way that the Sun would get scared, he was too proud for fear to sink in. Even so, the night’s chilly air had left him to curl in on himself by a nearby oak tree, the shelter of the high branches above doing little to comfort. The old oak tried to calm him, but he ignored the old granny in favor of being stubborn.

“I don’t need anyone’s help, for I am the Sun, and can do things by myself!” he screeched at the top of his lungs. And he really believed it to be true. Of course, he was clueless to what would happen if he did not make it out of the forest by the time he was supposed to make his journey of bringing his light to the planet. If he didn’t, death would surely befall him and the rest of the quiet and young Earth.

With all this, he was also very loud and unforgiving of the other creatures. If he had to go through with being annoyed, so did they.

Squirrels chattered and screeched high in their trees at him for disturbing their slumber; owls hooted for him to stop scaring the prey; wolves bit and nipped at his feet before scurrying away because of his wrath. There was nothing that could stop his loud tirade. He was tired, but not on the edge of death. Or so he liked to think. He was practically alone in this dark forest anyway--no one seemed to live here besides the trees and some predators and squirrels. The Sun wondered why anything would even be here, as this was the dreariest forest he had ever seen.

But, unbeknownst to him, there was another in that desolate, eerie forest on that night. And that other was the Moon. A dark contrast to the Sun’s cheery exterior as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and sulked all through his 24-7 job. The leaves crackled and crunched under his glowing feet, trees watched in calm silence and awe as he passed them with all of his celestial beauty. Dark hair framed a pale face and just brushed past pink, full lips briefly as the long bangs swayed with the cold wind surrounding.

Unlike the Moon, the Sun was bright and optimistic; tan and boisterous; well muscled with a strait, but with an extremely calm poise. Nothing like the stiff posture of the moon as he gave cold stares to the cheery trees as he passed. The pink and white trees cringed back, as if bitten when the icy eyes brushed them, leaving frost on their thin branches.

A blue hue surrounded the Moon in a calm light. It illuminated the area just enough for others to see just faintly. But the Moon could see perfectly in the night, as he had always been able to so that he could make his journey; a journey equal to the Sun’s and just as important.

He knew anything and everything about this particular forest. It was dark and lonely, yes, but that was the very reason he chose this path from the other veering to the left. Unlike the warm and inviting woods parallel to this one; this wood was desolate, save for the usual wildlife. But even those creatures were more solitary than the rest, keeping to themselves rather than bothering their neighbors and waking the dead.

So, it was only natural that the Moon would notice when something was out of place in his forest. Especially when something as bright and loud as the Sun was there to disturb the peace. Walking calmly, he approached the other celestial.

“Who are you?” The Moon asked the Sun when he came into the area. The bright Sun, eyes sunken in and lifeless as he leaned back against the old oak, looked up at the Moon and was speechless for a moment. Never before had the Sun seen such beauty.

“...I should ask you the same question...” he whispered with a smirk. “So I can put a name with that pretty face of yours.”

The Moon scowled, but answered anyway, not in the mood to argue at the moment as curiosity got the better of him. He also wanted to know that name of this blond haired beauty. “I am the Moon. But others have been known to call me Sasuke.” His voice was regal and sure, but nothing like the chime of a bell or flowers in the Spring. The Moon’s voice was harsh and tenor, strait and with no sign or hint of ever having being insecure in his immortal life.

The Sun smiled lightly and closed his eyes, somewhat happy that his princess, or perhaps knight in shining armor, was not going to serenade him. That would seem a but odd. “Sasuke...eh?” The image of dark eyes and a face much better sculpted than a porcelain masterpiece filled his mind. “And I’m the Sun...or Naruto. Nice ‘t meet ya, Sasuke.”

The Moon just looked calmly down at the Sun, noticing that the faintly glowing skin of the other was fading as the minutes ticked by. Without another thought, he extended his hand to the Sun and waited for the other to react. And the man did, clasping his hand with the Moon’s and pulling himself to his feet with the help of the other. They stood for just a few seconds, staring at each other and admiring the distinct contrast that they had.

Later, the Moon helped the Sun get back on track and all was well with them. They went back to their lives, and continued to do their duty as the Sun and the Moon.

Except...that the Sun was always thinking of the kind, but bratty Moon that had helped him that night. Every evening when he was just about to finish his journey he would look back at the dimming forest longingly, just wishing that he could get a small glimpse of the Moon. There was nothing that he wished for more than to talk to the Moon again. It was always so lonely, and he longed for a friend.

The Moon was pretty much the same in his predicament, except a lot more subtle in his ways of longing for the other. Showing no emotion on his face, he continued his walk like any other day; hands shoved in pockets, cold glare in place, face placid and unemotional. But every day when he did not get to see the Sun he would increase his pace just the smallest of bits. And no sooner did he do that, did he see the Sun sulking his way to the other side of the Earth one night.

The Moon coughed loudly to get the Sun’s attention just as he was about to exit the forest. The Sun looked back and looked bewildered for a moment. A second later a blinding grin lit the entire area.

The Sun and Moon continued their journey--together. The day and night were dim those hours as they talked and laughed together, just enjoying each other’s company. Of course, just a day to enjoy oneself wasn’t going to hurt, was it? It didn’t seem so, so they did once again a little while later. The rest of the Earth wasn’t worried about these little escapades, because the Sun was loved by all, and the Moon admired by mostly everyone. No one cared that just one of their days and nights were dim, as long as their Sun and Moon were happy.

And when they weren’t able to be together they would simply send smiles and waves to each other from afar. When they passed on the axis of their journeys they would give a few kind words, talk for a few minutes, and then go on with what they had been destined to do. And it was the same for a while, nothing less and nothing more--but they were happy with their friendship and almost kinship. They both understood each other and their loneliness, having never been able to truly connect with anyone else because of their calling.

Even with this though, something that the day could not understand was what it felt like to be surrounded with darkness and cold as the night did, and vice versa; the night could not understand what it was like to be in light and warmth like the day could. They clashed with each other, both having very different opinions when it came to optimism and pessimism.

You see, the Moon believed that the best thing to do was just let the other creatures and spirits of the Earth be on their own. Live their own life and let him be as well; do not let your feelings mix with things that were perishable. Only pain would follow.

But the Sun disagreed completely. He believed that it was good to mingle with the things that he helped keep alive and protect. Even if they did not live to see the things that the Sun did and died all too soon, it was alright to be able to make friends other than themselves. It was good to have the warmth of others to help you along.

Having said that, the Moon would always disagree when it came to that, and their friendly conversation would often lead to a fight between the two. It was always a friendly fight though, neither of them wanting to get into anything serious when it came to opinions. It was trivial and stupid.

Other than that, the routine continued. They would talk, get into a fight, talk some more, and then depart; all was well with the Sun and the Moon.

And one day, the Sun asked, “Sasuke, have you ever thought of...well, what it would be like to not be the moon? You know, to be a tree or an animal or something? Wouldn’t it be nice to just be a normal creature for once?”

At being asked such a question, the Moon stopped and looked at the Sun. “No, I have not.”

And they continued their walk together. For awhile longer, all was well with the Sun and the Moon.

The Sun and Moon did this for centuries together. And every once in a while, the Sun would ask that same question of the Moon, and the Moon would reply just the same. They would continue walking next to each other and part after some time. One time, after they had been acquainted for some time, their walk lasted longer than normal and the planet was left in complete darkness. A few days after they returned, and all was the same as it had been, but the relationship that the Sun held with the Moon was more intense and fragile than before. No one knew what had happened, and most didn’t want to find out. If asked, they would both avoid the question like the plague, blushing like mad fools.

After that day though, something was different with the way the sun and moon would set and rise; it was off.

“Sasukeeeeee!” Naruto called to Sasuke one day. Squinting in the brightness that he wasn’t used to, Sasuke walked out from under the gentle shade of the trees. A green field with tall, scratchy grass was what he walked into when going towards the boisterous man.

“Why do we need to be here, dead last? It’s too bright. I like the forest better.” The raven-haired one complained.

The blond ignored the insult, having gotten used to being called so. “Bastard! You have to get used to other things besides the trees. Grass is always something good to get acquainted to.” The man accentuated his comment by flomping down into the cool ground, sprawling his entire body out on the grass.

“I know what grass is... I just don’t like it as much as the shade of the trees, that’s all.”

“You know...the only reason the shade is there is because of me, right? The same goes for this field.” The blond closed his eyes and slowed his breathing down to shallow puffs. “If I wasn’t here...the entire area would be dark...”

Sasuke just stood looking down at Naruto. He admired the tan skin and glistening muscles for a bit longer before he too sat down on the ground. He was suddenly glad they had ridden themselves of their shirts. Looking at Naruto’s chest was always a plus in his book.

“Which reminds me...” Naruto mumbled quietly. “Why is it so bright out...? It’s never this bright when we’re this close.”

The stoic man looked up at the sky. Indeed, it was bright, and there was Naruto’s entity, glowing vividly without any hint of his own. Why was that?

“Hm. I don’t know.” He continued to look at the blue sky. He was very worried that his own spirit--the moon--was not there or present at all as it should be. Normally when him and Naruto would be together this close his entity would overlap the blond’s, resulting in what people had named an ‘eclipse’.

“Maybe there’s something wrong...” Naruto wondered aloud.

Though Sasuke wondered too, he did not voice his concerns. Instead, as they both lay serenely in the sweet smelling grass, he watched as the sun moved across the sky steadily as they day dragged on. Neither boy said anything as the sun stretched beyond the horizon, causing shadows to elongate, and the white clouds to dim to different arrays of oranges and yellows. The sky darkened, and then the moon came out shining a calming, luminescent blue.

With both of their postures stiff, they wondered the same thing as the time passed and the dread sank in; what was going on, and why was this happening? But even so, they said nothing and continued to watch as the moon took a similar path as the sun had. It was a long and dragged out, boring process, but neither of them could comprehend the situation at the moment. It was a shock to them.

Days they sat in that clean field, just taking the time to think over their reactions to this happening. It wasn’t long before they realized that they needed sustenance to help keep themselves alive now. That was also a very strange feeling.

On the third evening Naruto‘s stomach growled and a horrified expression crossed his features, understanding glistening in his blue eyes. “Sasuke...”

Sasuke just looked up calmly at the crescent shape of the moon just before it dipped down and disappeared form view behind a cloud. The warm wind of early autumn caused his hair to blow about his face, and the grass to sweep at the ground. Dully, he noted that the usual tug he felt whenever he walked was no longer there as he turned to the forest.

“Naruto... let’s get some food.”

The steady steps of his friend followed him into the trees after a small while. Naruto caught up before long and they were soon pacing calmly beside each other in the once desolate forest. Oddly enough, as the years passed and him and Naruto grew founder of each other, the woods and area around this once dead place teemed with life. It was strange, but yet it seemed to fit so well.

As they walked, out of the corner of their peripheral vision, they let themselves notice the calm expression of the other; the soft, relaxed smile; the way that their skin was just...skin. Nothing more than just skin. Their hair was just hair; eyes were just eyes; body was just a body and had no other meaning now but to sustain and protect a fragile mind.

The notion was a calming one.

Naruto was the first to move as he took Sasuke’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers gently. The dark man just smiled gently in return, Naruto’s smile widening as they prepared for what would come next.

And all was well with Naruto and Sasuke.

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The End

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Original message:
Once again, happy birthday Naruto! Because we all know I love you more than that Sasuke-prick :D I hope he likes it--ttebayo!