The freedom of the jump, the soar of air before the tire hit the ground with a small bounce, then it was rigid control again, fast reflexes and adaptability. Naruto had discovered his love for dirtbikes at around ten, a fact he had forgotten to mention to Iruka for several months. A fact which had landed him in a world of trouble for just as many days. Were it just an interest in them, that would have been one matter, but he had been riding on one, holding onto a neighbour's back without a helmet. Then started racing about on smaller bikes at thirteen, on occasion skipping school with Fuu and their friends at the time to enjoy the thrill.

As it were presently, the stresses of the day being rapidly left to the wood with the multiple jumps and tricks Naruto readily basked in while biking. In descending the last hill, Fuu drove up beside him, her engine making that odd 'tick, tick,' sound it did on occasion. In plain statement of her intention, she took off her helmet and shook the hair stuck to the sides of her cheeks off, a sly smile already prepared and ready on her face.

"So, whats got you buggin'?" He took his helm off in turn, but mainly to affix her with an annoyed stare rather then give an answer. They locked gazes for a long while before he clicked off his motor and leaned his weight against the handles already feeling irritation creeping back up on him. They'd been riding for a few hours and the sky was not going to slow down time for him, as her sun crept down to the horizon. Naruto had felt the pull, a multitude of times, to simply let himself let go of the rope, to fall away from his duties, decend back into something simple- forget his title. It was an urge, but the block of him had no want for it- he felt attached to his duties to his country -the empire, and that would not falter because at times regret gave a tug.

He looked to his friend her open, welcoming gaze, he knew she would listen but he did not know what he could say to her. As his mouth opened and words to placate her curiosity and fuel his guilt, were about to tumble out. Her bike, which had been on, made a loud groaning sound as if it might have a bad stomach pain, and then turned off with nothing more. They both looked to it, but as Fuu attempted to turn it back on by turning her key harsher then necessary, it refused- only coughed a moment before settling under its blanket of silence once more. She shrieked and slid off it, barely remembering to push the stand into place as she slid into place on the side.

Naruto waited, very glad they hadn't been doing jumps when her bike decided to cut out. Neither of them were very adapt with machines, but they knew some basics and as she whined loudly into the darkening evening he knew it must be bad for her to actually know whats wrong. She stood a large pout on her lips and teary-eyed as she turned to look at him.

"Whats the damage?" Her foot kicked her bike slightly with a frustration he didn't often see on her.

"Its the damned sparkplug of all things, it got wedged in its socket because the metal bent, and now its sitting at a weird angle so it won't start!" Naruto blinked, rather startled by her sudden loud outburst and at just how a serious problem manifested after they had been using the bikes just moments ago.

The loud reverberation of a motorcycle sounded on the highway. Normally it wouldn't bother him as they were sat just off the shoulder by the trees and people did not pay attention. Yet, his mouth closed and he stared forward as a bike pulled up and the driver put his foot down to the pavement, those same too dark eyes staring into Naruto's own- he'd known it was Sasuke before he had even pulled up, somehow the roar of his engine had been integrated into his memory -even though he had only heard it once.

Naruto stared and Sasuke stared back, it was stilled and thus with a growing feeling of discomforting familiarity Naruto spoke first. "What ya want bastard?" It came out rather brash and his voice turned a little gruff as he spoke it. From his peripheral Naruto could see Fuu pulling out her dagger from under her jacket, cautious as she always had to be. In due course, and knowing that the man wouldn't do anything, the hidden princess stuck his hand in front of her to still her actions, not once letting his gaze waver from the biker in leather.

"Where's your cute car?" Of all things to ask, Naruto snorted at the blatant lack of response. Giving nothing in return as their silent exchange continued. This didn't last as the man's quick eyes looked to Fuu, as did Naruto's in turn. Her distress was rather obvious as her face was red with the flush of anger and her yell had been rather loud to the wind. Though as it were, her stare was firmly affixed to the stranger whom had just rolled forth with a stern gaze and rather over confident demeanour, and his apparent affiliation with her friend.

Said friend simply crossed his arms, his face churned to confusion, looking the man over once more and almost hoping to find a definitive point of recognition. A thing which might indicate how they actually knew each other. Finding nothing he grumbled "At home." A brow raised, a smirk, small but noticeable enough slotting into place on the stranger -not stranger's- face.

"You seem a little too poor to have two vehicles. You also seem a bit too dumb to steal either one." In an instant the curiosity which had been on display, the irritation was replaced with a red flushed face. This from anger, once more the urge to punch the man in the face resurfacing with a veniment vigour, quite prepared to run up the little hill there was and shove him off his motorcycle and onto the highway.

"And you seem like too much of a bastard to have a face!" In all candour, Naruto did not have the best way with insults, he never had- not in his previous living condition, nor as a princess. They came out childish and clumsy, strung together by a mind randomly manifesting words and a mouth hoping for something hard hitting. He was truly more skilled with his fist then his words -at least when it came to street talk. He earned a chuckle in response to his rather sad attempt while beside him Fuu smacked her forehead with her palm, loudly. Wishing that he had left the tough guy talk to her, she could pull it off, though he never had done so- he acted without thinking and she knew it.

At least, when he wasn't slotting into his role as a royal.

"You're an idiot aren't you?" Smug was the throw back, but Naruto narrowed his eyes at it. Because it wasn't truly sharp, there was no edge to his tone, nor irritation. Amusement, perhaps. Though he had no wish to admit the truth he simply had to; Naruto found the simple banter too familiar, warming at a section in his brain. They had certainly done it before, and it had not been unfriendly then either. Indeed, the blond felt that same sensation he had when bantering with his grandfather, that which in any other circumstance he might call affection. Naruto grit his teeth, annoyance not at Sasuke, but himself for the unquelled curiosity he possessed.

Quite quickly those too dark eyes cooled, a steady lake with the chill of an autumn day. "How about we go for a ride?" It was a suggestion, though made with the promise of an honest conversation. Naruto was more then aware they were both uncertain of each other, their odd seeming connection being an issue to talk about rather then run from like whimpering domesticated dogs. Fuu came to answer for him, a snarl on her lips uncommon for a submissive yet domineering enough to stand proud. Protective and ready to stab the man as Naruto watched her dagger be pulled from its hidden sheath.

He acted an arm infront of her and the most comforting look he could manage, her eyes narrowed at this though her posture relaxed a fraction at her friend's wish. Discomforted, but not without his brave personality he put a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. "Look its fine Fuu, I know him okay? He won't-" A little puzzled at the complete confidence in his gut he breathed through his nose, "-he won't hurt me." That statement rang with such an absolute Naruto nearly wanted to run in that moment. She stared at him, then at their guest many seconds passed before her brilliant amber gaze hardened into its namesake.

"That better be true buddy. Because if I find out you do hurt him, I will hurt you. Do not underestimate me." The man made no comment nor acknowledgement of her threat, though she seemingly didn't need one as she stared him down from the bottom of the slope.

"Take my bike, you can get one of the boys to attach yours to the truck okay?" She nodded, though her expression could fool anyone into thinking she was sucking on a lemon sour candy; one of her jowls completely sucked inwards and her mouth tilted at an angle. "I'll see you later." With that he climbed the rest of the way up the slope, putting his helmet on in the progress, taking note of the fact that Sasuke seemingly had none and rolled his eyes at the swap for style vs safe he saw so often. He did not bother to crack a comment however as she straddled the seat behind the dominant, and reluctantly wrapped his arms around the man's torso.

With a twist of the handle and a rev from the engine they were off on the highway. Quite plainly, Naruto noticed, in the opposite direction of the city. A tad nervous with this he held on tighter, that however was his only apprehension. As he had told Fuu he really bore no concern that Sasuke would hurt him, a trust imbedded into his mind.

For a second, really only a brief reprieve of growling engine and bellowing wind, Naruto felt a lightness in his heart- different to when he rode on his bike along the trail. Not exhilaration, but of levity a joy which could only be felt within the grasp of freedom, he could hear a unique sound pulsing in his ears in addition. That which he could recognize as the galop of horse hooves, the sound of nature spirialling in his ears. Just as it did when he allowed himself the luxury of a ride behind the mansion woods, impossible for the chaos of the cars was around them. Nonetheless, it was there, an echo in his head and without thinking much upon the action or it implication, he laughed, holding tighter to their driver, clutching around his back.

Despite the sounds dissipating around to the common roar of the highway, Naruto did not relinquish his tight hold upon the other man.

Even as they pulled off the road towards the wooded area nicknamed 'Shisha no Asobiba' or 'playground of the dead.' A small region from what Naruto could remember. Filled with mostly RV's and acting more of a camp then an actual neighbourhood, despite being recognized as one. Naruto had never visited the area, it was not a place that cropped up in royal tours, he only knew of it by means of his education. Having learned in Geography class nigh all the regions of his country and the claimed ones of the empire, though he was no academic mastermind as his cousin.

It was odd as Naruto knew he was no genius with a textbook or memorization- it took him a lot of hard work. But when it came to history it was as if his brain clicked into gear and he could learn and memorize with little aid from his teachers, on occasion seemingly remembering facts without explicitly gone over them in class. Here was the case, as he remembered that Taka was in fact considered 'cursed ground,' and had been considered thus for many centuries. It had been the sight of an extremely bloody battle in the age of samurai hundreds of years ago. One vicious enough that the priests of the era had declared it unholy ground after the fact, a place where the vengeful spirits of those lost in that battle wondered in continuous agony, only to toy in maliceful humour to any whom tread on their ground; hence how it earned the nickname. It had once been a town in fact, demolished several decades after the battle- though records were a slight scrambled from that era.

As the woods condensed around them the further in, the road turned from pavement to the old fashioned compressed dirt and stone used centuries back- clearly speaking to the areas history. Indeed, to the fact there had once been a town in the region, there were even old wooden fences on the side, springing with moss and new life, crippled by age. The beauty prevailed regardless of the strain age provided, the too tall trees cresting above into the sky as if they were great arms from the earth reaching for salvation, within such a region- there was plenty cause. They slowed to a more doddling pace, as they came close to the center where a large field was, many RV's both big and small, though all beaten down and fair older then Naruto himself, some tents were jossled into the mix casting a grave reminder of just how desolate situations could get. For a brief moment of clutching disbelief and frustration a princess of the empire felt disgusted by his own family's legacy.

Eventually slowing, with many stares resting heavy on his all too conscious gaze, Naruto got off alongside his driver. Next to a rather small, elderly, caravan. Were he to put a guess for a date, the blond would assume the seventeens, perhaps around that same age as his car even. Of course, Sasuke did not have a grandfather with a depth of money to delve into for extensive refurbishing and repairs -or at least Naruto could presume as much by the state of his apparent lodgings.- Outside of the small camper there was what appeared to be a metal skillet above a firepit a few plastic chairs awaiting company. Inbetween them a traveling cold box. Without any preamble, Sasuke sat on one of those dirty off white plastic chairs, managing, by sheer grace of presence, to make it appear as a great feat of grace. Not a movement wasted as he sat, one ankle coming to rest on the other leg's knee. He bent to the cooler and popped it open, grabbing a beer in almost the same moment.

Without invitation, Naruto plopped himself in the chair beside, rocking back slightly as he slouched and crossed his arms. He so rarely could get away with un-courtly, un-lady-like behaviour. He had no true protest to such demeanours, but the strangency and obligation in itself irritated him- perhaps it was his rebellious side calling protest, nevertheless, he enjoyed escaping and displaying nigh rude presentation when he could. Sasuke rised a brow, almost smirked from what Naruto could tell, but said nothing to the unbecoming display. No doubt because he's seen much the same his whole life, submissives in the slums learned nothing of formal conduct, most displayed themselves in the same manner dominants did.

"So who are you?" Was the first question, simplistic, but Naruto snorted.

"Naruto Umino." The man scoffed.

"Well at least I know your surname now. I knew your first, somehow." They came to a silence for a moment, both uncertain, quite confused.

"Where are you from?" Naruto did his best to give a branch, neither knew what they were doing and he hated that tight knot in his stomach. Without much thought he bent and grabbed his own can. He had not drunken much beer in his life, he was only sixteen, but he had snuck in a few drinks with Fuu at thirteen. Liquid courage was perhaps what his mind thought, he knew not if that phrase was accurate or not.

"Fireleaf." That was not an answer he had expected, moving was expensive in itself, but from Fireleaf to Konoha? It was not uncommon knowledge that the country was significantly less economically stable then Konoha. "My brother and I moved here when my Dad and him got into a disagreement." He took a large drink at that, and it was more then evident there was a sore subject enlain there. Still Naruto's face scrunched up with confusion.

"When we first met, you asked me if your brother had sent me, are you not on good terms with him?" The caravan near them certainly didn't seem large enough to support two grown men. Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits, and an anger was obvious by the near growl in his breath.

"He's too damn overprotective, it gets on my fucking nerves. So I went off on my own, he sent a couple friends of his to try and track me down. I've been here for six months so far." Naruto wasn't quite certain what to make of that, he had longed for family when he was a kid, had been delighted when his grandfather found him, when he met his mother. Despite his occasional aggrivation with his role, he couldn't imagine running away from his family for any reason. He kept quiet.

"Do you have family?" Sasuke asked, curiousity as obvious as his neutral tone sharpening his voice.

"Yeah, a cousin, my grandfather, my mother-" as he was about to say grand-aunt his lips closed and his tongue couldn't grant the words passage. He wasn't exactly close to her.

"No father?" Naruto took a long drink, it weren't that the topic bothered him necessarily. It was the simple fact that he didn't wish to say that his parents were dead, that his mother wasn't his biological mother. Far as Naruto was concerned Iruka was his mother. When he was first found and 'officially' introduced into noble society everyone had offered their condolences to him for his parents's deaths, saying how hard it must have been for him. Really, though it was perhaps a bit shameful of him; the young princess had never found it in himself to feel exceptionally morose about their deaths. He had his mother, he wouldn't have him if they were alive. Naruto had never liked living in the concept of 'what if.'

"Nope." That was all he said to the question, and Sasuke didn't pursue it. They sat in silence for a long time.