A/N: Hello everyone and welcome!
Rated: "M"
OOooOOooOO
Chapter 1 – Twisted Fates
"Wake up, Sasuke," a deep voice commanded.
"Ngh," the young boy replied sleepily, rolling onto his side, snuggling deeper into his blankets.
"I said, GET UP!" the voice repeated harshly, tearing the sheets away from the boy.
Sasuke's eyes bolted open. There was no mistaking the harsh voice of his father, the Pharaoh, King Fugaku.
"Do not make me ask again," Fugaku threatened.
"I'm sorry, father," Sasuke stuttered in reply. He had turned to face the eldest Uchiha, who now looked even angrier than he usually did.
"No talking unless I tell you otherwise," his father ordered. "Now get dressed. We need to get going."
"Going?" Sasuke asked curiously. His onyx eyes traveled to the window of his bedroom. The night was dark, clouds were obstructing the moon, making it nearly impossible to see. "Where could we going on a night like this?"
"Did I not just give you an order, Sasuke," the Pharaoh bit out. Sasuke nodded hastily, and without further hesitation, reached for his daytime linens. Scurrying under the blankets, he hastily ripped off his nightclothes and shrugged into the white tunic. Once ready to go, he swung the blanket away, rolled out of bed, and shoved his feet into a pair of brown sandals. His father had already stepped out into the hallway and was walking quickly down the hall.
Sasuke quietly closed the door to his bedroom behind him, then scurried silently after his father. They walked from one end of the Uchiha palace to the other, passing by ornate statues and tapestries that lined every wall and filled every crevice. They were all lovely pieces; practically all of them dripping with gold and jewels, but what gave Sasuke the most pride was the Uchiha symbol, a red and white fan, that hung proudly throughout the palace. It was the crest of the royal family, and he vowed he'd do it justice when his turn came.
Once outside the palace, they descended the broad stairs, and out into the night. They both walked in silence, Sasuke lost in his thoughts about what was going on while his father's face gave nothing away. They continued on to the edge of the Nile River, and stopped at a dock. Fugaku looked out into the darkness, squinting his eyes.
"I am here, my lord," a figure emerged from the shadows, wearing a long, black cloak. Without a sound, he brought his longboat level to the dock and waited patiently. Sasuke cocked his head, looked at the boat, looked at the figure, then to his father.
"Get in," Fugaku said. Sasuke was wary, but did as he was told, his father following him on board. Once they were both seated, the figure used his oar to push away from the shore and began rowing them across the inky waters. The night was eerie and quiet, no one making a word on board. Sasuke looked out to the shores, barely visible in the dark night. He didn't know where he was going or why, but surely his father would explain all that to him once they reached their destination. The trio sailed on for quite some time until the small craft had hit land. Fugaku stood up, grabbed Sasuke by the upper arm, and escorted him off the vessel. After getting a few paces away, he turned back to the figure, and tossed him a small leather bag filled with gold. "Ten minutes." The figure merely nodded, clutching the bag greedily.
The grip Fugaku had on his son hurt, but Sasuke would never admit to it. After all, pain was a weakness, and being an Uchiha, one must never show such a thing. But Sasuke wasn't like the others, frequently being called 'soft,' which often caused grief with his parents and the rest of the royal family. Why? He didn't know, but he was belittled for it more often than not.
Sasuke was desperate to please his parents and would do anything to get the gaze of pride that was showered upon his older brother constantly. And so, Sasuke put up with being dragged along the soft sands. His eyes had grown accustomed to darkness and he could see an entranceway, hidden among the surrounding limestone. In front, stood another mysterious figure, his dark orange hair ruffling slightly in the breeze.
"This is him," Fugaku shoved Sasuke towards the unknown man.
"How old is he?" the man asked, raising an orange brow.
"Should it matter?" Fugaku clipped. "But, if you must know, he has just turned ten."
"You didn't tell me he was that young," the man frowned.
"I am the Pharaoh, least you forget," Fugaku sneered. "You must comply." He paused and added smugly, "If you do not, the consequences will be…rather unpleasant. Surely you don't want a repeat of what happened before, now do you?" The other man stood grim, narrowing his eyes.
"Father?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, backing away from the mysterious man. "What's going on here?"
"Be quiet Sasuke," Fugaku snapped. Sasuke looked away. To the orange-haired man, he continued, "There is nothing else to discuss. Five years, and not a moment sooner."
Fugaku turned away and began heading back towards the boat.
"Father, wait," Sasuke cried, taking a step forward, he latched onto the Pharaoh's robe. Fugaku looked down in annoyance, shrugging his son's grip off of him. He turned his dark eyes towards the other man. "Do not disappoint me."
The orange-haired man then reached forward, clasping the child's tunic in his hand. Sasuke staggered backwards into the man's legs. Looking upward, his dark eyes grew wide as the stared into pale silver orbs. The man frowned, shifting his gaze to watch as the Pharaoh boarded the small craft once again. "Father!" Sasuke called. "I don't understand!" The boy fought frantically, doing whatever he could to break the man's hold on him. After struggling for a few moments, the grip on Sasuke loosened, and he fell to his knees. Crawling forward, Sasuke looked anxiously out into the darkness. "Father!" he shouted. "FATHER!"
The man watched the boy as he desperately called for his parent. He ran a hand through his shaggy orange locks and scowled. This was why he hated to take them so young. Sighing, he stepped over to the boy and spoke. "Time to go inside."
"No! I'm waiting for father to come back," Sasuke shouted.
"Look out there, do you even see him anymore?" the man countered.
Sasuke's eyes scanned the area, desperate for any sign of the boat that had taken him to this strange and foreign place. There was nothing but blackness and silence. The man was right; his father was nowhere to be seen. Shock overtook him. Rising slowly, he turned, and numbly followed the man inside.
OOooOOooOO
Once inside, Sasuke was lead down a narrow passageway. The geographical formations on either side of him were actually quite stunning, but Sasuke saw nothing more than his sandaled feet.
Stopping suddenly, the man said gruffly, "You will wait here." Sasuke glanced up and saw a small, plain room filled with a small bed, a tiny desk, and a chair. Lanterns were lit and hung in the corners of the room. Sasuke hesitated. The man reached down, placed his thumb and forefinger on the boy's chin, and lifted his head. Their gazed locked. "First thing is first. I am the Master of this place, and my name is Pein. As such, you are to refer to me as Master Pein, understood? And when I, or another member of my staff, give you an order, you will follow it, no questions asked." Sasuke merely nodded, too dazed to do otherwise. "Very good," Pein ushered the boy inside, closing the door, and locking it, silently behind him.
Sasuke turned, slamming his small fists on the door. "Wait! Where is this place?" he shouted. He jiggled the knob, but it was useless. He landed a hard kick with his sandal against the door, and then slid to the ground in frustration. What was he going to do now?
OOooOOooOO
"Hello?" a feminine voice called softly as the door to Sasuke's room creaked open.
"Wha…?" Sasuke looked up drowsily. He was surprised that he'd fallen asleep. He blinked his dark eyes and found himself staring up at a beautiful, young woman. She wore a short, blue tunic that was slug low on her shoulders and rode low over her ample breasts. Her hair was a rich blue and she had a flower pinned into it on one side.
"Hello cutie," she smiled. Sasuke blushed deeply, then quickly turned his gaze away. He scampered across to the other side of the room. This woman was nothing like his conservative mother. "At least the response is good," Konan thought to herself.
"Konan, I don't have all day," Pein barked, brushing past the woman. Sasuke's stare quickly turned into a glower. The orange-haired man ignored him, focusing instead on the woman. "I need you to check him out so I can get him started in the program as soon as possible."
"I'm not going to be in your stupid program," Sasuke muttered.
"You don't really have much of a choice," Pein said flatly. "And either do I," he sighed under his breath. He looked at Konan, worry crossing his face.
"I am royalty, you have to do what I say! Now, release me at once!" Sasuke ordered, his words more confident than the voice that carried them.
Pein rolled his eyes, pushing concern from his mind. "Sasuke, on the outside, you may be a prince, but here, you have no status. You'd be wise to behave yourself and do as your told. Any difficulties you create will be met with swift punishment." Sasuke faltered slightly. "As for you Konan, I'll be waiting for your report." With that, the man was gone as quickly as he had appeared.
Konan crossed her arms. She knew what she had to do, no need for Pein to be bossing her around about it. She'd let it slide for now.
"I shouldn't be here," Sasuke sulked. "Wherever here is, anyways," he added darkly.
"Look kid," Konan said briskly. "I don't know the details about your situation, but both Pein and I have a job to do, and we're going to do it."
"But…" Sasuke began.
"No buts about it. Now, I need to take a look at you, so go ahead and remove your tunic," Konan said abruptly.
"Remove it? But that's absurd, why would I do that?"
"Because I'm making sure that you're clean," Konan said. "I have to know what I'm going to be working with."
"I wash everyday," Sasuke said defensively, "sometimes two or three times. So, you can just take my word for it. I'm fine. As to working with me, I'm not some animal for your amusement."
Konan sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Tell you what, either you take off your tunic yourself, or I'll have Pein come back and do it for you." Sasuke's resolve weakened slightly.
"I can do it myself," he muttered, starting on the task. He slowly and awkwardly slid the tunic over his head. He then held the bunched fabric near his groin, and stood as straight as he could. Konan walked up to Sasuke, her green eyes searching his small frame. He was lean, with soft, pale skin. His hair was silky black, with long, split bangs in front, and small spikes in the back. She circled him like a vulture over the desert sands, her gaze lingering on his smooth back and cute little butt. Sasuke began to shake nervously. "Are you done yet?" he stammered out.
"Almost," Konan said, smiling at how modest he was. Boy was that going to change. "Just one more thing," she said, coming to face him again. Her gaze slid down to the linens Sasuke held. "You can drop those now." Sasuke lowered his head, his bangs hiding his reddening face. He gripped them tighter, than let them fall, his entire body turning crimson at the exposure. "Well, you are larger than most boys your age, but don't worry, that's a good thing in this business," Konan winked. She stood up again, picking up Sasuke's clothes. "It's getting late, so you better get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you." She then turned to leave.
"Wait!" Sasuke squeaked. "Can I at least have my clothes back?"
"Nope." Konan replied simply.
"Well, what am I to sleep in then?" Sasuke huffed, grabbing the blanket off the bed to cover himself.
"Easy," Konan cocked a brow. "Your skin." Sasuke's jaw dropped. "You better get used to it. From this day forward, sleep for you requires you to be naked. Trust me, it's much easier this way."
OOooOOooOO
Sasuke yawned, stretching his small limbs. He rubbed sleepily at his eyes, but when he finally pried them open, only darkness greeted him. The young boy furred his brow. He slipped slowly from the sheets and stopped cold as goose bumps traveled up his flesh. Quickly, he dove back under the covers. "So much for all this being a dream," he muttered darkly.
"Time to get up," Konan's voice sounded cheery as she stepped inside the room. She lit up a few candles while Sasuke huddled deeper under the blanket.
"Oh, don't be like that," she chided. "Besides, I have breakfast," she added, lowering a tray onto the small desk. Sasuke turned away, bunching into a tight ball. Even so, the smells of food drifted to his nose, and he had to admit, it did smell good. "Let's see, I have fruit, bread, and cakes. Why don't you join me?" she glanced back over her shoulder. Sasuke had shifted again, and Konan could just make out his messy spikes over the edge of the covers, his eyes curious as he watched her. "Well, come on then."
"I seem to be missing something," Sasuke mumbled.
"You'll get what you want once you come here and eat," she gestured him over. It took a few minutes, but hunger won out, and the boy finally gave in. Sasuke stepped lightly down from the bed, and kept to the shadows as he made his way across the room. Even at this age, he moved with a grace and stride equal to that of a wild cat. He took a seat in the chair beside Konan.
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Konan said. Sasuke looked down, his face turning red again. He said nothing, but swung his feet slowly back and forth. "We're really going to have to work on your self confidence. But later. For now, you earned this." Konan handed Sasuke a fresh set of white linens, and with an audible sigh of relief, he slid them on. "By the way, you can call me Mistress Konan."
"Sasuke," the boy replied softly. "Thank you,…Mistress….for breakfast and the clothes," he added quietly. Konan was startled. No one ever thanked her in a place like this.
"Ah..sure," Konan smiled weakly back. She watched Sasuke with her jade colored eyes, the boy eating the food with such grace and poise. What did he do to deserve to be in a place like this? Princes rarely saw this side of life, let alone live as part of it. She was baffled. But she had to admit, with Sasuke's looks, he was going to excel at this.
But first things first. Konan reached into her tunic and withdrew a long, thick sewing needle. Sasuke saw it glint in the candlelight and looked up warily. "By now, you realized that you're going to be staying with us for awhile. So, it's time we get you properly marked." Rising elegantly from the table, she circled back around Sasuke, then leaned in, brushing his bangs away from one of ears. Konan's fingers trailed softly along the shell of Sasuke's ear, her digits skimming the tender surface.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke gulped nervously.
"Shhh…" Konan whispered. "It'll be over soon." Sasuke let out a startled yelp as the needle was inserted into his ear, followed shortly by a golden hoop earring. This process was repeated three more times on the same ear. Konan dabbed gently at the small trails of blood with a soft cloth, dappled with honey. "Now for the other side," she said, continuing with four more hoops to bring the total to eight. Sasuke gingerly felt at his ears, the earrings dangling against one another. "You mustn't touch them," she scolded, "they will heal with time." Sasuke whimpered softly. "It's sort of….Pein's trademark," Konan offered lamely. "But now that you're all ready with that, it's time to get you washed up and ready for your first lesson."
"Lesson?" Sasuke sniffed.
"But of course." Konan bent down until she was nose to nose with Sasuke. "You are now officially a student of the erotic arts."
OOooOOooOO
"This is the last time, Minato. You will pay now, or you'll be thrown into a cell for failing to pay your debt to the Pharaoh," said Neji, the captain of the guard. "And then, you'll be set as an example to all the other peasants that don't follow the rules."
"The labor tax has been difficult to make this year," Minato said defensively. "If you could just give me more time, I'm sure that when my sheep's wool has fully grown in it would be more than enough to…" He was abruptly cut off by a wave of Neji's hand. The captain took a step inside the humble home, pushing Minato off to the side. His pale eyes glanced coolly about. The walls were made of mud, keeping the house cool from the hot Egyptian sun. The place was decently furnished as well, with beds, a table, reed mats on the floor, and even a stove.
Turning to Minato, he said flatly, "You've had plenty of time, and now that time has run out." Neji flicked two fingers forward, bringing two large guards stomping inside. One grabbed Minato's arms, pulling them behind his back, while the other slammed his fist into the man's stomach. Minato sucked in a gasp. The hits continued, Minato begging them to stop, a sadistic grin spreading across Neji's face.
"Stop it!" a small voice cried out.
"Naruto, stay away!" Minato choked out. A small boy had come out from hiding under a table and now stood protectively in front of his father.
"Leave my papa alone!" Naruto cried.
"Well, well, what do we have here," Neji sneered, stepping forward and looming over the small boy.
"Go away," said Naruto, clutching onto his father's waist. A tick twitched above Neji's dark chocolate brow. He then reached out, and took Naruto by the hair.
"OWW!" Naruto cried. "Let me go!"
"Your boy is just as bad as you are," he bit out to Minato. "No respect or discipline."
"Naruto has nothing to do with this," Minato wheezed.
"Shut up," Neji retorted, slapping the older blond across the face. "Though on the contrary, he may be the solution to your little 'problem'," the captain replied, a smirk spreading across his lips.
Minato paled, "No, you can't."
Neji slapped Minato again, "You are lower than then sands we walk on. And your child is even lower than that. You should be happy that we'll be taking him in exchange for your debt. I'm sure the Pharaoh would love to have another slave in his entourage. Goodness knows, the kingdom is spreading and there's plenty of work to be done."
"Please, take my sheep, take me, anything else but please, not Naruto," Minato begged. "For God's sake, he's just a child."
"Do I look like I care," Neji replied coldly, "as far as I'm concerned, you people should be squashed like the insignificant little insects you are." Snapping his fingers, another guard entered the room. "Take this child out of here. He's just been employed into the great service of our Pharaoh." With that, Neji shoved Naruto at the guard, who grabbed the boy harshly by the arm and dragged him out of the house.
"Papa!" Naruto screamed, reaching for his father, his arms flailing.
"Naruto!" Minato called back, but was cut short as a fist connected with his stomach. Neji stepped over to the desperate man, his pale purple eyes boring into light blue ones. "You know, your son is rather exotic looking for this part of Egypt, so perhaps…"
"No! Please, I beg you," Minato pleaded. He tried to struggle against the guards that restrained him. Neji shrugged, and turned to leave. Over his shoulder he called out to the remaining two men, "Kill him."
OOooOOooOO
"Today is a momentous day. From this day forward, you shall now be Pharaoh," Fugaku said proudly.
"Yes, father," Itachi replied, his dark eyes flashing with excitement. It was about time. He was fifteen, and due to be on the throne. Flicking his long dark hair behind his shoulders, he strode alongside his father down the Great Hall. They had just come from the crowning ceremony, a party unlike any other. There was great food, women, music, and dance, the festivities having been going on for nearly twenty-four hours.
"Oh honey, you look amazing," commented his mother, who had just joined them. Itachi glanced down, not caring one way or another about his lovely red robes, lined with gold and rubies. He also wore gold amulets around his wrists and ankles, and a linen hat adorned with a golden raven. This was all well and good, but there were other things on his mind at the moment. "Everyone was there to see and worship you as you become a legend, a god," she added in adoration.
"Well, not everyone," Itachi drawled. "It seems my dear little brother is no where to be found." His mother and father exchanged a quick glance.
"You needn't worry about Sasuke," Fugaku said gruffly. "He is doing his part to ensure the Uchiha Dynasty is a success as well."
"I see," Itachi replied coolly, eyeing his parents with his crimson-flecked gaze. He was about to question them further when he thought he smelled something.
"Something wrong, Itachi?" his mother asked. Itachi said nothing as he darted back down the hallway.
He skidded to a stop in front of a great tapestry with the Uchiha symbol proudly displayed on it. But now, it was burning, the material crumbling and turning black. "What the hell?" Itachi uttered, eyes wide. An omen, and it was anything but good.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Thanks for reading. Please comment and let me know what you think. I hope to add more chapters soon.