The forest blurred around a tall, raven haired youth as he ran for all his worth. Loud growls intermingled with howls and shouting could be heard in the distance. The youth was exhausted but nonetheless picked up the pace as his pursuers drew ever closer. Cursing under his breath the raven increased his speed, nimbly avoiding any obstacles. Despite the increased pace he couldn't escape the reality that his pursuers were catching up. If he didn't do something soon this screwed up game of chase would be over.

That was the last thing the youth wanted. If captured he would be taken before his father and forced into a mating ceremony with a pathetic excuse for a yokai. Sakura Haruna, a pink haired elemental yokai that was in her own realm of self-absorption. There was no way he would ever consider mating with someone like her but his father saw things differently. The king saw her as a mindless brood mare with an excellent pedigree, nothing more.

His family was a powerful and more importantly royal clan that ruled over several others. Their home the Leaf Kingdom was exceedingly wealthy and massive. So, of course he as the second prince was expected to marry a yokai of respectable birth. As the spare and not the heir like his brother, any children he sired would be used for political machinations by his father. No matter their gender they would be used to either broker or strenghthen alliances. Sold like cattle to the most strategically advantaged buyer.

While the raven's upbringing had left him emotionally stunted he would never allow his potential future children to be used as pawns in someone's twisted political game. Even if that person was his tyrannical father. His own childhood was filled with various servants and tutors, not actual blood kin. No, tucking him in at night or changing his diaper was beneath his parents' royal status. So, he had been raised knowing only rigid duty, his father's disappointment, and mother's indifference. The only saving grace was that his older brother did everything in his power to make up for their parents' behavior. Despite his own increasing absence in the younger raven's life. Due to his own royal obligations and duties as Crown Prince.

Still, none of that mattered at the moment. He was quickly running out of forest and his pursuers were catching up. Hoping for a miracle the raven youth looked about in desperation as if one would magically appear. When it seemed that he was out of options loud rushing sounds to the left reached his ears . Praying for that miracle he so badly needed the raven raced towards the noise. The further he ran towards it the louder it got until the sounds of those hunting him faded away beneath the sounds of raging water.

Seeing a break in the treeline, his cloak billowing behind him the youth increased his speed. The adolescent raven didn't stop until he was past the trees where the dark haired yokai found himself on the banks of a fast-moving river. Less than 100 feet away the river dropped off into a waterfall. A desperate thought crossed the dark haired yokai's mind as he stared at the waterfall.

It was a long drop but his healing abilities should prevent him from dying. It was a risk, a huge fucking risk but his pursuers were practically nipping at his heels. If they caught him he would live the rest of his extremly long life as a possesion. Something for his father to use as that bastard saw fit. He would be forced to have children that would live their lives the same way. Luxury and wealth were not worth selling his soul for nor was being a puppet all he wanted from life.

With steely determination to be more than a tool, the youth ran towards the river. He dove into the rushing water swimming towards a log that was quickly floating past. His dark cloak floated behind him in the water as a cloud of dirt formed around him. It wasn't until pale, leanly tonned arms latched onto the log that the runaway yokai prince heaved a sigh of relief.

"Stop!"

Inky locks whipped around towards where the shout came from and he was shocked to see the voice's owner. There on the riverbank stood a tall yokai with long raven hair and pale skin. The other yokai was an older version of the youth clutching onto the log for dear life. Though their faces weren't identical it was obvious the two were related. They would have looked even more similiar if not for the tear-troughs on the older raven's face.

Fear and sorrow were prominatly displayed on the other male's face as he was subjected to the unwavering gaze of the younger yokai. As he watched the youth slip over the waterfall, crystalline tears ran unchecked down the aristocratic face. Angony gripped the elder raven as his heart cracked and shattered inside his chest.

"Foolish little brother," whispered the powerful raven haired yokai as he fell to his knees.

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Gold gilded, jewel encrusted double doors were flung open into a long elegant throne room. At the end of this vast hall was a raised, square dias. The dias was made of a snow white marble, as was the rest of the floor in the thone room and was a few feet off the ground. Five steps up a dark, cherry wood staricase and you would find yourself face to face with three thrones. Three thrones of varing sizes and all made completly of different gemstones. The center and largest throne was made entirely of rubies. Rubies that hundreds of years ago had been called forth from the ground by an earth elemental yokai.

Which had then been molded into the throne that a score of Uchiha kings and queens had ruled from. On the right of the ruby throne, sat a smaller and less impressive throne made of diamonds that was reserved for the mate of the current monarch. To the left of the other two thrones was the smallest of the trio. This throne was made of black opal laced with crimson colored veins running throughout it. This last throne was reserved for the monarch's heir. Set under these thrones was a plush midnight blue rug with a red and white fan at each corner.

Sitting upon the ruby throne was a mountain of a man with creamy white skin, midnight hair, and coal black eyes. A woman of similiar coloring sat upon the daimond throne to his left. Her posture was stiff and her pale face openly displayed the turmoil raging inside her. Whereas the man was stone faced with deep frown lines around his thin, pale lips marring his otherwise handsome features.

Golden doors closed with an echoing thud behind the yokai that had entered the high ceilinged throne room. Coal black eyes swept critically over the sweeping arches and their round, white marble columns that ran along the room to each side of him. He peered icily at the multitude of entities in the grand hall hiding in the alcoves created by said arches and coloums. Swiftly evaluating both the commoners and nobles that had gathered to hear his news.

With his head held high the new arrrival walked down the plush rug that ran from the door and stopped twenty feet from the dias. Under tired booted feet that had known only harsh ground for weeks, the midnight blue carpet was heavenly. Though he wanted to sigh in bliss as he tread towards the monarchs perched on their thrones, the yokai held it in. Knowing from experience that it would be seen as a sign of weakness by his overly strict king and father.

Dried mud flaked off of his clothes as he walked leaving a mess that some servant would be cursing him for later. Despite his tattered and mud encrusted black tunic and earth brown breeches the yokai managed to look regally imposing. The male yokai's aritsocratic face was expressionless while his long midnight locks were loosely pulled back into a low ponytail. A quiet buzz of whispered comments filled the hall as he completed his treak. Stopping a bit before the edge of the midnight blue runner, he took a knee.

Once the newly arrived yokai had kneeled the murmurs died off as the king spoke from his throne. "Itachi, where is your brother?" The king questioned his voice as hard as the marble surronding them.

"Gone," was the emotionless response from Itachi. Yokai, both male and female shivered at the sinfully rich voice of their crown prince.

"Explain." Shifting forward on his throne King Fugaku ordered his son in an acerbic tone.

Nodding, Itachi continued. "Myself and the trackers of the Inuzuka Clan pursued my brother into the Nara Forest. I caught up with him at The Valley of the End." A different kind of shver ran through the inhabitans of the room at this revelation. Once again the vast airy hall was filled with the twitters of multiple people speaking.

A calloused pale hand was raised, silencing the buzz of the assembled enities. Numerous pairs of eyes focused on the raised hand of their king as they waited for Fugaku Uchiha to speak. When the last of the whispers had faded, Fugaku spoke. "Continue."

"Rather than be captured he jumped into the river and was swept over the waterfall. It wasn't a far enough drop to kill a yokai of his abilities but the river will have carried him off. At this moment his location and well-being are unkown." Itachi concluded his report without any infelection in his voice. To those that didn't know the crown prince personally the raven haired yokai would appear emotionless. As if the possible loss of his younger brother didn't effect him in the least.

However, the subtle tightening around Itachi's mouth and eyes didn't go unnoticed by a certain long haired blond yokai. This yokai's honey blond hair had scarlet tips and his skin was lightly tanned. Grey blue eyes took in the hagard appearance of his dark haired mate with concern. Deidara knew his reserved mate wouldn't show how much the loss of his brother affected him until they were alone.

With more reaction than the Uchiha king had ever publicly shown, Fugaku sucked air in between his pale lips. Unkown emotions visibly played across his normally blank face. With a heavy exhale of air, Fugaku proclaimed in voice that brooked no disageement. "Despite his many short comings my son is powerful. I have no doubt that my second born is alive and must be brought back. Though he has disgraced this family and our people, he is still an Uchiha. One way or another he will do his duty to this kingdom."

Fury rose inside Itachi at his father's proclamaiton. This bastard couldn't control his brother so he wanted to try again with his grandchildren. There was no way he would ever let that happen. Itachi promised himself at that very moment that he would do everything in his power to delay the recovery of his brother. Like his father, Itachi believed the youngest Uchiha was alive.

Fiery obsidian eyes bored into the flat eyes of his father that were a match in color for his own. With a slight nod of acceptance, Itachi replied. "As you wish my king."

Most father's would be displeased with the curt, formal tone Itachi used. Fugaku was not most fathers. Which was made abuntantly clear by the cruel smirk now tainting his handsome features. The eldest Uchiha enjoyed his power and the control it entitled him over others, even his own family.

So it was with an arogant voice Fugaku commanded Itachi. While his queen, Mikoto softly pleaded with her eldest son.

"Recover your brother!"

"Please, find Sasuke."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pain, was where his world began. Every part of his being ached, throbbed, burned, and stung. Not for the first time in his life Sasuke Uchiha wished for death. The only silver lining to this overwhelming agony was that it meant he was alive. How much longer he would remain that way was yet to be determined.

Slowly, his senses retuned to him granting the seventeen year old yokai the faculties to know just how fucked he really was. Underneath him he could feel the sharp edges of rocks cutting into his back. Above him the sky was a gorgeous blue with barely a cloud in sight. The sun beat down on Sasuke's broken and battered body. While drying him slowly under its warm rays.

Sasuke was unable to determine the extent of his injuries since he could barely lift his head from where it was laying on the ground. With efforts that left him panting in agony he was able to turn his head to the left where soft trickling sounds were coming from. What appeared to be a large, slow-moving creek was to his left and the raven haired youth realized he must have washed up on the creek bank.

Another round of pain induced panting followed him lifting his head to stare down at his body. Bright crimson blood covered Sasuke to the point that it was impossible to see his exact injuries. All the raven haired prince knew for sure was that he couldn't move the rest of his body. Except moving his head which was doable but exruciating.

Air fled from behind parted pale lips as the runaway prince faded in and out of conciousness. The youngest Uchiha may not have been a stranger to pain but the amount he was in now surpassed any he'd felt before. Tortured onyx eyes glared up at the peaceful sky above. It was a beutiful day and that royally pissed him off. He possibly lay dying on the ground and the world kept spinning like nothing was happening.

With all the force he could muster Sasuke growled. Split, chapped lips opened to wheeze at the calm blue sky filled with sparse lazyily drifting clouds. "Fuck you."

He must have blacked out for a while because the next thing Sasuke saw were glaring blue eyes that bested the sky in their beauty. It was a minute before the runaway prince could make out the rest of yokai the mesmerizing azure orbs belonged to. A smirk manifested on the battered prince's face when Sasuke saw that the rest of the hovering yokai's face was as entrancing as his eyes.

This new yokai that continued to glare silently at him, had a slightly round face with three whisker like marks on each cheek. Sasuke easily identified them as the other youth's yokai markings. Markings that all yokai had in every form but their full yokai one. Three hundred years ago when the war between yokai and humans was still going strong the humans had used these markings as a way to discover yokai spies.

Bright sunshine blond hair spilled from the top of the glaring yokai's head. Ears the same sunshine blond with white tips sat atop the blue-eyed youth's head. A light breeze was gently blew golden locks against the 'whiskered' blonde's caramel cheeks. Slowly, the glaring blue eyes softened and confusion enetered the cerluean depths as the the blond cocked his head to one side.

As if coming to an internal descision, azure eyes sparked with mischeif. "You know, if you want my help than you're going to have to be nicer than that."

Sasuke stared incredously at the blond, snorting softly at the playful taunt. "Hn."

Full, pouty pink lips spread rapidly into a large grin that threatened to split the tanned blonde's face. "I have no idea what that means. However, I'll assume its your way of thanking me for saving your pale ass."

Again, Sasuke was struck by the audacity of the golden haired yokai. Few beings ever had the nerve to playfully banter with him. It was mostly his brother or friends he considered family that had and only ever in private. Never had a stranger spoken to him in such a way for fear of repisal. At the palace his father would have had this yokai whipped for his good-natured teasing. Fugaku didn't approve of 'lower class' yokai getting too comfortable with their betters.

When no reply to his remark came the blonde's lips pulled down into a pout. Which he aimed at the battered but healing yokai. Dark eyes hungrily took in the pout but no comment came from the raven haired yokai. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki by the way."

"Sasuke." Was Naruto's gravelly voiced reply.

Smile firmly back in place, Naruto beamed at Sasuke. "Nice to meet you! Er, well maybe not so nice for you." The blond chuckled rubbing the back of his golden head sheepishly.

"Moron." Sasuke rolled his dark eyes at the still chuckling Naruto.

Suddenly, the chuckling stopped as azure eyes widened. Sasuke suddenly found a stubby, calloused finger an inch from his face as the blond shouted at him. "Rude!"

"Che," the onyx eyed yokai grunted. "Idiot, I thought you were supposed to be helping me. Not let me to bleed to death."

Naruto withdrew his accusing finger as his mouth fell open at the injured yokai's rudness. "Yo.. you bastard! I was waiting for you to heal enough that your wounds stopped bleeding!" Blue eyes raked over Sasuke's body. "Congratulations asshole, it looks like we're good to go."

At this point a frown appeared on Sasuke's face. "Go where?"

This time it was Naruto's turn to roll his eyes at the raven's petulant tone. "My house. You want me to patch you up, right?"

"Hn."

TBC