Warning: This story is yaoi, meaning boyxboy love. Don't waste your time reading past this sentence if you thought it was anything but that.
There is extremely mature material in this chapter containing explicit sexual behavior and themes of prostitution; I may decide to censor it later, but if this isn't your cup of tea now would be the time to turn back! You have been warned, I will ignore any flames I receive! If you no likey, don't read okies? Thanks!
Update 1/23/2015: This chapter has now been revised and its explicit nature has substantially been toned down. I received mixed responses to the original version (and surprisingly very few complaints), but I have decided that censoring it would be for the best. If anybody should want to read the original version, they can send me a PM and we can figure out the details.
Thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 1
"FATHER!"
Strong arms held Sakura back as she struggled desperately, wide emerald eyes focused on the image of her father's form as he kneeled at Madara's feet, bleeding profusely from his chest where Madara had stabbed his sword cleanly through.
"What a miserable sight you are, Haruno." The evil man chuckled. "You once told me you would rather die a thousand deaths than grovel at an enemy's feet; yet here you are, kneeling in front of the man who just took everything away from you."
"LET HIM GO!" Sakura screamed, thrashing against the grip that restrained her. Tears streamed down the side of her cheek but the girl barely noticed through her desperation; she clawed and kicked in an attempt to wrestle her way out of her constraints but soon found it to be absolutely fruitless. "SASUKE!" she sobbed, calling for her best friend and loyal bodyguard.
The raven-haired boy remained trapped in the hallway outside of the throne room, his path blocked by a face that shook him to the core. He had come running at the first sounds of distress, only to come face-to-face with his older brother, Itachi Uchiha.
Sasuke knew he was no match. Itachi was the epitome of a fighting prodigy; at Sasuke's age, he had already had hordes of medals piling up for his valiant deeds on the battlefield, and two years later he had been the youngest man to ever be given the title of general.
Never before had Sasuke felt so powerless.
"Please." Sakura whimpered, her eyes glued to her father's dying form. "Please stop."
"Sorry princess." Madara smiled pleasantly, eyes arching. "I can't do that."
He grabbed the dying man by his hair and lifted his chin up, baring the man's neck so that it was easily accessible by blade. Sasuke watched from the doorway, his teeth biting into his lower lip so hard that blood trickled down his chin.
"Damn it!" he cursed, smashing his fist into the wall. "Why, Itachi!?" he asked, almost pleadingly in his rage. "How can you betray the man that took us in when we had nowhere else to go and raised us as one of his own!?"
"One of his own?" Itachi repeated mockingly. "Strange. I don't remember the tradition of making family members into servants."
"He was good to us." Sasuke spat, drawing his sword. "He gave us a home. Prepare yourself, brother."
"You're too late, brother." Itachi replied simply, indifferent to his younger brother's anger. "Nothing can stop us now."
Time seemed to move in slow motion as Madara readied his blade, his victim barely breathing as the king dangled one inch off of the ground. Sakura's lips opened and closed but no sounds escaped them; she stared in sheer terror at the sight of her father dangling helplessly from Madara's grasp, a silent scream resonated from parted lips.
"Don't look."
A hand covered her eyes just as Madara lifted his blade, and she saw nothing but darkness as a loud thud echoed in the room. Sasuke charged forward in pure fury only to be effortlessly knocked away by his brother, who managed to fend off his attacks without taking a single step while deflecting his blows like annoying insects.
When Sakura's vision returned, she was greeted by the sight of her father's body on the ground, though his head was still in Madara's hands.
She screamed.
There were no words, only raw grief in her voice as she wailed her loss to the sky.
"Three years." Madara smiled, briefly glancing at Sasuke to make sure the raven-haired boy was listening to him as well. "That is how much time you have until my men come after you as well. Until then, why don't the two of you try growing a little bit stronger?"
"Oh." He added pleasantly. "And I wouldn't advise trying to come back into the city during that time."
Momentarily mad with grief, Sakura did nothing but shiver as she was dragged out of the room. Sasuke rushed to her side but no words could reach her; trapped in a grief-stricken state, the girl could do nothing but stare straight ahead of her as if replaying the scene of her father's death.
"Grow stronger, little brother." Itachi spoke to Sasuke's retreating back, mimicking Madara's words from earlier.
The raven-haired boy glared back, his eyes drenched with hatred as he carried Sakura in his arms.
"I will." He replied. "And when I come back, I'll kill you for what you've done."
Itachi chuckled. "We'll see about that."
"Kakashi, there better be an extremely important reason why you told us to meet you in a place like this." Sasuke warned evenly as Sakura blushed at his side. "Otherwise, needless to say, I will kill you in the slowest and most painful way possible. I swear it."
"Now now, let's not jump to any conclusions." Kakashi laughed nervously, holding up his hands as if to prove his innocence. "Threatening my life is going a tad bit too far, don't you think?"
Sasuke didn't think so at all. The trio was currently standing in front of the flashiest brothel in town, thanks to the note Kakashi had sent them earlier detailing the location of their meeting. Though Sasuke had learned long ago never to expect the ordinary from the scarecrow, there were still times where the raven-haired man genuinely wanted to bash his face in and leave him to die in front of a horde of stampeding elephants.
It wasn't his fault Kakashi had a habit of thinking with the lower half of his body instead of the half that had a brain.
"Just hear me out." The silver-haired man grinned, and Sasuke begrudgingly complied. As much as he hated to admit it, Kakashi had been a vital help for the past three years. After escaping with them from Tanto city, the older man had assumed responsibility over the two and had helped plan the scheme to take their city back.
"Remember how I said we needed a guide to Byakugan City?" Kakashi asked, his one visible eye arching upwards.
"Hn." Sasuke grunted reluctantly. He had been completely against bringing in an outsider at first, but a sharp lecture from Kakashi and a night of careful contemplation had changed his mind. With the three years that Madara had given them coming to an end, the party now intended to journey to Byakugan City to request help from Sakura's uncle, Hizashi Hyuuga. The relationship between the Hyuuga family and the Haruno family had always been close, and their family stood as the one last hope for Sakura to reclaim her kingdom.
The difficulty of the task began right away, however. Currently, they were in Konoha City, a small trading city that sat on the outskirts south of Tanto city; the city that Sakura's family once ruled over. It was at least a month's journey to Byakugan City, and on the way they would have to travel through the Lost Forest and Roaring Mountains. Of course, there were roads that did not lead through such dangerous territory, but those were used solely for commerce and were carefully monitored at all times. In order to escape Madara's eyes, there was no choice but to sneak around in the shadows.
These areas were infamous for their danger, and travelers usually avoided crossing these barriers like the plague. Only with an experienced guide would they possibly be able to travel to Byakugan City in one piece, though Sasuke still remained unbearably anxious about traveling with a stranger.
After their exile, Madara had kept his word about not sending his men after them; however, that did not mean the slimy bastard did not have other schemes. He had put a price on Sakura's head, naming her a traitor of the city and offering a large sum for anybody who could capture her. Luckily, Sakura had matured an astounding amount both physically and mentally in the past three years, and she had become unrecognizable to normal civilians.
"Our guide can be found in here?" Sakura asked, a slight blush powdering her cheeks as she determinedly kept her gaze on the raunchy building.
"I was told that we could find him here on most nights." Kakashi replied easily, obviously taking great pleasure from the situation. Though Sakura and Sasuke were both eighteen now and were desperately trying to keep their embarrassment contained, their faces practically radiated with discomfort as they stood awkwardly in front of the entrance.
"I...see." Sakura replied.
"We could always wait until tomorrow morning." Kakashi offered.
"No." Sakura shook her head, eyes steely with determination. "Let's go."
She strode inside without hesitation, leaving Kakashi with a gentle smile on his face as Sasuke raced after her. After the death of her parents and the loss of her kingdom, Sakura had remained in a comatose state for more than two weeks. Kakashi had initially thought that all was lost, only to find her conscious one day with a blade in her hand. Without a word, Sakura had chopped off her long, silky hair, and she stood to face Kakashi with fiery resolution burning in her eyes.
"Kakashi. I want my city back."
Kakashi had never been so proud.
"Welcome!" a heavily-made up woman greeted the moment they stepped through the door. She came rushing forward, her steps delicate and constrained by the tight kimono she wore. "My, what a beautiful group." She crooned, shamelessly looking each of them up and down. "What can I do for you fellas tonight?"
She leaned closer to Kakashi and lazily trailed a finger up and down his chest with a sultry look on her face. "Perhaps a bit of…special service?"
"We're actually here on a different kind of business." Kakashi smiled, caressing her cheek. The lady blushed at the gesture and glanced up at him with a curious look in her eyes. "Is there a…Naruto Uzumaki here tonight?"
"Ah." The woman said, understanding dawning on her face. "I see! Mister Uzumaki is indeed here at the moment, but he might be a bit…preoccupied."
"No matter." Kakashi replied, pulling out a golden coin from behind his ear. "Is a pretty penny worth having such a beautiful woman as you show us to his room?"
"Oh my, you sure know how to win over a lady." The woman laughed, taking the coin and tucking it into her bosom. "Come with me."
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged glances as the woman lead them down a series of hallways, each housing numerous rooms that were hidden by sliding doors. The musky scent of sex and the loud screams of pleasure filled the air, and both teens felt exceptionally out of place as Kakashi continued to pass easy banter back and forth with the woman from before.
It didn't surprise them that Kakashi was good at this. His perverted nature had been known since long ago, and Sasuke had lost track of the times he had been forced to drag the man out of a brothel similar to this one.
"Here we are." The woman stopped at last in front of one of the rooms.
"Thank you, darling." Kakashi leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.
"Drop by when you have time for…other business as well." The woman winked at him seductively before leaving. Kakashi waited until she turned the corner to turn his gaze to his two younger companions, and the silver-haired man laughed out loud at the obvious discomfort written on both of their faces.
"Well," he began, trying to regain his composure as both teens glared at him venomously. "Shall we?"
"Let's get this over with." Sasuke grumbled, reaching for the door. Kakashi's face changed from amusement to panic and he attempted to speak a warning, but it was too late.
Sasuke slammed open the screen door, only to be inches away from the sight of a blonde lying naked on the ground, mercilessly being pounded into by another male. The blonde's eyes were screwed shut in ecstasy, soft mews escaping his mouth as he sounded his arousal to his partner.
Frozen, Sasuke could do nothing but watch blankly, onyx eyes barely able to register the lewd sight in front of him. What he saw was nothing like he had ever seen before, and it caused the world around him to fade until he heard nothing but a faint buzzing.
The blonde's eyes opened suddenly, and Sasuke felt a jolt run down his spine as their gazes locked.
"I…wasn't expecting a visit." The blonde panted, eyes sweeping to glance at the others. "You do know I have an office that's open during the day, right?"
His eyes met Sasuke's again, and the raven-haired immediately tore his away and refocused it to his side.
Nothing could have possibly prepared him for a situation such as this.
"There was no time." Kakashi replied, and Sasuke found himself envious of the older male's ability to deal with any kind of situation. At his side Sakura's face was bright red, and she subconsciously hid her face in Sasuke's shoulder though she still peered over it from time to time with irresistible curiosity. The smell of sex and sweat was beginning to waft out of the room, and Sasuke wanted nothing more than to leave the horrid place.
The blonde gazed at Sakura for a few moments before returning his gaze to Kakashi. "Well, if you would like, you can wait in the next room for a few minutes. Of course, you're free to watch as well, if that's what you're into." He stated nonchalantly. Sasuke practically turned green and rushed away, Sakura right at his heels. Kakashi merely tipped his head and followed, shutting the door behind him as to return the blonde's privacy.
"That…was interesting." The blonde's partner spoke.
"Yeah it was." The blonde replied, cerulean eyes sparkling mischievously. "Shall we continue where we left off?"
"You were supposed to wait." Kakashi sighed, though his single visible eye was practically dancing with mirth as he watched the two miserable teenagers in the room. Sakura was handling the situation a bit better, due to the fact that it was Sasuke who had first opened the door and not her. "Did you think they were playing checkers in there or something?"
"I wasn't thinking." Sasuke snapped, his cheeks still flushed. "I just wanted to get it over with."
"Well, no harm done." The older man laughed, ruffling his hair. "It's not as if he seemed to mind."
"He's an indecent person." The raven-haired man slapped Kakashi's hand away. "Do you really want a guy like him traveling with us? His skill seems to be how wide he can open his legs."
"We did interrupt him unannounced, though." Sakura spoke up, though her face was similarly flushed. "That was rude of us."
"Ah." Sasuke turned. "I apologize."
"I'm just glad you were the one who did it." Sakura laughed, punching him in the arm. "I had half the mind to do it myself. Only somebody who's as experienced with places like this as you, Kakashi, would have been able to think ahead like that."
"Is that so…" Kakashi replied, secretly still laughing at the two in his head. It was cute, yet a little tragic how innocent the two were about things that would have been the norm for regular kids their age. For the past three years the two of them had focused on nothing but getting stronger, causing them to miss the normal transition that awkward teenagers went through.
"Still, I want you to explain yourself, Kakashi." Sasuke stated, turning towards the older man. "Why him? There has to be other potential guides in this city."
"He was recommended to me by someone I trust." The older man answered, crossing his legs. "I was told that if we could manage to come to an agreement with this man, he would indubitably get us to where we wanted to go. The man advertises himself as a jack of all trades; it would be beneficial to have a character with various skills on our journey."
"A jack of all trades?" Sasuke snorted. "That means he's okay at everything and good at nothing."
"That may be so." Kakashi replied, his brows furrowed. "But as long as he can get us to Byakugan City, everything else is an added bonus."
"I still don't think we can trust him." The raven-haired man turned away.
The new few minutes passed in silence as Kakashi thought back to what Iruka had told him at their earlier meeting.
"You want a guide that will take you to Byakugan City without turning you in?" Iruka repeated with a troubled expression. "That's a tough one, Kakashi."
"I know." The silver-haired man sighed, covering his eye warily with the back of his hand. "But these kids are relying on me. That's why I came to you."
"Hmmm…." Iruka mused, falling silent. "Actually, there might be a guy who would be willing to help you out…for the right price, of course."
"Prices can always be negotiated." Kakashi leaned forward excitedly. "My only concern is whether or not he can take us to Byakugan City."
"Here." Iruka scribbled on a piece of paper and slid it across the table to Kakashi. "This is his office's address. His name is Naruto Uzumaki; he's a jack of all trades, but I know for a fact that he can navigate as good as any other guide."
"And if he finds out who Sakura is?"
"As long as you form a contract with him, he will not betray you." Iruka responded in confidence. "And to tell the truth, he's a good kid. He'll do everything to convince you otherwise, but I know him."
"Seems like you know this kid pretty personally." Kakashi observed, slipping the sheet of paper into his pocket.
"Yeah. I can vouch for him." Iruka smiled. "Kakashi, you can trust him – I wouldn't be sending you to him unless I was a hundred percent sure you could."
"Okay." The silver-haired man nodded. "And I trust you, Iruka."
…It seemed as though Iruka had left out a few key personality traits when describing the man, but Kakashi supposed it could be worse. As a pervert himself, he couldn't condemn the blonde for his nighttime activities; Sasuke, on the other hand, already seemed determined to reject him.
"We can trust him." He said firmly to his two younger companions. "The hardest part will be getting him to agree."
"Why is that?" Sakura asked, crossing her legs.
Kakashi sighed. "There are very few people who are willing to travel to Byakugan City from here, and those that are willing charge astronomical prices. With what pocket change we have left, let's hope he's up for making a deal."
"As long as it's reasonable." A new voice sounded from the doorway. Sasuke swung around pulling a knife out of the inner pocket in his cloak, only to come face-to-face with the blonde for the second time that night. The raven-haired man's eyes narrowed; he hadn't heard the door open, nor had he heard the blonde come in.
"Ah." Kakashi rose to his feet, quickly shooting Sasuke a warning glance that told him to put his weapon away. "We apologize for earlier. It was a…miscommunication."
"I feel as though we can skip the formalities, since we're already meeting in such an unconventional manner." The blonde chuckled, lifting up a hand. "Why don't we make ourselves comfortable first?"
The blonde took a seat on the floor and the rest of them followed, though Kakashi sat in the front with Sakura and Sasuke behind him. Sasuke glared at the blonde testily, not unaware of the way that Naruto's eyes lingered on Sakura's face before switching back to Kakashi.
Could this man really be trusted?
"So." The blonde smiled easily, though his face remained unreadable. "What can I do for you good folks?"
AlexandriteSky: Well, there's the first chapter! Poor Sasuke doesn't know what he got himself into…please R&R if you enjoyed it!