AN: OKAY, Just so you know, it's possible, that I won't reply to anyone, BUT this is because I am going in to an Eating Disorder unit, kay? So don't be offended, I will get bak to you as soon as possible!!! =)
China.
Neji had to admit it. It was remarkable. The hills were gargantuan, stretching up in to the blue skies. They were irregular in shape, sometimes sinking and bending until almost a regular mountain size, but then they would swing back upwards towards the heavens, as though attempting to scrape the stars. The rice fields were plentiful, and vast. They reflected the skies perfectly; each one was like a mirror. The workers, however, were sparse, and the fields many.
It was all a shock for Neji, who had just come from Japan, and wasn't used to the space China held. Japan was like an oyster shell compared with this. This was alien and unknown.
Neji leant back away from the window. They were passing a field full of red blooms of some sort, and they gave the impression that the field was on fire.
He sighed melancholically. As beautiful as this was, he felt so isolated. So alone here, in this country full of exotic possibilities; or should he say prospects. Because really, he wasn't here of his choice. He was only here to marry. About time, his uncle had said, that you get married, and carry on for us. They Hyuga Family, that is. I've found you the perfect wife.
Neji had been shocked. He hadn't met this woman. All he knew of her was her first name. TenTen. Chinese through and through obviously.
The carriage jolted somewhat. Neji scowled. He was tired and was feeling rather sore. This wouldn't be happening if one of his cousins had been a boy. Of course his uncle had to make life difficult. Neji had heard the story of servants. He had been brought up to believe his uncle was his father. Until his servant, had told him otherwise. His mother had died of tuberculosis, his father had been removed conveniently, but never killed, that is what his servant had said, more moved to some out-of-the-way place to live out the remainders of his days. All because of his uncleßs pride. People had whispered. Had whispered spiteful lies about his uncle 'not being able to do it'. Neji was just the toy, which proved he could.
Another jolt. Neji banged his head painfully against the side of the carriage. He hissed.
The carriage lurched to a halt.
Foot steps.
The carriage door slammed open.
A young boy, not much older than Neji stood there, his hair was messy and bright blond. Neji was not used to seeing such bright colours, but assumed he was from Europe somewhere. Slave trade. The boy's eyes were cerulean.
"Why have we stopped?" Neji inquired politely from behind a fan. No servant who was new to him, must see his face. Not until he knew his name anyway.
"The horses need changing, Hyuga-sama. Also…" The boy thrust out an armful of silk. "… they request that you wear traditional Chinese attire on arrival."
Neji did not move to take the clothes.
"What is your name?" He asked serenely instead.
The boy avoided his eyes. Such was the custom.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Neji raised a brow.
"You have a Japanese name, but you are obviously not Asian." He stated it, rather than said it.
"Neither are you." Neji's eyes narrowed.
"My mother was not." He said simply.
"Nor mine, half my family are Europeans." Neji was beginning to like this kid. He had guts, that was for sure.
"Uzumaki. Would you care to be my servant? I will pay you triple the amount you get now."
Naruto raised his face eagerly.
"Yes, sir!" A smile graced the blond boy's face.
The corners of Neji's mouth raised somewhat.
…
Neji felt uncomfortable in these new garments. They were silky, and slipped like water over his shoulders, exposing them to the people around him. That was a scandal. Nobody should be able to see more than his face, hands, least his shoulders.
"If you don't mind me saying sir, you should gain a bit."
Neji glared.
The forbidden city, was just across that river. Inside there was a princess. Neji shuddered; women were such effort. To be honest, when Neji saw women, they reminded him f fire-breathing dragons.
AS the crossed the bridge, Neji looked back, wishing suddenly that he was one of the peasants, standing on the other side. A small boy watched him, his eyes narrow. Neji looked away again.
As they passed through the streets of the forbidden city, Neji caught sights of the women, their faces, like in Japan, were painted very white, but their shape faces were different. The women Neji knew, their face shapes were perfect ovals, like a doll's, but the women here, had more angular, and sometimes much fatter faces, than he was used to. Their clothes too were similar, but they again had their differences, the colours, were more garish, and there were a lot more, reds, pinks, and greens than the usual random displays of colour. The way they wore their hair, was mostly just a plain bun, with only one hair ornament but in Japan, they wore much more ornamental styles of décor. Dragons were also much more big here. The carvings were intricate, done with much care, the expressions of the dragons varied, some snarling, while others grinned creepily up at the passers-by.
Neji was out of sorts.
The calligraphy too, was alien, everything much squarer, with more squiggles and lines, and some randomly placed blobs.
The carriage lurched suddenly.
Naruto nodded encouragingly and opened the door to help Neji down. A row of steps ascended towards big, red doors.
A dragon leered down at him.
He allowed the carriage to move noisily away.
Gracefully he stepped towards the door, suddenly aware of being flanked by two guards.
They opened the big, wooden doors.
…
Shikamaru stood resolutely still, as the doors opened. Princess TenTen, tried to stifle a giggle… In vain.
Shikamaru was expecting a dark, small typical Japanese man to come limping in, stooped with age, but instead a blonde boy walked in first. Followed by what could only be the prince they were waiting for.
The man who walked in was picturesque. He walked gracefully, his obviously new, and expensive Chinese robes trailed on the floor behind him. They were a crimson color. It brought out the eyes of the wearer all the more. The boy's eyes were heliotrope. The boys hair although tied back in a lose pony tail, was long, trailing down to the back of his knee caps, and it was a russet colour, and looked even silkier than his robed. His skin was fair, a brilliant contrast, which seemed very befitting.
The blonde servant spoke.
"Hyuuga Neji, has arrived."
The Emperor stood. Slowly his small eyes, searched Neji.
Neji couldn't help but squirm under the man's gaze. It felt like being undressed.
Finally the man leered.
"Well, well, well, I had heard the Hyuga family had good blood, half Europeans, and the other half comes from the Land of the Rising Sun, but really, I hadn't expected your stock to be quite that… Exquisite."
Neji felt uncomfortable.
Shikamaru winced inwardly for the newcomer. Obviously the poor boy did not know of the man's… habits. Young men were a weakness. That was well known, even to TenTen. But this guy, he had no chance, it didn't matter if the man was marrying TenTen.
Neji said nothing.
The Emperor scowled.
"May I introduce my daughter…" Here he grabbed TenTen's arm firmly, before dragging her down the small flight of steps, which led to where Neji stood, awkwardly, "TenTen."
She was not ugly, Neji admitted but… There was a part of him which, rejected her forcefully. Her face was chalk-white, her lips cherry red, her robes were a scarlet, embroidered with a dragon crawling around her legs.
Her most noticeable feature were the two buns she wore on either side of her head; both shiny, and one bearing a plum blossom (so unlike Neji's favorite cherry blossoms) nestled in it.
She smiled shyly at him; he nodded stiffly.
She winced.
He did not mean to be harsh.
Shikamaru watched, albeit smugly as TenTen got rejected silently. Usually TenTen would turn heads, but this boy didn't seem to pay any attention to her at all, not even when her honey-like eyes became misty. He stole another glance at the Hyuga.
Even from a distance, Shikamaru could tell the boy's lashes were long.
"So, Hyuga Neji" Shikamaru made a mental note of the name "you have had a long journey, I am sure, one of my courtiers will how you to your room, if that's agreeable with you."
The Hyuga gave his consent.
Silently Shikamaru couldn't help hoping that he would be the one who would show the boy to his room.
No such luck.
"Uchiha Sasuke, would you show Hyuga Neji to his room, his servant must fetch his trunks first though." Sasuke summed Neji up quickly.
Small stature; somewhat feminine; long lashes; pale skin; long hair. The kid was in trouble.
Idly he cast a sidelong look to the servant. Short, spiky blond hair. Tanned skin. Muscular, despite the robe. He hurried past him. But their eyes locked. Indigo met midnight. Time seemed t stop. Just briefly. And then the boy with the three scars on each cheek was gone.
Not for long though. He returned carrying a trunk.
Sasuke marched them along to a hallway, eager to get a way from the Emperor's roaming eyes, scared for the blonde kid.
Neji noticed the hallways were extremely angular, exact right angles at each corner, the polished wood precise, and gleaming, the doors looked as though no hands had touched them.
Soon enough they came to a door.
The Uchiha slid it open, allowing both of them entrance.
Naruto struggled with the trunk.
Sasuke did not fail to notice.
"Allow me." Gently he prised Naruto's hands from the trunk, their touch lingering perhaps a little too long.
Again their eyes locked.
Naruto had heard about aesthetically beautiful men. He had never actually met one though. But if Naruto could give aesthetically beautiful men a definition he would chose this man.
The man's lashes were thick; his eyes although dark, shone through his face, contrasting with creamy skin, and very subtly pink lips. The man's hair had been spiked at the back, and hung in long locks on either side of his face, framing the image of perfection. Even the man's hands were long and elegant, much like a pianist. Despite the black, silver gown, obviously made for men, he looked very much like a woman in some respects.
"Naruto."
A sharp call from Neji, brought Naruto's behind being obnoxiously brought back to earth.
Neji was getting impatient wanting to be left alone already.
"Your room is here, Naruto." He said in a somewhat softer voice, gesturing to another sliding door, adjoining the two rooms.
Naruto gave the Uchiha a final glance, before reluctantly bowing to him, and backing away from the sliding door, as it slid shut firmly.
Neji's trunk was left by his bed, which was raised only few inches above the floor, as was custom.
The room was elaborate, a small fire was in the wall opposite the bed, the wall paper was red, and displayed gold threads, displaying China's rice fields, China's royalty, China's wealth, and on the polar end of the scale displayed China's peasants, all selling rice.
The hats peasants wore were pointed, their clothes boring, quite the opposite of what Neji was used to. Even the women wore trouser like garments.
The drawers were black lacquer, and the wardrobe the same. Both displayed carvings of blossoms, trees, mountains, animals and lakes. Sometimes there would be an inlayed pearly white flower.
Neji felt his exhaustion catching up with him.
"Naruto, would you please fetch me, my night robes?"
Naruto hastened to do so, rifling carelessly through Neji's trunk.
Naruto handed the robes to Neji immediately.
"I'm going to go and refresh myself, before having a nap, if it's not too much trouble, Naruto would you arrange all the garments you've spilled out on to the floor in the drawers and wardrobe please."
Naruto pouted but consented to do so.
"You'll find me looking for a bathroom."
Neji exited his room, hoping he could remember it's location. He ambled aimlessly through the many corridors, cursing the precise twists and turns, which made the place look so much more like a red maze.
He gave up eventually, slumping carelessly against a wall.
"Damned place." He muttered.
He jumped out of his skin as he heard a rude (or at least that was his opinion) voice say, "I often used to say the same thing."
Neji whipped around looking for he source of the voice.
He saw a man, dressed in some sort of Japanese Yukata, plain but obviously expensive, lounging carelessly against a corner.
"Oh." Neji said coolly.
"Do you need help?" The man asked. His voice was deep, and Neji was reminded of a waterfall.
The man's appearance was casual, an earring glinted at Neji, his hair was tied up somewhat comically at the top of his head, his face was angular, slightly unshaven, but clean, his frame was very muscular, the complete opposite to Neji.
"I…" Neji thought about this. Either he told the truth, didn't hopefully get laughed at, and would be refreshed; he didn't tell the truth, he would smell. "Yes. Could you direct me to a bathroom please?"
The man didn't laugh, but smirked casually.
"Of course." He started moving.
Neji hurried to catch up.
"You name?" Neji questioned.
"Shikamaru. Nara Shikamaru that is…" Neji waited.
He looped up impatiently at the man.
"Sir." The man called Shikamaru winked as he said it.
Neji's face flushed.
He changed the subject hurriedly.
"Are you also Japanese?"
Shikamaru nodded.
"It's better to live here though. Japan has so many doctors. China is a sick land. So many peasants you see."
Neji saw.
"So you're the Emperor's doctor too?"
Shikamaru's eyes darkened.
"Yes."
"How do the peasants afford treatment?"
Shikamaru stared at Neji, as though he had two heads.
"They don't. It's free."
Shikamaru goggled stupidly at Shikamaru, but they both stopped abruptly, as Shikamaru slid open a door.
"Here's the bathroom…" Neji waited. "Sir." Again Shikamaru winked.
"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know, after all, I'm your doctor as well now you know." Shikamaru smirked down at Neji's stained cheeks.
"I bid you fare well… Sir." Shikamaru patted Neji's back, and strode confidently down the corridor.
Neji was left speechless.
…
The Emperor leered down at a portrait of Neji. The man was beautiful… he wanted him.
At the same time, the back of Shikamaru's neck prickled unpleasantly, as though someone… Was watching him.
I hope you enjoy it =)