Hello~
Naruto: GAH!
Sasuke: What the hell are you doing here?! Don't you have other fandoms to write for?!
Work and my PS4 are ruling parties in my life for the time being.
Gaara: Then how did you manage to write this?
I got the inspiration before I bought my PS4. I just again found the time to finish it now that I'm not doing the last shift at work for a while.
So anyway! This was inspired by Rosswen's story, The Pride of A Clan. So, if anything sounds eerily similar, you know why. I'M NOT STEALING IT! I'm just using the plot idea with my own twists, and how I would have had certain incidents handled. I swear, I'm not a thief! My imagination just has a mind of it's own!
Disclaimer: As if I need to say I don't own the Naruto series. It's obvious I don't, or Boruto wouldn't exist, Itachi would be alive, and there would be SasuNaru out the wazoo. That being said, no one has reasons to sue me.
Black hair that shone midnight blue in certain light and was soft to the touch.
Fathomless eyes like black pools that captured one's soul.
Skin smooth, flawless in appearance, and pale as the moon.
A lithe body, deceptively strong.
Uchiha Sasuke was indeed a man to be desired with all these qualities and standing at almost six feet tall; he had been desired all his life really. He was strong, gorgeous, and he came from the prestigious Uchiha clan that helped found Konohagakure with the Senju clan, which put him in a very powerful position after the Hokage. But only one had won the right to be his wife.
Long, cotton-candy pink hair kept soft as silk.
Mint green eyes that laughed in victory.
Pale skin like cream, smooth and clear.
A small and petite body that would be appealing to any man.
Haruno Sakura was the lucky woman whose hand Sasuke took in marriage, and she was proud to boast about it any and every chance she could; everyone believed they looked great together as a couple, that they were perfect together. That was only the surface of things though; while Sakura strutted around with her nose in the air and a smug smile, Sasuke was the furthest thing from happy. He itched to kill his wife, but he needed a legit reason that would appease the clan's high council, and it had to be something big that could never be forgiven; he didn't even remember everything that resulted in their marriage. It all happened at a wedding between his best friend, Gaara, and his distant cousin, Neji; one minute he was dancing with…someone he couldn't remember properly no matter how much he tried, and the next thing he knew, it was late morning, his head was pounding, and he was in his given room naked with no memory. No one saw anything, and it was suspicious that he had a hangover, because he only drank two alcoholic drinks: one at the actual ceremony and one during dinner to toast.
He had only been home a month when a man named Haruno Kizashi came to the Uchiha compound raving about how his daughter claimed to be pregnant with Sasuke's child, and that it happened at the wedding. One of Sasuke's friends, Shikamaru, had brought his friends, Chouji and Ino, when he was invited, and Ino had brought her friend, Sakura; according to Sakura, Sasuke had too much to drink and took Sakura to his bed. Ino, being of a lower rank, but respectable clan, blamed Sakura for not having the sense to refuse Sasuke in his inebriated state; if it weren't for the fact that she was pregnant, Sakura would have been killed by the clan. To her relief and joy, and to Sasuke's dismay, they were made to get married to legitimize the baby before the birth. Sasuke was so mad about it all; he was the second born in his family, his older brother, Itachi, was the head of the clan as their father was dead, and due to not being married with no children, Sasuke was his named heir.
The clan laws stated that in the event of a younger sibling born to the head family being named the standing heir, they need to be married and produce a child, preferably a son, to affirm their position. Sasuke was sixteen when he got married to Sakura; she was the same age as him. Now they were twenty-four, and still didn't have a child; Sakura had miscarried before the end of her first trimester. Sasuke had hoped that he and Sakura would be divorced after, but another law killed that hope; it basically said that the clan required a future heir, a child, and because Sasuke was married, he had to be the one to provide in the meantime while his brother remained unmarried; joy for him. The more frustrating part about it all was that they had been married eight years, Sakura had gotten pregnant five or six times, only to miscarry within the first trimester, and yet Sasuke still couldn't divorce from her.
What really hurt though, what really got to him, was that Sasuke wanted to be a father after a few years; Sasuke was an accomplished Shinobi for Konohagakure and became a squad leader at twenty-one. He was given a Genin squad and found that he liked being the one to be looked up to by someone who trusted him; he understood how Itachi felt when they were growing up. Sasuke acted as a teacher and a brother to his squad; he taught them everything he learned from his family, mainly Itachi, and his old sensei, Kakashi, that he could teach them at their level and in general. It made him want a child of his own to teach the same things to, but something was wrong with Sakura that caused her to miscarry every time; did the gods hate him that much? Were the miscarriages punishment for forgetting himself than night at Gaara's wedding?
What did he have to do make up for his mistake?
҉
Sasuke yawned as he woke up late in the morning. His joints ached, and his muscles were stiff from his hard, impromptu training session; Sakura had miscarried again. Sasuke gave orders for Sakura to be watched carefully, and he thought she would actually carry past the first trimester, but in the middle of the day… He didn't know how much more he could take of this; something needed to change soon, or he would finally snap and just kill Sakura. She clearly felt nothing about losing the children she carried, she just apologized to Sasuke then went on with her life while the Uchiha heir mourned each lost chance to raise and nurture a new life that was part of him. His only stable support was his brother, and brother-in-law, Deidara, they always gave him a shoulder to cry on when he needed.
"Sasuke-kun, are you awake?" a soft voice called through his door.
"Come in, Deidara-Aniki." He responded.
The door opened, and in stepped Sasuke's brother-in-law; Deidara had long, sunflower blond hair with bangs pulled over to cover the left side of his face, and powder-blue eyes, he wore a plum yukata that had no sleeves or upper back, so it looked as if it went around the back of his neck then crossed over his chest leading to the skirts that fell to his shins and had a slit of his left leg; the style was typical of an Ikiru Dansei. He did wear the usual mesh top and shorts that shinobi wore, along with tool packs, and instead of an obi around his waist, he had a belt that carried an extra pouch; on his hands were elbow-length fingerless gloves that mainly covered his palms.
Deidara married Itachi when Sasuke was eighteen; Itachi had accompanied their previous Hokage to the Earth Nation to discuss a trade agreement with the Tsuchikage, and during the welcoming feast, a foolish shinobi thought it would be a good idea to try and kill Itachi. Being of one of the strongest clans in the Fire Nation, of course killing the head of the Uchiha would be smiled upon by their enemies. But that wasn't what the Tsuchikage wanted; as an apology, he offered one of his own shinobi, Deidara, to become his bride in order to further strengthen the alliance between Earth and Fire. Itachi wanted to decline, not wanting to trap someone in marriage as they didn't know each other at all, but the Hokage agreed for him and they were married right on the spot; Itachi felt really guilty, and Deidara was pissed. When they came back to the Uchiha compound, Sasuke empathized with both of them; two more poor souls in the same boat as him: trapped in a loveless marriage against their will. It seemed like they would all drown if things didn't improve.
But, like always, ever since they were children, Itachi got all the luck; Deidara spent months hating Itachi while the Uchiha lord was patient and civil, giving the blond his space when he needed it (all the time), and never pressuring him. At some point in their married life, Itachi fell in love with Deidara, and slowly started to increase his efforts to get his konsouto to accept him, but things still weren't going well at all; Deidara's rage only grew and it caused Itachi pain that affected him so. Sasuke hated seeing it, so he did something he avoided doing whenever he could since the day Deidara first arrived: he talked to the blond and convinced him to finally talk to Itachi about everything so that they could put everything to rest and start anew. Slowly, Deidara fell in love with Itachi, he smiled and joked around, and became a second brother to Sasuke; he liked to prank Sakura often by leaving little clay creatures he controlled with chakra anywhere she went and blew them up. Not enough to hurt her (he was scolded by his mother-in-law the first time), just enough to scare the bejeezus out of her when she got really annoying, which was all the time.
Still, Sasuke was alone in his boat again with only a rope to keep him tethered to the dock; it was going to break soon, and he was going to drift away if something didn't change.
Deidara went over to Sasuke's bedside and sat down by him.
"How did you sleep?" he asked running a hand through the younger's hair.
"Not good… I had that dream again. I heard them all crying… I couldn't help them no matter how much they begged…"
"Hey now, it'll turn around one day." The blond assured "For now, your brother is in the bath. Go relax with him. You're obviously stiff after you all the steam you blew last night."
Sasuke gave a small smile and nodded.
Deidara smiled back warmly and tussled the dark locks.
"Lunch will be served once you two are done." He said standing up and going to leave the room "See you then."
Sasuke waved shortly and got out of bed once his door closed. He grabbed the yukata he didn't sleep in the previous night having chosen to sleep naked and put it on then left his room to make his way to the bath for some quality time with his brother. Along his walk down the hall, he crossed paths with the current bane of his existence, his wife-by-force, Sakura.
"Sasuke-kun! Why weren't you at breakfast this morning? Your mother was disappointed!"
Sasuke's eye twitched at the nerve-grating voice she possessed; after all these years he was surprised no one had gone deaf from hearing her shriek.
"Haruno, lower your voice. And she wasn't disappointed. Don't act like you understand my family. And I told you, you don't have permission to address me so informally."
Sakura flinched at being referred to by her maiden name; eight years of marriage and she hadn't been honored with the Uchiha name and crest, and she didn't understand why. Sasuke married her, yet he didn't petition his brother or the clan elders for the right for her to become a fully acknowledged Uchiha wife. Why not?! She loved Sasuke, why didn't he love her?! She was a perfect wife! And why didn't he want her to call him as she had?!
Before she could open her mouth again, Sasuke brushed right passed her and headed to the bath; he was positive that if he stayed to listen to her anymore then he would likely kill her. He was at the end of his rope with Sakura because of all this; she didn't love him, she was like all the other girls who vied for his attention. He was ready to resign himself to give up hope in achieving what Itachi had with Deidara…
"Oh, Sasuke."
He looked up to see his mother, Mikoto. She was truly a beautiful woman; pale skin like porcelain, black eyes like jewels, and long black hair. Everyone said Sasuke looked just like her, and they were probably right.
"Hello, Mother. I'm sorry I wasn't – "
"Don't."
She pulled him into a warm embrace, "Don't apologize for your suffering. Ever."
Sasuke let out a breath and leaned into his mother's arms; Sakura didn't know his family at all.
"Go on and bathe. I'll see you at lunch, and again at dinner." Mikoto said.
She kissed his cheek and sent him ahead to the bath.
"My precious baby, so brave. I pray you will achieve your happiness at last…"
҉
Itachi looked like he was relaxing in the bath, but his mind was in turmoil.
Once again, his younger brother lost his unborn child, and Sakura acted like nothing happened while Sasuke mourned another lost chance at fatherhood and happiness, and all because of a mistake he couldn't remember…
"Father, are you punishing Sasuke from the afterlife?"
"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."
The Uchiha lord sat up and looked to the door Sasuke had just walked through, and he gave a small, sympathetic smile.
"Good afternoon, Otouto. Are you feeling better after last night?" he asked.
"A bit, but I'm still stiff. I was just too exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally to take care of myself." Sasuke said as he stepped into the hot water.
His relief was obvious as his muscles and joints began to relax, and his soreness began to ease; he needed this. He sat down close to Itachi and leaned back against the edge like his brother was doing; he took a breath and ducked into the water completely letting the heat surround him and melt everything from the previous day melt away, not that it did anything about his still lingering pain. He came back up and shook excess water from his hair gaining an indignant yelp from his older brother.
"I swear! You let the Inuzuka clan rub off on you!" Itachi growled.
Sasuke couldn't help it, he let out a full-belly laugh; he had actually forgotten he was sharing a bath with Itachi and got his brother wet with his shaking himself out like a dog. He needed that and Itachi couldn't help but smile at seeing his brother laugh so sincerely.
"Fine, you had your laugh at my expense. Now let's finish our bath and go eat." Itachi pushed him under for a moment then let him back up.
Sasuke laughed then proceeded to wash his body and hair while once in a while splashing Itachi for the fun of it, and Itachi splashed back; moments like this, when they had the privacy to let go and have fun, act like children as they used to long ago, were times they cherished as they didn't have many these days.
Growing up, Sasuke worshipped Itachi as if he hung the heavens; he wanted to be just like his older brother in every possible way. Itachi was revered as a genius and had their entire clan and the whole village kissing his feet because of his prowess and skill, but that also left Sasuke in his shadow despite his potential. Itachi noticed though and did all he could to nurture it just knowing that Sasuke would make a name for himself, and he did; too bad their father didn't live long enough to see it.
After they finished bathing, dried and dressed, they went to their smaller dining room for lunch finding Deidara, Mikoto, and Sakura already waiting for them; Mikoto was sitting on one end of the table across from where Itachi took his place, and Sakura was sitting to her left. Sasuke sat to Itachi's right across from Deidara as far from Sakura as he could get; if she tried to talk to him or made a move towards him, he would likely hurt her.
"Do you both feel better now?" Mikoto asked.
"Yes, Mother. Thank you." Itachi and Sasuke said at the same time.
"You certainly look better, Sasuke-kun." Deidara smiled.
Sasuke smiled back, "Well, a good bath always helps."
Sakura suddenly latched onto his arm pressing against his side, "What are we going to do today, Sasuke-kun?"
The Uchiha heir glared at her, but before he could say anything, Mikoto interjected.
"You won't be anything with him today. Hokage-Okugata has summoned him." She said holding out a missive with the Hokage's seal on it.
Sasuke reached out and took the missive opening it immediately to read the contents; he mentally let out a sigh of relief at seeing that Tsunade-Hime had summoned him.
"I'll head out to see her once I've eaten. Thank you, Mother." He said.
Sakura pouted, "But Sasuke-kun-!"
"You will keep your distance, Haruno." He said firmly.
Sakura backed away from him feeling the temperature of the air around her drop; why was he so cold to her?
Sasuke let out a sigh and hoped that something good would happen today.
As soon as he had finished his meal and bid his family goodbye, Sasuke had practically ran out of the house and made his way out of the compound to the Hokage's tower with only the slightest curiosity as to why Tsunade-Hime had summoned him. He was just glad to get away from Sakura before he hurt her, but now that he had a few minutes, he had to wonder why she was summoning him on his day off. Was it about a mission? Well, he wouldn't know until he got there and asked; he just hoped she wasn't hungover again.
҉
Tsunade-Hime was a descendant of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, she was actually his granddaughter, and was one of the Konoha's legendary Sanin; she drank, gambled, had beyond comparable skills in medical ninjutsu, and a ridiculous level of superhuman strength. She was a formidable shinobi, and scary enough to scare even his ancestor, Uchiha Madara were he still around today. No one dare anger or challenge her if they could help it; those who had tried only ended up in the hospital as her patients. Despite her age, Tsunade was a beauty (thanks to a jutsu these days), with long, blond hair and bangs framing her face, and amber brown eyes, though many men liked to ogle her sizable chest that young women were very envious of.
Currently, she was being lazy in her office, letting her paperwork pile up while she sipped saké like water totally ignoring her subordinate, Shizune's constant whining about how Tsunade needed to get to work. When she heard someone knock on her door, she hurriedly hid the bottle and cup under her desk.
"Yeah, come in!" she called straightening herself out quickly.
Sasuke came in and bowed in respect, "You summoned me, Hokage-Okugata?"
"Oh, it's you, Sasuke." She sighed in relief "I'm glad you wasted no time in coming. Before I tell you why I summoned you here, I first want to give my condolences for your lost child."
"Hn. Thank you, Tsunade-Hime. I appreciate your sympathy." He nodded.
"Now then, to business. A while ago, I met with the council of your clan and they expressed concern in your wife," she sneered briefly "Not being able to carry to term as she's expected to. So, they asked my assistance in solving this dilemma."
She smiled at Sasuke and he blinked, the only sign of his curiosity that he was willing to show.
"We agreed that the best suited solution is for you to take another bride. One that is healthy in fertility, and worthy of the Uchiha clan. In fact, I have picked one for you that I believe fits both those qualities. You can't toss Sakura out on her ass, unfortunately, but I have picked someone for you that comes from a noble shinobi clan. An Ikiru Dansei, my grandson in fact." She explained.
That caught Sasuke by surprise completely; he almost fell over.
"Your grandson?! Tsunade-Hime, why are you offering your grandson? And to me of all people?" he asked in complete surprise.
She couldn't help but laugh softly at his reaction; as far as she knew, it was uncommon for Sasuke to be so expressive.
"Well, Naruto has had many marriage proposals, but my son-in-law turned each and every one of them down for one reason or another. The difference between them and you, however, is that you have heard nothing about him until this meeting. If you and he marry, you can base your relationship on more than just the reputation of your family names; the Uzumaki clan hasn't heard of the Uchiha either, you see."
Now that was a surprise; how did they not know about the Uchiha?
"The Uzumaki clan lives in Uzushiogakure, an island settlement to the east of the Fire Country. They're quite isolated from the rest of the world, so they aren't in the know about a lot. In return, you haven't heard of the Uzumaki clan, and know no more about them than they the Uchiha, so this will give you both blank canvases to work with."
Sasuke thought about it; Sakura was from Konohagakure, so she knew as much about the prestige of the Uchiha clan as the next person, and there was little doubt in his mind that, that was her reason for marrying him. But this Naruto had his own prestige, and apparently came from his own high standing family, so they wouldn't gain anything more from marrying each other. Like Tsunade had said, it would be like starting with a blank canvas for them; this could be worth a try.
"Tell me, what does Naruto-Ouji look like?" he asked.
Tsunade smiled and picked up one of the picture frames from her desk handing it to Sasuke; it showed a young man with shining, wildly styled, blond hair, glowing blue eyes that seemed to shame both the sky and sea, sun-kissed skin, and three whiskers on both cheeks. His smile was like the sun, and he had a clear fire in his eyes that spoke volumes about his inner determination; his father, Fugaku, would say he is an ideal candidate of an Uchiha bride. And Sasuke would be lying to himself if he said his heart didn't give a little jump at seeing that smile.
"Well, I don't see why we can't at least meet each other. How long will you want us to spend to get to know each other, and which of us will travel where?" he said.
"Excellent! I'm glad you're willing. Since you still have work here, and there's no way in hell Sakura will sit idle while you travel, I'll send for Naruto to be brought here for a month-long visit. Once word is received, it will take them week to reach the village. They'll stay with me, but you and Naruto will spend time together as much as possible; your missions don't stop just because of this you know." She smirked at the end.
Sasuke gave a brief chuckle, "Of course, Tsunade-Hime. Is that all, or do you have a mission to assign to me as well?"
"Not today. Go see your Genin if you need to." She frowned at the piles of papers on her desk "I have to deal with this crap, as well as send the letter inviting them…"
The Uchiha resisted the urge to laugh and returned the picture frame then bowed and left; he was in much higher spirits now.
҉
In the island village of Uzushiogakure, in the garden of the main house, a young man and woman were roughhousing, all in good fun, while another young man watched in amusement. The young man watching had deep, red hair that fell to just above his shoulders, bangs covering the right half of his face but showing that he had violet eyes; he wore a blue-gray yukata that fell to his knees with mesh mail underneath. The other young man was blond, had bright, blue eyes, and wore a black one-piece jumpsuit with no sleeves and legs that only went to mid-thigh, and over that he wore a short, black and orange yukata. The one woman had red hair like the man watching them and styled long on the left side while the right was short and choppy, and red eyes behind red-framed glasses, and she wore a sleeveless, lavender yukata that was tied loosely showing her mesh-mail clothes. They were brothers and sister, the children of the village and clan heads, Nagato being the oldest, and Naruto and Karin being twins.
"Ha! Pinned ya, Naruto!" the girl, Karin cheered.
"No fair! You cheated!" the blond denied.
"Alright, you two. Let's get inside for lunch; we're late." Nagato said.
Naruto suddenly threw Karin off with no problem and dashed into the house.
Karin huffed as she stood up dusting herself off and fixing her glasses.
"Hmph. Mention food, and he has no issues fighting back and moves like a cheetah."
Nagato laughed as he stood up, "Well, that's what makes him Naruto, and we love him for it."
"Yeah, well, I hope whoever he marries will have the same thoughts." Karin said as she followed her older brother inside.
They went to the smallest of their dining rooms always used for meals when it was just them and their parents; Naruto was already sitting at the table next to a blond man who looked just like him, but his bangs were longer to frame his face, and he wore a white kimono that flared out from his waist with a scarlet fire design taking up a quarter portion of the bottom. He was the teens' mother, Minato. On his right was a man with ruby-red eyes outline with just enough eyeliner to be noticed and enhance the color, and long, fiery red hair in a high ponytail split into nine sections by gold cuff beads about two inches long holding the ends; sitting on the pillow at the table, his hair rested on the floor. He wore a plain, crimson haori left open to show his mesh-mail shirt, and black hamaka pants; this was the Uzumaki lord, Kurama.
"Good. Now we're all here, we can eat." Minato smiled.
"Ramen!" Naruto cheered as two maids brought out their food.
"You and ramen…" Karin grumbled.
Naruto just stuck his tongue out as a bowl of his favorite miso and barbeque pork ramen topped with menma was set in front of him; Karin got some spicy tuna rolls, Nagato got toriten, Minato got donburi, and Kurama got nikujaga and a letter.
Kurama picked up the letter looking at the seal.
"Oh, it's from your mother in Konoha, Minato." He said opening it.
Minato perked up and took the letter before his husband could even read one word and began reading it himself.
"Oh, well it isn't a casual letter. She's proposing a possible marriage. For Naruto." He said.
There were two beats of stunned silence before his family gave the same reaction: a synchronized shout of, "WHAT?!"
Seeing as two sources of the shouts were right in his ears, Minato's immediate reaction was to hit both his husband and youngest son over their heads.
"Minato!"
"Mama!"
They were both rubbing the sore spots on their heads.
"Then don't shout right in my ears." He shrugged.
"Well, Mom, can you blame them? Can you blame us? Baa-chan sent a marriage proposal, and you don't care!" Nagato said.
Minato looked around the table at his family and shrugged, "Yes, and the Uchiha are a good clan. I knew a few of them when I was growing up in Konoha."
Kurama sighed, "Who's the suitor?"
Frankly, he didn't like the idea of marrying his youngest son off, especially right now; Nagato was engaged already, and Kurama was reluctant about that one too! The irony in that was the fiancé was of his own clan. Hey, the man loved his children and he didn't want to let them go, not even to marry. Yes, he wanted to see them find their own happiness and start their own families, see his grandchildren, but the idea of them being in the care of someone else… He was a typical, loving father.
"His name is Sasuke. He already has a wife, but-!"
"What?" Kurama interrupted him "Did you just say he's already married?"
The blond glared at him, "Let me finish, or I'll cut your hair."
The redhead lord squeaked (though he wouldn't admit it if anyone asked) and covered his head; if there was anything he loved as much as his family, it was his hair.
"He's married, but she's from a common family, not even a clan, and she's unable to carry a child past the first trimester. The council of the Uchiha clan is old, practically ancient, and won't just let him divorce the girl, so they just said to find him another, worthier, wife or teishu. Now, I trust my mother's judgment, and she must see something in this boy that makes her believe he is good enough for our son, which is why she invited us all to go to Konoha and meet him."
Nagato looked confused, "I thought you said it was a proposal?"
"No, sweetheart. I said a possible marriage proposal. She's letting Naruto decide for himself by inviting us to my home village." Minato said.
"Really? It's up to me? But what about his current marriage?" Naruto asked.
Minato rolled his eyes; he knew how that old council of the Uchiha clan worked, and it annoyed him. He knew Fugaku and Mikoto at the Academy, and he knew all the Uchiha clan rules; some he could appreciate, others he felt needed to be changed, or tossed completely. The rule concerning this particular case rarely came into play: multiple marriage was for the purpose of creating strong ties, or, more commonly, if the first wife or teishu was in some way incapable of fulfilling their expected duties. To save face, the first was always kept unless they did something that was shameful enough to be thrown out, or even killed.
"She's a commoner girl. If Naruto chooses to marry Sasuke, he will have to share, but he will have more standing. But it's still up to you, Naruto. Do you want to go to Konoha and meet Sasuke-Ouji?" Minato asked his youngest son.
Naruto looked down at the table but wasn't seeing it as he thought over the question; did he want to meet this man? Who was he anyway? The Uzumaki had never heard of the Uchiha, and his mother could only tell him so much based on what he knew before he married Kurama; the only way to have all his questions answered was to go to Konoha himself.
He raised his head looking at his parents and nodded.
"Let's go. I want to meet him for myself and decided."
"Hey, if Naruto's going, then I want to go too!" Karin exclaimed.
"So do I." Nagato agreed "After all, we should know who Baa-chan is trying to marry Naruto off to."
The one daughter nodded, "Well said, Ani! As Naruto's siblings, it is our right to threaten the potential brother-in-law."
Kurama snickered, "That's my girl. Alright then, Minato, once we've finished lunch, write a response to Meiyo aru haha telling her we will be coming. I'll send for Sai and Yahiko telling them they will be accompanying us on the trip as well. How long is she expecting us to stay?"
"A month. I suppose at the end, Naruto will decide if he wishes to pursue or deny the proposal." The older blond answered.
Kurama nodded, "It's settled then. Let's enjoy our meal."
"Seconds, please!" Naruto suddenly called out cheerfully while holding up is empty bowl.
"Naruto, for goodness sake!" Karin griped.
҉
Three days after Tsunade proposed the idea of a second marriage to Sasuke, Itachi received another missive from her; the lord of the Uzumaki clan and his family were coming to Konoha so Naruto and Sasuke could meet; they would arrive in the village in a week once they had necessary affairs in order and come to the compound the day after their arrival to allow them to rest and settle. That would be plenty of time to prepare the house for their visit, and to drill into Sakura's head that she had better behave herself if she knew what's good for her; Sasuke's last nerve was ready to snap as it was, gods knew what he would do to her if she said the wrong thing and embarrassed him. She didn't know of this plan yet, and neither did Deidara and their mother as Sasuke thought it best to only have him know for the time being until they received an answer from the other party involved in this whole thing; now that they had an answer, it was time to tell the others. Hell was going to break loose, but better sooner than later; boy was Itachi going to have to really put his foot down on this matter. His poor brother…
"Itachi-koi."
He looked up from the missive seeing Deidara standing in front of his desk with his family and Sakura a little ways behind him.
"Oh, good. You're all here."
He gestured for Deidara to come around the desk and stand beside him, which the blond did, and even pecked his cheek.
"Sasuke, I received a message from Tsunade-Hime regarding the matter she wanted to speak to you about the other day." He started.
Sasuke's interest was piqued while the others looked at the Uchiha lord in confusion.
"Mother, Deidara, Haruno, we will soon be playing host to Tsunade-Hime's family. Her son, Minato-Konsouto, his husband, Uzumaki-Omo, and their three children, Nagato-Ouji, Karin-Hime, and Naruto-Ouji are coming from the island nation of Uzushiogakure so that Naruto-Ouji can meet Sasuke." He explained.
"To meet Sasuke?" Mikoto repeated looking at her second son "Is this visit related to the audience you had with Tsunade-Hime?"
Sasuke nodded, "The reason she wanted to see me was because the council went to her about their concerns of …my situation and asked if she could provide a solution. She offered the notion of a second marriage, offering Naruto-Ouji as a bride."
"WHAT?!" Sakura shriek becoming enraged.
How dare the Hokage and the council do such a thing! She was Sasuke's wife! Her, and her alone! He didn't need anyone else! She was perfect, if they would just open their eyes and actually see! To offer another bride, a male yet, was nothing short of an insult!
"Sasuke-kun, you don't need another bride! Why do they think otherwise?!" she demanded not noticing the glares she was receiving from the others in the room.
Sasuke clenched his hands into fists and took a deep, slow breath through his nose to keep from hurting the woman who had been nothing short of a constant headache and turned to look at her with a cold glare mentally smirking at her flinch.
"Because of you. You haven't been able to give me a child, and the council wants me to have an heir; if you won't give me one then someone else will have to do it. Naruto-Ouji is an Ikiru Dansei, like Deidara-Aniki, and Tsunade-Hime can vouch for his health and fertility." He explained as calmly as he could.
The woman scoffed crossing her arms, her previously existing fear brought by Sasuke's cold gaze now passed.
"All this for a child. Let your brothers produce those things; we don't need to trouble ourselves."
The room went so quiet a pin could be heard dropping; Mikoto and Deidara looked horrified at what Sakura said while Itachi and Sasuke looked ready to kill her. She had basically denied Sasuke children!
"Haruno, you've overstepped your bounds. Go to your room." Itachi growled out.
She glared right back at him, "No! And Sasuke will not be marrying another! Tell them not to trouble themselves by coming."
It would take everything in him not to hit her, but Sasuke knew he had to show her, her place in this house; he took the few steps over to her and grabbed her arm hard not caring about her yelp in pain.
"How dare you make demands to my brother as if he were beneath you. The only way you are a part of this clan is by means of marriage; you are known as my wife, but you have no standing among us beyond that. Even Deidara-Aniki is above you as he was given our name and bears our crest; you will never receive that honor. Now," he forced her to her knees "Apologize to my brother then go to your room. After, you will only come out if I say you can. If you know what's good for you, you won't try my patience any further."
By now, Sakura was shaking as she realized that she let her tongue run away from her and Sasuke sounded like he was ready to spill her blood; she humbled herself immediately and bowed to Itachi and Deidara with her head touching the floor.
"Gomenasai, Uchiha-Omo, Konsouto. I spoke out of line and offended you greatly."
"Just go to your room, and heed Sasuke's words. And in the meantime, I suggest you ingrain into yourself the importance of remembering your standing so that you don't embarrass us in front of our guests; I doubt I can stop Sasuke's actions should you fail in that." Itachi said.
His warning sent a cold shiver down her spine; keeping her head bowed she stood up and backed out of Itachi's study waiting until the door was closed before bolting to her room. Once behind the safety of a closed door, she took a little time to slow her rapidly pounding heart; as much as she hated the idea of Sasuke taking a second bride, especially for the sake of children, she knew that they're warnings were promises and not empty threats. She would indeed be taking the time to school herself in time for the visit; she honestly didn't know who to be more afraid of right now: Itachi, or Sasuke?
When Sakura woke up the next morning and prepared for her bath, she saw the bruise from Sasuke's hand on her arm and felt he fear double; he was cold, and it seemed at times that he wanted to strike her, but he never physically hurt her before. It was always with words, and even that was occasional as he chose to avoid her if he could, but this was just more proof that he was beyond serious.
Ikiru Dansei: Life-giving Male; he males of the AU who can carry and birth children are given this label.
Konsouto: Consort; the title given to the male spouses of the clan heads.
Okugata: Lady, as a title in high society.
Toriten: Japanese Tempura style fried chicken.
Donburi: Rice bowl dish. Fish, meat, vegetables, or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice.
Nikujaga: Meat, potatoes, and onions stewed in sweetened soy sauce, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables.
Teishu: Husband; the title given to the males in the submissive role in marriage. Ex: Itachi- husband, Deidara- teishu. (This is how I'm going to avoid any crap the picky readers will throw at writers who want to use the term "wife" for the Ukes.)
Meiyo aru haha: Honorable Mother; how mother-in-laws will be addressed in the story.
Ani: Brother.
Ikiru Dansei attire: Because they are the males who are the "woman" in their relationships, so their attire is on the more feminine side.
Treatment of Sakura: Back in the days of old, women were treated a lot worse than how Sasuke's treating her. And of course, in some cultures today, women are still treated worse than this. Part of the contributing factors in this case though is that the clan council has expectations that Sakura just isn't meeting and thus the treatment is warranted. This will be explained more next chapter.
Leave me some nice reviews! Constructive criticism is welcome; NO FLAMES. Seriously, it is so easy to leave a story if you don't like it; there's absolutely no reason to give someone a bunch of crap just because they like to write yaoi and MPreg, and feminize characters. Just click the BACK button if you don't like it, that's why it's there. And if I sounded mean, I'm thinking about the reviewers who told writers to go kill themselves just because they wrote a story with a gay ship.