DEATHPLAY: the royal scandals

CH 1- Start of the end

(Session#1- Ksingard, land of the lost)

(Central city of Ksingard, east of the Royal Palace Gardens)

A lithe figure in white was sitting on the edge of the marble terrace, a scroll open on her lap, her legs dangling over to the empty sky. Her black bangs sweep over her face gracefully as she raised her head to catch a look at a stray bird that had landed on the patio, fluttering its wings.

Pretty, but quite ordinary, mundane.

But Hyugaa Hinata, nevertheless, was mesmerized by the fragile creature, which was capable of flight—the ultimate freedom. Unlike her. She might have been decked out in silk and semiprecious stones, she might have been the daughter of the first general of Ksingard, but she had no power or freedom whatsoever. That in itself held a complicated relief, one in which she was satisfied with being unnoticed and left alone to float by reading and contemplating life. On the other hand, she was stumped. She was just another girl, unable to change the world to her liking—unlike the men around her who molded theirs to their whims.

Amidst her daydreaming, she did not notice her book slipping out of her hands and falling downwards… and hitting the person that had just been passing by. Hard.

The book thumped the head of a young man with soot black hair mercilessly, stopping him in mid-gait. Having used up its force of gravity, it landed on the mushy side of the garden, crushing the petunias.

'…oh no.'

Hinata looked down, and immediately stiffened in dismay. She flushed with full force as she realized whose head she had hit with her book.

This had to be her unlucky day.

"Your majesty…"

The man looked up, and a flash of cold went through her spine. Two separate pools of coal black eyes met hers, completely void of emotion and lacking humanity—or at least, it seemed to her that is.

Uchiha, Sasuke. The.

Her stuttering settled in with full throttle.

"I, I'm. Sorry, I didn't… I didn't realize th..."

"…the book. "

"…h…huh? "

The man bent down and picked up the book from the bog, shaking it a few times to get the dirt off. He looked up again with a slow scowl.

"What are you? History books are forbidden to most women at court. What is your status? "

"I…I'm… "

She meant to tell him the truth, that she was the first daughter of a general in the royal army… but what came out of her mouth was something completely different—a lie. She felt herself mouth moving in its own accord, fabricating innocence, bind by its momentum.

"Please…I'm…so sorry. I…I only wanted to see what it was like…to read…history scrolls. "

Truthfully speaking, she read them everyday. But.

The bird on the terrace suddenly took flight; a small disturbance amidst the unlikely conflict that was at hand.

"…so you're nothing special? Not the daughter of a court official or anything? "

"…no. Just a servant. "

He looked skeptical.

His eyes swept over her lush robes of pure snow white, and her white skin, the jade pendant clasped at her willowy neck. He felt like telling the girl to go spin another one at someone semi-retarded enough to believe the lie. But he did not contradict her. He merely shook his head once, his left hand clamped over the corner of the book.

"…then you should, get to work. "

"y…yes! "

"And return this thing. Before anyone else catches you. Here, catch. "

The prince cocked back his hand and threw nimbly the book up at her, his aim perfect. The book flew right up into her hands. Hinata swiftly stood up and caught the book, aghast at the lie she had just told the prince. What was she thinking? She was not some kid who might be granted mercy for spinning a few tales once in every while—and to a temper prone prince to boot. What if he sees her again, but accompanied by her father and servants?

"And one last thing. "

"…y…yes? "

"Don't call me your majesty. That's my brother. You could get hanged for treason by that. "

His tone was acidic at best. Turning and walking away, his back looked strangely hostile and lonely, his raven head raised up to the sky. He could have been going anywhere.

He was the prince of Ksingard, one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the world. But. Hinata lowered her eyes, her hands clasped around her book. He can never be accepted into the fold. Born under wedlock, he was the only child of a notorious concubine. As long as her reputation clung to his hems, he'd never be the rightful heir. He'll have to follow his brother's step for the rest of his life, head lowered, as if he was a prisoner instead of a prince in his rightful place.

Hinata sighed, as if she understood. She was not too sure she entirely understood the stroke of melancholy antagonism the prince wore as armor. On second thought, she wasn't sure if she understood.

The sun was setting.

(West of Ksingard, Readen woods, northeast)

Two panting figures were trudging up the trails of Readen, one with a crooked wooden staff and the other barely visible behind a tower of sacks.

One was an elderly man with a bush of white hair; the other was a blonde young man with messy spiky hair. They both donned the clothes of the temple Regalus, one with the deep indigo robes of a priest, and the other, the lighter fawn color of an apprentice.

The older man spoke up, eyes closed and face turned up to the heavens in rapture:

"You fucking got to be kidding my holy ass…"

"…Jiraiya! Eh, sir! That is 'not' the way a holy man talks! "

The apprentice piped at the man called Jiraiya with the impertinence not unlike a six year old harbored towards his older perverted brother. There wasn't much of any respect or courtesy lingering between the accusing words.

"Well who're you to talk? It's death-march here. Besides, you're my assistant aren'tcha? Say, what was your name again? Abdullah? "

"…for the hundredth gazillion time! It's Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto! "

"Ahhhh, yes, Abdullah. "

Naruto cringed, his head half shadowed by the heavy bundles in his arms.

"Man, Geez… I seriously wish you'd stop the booze. You're drunk now, aren't you? "

"That is no way to talk to an elder! I'm the great demon-catcher priest from Arudan! "

Naruto skeptically looked over at his 'sensei', who looked quite a bit ridiculous with the robes half riding up his thick calves, and his nose red from drinking too much sake. He doubted the demons would come close enough for the man to actually catch them—too much stink.

"…huh, who has a penchant for looking at naked girls and drinking too much? And would you please wash? If you're not gonna help me with these sacks, please grant me fresh air for god's sak…"

"Ah, I shouldn't have taken an assistant, I shouldn'tve. Pipe down, Abduallah. "

"Naruto! NOT Abdullah! "

The shout sent birds flying from treetops, but Jiraiya himself did not budge. Instead, he set about looking for a nice tree stump to sit on.

"Eh… what are you doing…sir? "

"Looking for a tree stump. "

"…we're going to rest here? "

"Sure, sure… we'll reach Ksingard in a few… few, hours or so. "

"Finally! "

Naruto unceremoniously dumped all the bundles onto the ground. Jiraiya crinkled his nose, sniffing at the air of dust that had risen up when Naruto chucked his armload of sacks. But he didn't bother criticizing his poor assistant, who was true to his very word—Naruto had indeed been the one to carry their entire load all the way.

Sitting down, they chatted.

"You know, I sometimes worry about this country, I do. "

"Huh, you 'worry'…? And not about the next dose of sake or where to get girls? Now, that's something new… sir. "

Jiraiya ignored the talk of sake and girls.

"You ever heard about the king of this country, Naruto? "

"Uh, nope. "

"What about the history of Ksingard? You certainly know 'that', I taught you myself! … Unless, you had been, sleeping, at that moment. "

Naruto grinned widely, feigning innocence.

"….precisely? Hehe, can you repeat it once more? "

Jiraiya had the grace to look stumped at the lack of his assistant's interest, but since he knew how short Naruto's attention span was, he decided to forgive and forget. It wasn't everyday Jiraiya dished out mercy, though.

"…hmph. Well. There was a huge scandal in Ksingard; a few decades back… the former king took in a concubine from the streets, abandoning his former wife. "

"Hey, I know that! It was wild in the towns for a while; they were all laughing at the f… "

"Shush it now; I'm the one teaching, aren't I? "

Naruto sulked at the interruption, but he held his tongue. Keeping peace with Jiraiya was the only way he'd get to learn 'proper' demon-slaying.

And finally end whatever was plaguing him since the day of his birth, even though Jiraiya did not seem to notice anything, yet. Naruto absent mindedly slid his hand alongside the nape of his neck.

"Anyways, the impact of the scandal was … least to say, huge. The entire population of Ksingard was aghast at their beloved king's rendezvous with a cheap whore from the streets. Well. People were having riots, because, you see, the former queen was still alive, and she even had a son. So no one could see why the king had strayed… he was rumored to have absolute faith, sir loyal heart to his wife…"

Naruto fanned the back of his head with a broken fan as he looked up at his sensei.

"Oi oi, sir. What's all the big deal? Couldn't the king just have been achin' for new skin? I mean, sir loyal heart to one woman for a decade… and him being the king to boot. "

"Huh. I don't 'disagree', but, taking a street whore as a concubine? Men sleep with whores, not make them second wives. "

"…maybe the king was on hallucinatory drugs? "

Jiraiya wisely chose yet again to ignore his assistant's quips.

"Besides, there are all these rules, Abdullah, about court life. There has to be some measure of dignity, and a whole lot of image training. God knows how much scorn and ridicule Ksingard had withstood after the news had spread… that element of shame is still present in the country itself, so don't ya go dare aggravate anyone about this matter… they're ashamed of that prince, the bastard child, and shame tends to bring quick anger… especially when there's the matter of the country's reputation at hand. "

"Eh…I think I get it. But would you please 'stop' calling me Abdullah? "

"What? Oh, oh that. Yes, what was your name again? "

"Argh, goddamn you sir! "

They rose, still bickering and covered in dust from the roads, and resumed their journey. In their hurry to reach the city before nightfall, they did not notice that a small red package had fallen from the bundles and had rolled down to the side, next to the tree stump Jiraiya had been sitting on.

It was still a long road to Ksingard's main city.

(Central City of Ksingard, Royal Palace Dome, main halls )

"Your majesty! "

A wiry figure decked out in court robes ran to catch up with the young lean figure strolling the halls. Shying away from his duties again—Hidan grumbled in his mind. The man finally stopped walking and Hidan caught up with him, bending down on his knees as soon as the man turned. It was more of a perfunctory gesture to one borne out of genuine respect.

He opened his mouth to speak but the young man raised his left hand lazily, eyes holding suppressed ennui, expression placid.

"…if it's about the kid again, don't bother. "

"…I…but. "

"You heard me. "

Hidan scowled, but with his head bent down, face hidden carefully by his hair.

The young man was standing tall in front of him, and there was nothing more pleasant than imagining him being beaten down with clubs by a bunch of muscle heads from the army squadrons and dragged off somewhere. It felt good for Hidan to picture that perfect arrogant face getting mauled, the lean body bashed.

King Itachi may have all the smart head and good physique that the former king had endowed him, but he was still, in Hidan's eyes, a lousy teenager and a fucking pill.

But he also knew that if he ever voiced his opinion, his head would be rolling away from his body faster than the bird perched up there would take flight. So his kept his mouth shut like a good kid. But all that caution had a tendency to melt away whenever the boy king ignored him like this—Itachi started to walk on without response, sending a surge of irritation Hidan's way.

"Your…your majesty? "

King Itachi stopped, irked.

"What. "

"This. Isn't about your broth... the prince, but. Well, actually, this is a..."

"Make your point. "

King Itachi was already irritated— it always showed up in his deadpan eyes, the tiny flare of anger. Hidan hurriedly minded his rambling and regained himself.

"You're supposed to attend the meeting with the envoy from Arudan this evening, perhaps you should c…"

"I'll look over the files after the meal. "

Hidan choked back his will to scream out, 'dickhead'. Ah. Restrain, restrain.

"But… your majesty, that would only leave you thirty minutes, and there are almost a hundred pages of l…"

"That would suffice."

Itachi walked away, leaving Hidan a bit taken aback, and thoroughly shaken. He grimaced and admitted defeat; the king was right- King Itachi was surprisingly good at his job of attending the country, even with lack of enthusiasm.

'That kid is too smart for his own good…' He muttered.

Smart kings are okay, but smart cocky assholes don't measure up for good. It made people cautious, and made the whole king-servant relationships go stale. There were enough officials at court who were weary of the king's conduct, and it would lead up to no good, for sure.

"Just wait. Just wait till then. "

The riots would start, just like it did with the former king. And the court would disown Itachi by force, and put up the bastard kid on throne, but only as a puppet for them to utilize. A regular marionette. Well planned out scenario. It was bound to work.

Hidan left, a sick grin on his face, his gait lively.

Meanwhile, King Itachi had moved on to the gardens, away from the dining halls, in contrary to what he had made Hidan believe he was headed to.

No, he meant to speak with his half-brother, a little 'talk'. It was time they had a talk. The kid was going out of control. The boy had a penchant for attracting scandals.

"Sasuke. "

"...well. If it isn't your majesty. "

Sasuke managed to pack a lot of hate and scorn into the phrase, 'your majesty', and Itachi did not fail to notice.

"I heard. "

"...about what. "

"You bashed another servant boy and had to courtesy to rape yet another servant girl. A laundry girl this time. "

"Good news travels fast. "

Itachi's brow creased, his mood turned dangerous. The next time he spoke, it was with a little more anger and less of the neutral composed tone he normally used.

"That's right, keep playing the fool, you stupid little kid. When will you get that you're only hurting yourself by fucking up your duties as a prince. "

Itachi didn't show any of the agitation on his face, but it showed a little in his strained voice. Sasuke stood back a bit, eyes cast down but his posture rebellious.

"Well blow me off, I didn't know kings said fuck. But just to keep you updated—the servant girl came on to me. And the boy had it coming. You don't know the filth that spewed out that that cretin's mouth—you'd be crediting me if you had been present. "

Itachi ignored the rest.

"...I expect you to be, at the meeting with the envoy tonight. Nine pm, sharp. Understood? "

"I met a court girl today. By the looks of her attire, probably a high official's girl. She lied to me and said she was a servant, say, what if I fuck her? "

"I will whip you myself. "

"Figures. "

A gust of wind lapped the two tall figures that stood in the middle of the garden, surrounded by exotic trees and blooming flowers. The sun had already set, and cooler air settled in, taking the place of the afternoon sun's warmth.

Itachi spoke quietly.

"...slow down, kid. And stay on track. "

He walked over to Sasuke, a grim look on his face.

"You're my brother, no matter how fucked up you are. I'm dealing with it. "

"...and so am I. "

Sasuke replied swiftly, his eyes averted with a lost gaze, glazed over and disconcerted.

"Be there, at the meeting, and for fuck's sake, learn what it's like to be a prince. For once. "

"...fine. I'll be there. "

(Bloodiedsugs' words on DeathPlay-

New Message: I'm BAAAaack! Whee... I'm doing minor renovations to DP… Reading over, I realized how bad my writing was lolol—not that it's perfected now—but a person can always improve right? Hope you enjoy the story more AFTER it's been tinkled with a bit. More readable in any case.

Old message: I just thought it would be helluva fun to depict Naruto in a completely fantasy world, something close to feudal Japan. lolz;

This is completely different from HSBK, I'm warning.

I'm also liking the idea of Jiraiya and Naruto, the comic relief. As always.

Bear with me)