A Knight's Duty
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Naruto
Summary: AU Two-shot "The call to muster has been issued; you ride in three days." Impending war, two green knights and an internal conflict of ones duty to different things.
Warning: Extremely mild shonen-ai – so quick that if you blink you'll miss it.
A tense silence hung in the air and it seemed as though the whole room held it's breath in anticipation of the verdict that was to be given.
"We have little time to prepare. However the enemy will not be caught completely off guard." The voice that broke the silence held authority and the undercurrent of confidence that rang through the words was absorbed by the listeners: backs became straighter, eyes sharper and lips stretched into grim, determined lines.
"Jiraiya, I want your personal unit at the fort. Asuma, take yours and make camp in the surrounding forest to its right hand side. Gai, likewise on the left. Kakashi and Kurenai, take your units to the forefront and engage in direct combat, though you will be flanked by at least a legion of foot soldiers. Defend our borders and push them back, but do not cross in pursuit. We fight for our soil only. The call to muster has been issued; you ride in three days."
The Queen stood and gave a brief nod to her commanders. She swept from the room, its occupants bowing as the doors shut behind her.
Shizune, the Queen's second in command, sighed wearily as she also climbed to her feet. "I suggest you all get some rest; from dawn such moments of peace will be few and far between for an indefinite amount of time. I wish you all luck."
Turning, she followed her Queen's path through the heavy doors and it was not until they had swung shut again that anyone spoke.
It didn't matter anyway; as soon as Queen Tsunade had left Naruto had stopped trying to pay attention to what was being said. He knew where he was to be positioned: that was all he needed.
His eyes trailed the expanse of the room idly, travelling over faces weary with the thought of impending war; the songs of old told of gallant heroes and chivalrous knights triumphing and bringing peace to their homelands with not even a mention of the pain, suffering or lives lost during the battles.
His gaze locked onto cool, coal coloured orbs that surveyed him with mild amusement. Naruto's brows furrowed slightly. Just what was so funny? Before he was able to put his thoughts into words, a large hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind and shook him roughly.
Frowning, he shook the hand away and rounded on the perpetrator, glaring.
He felt all eyes fixed on him. Suddenly he understood the smirk that had been playing across the other's face.
His unfocused mind couldn't find an easy way out of this predicament…
"Would you mind repeating that, General Jiraiya?" was what he settled for.
The mentioned man's eyebrows flew up in surprise, not used to hearing his proper title in his impertinent student's voice.
"Ah yes, of course." Naruto gave a mental cheer and congratulated himself for his quick thinking. Jiraiya continued, "I was asking your opinion of our orders."
Naruto's eyes snapped up to meet his mentor's suspiciously and wondered if it was supposed to be a trick question (as were most of the queries that Jiraiya tended to shoot at him).
His caution was echoed in his careful response, "Whatever my opinion may be, I live to serve my Queen and will follow her orders regardless of my views."
There were a few chortled around the room, a murmur of "Oh, he's Jiraiya's alright" and that smirk across the room grew a touch wider.
"That's a good answer," Jiraiya acknowledged wryly with a grin of his own. "But I was genuinely asking for your thoughts."
Naruto took a moment to ponder the question once more in earnest, unconsciously meeting black eyes once more: the challenge that lay within their inky depths reenergised his mind. Fully aware of the implications hidden within the question asked, he searched his wits for any and all information that he could call upon linked to Otogakure.
"There are soldiers stationed close to the border, are there not? Have they been notified of the approaching threat or of the troops that will be coming? Provisions and supplies will have to be amassed and transported before we arrive…"
Jiraiya nodded in response; Naruto thought he must have imagined the strangely satisfied look that he wore as when he blinked Jiraiya looked fairly serious.
Someone stood slowly. Turning his head slightly to confirm it to be Raido, Naruto took note of the forming frown and furrowed brows.
"General Jiraiya…"
The caution evident in Raido's voice was dismissed completely.
Feeling that firm grip imprisoning his shoulder once more he heard Jiraiya boom from behind him, "Shizune had a point when she said that we'd all be wise to get some sleep while we are still can!" as he was steered towards the door and promptly shoved out of the room. A few seconds later and Jiraiya himself had made a quick exit as well.
Both remained uncharacteristically quiet as they wound through the many corridors of the palace to get to the wing in which they were quartered.
Suddenly, Naruto came to a halt.
Naruto's head had dropped, his face darkening as he clenched his fists, a thought striking his mind. He could feel his nails biting into the flesh of his palms as he carefully enquired, his voice lowered, "With Otogakure attempting to invade, the Akatsuki will take the opportunity to wreak havoc… If Sasuke-"
"I know." Jiraiya's tone was grim as he cut the young man off. "There may be something that we can do about it. Come along, we have much to discuss."
x X x
"I was beginning to wonder why you hadn't dropped by yet."
Naruto grinned, leading against the doorframe as he gave a melodramatic gasp and retorted playfully, "Had I known that you would pine for my company Sasuke, you know I'd tear down all obstacles to return to your side!"
Sasuke scoffed, still giving Naruto his back as he moved around his room, muttering to himself and shaking his head at his friend's antics. Naruto only caught a little of
the words, with one part sounding suspiciously like "…spending far too much time with Sirs Gai and Lee…"
Naruto grinned from behind him and moved into the room, dropping himself to sit on the bed as he observed.
Sasuke seemed to be going over his gear; checking that his sword and daggers were still sharp, that his quiver was full, and that his armour was well oiled and ready to use.
"So it seems as though you'll be kept from all of the real work tucked away at the fort…" Once again the ever present smugness in Sasuke's voice intensified and the slight curve of his lip grew.
Naruto seemed to open his mouth to snap something back – the very response that the Uchiha had attempted to provoke – only to stop abruptly. His mouth twisted to the side a little, though the familiar beam that soon overtook the expression almost made Sasuke wonder whether he'd imagined the change in countenance.
Still, the mocking retort that he did receive did not disappoint:
"I was just providing you guys the opportunity for gathering a little experience on the field before I swoop in and save the day. And here I was attempting to be considerate…"
Sasuke snorted, knowing full well that had Naruto been given the choice, he certainly would not have chosen to be up in a tower learning the 'finer skills' of waging war rather than actually participating in combat.
The two of them settled into a comfortable silence; Sasuke beginning to throw together a stack of belongings to add to the travel pack that he always had assembled for grabbing quickly in emergencies, as Naruto borrowed a dulled knife to practice strikes, tossing it up and catching it again to amuse himself.
Naruto's hands stilled, and Sasuke glanced up to investigate the halt in movement, surveying the other calmly.
An iron grip on the dagger, his knuckles turning white, Naruto stared into space looking extremely sober. It was clear to Sasuke what subject was causing his friend's usually cheerful disposition to become serious, though he decided to keep his counsel and wait to be approached.
He did not have to wait long.
"So we're really going to war…" Naruto stated suddenly.
Sasuke only 'hmmed' in response, not knowing how to continue the conversation. "It certainly won't be like border patrol from our squire years," he added.
This drew a small chuckle from Naruto as he nodded in agreement. "I couldn't believe our luck, getting to see some action with those bandits in a supposedly clear area. I wonder… what happened to Mizuki for not reporting their presence?"
Sasuke deliberated for a moment before replying, "I heard he got time in the mines."
Naruto seemed to grimace at the thought of the unforgiving work and constant surveillance that the sentence involved, though this morphed a little when he muttered darkly, "he deserved it."
Sasuke sank down and propped himself against the edge of the mattress as quiet stole over them once more. The abnormal lack of chatter from the blond was beginning to concern him, and he unconsciously ran a restless hand through his dark hair.
"Sasuke," Narutos broke the hush again, his voice hoarse with emotion he pressed on, "Just don't get yourself killed."
Sasuke's brows furrowed at the choice of wording, about to demand what exactly that was supposed to mean and retort that it wasn't he who had been the last of their year mates to pass their examinations as pages but Naruto.
He never got the chance.
The words had hardly left his tongue when his brows shot up his forehead and his eyes became marginally wider in surprise. The sensation of lips upon his cheek sent one side of his mind racing whilst leaving the other to grind to an unsteady halt. The contact ceased as soon as it had started, though Sasuke's mind continued to reel with shock until some time later.
Jolting back to reality Sasuke pieced the fragmented pieces of his startled mind back together. Turning his head to face the other occupant of the room, he found that the other was already gone.
x X x
After a night of fitful slumber, wondering whether the whole encounter the previous night was just a damned fragment of his imagination, Sasuke gave up on sleep opting instead on confronting Naruto about his peculiar behaviour.
Perhaps the looming war had finally caused the boy to snap.
Throwing on the first pair of clean breeches he could find, a plain shirt and his sturdy leather boots, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut on his way out.
Fastening the buttons of his shirt as he marched through the corridor, irritable due to the disturbance to his rest, he made his way to Naruto's quarters.
He gave the door a hard rapt (he may not enjoy having to tolerate the company of others, but, unfortunately, the manners had been drummed into him from a young age) and waited for a response.
He didn't get one.
He gave the door another loud knock, but was not even greeted by the usual crash of something being thrown at the door in an attempt to stop the noise.
Fingers stretching out to touch the cold metal of the door knob, he tried to open the door. It was locked.
Just where the hell was he-?
"Sir Sasuke..?"
His musings cut short, Sasuke turned to the voice. "Lady Hinata. What are you doing here?"
The girl before him flushed under his impatient scrutiny, as she rushed to explain herself, "My father has an important message for Sir Neji, so I am delivering it."
Well, that explained it. He had thought it odd seeing a girl in the wing of the palace reserved for knights, much less the Hyuuga heiress. "Ah, um… Sir Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at the girl with annoyance, though he noticed that she wasn't looking at him anymore. She was staring at the door behind him.
"I thought you would know already… Sir Naruto and General Jiraiya left for the boarder at dawn. The Queen is furious." She gave him a quick curtsey, possibly sensing his wish to be alone, before scurrying away.
Sasuke ignored her.
Damn.
-Hollyrose-
A/N: Phew, that was hard to write! So this is the first part of the birthday two-shot that I'm writing for WhiteWings9's birthday. It's so hard writing for a pairing that I don't really read much for (and I find all romance hard to write anyway...), but hopefully this has turned out okay.
The title was thought of in collaboration with 'Wings-san (since it was for -her- birthday and because I suck at thinking of titles).
Just a note: a unit is ten armed knights, and a legion is a hundred foot soldiers.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the read!