Hello all! It's been so long since I've updated anything (much less published anything new!), that I'm kinda intimidated by the thought of posting this. Hopefully this story will be finished, unlike most of my other ones, in which I either lost inspiration, my notes, or both... Let's keep our fingers crossed, ne?
Disclaimer: I don't own the series Naruto, I am merely borrowing a few of the characters for a bit. I will put them back, relatively safe and sound... eventually, haha.
Warnings: Yaoi of the SasuNaru variety! But that won't happen for a while, so in the meantime... Light NejiGaara and ItaNaru! Please don't read if you can't at least tolerate these pairings! I don't wish to receive any flames over this... Also, strong possibility of strong language...
Additional Notes: This is completely AU, inspired by the Mexican telenovela Corazon Salvaje (the original, not the crappy remake that's airing right now!). I realize that there is a similar fic posted on this site that has the same concept (Savages of the Heart by Phantomsnow - pretty good, check it out!), but this is not the same thing, and NO, I am not copying. As for those of you who know Spanish and might whine about the way I translated the title - yes, it is possible to translate SALVAJE into WILD, but I didn't like the sound of it. "Wild Hearts" makes the story seem like some trashy Harlequin romance novel... Also, keep in mind that in this make-believe world, it is rare but possible for men to become pregnant, and therefore it is not strange at all for two males to be engaged. Okay? I guess I better add this to the warning: mention of mpreg, but there will be no actual pregnancy in this story. Maybe in the sequel, if we ever make it that far...
Now, please enjoy my new story, and don't forget to review once you're done! This chapter is 5000 plus words - I believe that deserves at least a one-line review!
---------- SAVAGE HEARTS - THE BEGINNING OF A LOVE STORY ----------
"Oh, I'm so nervous!" Naruto whispered, wringing his hands and fidgeting with his clothes. He was not used to wearing such fancy, well-pressed things; he would much rather be wearing his usual regulation ninja uniform than these stiff black slacks and matching crisp white shirt.
Naruto could not sit still, no matter how much he tried. His uncle, Iruka Umino, who was sitting on the armchair across from him, kept shooting him reprimanding glances, clearly trying to communicate his thoughts (Calm down, Naruto!) without having to open his mouth.
Naruto pouted, looking towards his twin brother. How can I be calm at a time like this? Naruto's wide blue eyes asked silently. His twin shrugged, unable to answer. With a huff, Naruto sprang up from the comfortable couch he was sitting on and started to pace back and forth.
Iruka sighed, glancing at the tracks Naruto was wearing into the carpet. He decided to ignore it; if it was any other day, Iruka would have brought it to Naruto's attention, but today the poor boy was stressed out enough as it was. He just hoped the maids would be able to fix the damage.
He looked back up at his blond nephew, who was now peering out of one of the family room's large windows. Naruto had chosen the one that gave the clearest view of the road leading up to their family's large home.
They were expecting important guests to arrive that day – Naruto's fiancé's family, coming to finalize their marriage contract.
"Oh, Iruka, how am I supposed to tell them that I don't want to get married to Neji?" Naruto whined, turning away from the window to pin his uncle with his worried gaze.
Iruka sighed, "The way you just told me, Naruto. Neji-kun has no objection to breaking the contract, so you will only have to convince his uncle."
"Hm, I guess you're right. If only his uncle wasn't such a stickler for tradition, we wouldn't even be in this mess!" Naruto said, thinking back to when he first found out about his engagement.
---------- I mark the beginning of a flashback! ----------
"Naruto!"
Naruto, having just gotten home from the Academy along with his brother, gulped audibly at Iruka's shout.
Gaara looked at Naruto with suspicious teal-colored eyes. He raised a non-existent eyebrow, silently asking, what have you done now?
Naruto scowled at his younger red-haired brother. "Why does everyone always look at me like that?"
Gaara shrugged and left him to meet his fate at the hands of their uncle, heading upstairs to cloister himself in his room.
Naruto sighed, I haven't even done anything! Not today, anyway… So what could Iruka want?
He hastily dropped his bag in the entryway, confident that a maid would find it and place it in his room for him, and went off in search of Iruka. Through many years of mischievousness, Naruto had found that it was best not to keep his uncle waiting.
After glancing into a few rooms, Naruto found his uncle seated behind the large desk in the study. Iruka's hands were clasped in front of his face, his eyes looking pensively into the depths of his steaming tea.
Hoping to break the tension in the room, Naruto dropped down into one of the chairs placed in front of the desk, saying loudly, "I didn't know you could read tea leaves, Iruka!"
Iruka, usually one with a good sense of humor and always quick to laugh at one of Naruto's cracks, even if it was at his own expense, did not smile. All he did was raise his gaze from his teacup to Naruto's face, perusing it intently. What he was searching for, Naruto did not know, but Iruka's attentive stare caused him to squirm in his chair uncomfortably.
"Eh, what's up, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, dropping back into his childhood habit of referring to his uncle as his teacher.
When he was younger, back before Naruto and Gaara's parents died and Iruka had to take over the running of the family estate, Iruka had been one of the teachers at the Academy. In order to prevent accusations of favoritism, Iruka had asked everyone to call him Iruka-sensei, including his two young nephews. Now, whenever Iruka became overly serious, such as he had been when he was their teacher (because Iruka had taken his job very seriously), Naruto fell back into calling him sensei.
Iruka's eyes softened a little at the old title, and a quiet sigh escaped his lips, accompanied by a soft smile. "Don't worry, Naruto. You're not in trouble this time. I just need to talk to you about…" Iruka had started off strong, but by the end, he trailed off into silence.
Naruto, noticing the pause, prompted, "Yes, talk to me about what, Iruka-sensei?"
With yet another sigh, Iruka gathered his courage and blurted, "You're going to get married!"
Naruto laughed heartily. It took a long while for him to stop, resulting in his stomach cramping up. "Ha, that was a good one, Iruka," he said, wiping at his eyes. "You really had me going for a while. Now, what did you really have to tell me?"
Iruka ran a hand through his shoulder-length brown hair. That was when Naruto noticed, for the first time, that Iruka didn't have his hair gathered into the usual ponytail. Naruto would never be noted as the most observant of ninjas, but he had noticed that Iruka only wore his hair loose when he was worried; he had a nervous habit of running a hand through his hair, and that was always made easier when it was loose.
"Naruto… I wish I was just joking, but I'm not. Hiashi Hyuuga came to visit me today, and I'm afraid he didn't bring good news-" Iruka started, but was interrupted by his nephew.
"When does he? He's a complete bastard!" Naruto, seeing the way Iruka frowned at his language, scowled at his uncle and said, "Don't deny it! He's got a stick so far up his butt, he wouldn't know good news if it yanked that stick out and slapped him in the face with it!"
A blush appeared across Iruka's nose at his nephew's graphic words, highlighting the scar that rested there. He cleared his throat and continued, "Be that as it may, Naruto… Your father, may he rest in peace, was good friends with Hiashi's late twin brother, Hizashi; they were so close they were practically brothers. They agreed that their first-born children, which would be you and Neji-kun ("But Gaara is my twin brother! I'm only older by three minutes!" Naruto interjected), when they came of age, would marry each other, which would make them legal relatives."
Naruto choked. "What! My own father sold me out just so he could be closer to one of his friends? That's bull!"
"Naruto! Watch your language! You are much too young to be saying such things!" Iruka reprimanded him, shaking his finger in his nephew's face in an emphatic no-no.
"But Iruka! That is so not fair! How can I be too young to swear but be old enough to get married? I'm only thirteen! I haven't become Hokage yet!" Naruto whined, his lip coming out in a pout.
Iruka sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his tired eyes. He recognized the wisdom in Naruto's words, but he could do nothing to change things. "I know, Naruto. I don't agree with this either, but your father and Hizashi signed a written statement; while not a marriage contract, exactly, it still holds weight."
"But they're dead! Who is going to know if Neji and I don't get married and fulfill the contract? Who the heck is going to care?"
"Hiashi cares!" Iruka said, slamming his hands on the desk and leaning across it to better look into Naruto's eyes. "That's the reason he came today. Since Hizashi is dead, as his brother, Hiashi is now in charge of Neji-kun's well-being. He considers it his duty to get Neji-kun married to a respectable partner… What could be easier than to just follow Hizashi's wishes and enforce the contract he and your father drew up?"
Naruto fell back into his chair, folding in on himself. "I don't want to get married, Iruka-sensei…"
Iruka's warm brown eyes softened in concern. He rose from his seat and rounded the desk, stooping down to gather his nephew into a protective hug. "I know you don't, Naruto. I'm very sorry, and you know I would never force you to do this if I had any other choice, but this marriage has to happen. I have no say in the matter; it was decided long before I became your legal guardian. The only way to break this marriage, as far as I can see, is to convince both Neji-kun and Hiashi to drop the matter completely…"
---------- I mark the end of the flashback! ----------
So now here they were, four years later, awaiting the Hyuuga family's arrival. It being April, Naruto was now seventeen years old (Neji was already eighteen, of legal age for marriage, gulp), and six months from now, on the eve of his birthday, he would be married. That is, if they didn't manage to convince Hiashi to forget about the marriage contract.
The only reason Hiashi had even waited so long to enforce the marriage contract was because his brother Hizashi and Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage, had clearly expressed their wish for a long engagement - to "allow them to bond," Naruto recalled sarcastically, wrinkling his nose.
But at least I don't have to worry about convincing Neji! Naruto thought optimistically, bouncing in place at the uplifting notion. Honestly, the fact that he and Gaara fell in love was a big surprise, he reflected, glancing over at his red-haired brother, who was still calmly lounging on one of the recliners. I stillhave no idea how they even started dating… I really thought they hated each other at first…
---------- I mark the beginning of a flashback! ----------
A few months after Naruto and Iruka's conversation about his imminent wedding, school ended for summer break and Naruto and Gaara were shipped off to the Hyuugas' mansion (they referred to it as the Hyuuga Compound, but Naruto always thought that made them seem like something to be kept in a cage or something…).
When the Namizaki (Namikaze-Uzumaki, but Naruto preferred to shorten it, at least in his mind) brothers first arrived, they were met by a truly intimidating sight – all of the Hyuuga clan members were lined up in front of the entrance, the branch members on the left and the main clan members on the right, with Hiashi Hyuuga standing prominently in the space in between.
Looking out at them as the carriage drew up, Naruto gulped. "Gaara…! They all look like psycho killers with those freaky white eyes! Even the little kids look like they could happily whoop my ass… And I'm supposed to marry into this family?"
Gaara, who was not big on emotional expression, despite (or perhaps because of) being around Naruto's exuberance all of his life, was still forced to chuckle at the truly horrified look on his older brother's face. "It can't be that bad, Naruto. You hate it when people judge us on our looks; why are you so willing to judge the Hyuugas on theirs?"
Naruto tilted his head, making him look like a curious fox with the whisker marks that were permanently etched onto his cheeks. "That's true, I guess…"
---------- I mark the beginning of a flashback WITHIN a flashback, whoa! ----------
Ever since they were little, both Naruto and his younger twin Gaara had been looked at strangely and treated differently by the rest of the populace. It was most notable in the lower-class, members of which would openly glare at them as they rode past in their carriage on their way to the Academy. Their fellow upper-class peers stuck to merely whispering about them as they walked past or glaring discreetly at them, always quick to turn away when either of the brothers looked directly at them.
Naruto, being more sensitive to these sorts of things, would tear up and hide behind whichever caretaker was toting them around that day. It was the younger twin, Gaara, who was more resilient to this harsh treatment; he would merely glare right back at anyone bold enough to make a face at him.
It was not until the twins were twelve years old that Naruto finally cracked and asked Iruka why they were treated that way. Iruka had sighed and sat them both down in the study, giving each a comforting hug before telling them the story behind their unusual births.
"When the two of you were born, two demons attacked the village. They were known as Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox, and Shukaku, the one-tailed tanuki. As the Hokage, it was your father's duty to contain them and save the village from destruction. He did this by sealing the two demons into two newborn boys – his own newborn boys. Naruto," Iruka said, tenderly moving the boy's blond bangs away from his forehead to better see his eyes, "you contain the Kyuubi, while you, Gaara," he said, turning to give the younger twin much the same treatment, "you contain Shukaku."
"WHAT!" was Naruto's response, while Gaara, always the quieter one, merely widened his teal-colored eyes and squeezed the chair's armrests tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"I know this is shocking boys, but it was about time you knew about it. I'd been wondering when you would finally mention it, actually. I expected you to ask a lot sooner, Naruto," Iruka said, glancing fondly at the blond teen.
Naruto huffed, glaring at his uncle. "You could have told us before, without waiting for one of us to ask!" Naruto replied, emphasizing the fact that Gaara could have asked about it first, too.
Iruka smiled, leaning back against the desk casually. "I couldn't, actually. Before Minato's death, he made a public decree: 'No one is to speak of the demons, nor speak ill of the jinchurikis that house them; you are to treat my sons as heroes, for without them, we would all have perished…' Your father was quite the public speaker," Iruka said, his eyes glazed in remembrance. "Everyone respected him, so they respected his wishes. No one speaks out against either of you publicly, but of course that doesn't prevent anyone from thinking what they wish or speaking behind closed doors…"
Gaara frowned. "Or whispering behind our backs, or punishing their children for being around us."
"Well, your father did the best he could, under the circumstances. You've never known this, but Minato had actually been meant to die at the time of the sealing, something he accepted when he went off to fight the demons. If Sandaime hadn't stepped in and helped him, sacrificing himself in the process, Minato would have died that night. Since your mother Kushina died in childbirth, you two would have been orphaned, with no one knowing that you were Minato's sons – your parents weren't married, you know…"
Naruto – and Gaara as well, surprisingly – gasped. "Our parents weren't married?" they asked simultaneously, not even bothering to glare at each other as they usually did when this happened (and it happened a lot).
Iruka shook his head. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that? …Oh, well, what's done is done. "No, they weren't. I didn't even know Kushina was pregnant; your father had her hidden away. He later told me that Kushina wanted to wait until you two were born to get married. Kushina had said she didn't want to look huge in her wedding dress, and your father would have done anything to make her happy…"
"But that never happened," Gaara stated simply, neither his face nor his tone reflecting any emotion that he might be feeling.
"No, unfortunately not. Kushina died right after giving birth to you – too much internal bleeding. Usually that wouldn't have been a problem; a med-nin could have easily fixed the tears, but as all experienced med-nin were needed out on the battlefield…" Iruka trailed off, his tone somber.
It was not necessary for him to continue; it was clear to both teens what had happened. With no experienced med-nin around to fix her up, their mother had simply bled out on her hospital bed, dying unnecessarily.
"Your father didn't take another partner afterwards; he claimed that as far as he was concerned, Kushina was his wife and no one could take her place. I don't know if you two remember, you were very young, but Minato started to slowly waste away long before his death. Even though he survived the demons' sealing, his chakra was severely depleted, and raising two boys on his own while running the village as Hokage was incredibly taxing. Most people could tell the end was coming; he could too.
"He mentioned to me one day that he was glad he would be able to be with Kushina once again, even though he would have to leave his sons behind to do so. That was his only regret – not being here to watch you two grow up," Iruka said sadly, reaching over to muss up both of the teens' hair. Naruto, with tan skin, blond hair and blue eyes, was a dead-ringer for his father, while Gaara, with his pale skin and red hair, looked more like Kushina.
Naruto sniffed. "That's so sad. I don't remember any of that! I can only remember running around dad's office or waiting for him to pick us up at the Academy, or him reading to us before bed…" He turned to his twin, "Do you remember anything?"
Gaara shook his head. "I only remember that he gave me my teddy bear for our fourth birthday…" he said, a blush spreading across his pale cheeks. The fact that Gaara had carried around a teddy bear in his childhood and that he had kept it (it was currently hidden in the back of his closet) was a closely guarded secret.
Iruka laughed. "I don't blame you, Gaara. You two were barely going to turn five when Minato died. It's been a while since then…"
---------- I mark the end of the flashback WITHIN a flashback! ----------
Naruto sighed. "Why are you always right, Gaara? It's not fair. I'm the older brother – I'm the one that's supposed to be all wise and give you good advice!"
Gaara just smirked back at him, saying, "Well, we can't always get what we want, nii-san."
Naruto puffed out his cheeks, managing to look like an angry chipmunk. He was just about to yell at his brother, hand up in a fist to shake in front of his face (to further prove his point, of course), when the carriage came to a halt in front of the Hyuuga mansion. Naruto sat back down in his seat, his anxiety coming back in full force.
Gaara shook his head at the way his brother's face was so easy to read – he was like an open book. The red-head reached over and took Naruto's hand. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'll be with you at all times. If that Neji kid tries anything funny, I'll kick his ass."
Naruto blushed. He might have more brute strength and sheer power (nine tails is much more than one, after all) than his brother, but Gaara was a better strategist and had much more control over his own power, making him the better fighter of the two. This had caused Gaara to be protective of his older twin brother, especially when it came to guys who seemed to like Naruto, and not just as friends.
"I'm sure he won't try anything, Gaara. Don't worry about it. His whole family seems way too uptight; I'm sure he hasn't even thought of jacking off yet!"
It was the red-head's turn to blush. Naruto can be so crude sometimes…
Their conversation was interrupted by the carriage door opening, held ajar by their manservant.
"Well… Here we go!" Naruto said, fixing a smile onto his face. As the older brother, heir and representative of the Namikaze-Uzumaki family, Naruto got out first, walking up to the imposing figure of Hiashi Hyuuga and extending a hand to him confidently after a small bow of respect. Gaara stood a step behind and to the right, as per his position of second heir, even though they were twins, born only three minutes apart. Three minutes made a lot of difference sometimes.
"Ah, Naruto-kun," Hiashi said, shaking Naruto's hand firmly. "It is a pleasure to receive both you and your brother in our home. I am sure Neji-kun is very excited to get to know you better."
Naruto, sneaking a look at Neji (who he had seen in the Academy, Neji being in the year above him), noticed that he didn't look very excited. There was a slight downturn to the brunet's lips, the only thing showing his displeasure in an otherwise blank face.
"The pleasure is all mine, Hiashi-sama," Naruto said, his fake, polite smile firmly in place.
As Hiashi turned to lead them into his home, Naruto caught movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Neji, turning his face away, nose in the air. What's up with that? Naruto wondered. The answer was revealed to him when he turned to Gaara, hoping to question him with his eyes (they, being twins, were good at silent communication). Naruto saw that Gaara was much too busy to pay him any attention – too busy glaring at Neji. Ah, Naruto thought, he was offended by Gaara's Glare of Doom.
I wonder why Gaara's glaring at him, though. Usually nothing can bother him, at least not this easily…
--------- I am a page break! ----------
The rest of their summer had been spent following a (very very boring) routine. The twins would get up, take a shower, and then go downstairs for breakfast. They would always be accompanied by Neji and Hiashi, along with Hiashi's two daughters, Hinata and Hanabi.
Hinata was a classmate from the Academy, so Naruto had no problems talking to her. He noticed, however, that if he spoke to Hinata for too long, she would turn an incredible shade of red and start to stutter. Sometimes she overheated so much that she fainted, almost giving Naruto a heart attack. Whenever he mentioned Hinata's strange medical condition, however, everyone in the room rolled their eyes. Naruto would pout, offended at their lack of concern for the girl. (Of course, he never realized that Hinata's condition was merely a large crush on him.)
Hiashi's other daughter, Hanabi, was a few years younger than them, but she was much more outspoken than her older sister. Naruto secretly thought she was rather spoiled. He also noticed that, even though she was the second born, she did not have the curse seal that would mark her as part of the Hyuuga branch family. When Naruto questioned Neji about this, the older teen answered that Hiashi believed Hanabi to be a better head for the Hyuuga main family, and that he was merely waiting for Hinata to mess up in order to have a reason to demote her to the branch family. Naruto was saddened by this news.
After breakfast, which was usually quiet apart from Naruto's own constant babble, they would go outside and explore the Hyuugas' estate. Unfortunately, the property was not that large, and Naruto (and Gaara, who always followed along, despite the fact that he wished Naruto would just sit down somewhere quietly) had explored every nook and cranny of it by the end of the first week. Afterwards, they contented themselves by going horseback riding, going swimming in the nearby pond, or reading quietly outside (this was mostly Gaara; Naruto would end up napping after the first page). Once the sun had set and they could linger outside no longer, the twins (and Neji, who was ordered to bond with Naruto) would head inside for dinner, which would go almost the same as breakfast.
As the summer passed, Neji became a close friend to Naruto, but he had the sneaking suspicion that Gaara really didn't like him. Whenever Neji came up to him and touched his shoulder, or held his hand, or ruffled his hair, Gaara would glare at Neji and subtly maneuver himself in between them. Naruto had no idea why Gaara took such offense to Neji's closeness; he thought Neji was simply a touchy-feely guy…
Of course Naruto, being the oblivious guy he is, didn't notice the way Neji would smirk tauntingly at Gaara every time he touched his brother (secretly hoping to rile the red-head teen up).
This was the way their days would go, simply a repetition of the day before, with maybe a slight change here or there. That is, until the day that a servant announced that Neji had a visitor…
---------- I am a page break! ----------
Naruto, despite Neji's urging otherwise, followed his brunet host into the Hyuuga family's comfortable living room. He was not about to pass up anything that would break up the monotony of living with the Hyuugas. Gaara, of course, followed.
Entering behind Neji, who was taller than him (then again, who isn't? Naruto thought sourly), Naruto couldn't see Neji's guest. He could smell him, though (being a demon fox's container had to be good for something); it was a warm, spicy smell that had Naruto's nose tingling. His blue eyes sparkled. Whoever this guest is, he sure does smell good!
"Ah, Neji! It's good to see you," the mysterious guest greeted, his voice a smooth, low baritone.
Wow, I wish my voice could sound like that! Naruto thought, a small spark of jealousy flaring up in him. Despite the fact that he was already thirteen and had gone through puberty, his voice had hardly deepened; it was still a high, rough tenor.
Neji nodded, his long curtain of brown hair swishing with the movement. "It is nice to see you as well, cousin," he said, moving forward into the room, finally allowing the twins to see the visitor.
Naruto forgot how to breathe. He stood completely still, taken by surprise by the stranger's beauty.
Neji's visitor had long, ashy-black hair, tied back by a ribbon into a low ponytail, his long bangs escaping to frame his face. He had creamy pale skin, only flawed by the two deep lines running down his face. But are they really flaws? Naruto wondered, or are they simply a testament to how stressful his job is? After all, being the youngest ANBU captain in history is no easy task... As soon as he had seen him, Naruto instantly knew who this man was: Itachi Uchiha, the genius of the prestigious Uchiha clan. There was no mistaking him; his eyes did not lie – the Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's kekkei genkai, seemed to be a permanent feature in this man's eyes.
Gaara poked his brother in the side with his elbow. When Naruto still did not move, the red-head gave an inward sigh and pushed him forward gently. As the heir, Naruto was the one that had to be introduced first.
At the shove, Naruto snapped out of his daze, a light blush dusting his cheeks. I can't believe I spaced out like that! He must think I'm an idiot! Peering quickly at Itachi, Naruto saw no clear outward expression. Well, if he thinks I'm a dork, at least he's not obvious about it…
Naruto stepped forward, giving a quick bow. "Hello! I'm Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Itachi smirked, giving the blond teen a quick once-over. The blond didn't notice, but Gaara did – he tried to keep his growl to a minimum, hiding the way his hands clenched by placing them behind his back.
"The pleasure is all mine, Naruto-kun," Itachi drawled, holding out a hand. Naruto eagerly reached for it, shaking it enthusiastically. When he tried to take back his hand, however, Itachi held onto it, saying, "I am Itachi Uchiha, Neji's cousin. I did not know he had such beautiful guests over, or else I would have come over to visit much sooner…"
Naruto blushed deeply, stuttering when he tried to reply.
Gaara frowned and pushed forward, subtly placing himself in front of his older brother. "Hello," he said dryly. "I am Gaara Namikaze-Uzumaki, Naruto's brother."
Itachi was forced to turn his gaze from the delightfully blushing blond to the red-head in front of him. "Pleasure to meet you, Gaara-kun," he said simply.
Before he could try to turn on the charm, Neji quickly stepped forward and drew Itachi's attention by saying, "How about we head over to the den to relax?"
Itachi nodded, and motioned for Neji to take the lead. Giving his cousin a warning glance, Neji turned away. Inwardly, Itachi scoffed. I'm not interested in the red-head, Neji. No worries. It is little Naruto-kun that draws my interest…
From that day on, Itachi Uchiha became a regular visitor to the Hyuuga Compound.
---------- I mark the end of the (freakishly long) flashback! ----------
Every summer after that, Naruto and Gaara would be shipped off to the Hyuugas. The twins did not complain. Naruto was always eager to see Itachi, who he had realized he had a major crush on, and Gaara was not reluctant to see Neji. Naruto always laughed at Gaara's wording. He had discovered that his brother, unlike what he had thought previously, really liked Neji – and that Neji liked Gaara right back.
When they had first told Iruka about the situation, he had been stunned into silence. It was unexpected, after all, for Gaara to like Neji, when it was Naruto that was engaged to the brunet.
After a while, though, Iruka had come to accept the situation and supported Neji and Gaara's relationship, which had to be kept secret from Neji's uncle Hiashi. This led them to always hang about the house, making Neji seem like part of the family. He stayed over so much that Iruka had been forced to give him his own bedroom (it would be unseemly to have him sleep on the couch or, heaven forbid, share a room! Iruka had said). Hiashi, thinking that Neji spent so much time at their house to visit his fiancé, Naruto, was pleased.
God, what a mess we've landed ourselves into… Naruto thought, sighing loudly.
He was interrupted from any further ponderings, however, by the entrance of a maid. "Sirs, the Hyuugas have arrived."
Naruto instantly sprang to his feet, turning to meet Gaara's gaze. Naruto's blue eyes widened, seeing the way that, despite the fact that he tried to hide it, Gaara's teal-colored eyes shined with worry. Ah, crap. We're screwed…
---------- SAVAGE HEARTS - THE BEGINNING OF A LOVE STORY - END ----------
So... How did you like it? Please drop me a line and tell me if it's worth continuing!
Also, how were the characters? Anyone horribly OOC? I will work my hardest to keep eveyone as IC as possible, considering it's an AU!
