Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Small note, please read before you review! : I have never really written anything, so this is my first story ever. You may find that a lot of things in this story sound familiar. Some of the ideas are not originally mine, I'm not very creative that way hehe. This story has been inspired (that makes it sound better wink wink) by a lot of yaoi mangas and fanfics, which I definitely don't mean to insult by copying. I just love their ideas and thought I would put together something that included all of these ideas. I apologize in advance if I offend any writer/mangaka with this story. And the rest of you, I hope you enjoy.

Striking blue eyes scanned the empty room that had just been vacated. The morning sun shone through the tall windows, lighting up the huge space with a yellow glow. The four poster bed in the centre of the room looked naked without its sheets and its usual heavy red curtains. The eyes landed on the empty dressing mirror next to the bed which had been crowded with a rich variety of perfumes and lotions just a moment ago. The room had been stripped of everything it had contained for the past 10 years, looking like it had never been occupied at all.

'Ah, Naruto. There you are.' A slight young man, with chocolate brown hair and soft eyes stood at the door scratching a long scar across his nose.

'Iruka sensei,' Naruto grinned at the man, ' Is it time already?'

'Not yet, but the Hokage wants you to join him for breakfast.'

'Okay, I'll be there in a minute.' Naruto smiled and looked around the room one more time. 'Just want to make sure I didn't leave anything.'

Iruka smiled sadly and nodded. He knew exactly what the boy was going through, after all, they were in the same boat. This day was inevitable, he knew they had to leave one day, but this place had been their home and he couldn't help but feel this way. Naruto was only nine when Iruka had brought him here, yet it seemed like only yesterday the blonde blue eyed boy had stepped into this room with only a small backpack in the name of luggage. The day he stepped into this room, his fate had been decided.

Naruto was a boy bride. It was a custom of royals and nobles of the allied countries of their part of the world to marry their youngest son to a man to prevent any rivalry within the family, and Konoha had been born of such tradition. This little city had been was one among a few others who had taken the responsibility to bring up boy brides. A boy bride was brought up to be the perfect partner to their sons and to be worthy members of such families.

It was cruel, Iruka thought, to decide the fate of young boys, who otherwise may have had other dreams to pursue if given a choice. On the other hand, he knew that for Naruto, this was what had saved his life. He hated to think what Naruto would have had to go through if Iruka had not found him unconscious at the Palace gates and taken him in. Would he still be alive?

Iruka walked up to Naruto and place a hand on his shoulder. 'Naruto, we have to leave.'

Naruto scanned the room one last time and nodded slowly. 'Let's go, sensei.'

He followed Iruka out of the room without looking back. It was time for a new start.

They reached the Hokage's wing where an old man sat with a young boy bride with red hair and green eyes. They were both engaged in a conversation when the old man spotted Naruto and Iruka entering the dining room.

'Naruto, Iruka.' The Hokage smiled, ' We've been waiting. Come come, have a seat.'

'Thank you Hokage-sama.' Iruka said sitting himself down when two guards pulled their seats for them.

'Gaara.' Naruto grinned at the young red haired boy. 'You came to say goodbye?'

'Yes.' Gaara nodded, with a small smirk. 'to you and the Hokage.'

'Huh?' Naruto tilted his head, confused. ' What do you mean? Hokage's going somewhere?'

The Hokage chuckled ' It seems, Naruto, the two of you never leave each other's side wherever you go.'

Iruka and Naruto looked at the Hokage with confused expressions, while Gaara looked down at his plate with a slight blush dusting his cheeks.

'The Hyuuga's royal branch family has asked for Gaara for their son, and they seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.'

'Gaara! Congratulations!' Naruto got out of his seat and glomped Gaara, who didn't seem too pleased with the action.

' Naruto, get off me before I bite your arms off.' Gaara growled.

'oh, come on, you don't mean that.' Naruto laughed and tightened his hold.

'Sit down, Naruto. Really, all these years of grooming under Iruka and you still behave like a brat.' The hokage sweat dropped.

Iruka giggled and pulled naruto back to his seat, keeping his hold on Naruto's robe who looked ready to jump on a cautious looking Gaara again.

'But Hokage-sama,' Iruka coughed soflty, ' pardon my curiosity, but the Hyuuga branch family has only one son?'

'That's true, Iruka.' The Hokage nodded. ' It seems the branch family has to prove their loyalty yet again.'

'I don't understand,' Iruka shook his head, 'That boy has done so much for the family, he's their finest shinobi.'

'Maybe that's why.' The Hokage said softly, 'He's their finest, and he's their strongest. He will soon surpass the head.'

Iruka nodded and looked over at Gaara. Gaara seemed to understand the situation very well. He had been informed about the situation when the proposal had arrived, so he knew what he was getting married into. He was just a proof of loyalty for the young Hyuuga, a necessary step, a compromise. He had never been one of those boy brides in the palace who dreamt of a happily ever after anyway. Life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. You needed to sacrifice something to get something. The Hyuuga would win the main family's trust and he would get a home. A happily ever after was a small sacrifice.

'So is our Gaara.' Iruka said loudly, smiling widely at the young boy. ' He is one of our finest. I'd say it's a blessing in disguise for the young Hyuuga.'

'Of course,' The Hokage agreed, patting Gaara's head, who allowed the contact. ' You will be the best thing that's happened to him. That boy has been through a lot Gaara, and I know you will be bring him happiness.'

Gaara looked a little surprise at the quick change in their mood, but gave a small smile and nodded.

'So will you, Naruto.' The Hokage turned to Naruto. ' You will bring the young Uchiha prince great happiness.'

Naruto blushed at the sudden mention of the prince's name. He just smiled back. He wasn't so sure about that. He didn't even know this prince guy, what he looked like or whether he was happy about this marriage. The prince had no choice of course, and that was what made Naruto nervous.

'Sasuke is a lovely boy,' a voice announced. They all turned towards the door to find a young lady at the door. She had red eyes and black hair and she bowed low before the Hokage.

'Ah, Kurenai.' The Hokage said, motioning her to sit down with them. ' You're here already. Join us for breakfast before you leave. Naruto, this is Kurenai-sensei, she's an Uchiha shinobi and she's here to fetch you.'

'Nice to meet you, Kurenai-sensei, I'll be in your care.' Naruto said softly like he was taught and bowed in greeting.

'Such a cute boy, and such nice manners.' Kurenai giggled bowing back. 'Sasuke sure is lucky.'

Naruto blushed to right down to his neck and looked down, which made Kurenai giggle more.

'And nice to see you again Iruka-sensei,' she said, smiling at Iruka. Iruka looked a little surprised to be addressed directly, but quickly snapped out of it.

'Nice to see you too, Kurenai sensei.' Iruka smiled back, looking slightly uncomfortable. There was a small silence between the two which the Hokage interrupted with a loud cough.

'Right, let's dig in.'

The breakfast continued with a light conversation, and before they knew it they were standing the gates on the place getting ready to leave.

Three huge midnight blue carriages, strapped to magnificent black horses stood in front of the huge palace doors. Ten strong Uchiha gaurds and five maids stood in a line and bowed in greeting to Naruto and Iruka. The Uchiha sure knew how to greet a new bride.

Naruto noticed Iruka looking over at the gaurds and looking slightly relieved.

'What is it, Iruka?' Naruto asked, thinking he might be hesitating to leave.

'Its nothing Naruto. Just relieved we have good security.' Iruka smiled.

'Of course.' Kurenai chuckled 'We are here to fetch a the bride of the young prince after all.'

'You have nothing to fear Iruka.' The Hokage smiled knowingly 'Kurenai here alone is enough. She's an Uchiha shinobi.'

After their luggages were set, Naruto and Iruka said their goodbyes to palace staff who had been standing outside to bid them farewell. The other boy brides were not allowed to come out to say goodbye to a bride. As per tradition, Naruto had said his goodbyes the night before at dinner. Naruto had given Gaara a tight at the breakfast table hug telling him they see each other soon. The land of wind and the Hyuuga country shared a border and were only a day of carriage ride away. Naruto felt relieved to know his best friend would be near him if he ever wanted to see him.

Naruto was then guided into the carriage by Kurenai. Iruka was heading to the carriage when the Hokage called him.

'Iruka, a word before you leave.'

'Yes, Hokage-sama.' He walked over to the Hokage, who lowered his voice so he wouldn't be heard by others.

'Iruka, I hope you will pamper yourself a little, now that Naruto is getting settled.' The Hokage smiled softly. ' You are still too young to give up on happiness. Please allow yourself to be more selfish.'

'Hokage-sama.' Iruka stared at the old man with surprise.

'I have little doubt that you will find someone in the land of wind. Perhaps someone you know very well.'

Iruka gave the Hokage a confused look, but the old man just chuckled and motioned him to go.

They got into their carriages and set off for their three day journey to the land of wind.

Naruto looked out of the carriage window and watched the little city where he spent his entire life, go further and further away, until it was completely out of sight.

He somehow didn't feel ready for this.

Uchiha Sasuke slid his sword back into its sheath with practiced elegance. He had been given a break from his duties since yesterday and had nothing to do. He spent his entire day training, or in the library. He hated having nothing to do.

He picked his robe that he had left on the floor and headed inside. He had enough training for now, he needed a bath before he joined his brother for lunch.

He headed straight to the royal bath, ordering a maid to bring a change of clothes for him to the bath. He stepped into the huge steamy room, and stripped his clothes off. He felt his muscles relax as the lowered himself into the water near one of the large fountains spouting hot water into the bath. He took a dip and surfaced again pushing his black wet hair back.

Uchiha Sasuke, like most Uchiha men, was a gorgeous man. With dark hair, porcelain pale skin, pitch black eyes and a well built body, he looked like he had been sculpted to perfection. Good looking, strong and rich. Sasuke had women drooling all over him, but he never really had any interest in that area. Born a second son, he had too much on his plate to pay attention to such trivial things. He had to live up to everyone's expectations for him to be a strong pillar for his elder brother, making sure he didn't slack in his duties in supporting his brother to run the country smoothly, training to stand shoulder to shoulder among their finest shinobis and being worthy of his rank as the commander of five shinobi quads and an anbu squad. It didn't help that his elder brother was a genius and the strongest shinobi in the country, who had the standards too high. Though his brother never pressured him with high expectations, Sasuke felt it was his duty to give his best.

'Otouto.' Speak of the devil. 'You're finally taking some time to relax.'

'Hn.' Black eyes landed on a young man in his twenties, next to the fountain on the opposite end. The man was a replica of Sasuke, but a bit more mature, with a slightly bigger built and longer hair. He had the same eyes, but somehow seemed more dense, more mysterious and dangerous.

'You should've at least left your sword outside.' The man said with a slight smirk, gancing at the sword on the floor next to Sasuke.

'Hn.'

Uchiha Itachi looked at his younger brother, smirking wider. Sasuke was too serious sometimes. He needed to learn to let go a little.

'Kakashi is heading back tomorrow. So I'm extending your break slightly longer.' Itachi said, tilting his head back and sliding further into the water.

'Hn.'

Itachi sighed. His brother was not in a good mood today. Must have been the new maid who entered his room this morning. Sasuke did not like too many people entering his quarters. When Sasuke started hitting his teens, they were having problems with the maids finding the smallest of excuses to enter Sasuke's quarters to get a glimpse of him. As a result, they were getting in the way of his training and studies. Since then Sasuke had forbidden people to enter his quarters. He had a handful of maids, who had taken care of him since he was young, to look to his needs and keep his quarters clean, and had personally chosen guards to keep the area secure. The new maid had however managed to slip in somehow while cleaning the palace, and Sasuke had not been too pleased about it.

Itachi always had a tough time trying to get Sasuke to open up a little to new people and was now worried how things will go between him and his new bride. Itachi had chosen the young boy bride for his younger brother himself. The moment he had heard about him from The Hokage of Konoha, he had felt that he was perfect for Sasuke. He sounded like a lovely boy and was raised by Iruka, who Itachi had had the pleasure of meeting a few times before. He had a feeling he would bring Sasuke happiness and would perhaps be a positive influence on him. Maybe have Sasuke smile a little more often.

No, that's taking it a bit too far.

He sensed Sasuke move out of the water, and grab a towel.

'Sasuke.' Sasuke continued to wipe his body. 'Rest well tonight. I want you to look your best for tomorrow.'

Sasuke paused in his movements and Itachi smirked again. Bingo.

'They're arriving early tomorrow morning, I hope you didn't forget.'

Sasuke wrapped the towel around his waist and turned around to face Itachi, who stood up to get out of the water as well.

'Yes, Nii-san.' Sasuke said handing him a fresh towel.

Itachi took the towel and started wiping himself. He didn't say anything because Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something.

'Nii-san.' Yup, he knew his brother well. ' Maybe he should have his own room for now. It's a new place for him …'

Itachi smiled. Not a lot of people knew this, but Sasuke was a kind boy. He quickly grew concerned for others.

Itachi patted Sasuke on his back and headed towards the changing room. 'Don't worry Sasuke. Naruto will handle things perfectly.'

Sasuke followed his brother and didn't say another word.

Naruto.

His boy bride.

Sasuke never had any experience with love. He had very few friends to begin with. He always knew he would one day marry a boy bride and didn't have a say in this. It never bothered him much, mainly because he never gave it much thought, but now that he was of age and his bride was chosen, the situation had been dawning on him slowly. These two days that he had been on a break since the escorts left to fetch his bride, he had started to become slightly distracted.

Don't get him wrong. Uchiha Sasuke knew his priorities. But this was completely new to him. He never had any training or advice in how to handle a marriage. Apart from the wedding night advices he got from his Senseis and Senpais who had boy brides. That's not the sort of advice he was looking, if anything they made him more nervous.

Deciding it was too late to worry about these things, he quickly changed and followed his brother to the royal dining area for lunch. All that thinking was making him hungry.

After lunch, Sasuke excused himself and headed to his quarters. He felt the need to keep himself occupied with some tactic scrolls. He passed his guards who bowed to him and let him through. He walked into his study and unrolled the scrolls on the table to continue where he left off last night.

Handling five Shinobi quads was not much of a challenge for Sasuke, who had been appointed commander of his first squad at the age of fifteen. Being given the charge of an anbu squad however kept him on his toes. There were only five anbus in one squad, which was a lot less compared to a shinobi squad which had thirty shinobis, but anbus were highly skilled shinobis who were personally selected by the king or the council. To qualify to be a commander of the anbu squad, one needed to either complete a certain number of anbu missions which would take a regular anbu at least fifteen years, or get recommended by all the anbu commanders for a test to prove his skills.

Sasuke had been recommended by the commanders when Sasuke had barely completed his first year as an anbu, and had passed it on his first attempt. Sasuke still remembered how pleased Itachi had looked on the investiture ceremony. He had been so proud of Sasuke that day, and for Sasuke that had been more rewarding than his new rank.

Sasuke pulled out a pencil to take a note when he heard a knock on the door.

'Come in.' Sasuke said not stopping his work. An elderly maid opened the door and spotted Sasuke on his desk.

'Sasuke-sama.' She smiled softly. ' Some new furniture have arrived for Sasuke-sama's room. We wanted permission to place them in there'

'Furniture?' Sasuke asked, confused.

'Yes.' The maid nodded, smiling wider. ' A gift from Deidera-sama for Sasuke-sama's new bride.'

'And he sent furniture?' Sasuke sounded more confused.

'A Dressing table and a jewellery drawer to be precise.' The maid chuckled.

Of course, his bride would probably need things like that. Was he expected to look to these things? He had no clue. Deidera probably knew Sasuke wasn't aware of these things.

'Thank you, Miko-san.' Sasuke said nodding to the maid. 'Please place them where you see fit.'

'Of course, Sasuke-sama.' Miko-san bowed and shut the door.

Sasuke got back to his work and let Miko-san handle the rest.