Takaramono

Chapter One

-Negotiations-

"I think I should have the land and you can have the inhabitants." A redheaded man said sharply, crossing his arms over his bare chest. He had on a woven leather arm band around each of his biceps, and a large headdress made of black feathers. A few necklaces adorned his neck, each bead symbolizing an amazing feat he had accomplished.

He sat Indian style and watched the man before him closely. The other had long, soft, chocolate brown hair with milky eyes that at first made people assume he might be blind. But he was far from it. He had on a loose, white long sleeved shirt and dark leather pants, much like the redhead had on. "I want the land. I care nothing of the people." he said sternly, resting his hands on his knees.

"Well neither do I." he protested.

"Chief Gaara…" the blonde woman beside him sighed, trying to calm the young lord.

"No. Our tribe is bigger, thus we need more land."

The brunette shook his head. "You are a bunch of savages. All you need is your dirt." He smirked. Gaara rose, glaring down at the man hatefully.

"I beg your pardon."

The girl beside the other lord frowned, looking nervous and worried about the whole ordeal. "L-lord Neji…"

Neji stood and the two chiefs butted heads. "I want the land!"

"No, we deserve it! We are more civilized."

A blonde man cleared his throat, getting both of the two males' attention. He had been sitting between them the entire time, a bit off to the side. His spiky blonde hair stood out against his tanned skin, a set of bright blue eyes being the most notable feature on his face. He wore a pair of leather pants, not unlike the brunette, but his chest was bare, a large swirl surrounded by other squiggles on his stomach, symbolizing his role as chief. He had bands painted around his biceps in a bright orange, and only wore one necklace, made of black string with a crystal hanging from the center. He did not have a headdress, merely a leather band tied around his forehead to keep his bangs from his eyes.

"Why don't the two of you just split the land?" He suggested. "And one of you take in me and my people?"

They both opened their mouths to protest and then closed them as they thought. "Well…" Gaara began.

Neji sighed. "Fine. That sounds fair. But I do not want them all."

Gaara shrugged. "Fine, I will take them. You may pick one you want and you will give us a Hyuuga. That way the blood mixes and we cannot betray one another. Fair?"

"Sounds fair to me. I will take a mate from them then, since I do not wish for one amongst my people, and you may have my cousin as yours." Neji said, gesturing to Hinata, who went wide eyed.

The redhead glanced down at her and then back to Neji. "No. I will be choosing my own mate. But we will take her." Gaara said and snapped his fingers, pointing to Naruto. "You will mate her and join her with us."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the woman. She wasn't unattractive, she was actually extremely beautiful. Though, she was very quiet. But he supposed he could work around that. "Very well." He nodded. "I will pick one of the women in my tribe to be your mate." He said to Neji, before looking at Gaara. "And if you wish, you may pick from the ones that are left."

"No." Gaara and Neji said together. "I will pick my mate myself." The redhead told him.

"As will I." Neji said, taking a deep breath. "Now go bring them forth. And we will pick who we want." He ordered Naruto and shooed him away.

He came back a few moments later, followed by two women. One had brown hair that flowed down her back in waves. She wore a dress made of leather that stopped just above her knees, with one thick strap on her shoulder to hold it up, leaving the other bare. The other woman had long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail, her bangs hanging over one eye. Her clothes were more revealing, consisting of a small top that barely contained her large chest, and a skirt that hugged her hips and went down to her feet, a slit going up each side to her hips. "This is Tenten." He gestured to the brunette. "And this is Ino." He said, pointing to the blonde.

Gaara made a face. "This is all you have?"

Naruto sighed. "No…the other one…won't come." He said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Well make her." He ordered.

Neji just gave the brunette a once over and smirked. "I would like that one." He pointed.

Naruto nodded to Tenten, who walked over and stood next to Neji obediently. Then he looked back to Gaara. "One moment." He left the tent then.

It was silent for a few moments, until yelling could be heard from the occupants inside the tent. The blonde woman, Ino, just rolled her eyes and began to inspect her nails, as if this sort of thing was normal. Two voices were heard, one being Naruto's, and the other a voice that was distinctly feminine. There was the sound of a scuffle, until Naruto re-entered the tent, holding his jaw in a manner that showed he had been punched.

Suddenly a brunette man came into the tent, and it seemed he was struggling with something. A pale arm could be seen, and then a woman was yanked into the tent, her other arm being held by a man with black hair that was tied back in a spiky ponytail. She was a slip of a woman, with short, bright pink hair and vibrant emerald eyes. She had on a pair of leather boots, with a small knife tucked into the right one, and a short leather skirt. Her top was made of the same dark material, and consisted of two triangles that covered her breasts, with two thick straps to hold it up, and tied in a knot low between her breasts, showing all of her cleavage.

She yanked her arms free of the two men's grasps, glaring at both of them before crossing her arms. Her gaze locked with Gaara's, defiance evident in their green depths. "And this," Naruto said, "is Sakura. She's the village's healer."

Gaara just smirked, eyeing her and her feistiness. "Well I want her."

"Well I don't want you, so there's a problem." She said, causing everyone's eyes to widen as they looked at her, and back to the redhead, waiting to see what would happen.

He just stared at her, the only apparent expression being surprise. But his shock slowly melted away and he smirked. "You would turn down the chief of a tribe much more powerful than your own? You do realize I am now your leader, and technically your master."

"I don't care who you are." She gave him a once over. "And I have no master."

"Sakura…" Naruto said, trying to appeal to her. She gave him a sideways glance.

"I'm not against punching you again." She threatened, causing him to close his mouth.

Gaara's delight only increased and his attraction to her grew. He stepped closer, staring down at her agitated face. "I will have you, no matter what." He smirked, tracing his finger beneath her jaw.

She let a slow, seductive smile grace her features. "Oh, well…in that case." She moved a bit closer and then punched him right in the gut, snorting and heading out of the tent with a huff. Everyone was wide eyed as Gaara keeled over, holding his abdomen.

He managed out a pained laugh. "Oh, a challenge I see."

"I'm really sorry about that." Naruto said, hoping his friend hadn't just ruined everything with her behavior. "She's just stubborn."

Finally recovering, he rubbed his stomach and shook his head. "No, no. I like her fire. It's absolutely intoxicating."

"Okay..." the blonde said, still unsure if this was going to work out or not. "So, when do you wish for my tribe to be ready for the move to Shirakawa?"

"Whenever you feel like it." Gaara said, waving off the blonde. "I need to go rethink my strategy for this very difficult prize."

"Yeah good luck with that." He said, meaning it.

And with that, Gaara left the meeting tent, already formulating different ways of winning over the gorgeous, yet stubborn woman. He smirked, "I will have her, if it's the last thing that I do."