Secrets of the Heart
celestia193's Author's Note: Okay, so just to warn you all, the gender pronouns are going to be kind of confusing, because Suki's public face is referred to as "he", but her private face is referred to as "she", and the people who know the difference are going to refer to the two faces interchangeably, depending on the context. So just...try to roll with it.
Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you enjoy this chapter and I second what Celestia said about the gender pronouns.
Chapter 2
One could be forgiven, if they thought the birds were singing one sunny afternoon. They'd be wrong, but it was an easy error to make. Such was always the case when Suki practiced her sword-fighting skills with Suigetsu. Particularly in this case, where the tournament was fast approaching.
Her sparring partner lived and breathed swords. It was his passion and that was what made him useful for this type of training. Fortunately or sadly depending on one's interpretation, Suki was nearly certain she'd win this duel because she knew Suigetsu's Achilles' Heel and it wasn't his technique, but his personality. It was ridiculously easy to goad him.
"You know, you'd probably win if you didn't insist on borrowing Kisame's sword. It's nearly twice your size and slowing you down." Even with the burden of the extra weight though, Suigetsu was matching her blow for blow. So she'd just have to find a way to shift the fight to her advantage. People got sloppy when they became indignant.
"Hey! I can totally handle this sword!" Suigetsu heaves the massive sword into the air and slashes it through the air, bringing it down even harder to try and crack through Sasuke's defense.
"You can handle it, but another one would be better suited for you." Suki manages to dodge with ease. While her naturally male counterparts relied almost purely on brawn, Suki knew that speed and agility were her saving grace.
Which was why she slams her sword against Suigetsu's in a counterattack. "It works for Kisame, but he's almost as big as Jugo."
"And I'm stronger than I look!" Suigetsu braces against the sword, firmly holding off the attack and sending it glancing over his head. Then he heaves the massive sword back into the air and whirls it around, his muscles burning with the effort needed to keep it aloft.
That was when Hinata strides onto the courtyard and watches the spectacle. "Look, Cousin Neji." She smiles with a serenity that only the Princess of Marisea possessed. "It seems that Sasuke and Suigetsu are training. Do you think they would mind if we monitored their progress."
"I doubt that they would mind such a thing, Cousin." And if they did, Neji doubted that they would make such a thing known. Though the princess was kind and quite merciful, it wouldn't do to make her feel uncomfortable in being present to watch a simple training match.
Jugo smiles and bows to them. "I'm quite certain they're honored by your attention."
"As they should be." Neji's eyes trace first over the two young men sparring in the small courtyard, one darting about like a rabbit, the other swinging a blade far too big for him. Of course, he knew that he was not the only one presently intrigued by the pair. He knew well where his cousin's eyes wandered when the sword-master's son was present. As well as the gaze of her fire-haired lady in waiting.
For his part, Neji found that the young man, though clearly of noble birth and upbringing, rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was the polite, if repeated, refusal to attend a number of social events at the court. It might also be the man's slight form and effeminate features. Or it could simply be the way that Sasuke Hatake drew the eye of everyone present without making the slightest effort to do so. It was…unnerving.
Suki shivers slightly and it didn't take her long to find out why. Two glaciers were glaring daggers at her. Perhaps it was an exaggeration, but in her mind that's what Neji Hyuga's eyes looked like.
For a second she contemplates finding another match, but then Suki scolds herself. Neji had no idea who she really was. He might be perfectly fine with Suki, but just detest Sasuke.
"Ah ha! Now I've got you!" Suigetsu charges forward, swinging the sword above his head as he springs towards Sasuke.
"Predictable." Suki meets Suigetsu's charge and swerves to the side at the last second, sending a powerful kick flying his way as her sword slams into the white haired man's...sending it to the ground. In the end, her sword was at his throat.
Suigetsu's eyes widen and his head tilts back as he tries instinctively to avoid touching the blade. But the way that Sasuke looked at him was… "Damn…too bad you're not a woman." That was almost hot.
"Suigetsu, you say the strangest things." Suki rolls her eyes at him. "I'm not sure why you're more eager to have a woman point a sword at your throat than a man, but then again maybe I've just been smacking you around too hard during training."
It was hard not to feel a little guilty at that. Suigetsu could never know the truth though. The man couldn't keep a secret to save his life.
"Hey, is it wrong to think it's hot when a woman can fight?" Suigetsu's gazes trails over to where the princess stands, and then to the fiery redhead beside her. "Bet she'd be pretty feisty with a sword if she bothered to pick on up instead of a needle."
"Suigetsu, I'm pretty sure that Karin can kill you with a needle just as easily as with a sword. Didn't your parents ever warn you about red headed women?" Sasuke snorts. It was still too bad that Suigetsu just didn't have the tact or pedigree to rule.
One thing was readily apparent. He was far more likely to end up married to Karin than her. She'd just have to find a more suitable husband. Though warming up Ice Prince, well future Duke would prove a difficult task, Suki was sure.
Suigetsu snorts and rolls over and scrambles back onto his feet. "Yeah right. You can't kill someone with a needle unless you cover it in poison." And there's no way that he would ever fall for a stupid trick like that.
"You'd be surprised." If one aimed it at the right spot, even without poison, Suki was sure it would do the trick.
"Wonderful fight. You both did exceptionally well." Hinata smiles as she claps for them.
Suigetsu grins and swings the giant sword up to rest it heavily on his shoulder. "Thanks, Princess. Did ya just come to watch me fight, or are ya here for his Prissyness again?" He wasn't a total idiot, he knew what that look on Hinata's face meant.
Hinata squeaks as her cheeks turn ten shades of red. Luckily Sasuke and Jugo were fast enough to catch her before she fainted.
"Suigetsu, are you trying to have the princess require a healer?" Sasuke gives him a dirty look.
Hinata was everything a princess was supposed to be. Beautiful, kind, and she'd likely never point a sword at anyone. Though perhaps she was a bit too demure even by princess standards. Suki could only hope that she wouldn't faint on her future husband during their wedding night.
The poor girl had no way of knowing that Suki could never return her affections to THAT extent. Maybe she'd find someone at the tournament though.
"Hey, she just fainted is all. It's not like looking at your pretty fact made her heart stop." Suigetsu cackles at the sight of his friend's indignant face.
What was less amusing was the icy glare directed at him by his Royal Iciness. Neji's gaze was colder than a Nerogian winter. If Hinata's fainting spells weren't such a regular occurrence, he would demand that Suigetsu be flogged for his audacity.
Karin, on the other hand, was far from impressed. "Suigetsu! What on earth do you think you're doing!?" She storms towards Suigetsu, a few strands of her tightly bound red hair coming loose about her face. "You could have seriously hurt her!"
"Lady Karin, will you please attempt to do the impossible and teach Suigetsu some manners." Suki shakes her head.
Karin's cheeks pinken slightly. "O-of course. But don't expect a miracle. You know that this fool never listens!" She turns her fiery gaze on Suigetsu. "And only because you asked so nicely."
"I know. That's why I said it was impossible." Suki smirks as she tries not to shake her head again. How would Karin act, if she knew the truth? That 'Sasuke' was actually a woman.
Karin's cheeks flush an even deeper pink before she turns away and grabs Suigetsu by the collar, dragging him off with little sense of decorum. Not that any of them were surprised. It was hardly the first time this had happened.
Neji huffs irritably as he scoops up his unconscious cousin. "Those two incense me."
"There are moments when they do the same to me." Suki shrugs as he and Jugo assist Neji in rendering aide to the now unconscious princess.
After parading quite openly through the palace with the princess, Neji lays his cousin on her bed whilst keeping a close and careful eye on the young man with whom his cousin was so infatuated. "You do not have to stay. It would be unfortunate if my cousin's sudden illness prevented you from completing your afternoon training."
"There will be plenty of afternoons to train." She smiles at Neji. "There is only one of her." In the back of her mind, Suki knew endearing herself to icy youth meant almost nothing. It wasn't Sasuke who was pursuing the potential alliance. Still, it was hard not to hope that on some level Neji might like Suki, even if Sasuke was a facade.
She was no longer foolish enough to believe marriages were all about or even mostly about love. No, they were mostly about survival and if you happened to love your spouse, well all the better. Such childish notions that everyone would have stars in their eyes as her mother and father had had for each other had been ripped away on the day the streets of Valadris had run red with the blood of the Uchiha Monarchy.
"That is…true." There was only one of this princess. Neji's eyes narrow slightly for a moment, before softening slightly. "…We come often to watch you, and yet you haven't shared what you plan to do with your training. Are you hoping to join the knights or inherit your father's position?"
"I surmise the latter is more likely, but if the Hyuga family decides they have a more pressing need for my blade as a knight, I wouldn't refuse." She nods her head politely at Neji.
"I see." Neji's eyes gaze at the young swordsman consideringly. "Then will you also be proving yourself at the tournament?" Suigetsu' participation was a given, now that the rules had been changed. But Sasuke was a mystery, an enigma. Sometimes Neji enjoyed enigmas, and at other times he merely found himself frustrated and curious.
"Yes, I'll be participating." Suki forces herself chuckle. "My father would never let me hear the end of it, if I didn't."
The corners of Neji's lips turn up slightly. "My father and uncle would never let me hear the end of it if I disguised myself in order to participate." No, this year he had been strictly informed that he was not to participate, as he had come of age, and his importance to his family's line was too great to risk.
"It's probably for the best. Suigetsu plans on entering the fray and we both know that you'd be entirely too tempted to kill him, if the two of you were to face each other." Suki smirks at the thought. She doubted Neji would ACTUALLY go through with it. Icy he may be, but she didn't think he was a cold blooded murderer. Besides, Suigetsu was still an exceptional swordsman, if nothing else.
The comment puts a matching smirk on Neji's face, a rare occurrence for him. "Yes, I can't deny that." Suigetsu was simply exceptionally talented in irking powerful people greatly. Neji's gaze passes over Sasuke once more. "Then I look forward to seeing you compete and knock your friend out of the tournament in my stead."
Well, at least it looked Neji was warming up to 'him', Suki muses. "And I look forward to doing so."
"Then good luck tomorrow." Neji seats himself next to Hinata, watching her protectively. "With the new rules opening the competition to all talented enough to test their mettle, I imagine that you might very well need it."
"I'm sure I'll manage just fine, but thank you." Suki nods at him as she watches Hinata. "She's a kind soul. I hope she eventually outgrows the fainting though..."
"As do I." Otherwise, Neji feared that Hinata might never be the queen the kingdom needed to protect it. For he did not wish for Marisea to share the same fate as Valadris.
Suigetsu grins widely, looking none the worse for wear after his violent dressing down by the princess' feistiest lady in waiting. "So, looks like this competition's gonna be a lot of fun." This was nothing like the low-class, small-scale competitions that he usually competed in. This one had a very large and very shiny prize. The king was offering enough gold to the winner that Suigetsu could buy a whole collection of swords with it. And a house to put them all in.
"Yes, it does." Suki couldn't help, but smile as well. There was no denying that she was by nature a competitive person. So she was going to win this tournament on principle.
"Maybe now they'll start holding more of these so we can actually compete in the big ones." Now wouldn't that be nice? Suigetsu scans the wooden scoreboards, looking for his first match. Every knight competing had their sigil emblazoned on one of the wooden plaques. And all those who weren't knights could either use their family crest, an insignia from the provided pool, or the crest of their knight, if they happened to squire for a knight sitting the competition out. Luckily for Suigetsu, Kisame wasn't interested in banging commoners upside the head, and Suigetsu was more than happy to do it for him.
"I hope so." It would be nice if everyone had a chance. That was a matter for another day. "Do you know where we're supposed to go, Suigetsu?" There were so many people around. It was hard to tell where the competitors intended to gather.
"Uh…yeah. We're…" Suigetsu glances at the boards again. "You're in the first division on the north field, I'm in the second to the south." Suigetsu frowns, then his eyes light up with excitement. "Oh! So that means that we could fight in the finals if we both clear our divisions!"
Suki smirks at that. That would be entertaining. "Good. I'll see you in the finals then." With that being said, Suki heads to the waiting area between the two fields. It was nice to see everyone so excited. She could swear that the excitement was almost a living, breathing thing all its own.
And that living, breathing thing was already in motion with the first bouts of the day getting underway. Each field was divided into two, which meant that four matches could be held at the same time, two in each division.
The bout held in the left half of the north field contained two young squires, battling it out with armor a little too large, and hefting swords that were clearly more than they could handle. Still, the two fought optimistically, and they fought hard. Beside them, a knight squared off with a ranger from the eastern forests.
But behind her on the southern field, cheering erupts as an armorsmith falls into the dirt, a shining sword pointed at his throat by a stranger clad in dark leather and blackened plate armor.
Suki watches with some wariness. Black armor was something out of the ordinary. That and his face was covered. The man also moved with enough deadly grace that she knew who Suigetsu main competition in his section was likely to be.
A large hand falls on her shoulder and deft fingers pick at the straps of her armor. "This needs to be a little tighter, Sasuke." And with the careful hands comes a gentle smile from a ginger giant. "Otherwise it could bruise your ribs."
"Thanks." Suki smiles at Jugo. It was sweet of him to check on her, even if they would technically be competing against each other eventually. Of course, that was assuming they made it far enough for that to be an issue, but still it was the principle of the thing.
Jugo's gaze travels to the black knight and his head tilts slightly as the knight holds out a hand to the armorsmith and pulls the man to his feet. "Suigetsu will have his hands full trying to defeat that one."
"Most likely, but he's a good fighter. He'll be alright." Suki nods as she watches Jugo. "I'm still a bit surprised you're competing. You've never hurt a fly as far as I know."
"That doesn't mean I don't know how." Jugo would be a poor smith if he couldn't use the armor and weapons he forged himself. "Besides, disarming an opponent counts as a victory. I'm faster than I look."
"Good. I'd hate to lose the best smith in this castle." Suki laughs.
Jugo chuckles and finishes buckling up the armor properly. "One of these days I should make armor that fits you properly, without all the padding in the way."
Suki's eyes widen. The way Jugo was laughing, it couldn't be a coincidence. "H-How long?" How long had her gentle giant known her true gender and more importantly, who had he told? No wait. This was Jugo. He wouldn't betray her like that.
That much was obvious. If anyone suspected Sasuke was actually a woman, the tongues would be wagging at the very least. Whether or not someone would actually the rumors to be addressed or not, she didn't know. Not really. Hopefully most would just dismiss it as a drunken jest, but there was a chance that might not be the case.
"Since you were fourteen." Jugo smiles and ruffles her hair, speaking softly amidst the loud and energetic crowd. "I make armor. It's my job to know bodies. Don't worry, your appearance gives nothing away to an untrained eye, and I only know because I've known you since we were young."
"..." Were it anyone else, Suki would be highly disturbed for less than practical reasons. "You've kept my secret and for that I'm grateful, but you know that they can never know. At best, they'd think me mad and at worst they might think me possessed or have me burned for being a witch." Suki could only imagine the sorts of horrible fates that would befall her, if they knew that Sasuke was a woman in general and it'd only be worse, if they knew which woman she was. "The padding is a requirement."
"For now." Jugo smiles serenely. "But you won't need it forever. And when that time comes, I'll make you new armor to fit you properly."
"Jugo, that's kind of you." Strange, but kind Suki supposes. Then again, that did sum up the gentle giant's character rather aptly. "I'd never wear armor as a woman though. We'll speak more after the tournament." How much did he know? It was bad enough that Jugo knew she was a woman, but the fact he wanted her to have armor for 'when the time came' implied things that were making her feel as though she was going to vomit. Was it possible that Jugo knew her true identity?
"Alright." Jugo pats his friend on the shoulder. "Good fortune to you. I should see you in the fourth round, if we're both lucky."
Suki sighs. She couldn't shake the feeling that her friend was unintentionally patronizing her. Then again, it wasn't entirely his fault. He made armors for a living. It was only natural that he'd want to make her a 'proper armor.'
"Yes, we'll see each other in the fourth round." She forces herself to smile as she turns her attention back to the matches.
"Sasuke Hatake!" One of the bannermen waves animatedly to the young fighter. "Your first match is due to begin!"
Right. This wasn't the time for distractions, Suki decides as she makes her way over to the 'battlefield.' Whether or not this was sport was irrelevant to some degree. There was still a real possibility of injury and her reputation as Sasuke would be impacted and to a lesser degree, so would Kakashi's. If for no other reason, she'd fight well to bring her surrogate father figure honor.
The crowds cheered, and applause came from the boxes houses many of the nobility as the fourth round came to its final battle. Only two competitors remained in the northern division after the other fourteen had been eliminated from the competition. And this late into the afternoon, the crowd watching the matches had grown greatly, with both civilians and competitors alike watching and waiting for the results of the final matches.
Covered in a sheen of sweat, unused to so much rapid motion, but relying on years of trained stamina to keep his grip steady, Jugo deflects another glancing blow from his friend's sword as he steps back and moves just out of reach of her blade. His blade, on the other hand, swipes at her arm, aiming for a shallow blow there that would not bleed too heavily if it landed.
"You're holding back." Jugo knew that Suki wouldn't try to mortally wound him and he wouldn't hurt her. In the back of her mind, she wonders if the towering armorsmith would have fought harder, if he didn't know that she was really a woman. "You shouldn't. That will cost you fight." Still, in the end perhaps it didn't matter all that much. She wasn't going to lose and Jugo wouldn't have seriously tried to harm her no matter the gender.
She dodges the blow. Jugo's strength and stamina were almost unparalleled, but she didn't need to match him in terms of sheer might. Only to be faster. Something that she excelled at.
Suki veers to the left before whirling around again and moving her sword towards Jugo's belly. Knowing the giant would have to dodge, she slams closer towards him and juts her sword out towards his neck. "Don't feel bad. You lasted the longest of all my opponents so far."
Jugo laughs softly and lowers his sword, only disappointed by the fact that he wouldn't have any more chances to show off his metalwork to the crowds. Still, business was sure to pick up after making it this far. "Well done. You win, Sasuke."
"I always do." She smirks. Suki might not have chosen this life, but victory was still victory. It was nice to win.
The cheers of the crowd grow louder, and the bannermen make it know that Sasuke Hatake would be moving on to the final round to represent the north field in the last bout of the tournament.
On the other side of the field, the clash of metal meeting metal rings out loudly, before dying with a loud yelp and the clang of an armored posterior striking the ground.
Jugo frowns slightly. "That was Suigetsu's voice." Did that mean the battle was over?
Suki frowns. She knew that their friend was skilled with a sword, but there were only two contestants fighting over there. "It certainly sounds like it. Let's hope it wasn't Suigetsu." She takes Jugo's hand. "Come let's go and see for ourselves."
The giant of a man follows behind his friend, dividing the crowd as they march through towards the southern field. Suigetsu was an extremely talented swordsman, the chances of him being defeated by another other than Kisame, Kakashi, or Sasuke was extremely low, even if he was only a mere squire for now.
But the moment they clear the crowd and the southern field comes into view, the two are greeted with the sight of Suigetsu sitting unhappily on his rump, with the black knight's sword pointed carefully at his throat.
It was hard to fight back the instinct to run to her friend's aid, but Suki manages it. The black knight wouldn't kill him in cold blood in front of all these people. Doing so would be a death sentence. Besides, she had done the same to Jugo only moments before and he was fine. More than likely, Suigetsu would be fine. His pride bruised more than anything else, even more so than his behind.
Then, the black knight pulls back and sheathes his sword, then reaches his arm out to the downed man. "You fought well, it was a difficult match."
"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself." Suigetsu takes the hand. It was hard not to sulk. He'd been so close, but still he'd done well. Maybe, he'd be made a knight now anyway.
The man chuckles softly, his voice muffled slightly by the helmet as he pulls the squire to his feet. "Thank you, it has taken many years of practice to hone what skills I have. You have a great deal of raw talent."
Suigetsu watches him. "Well, you're...good at winning." Most would have just ignored their opponent or mocked them if they lost.
The man snorts softly. "Only in fair battle."
Jugo sighs in relief at the sight of their relatively uninjured friend. "He's an honorable one." Clad in black armor or not, this knight was clearly not of the ordinary sort. Not many would be so fair and reassuring, if not outright encouraging to an opponent they had just defeated.
"It looks that way." Though Suki couldn't shake her feeling of unease. She wasn't sure why, but it just seemed like he was trying a little too hard to be kind. Maybe it was just the politeness at odds with his formidable looking armor though.
The black knight turns towards her, his armor gleaming darkly in the afternoon sunlight. And as he steps from the field, the bannermen call for one last break before the final match.
