A/N: I almost started crying while writing this… You'll soon find out why. And when I say late December, I mean almost Christmas. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Prince & Companion

Chapter 2

X*X(4 Months Later, Late December)X*X

X*X(Naruto's POV)X*X

I've been living with Sasuke for four months now, and I had been opening up more to him, Itachi, Kisame, Kakashi, and Iruka, Kakashi's mate. When I discovered that Iruka and Kakashi were mates, I was surprised because I had assumed that people serving under royalty weren't allowed to have mates, but I was wrong. Anyway, Iruka and I had become close over the past two months during our lessons, where the dolphin man would teach me different subjects, per Sasuke's request. I hadn't exactly been schooled during my life, but I had some smarts.

But even though I was opening up more, I still hadn't shared about my past with anyone, not even Sasuke or Iruka. I knew Iruka wouldn't judge me for it, but I was terrified to upset the raven-haired neko prince. I knew he'd be angry if I told him, so I didn't want to yet. Besides, I was falling for my owner, and didn't want him to be disgusted by my being used before he bought me. I knew I was falling for him, and hard, too, because every time he smiled at me, my heart would flutter with excitement. Sasuke always comforts me when I have my nightmares as well, holding me close when I let him, and never asking why I have them or what they're about. He was being incredibly patient and kind, so he deserved to know the truth. I decided to talk to him after dinner tonight.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Dinner arrived at Sasuke's room on time like usual, and we ate in a somewhat awkward silence. When we were finished, I set my plate down on the tray and started biting my lip nervously, aware that Sasuke was watching me in concern.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?" he inquired worriedly.

"Not really…" I replied.

"Then what's troubling you? You only bite your lip when you're nervous," the raven frowned. I took a deep breath before speaking.

"You know how I have all those scars?" I began. He nodded, giving me his full attention. "I know I haven't told you about my past yet, even though I have nightmares about my previous owners, and you've been so patient and everything with me, so…you deserve to know why I wasn't very talkative and was so scared when you bought me." His onyx eyes widened in surprise.

"Naruto, you told have to tell me if you're not ready," he assured me. "If you're not ready, then you don't need to. It doesn't matter if I deserve to know or not. All that matters is that you're willing and ready to share." I shook my head.

"It'll probably help to stop the nightmares," I told him softly, and he nodded in understanding, gesturing for me to continue. "It all began when I was eight, so ten years ago…

"I was kidnapped shortly after New Year's Day, in early January. My parents tried to stop the kidnappers, but they were brutally killed in the process. When I woke up after being knocked out when they captured me, I was in a cage in some building I couldn't recognize. I came to find out later that it was a kind of black market for selling rare hybrids. Apparently kitsunes aren't very common here, so they took me so I could be bred. They didn't know at the time that I'm a bearer…

"The owners of the place ended up selling me to a wealthy owner who had apparently paid a pretty penny for me, and I soon found out why. He wanted a fuck toy. He raped me when I was nine, before I could become pregnant. I was terrified and in agony, and I didn't know what he was up to until he…yeah… After that, I was beaten every day, even if I did nothing wrong, and he began a routine. Every Monday night, he would rape me to relieve stress from work, he claimed.

"It was after four years of this that he tired of me, and then dragged me to the companion stall you bought me from and sold me to the keeper there. I was 13 years old when the next owner bought me, and I wasn't sure if he was as bad as or worse than the first. He raped me the first night he brought me to his home, and it was that night that I became pregnant. When he found out a month later, he was livid, and beat me to within an inch of my life, causing me to miscarriage, and then returned me. I was bought by several more owners for the next five years, each one raping me and impregnating me only once, and then beating me so severely that I would miscarriage each time. Never once did I try to remember their names, out of fear of being more scarred, but I could easily recognize them if I saw them again. I got medical attention so I wouldn't die from the dead fetus inside of me, but I was close to breaking. It was only when you bought me that I've started to repair myself, slowly."

By this point, I was crying, stumbling over my words a little as I had been speaking. When I finished, though, a choked sob escaped me, and Sasuke was quick to pull me close to him in a tight embrace. He said nothing, but I could feel his anger radiating through him, and despite the hug, I couldn't tell if it was directed at me or at my past owners.

"I'm so sorry that to you happened, Naruto," he whispered after taking a quivering breath. "I…I don't know what I can do to help, but I'll always be here for you if you want to talk or anything." I tightened my grip on him, crying harder, and realized I had underestimated the raven. He was better than I could have ever imagined, and I was incredibly lucky to be his companion.

"Thank you," I whimpered when I managed to calm down enough. "You're the only one I've told about this."

"You're welcome," he smiled at me after pulling back to look at me. "And I'm honored that you trust me enough now to tell me." Glancing at the clock on his nightstand, he sighed. "Let's get some shuteye. I'm sure you're exhausted."

"Yeah," I mumbled tiredly. I went into Sasuke's bathroom to change into one of the sets of sleep clothes he had tailored for me the day after he bought me, and then I started to open the door. I was quick to shut it quietly with a blush, however, as the neko prince was still changing, and what I saw made my heart race. I had seen his upper body, just his back, but I could still see that he had well-defined muscles, but not bulging, thankfully. I wasn't a fan of bulging muscles. Gods, if just seeing his back made my heart race, imagine what would happen if I saw him nude! Finally, I heard the creak of the bed as Sasuke sat on the edge, so I emerged from the bathroom, trying desperately to calm my blush still.

"Come on, Naruto. I want to get you up at a decent time so you're not late for your session with Iruka again," he smirked, and I rolled my eyes before climbing in with him, yawning. We had put away the second bed about three months prior, as I was most comfortable sleeping in Sasuke's bed with him. "Goodnight, Naruto. Sleep well."

"G'night, Sasuke…sleep well," I mumbled, and then we fell asleep.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

X*X(Sasuke's POV)X*X

I woke up first the next morning, hoping to be able to get Naruto distracted for a bit while I went to blow off some steam in the training yard. Sure, he'd probably see me from the window in the study, but that would be okay. I just didn't want him to see how furious I was about his past owners. Now I'm incredibly relieved that I managed to buy him when I did, before anyone else could torture my poor companion…

Looking at the clock on my nightstand, I sighed quietly; time to get Naruto up, fed, and dressed before Iruka's lessons with him. Carefully, I climbed out of my warm bed, hissing slightly in protest as my feet made contact with the cool, carpeted floor. I made my way over to the phone to have Choji make and bring up our breakfast, keeping my tail curled around me in an attempt for a little extra warmth. Sometimes, I hate winter with a passion.

"Morning, Choji," I greeted when he picked up.

"Good morning, Sasuke," he yawned. "What'll it be this fine, cold morning?" I glanced outside, and saw it was snowing. I realized Naruto had probably never had a good snow day, so I decided to let him have some fun today, and just skip Iruka's lessons today.

"How about some pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, as well as two big mugs of hot chocolate with a thermos to carry some extra in?" I asked.

"Sounds good! I'll bring it right up," he replied, and I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Thanks, Choji, I'll see you soon," I told him, and then hung up. I grabbed a set of warm clothes for myself and for Naruto, and then went to wake him after turning up the heat in the bedroom a bit so we weren't cold while eating breakfast. The only reason we still ate in my room was because Naruto still wasn't comfortable in the dining room, surrounded by strangers. Itachi and Kisame were usually stuck with guests from other towns each night, so it was difficult to have dinner with just them.

"Mmm…Sasuke…?" Naruto mumbled sleepily, lifting his head from the pillows to look at me.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I teased, pulling out a pair of boots for each of us. "How'd you sleep?"

"No nightmares for once," he smiled tiredly, but then he frowned in confusion when he saw what I was doing. "What's going on?"

"Look outside and you can probably figure it out," I chuckled, my ears twitching when there was a knock at my door. I let Choji in, thanking him for the breakfast before whispering, "Mind making a warm sweet treat for him when we get back? Maybe some cinnamon sugar cookies, seeing as I'll eat those, too." He nodded happily before leaving, shutting the door behind him. I perked up at Naruto's surprised gasp, turning to face him and smirking at his excited expression.

"Do we get to go out today, then?!" he asked eagerly.

"Yes, but let's get a hot breakfast in us first, and then we'll get Iruka and Kakashi to come with us," I smiled lightly at the kitsune. He grinned happily at me before we sat down and ate. He noticed the thermos sitting nearby, but didn't speak. "It's hot chocolate for when we go out, to warm us up a bit."

"I thought you didn't like sweet stuff?" Naruto frowned.

"I'm not too fond of it, but this kind is my favorite: raspberry hot chocolate," I assured him. "That's the flavor I can't resist."

"I've never tried it before," he admitted shyly, lowering his gaze.

"Then let's remedy that," I chuckled, and handed him his mug of the delicious chocolate drink while I took a sip of mine. He sipped at it, and then perked up.

"This is delicious!" he exclaimed, and I laughed a little at his reaction, causing him to pout. He took another drink before continuing to eat his breakfast, and I smiled softly before resuming eating mine. When we finished, I had the blonde get dressed into his warm clothes in the bathroom, and I got dressed in mine while he was in there. While I waited on him to come out, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick message to Iruka that today's lesson was cancelled, and he and Kakashi were to join us for a snow day outside. I got a quick reply back, saying they would meet us down by the courtyard.

"Naruto, are you ready? Iruka and Kakashi are waiting for us down by the courtyard," I called through the door. He was quick to come out, struggling with his coat.

"Sorry, the coat's giving me a hard time," he apologized, so I stopped him and fixed his coat for him, and he flashed me a grateful smile. "Thanks, Sasuke."

"No problem. Let's get our boots, hats, and gloves on, and then we'll be ready," I told him, and he nodded. Once fully dressed for the cold weather and I had the thermos of hot chocolate, we left for the courtyard door, which was close by downstairs. As we got closer, I realized the pair wasn't there yet. That's when we heard a soft moan, making our ears twitch and blushes spread across our faces. I knew what Kakashi was doing; he was either attempting to get a quickie in with Iruka, or he was making out with his mate. Grinning wickedly at Naruto, I placed a finger to my lips, signaling for him to be quiet, and then followed the noise to a closet in the hallway. I wrenched the door open, scaring the living shit out of the two occupants, and then we both busted out laughing at the mortified looks on their faces.

"That…was perfect!" I gasped out as the pair in the closet glared at me. Naruto was laughing just as hard as I was, which made me happy that this had gotten him to laugh. In fact, the sound of his laughter was delightful, as I'd had yet to hear him genuinely laugh. Then I noticed the evil looks on their faces, as had Naruto.

"Now you're both gonna get it," Kakashi growled.

"RUN!" I yelped, and we fled outside, the thermos left inside, Kakashi and Iruka close behind us. While we ran for cover, the two mates began to pelt us with snowballs from the area near the door. We hid behind a tree, panting, and looked at each other.

"Ready to deliver payback?" I smirked. Naruto nodded, a similar smirk on his lips as we began to make snowballs to chuck at the two near the door. When we finally had enough, we unleashed a barrage at Kakashi and Iruka, who were completely unprepared for us. Kakashi yelped when I scored a shot at the back of his head, and I laughed loudly at the shock on his face. I failed to notice when Iruka snuck up behind me, though, and dumped snow on my head, causing me to shriek from the freezing cold and how unexpected it was. I glared at Iruka, and then shoved a handful of snow in his face. He gasped from the cold, and then I fell over when Naruto pounced on me playfully, laughing joyously with his tail waving to show his happiness. I couldn't resist joining in, and then we noticed Itachi and Kisame at the door to the courtyard. Naruto blushed when he realized he was lying on top of me, pretty close to my face, and quickly scrambled off, his face beet red. I carefully got to my feet as well, shivering at the sudden cold that chilled me.

"Come on, Naruto, let's get some hot chocolate and something warm to eat while we dry off and warm up," I urged, and we went inside with Kakashi and Iruka following. The mated pair nodded to Itachi and Kisame in acknowledgement, and then retreated to their room to warm up. My brother handed me the thermos I had abandoned earlier in our haste to run earlier, and I smiled.

"Thanks, Itachi," I told him.

"Anytime, Sasuke. I actually have a surprise for you two," Itachi smiled back.

"We have a surprise for them. It was my idea, too!" Kisame growled at his mate in warning.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, frowning in confusion.

"How about you two get changed into drier, more comfortable clothes? Then we'll show you after you've eaten and drank something to warm you up," Kisame suggested, and we nodded.

"That's a good idea," the kitsune agreed, shivering from his cold, wet clothes. I led the blonde back to my room, my brother and his husband following at a much slower pace. I let Naruto go into the bathroom and change first, but I handed him a warm towel and some comfortable clothes first so he could dry his hair, ears, and tail and then change. I grabbed myself a set of clothes and a warm towel as well after setting the thermos on the dresser, and then quickly stripped myself of my coat, boots, hat, and warm clothes that were now soaked through. While I dried my hair and ears, I managed to pull on a pair of dry boxers, and then tossed the towel to the side before scrambling into my comfortable clothes, which were just a pair of black sleep pants with lightning bolts on them and a plain navy blue long-sleeved shirt. I slipped on my black slippers right as Naruto emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his own flame patterned sleep pants and a plain orange long-sleeved shirt. He slid on his own royal blue slippers before turning to face me, smiling.

"Let's go see the surprise Kisame and Itachi have for us!" he grinned, but then blushed when his stomach growled. Despite being fed enough to have him gain weight again so he wasn't scrawny, Naruto had a very healthy appetite for someone who wasn't overweight.

"How about we eat a hot lunch and drink that hot chocolate first?" I suggested, chuckling. He nodded, and I handed him a mug with some of the hot chocolate from the thermos before calling down to Choji. "Hey Choji, is it ready?"

"Yep! I'll be right up," he told me, and then the kuma hung up. Turning to Naruto, I said, "Choji's bringing us something to eat."

"What's he making this time?" the kitsune asked, blinking cutely. I groaned internally; I knew he had my heart, even though he didn't know it, but whenever he did something cute, he was oblivious to my heart's jumping in response. I didn't say anything to answer his question, just smirked when the door knocked shortly afterwards, and then answered it, letting Choji in with the platter of cookies. He had even brought more hot chocolate, which I thanked him for.

"Anytime, Sasuke! Enjoy, guys, and hopefully this warms you up," he grinned, and then left, shutting the door softly behind him.

"What'd he bring?" Naruto questioned, watching me. I lifted the cover on the platter, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"I had Choji make some cinnamon sugar cookies while we were outside, so that way we could warm up with them when we got back in," I explained. "Go ahead, have some." He grabbed a cookie and took a small bite of it, and then smiled brightly after a second.

"These are really good!" he exclaimed, and began to munch on them happily. I chuckled at his reaction, and then grabbed a few for myself, sighing in content at the warmth and taste. We didn't finish them, as we became too full, and there had been a lot of cookies, so I covered the platter again and placed it on the dresser. Naruto gulped down the last of his hot chocolate, and then we went to find Itachi and Kisame. They were waiting by the stairs leading down to the warmest room in the palace, the den. It was basically in the middle of the entire building, with a large fireplace that always burned during the colder months whenever someone was in there.

"Ah, there you two are," Itachi smiled. "Are you both warm enough now?"

"Yeah, we had some of Choji's cinnamon sugar cookies and some hot chocolate," Naruto grinned.

"Good to hear you enjoyed that," Kisame nodded approvingly. "Ready to see your surprise?"

"Of course!" Naruto chirped, and I chuckled at his excitement. Itachi and Kisame led us down the stairs to the doors leading into the den, and then pushed them open, revealing the usual appearance of it, except for one big thing: the traditional huge-ass Christmas tree we get every year, usually decorated by this time, but wasn't just yet, with the exception of the lights. I heard the kitsune beside me gasp in shock and awe, and I looked at him to see his sapphire eyes wide and shining with excitement.

"Holy shit! How did you guys sneak this in here earlier?!" the blonde yelped.

"We have our ways," Itachi smirked.

"We wanted to surprise you two by seeing if you wanted to decorate it," Kisame explained.

"Can we?" my companion pleaded with me eagerly.

"Of course, Naruto," I chuckled.

"Thanks, Sasuke!" he crowed, hugging me gratefully, but then quickly pulled away, blushing.

"We'll leave you two to decorate the tree then, okay?" Kisame smiled slightly, and then the pair left. As soon as the door shut, Naruto ran over to the boxes of decorations we had, babbling excitedly about decorating the tree. We began to decorate, and thankfully, we had the ladder to help us, or else we would have been a bit screwed. We were about halfway through when Naruto suddenly had to use the bathroom.

"I'll be right back, Sasuke," he told me, and left, and I decided to wait on him to return before resuming the decorating. After five minutes, however, I became worried, seeing as he should have been quick to return. So I got to my feet from the armchair I'd been sitting in, but as soon as I did, I heard a scream of terror from Naruto in the hallway.

"Naruto!" I yelled, and darted out of the den and into the hallway.

A/N: Sorry about the cliffy, but I'll work on the next chapter right away! R&R, peeps!