A/N: Hello again to everybody. I'd like to give a very special thank you to Dragon77, yamiatemyugi, and emery88. You guys let me know that at least someone cares~ *crocodile tears*
The story is still a bit slow, but it'll be something like a nice, peaceful, cute, romantic(-ish?) story, until supercrazyshitthathappens. But until then, try your best to enjoy the vanilla plot. I promise many sweet (and sour) moments in the future. ;)
Oh, and as a note for this chapter: I reference some traditional Japanese clothing and have included little notes for their translations. Let me know if you love them, hate them, prefer them within the story as it is, prefer to have them at the top of the story, at the bottom, etc. But there won't be too many in this chapter (I hope).
When Sasuke awoke, sunlight was already breaking through the window. He sat up in the futon and realized, for the first time in a long while, that he was well-rested. His limbs weren't stiff, and he didn't have the sniffles from the cool nighttime.
He stretched his body and hummed in content as his joints cracked. After he got up from the futon, Sasuke attempted to clumsily fold the sheets; he had worn his hakama to bed, and was having trouble trying not to trip on the long hem. But he finally put them in order and placed them back into the closet.
Sasuke slid the door to his room open and slipped out with quiet feet as he lifted the extra fabric of the hakama the way a rich, Western woman would to her dress. He moved down the hall towards the dining room which he and Naruto had shared supper; it was the only room, save the bathroom, that he knew around the place.
He peeked into the dining room, but much to his dismay, Naruto was not there. Sasuke moved through the house again, barely making any sound except for the swishing of cloth. He looked into every room, always making sure to tap his knuckles against the wooden frames before sliding the doors open to look inside.
All of the rooms he looked in were empty, and Sasuke found himself at the back of the house, where there was a door that led - he supposed - to the yard. It was a heavy wooden door, but the locks had been undone, so he made his way out without much problem.
The sunlight was even stronger outside; he had to shield his eyes with his hand in order to see anything. When he surveyed the area, Sasuke discovered that the backyard was a small training ground. In one area, there were wooden poles dug into the earth, standing completely upright. The rest of the expanse was empty, the entire space reserved for Naruto.
The blond warrior was holding on to a beautifully crafted steel katana, which gleamed as the sunlight hit its reflective surface. He seemed too absorbed in what he was doing, and didn't even look over to greet Sasuke, who watched on in curiosity.
"Hyaaaahh!" Naruto shouted, causing the elf to jump. With powerful, agile swings, he proceeded to slice, cut, massacre - the curved steel whistling as it cut through the air. As he finished up his series of moves, Naruto stilled his body, resuming his serene position prior to the set. His bright, blue eyes unfocused and glided over to the door. He was surprised when he realized Sasuke had been watching.
And he, who was initially curious as to what his master was doing, was now rushing back into the house, slamming the door behind him and nearly tripping over his long hakama as he ran back into his room. He slid the sliding door shut behind him and clambered into the closet with the futon, into which he proceeded to sit atop the sheets and bring his knees to his chest, hugging himself in fear for his life.
It was only a matter of half a minute that Naruto followed him back into the house. Sasuke shut his eyes and rocked back and forth, saying silent words of prayer. His heart was still pumping so hard, and his entire body was shaking.
Naruto came into Sasuke's room, and the elf held his breath as he heard his master's footsteps on the tatami flooring. Sasuke could barely contain his fear; he let out a dry sob, but slapped his hand over his mouth to stifle the sound.
"Sasuke? Sasuke, come out. I don't have the sword with me. I won't hurt you."
His soothing voice calmed Sasuke's nerves, made him shake a little less than before. But he was still scared of his new master, who he still knew rather little about.
The fact that Naruto was so skillful with swords scared Sasuke to the bone. Decorative weapons were fine with him, but he had never been good with sharp weaponry and very nearly panicked at the sight of a real (and extremely sharp) sword being swung and jabbed like that.
When he didn't respond to Naruto's coaxing, his master sighed and went on, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, but you need to come out, Sasuke. How will you eat if you never come out of that closet?"
Naruto had a point. Sasuke's appetite had been curbed a bit from the fearful sword demonstration, but it was slowly starting to come back. The all-too-familiar gnawing feeling of hunger ate at his stomach, but he was still afraid.
"You sure you don't have the sword with you?" he asked cautiously as he slid the closet open a sliver.
"I promise."
Sasuke took his word for it and slipped out from the closet, his hands still shaking as he slid the door shut behind him. He stared at the floor, not wanting to look up at his master's face; he didn't want him to know just how fearful he was.
"Come on," Naruto said softly as he gestured him to follow, "Let's get some breakfast."
oooOOooo
After a quiet breakfast, Naruto asked Sasuke if he wanted to run some errands with him through town. The elf obliged, but noted that his long hakama would prevent him from traveling too quickly. Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully as he brought them to his room. He looked in his wardrobe, only to find that all of the hakama he had were much too long for Sasuke.
"Well then, we'll just have to get you some clothes while we're out. Just wear the kimono for now. It's short enough for you, right?"
Naruto undid the hakama to reveal the pretty, navy kimono underneath, the dark color gradating down to a lighter shade of blue at the hem. In truth, he had only worn it a couple times; it had been his late father's back when he was young, so Naruto never had the heart to throw it out. But he was glad Sasuke fit it well, since that particular shade of blue contrasted well with his pale skin. Yes, it was a good choice on Naruto's part.
He paid no attention to Sasuke's pink dusting of his cheeks as he told him to step out of the hakama. Naruto folded the striped fabric and put it away with ease, as if he had done so many times before.
"Here, I'll help you redo the obi," Naruto said. [A/N: The obi is the large decorative belt/bow that you use to cinch the kimono around your waist]
When the blond untied the obi, the light blush on Sasuke's face deepened to a darker shade of pink. The sash underneath the obi still kept the kimono pretty securely in place, but Naruto undid that one as well, grinning as he did so. He knew Sasuke was blushing even deeper now.
But the elf did nothing to stop Naruto, who simply retied the sash.
"Watch carefully," Naruto said as he wrapped the obi around him, noting that he could encircle him three times with the stiff fabric.
Sasuke looked down at the deft hands that folded the obi over, under, this way and that. Naruto had made the bow at the front, and then twisted it around his body so that the bow would sit at his back.
"Okay, that should do it. Let's get you some geta and we'll go, okay?" [A/N: Geta is an informal, wooden sandal usually worn with kimono or yukata]
Before they left the room, Naruto grabbed the small pouch from his nightstand and tucked it in the belt of his hakama. They went to the front of the house and Naruto opened the closet there. When he looked through the shoe cupboards, he realized that none of them were quite small enough for Sasuke.
"Ah," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "None of these will fit you. I guess we'll have to get a pair for you first."
Naruto fetched his own pair of geta and tabi socks, put them on, and lifted Sasuke with ease. The elf yelped, then started to protest. But the blond darkened his eyes and frowned at him, successfully shutting him up.
"You're not going out barefoot. The last thing I want is your dirty feet making tracks all over the house when we get back."
That was solid reasoning, so Sasuke had no choice but to let his master carry him out of the house. As they made their way towards the shopping district of the village, more and more people began to stare at them; it was rare for an elf to be in such rich fabrics and to be treated so humanely. Elves following their masters stared on as Naruto pushed through the crowds, who was seemingly unaffected by the masses of eyes following them.
"Master," Sasuke whispered as he turned his face towards Naruto, "please, put me down."
The pleading in his voice was evident, but Naruto would not budge. He held Sasuke tighter and continued on, only stopping when they were inside the clothing shop. Naruto would only put him down then.
Inside the clothing shop, there were shelves upon shelves of fabric ready for custom orders. On the tables, various kimono and yukata were laid out as hands-on displays, and the most expensive ones hung on the wall behind the counter. And along one side of the wall were various types of shoes, ranging from informal shoes like geta to fancier special occasion ones like zori.
"Oh, Naruto! I haven't seen you here in so long! How are you? And who is your friend?"
Naruto grinned as he went over to hug the pink-haired female, who came out from behind the counter to meet him halfway. She stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, and rested her chin on his shoulder. When they let go, she held him at arm's length and looked him over.
"I've been well, Sakura. And this is Sasuke," he replied as he stepped aside to reveal the thin elf still standing at the door.
Sakura smiled as she walked up to him. They were about the same height, but she had more muscles to her name. The difference in mass between them was almost laughable, even.
"I'm Sakura. It's very nice to meet you, Sasuke."
She was hesitant as to whether she should offer her hand, but she just smiled at him instead. Then she noticed the tips of his ears sticking out from his hair, and she realized what he was. Sakura reached out to touch them, but Sasuke flinched and took a step back from her.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she looked down and a blush formed on her face.
Sasuke said nothing. It wasn't as if he minded her touching him, but initially, anyone wanting to touch him usually meant bad news. For the most part, he was indifferent to her, partially because he didn't know how he should react. Sakura was an entirely new human, who he had yet to know. He wasn't going to let his guard down, even for a second - even if she was a friend of Naruto.
"Don't mind him. He's just not used to humans," Naruto said, then moved on, "We need some new clothes and shoes for Sasuke. He's too small to fit into any of my things."
Sakura's face lit up as she turned back to Naruto. "I have some things that would look great on him. Just give me a second."
Producing a measuring tape out of nowhere, Sakura took rough measurements of Sasuke's shoulders, waist, height, and arm length. She muttered some things to herself and gave him a large smile as she stepped back and gave him a quick look-at.
Sakura then disappeared to the back of the shop, past the silk curtains hanging in the doorway. Naruto looked around the shop, nodding his head when he saw something he particularly liked. Sasuke stood there awkwardly, unsure of what he should do while they waited for Sakura.
"Come here, Sasuke," Naruto said as he waved his hand, "I want to see how this color suits you."
When Sasuke walked over, Naruto held on to his arm and brought it up to meet the fabric of a light green yukata that was decorated in small, embroidered sakura blossoms. The blond male frowned, then let go of the fabric, moving on to the next garment.
They did that for another few minutes. Naruto hummed when he matched good colors with Sasuke's skin, nodding his head to himself.
What Naruto was doing exactly, Sasuke didn't care much. He just looked on as his master did as he wished. They were just looking at clothes, after all.
"I've got a whole variety of kimono and yukata, and some matching hakama, as well. Sasuke has very light skin, so we want to complement that with these colors," Sakura explained as she spread the lot on the counter.
Naruto, with Sasuke's arm still in his hand, walked them over. The colors consisted mostly of deep reds and medium blues. Some were heavily decorated with embroidery, others completely plain. Sasuke liked the blues, but he held his tongue as his master looked over the ten or so kimono and hakama.
"Hm. We'll take them all. And throw in a pair of geta and a pair of zori. Oh, and some tabi, too." [A/N: Tabi are the special toed socks worn with zori, and sometimes geta]
Sasuke nearly sputtered at the sheer amount of money Naruto was spending on him. Never before had he been bought all these rich clothes before. He couldn't - no, he wouldn't - accept them. Not when he was an elf!
"Master," Sasuke said precariously, "I - I dont think I need all of these."
Waving his hand as a dismissal, Naruto ignored Sasuke as he and Sakura made him try on some shoes. They slipped one after the other on his left foot as Sasuke held on to the table with the display kimono.
"Oh, this one looks nice. It'll match most, if not all, of his kimono," Sakura mused as she took the geta off and shoved a zori on, "Oh, but not this one. I don't think it'll do."
Sasuke was at the mercy of the two of them. He stopped fighting Naruto about the extravagant clothes; it didn't make any sense trying to fight with the blond man who chose to listen only when it was convenient.
When they left the shop, Sasuke was wearing the new pair of geta with the socks. Everything else was carefully folded and wrapped in paper and ribbon. There were a few parcels of these, most of which Naruto held. He gave only the zori parcel to Sasuke.
The walk back was not as terribly embarrassing, but there were still many people who stared at Sasuke as they passed. Perhaps some recognized him from before. Or maybe they were judging him for not carrying more than his master. Either way, Sasuke looked at the ground before him, making sure to keep Naruto's back in his vision.
oooOOooo
After they ran around doing random errands and dropped everything off at home, Naruto wanted to go out again. The elf scoffed when his master insisted that visiting the local brothel was an important part of his day. As they made their way towards the small red light district, Sasuke noticed that the streets were more and more suspicious, especially since this part of town was out of the way and hidden from plain view.
When they got to the brothel, which was a large, three-story building, they went inside and his master was almost immediately hauled off by a harem of pretty women, leaving Sasuke alone in the front room with the other waiting elves. He took a seat away from everyone else, finding comfort when no one attempted to talk to him.
All of the other elves stared at him, probably because he was so new to the village; he was sure they had never seen him before. But Sasuke paid no attention to any of them, staring aimlessly at the wall as he pressed his cheek into his hand, propping himself up on the chair's arm rest.
"Hey, you're new around here, aren't you?"
A red-haired female elf stood in front of him, with her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't look particularly threatening, but Sasuke guarded himself all the same, sitting up straight in his seat and looking the other elf dead in the eye.
"So what if I am?" was his answer. Sasuke was already on the defensive, just out of habit.
"Hn. And your master is Naruto Uzumaki?"
Sasuke wasn't sure how she knew his master. Perhaps he was famous in the village, he reasoned. But this elf was getting on his nerves, prodding at business that probably had nothing to do with her. "Yeah. Your point?"
The offensive elf stepped forward, with her arms still crossed. "My master doesn't like your sad excuse of a master. Look at the clothes you're wearing; you're an elf, not a human. It would do for you to learn your place."
Sasuke's thin eyebrow rose in surprise for this elf's audacity to talk to him like that. Most trained elves he had encountered in his life barely spoke to him, for fear of him.
"Tayuya, he didn't do anything to you. Now stop being jealous and stop bothering him," a frail, silver-haired male elf said softly before he went into a coughing fit.
It took a few seconds for Sasuke to realize that the other elf known as Tayuya wasn't wearing anything as luxurious as he was. In fact, she was wearing mere rags, the ones that looked similar to his own when he was with Orochimaru. He noticed that her skin was also covered in a thin layer of dust and grime.
At the thought of his obvious advantage over her, Sasuke smirked and leaned his body on the arm rest. "You are jealous, aren't you?"
Tayuya's face flushed. She pursed her lips and planted her hands on her hips with aggression.
"I'm not jealous," she seethed as she turned her nose up at him, "I'm just saying that it's wrong for you to do what you're doing. Humans aren't supposed to treat their elves nicely. It's not fair."
Sasuke's smirk had long since slipped from his face, but he rolled his eyes at the her melodrama. He said nothing after that, and ignored Tayuya for the rest of the time he was there. She harrumphed at his lack of acknowledgement towards her and stomped back to her seat next to the frail elf. No other elves bothered to talk to him after that.
In another half hour, Naruto came out from behind the bead curtain, with markings of lips and hickeys scattered all over his skin. He looked as if he was in euphoria.
Sasuke stood up to meet his master, who patted him on the shoulder before heading out the door. As Sasuke followed after Naruto, he turned around to see that Tayuya was sending him glares. He winked and turned back around, letting the brothel's door shut behind him as he heard the other elf growling.
Naruto didn't seem to notice the commotion, and whistled a whole tune as they walked home. His face - and entire being - seemed to glow; Sasuke figured it was from the recent release of any sexual tension he had in his loins.
But even without visiting the brothel, the blond male seemed far too optimistic and happy for a human. As far as Sasuke knew, humans were miserable beings who only cared to do things for themselves. Selfish things, he called them.
His master was different. For some odd reason, he didn't always think of himself. And for an even odder reason, he was actually niceto him. The idea was almost appalling - at least, to most other humans. Did being an elf not really matter with this man? The question gnawed at Sasuke like a puppy to a bone.
"Master?" Sasuke said, calling Naruto's attention.
Naruto hummed in response.
Sasuke looked over to his master, whose eyes were bright and lips were curled upwards. He wanted to ask Naruto why he was so nice, but then a thought occurred to him: would he get offended? Maybe if he asked, his master would suddenly turn on him and beat him for asking such a stupid question. Maybe if he asked, Naruto would realize that he was being much too soft with his slave.
"Ah, it's nothing," Sasuke said quietly.
They continued the rest of the voyage home in silence, and Sasuke listened intently to the sounds of the night - the cackling cicadas, the chirping crickets, and even the croaking bullfrogs from some unseen pond. He hadn't heard the soothing cacophony of nature's sounds in such a long time.