Chapter 3: Redemption
"If Jesus can forgive crucifixion then surely we can survive and find a resolution"
-Wings of Forgiveness
"The prince raped the child?" Louis asked in shock.
Suki looked at him with calm eyes.
"Well you must understand; times were different back then. You learned your place, and you did as you were told. Also, Naruto wasn't considered a child, but an adult—"
"An adult?!" Bach exclaimed, interrupting Suki.
"An adult was different in their time. Some as little as eight were considered heads of households if their father could no longer provide for the family, so the son would take their place. Officially, you could be married at 14 and betrothed while still in a womb. Naruto was 16 and the prince 18. Can I continue the story?" Suki asked patiently and received two nods.
"Are you sure you checked everything? Everywhere? There are no 'Naruto's in the records?" Sasuke asked for what seemed liked the hundredth time to Shikamaru.
The apprentice sighed once more while muttering about something being 'troublesome'.
"For the last time Sasuke, there are no living Narutos in our kingdom, or any other ones for that matter, that fit your description." He said.
Shikamaru Nara.
Intelligent, but lazy. He was also a very good friend with the prince, thus allowing him to address the prince by with familiarity without consequences, and for that, he knew the record keeper wasn't lying to him.
"Fine." The Uchiha sighed out before flopping down in his chair, rubbing his temples.
How would he find Naruto now, even if that was his real name? He had Shikamaru spend an entire day looking through records to find a Naruto, but all the Narutos were dead. The only one who came close, was born 16 years ago, but died when he was 8.
Sasuke couldn't get the smile of the beautiful blond and blue-eyed bi-man out of his head; the lithe body, the cuts across his face, which made him look like a cute kitsune, his love for art and literature. The boy was perfect! Flawless! A perfect bride, except for two things.
One:
He couldn't find the boy. It was as if he appeared out of the blue!
And two:
He did not know if the boy was betrothed yet, and if Naruto was betrothed, that can cause major legal trouble because he practically raped the boy.
"If you're so desperate to find the boy, why don't you just go out and look for him?" Shikamaru said, as if he was using his last breath to deliver the message.
Sasuke looked up. Why hadn't he thought of that?
"Yes. That's a brilliant idea. I will do that. Thank you." The prince said, as he swiftly left the record room.
Shikamaru sighed before he situated himself back in his chair, muttering another 'troublesome', before falling into the bliss that is sleep.
Sasuke almost bumped into his cousin in his hurry to reach the stables.
"Watch yourself, dear cousin. Are you in a hurry?" Neji asked in amusement at the slightly far away look of his cousin.
"Sorry, but yes, I am in a hurry actually." He said without stopping for too long. He really wanted to find Naruto.
"Okay, but do not get yourself killed. What good will that do for your kingdom?" he exclaimed to his cousin, and continued.
"Important news! The heir to the Konoha Kingdom killed while daydreaming." Neji called out mirthfully.
Sasuke couldn't suppress a smirk at his cousin's antics.
Naruto groaned as he got up from his bed. Well more so, his and Gaara's bed, but Gaara wasn't there. He looked at the bed Iruka usually slept in within the small hut the three of them shared, but he wasn't there.
Naruto couldn't help but grin. They had Iruka back, as well as Zabuza, but he and Haku had their own hut they built so they can practice their…activities in private.
Naruto yawned and looked out the small window and saw that it was about mid-morning. Why hadn't anyone woken him up? The mistress would surely kill him if he didn't get to his work, but then he realized that it was his day off. And as with everyday he had off, he would go to town and with that thought he went readied himself.
It's been a week since the incident and everyone has been trying to comfort Naruto, but he kept telling them that he was fine. He was. Really. The prince made a mistake and he would sometimes make a joke about his virginity. At least he didn't lose it to Orochimaru.
He couldn't stand that man. The thought of that overly pale…argh! It sent shivers down his spine.
Naruto was usually a nice and sweet boy who liked everyone and vice versa. That's what he thought before his father died and when his stepmother took control and showed her true colors.
Oh how he loathed that bitch they called a baroness.
Anko Mitarashi.
She is such a nightmare. Always barking orders at him, calling him a maggot, and she actually LIKED Orochimaru. She studied under him and it was because of her, he had to spend days with him...wait. You couldn't really constitute Orochimaru as a him...more so an it. Naruto knew Orochimaru paid to be with him and Anko always accepted the payment, but he never knew why he had to put up with it and he didn't get the money. She was a gold digging leech.
She had three children by blood and and me. Sakura is her eldest, at 18. Then Ino, only a year Sakura's junior and then Gaara a year younger than Ino, but the same age as myself.
Sakura and Ino were demon spawn! And that was putting it lightly. They were evil! Like their mother. Gaara was the only one that didn't share that particular genetic trait.
Ino was nasty outright and made no attempts to hide it, but Sakura was a sneaky one. Intellect and evil was a bad combination together and Sakura possed that.
But Naruto was glad to be away from them today as he walked into town.
Sasuke growled as he walked the streets in his disguise. He's been searching for Naruto for a week now and he has yet to find any sign of him.
He was, however, very grateful for the jinbei he was able to obtain without causing an uproar in the little store he was in. If word got out that the prince was just roaming the strets without any of his usually protection…well there was a reason he was wearing a disguise.
He was getting a bit hungry, since it was about time for the mid-day meal, so he headed towards the dining part of the town. He immediately stopped when he caught sight of bright blond hair. He turned his body fully to make sure he was seeing things clearly, and he was certain it was Naruto sitting at the ramen shop.
But unlike before, he wasn't wearing anything exceptionally royal like his robes, but a simple jinbei like his, but a pale orange instead of his dark blue.
"He must want to avoid beggars." The prince assume as he walked towards the ramen stand the beauty was currently eating what appeared to be his second bowl of ramen judging by the empty bowl next to him.
When Sasuke was just an inch from the curtains at the front of the ramen shop, he froze.
He…he had no idea what to do.
He knew he had to apologize and ask for forgiveness. As well as find a way to contact him so he could have a way to keep in contact with his future…friend.
As the inner turmoil continued on in his head, he was unaware of when a small tuff of blonde suddenly collided with him, knocking him to the ground.
"I'm so sorry!" the blonde head said, unaware of shocked onyx eyes.
It wasn't until Naruto finally stopped sputtering random apologies, that he noticed it was the prince (now standing) that was before him.
His eyes grew to those of saucers, and Sasuke could see fear, anger and most of all, hurt, in those rare blue eyes. What affected the prince the most was that he knew that he himself, was the cause of boy's pain.
"Oh. Well, um…I'm sorry for bumping into you your—" but Naruto didn't finish his sentence.
Sasuke held his hand to the pale pinkness that were Naruto's lips. Naruto flinched violently when the prince touched him, and he frowned.
He was sorry for causing the boy to fear touch. A form of trust that he violated.
"Please, I do not wish for anyone to know I'm here. There would be havoc and I wish to avoid that." Sasuke said in a whisper, as he lifted his hand from a very tensed Naruto.
"O-okay." Naruto muttered weakly.
The two stood there for what seemed as if time stood still.
Naruto for one, had nothing to say to the man. He didn't want to see him ever again, but he couldn't just abruptly leave. It would be rude and rude was the last thing you wanted to be to a member of the royal family.
Sasuke…well he felt as though he was meeting his doom on the edge of a steep cliff. He was nervous and wanted to apologize. But with nervousness comes stupid questions, with only the purpose of stalling.
"Why are you in a jinbei?" was the first thought that came to his mind, as he took in Naruto's "common worker" clothing.
Naruto froze before answering hesitantly.
"I wanted to fit in. Not many of the upper-class come here, and I try not to bring attention to myself." Naruto said, hoping the prince bought his excuse.
He very well couldn't say that he always wore jinbeis because he was indeed part of the working and servant class. He would be wired quicker than he could say 'Gaara'.
Sasuke nodded. That's exactly why he was in a jinbei as well.
Prince Sasuke took a deep breath and decided to just out right say
"I'm sorry." In a quiet whisper, but Naruto heard him loud and crystal clear.
The bright blond bi-man looked up at the man in the eye and couldn't see any falsehood what so ever in those dark orbs. He instead found a plea of forgiveness on the man's face, but though his emotions showed no lies, he couldn't forgive the prince. Prince Uchiha had hurt physically and more importantly, emotionally, and a simple 'I'm Sorry' wasn't going to fix it. No matter how much he meant it.
Silence reigned over them as they stood after the apology, but Sasuke then broke the very tense silence.
"I know you may not believe me or just choose not to forgive me yet, but allow me to redeem myself. Another chance, not as a prince, but as a man." Sasuke asked.
Naruto bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes in concentration.
If he said no, Sasuke would be out of his life and he could heal from his experience with the prince in peace and with the comfort of his make shift family, or he could give Prince Uchiha another chance, for everyone deserves another chance. But saying yes would re-open a wound he wanted close. Naruto knew if he grew to know the man deeper and if the night at the palace was any indication (before the…rape), feelings would develop. Strong ones at that.
Could he really say 'No' and wonder what if, or could he learn to forgive and have a chance at happiness, though pain will be present and lies would be told on his behalf for his secret to be kept hidden. Could he go through all that work?
Naruto sighed and quoted from Tennessee Williams, "Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person. I'll give you another chance." He said as Sasuke smiled a very faint smile.
"He needs to smile more often…" Naruto thought.
The town's bell rang form the clock tower located in the center of town, so everyone one could hear it; from the palace, edges of town and the countryside border, where Naruto lived.
It was two o'clock from the number of rings the bell sounded and it was then that Naruto realized what he forgot.
"Sorry your high—"
"Sasuke. Call me Sasuke." The prince interrupted.
"Sorry Sasuke, but I have a prior engagement I must attend to. Another time?"
The dark haired prince shook his head in understanding.
"Of course." But before Naruto could pull away, Sasuke asked him a question.
"Meet me. Tomorrow? At the Valley of the End at 3 in the afternoon, if you know where it is?" Sasuke asked.
"I know where it is, and…I'll try, but I must go." Naruto said.
Yet once again Sasuke prevented Naruto from going.
The dark hair prince took hold of one of the bi-man's tanned hand, noticing the way he flinched, and gently kissed the knuckles, causing Naruto to blush a slight pink.
"Until then, Naruto." The prince said before leaving.
Naruto sighed, before he started running. He had to make it in time to get home before he came. Today he unfortunately had to have a tea date with Orochimaru.
Naruto couldn't help but groan and pout.
Reviews are not required, but are appreciated.
