Chapter 3
The next morning sunlight seeped pasted Sasuke's bedroom curtains, onto his face causing his eyes to flicker open. When his eyes focused he was surprised to find he was not in his cambers at the human castle but them remembered making it to the demon kingdom. He couldn't help but smile as he recalled the dinner the night before.
FLASHBACK
Sasuke looked down at his plate full of food, mainly meat, which was a luxury that Sasuke never really had back home. His father made sure he only ever had salads and fish because he couldn't risk Sasuke putting on to much weight and not being wanted as a mate.
So the fact that he had a plate full of pork and stack in front of him left Sasuke almost drawling.
As they all eat Yondaime informed Sasuke, "In two days time we will be holding a ball in honour of your arrival."
Sasuke looked up from his plate in surprise, he wasn't use to people making a fuss over him so to have a ball held on his honour was not something he had expected. He had never even been to a ball. His father had stopped hosting such things when his wife died.
"You really don't have too-" Sasuke started but Naruto interrupted.
"We always hold balls whenever a potential mate comes to stay with us." Naruto smiled reassuringly. "Kyuubi and I may not have pick any of the others but that isn't to say we didn't befriend them."
Sasuke looked over at Kyuubi, who had been sulking about the blow to his pride earlier.
Naruto had also noticed Kyuubi's behaviour and decided to lighten his brother's mood.
Kyuubi's sixth sense was warning him that Naruto was up to something and looked up just in time to get a face full of mashed potato.
Sasuke gasped and expected Yondaime to yell at Naruto for his table manners but Yondaime just though his head back and laughed.
Kyuubi grabbed the applesauce in the table and though it at his little brother and so started a food fight and it didn't take long for Yondaime to join in.
Sasuke could hardly believe his eyes, here were the King and Princes of a demon kingdom having a food fight like five-year-old children.
And before Sasuke could get over his shock Kyuubi throw a piece of pork that hit Sasuke right in the face and Sasuke was not going to let that slid and started to join in as well.
END FLASHBACK
Sasuke never had so much fun in all his life and hoped that most of his stay would be like that.
Just then one of his chamber doors was opened. Sasuke quickly sat up in his bed and the servant gasped in surprise, "Oh, please forgive me Prince Sasuke, had I known you were awake I would have knocked. My name is Iruka; Prince Naruto asked me to give you this." Iruka said as he held out a rolled-up piece of parchment to Sasuke.
"Thank you." Sasuke said; as he took the letter he realized that the servant was human.
Iruka realized the human prince was starring at him and gave him a warm smile, "I know its odd that a human is a servant in the demon castle, right?"
"Do other humans live in the castle?" Sasuke asked curiously, enjoying the fact that he was not the only human there.
"Nope its just you and me." Iruka said warmly. "So if those two roughens become to much just come to me and I'll handle them."
Sasuke had never heard a servant talk about his masters in such a way, almost like family.
"Does the king let all his servants talk like that, I know my father would have had you executed?" Sasuke asked amazed.
Iruka smiled and replied, "Well normally no, King Yondaime would have punished most servants but I'm the prince's… well, we'll say nanny, since the were very little and I've had to keep them in line some how…god knows the king doesn't because he's just a big kid himself."
Sasuke laughed at that last bight, remembering how Yondaime had joined in with the food fight unlike most royal parents who would have been angered and disgusted at such behaviour.
"Anyway I have to get back to work and remember if there is any problem just ask me or any of the other servants for help." Iruka smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Iruka." Sasuke replied gratefully as Iruka bowed and left.
Sasuke couldn't help but think that Iruka really would have made a good demon bearer… he was obviously a natural mother hen.
After the door had closed Sasuke opened the parchment.
Dear Sasuke,
Kyuubi, father and I will not be joining you for breakfast for we will be out hunting.
But we will have Captain Kakashi find you after breakfast to escort you to a beautiful lake in the forest were we hunt in, so you may see what Kyuubi and I hunted for you and so you can get some fresh air and see the kingdom.
Hope to see you soon.
Yours truly,
Prince Naruto.
Sasuke blushed as he read 'what Kyuubi and I hunted for you' because his teachers had told him that if a demon presented you with his kill it was meant as way to show his skills as a provider for his potential mate.
God, they are already trying to win my affections and I'm not even old enough to mate yet. They must really be considering me as a possible mate.
-
After Sasuke had finished eating his breakfast, Kakashi walked into the dinning hall.
"Hey pup, how you settling in." Kakashi asked in his normal carefree way.
Sasuke smiled as he saw the wolf demon, he was glade to see his 'adopted father' again.
"Everyone seems nice… makes me wonder why I had to have 'you' escort me, you perverted wolf." Sasuke said with a cheeky smile. He had found the wolves 'adult' book collect when they were traveling on the ship and had started calling him a pervert because the wolf seemed to hate it.
"Stop calling me that you little brat or you can find your own way to the hunting grounds." Kakashi said with a tone that was obviously saying beat that.
Sasuke just smirked back and replied, "Well if you don't escort me I won't make it to the hunting grounds and then Kyuubi and Naruto will be most upset at you for not taking me there so they can show me what they've hunted for me… how do disobedient servants get punished here anyway?"
Kakashi just shock his head and gave-up the argument.
-
The sun was high in the sky and the weather was warm; it had been the perfect morning for hunting.
Yondaime lead his son's and hunters toward the lake were Sasuke was meant to be waiting for them. Yondaime looked over his shoulder at his son's and smiled proudly as they had done very well on this hunt. Kyuubi had tracked down a bear and killed it all by himself and Naruto had hunted down a boar demon. Yondaime knew that they were trying to impress Sasuke and couldn't help but feel excited that at last his son's might actually mate and give him grand-kits. God knows that he couldn't wait to see kits running around the castle again.
But I shouldn't get to ahead of my self; Sasuke still has some growing to do first and who's to say that the little Uchiha will agree to mate.
Just then Yondaime looked up and saw that they had made it to the lake and Sasuke, Kakashi and some other wolf demon guards were waiting for them.
Kyuubi and Naruto were stunned when they saw Sasuke, who had yet to notice them, sitting by the lake with his bare feet in the clear water, the water reflecting on his pale face and smooth, slim creamy exposed legs, giving the human a surreal look. He was wearing a beautiful cream coloured kimono with a lily flower behind his ear.
Kakashi cleared his throat loudly to get Sasuke's attention and when the human prince looked up and saw the hunters had arrived he quickly stood up and covered his legs and feet, a blush showing on his checks.
Yondaime smiled and said, "I see you are enjoying the lake. How was your trip here?"
Sasuke smiled back and replied, "It was fine, and your kingdom is very beautiful."
"Yes but don't be fooled," Kyuubi interrupted, "There are many dangers in this kingdom, so don't be wandering off on your own, a human like you would be killed in seconds."
Sasuke glared at the redhead, "I maybe human but I know how to look after myself."
Kyuubi gave Sasuke a challenging smirk, "So I suppose you could kill something like this then?" Kyuubi throw the bears bloody body at Sasuke's feet.
Yondaime shock his head, he knew this was just Kyuubi's way of saying 'I like you' but this was taking it a bight fare.
Naruto was ready to strangle his elder brother. Is he trying to drive Sasuke away?
Sasuke looked down at the body at his feet, then looked back up at Kyuubi and was about to make a smart comment about his 'bad' hunting skills, when something court his eyes.
He looked to his left and saw something metal was reflecting off the sun in a bush, it only took him two seconds to see it was an arrow…an arrow knotted in a bow… and aiming directly at Kyuubi's heart.
Sasuke rushed to push Kyuubi out of the way just as the arrow was released.
Sasuke suddenly felt severe pain in his left shoulder and let loss a bone chilling scream of pain.
Naruto watched in horror as Sasuke pushed himself in front of Kyuubi and had an arrow shoot him in the shoulder, an arrow that would has killed his red-haired brother had Sasuke not been then.
Yondaime and Kakashi also had looks of horror on their faces as Kyuubi court the injured human before he fell and gently lowered the human to the ground; the older prince had a look of pure shock on his handsome face, almost like he couldn't believe what had just happened.
The guards were quick to attack the demon in the bushes but he was already running away.
"Sasuke!" Naruto ran to the wounded human's side.
Kakashi not fare behind, "Pup, oh god."
Sasuke's face was twisted in pain and he was breathing fast and hard, trying not to scream at the white hot pain in his shoulder.
The arrow had gone straight through and the wound was leaking a lot of blood.
Kyuubi shacking off his shock picked Sasuke up bridal-style trying to be as gentle as he could but Sasuke still gave a scream of pain.
"We've got to get him to Trunsde before its to late." With that said the redhead ran full speed back to the castle the other right behind him.
-
Tsunade was shocked when Kyuubi burst through her healing chamber doors, almost taking the doors off their hinges, carrying a wounded human.
The blond lion demon took one look at the arrow in the human's shoulder and went into healer mode.
Kyuubi, Naruto and the others were forced out of the healing chamber on Tsunade command.
-
Kyuubi sat with his face in his hands in the waiting room with Naruto.
Yondaime and Kakashi had left to help find the demon that had tried to kill Kyuubi.
Naruto looked restless, not being able to sit still.
Suddenly Kyuubi broke the tense silence, "He saved my life." The redhead said almost like he couldn't believe it.
Naruto looked at his brother and couldn't image what he must be going through.
Kyuubi had always valued his honour above all else and if Sasuke died Kyuubi would always feel guilty about what he said to Sasuke before the attack.
This made Naruto even more restless but the younger demon had always had a heart of gold and held back his restlessness to comfort his brother.
Putting an arm around his brother's broad shoulders and said with great confidence, "It's ok, Kyuubi, Sasuke is strong and he will make it through."
Kyuubi looked at his little brother and realized that he was right; Sasuke was strong willed; they had both sensed his inner strength when they first saw the human and it was one of the reasons they were so drawn to him.
Just as Kyuubi gave his blond brother a small smile Tsunade calmly walked out of the healing chamber and into the waiting room.
Kyuubi and Naruto stood to greet the lion demon.
"Well?" Naruto asked anxiously.
Tsunade smiled at the anxious princes and said, "He will be fine, in a lot of pain for awhile but fine. And now that we know this could someone please tell me what happened?"
As they told the lion demon how Sasuke had saved Kyuubi, she started to look very serious. "That would explain the poison on the arrow."
"POISON!" Both princes yelled in the lion demon's sensitive lion ears.
"THERES NO NEED TO YELL, I TOLD YOU HE'S FINE!" Tsunade roared back making both the princes fell back into their seats. "I found demon poison in the wound and on the arrowhead but this was a special kind of demon poison, very rare, infact some believe that it doesn't even exists; it was made by a human wizard back in the Demon, Human War.
It was made especially to kill demons but not have any serious affects on humans it was also made so that we couldn't smell or taste it; the only reason I discovered it was because the arrowhead turned a blue-purple colour, which was said to be the only way to tell. But after the wizard was killed the demons destroyed the recipe so it could never be made again. But obviously someone found away to make it again and are trying to kill you boys and your father."
"But who would dare go against the royal demon family?" Naruto asked with concern and anger laced in his voice.
Kyuubi however gave a knowing look, "I can only think of one man who would want us three dead, so he could take over the royal throne…Lord Orochimaru."