Chapter 5
Okay...the third task! Oh and happy 15th birthday to ME!
Beta-d by: IkiIki
Naruto was led by his golden shackles to Captain Uchiha's rooms as the young captain discussed some issues with Kakashi. Once he was locked in his cage, the king's guards left the room, leaving Naruto to deal with his small surroundings.
Eventually, his thirst settled in and he went to go retrieve his water kettle, but only to find that a maid had moved it. It was on a small table near the door and he couldn't reach it even if he was dying of thirst. His lack of power over his most basic needs swamped and flooded his sanity. Damn the chains that bound him to the lack of any freedom!
He started cursing loudly and thrashed his chains against the bars that surrounded him, causing the walls to jangle as well. How could anyone endure the hell on earth that was slavery? What vile thought possesses a man to believe that they have the right to own another and make them suffer such a cruel and damned life! The worst of all, how long could he endure this wretched life before he went mad?
The commotion caused a young maid, no older then 12, to enter the room in which Naruto was being contained. The look on her face showed she was frightened of the hysterical man in the cage, and once Naruto saw the look on the girl's face he immediately calmed down.
Desperate, he tried his weak interpretation of the island's language to ask for what he needed.
"Please… water," he said in a heavy and thick accent, but the girl understood.
She went to retrieve the water and settled it down in front of his hands. She then went to retrieve some rice and heavy seasoned soup from another room and set it in front of Naruto before she left after Naruto said a 'Thank You'. Once he finished with his small, but much appreciated meal, he allowed himself to cry.
He sobbed for being so weak. He hated the fact that he needed the aid of a small girl to gain his basic needs of food and drink. He hated how he couldn't protect his child from the terror of slavery. Hell, Sasuke must think he's a fool to think that his daughter was safe, when she could very much be dead or even worse, being used as a sex toy. He hated feeling so helpless, but eventually the sobs quieted down, because sheer and utter boredom won out against his anguish.
Sasuke didn't return until it was around three and by then Naruto had removed any signs of his previous broken state by taking a small amount of his precious water to pad his eyes, so the puffiness and redness was gone, but Sasuke only returned to tell him some news.
"I must go to my ship and won't return until tomorrow's challenge," he told the slave.
Naruto suppressed a stab of fear that Sasuke might not return.
"Can you bring me back a book?" he asked, but Sasuke realized that the blond asked to make sure that he would return.
"You don't trust easily, do you?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto looked into the man's eyes and realized he should just tell the truth.
"I-I used to, but slavery changes people and not for the better either. I've lost the habit," Naruto said, sadly gripping one of the many bars that separated them.
Sasuke enclosed his hand around Naruto's and said, "You don't need to worry. I'll return."
"For some reason, I trust in what you're saying. Hell, if I have anyway of escaping, I need to trust in you, but I still worry. Even if the best happens and I find Sora, my daughter, and we return to Konoha, I wonder what will happen if my father finds out."
"Will he condemn you?" Sasuke asked.
"No. My father would never do such a thing. He's too honorable to do so and I'm his only heir. What I'm afraid of is that if he were to find out about what has happened, he will set things up so that I'll have my security team again but twice as big and protective. He won't trust me to leave again and I'll stay stuck in the palace forever. It'll be like slavery all over again, but without as much pain," Naruto explained.
"You need to stop worrying. It is not your fault you're here, and by the way you describe your father, he will see that and cannot blame and punish you. By the way the competitions are going, the best will happen. But for now, I must go. You should probably get some sleep because you seem tired, unless there is anything I can get for you," Sasuke asked.
"No. I'm fine. You can leave."
Sasuke turned to leave until he remembered Naruto's request.
"Is there any preference in books that you would want?"
"No. Anything is good," Naruto said.
"Okay," he replied turning once more before Naruto called out again.
"Goodbye." Which came out as more of a question then a parting.
"No. See you later." And with that, the Captain was gone.
The king sent for him again and he was in terrible pain again as Haku set him in the bath to be washed.
He knew it would be painful if he didn't try to relax, but he couldn't because he really did NOT want it.
By the time Sasuke returned to do his third task, Naruto was already standing by the king's side as usually, glowing, though inside, he was dying in depression.
Sasuke rolled the die and Yalia called out, "Dancing with Fire!" then Kazuki explained.
"You must walk across a path of burning coal."
"You must be kidding me," Sasuke asked, bewildered.
"No, I'm not kidding you. It's a right of passage on this island. A boy walks across the path to show that he is ready to become a man. If he comes from it unscathed, he is a man and only a man can become a ruler of a nation," Kazuki explained.
"And I suppose you did this?" the skeptical raven asked.
"When I was thirteen. Now take off your sandals so you can complete the task."
Sasuke froze. Wait a minute. Take off my sandals.
"I'm supposed to do this barefoot?" asked the confused captain.
"But of course!"
"No."
"What?"
"I invoke my right to refuse a trial," the captain said.
"Are you sure? This is one of the easiest tasks in the Lion Game," Kazuki prompted.
"I appreciate your encouragement, but I will not do this," Sasuke said.
"Okay, but first, we mustn't waste such a good fire," Yalia said.
The monk took off his sandals and went to go stand by the beginning of the burning coal. His eyes blanked into this solemn look and he proceeded to cross.
Sasuke didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculous look the man had as if he was in a trance, or to cringe as he saw the man's feet touch the coal, so he did neither and remained silent.
Yalia finished and he went back to normal.
"Now, cast the die," Kazuki said and Sasuke did, landing on a blank face.
He realized that someone was covering the already used trails, because there was no point in redoing a task again.
"Re-roll, Captain."
And Sasuke did so, but this time landing on a face blowing out flames of some sort.
"Ah. The gods must be pleased with you, for have just rolled 'The Breath of Fire', one of the two pleasures in the Lion Game," the king announced.
"What am I suppose to do?" Sasuke questioned.
"You are to match me, drink for drink, while reciting poetry," the king said with a cocky smile.
"And this is a test for leadership?" captain Uchiha asked, a bit skeptical.
"A leader must be able to give orders whether they have a clear mind or if they are intoxicated. The poetry is just so that we can determine a winner. In honor of your culture, we'll do haikus."
"So, we match drink for drink, and the one who can say a complete and correct haiku poem, will win?"
"Exactly, but let's not limit it to just nature."
"Okay."
Naruto was amazed by how much alcohol the two men could consume. He didn't understand what haikus Kazuki was saying, but a drunken Sasuke started reverting back to Japanese and his poetry was quite good.
"We are opposites
Straining through separation
I hope our love lasts" he heard Sasuke say and thankfully Yalia knew Japanese or Sasuke would have lost.
This caused Kazuki to start referring to Japanese.
"Ah Captain. You know of Chery Dee's work. (I couldn't resist XP)"
"I like how they are worded."
Then it was Kazuki's turn.
"The silent ninja
Returning after three years
Back to his blond love"
"That was from one of her later works."
"Hn," the Uchiha muttered and said his poem:
"The dark and the light
Becoming one through their love
Opposites attract," Sasuke said before gulping down the next drink.
They had switched to rum because rice wine wasn't getting them drunk enough. It took thirty minutes before a winner was declared.
"His heart was shattered
When his love left for power
His soul cries for him," slurred a very drunk Uchiha, but still he shot down the glass of rum.
"Angels guide his soul
Out of…" but that was how far Kazuki got before he threw up.
"The winner, captain Uchiha!" Yalia called out.
Sasuke looked at Naruto and smiled, in which Naruto smiled back.
"Greats," the Uchiha slurred, before he, too, threw up and promptly passed out.
A/N: Okay...I couldn't help but put some of my haikus in here, but it's my birthday and I can do whatever the hell I want to. Anyways, I don't know the next time I'll update cause I'm lazy, procrastinate and not very...prudent with my work. Anyways, leave a review for now :)