Moonstruck Nightmare

VII - Palace Prince

Written By - Treina (angelcrack)

/"This castle is cursed Naruto, you could feel or begin to think anything and It may or may not be reality. For instance, this Sasuke kid could just be part of the curse, he might not even exist. Or we could also be experiencing fragments of the past trapped inbetween the curse." Neji had alot of time to think about these things, "the fact remains that we are still in this building, therefore we remain entwined with its curse."

"But the entire mountain is cursed...and I had been having dreams for weeks before I even knew I would be here!" Naruto could swallow the fact that the building was cursed, but he knew that it didnt stop there. There had to be a way to stop the entire thing and bring life back to the mountain. Also, this Sasuke kid had to be real, he could feel the child's sorrow and playfulness, he could see the slight glimmer of hope in the child's eyes, no the child was no fake.
"I was just giving you things to think about."/

DRIP DRIP DRIP

Gaara glared into the darkness, how did this Neji guy know so much? How did he know where the pictures were taken? Was this guy here before the castle was taken over? Or is that the illusion that everyone seems to acquire in this building? That this is some sort of castle and that they've been here for over hundreds of years. Now he was convinced they were crazy, both Neji and Lorim.

Shikamaru didn't want to think about things like that, he was on the edge of insanity already without having to think about what was real, and what was not real. Of course he had already thought about it before, but why linger on things that are just going to make your fears worse? No, he needed to concentrate on getting out of here, he grabbed on to the back of Naruto's shirt so he wouldn't wander off, as far as he could tell, Naruto didn't mind.

"I have to tell you that I don't much know about this mountain Naruto," Neji admitted, "I only know about the building..." his voice drifted.
"Then how do you know that those pictures are of the building and surrounding areas?" Gaara didn't like how this Neji guy contradicted himself.
"I have been out of the building a few times...I was born in this castle, but I was never allowed outside very often," Neji explained, "I have spent my entire life here...but it wasn't always like this, it used to be bright and everywhere you looked there were expensive lavish things," Neji looked around, "but its much different now"
"Ah! So ye be one of me subjects!" Lorim cheered from behind, "tell me lad, what be the name of your father?"

Neji said nothing as if he had never heard the old man until they reached the top of the stairs, "okay, this is the second flight of stairs I've come up...we must be on the third floor," Naruto thought out loud, wondering how many floors this building might have.

"This is the first staircase I have encountered," Gaara stated, "so wouldn't this be the second floor"
"Nay, we went up one floor while in the tunnels boy, this be the third floor," Lorim patted Gaara on the shoulder from behind.
"I never remembered going up-hill that drastically..." Gaara murmured, wondering how this old man had managed to dig tunnels through the walls to get to them to the second floor.

"If we are on the third floor, then we have one floor before we reach the top," Neji commented as he turned another corner in the hallways. Actually that wasn't bad at all, "so we're almost there!" Naruto cheered, he was beginning to get a little anxious. He was hoping that this guy that they have to meet would be reasonable and just let them go...but something told him that it wouldn't be easy like that. Something told Naruto that they would have to do something for this guy in order to leave...actually, he knew that's how it would be, but at least he wasn't alone, at least he had friends around him who would support him...even if they all were a but un-stable. But Neji, Neji amazed him, even through all this, even through all the years that he had been left here to die, he had kept his composure, his pride.

"Say, Neji," Naruto began, getting an idea, "how old are you"
"I was born in the year 1830..." he trailed off, "I dont know what year we are in," he stated, not really careing much about the matter.
"But that would mean...your over a hundred years old!" Naruto snapped, "how are you able to live that long"
"I don't know," Neji answered honestly, "the day that this castle was taken over, I stopped ageing."

"Ye not be the only one!" Lorim shouted from behind.
"I don't believe it," Naruto pouted, "you don't look any older than I do...you don't have one gray hair"
Neji chuckled at the comment, "well I suppose I should be grateful for that Naruto."

There was a huge possibility that when Naruto was set free and able to leave, Neji would not. The idea of finally dying occurred to Neji and he welcomed it with open arms, he didn't need to live anymore of his nightmarish life, unlike the blond, who had his entire life ahead of him, who was still so young and still had so much to learn. Lorim, he would probably die with the young Hyuuga. Neji smiled softly, at least he wouldn't die alone, and that's more than he ever considered receiving.

As they continued to walk, the hallway seemed to get smaller and smaller, the air began to thin out and no doors were seen. They walked and walked down this one hallway for over three hours. As Naruto was beginning to wonder if there would ever be an end to it, Neji stated that they are about to approach a wall.

"Is there a door?" Naruto asked, hoping to god that they didn't spend all this time to hit a dead end. Neji didn't answer, from where he was standing he could see no door, but that didn't mean that there wasn't one. He figured they should finish walking down the hallway before deciding on what to do.

When they all reached the end of the hallway, Naruto began to get irritated at the fact that Neji had not answered him yet. "Is there a door Neji?" He repeated. For a few seconds there was silence, "no..not exactly..." Neji trailed off, Naruto could tell that Neji was checking out the wall that stood in front of them, "not exactly?" Naruto questioned, was there a door or was there no door? It was a simple question, or maybe they were stairs, "stairs?" Naruto guessed, but Neji shook his head, "no Naruto...but there is a small hole, I'm not sure where it leads though. It might not be such a good idea to try it."

"A hole?" Gaara asked, ready to turn around and go the way they came.
Naruto scratched his head, "well, what does everyone think? Should we go back? Or should we try this hole? How big is the hole Neji"
Neji paused for a moment, "it's a bit too small to stand up in, but we could crawl comfortably...as long as it doesn't get any smaller as we go"
"If it gets smaller, we can always turn around," Naruto pointed out.

"Maybe," Neji stated, "do you want to try it"
"I am not going in there," Shikamaru stated in a deadpan serious tone, "lets go back"
"I'm with Shikamaru, I don't think its a good idea," Gaara did not like the idea of being stuck in a tiny tunnel.
"But what if it's the only passage to the top?" Naruto whined, "we should at least try it first, or I will try and then yell out to you once I get to the other side," Naruto grinned at his wonderful idea and stepped forward to try the hole.
"Let me go first Naruto, since you cant see," Neji grabbed Naruto's arm and went into the small passage that led to who knows where, "okay Naruto, you can come now," he called once inside.

Naruto crouched down until he was on his knees and then began to feel around for the hole, "this way," Neji said, hoping Naruto would catch which way his voice was coming from. Luckily Naruto caught it and they were both crawling down the small passageway. The 'tunnel' was a lot better than Naruto had thought, he had figured it would be swarming with spider webs and everything would be cramped, making it hard to breathe. But there was plenty of room, and so far he had yet to feel or come across one spider web, "it's not so bad," he commented to Neji, who didn't say anything in response. "I wonder how long it goes...should we call out to Gaara and Shikamaru before we get out of hearing range?"

Neji stopped and sat with his back against the tunnel wall, "yeah, just stop here until they catch up"
Naruto began to yell out and then he also sat with his back on the opposite wall as Neji, "its kind of nice here...you don't feel so exposed, and the dripping is much more faint."

"True, but you feel more trapped...its worse here than it was in my cell," Neji replied non-chalantly.
"You don't seem to be un-comfortable," Naruto commented with a smile.
"I'm not, I lived in that room for over eighty years. It doesn't bother me anymore, its just...normal."

VvvVvvVvvVvvV

DRIP DRIP DRIP

Gaara glared in the direction of the hole. Now they were in a position where they would have to crawl into that damn tunnel, and Shikamaru didn't sound to thrilled to try it out. The red head had a bad feeling about this, something about it made every hair on his body stand on end and all of his instinct told him to turn around and go the other way. But why did every time this instinct would creep up upon him, he was in a trapped position?

Shikamaru shook his head, "I'm not going in there, Gaara tell them to come back," there was nothing that nobody could do to make him crawl into that hole. Lorim stepped forward and crawled into the hole, "this be the way lad," he called to Gaara, "we aint got all night!" Lorim snapped, wanting to hurry up and get this over with.

"No Gaara!" Shikamaru snapped, tugging on Gaara's arm, "we're not going in there! Call Naruto back!" He ordered in a panicked tone.
Gaara closed his eyes, attempting to cool his nerves, "Lorim, you go on ahead and tell Naruto that we will wait here for a while longer."

Lorim nodded and headed on down the tunnel, "I understand how you feel," Gaara began, but Shikamaru interrupted him, "no you don't...you have no idea, I can not go in there Gaara! You...you might be able to tough it out, but I cant do tight spaces...I almost went insane in that room...I cant do it," Shikamaru wiped the sweat from his forehead and began attempting to slow his heart rate, 'I'm not going in there."

Gaara sighed at the situation they all seemed to be put in by none other than Naruto and that Neji guy. "Naruto," Gaara yelled down the tunnel, "Shikamaru will not go through here. Come back and lets see if we can find another way." He waited a while and could hear his voice travel down the tunnel, but no one responded, "Naruto, can you hear me!" He yelled a little louder, figuring that maybe they were too far down the tunnel to hear him the first time. But still, Naruto did not respond.

Gaara turned to Shikamaru, "is he coming back"
"No one answered," he replied, walking closer to Shikamaru's voice, "what do you want to do"
"Let's just wait a while," Shikamaru answered, "they might already be on their way back through."

Gaara said nothing and leaned against the wall, this was insane! Naruto was not coming back down through the tunnel and he knew it. No, something else had happened and he wasn't going to find out by standing here, but he decided to wait for at least a little while, if anything but to satisfy Shikamaru. If he had to, he would drag Shikamaru down the tunnel kicking and screaming, he could care less about Shikamaru's fears if something bad was happening to Naruto.

"I don't think they are coming," Gaara said as he began to grow impatient, "I have a bad feeling Shikamaru, I think something happened to them"
"All the more reason to not go in there," Shikamaru shuttered at the thought of what might possibly be on the other side, if there even was another side to the tunnel.
"Shikamaru, either I leave you here to rot or you try the tunnel," Gaara figured that he couldn't possibly be more blunt than that, but Shikamaru didn't budge.
"Then you do what you have to do," he looked up into the darkness, "but I cant do it, I wont do it Gaara, I guess this is goodbye"
Gaara once again closed his eyes to calm his nerves.

VvvVvvVvvVvvV

"Who are you?" Naruto asked in a deadly voice, disturbed at the vibes emanating off the guy.

Red light tinted the room all around them, making it look as if they were in an oven. The temperature seemed cold though, piercing their bodies like pins and needles. The tall man with long black hair smirked at the blond, "ah, I have been waiting for you Uzumaki," he then turned his head to the Hyuuga, "and your highness," he bowed before Neji, glaring into his white eyes, "I see that you have found yourself a pet, but you need to understand, that this one is mine," Itachi glared at the small child who hid himself in the dark corner.

"I have no time for your games Itachi," Neji spat, "you lock me in a cell for hundreds of years, kill my entire family, and you dare to talk to me as if none of it had happened? I am no longer willing to play or go along with any of your games. I'm here to take the castle back from your evil rule. I will never again be tricked by your words." Lorim cowered behind Neji, but the Hyuuga paid the old man no mind. Itachi began to laugh, "I must admit sire, your sense of humor has not diminished."

"Sire?" Naruto asked, looking to Neji, whose eyes were glued to Itachi, "what does he mean by Sire"
"Oh, so I see that you have not told anyone," Itachi grinned, "so he doesn't even know that he is nothing more than just one of your mere pets"
"That was a long time ago," Neji's scowl grew deeper, "I am no longer a spoiled little prince. But I see that you have not changed one bit"
"Very true, I am not a person agreeable to change," Itachi almost seemed to be dancing around the room, as if he hadn't had this much excitement in a long time.
"He doesn't get out much...eh?" Naruto whispered to Neji.
"No one does little boy," Itachi stopped and turned his attention to Naruto, "so, let me see what I have summoned to my doorstep." The young man began to circle around Naruto looking very pleased with himself, "no one here leaves," he repeated, "but that's why your here," a shimmer of excitement gleamed in Itachi's eyes and for a slight second, Naruto saw red.

Extreme deja vu.

VvvVvvVvvVvvV

"Gaara, what are you doing?" Shikamaru tried to loosen Gaara's grip on his arm until he figured out what was going on. Gaara was dragging Shikamaru closer and closer to that small hole, "no! Stop it Gaara, I can't go in there!" Shikamaru began to desperately try and wiggle his way out of Gaara's grasp, but to no avail, "no!" He screamed as Gaara shoved him into the hole.

Everything seemed to close in on him and all he could do was kick and scream, "no, stop it! Get me out!" But Gaara continued to shove him farther in.

"Shikamaru!" Gaara snapped, yanking on his ankle, "calm down and keep going"
"No, I cant..." Shikamaru's breathing grew rapid and tears continued to stream down his eyes, "please, no, god..."

A few more pushes from Gaara and Shikamaru could no longer see where they had entered. That was it for him he would go no further. He had to get out, the only thing he needed to do at that very moment was break through. So at once he began to punch and kick the stone walls around him, no longer aware of Gaara's presence behind him.

VvvVvvVvvVvvV

Everyone standing within the red tint could hear Shikamaru's screams coming from down the tunnel. Itachi smiled and moved his gaze from the blonde, to the tunnel entrance, "Sasuke!" Itachi snapped, raising a hand for the child to draw near. Sasuke stepped forward, head bowed, "they are being quite loud, please shut them up until we finish our little meeting. But the red head, bring him to me, I wish to see him."

Neji's lip curled at hearing the end of Itachi's sentence, "what's wrong my old friend? Suspicious of the mysterious red head?
Itachi also smiled and looked at Neji, "indeed, this person has interested me from the moment he stepped foot on my mountain, but for some reason," he turned and looked at Naruto, "I have been un-able to see him."

Sasuke nodded and faded away, a few seconds went by and Shikamaru was no longer heard, Itachi smiled, "that's better"
Naruto frowned, "what did you do?" Itachi gave no answer, but seemed to be waiting for something. Sasuke appeared once again, only a very mad looking Gaara was seen standing next to him, "Gaara, where is Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, surprised to see Gaara without his friend.

Gaara also said nothing, but kept his eyes glued to Itachi.
"So you are Gaara?" Itachi questioned, looking at the red head in the same manor at which he was looking at Naruto.
"There is something strange about you,'' he looked from Naruto to Gaara, as if trying to put something together.
Neji sighed, "you have grown quite boring," his voice was that of royalty, everything about Neji's manner had changed and transformed into the noblest of creatures. The Hyuuga's grace caught everyone off guard and no longer was anyone looking at Itachi, but at the rightful heir and ruler over the mountain.

"Its no matter," Itachi waved a hand, "I will put it together later, for now we have more pressing matters," he walked to Naruto, their eyes locked, "you," he began, "you are the key, but the door will only open when you have found all three."

Naruto looked at him in question, having no idea what he was talking about, Neji's voice once again filled the room, "I have already told you Itachi, I am not here to play your games." Itachi turned to Neji, "of coarse your not sire, you are here to protect and watch over Naruto," then at last he turned back around to Gaara, "and I will leave you with the children," Shikamaru appeared next to Gaara, more shaken than any of them had seen him yet. "Lorim, I suggest that you not leave this red head's side, you wouldn't want me to find you alone ne?" Itachi cocked his head to the side as if he were talking to a child and Lorim nodded, cowering further behind Neji.

"Sasuke, you may leave them with the light," was his final words before fading into nothing.
Sasuke said nothing, but cast the light around the group of them, "your brother sure is nice," Naruto commented before Sasuke also took his leave.
"What the hell is going on?" Gaara demanded, not happy that he was only here for the last half of it all.
"Neji really is the prince and this really used to be a castle!" Naruto cheered, "but what does that Itachi guy want"
"Itachi wants us to break the curse," Neji explained, sitting down to lean on the wall next to him, he had turned back into simple old Neji and everyone wondered how this humble sweet boy could possibly even be related to royalty, if it wasn't for his looks, Gaara would throw the whole idea in the garbage.
"But wasn't he the one who put the curse on the castle?" Gaara asked, glaring in Lorim's direction.

Neji sighed, "its a long story"
"Im in no hurry," Gaara would not be satisfied until he knew the whole story.

Everyone sat down ready to hear the Neji's 'long story,' Naruto was always fond of history, and if all of this was true, than this was history which no one had ever heard before. Shikamaru was still shaking, but he was somewhat content now that he was out of that hole and where some light could be found, but not one sound left his lips. Lorim, also somewhat curious, sat down to listen as Neji began...

WwWwW

"Before I was born my father had taken a wife and for many years they tried for a son but to no avail. My father hired the best doctors from over seas and sent them to see why his wife would not conceive. It was at that time when they found she was born with an illness and would never bear children and that it was a miracle that she had even lived as long as she did. Not one month after my father lost all hope and gave up on ever having a child, his wife conceived a boy.

The night that she gave birth, she died. The labor triggered something in her illness that caused her death and for many nights my father mourned over the loss of his wife. Seeing me as her last gift to him, he lavished me with everything any child could possibly want. But by the time I was five, my natural child instincts wondered why I had no mother. There was one time in my childhood where I asked every maid and female in the castle if she was my mother. Every one of them looked at me with sad eyes and forced themselves to say no.

When my father heard about this, he became worried and decided to take a wife on my behalf. The woman that he chose was very beautiful and had the grace of a goddess about her. For a long time we really took no notice of each other, but when I was seven, the woman gave birth to her first child, a girl. She named her Hinata. That's when she began to grow cold and hateful, before the next year went by, she gave birth to a second girl, who she named Hanabi. On Hanabi she absorbed herself, her entire life was spent with that girl and everyone else she shunned. There were times when Hinata and I would sneak out to play, but she didn't want her daughters to have anything to do with me, even if it was just Hinata.

Like I said, I know nothing about the mountain, I was never allowed outside and my father was too busy to ever notice my imprisonment, he figured that she was a perfect mother, seeing how she acted with Hanabi, there was no question, so he never had reason to worry. When I turned fourteen, rumors began traveling around the castle about my father planning to betroth me to some foreign princess. But I was fourteen and had no interests in those sorts of things, so I casually ignored them.

A few weeks after the rumors, I had obtained a wonderful idea, I would not sleep that night and very late, I would leave the castle. I had always heard from the maids that there was a small town not two miles down. So around three in the morning, I snuck out of the castle and went to the town. That night I had more fun than I can ever remember having, so every couple days I would go back. My favorite place to go was the Vermilion Inn, where I would get so drunk, I would pass out on the way home.

On one of those nights, I had met a man who was no older than twenty, he wore fine clothes and smelled of cinnamon. He whispered something in my ear and I laughed at the cleverness of it. That night we drank and laughed and got to know each other. I had never met such a beautiful, clever individual and I knew right away that he must be royalty, so one day I invited him to the castle to meet my father. The moment he set foot in the castle, he fell in love with it. I had lived here my whole life, so I didn't see what was so grand about it.

Everyone who I introduced him to instantly liked him, every woman who passed us in the halls blushed just by being in his presence, he was someone who I desperately looked up to. He was perfect, and as a prince I should be no less than that. When he met my father, they talked of things that I still to this day don't understand. War strategies and politics. When they were done, my father patted me on the back and told the young man to take good care of me.

When my 'mother' walked in, my heart skipped a beat, she would surely throw him out. But her eyes locked onto his and she smiled as a light tint of red colored her cheeks, at once he was at her side, kissing her hand. My father ignored them and she asked me who this young man was. I introduced him as Itachi, although I did not know his last name at that time, my stepmother did not care. She was swept away just by the look of him and could really care less what mere peasants called him, in her eyes he was a god.

Not long after that, he moved into the castle and our bond grew closer. He would take me places and hunting, I would always notice him with my stepmother, him whispering things into her ear to make her blush and giggle. At times it looked as if they were more in love than her and my father. But what they had was not love, he was already weaving his way into the throne, but through her. As a young man I too ignored it, I could really care less about all of that, I had more fun hunting and playing than anything else. Up until that point I never really had any life, but now I felt as if my chain had been extended.

When I turned eighteen, being under Itachi's influence, I was mean, stubborn. I could care less about anyone's feelings but my own. I dove into my own pleasure and greed, I have raped and tortured dozens. But I could never bring myself to take a life, Itachi would do that for me. My father noticed how cold I had become and once again, grew worried. When he went to his wife to talk to her about this, she waved the idea away, telling him that he was thinking too much. One night he had caught me with one of the maids. My father grew outraged and struck me out cold. When I awoke, he was sitting next to me with tears in his eyes, "where did I go wrong?" I could hear him whisper, but I ignored it, outraged that he would dare strike me. I grew contempt for my father that night which Itachi fed at every chance that he got. Within a year, I hated my father and wished nothing more than to see his end. That's when Itachi made his move, at three in the morning he awoke me with a start, "your step mother is with child."

My eyes jolted open, "again?" But it had been years since she had a child, the last one being Hanabi. Itachi smiled and grabbed me by the wrist, leading me down the hall into her room. There she lay, sprawled out on the bed with tears in her eyes, "what's going on?" My mind could not quite grasp the situation.
"Ah your highness, you're looking beautiful tonight," Itachi took a step toward my stepmother before she glared at him, "stay away from me!" She screamed. Itachi bowed low, "as you wish."

He slowly turned to me and began to explain that the child with whom she held was of his blood. And because of this, there would be problems. "My father," I murmured under my breath, the word itself tasting foul on my tongue. "Hai," Itachi curtly responded, turning back to my stepmother. I knew it would not be long before my father would return, and all I could think about was blood. But why blood?

Someone would die.

Every minute that passed felt like an hour, and right before sunrise, Itachi turned to me and asked, "have you ever wondered what it would be like to fuck your own mother?" My eyes widened at the words that left his lips. What was he talking about? Was he crazy? I said nothing as Itachi ripped the clothes off my crying step mother, and as I watched him violate her, tears welded up in my eyes, not that some part of me knew that she deserved every bit of it, it was so cruel, so ruthless, and for the first time in my life, I saw how utterly disgusting the entire act was. And right as my father walked into the room, Itachi killed her, killed her right in front of my eyes.

As my father rushed out of the room, I could hear his cries echoing down the halls. All I could do the entire time was watch with disbelief as Itachi turned to me, covered in blood, smiling, "so far, so good," he cocked his head to the side and began to walk out of the room, my wrist grasped tightly in his hand. He dragged me over the entire castle, killing anyone who was un-fortunate enough to cross paths with him. He had dove into a dream like state of consciences, I'm not even sure if he knows what he did to this day. But the entire time he cursed the fact that he had to kill the woman who would bear his heir. But not that it mattered; women were easy to obtain, but my father. My father needed to die or Itachi would never have the castle.

After killing over half the castle, and my entire family, we finally found my father. By this time I no longer cared about anything, life was over, dreams were over, everything was gone. My father looked at Itachi as if he were about to go into war the young man and then suddenly smiled. As Itachi dealt the final blow to my father's life, a scrawny old woman was seen behind where he fell. She muttered a few words and then extended her arms. As Itachi went to kill her as well, she disappeared, everything went dark and cold in that one minute.

That was the beginning of the curse.

Itachi, in his rage, broke my arm and locked me in a cell as punishment for what my father did. As you can see, this building is no longer beautiful, but dark and dank, un-clean and spooky. No one wants to rule a castle like this. I'm sure that's why Itachi has lead you here, to break the curse so he can have the castle back the way it was. The only problem with that is, it's been over a hundred years and if Naruto breaks the curse, then the idea of everything and everyone fading away is much more likely. But I'm sure he knows this, I can't even imagine what he's planning now, with over a hundred more years of experience."

WwWwW

Most everyone sat in amazement at Neji's story, but Gaara still had a few things that he wanted to know, "so we know who you are, and who this Itachi guy is, and why this building is cursed, but who is he?" Gaara pointed to Lorim, "and who is that little Sasuke kid"
"I don't know," Neji answered honestly, "I have never met Lorim, and I only met Sasuke after I was locked in my cell. All I know is Itachi has been getting stronger and more learned in some areas, but it getting rusty in others. Just like me, besides his looks, his youth is gone and he no longer cares for pleasure and small toys, he probably just wants something different. But I have seen powers from him which I had never seen before, and that frightens me Other than that it seems he is more willing to help than hurt. We are all searching for the same things, freedom."

To Be Continued