I have excuses but you guys probably don't want to hear them, so I'll spare you the rant and just move on with the chapter.


Naruto walked silently besides the older Uchiha, but he soon slowed down when he realized he was walking into a territory he was not familiar with and stopped completely when he realized where they were probably heading, he still asked where they were going; just to be safe.

"The King's study."The man before him answered him glancing back at him, studying him but Naruto hardly paid him any attention as his heart began to beat erratically in his chest, legs frozen and refused to move in the direction where he knew Sasuke was.

"I-I,"Naruto gasped, "I can't-" It felt like a panic attack he didn't want to go there and face him, feeling humiliation and fear grip him like it was an actual physical power, wrapping itself around his esophagus and cutting off his air supply.

"Naruto!"

He looked up and saw concerned black eyes of not the older, but the younger Uchiha appearing like he could feel his fear; looking at him as he approached him.

He wasn't ready to face him yet, not again, so he did the only logical thing he could think of.

He turned and ran in the opposite direction.

He heard Sasuke's voice call out to him but he didn't turn around.

He kept running.


Sasuke gritted his teeth and growled, his eyes bleed red but before he took off after the blond his arm was grasped in a strong hold, he turned and saw it was his brother keeping him from running after an obviously distraught Uzumaki and without thinking he growled at his brother who smirked at the display of anger.

"Calm, little brother, you will just make things worse by running after him, he needs some time to cool off."Itachi said softly, when Sasuke began to thrash in his grip, "If you want him, you have to give him time Sasuke."

His brother turned around and looked at Itachi like he didn't understand what he was taking about, "But he is mine."

Itachi just shook his head sadly,"Sasuke."

Sasuke roughly pulled his arm from his brother's grip; his face pinched with a frustrated frown as he stared after the blond's back until he turned to a corner.

"This isn't fair." He bit out bitterly, "How long do I have to wait? I don't….. have that kind of patience left in my anymore."

Itachi remained silent.


This was a fucking mess.

Naruto halted to a stop in the garden, where he himself had planted thousands of morning glory flowers.

{Flashback]

Naruto hummed a tune as he watered the plants, it was job that they had gardeners' for, but he had planted these for Sasuke . It felt like they were his children by now, his responsibility.

He had grown them one by one by his own hands; he giggled to himself as he thought of Sasuke and wondered how surprised he would be when he would give the flowers to him.

Would he be happy? He hoped so.

"Naruto!"The said boy startled to hear his own name turned and saw his father angrily marching towards him with cruel sneer on his face, followed by his newest conquest.

"What the hell this? Have you not embarrassed me enough?! Working like a peasant woman! Have you any shame or dignity?"

Naruto kept his head down and didn't answer.

"Really!"The woman beside his father hissed, "I have never encountered someone so incompetent.!

'It would be over soon, you not worth more than 10 minutes for them to waste.'Naruto told himself and didn't respond, he wasn't as smart as his brothers he knew that.

He closed his eyes as he felt them burn, he wouldn't cry. Not in front of them. Never in front of them.

"I know you can't do anything, "His Father's voice rumbled, "Just one thing I ask of you is to stop embarrassing me."

His father turned and the woman followed him.

The message was clear to him Stop gardening.

Naruto turned to face the garden of young morning glory, he wouldn't just stop, no, this was for Sasuke, he take all the snide remarks, all the things people said about him; he will take anything they would throw at him.

Because Sasuke.

It was just that simple.

[End of flash back]

He felt like screaming, he opened his mouth to do just that but nothing but a string of broken words came out.

The flowers seem to be a monument he had build to mock himself of his stupidity.

His father was right, he was an Idiot.


Kiba stopped playing with Akamaru in the garden when he heard someone crying, he followed Akamaru who seem to be keen on finding the source of those heart wrenching cries.

He neared the part with very beautiful blue flowers he didn't know the name of and saw what appears to be a blond angel crying.

The blond startles when Akamaru starts sniffing him before he starts stroking Akamaru's fur.

And a person with Akamaru's stamp of approval couldn't not be his friend. It was unacceptable.

"Hey you alright?" Kiba asked and saw the bluest eye he had ever seen focus on him, and slowly recognition washed down on him, "Naruto…..Uzumaki, right?"

The boy nodded and Kiba flashed his best grin to him," Hey man, the names' Kiba, Kiba Inuzuka."

"Inuzuka? The wolf tribe?" Naruto gasped, he had heard stories from Iruka-Sensei that many years ago before any of his siblings were born; how his father had carried out a 'cleansing' of the kingdom and had killed and exiled all the people who didn't fit the criteria of being a vampire.

"Yes your highness," Kiba agreed and Naruto was startled by the title he was not used to hearing," So like I am here with a bunch of others in this treaty Sasuke created, I mean none of want more casualties we already have, so like our elders decided since Sasuke is from our generation of warriors, we all should be sent to approve and sign the treaty." Kiba explained with animated hand gesture which Naruto found funny.

"So , all the people here are representing different people like you know I am werewolf, so Hyuuga clan represent Faries, Haruno's are witches and Yamaka clan represent pixies, "Kiba's nose turned up like he smelled something foul, Naruto found it cute like a puppy, but kept his thoughts to himself, "Sabaku clan are a soccers-"

"I know Gaara," Naruto interrupted and Kiba's eyes widened, "We used to be…..um….friends."

"Oh, I don't know that guy too well," The werewolf scratched the back of his head, "Actually I don't know any of them too well, I am still ya know….the process of 'making friends'."

Naruto chuckled at the sour look on his face.

Kiba suddenly brightened up,"Hey, could we be pals?"

Naruto froze before he gave a shaky smile, "You don't want to be friends with me."

The brunette frowned,"I know what I want," he stated as a matter of fact,"You don't wanna?"

"People don't like me, "Naruto told him his heart soaring at the prospect of a friend but his mind not believing, "I am a half breed, we are hated here, "he told him apologetically, "You will be hated too."

"You're kidding right?" Kiba sat down beside him crossed legged;"You think Sasuke will let anyone hurt you?"

"He hurt me, didn't he?" Naruto growled showing anger for the first time. What? Did stabbing each other equal to declarations for love now?

"Yeah, but you were being disrespectful to the new king."

"He's not my King,"Naruto stated stiffly and Kiba frowned, "He killed…my father, imprisoned my siblings and…."

'He used me.' He thought but didn't voice it out.

"Listen man, I sympathize with you, really...I do."The brunette said sincerely,"But your father was a big bag of dicks!"

Naruto froze before a bark of laughter escaped from his mouth.

Kiba chuckled before he continued,"Sasuke…..I don't know him too well, I mean my older sister was a pup when Sasuke's family was alive and he was imprisoned, it was tragic my family was truly worried what would happen after the Uchiha clan massacre."

Naruto remained silent ashamed for his father's actions.

"It's been fifty years since then Naruto….. Can you imagine being locked up in tower for that long? Alone with the knowledge…. that some power hungry psychopath murdered your entire family? That you are probably going to die there without seeing your parents who loved you more than life? A brother who sacrificed himself just so you can survive?"

He didn't realize when the tears had started falling from his eyes, no he couldn't. He looked up and saw Kiba looking at him with sad eyes.

"I am scared."He confessed quietly to Kiba,"I don't know of what he told me is a lie or the truth, I am afraid I will have the blood of my siblings on my hands,"he sniffed,"I know they were not that kind to me….but they don't deserve death and-"

"Tell that to my brother."A deep voice said and both jumped and he saw the long and muscular figure of the older Uchiha towering down on them.

"Fuck! Do you have to be so creepy?"Kiba barked and the older Uchiha ignored him.

"Naruto-kun," he said instead, "Talk to Sasuke."

"I-I don't know…."

Itachi hesitated to reply so Kiba continued," He's right, ya know?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to him one blue and full of uncertainty and other black and empty.

"Frankly I think assuming makes an ass out of you and everyone involved," Kiba shrugged, "If you're in doubt why not just confirming it? I am not saying you have to do it right now…..but Naruto it's best to get over with, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I know but," Naruto let out frustrated sound, "I am just scared, that everything between us was a lie, just my imagination, what if he really hates me? Or worse….that he just doesn't care?"

"Not possible." Itachi and Kiba replied in perfect sync.

Naruto looked amused.

Kiba looked constipated.

Itachi's face remained impressively blank.

"Okay I'll talk to him."


"Sasuke-kun, why did you allow that half breed roam around the Uzumaki castle?" Ino demanded her turquoise colored eyes blazing in anger," He is that devil's spawn he should be in the dungeon along with others!"

The huge hall they were all seated to eat was quite despite all the people present there, no one spoke as Ino confronted the indifferent Uchiha who continued to sip blood from his vine glass.

'I wonder how Narutos' would taste.' He thought, 'probably delicious, I wonder if he would let me taste him.'

"Sasuke-kun,"It was Sakura who spoke when she realized that Ino was being ignored, the man turned his dark eyes towards her," Ino is right, I mean it wasn't enough to wound him a little, he was walking like he wasn't hurt at all."

'I know, isn't he amazing?' The raven thought a small smile coming to his face, 'He looked so beautiful today.'

"Let me take care of him," Ino interrupted Sakura and got a dark glare in return," I can-"

She stopped when Sasuke growled at her, eyes red and his fangs elongated, "Touch him and I'll break your bones in so many places it'll take months for you to gather yourself."

The temperature seem to drop and everyone felt a cold shiver race down their spine even though it was summer, this wasn't a empty threat.

Suddenly the Uchiha stood up and turned to face the entrance to the hall.

"So troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, why couldn't their parents have another child, so he could retire? This was exactly what he wanted to avoid, He was 139 year old Sphinx, out of all the present audience he was the oldest and so over this, the only likable person to him was the werewolf Kiba, and the man knew how to avoid troublesome situations.

By running from them.

Now he wished he had taken up his offer to play in the garden, he could have just slept or watched the clouds; he knew the brunette wouldn't have minded it.

They all knew who was coming.


Naruto nervously entered the hall full of people, maybe this was a bad idea, he could do this tomorrow, or next week or after a month or you know….never.

"Naruto."

He glanced up and saw Sasuke looking at him surprised and…..pleased? He nervously licked his lips and his eyes widened when Sasuke's eyes dropped to track the moment.

"Co-could we talk?"Naruto asked before glancing around the room," Alone?"

"Let's go to my study."


"Is that it?"

"Yeah."Deidara narrowed his eyes, "That's my kingdom."


Sphinx- riddle masters, answer his riddles or die.

I love you guys...sorry for the long delay...Don't kill me, please.