Author's Note: I'm so excited. I get to go to a Muse and U2 concert on October 6th! It's gonna be awesome. Hope you guys had a great weekend and please R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
I'll Drink to That
Even in a place of melancholy there is some sort of dwelling that is mildly decent. Such a place could be found on the island of Kiri, if one knew how to find it. It was a small cove on the east side of the island with a white sand shore that somehow harmonized the blackness of the sea. Cliffs and hills hid the cove well from unwanted company and assisted by dark trees. On the cove was a rather large estate that the King of Kiri owned, but did not occupy. This was because he rented it to only his guests whose safety was of importance. Nagato and Konan took residence in the home since the day they arrived on Kiri. Nagato had requested for them to stay in the house instead of the castle not because he was weary of Madara's word of assurance, but that he wanted to be away from the madness so that he could think in peace.
The beach house had a large patio where the two come to relax in the afternoon and where they were now. Konan sat on a large circular sofa that had no sides and was reading a book. In her lap was Nagato's head, snoring away. She flipped through each page with extreme interest and sometimes found herself running her fingers through her collegue's hair. It wasn't like they were involved, but they did have a tight bond. One could not live without the other and would rather die then live the rest of their life alone. They had grown up together and both followed Madara's idea of a utopeia willingly.
A bird's cry from above caused Konan to shift her gaze to the skies for a brief moment. The bird swiftly dove towards them with a scroll in its talons and released it as it flew pass. The scroll fell onto Nagato's stomach which woke him from his nap. He laid on his elbows and broke the wax seal on the parchment.
"News from Sound?" Konan asked, noticing the embelm at the top of the scroll and the purple wax of the seal.
"It appears to be," Nagato said, reading.
Konan turned back to her book at her companion read. He lifted his eyebrows in surprise and then furrowed them. Sighing, he placed his head back onto Konan's lap and rubbed his eyes.
"Orochimaru had his pet go and free three of his followers from Konoha's prison," he informed her. "Incredibly stupid of him."
"Or perhaps it was a way to lure Sasuke in a lot quicker," Konan theorized. "He was bound to go to Otoga eventually since Orochimaru is the only known member of our organization that publicized his involvement."
"Which is why we got rid of him in the first place," Nagato snorted. "He also said that Sasuke's asking questions and prepares to eliminate Sasuke for us."
There was a pregnant silence. The sea birds called to each other from the sky as waves crashed onto the beach. Konan wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell of the sea. She lowered her book and glanced at Nagato. He stared at the clouds deep in thought and sighed.
"I think you're going to be right, Konan," he softly spoke. "What you said not to long ago about Orochimaru."
The woman rose a slender brow. "You believe he is going to fail?"
Nagato shrugged and sat up on the cushion.
"Maybe, but I don't really like to think so," he stated. "Sasuke did defeat his brother which makes me wonder weither or not if Itachi put any power behind his attacks. It so, then his brother must be smart and strong; a deadly combination. Orochimaru can be those things, but what if the worst he can do is mildly detain Sasuke before he comes for us?"
Konan shook her head and drew his forehead to her lips.
"Whatever happens, happens," she assured him, foreheads now touching. "All we can do now is hope that Orochimaru's plan falls through. If not, then let him come."
A slight smirk curled up on his lips and Nagato rose to his feet. "I have to send this to Madara so that he can read it as well."
With that said, Nagato walked into the house leaving Konan to finish her book.
Sasuke laid on the canopy bead in one of the guest rooms in Otoga's castle, pondering. There were so many things on his mind at the moment that it had become quite exhausting. He needed to talk to Orochimaru now before he lost his patience. Getting one of his many thoughts off his chest would relieve him from his burdens. He was also very worried. Orochimaru had told him that no one in his group was to be harmed, but could he really trust this other king's word? Orochimaru ran a country of criminals and was one himself. He could have lied to Sasuke's face. His people would get hurt if Orochimaru did not keep his word. Sakura would get hurt. At the very thought of her name, Sasuke placed a pillow over his face and grunted very loudly into it.
She wanted him to prove his love? Fine, he will. It had taken him all night to find that rose for her. When he had woken up, the rose had been gone. Did she get rid of it or keep it; he did not know. It bothered him no nothing what she was thinking. He pressed the pillow to his face again. Sakura did say that she was going to make it difficult for him. He only hoped that she wasn't going to make it too hard for him.
A knock on the door got Sasuke to his feet. He patted his clothing back into place before opening the door. On the other side was a familiar man, but they have never met before. Sasuke remained composed as the man in front of him bowed.
"King Sasuke, I have a request from my master, King Orochimaru," the man spoke confidently.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked, trying to figure out how he knew this man.
"He is hosting a banquet tonight and hopes for you to attend," he explained. When he sensed Sasuke's reluctance to agree, he added, "He also said that if you wish, you can bring an escort from your party to attend with you so that the banquet would be more enjoyable for you."
Kabuto, that's who this was! He was the guy that helped the prisoners escape. Kakashi had warned them about him and here he was not more than a foot away from Sasuke. There were many things Sasuke could do right now. Confronting Kabuto about his crimes could potently be a bad thing. Orochimaru's henchman would get skittish and deny everything only to go running to his master and tell him that he had been found out. So Sasuke decided to hide his recognition of Kabuto and hesitantly agreed to attend the party. It would have been rude of him to not attend, being a King and guest to this kingdom.
Kabuto bowed and smiled. "I'll tell my master that you plan to attend. The banquet is at six."
As Kabuto began to leave, Sasuke called out, "When will Orochimaru meet with me?"
"Soon," was the response.
Irritated that his meeting was being avoided and tossed aside for a stupid party, Sasuke made his way over to Sakura's room. He would ask her to attend the banquet with him since he found her company appealing and didn't think that anyone else wanted to go. He waited as he knocked on the door. To his surprise (and annoyance), Ino opened the door with her hands on her hips. She looked at him in what seemed to be amusement.
"Thought that it was going to be Sakura coming to greet you, huh?" she said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"
"Where's Sakura?" he asked roughly.
The blonde tapped her chin while in thought. "I don't know."
"Then why are you answering her door?" he gruffly snapped. "Is she or isn't she in her room?"
"What if she doesn't want to talk to you-..."
"Ino!" Sasuke heard Sakura shout from inside the room. "Leave him alone."
Sakura came to the door with her hair dripping with water and wearing a simple cream colored dress. Her hair left wet marks scattering around her shoulders and back. She waved Ino aside and stepped out into the hallway. Leaving the door opened to a crack, she folded her arms and looked up at him.
"I'm sorry, but she knows about our little deal," she explained Ino's existance in her room. "She was just keeping me company as I was washing up. What do you need me for? Do you need me to heal something?"
"Orochimaru is holding a banquet tonight," Sasuke told her.
"Oh, how fun," she replied, fidgeting.
A slight blush climbed his cheeks and for some reason Sakura couldn't figure out why.
"I was wondering if you would go with me."
The rosette blinked and her mouth became an "o". Then she snorted and Sasuke took that as a bad sign. She was going to reject him, he knew it.
"I don't exactly have anything to wear that is worthy of a royal banquet," she chuckled motioning towards her current attire.
Taking her hand, Sasuke placed a small pouch in her palm. It was quite heavy for something so small. She gave him a curious look and he smirked.
"Then I guess you and Ino will have to go shopping," he said.
"I don't know..." Sakura began, but was interrupted by Ino squealing and grabbing her hand.
It was obvious by the look on her face that Sakura did not know that Ino had been eavesdropping the entire time. However, Sasuke was quite aware of the blonde and used it to his advantage.
"She is so going!" Ino told Sasuke, pulling Sakura into the room. "I'll make sure that she's drop dead gorgeous tonight!"
The door slammed in Sasuke's face, but he didn't mind. He was going to a banquet with Sakura and that's all that mattered.
After much convincing and bartering, Sakura was fitted into a gold dress with maroon hemming on the sleeve and heading down the hallway to find Sasuke. Not too long ago, Ino had dragged her through the market to find the "perfect" dress. It wasn't easy considering that most of the dresses were quite short and revealing for an occasion such as a banquet. The gold dress with the short train was a godsend even if she had to wear the cream colored corset with it; without it the dress was way too large on her frame. Ino had fastened her neck with the rose Sasuke had given her and tightened it with a fawn ribbon. Her pink hair was let loose down her back and pulled together at the sides. Pearls intertwined with her locks and shimmered in the light. The pearl headress was complete with a teardrop pearl looped with a thin gold chain that rested on her forehead.
Nervous, Sakura saw Sasuke waiting at the end of the hall for her. He was in his usual tone of dark blue and embroidered silver. A band of greyish metal was wrapped around his forehead to act as his crown. When he noticed her come up to him, Sakura blushed at him as he nervously looked away. He thought she was beautiful, she could see it in his eyes. Ino had done her job well. He muttered something and took her by the arm, leading her down another hallway to a large archway. As he spoke to a man by the door, Sakura stared into the room in awe.
A group of musicians played in a corner and a woman sung an unknown song. Her voice was loud and beautiful as she confidently sang each note. Sakura was surprise to see that the woman singing was infact the same woman that had led them into Otoga. Nobles stood on the dance floor, mingling about daily life and politics while being surrounded by a large wooden table. At the head of the table was Orochimaru, observing his guests as they interacted. The medic muffled a gasp when she saw who was next to him.
"I present to you King Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha and his escort Sakura Haruno from Konoha," the man Sasuke had been talking to had addressed the party.
The two walked forward, the nobles bowing to Sasuke as they passed. Sakura's eyes remained on the person by Orochimaru's side, wondering if this person had seen her. Sasuke stopped her in front of Orochimaru and they both bowed in respect. Sakura tried not to gape.
"Glad you made it," Orochimaru smiled eerily. He rose to address everyone else, "We can all dance later, but please, let us eat now."
As they went to sit down, Sakura whispered into Sasuke's ear, "Is that who I think it is?"
"Yes," he quietly responded. "That is Karin."
"But why is she here?" Sakura asked, taking a seat. "I thought she was a tracking, not a noble."
"You're not a noble and yet you are here."
Sakura shuddered when she believed that she understood. Karin was someone's escort just like she was. However, if she was Orochimaru's escort, that was just plain wrong to her. Orochimaru was old enough to be her father and she was glad that she was not by his side like Karin was. She hoped that the girl had come with someone else instead.
Orochimaru lifted his glass and nodded to the nobles around him. He announced how he was happy that everyone was able to feast with him and how lucky he was to have such an exotic guest present them with his presence at this gathering. Sakura felt Sasuke shudder next to her and touched his arm to relax him. The King of Sound toasted to the banquet and oddly to Sasuke before taking a gulp from his goblet. Sakura took a drink from her glass like everyone else and winced when the liquid ran down her throat. She was not one for fine wine or alcohol, but she tolerated the drink for this occasion since there was nothing else for her to sip. Then Orochimaru called for the food to be presented and took in all the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from his guests as the food was placed in front of them. A small chicken was centered in front of Sakura, simmered a crisp brown. Her mouth watered so she dug her fork into it in the most eqiuette way possible.
As she munched, Orochimaru spoke to Sasuke.
"Do you have any plans for the future Sasuke?" he pried, a snaky grin plastering his face. The other guests seemed to be intrigued with the question as well.
"A few, I suppose," Sasuke answered, not elaborating on his reply and placing a piece of chicken in his mouth.
"Oh, do tell," the King of Sound pressured him. "We're all dying to know what you have in mind."
The nobles from Sound nodded in agreement and leaned closer to listen. Even Sakura found her ears to be perked for an answer.
Sasuke sighed. "The usual I guess; make my country better, make a name for myself...eventually have a family."
A small grin tugged on Sakura's lips as she placed her fork in her mouth and one also formed on Orochimaru's face as well.
"A family, how exciting!" Orochimaru excalimed. "Any women strike your fancy or worthy enough to be Queen?"
Sasuke folded his hands in front of his face and glanced over at the woman next to him. Then he turned his stare over to Orochimaru.
"I think I have someone in mind."
The small grin on Sakura's face was now a full fledge smile. She ducked her head in order to hide her blush. Orochimaru laughed and leaned forward on his elbows.
"Well you have a while to consider who it's gonna be," he said, turning towards Karin. "There are plenty of elligable noble women around that seem to be fit for you, like Lady Karin right here."
Sasuke shrugged as Sakura looked curiously at Karin. Since when was Karin a noblewoman? Their unfortunate meeting had led the medic to assume that the woman was a hire, nothing more. If she was indeed a lady of the court when she had been a tracker, then her job as a lowly tracker was probably a means to an end. Money seemed to be scarce here and Karin was just doing what she could to make ends meet. The other thing that Orochimaru had said, the part about noble women, Sakura had narrowed her eyes. Who says that a middle class woman couldn't be elligable? Not like she cared or anything (or so she thought). She took one look at Karin and another at Orochimaru. So the King of Sound thought that Karin was good enough for Sasuke?
"I doubt it," she huffed to herself as she placed the rim of her cup to her lips.
Author's Note: I find myself not hating Karin that much anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't want her with Sasuke, but she's some what of a decent character. Kabuto makes a short appearance! Woot! Anyway, my offer still stands if anyone wants a oneshot. They really do help me get into the writing mood. Hope you have a good week and please review! :)
Things to look for:
1. Orochimaru and Sasuke finally talk (yeah I know I said that last chapter, but it's gonna be the next one)
2. Karin and Sakura confrontation (cue catfight sounds...or not)
3. maybe some other characters get some screentime, I don't know for sure yet