Previously

'All arose out of a wager!' he repeated incredulously.

'What the devil do you mean?'

/Our New Lady/

/Uchiha/

'It was with me!' she said, improvising desperately. 'We - we were talking about masquerades, and I said it was nonsense to suppose that one wouldn't recognise somebody one knew well just because they wore a mask. Kyū - Kyū said that he would prove me wrong, and - and that was how it was! Only I did recognize him, so I won the wager.'

'Gratifying!' said the Earl. But his eyes hadn't lost any of its emotions. 'Did you recognize his companions?'

'No -' she saw his eyes narrowing and hastened to continue. 'I mean, it was only Shukaku!' she said imploringly. 'Oh, and Jū, of course.'

Sasuke stared at her steadily for a moment; Jū? That nickname is too familiar to the address she grants her brother, couldn't possibly mean there is someone else as close to her as that giraffe brother of hers? 'Jū? Pardon, I do not recognize...?'

Naru flushed and faltered. 'K-Kyū's groom! But he - doesn't signify, because he has always been with us since.. ever since I can remember!' she cried. 'Pray, Uchiha, don't be vexed with Kyū!'

'Vexed with him! I am very much more than vexed with him!' he said wrathfully, he saw the saddened look in Naru's eyes but his anger wasn't soothed yet. 'To be giving you such a fright for the sake of a prank goes beyond anything of which I believed him to be capable!'

But that wasn't the real reason for his wrath.

'I wasn't frightened!' she assured him. 'Only a very little, at all events!'

But he wasn't going to let his '"reason" down, it was proving to be fruitful.

'Oh?' he said grimly, recalling something Jeffrey told him. 'What, then, made you scream?'

Naru gasped slightly, her eyes sparkling with indignation. 'I did not scream! I would scorn to anything so paltry! It was Saku who screamed.'

'How chicken-hearted of her, to be sure!' he said sardonically.

'Well, that is what I thought,' she said candidly.

'Are you quite blinded by your doting fondness of Kurama?' he demanded. 'He is fortunate enough to possess a sister who can find an excuse for his every folly, his every extravagance, and for such larks as this latest exploit!'

Naruto had first shrunk away at the unmasked harshness in his voice, but then she was quick to recognize the note of jealousy in it. Her painfully pounding heart leaped (for what else could that feeling have been?!) and she thought with an erratic but healed heartbeat: oh, dear Kyū! could it be that you were surely, surely right about Sasuke!? Once again you have helped me!

'I am aware. .' Sasuke scowled. '- I have been aware for a very long while! - that he holds a place in your affections that is second to none, but take care what you are about! Encourage him to think he may turn to you in any extremity! Smile upon kick-ups unworthy of a freshman!'

Had Naru been oblivious to the jealousy he was seething, his speech would have hurt her conscious, but the knowledge of it took from his words all power of wounding. Kyū, dear, how useful you turned out to be! Naru thought unrepentantly.

'You will not smile when the high spirits you now regard with such indulgence carry him beyond the line of what even his cronies will pardon!'

Naru winced at that, ok, maybe he was carrying it too far; Kurama isn't as hare-brained as that! As much as she felt compelled to defend her brother she said: 'Indeed I didn't smile upon such a prank! It was very bad - quite unbecoming! But I can't help own that it is unjust in you, Uchiha, to say that his wildness will lead him into doing anything wicked! You dislike him very much, but that is going to far!'

'No, I don't dislike him,' he replied in a more moderate tone. 'On the contrary! I like him well enough to wish to be of real service to him.'

Sasuke paused for a breath, Kurama was now his brother; in more ways than one, apres tout. 'You think me unjust, but you may believe that I know what I am saying when I tell you that his present way of life is ruinous.'

Swift was Naru's alarm, her previous rapture vanishing, her eyes widening with misplaced understanding. 'Oh, pray, pray don't thrust him in the army!'

'I have no power to thrust him in the army. I own I have offered to buy him a commission,' he admitted, recalling something. 'And I am pretty sure that there is nothing else I might have offered that he would have liked better. If only bar in the way of Kurama accepting my offer is your father's dislike of the project.'

'No, it is not that. I shouldn't say so, but I am afraid Kyū doesn't care much for what Papa wishes. Mama had made him promise he wouldn't do it, and however ramshackle you may think him, Kyū doesn't break his promises!'

'Yes, I know,' he replied. 'He'd better find a way out of it, I daresay, for I am certain that the hazards of war might even be less perilous that those of the metropolis. I fancy she cannot know how closely Kurama is following an example she must dread.'

Naru's brow contorted with a slight of fright, surely Kurama was wild and expensive, but surely no more than that.

Before she could question Sasuke, he made a lame excuse about attending his team and left the room, mentally berating himself for letting go of his emotions.

Naru was left in a whirl, never, ever had Sasuke spoken so coldly towards her! It may be that he loved her, but is was plainly visible that his sentiments were diminishing before she even had a chance to bask in them. Naru gritted her teeth, tears blurring her view, and she couldn't blame another but herself; why, oh, why had she purchased that curst court dress? Naru blinked rapidly and picked a cayenne-coloured flower with long, fluffy petals that shone with something she couldn't have known, her thoughts were rushing to the exquisite Lady Orsett. Naru couldn't afford to not clear her problems, she shouldn't, either.

Kyūbi, I am going to put every ounce of my faith in you... please don't give up on my case.

'Hallo, little sister.'

Naru's head jerked up and to the side, her eyes widening briefly at who she saw; then a wide smile broke out on her face like a clap of thunder, contorting her birthmarks and rounding her face. It was Itachi; the most friendly and kind of the Uchihas, she had taken an instant liking to him when they had met.

/Our New Lady/

/Uchiha/

With her Ladyship Sakura Haruno

Hours Earlier

Sakura left the honey-faced siblings with a barely-concealed smile of excitement, oh if only they knew.

Yes, if Naru knew, she would not have let her take leave; for, in fact, so far from wishing her neice to visit her this morning Mrs Thorne had not even the smallest of notions that she was to receive this treat. Mrs Thorne had gone out with Fanny her daughter on a tour of the silk warehouses, preparation for a wedding took time, she believed.

It was Miss Selina Thorne who awaited Sakura, not her aunt.

Once the pleasantly plump girl glimpsed tge carriage draw up outside of their house, she gasped and went running down from the drawing-room to greet Sakura. Her greetings were done with every manifestation of surprise and delight, that the baffled servants could only stare with fondness at the open display of affection.

However, as Selina kissed her cousin's cheek, she whispered (in a very dramatic way): 'Have no fear! All is safe!'

She drew her cousin up to the front steps, saying with loud fervour: 'How glad I am I didn't go with Mama and Fanny! Come upstairs, love: I have a hundred things to tell you!'

Selina was a fine-looking girl, a year younger than Sakura, good-natured and quite plump. As the pair walked up the stairs, she appeared to look a little clumsy besides her exquisite cousin; but she didn't resent anything about it. Selina was your average sweet girl with an over-buxom character, she only had one problem; she had so romantic a disposition.

This led her to think real life to be wretchedly flat, and left her to fancy that she would find herself more at home in one of Victoria Holt's famous novels.

She thrived for drama.

Having succeeded in sweeping Sakura up to the drawing-room, she shut the door and said (lowering her voice conspiratorially); 'My sweetest life, such a morning as I have had! Our carefully plotted scheme was nearly blown to smithereens when Mama demanded me to go with them to search for silk!'

'How did you get off?'

'I said I had a head-ache, but they began dawdling I nearly thought they wouldn't be gone by the moments you arrived,' she said, eyes shining. 'Oh, how delightfully wonderful you look! Mr Lee Maito will be in rapture!'

'If he doesn't fail!' Sakura said. 'I begged him particularly to meet me here today. But he might be detained at the Foreign Office, abd thus be unable to make it.'

But Miss Thorne was strongly of the opinion that the violence of Mr Lee's feelings would outweigh everything else. Why, she even declared that even if it began pouring rain and his boss ordered him to stay at risk of losing his job; Lee would thrust his cane in his face amd come rushing to her side!

After declaring this, she drew Sakura dramatically to the window, to watch for his arrival. She was planning on getting to him before he could knock (thus alerting the servants of his presence) and bringing him secretly up here.

'For,' she said pausing. 'Extremely fatal, shalt it be should Mama ever was informed of the gentleman's presence here.'

She was painting a picture where Mrs Thorne was the parent who forbid the two lovestruck lovers to ever glimpse one another ever again, and Earl Uchiha the evil, wealthy and cold-hearted cousin who wished to keep Sakura for himself.

'Oh,' she sighed, placing a hand upon her brow. 'Only yesterday Mama was calling your couple a shockingly bad match, and wondering that Mr Lee should be so encroaching. I kept my head lowered and my fancies locked in my bosom.. oh, how I felt upon hearing such words from one whom I believed held sensibility!'

She turned and grasped Sakura's hands. 'Oh my dearest Sakura, I vowed to myself at that very moment that if any exertion on my part could save you from the misery of being sacrificed to pride and consequence, it shalt not be lacking!'

Sakura thanked her, quite surprised at her cousin's manner. She was only hoping Lee made it to her.

/Our New Lady/

/Uchiha/

Fast Forward

Naru at the Uchiha House

His long, dark hair was gathered back in a neat tie, several short strands flying free and falling to frame his face. A cloak with red clouds draped round his shoulders, and the famous grey Uchiha eyes. A soft smile was on his face.

Naru curtseyed and said, extending her hand. 'Itachi, welcome back.'

'You haven't forgotten me?' He bowed over her hand before straightening and continuing. 'We only met on the day of your wedding, which was, unfortunately, set on the day before we left.'

'I couldn't have done anything so morbid as to forget my elder brother,' she said.

'I wonder where all these wonderful specimens of verdure come from,' he said, his eyes on the bouquet.

Naru, finding his light-hearted speech amusing, handed him the flower she was holding and said. 'From Tubbs Nursery Gardens.'

'I must own, I admire the fact that someone is capable of breeding foreign flowers in our environment,' he said, examining the plant.

'Would you mind if I asked a question?' Naru asked.

He lifted his head. 'No, of course not, anything for my little sister.'

'Are you perchance a scientist?' she asked cautiously, her eyes on his cloak. She had recalled something Jiraiya had once said.

'I am several things,' he began. 'A scientist is one of them, did young Kurama inform you of this?'

'No, I recognized the cloak..' she tilted her head, her voice taking on a sad drift. 'Someone once told me about the group of scientists calling themselves Akatsuki.'

Itachi's eyes nearly narrowed; the Akatsuki were more than just a group of scientists, only a select few knew that they were even a group, how much did young Naru know? 'May you do me the honour of knowing this someone's name? They sound wonderful.'

Naru turned to once more beginning her task of arranging smaller bouquets. 'Oh, it was Jiraiya, my godfather, of sorts.'

Itachi blinked slowly, it was all he could do to not gape at this knowledge. Jiraiya? The Jiraiya? Orochimaru's friend? The Jiraiya? His new sibling was proving to be more intriguing than he thought. 'Jiraiya? A tall man with long white hair?'

'Yes, are you acquainted with him?'

'Sadly not,' he replied.

Naruto tried setting a bowl on the pie-crust table. 'I haven't seen him since I was fifteen.. he just disappeared.'

Itachi couldn't tell her that he was a spy master, and disappearing was something he was supposed to be marvelous at doing, he settled for saying: 'Pity. Your stay here has been comfortable, I suppose?'

'Couldn't have been better,' said Naru. Then, turning around, she said; 'May I ask a favour of you, Itachi?'

Itachi was only happy to oblige, even though he had just come back from a voyage, he was planning to ask her one, too, aftrer all.

'Once you have gotten a rest, of course, and eaten,' she paused. 'I am in need of an escort this afternoon.'

Itachi smirked, 'Why not ask Sasuke?'

Naru flushed and stammered. 'Oh, I - I had not thought about it.' She saw his unrelenting stare and promptly abandoned her task and legged it (elegantly, of course) as normally as she could, saying. 'I am going to do so, right now.'

Itachi waited for her to leave the room before clenching his cane at his accomplishment and smirking with pure smugness. 'Mission Sasuke et Naru begin.'

He turned to the flowers his smile disappearing.

'Maybe I should have waited for her to finish the flower bouquets? No, Sasuke needed that,' he said. Then a sigh escaped his being. 'Good God, why these two?'

He left the book-room, intent on spying on his siblings' interaction.

/Our New Lady/

/Uchiha/

Naru was relieved to have escaped Itachi, she was sure he just as unbelievably tormenting as all elder brothers, and he looked to have been about to begin. She could hold her own, of course, but when it came to such a touchy subject, it would only serve to agitate her more. Here she had been happy for a slight distraction.

She clattered down the back steps of the House, planning to go call on Kurama Jr, and stopped just at the bottom of the staircase. Sasuke was coming up the neat path, a slightly irritated tilt to his eyes.

Her heart immediately began beating something similar to the foxtrot, erratically and unpredictably beating a warmth through her body, Naru nearly cried out at the frustration. Not now, she can't face him again!

'Naru,' he murmured stopping an arm's length from her. 'I just ran into the Chudleighs.'

Her mind rushed back to the masquerade, where she had spoken to them.

'Do you know, Naru, what my aunt Chudleigh means by informing me that Sakura's conduct at the masquerade you attended set everyone in a bustle?'

Naru was quite fed up with that stiff old lady, what did she know about fun anyways? 'If your aunt Chudleigh would be a little less busy we should go on very well!' cried Naru, flushing with wrath, both at her aunt and quite at Sakura, too. Her nerves were quite irrated and frayed. 'She is never happy but when she is stirring things! Pray, has she any animadversions to pass on me?'

Sasuke, considerably surprised at her passionate display, said: 'No, she exonerated you from all blame.'

'Obliging of her! I hope with all my heart you will give her a sharp set-down.' Naru couldn't comprehend where these emotions were emanating from.

'Probably shall. What, in fact, did Sakura do to bring this scold upon me?'

'Nothing at all! I mean, nothing to get hyped about! Sakura simply allowed her vivacity to carry her beyond the line of common decorum, but I think it was simply done out of curious innocence! Lady Chudleigh couldn't simply understand the mind of a young lady.'

'With a want of upbringing,' he said with a sigh. 'She didn't wear in improper gown, did she?'

'No - oh no!' she replied guiltily; she should have tried to get Sakura to wear something else, she hadn't even tried! 'Not - not improper precisely! It's simply just not the gown for a female in our age group.. but well, she won't wear it again, so pray don't mention it to her, Uchiha!'

'If it made her look like a class my aumt didn't want to particularize, she most assuredly won't wear it again!' he returned.

'Nothing like that! Lady Chudleigh knows very well that such gowns are worn by women of the first consequence. Do, pray, let the matter rest!' Naru pleaded. 'If you scold Sakura, it would do nothing but set up her back! - and it was my fault, too.'

'I'm not meaning to scold anyone, Brother is here for that now... But I own, Naru, I do wish you had set your foot down.' he said, looking displeased.

With that he sighed and walked past her, up the stairs, pulling off his gloves. Wild thoughts scattered all around his head, what did she mean by saying that improper gowns were being worn by ladies of first consequence? Not that he cared, he just wouldn't be too happy if Naru had taken to imitating them; even though she scorned doing so. Sasuke didn't stop until the doors were closed behind him, where he gritted his teeth and continued upstairs.

Itachi, shook his head from his perch at the window, where he had watched the processions, his eyes still trained on a stock-still Naru. 'That's not how they do it, foolish little brother.'

When Naru broke into a run, he raised his brow. 'Now, where are you headed to, little one?'

His curiosity overwhelming him, he shrugged his overcoat off and exited the house, intent on quietly following her and finding out where Sasuke said she disappeared to frequently. He was surprised when he found her seated on the grass a fox cub gathered in her arms, but he didn't let his surprise show and quietly watched from his perch on a tree quite a ways from her.

Putting two and two together, he figured that this was the cub Kurama had briefly mentioned in hia letter, but why did Naru keep it a secret from Sasuke? Itachi nearly groaned, these two were the worst.

'I know that you are there, show yourself, immediately!'

His head snapped up at that, Naru was standing and surveying her surroundings with gaurd. How? The young man couldn't comprehend, did she sense his presence? Other than that. ... Itachi descended and walked into her field of vision.

Itachi crossed his arms and spoke. 'I must say, little sister, I'm impressed... where did you learn to apply such a skill?'

/Our New Lady/

/Uchiha/ /Our New Lady/

/Uchiha/

A/N! Whew! Comment if you want me to add Sakura's clandestine meeting with Lee. I'm also sorry it's short, consider this chapter a sorry for not updating earlier. I just got back from church (eh!) and we had to hang around after the ceremony to meet exchange pleasantries with my parents' friends' families. Guuuhhhh I hate it, I hate forced interactions! I can't even remember their kids' names! My mom and her friends are so... (insert eyeroll) I hate it when people play matchmaker on me! Grrrrr. I'm sure she was getting payback for when I always avoid them when they call. I hate conversations, it's so awkward, why doesn't Mama understand?

Anyway, I typed half of this on my phone (on Google keep, imagine), and when I returned I couldn't figure out how to get it into to laptop, it was quite annoying copying the phrases ftom my phone. Eh, I tell you. Another reason it's so short! I was so annoyed and kept on drifting off to daydreams.

Next Chapter: Sakura revives her plan. Kurama runs into the Sicklehams. Another Sasuke and Naru clash! Naru worries for Kurama's health. And! Most importantly Sasuke's emotions begin hardening..

Lol, I need to stop with that.