A.N. Chapter 10 is here! Time to spend some time with my other favorite Naruto character. Even though I had this chapter planned out for a really long time, it was really hard to write. I blame it on how much fun I had on writing the last chapter… This chapter is more serious, but it is more for info so hopefully it's enjoyable.
Picture links! Since people expressed interest in seeing Naruto practically naked (who wouldn't want to see that? LOL), here are the links to my drawings to go with the last chapter. Note: Make sure you have your "mature content visible" selected on deviant art to view these.
-Naruto fully dressed in the vest and vinyl shorts: deviantart DOT com/art/Shopping-Day-TTIWDF-596962242 (or search Shopping Day-TTIWDF)
-Naruto in just the vinyl shorts: deviantart DOT com/art/Shopping-Day-topless-version-TTIWDF-596961401 (Shopping Day topless version- TTIWDF)
It would be awesome if you would let me know which version you prefer! Either through deviantart or here. My beta just said she wanted to lick Naruto's tattoo, which I just had to take as a compliment to my work LOL. Anyways, enjoy the pics!
Once again, thank you to TreeStar for beta'ing this for me.
Warnings!- Unpleasant topics in this chapter of abuse, rape, and such. Nothing in detail, just mentioned. Just a heads up, this fic with end up getting a bit darker as it goes on.
R&R and Enjoy!
That Time I Went Down Fighting
10. Old Friends
"Move your ass," Sasuke ordered as he nudged Naruto down the road.
"What's the rush, Teme? You said we were visiting your friend not going to some important appointment." Naruto complained as he returned his gaze back to the road, playing absently with the zipper of his light weight jacket.
Sasuke sighed as his steps fell in line with Naruto's, their pace rushed. "We are, but if we take too long then he'll fall asleep and refuse to move for the rest of the day."
"Weird," Naruto trailed off as he began looking back at the houses, unknowingly slowing his pace again. They had moved farther away from the castle than Naruto had realized. Even though the neighborhood was still pristine, the houses were smaller, slightly more modest, on the verge of becoming upper-middle class properties instead of the high class elite that Naruto had seen when they visited the Hyuuga's. Naruto was a little surprised that Sasuke had a friend that was out of the 'rich bastards' range. Speaking of the dark-haired bastard… "So why are you bringing me?" Naruto wondered. He glanced over to Sasuke to see him staring at him blankly. Naruto held up his hands in mock defense, "Not that I'm complaining! It's just that up until yesterday you've refused to take me out. What's changed?"
Sasuke shrugged, "Just felt like a change." Naruto looked at him skeptically and Sasuke sighed, yanking the blond's arm to speed him up. "You're presence was requested." Once again he received a questioning look from the other male. "It's been…a while since I owned a pet," Naruto turned to glare at him, which he chose to ignore, "and an old…friend of mine asked to meet you."
Naruto frowned, not liking that he was now being treated as some 'prized pet' that the Uchiha could show off to his friends. "You're such a fucking bastard," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets as he glared at the road in front of them.
Sasuke just smirked as they continued to make their way to their destination.
Ten minutes later, the pair found themselves outside of a quaint house with dark wooden shutters and a large oak front door. Sasuke casually knocked on the door, taking in the circular design carved into the wood. The circle was filled with three horizontal lines that were slightly curved giving off the look of gently flowing water. Three vertical lines were placed in various places within the circle representing something that Sasuke had never bothered asking about.
Naruto didn't notice the design; instead he focused on what was behind the door. Just like when he had arrived at the Hyuuga estate, he felt the chakra of a free Jinchūriki. Only this time, the chakra was familiar to him, and yet foreign as if he hadn't felt it for a very long time. His chest clenched painfully as his heartbeat sped up, not fully accepting what his chakra was telling him.
He vaguely noticed when the door opened, revealing an older man with dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail. If he had been paying attention, he would have thought of Iruka who had always sported a similar hair style, leaving him feeling homesick. But, his mind was elsewhere. He didn't notice Sasuke giving him a questioning look when he failed to acknowledge their host's presence.
Sasuke led Naruto through the house, its walls a nice cream color covered by bright scrolls depicting nature scenes. As they neared the back of the house, Naruto's heartbeat sped up even more and a chant of 'please, please, please' start up silently in his mind.
Sunlight hit his face as Sasuke moved a tan shoji, which had pictures of deer grazing in a field, out of the way revealing a short deck and small grass yard. Naruto didn't take notice of any of these things; instead his gaze was focused on a blond woman who was standing in the middle of the yard glaring down at a brunet male lounging in the grass.
His breath hitched as the woman turned her dark turquoise eyes to meet his blue. Naruto's eyes stung with unshed tears as the woman's eyes widened in recognition. Then, she spoke, "Naruto?"
Naruto couldn't help himself; he launched himself past Sasuke and off the deck towards the woman. "Temari-nee!" He shouted as he collided with the other blonde to embrace her into a crushing hug that she returned just as tightly. The two Jinchūriki remained standing in the middle of the yard embracing each other as the two brunet humans stared at them in confusion.
Temari was the first to pull back, but not enough to break their embrace. "Let me look at you," she gazed at him through tear blurred eyes. She took in his mature features, seeing that the baby fat of his youth was now absent from his face, but his blond locks were as wild as ever and his blue eyes still shined with kindness and mischief. He had grown into a very handsome young man. She smiled and ran a hand through his wild hair, "You got big."
Naruto scoffed through his grin, also noticing that he was now a few inches taller than her, "Of course I did. The last time you saw me I was almost nine. I see you're still sporting this strange hairdo," he laughed as he took in the four ponytails sticking out of her head. "These are new though." He ran the tip of his finger against one of her blonde cat ears that poked out from the top of her head. He peaked over her shoulder, "And that too," he eyed her long tail.
"Hey," Temari drew Naruto's attention away from her extra appendage, "Don't be checking out my butt." She gave a teasing smile, her sharp fangs glistening in the sun.
Naruto snorted and returned her cheeky grin, "I wouldn't dream of it. Gaara's already tried to kill me once for the same thing." He remembered when he was seven and he told his best friend that he had a crush on a girl at school. The death glare he had received when he revealed that the girl was none other than Gaara's older sister, Temari, made him rethink his choices in crushes…and friends. Needless to say, he got over his crush quickly.
Temari's eyes instantly turned sad at the mention of her brother. "How is he? And Kankurō? Our mother?" She paused, "Wait, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" Naruto questioned. "You disappeared. We thought you were dead."
Temari noticed a gleam of silver shining through Naruto's jacket collar and her eyes narrowed. Reaching for the zipper, she pulled the fabric apart to reveal a suppression collar, which matched her own, around Naruto's neck. Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. She turned to Sasuke who had moved to sit in the grass with the other human, who had actually found the energy to sit up so he wouldn't fall asleep. "What the hell Uchiha?" she growled dangerously, "He's your new pet?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the seething feline.
"I was unaware your father was enslaving humans now, too," Temari stated in disgust.
Sasuke reached into his pocket, feeling annoyed that he had been ignored for so long and now he was being yelled at for no reason at all. He pulled out the remote and pressed his thumb against it, instantly activating the collar.
Naruto cried out in surprise as his body filled with pain. He dropped to his knees, his hands clenching Temari's forearms to try to fight against the pain. He grit his teeth as the pain continued.
"Sasuke! Stop it!" Temari ordered as she kneeled in front of her childhood friend. Her arms started to ache where Naruto dug his strong fingers into her flesh leaving red marks, glad that Naruto did not have any claws.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and shifted his thumb to deactivate the little switch beneath the small rubber pad on the remote, seeing Naruto slouch over as the pain left his body. "Quit your bitching. He's not human."
Temari glared at him as she held the shivering blond in her arms. Sasuke noticed the boy next to him giving him a weird look, "What?" he raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Troublesome," the brunet commented as he turned his gaze back to the two Jinchūriki. He watched as Temari helped the blond boy to his feet, before turning and giving him a pointed look that said he would be in trouble if he didn't do something soon. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, 'So much for my nap'. "Come on Sasuke," he stood with a grunt and held his hand out to help the raven up.
Sasuke watched as Temari led Naruto toward the far wall and sat him down in the grass. He felt the urge to yank Naruto out of her grasp and just take him home, but he thought better of it and accepted his friend's offered hand. The two humans made their way to the deck to start a game of Shōgi.
Temari rubbed Naruto's back as he composed himself. He gave her a thankful smile as he worked on calming his twitching muscles. It had been a few weeks since Sasuke had activated the collar and it had been on longer than usual, his body was having trouble relaxing. His chakra was doing all it could to help, but what the little he could use was working on repairing the various nerves that had been damaged by the collar's shock. Once he stopped shaking, he mumbled, "I'm sorry I never told you I was a Jinchūriki…"
Even though Naruto had known Gaara's family since he was two, he hadn't revealed himself as a Jinchūriki to them. The only time he interacted with Temari and Kankurō was at the human school that they had all attended.
Temari shook her head, brushing off his apology, "It's fine, just how-"
Naruto cut her off by brushing his chakra against hers; not having the energy to explain what he was like he had with Hinata.
Temari reacted the same way everyone did when they first felt his chakra, she gasped and her cheeks tinted with pink. Her eyes widened, "That was you all those years ago?"
Naruto nodded, knowing that she was referring to when he had first made his presence known to the Jinchūriki by stretching his chakra as far as he could. It didn't surprise him that she had felt him, even from this far in city. He was sad that he hadn't picked out her chakra out of the thousands that he felt that day. It would have prevented a lot of heart ache.
Temari's next reaction was not like anyone's who just found out what Naruto was. She scowled and slapped him upside the head in annoyance, "You idiot! How could you let yourself get captured?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "You're too important to be controlled by Fugaku. Please tell me he doesn't know."
Naruto gave the blond cat a deadpan look, "I'm not that stupid."
Temari sighed in relief and glanced to the two brunets who were sitting on the deck a good fifteen feet away from them. "You're lucky Sasuke's your owner then."
Naruto's eyes widened, "Lucky? How the hell am I lucky? He's an egotistical asshole that likes making my life miserable."
Temari sighed and shook her head. "Dammit Uchiha," she mumbled to herself, "Apparently Sasuke is still putting on his asshole façade. I had hoped he'd grown out of that by now." She noticed Naruto eyeing her like she was crazy. "He doesn't act like that with us," she clarified.
"Us?" Naruto questioned.
Temari smiled softly and nodded to the two brunets who were talking quietly over their game. "That's Nara Shikamaru. He's the reason I stayed here."
Naruto's eyes widened as he looked between the dark haired male and his long lost friend. Then Hinata's words came back to him. She was trying to tell him his name. Nara Shikamaru was the one that altered Kiba's collar, and since he could feel Temari's chakra as well, her collar had been changed too. Like Kiba's collar, Temari wore hers to fool the humans. He grabbed Temari's hand in his, drawing her attention back to him. "Tell me everything."
Temari nodded and gently squeezed his hand in return. "Nine years ago, when I was twelve, I was at school. It was recess and I was sitting under the bleachers reading a book that you had insisted that I read. The one about the genius boy who learned how to capture fairies?" Naruto nodded, remembering that book series that had captured his young mind for months. "Anyways," Temari continued, "I heard some commotion out on the playground; children chanting 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' I was curious, so I went to see what all the commotion was about. And wouldn't you know it, my stupid ass brother, Kankurō, was on the ground getting pummeled by some big human bully."
Naruto rolled his eyes. He remembered the brunet feline picking fights often when they were younger, even if he didn't stand a chance against his opponent. So hearing that he was getting the shit beaten out of him by what was most likely the school bully didn't surprise him.
"Being the awesome twin sister that I am, I rushed into the fight and tackled the human boy."
Naruto smiled, 'Yep, that sounds about right'.
Temari let out a small laugh, "The dude cried like a baby when I punched him in the face breaking his nose. So, I told Kankurō to go inside to see the nurse, and I went back to reading my book. It turned out that the nurse made Kankurō go home, which made sense since he couldn't even see through his black eye. Anyways, on my way home from school that day, the bully and his friends jumped me. I panicked since there were seven of them and I let my claws come out." Temari held up her free hand to show off her long, sharp claws.
Naruto's eyes widened and Temari sighed, "I know, I know. I was stupid. My mother had always warned me not to let my Jinchūriki features out while within the city, but I wasn't thinking clearly. I thought I was safe when I took out all seven boys, but some other humans saw me as they were riding by on horseback. Before I knew it, one of them grabbed me and shoved a needle into my neck, and I passed out."
Naruto frowned and squeezed her hand, urging her to continue. This explained her sudden disappearance, but didn't tell him anything more.
"When I woke up, I was in a cage in a dark alleyway. This collar was in place and I couldn't feel anything." The pain in her voice made Naruto's heart clench in empathy. Feeling the lack of others' chakra had been hard on him, but to be a twelve year old little girl (even one as tough as Temari), waking up kidnapped and empty must have terrified her. His heart went out to the girl he once called his 'big sister'.
Temari shook off the feeling of complete abandonment and gratefully accepted the brush of Naruto's chakra against her own. "I wasn't the only kid in that cage," she stated bitterly. "They were selling us on the black market…at least, back then it was called that. There are hundreds of us in captivity now." She cleared her throat before continuing, "Those of us who had claws and fangs had had them filed away. I was there for three days, listening to the other children cry out for their parents or other loved ones, being fed water and stale bread, all the while watching humans come and 'browse the merchandise'. It was awful. Then a man in a dark cloak chose me and took me away on his horse. While we made the way to his home, he told me that his name was Regent Uchiha Fugaku."
Naruto growled low in his throat. Temari let out an unamused snort, "He said it like a twelve year old should just know who he was. God, he's such a pompous ass," she mused. Shaking her head, she continued, "He told me that I was going to be his wife's new hand maiden."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. He had never heard anything about Sasuke's mother and wondered why he had never asked before. Then he remembered that the Uchiha was a closed off bastard and he didn't want to know more about his personal life. He pushed the thought of the youngest Uchiha away and Temari continued her story.
"Since the idea of pets was still new and not legalized yet, he told me that I wasn't allowed to tell anyone that I had been brought to his home against my will. If asked, I was to say that I was an orphan that was down on my luck and that the kind Regent had selflessly taken me in to work as a paid servant. He said that if I told anyone the truth, he wouldn't hesitate to slit my throat." Temari was thankful for the angry growl that escaped her blond friend, but she wasn't done yet.
"I'm not sure if Fugaku started the idea of 'pets', but he definitely promoted it once the King fell ill. So anyways, he took me home to his estate, which wasn't the castle yet, and introduced me to his family. His wife, Mikoto, was a lovely and kind woman who listened to Fugaku's lies and instantly took me into a warm hug, whispering that everything would be ok and that I would enjoy my new life with them. Itachi was fifteen and was just as kind as his mother, if not quite so loud or openly affectionate. And Sasuke," she glanced over to the stoic raven fondly, "Sasuke was your age. He was a happy little boy that constantly sought the attention of his family, especially his brother. He was a bit of a brat, but he was young so it was normal, and he was so full of wonder he would constantly ask me questions whenever we were alone. Sasuke quickly took a liking to me and started following me around like a little duckling. I couldn't deny him since he reminded me so much of Gaara," she let out a small laugh, "though he was a lot taller."
Naruto smiled, knowing that Gaara's height had always been a sore spot for the redhead. He had always been shorter than Naruto (who had always been a little below average in height himself growing up) until they hit puberty, and now that they had stopped growing both men had reached the height of 5'10". He glanced over to the Uchiha, sitting in his full 6'1" glory, scowling like he hated the world.
Naruto really couldn't see raven being 'full of wonder' or trailing behind someone seeking their attention. Sasuke was just so stoic and independent, but Naruto figured that time had changed the dark haired man.
He turned his attention back to Temari to see her fond smile turn into an unhappy frown. "I was there for only a few months before Mikoto died." Temari trailed off as she returned her gaze to the two humans who were quietly conversing over their board game. She sighed and looked back to Naruto who was waiting patiently for her to continue. She squeezed his hand gently. "Can you do me a favor?"
Naruto nodded slowly, but the confused look on his face spoke volumes.
"Try to be nice to him," Temari nodded over to the raven. "He's a good guy and has been through a lot." Seeing the confusion not fade from her friend's face, Temari bit her lip for a moment before continuing. She didn't know how much she should tell about Sasuke's background since it wasn't her place to share, but she needed to get her point across. "After Mikoto's death, Fugaku became angry. He started getting violent and abusive towards his family."
Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered the scars on Sasuke's back that he had seen just last week. Had it actually been Fugaku who had done that to him? He had to make sure. "The scars?" He cautiously questioned.
Temari started, surprised that Naruto had been allowed to see Sasuke's back. The Uchiha had always made an effort to keep his back hidden, even from her even though she had been the one who had healed his wounds when he was younger. 'Maybe Sasuke is starting to trust Naruto?' She looked back over to the still frowning raven. 'That would be good, for both of them.' She decided to go with her instincts and tell Naruto a little more. "Those scars," she nodded, "and others that are more… psychological. Sasuke suffered the blunt of Fugaku's wrath. It got really bad. One time when Sasuke was eleven, he came home from school in a really bad mood and snapped at Fugaku; you know how kids can be when they're cranky… Anyways, Fugaku didn't appreciate his attitude and broke his arm," Temari snapped her fingers before returning her hand to grip Naruto's, "just like that. Snapped it like a twig. He said if he ever talked like that to him again he would do worse.
"Itachi was older and seen as a prodigy and future heir so I don't think he was touched. I can't be sure though since I stopped spending time with him once Mikoto died. I don't think he even knew what was going on; he was so busy with school, tutors, and then work. Sasuke didn't want to bug him with his problems, he was too proud." Temari's grip on Naruto's hands tightened almost painfully as a surge of helpless anger washed over her. "Naruto, you have to be careful around Fugaku. He's a sick bastard who can't be trusted."
"I noticed," Naruto mumbled as he thought about the older man, hating him now, more than ever. How could he hurt his own son that way? It was unforgivable.
Temari shook her head and tightened her grip on his hands to get his attention again. "No, you don't understand…" She trailed off, not knowing how or if she should continue. She released a breath that she didn't know she was holding when Naruto squeezed her fingers to reassure her. She looked at her blond friend seriously, "Naruto, you have to be careful." She leaned forward and gave him a meaningful look. "Uchiha Fugaku is a predator."
The images of Fugaku's face from their last interaction popped up into Naruto's mind. The heat he had seen in the man's eyes, hungry and full of lust as they had raked over Naruto's bare chest caused a shiver to go up the fox's spine. It took Naruto about thirty seconds to connect that particular look with the word Temari chose to use when describing the older Uchiha. Rape. Konoha's Regent Uchiha Fugaku, the man currently running the kingdom in the King's absence, was a rapist. A fierce growl ripped through his throat as he looked over his friend for any signed of injury. "He didn't…?" he trailed off, not wanting to voice his fears.
Temari slowly shook her head and gave her friend a small reassuring smile. "No, he never touched me like that." She looked away from Naruto and bit her lip. Naruto watched the emotions of anger, pain, and sorrow cross over Temari's face as tears came to her eyes and her lip trembled between her teeth as she struggled to remain in control of her emotions. He slowly turned his head to follow her gaze to find that it was directed towards the raven-haired boy sulking across the yard from them.
Naruto's eyes widened in realization as he stared at Sasuke's frown, because no, that just wasn't possible. Sasuke was too strong. Too headstrong and stubborn and proud to let that happen. Memories of the young raven interacting with his father came to mind and Naruto remembered to looks of uncertainty, of unease, of anger, and very rarely of fear. Naruto had witnessed their interaction only a couple of times, but in those times he had seen those emotions trying to be suppressed in Sasuke's normally blank mask. Naruto quickly looked away when Sasuke's gaze drifted to meet his.
Sasuke's scowl deepened as Naruto quickly turned away avoiding eye contact. He couldn't hear the two Jinchūriki talk, but something told him they were talking about him. It wasn't surprising since they had been separated for so long and Temari had been in his care for a number of years. But that didn't mean he liked it. In his opinion, the stupid blond boy had no business learning about his past.
"You're doing it again," Shikamaru's casual comment brought his attention back to their game.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke said sulkily as he noticed that Shika had beaten him once again while he had been distracted.
"Uh huh," Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow as he cleared the board of its tiles in preparation of another game. "I must have been imagining you looking at them every few minutes."
Sasuke scowled at his friend, "They keep looking at me," he accused.
"That's because they are talking about you," Shikamaru stated as he focused on the board.
"I know," Sasuke ground out through clenched teeth. He glanced over to the two blondes again to see them sitting quietly, their chatter momentarily on hold, their hands still clasped intimately. His frown deepened as he watched the two Jinchūriki lean towards each other to rest their foreheads together. "Aren't you going to do anything about that?" he grumpily asked his partner.
Shikamaru glanced over to the two blondes, taking in their intimate position. He shrugged and went back to finishing setting up their game. "Why would I need to do anything?"
Sasuke's eyes shot over to his lazy friend in surprise, "They're practically having sex right there in front of you!" He exclaimed, keeping his voice low.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Troublesome. You're over exaggerating. There's nothing going on between them. It's quite obvious that they think of each other as siblings."
Sasuke huffed in annoyance, "It doesn't look that way to me."
"That's because you're jealous," Shikamaru deadpanned. "That's why you activated the collar, because of their hug. You're attracted to him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Shikamaru was sure his observation was correct. He had been watching his friend closely since he had arrived with his new pet and he had known the raven long enough to see what was going on.
Sasuke glared at his longtime friend. "I am not jealous," he growled, "and I am definitely not attracted to that moron."
Shikamaru stared at Sasuke for a long moment. "It also appears that you are starting to like him. Not just for his looks, but for his personality. Like, like like him."
"Like like? What are we in grade school?" Sasuke glared at his supposed friend. "You're an idiot if you think I could have any feelings for that moron other than annoyance. And what do you know anyways? If I recall correctly, you can't recognize a crush when it's staring you in the face." Sasuke turned his glare to the board in front of him and moved his first piece into position. The move may or may not have been rough enough to shift all the other pieces from their aligned positions.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru repeated as he dropped the subject. He didn't need to inform the raven that sometimes it just took some outside observation to find out the truth, much like it did in his case. He ignored the pandemonium that Sasuke's move created on the board and calmly moved his own piece. He sighed as he watched his friend glare over to the blond male one last time, a blank mask slipping back into place, closing off his emotions. He shouldn't have said anything. The young genius knew that his dark playmate probably just made the decision to not only ignore his new feelings, but rebel against them strongly. Hopefully this Naruto character was strong enough to put up with Sasuke's crap, because he was in for a world of hurt with how the Uchiha was planning on treating him from now on. Unfortunately for Naruto, Nara Shikamaru was never wrong.
Temari shook her head to clear if of the horrific memories of nursing the small, bloody and bruised boy back to health. At one point the raven hadn't been able to walk for a few weeks without pain. Sasuke never talked about it, never told anyone even to this day, but Temari knew.
She looked to Naruto, who was staring at their joined hands, a crease forming between his eyebrows in deep thought. Closing her eyes she sighed, feeling suddenly drained. "You need to know that it is not unusual for humans to use their pets to seek pleasure. If you've been in Market Street then I'm sure you've seen how they treat us. What they have us wear. We're possessions to them, nothing more."
Naruto's scowl deepened and he looked at Temari's collar before turning to look at both of the humans lounging not too far away.
Temari smiled seeing the look of protective accusation on the fox's face. She gently tugged his hands again. "There are some good ones though."
Naruto snorted in disbelief.
Temari raised an eyebrow, "Has something happened? Has Sasuke forced you to do anything that you didn't want to do?" She knew that there was no way in hell her raven friend would force himself onto anyone, not after his past, but she couldn't help but ask.
Naruto scoffed, "He's forced me to do lots of things I didn't want to do." He brought a hand up to his collar around his neck and ran a finger along the cold metal.
Temari gave a little growl of annoyance, "That's not what I'm referring too and you know it."
Naruto shrugged, "He asks me to do something different every day. I swear he must read the same porno books as my dad."
"What?!" Temari asked in surprise. She noticed both the humans turn towards them in interest and hunched her shoulders. Lowering her voice to more of a whisper she shook her head in denial, "But, that can't-"
"And I tell him to fuck off and he doesn't bring it up again," Naruto cut her off, seeing the cat start to panic.
Temari opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Naruto wasn't done.
"That fucking smug bastard just smirks that annoying smirk of his and goes back to whatever he was doing like he didn't just ask me to go down on him," Naruto rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Temari's mouth was hanging open. She honestly couldn't believe what her old friend was telling her. Not only had Sasuke allowed him to see his scars, but he was flirting as well? His choice of words may have been vulgar, but if what Naruto said was what really happened then the young Uchiha was definitely flirting. That was unheard of. Even when Sasuke got drunk and picked up guys to sleep with (oh yes, Temari knew about this little part of Sasuke's life too) he would never flirt. He would just wait for someone to hit on him and if they were hot enough then they would go a hotel or something. She really had to talk to Shikamaru now.
"So," Naruto began as if remembering something, "If you were owned by the Uchihas… how did you end up here?" He looked around the quiet yard.
Temari smiled, "Believe it or not, Sasuke lost me in a bet." At Naruto's look of shock that quickly turned into disgust, Temari laughed. "Sasuke and Shikamaru have been friends since they were really young since Shika's dad used to work in the castle as an advisor. Even though Shikamaru is a few years older than Sasuke, he would sometimes come over and play with Sasuke so I got to know him too. Once Fugaku moved us all into the castle, Shikamaru would show up more often since his dad would just bring him to work with him. Shika and I became friends," a blush crept along Temari's cheeks causing Naruto to grin.
"We started to like each other, though neither of us said anything. Sasuke knew though, he's almost as observant as Shika. Though Shikamaru was somehow blind to my flirting, and too lazy to actually flirt back so I was in the dark too." A small laugh bubbled past her lips as she remembered how naive they were. "Anyways, one day Sasuke challenged Shika to a game of Shōgi saying that if he won then Shikamaru would have to do his homework for a month and that if he lost then he would give me to Shikamaru."
Naruto raised an eyebrow still not liking that the Uchiha would bet his friend as if she was just an object.
"The thing is," Temari continued with a small smile, "Sasuke had never won a game against Shikamaru." She turned to look at the two humans again, "In fact, I'm pretty sure he still hasn't ever won against him. Not at Shōgi at least." She sighed at looked back to Naruto, "He knew that the only way that Shikamaru and I could be together was if we were actually together. Sasuke was only thirteen, but he was smart. He knew that Fugaku wouldn't willingly give me up, so he made the bet so Fugaku couldn't dispute it, knowing he would lose and that his father would most likely punish him."
"Is he really a good guy? Shikamaru, I mean." Naruto questioned quietly, even though he already knew what Temari's answer would be. He could see her affection for the man by the way she smiled and the way her eyes shined when she looked at him.
Temari nodded, "It wasn't long after I came here that Shikamaru discovered how to deactivate the collar. He had been trying to figure out the seal all along, just so he could free me." Her smile returned as she looked at Naruto, "He offered me my freedom as soon as he got the key from Fugaku."
"But you were already in love with him so you chose to stay," Naruto stated, feeling a mix of shock and understanding. He sighed as the final pieces of Temari's story fell into place, "And you never let your family know you were alright because you didn't want to put them in danger. Kankurō would have stormed in here demanding you return home if he knew you were here. Gaara would have joined him and they both would have been captured. I'm assuming you still wear the collar because the Uchiha's know you're a Jinchūriki?"
Temari nodded absently, lost in her own world. "We're going to get married once we don't have to pretend that he owns me."
Naruto wondered how long that would take. The humans looked pretty content keeping pets. "What about his parents? Do they know any of this?" He asked instead of voicing his doubts about the future.
Temari grinned, "When Shikamaru brought me home his mom hugged me and told me that she always wanted a daughter. His dad put a hand on my shoulder and said 'Welcome to the family, you can call me dad if you want'. It turned out that the Nara clan was against the whole 'enslavement of an entire race' thing. They are powerful allies."
Naruto smiled, happy for his friend.
"Now," Temari scooted closer to her friend, "Tell me about life on the outside."
"Dobe, get up. We're leaving." Sasuke ordered as he rose to his feet, straightening the wrinkles from his pants.
"Yeah, yeah hold your horses," Naruto called back annoyed. He wasn't ready to leave his old friend so soon.
"Dobe!" Sasuke snapped as he glared at his pet.
Naruto frowned at the Uchiha, getting a slightly raised eyebrow in return. He growled low in his chest and ground out, "Coming Master."
Temari shot an angry look towards Sasuke, who only smirked in return.
"You make him call you 'Master'?" Shikamaru questioned quietly from his place on the floor. 'Interesting,' Shikamaru decided that he would keep a closer watch on his friend and his new blond. Sasuke ignored his comment, however, causing Shikamaru to sigh, "Troublesome."
Naruto hugged Temari. "Ask Shikamaru to use his genius brain and think of a way to get this collar off of me, please," he whispered in her ear before pulling away.
Temari nodded as she once again took in how much Naruto had grown up during her absence. She brought up a hand to gently stroke his scarred cheek. "Don't be a stranger."
"Tell him that," Naruto nodded towards Sasuke, who was waiting impatiently with his arms crossed firmly over his chest and a scowl on his face.
Temari turned to the Uchiha and rolled her eyes at his childishness. It looked like Sasuke's mood had soured even more since his arrival. She dropped her hand from the fox's face and grabbed his hand, leading him towards the back door of the house. "You better visit more often now," she told Sasuke, "Once a month won't suffice anymore. Lord knows Naruto needs someone to talk to other than your grumpy ass." This comment received a dark glare from the raven that was ignored by the cat.
Sasuke decided to just grab Naruto's hand and drag him through the door to exit the house. He drowned out Naruto's calls of goodbye and curses for him so let go and slow down as they rushed through the house and back onto the empty street.
Temari and Shikamaru stared at the empty doorway until Naruto's cried died down. Slowly Shikamaru got up and moved to lie in the grass once again, Temari followed suit and lay down next to him.
"Have a nice chat?" Shikamaru asked as he stared at the clouds.
Temari shrugged as she laced her fingers with his awaiting hand left open in the grass. "It had its moments. You?"
Shikamaru followed a cloud that looked like an otter lying on its back drift across the sky before answering, "Sasuke's in denial."
Temari frowned, "Troublesome."
Shikamaru grunted in agreement.
A.N.- Yay Shika and Temari! Shika is my other favorite Naruto character. I gotta say, as soon as he and Temari fought each other in the Genin exams I was hooked on them as a couple and when they showed up walking together in Konoha when Naruto returned from his travels I started jumping up and down in excitement yelling that they were going to get married and have lots of babies (my husband thought I was crazy, hehe). But, yeah…
Lots of info in this chapter. Poor Sasuke and Temari.
BTW, the book Temari was reading under the bleachers was Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. I was reading the 5th book when I wrote this chapter and couldn't resist putting it in. If you haven't read the series then I highly recommend it.
A guest asked me in a review for the last chapter in this was going to be SasuNaru. Yes it is. However, I will probably make a NaruSasu scene due to issues needing to be resolved. We shall see.
Next chapter- Back to the Hyuuga's! Until next time!