Kushina successfully helped Konan back to her room after she woke outside. Thankfully the young girl was only out for a few minutes, but Konan's face was still pale, she looked ready to collapse on her feet and she was silent as Kushina walked her back. Tucking in the girl, the ladies in waiting rushed about getting warm water, tea and food while Kushina took her leave.
"I am most worried about you," she whispered to the girl. "You must be still exhausted from your travelling, so get some rest and eat something. I'll check up on you later." Kushina threw a soft smile at the girl and ran her hand over Konan's hair in a gentle manner. Kushina never mentioned what Konan had said, as she figured, she needed to see if Konan would tell Orochimaru of her vision or not.
She decided to head to her meeting room, where Kakashi was waiting, to discuss the options of what to do, as the new moon was coming soon. Kakashi and Kushina were aware that the dragon seemed to appear on new moon nights, and that time was coming. They needed to devise another plan on how to entrap the beast, as they did last time. The chains did appear to work to a point, before the dragon managed to break them, unfortunately not enough, since Sasuke became tangled within them. And look where they were now after that happened. She ran her fingers through her long locks and picked up her step. Learn from the past, that was the best option she had to go on right now.
"We have looked into the linking of the chains and are confident they have been reinforced to hold stronger," Kakashi spoke out as his finger traced the details on the parchment.
Kushina looked over the diagrams on the parchment, the writings gave details about the reinforcing of the chains, how they were melded together and such. "You checked into this personally?" Kushina looked up at the captain and Kakashi shook his head yes.
Kushina twisted around and leaned against the edge of the table then, folding her arms across her chest, lips pinched in thought. "Has the king or his men approached you about any information regarding dragon attacks? Any information he has wanted specifically? Anything I should be aware of?" Kushina whispered out and glanced up at the silver haired man.
"Nothing out of the ordinary majesty. His men have been informed they are to assist our kingdom in how we instruct them. His majesty has not come to myself or anyone in person to request any type of information." Kakashi leaned his head back and scratched the back of his neck. "Which seems odd for me," Kakashi sighed. "For if a ruler was wanting to ensure the best for a kingdom, that ruler would be balls deep in wanting to know plans, weapons, strategies and so forth." Kakashi shoved his hands in his pants pockets and shrugged. "Can't help to think that there is something he may be planning personally, that he wouldn't want us to be aware of." Kakashi leaned and whispered this into Kushina's ear this time. If any of Orochimaru's men overheard him, he would most likely lose his head for treason by the king.
Kushina hummed quietly in agreement. 'If Orochimaru hasn't actively involved himself with ways to slay the dragon, that is suspicious…'
"Do you think he has that much confidence in his men that he doesn't need to be involved?" Kushina's green eyes looked back down at the diagram.
"Don't think so. Not his type of thinking I'm certain." Kakashi shook his head. "I'll keep my ears open majesty."
"Any word of Uchiha's quest?" Kushina decided to change the subject. They were more than ready for the dragon's next visit and felt they didn't need to discuss it any further.
"No, but I am certain they will let us know of their success. No doubt they are keeping King Uchiha informed of their progress." Kakashi rubbed his chin briefly before rolling up the parchment on the table. "Unless the thief they seek is back here in our lands, I don't suspect we will hear anything until they pass through again."
Kushina walked over to one of the large windows silently, her face looking as if she had a lot on her mind. "I certainly hope they find what they are looking for," she whispered sadly. Her green eyes looked over the landscape of her kingdom. It was the colour of winter, though the snow hadn't fallen yet, the land was dull and a variety of brown shades. The land looked dead, yet she knew it was just asleep, waiting for the winter months to pass through.
Kakashi looked at his queen, sorrow going through his chest at her stance. They both felt the pain of losing King Minato and Naruto. And now with the recent changes, King Orochimaru, the continuous dragon attacks and now the Uchiha kingdom under high alert because of their own young prince's disappearance, it was getting harder and harder to hold hope under their belts. Kakashi took a bold move and stepped up behind the red headed queen, placing his hands on each shoulder, squeezing gently. "Fear not my queen, know we are doing everything imaginable to set things right." Kushina brought a hand up and placed it on Kakashi's, giving his fingers a gentle tap. A subtle acknowledgment that she appreciated his support.
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
Sasuke rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing the glowing embers of where the fire was but he wondered what had woken him. The feeling of the ground shaking, as if something fell hard on the cave floor, rattled him enough that he sat up quickly. His hands fell flat to the ground as he twisted his body to squint through the darkened cave.
The ground shook once more, Sasuke jumped up quickly and looked into the far depths. He knew what this feeling was, having witnessed it before and he moved forward through the darkness, towards the only other light within the cavern.
The roar that pierced through the darkness was painful, sounding like a wailing call after the ground shook once again. Sasuke ran his hand alongside the cave wall, seeing the silhouette of the dragon with the small amount of light that came through the fissure in the ceiling. He continued to walk slowly as he watched the dragon, once again, try and climb the wall, its wings outstretched to help lift its massive body.
For a moment, it looked as if the dragon was finally, finally going to succeed. Sasuke held his breath and hesitated in his steps. The sudden blinding flash of light caught him off guard and he quickly turned his head, squinting his eyes closed. Before he could open his eyes, he heard the snarling dragon call and the ground once again shook from something hitting the ground hard. Sasuke knew that feeling and sound.
The dragon was trying to climb the wall to escape through the fissure high in the ceiling, again.
Sasuke watched the dragon huff out loudly, as if it was frustrated, and it once again began to climb the wall.
"It must be a prisoner in here," Sasuke whispered to himself. Now that Sasuke thought about it, the dragon had not left the cavern at all, other than going into a darkened area at times, but he had only seen it try and scale the wall a couple other times. All those times, the dragon would fall, wail out roars and cries and continue to try again. Until it seemed it was too tired to continue and would skulk away into the darkness.
Sasuke was pretty certain that it wasn't leaving through the water, as he was certain that he would have heard it. Something this large would make a hell of a lot of noise entering and leaving the water. Not to mention would most likely be gone for more than a couple hours.
The blinding light once again flashed throughout the cavern and Sasuke was forced to turn away and squeeze his eyes shut.
"Just what the fuck is that?" Sasuke whispered out again, his voice getting louder and sounding annoyed.
Once the light flashed, blinding everything in the cavern, the dragon fell to the floor of the cave, causing everything to vibrate from the crash. A string of growls, howls, or wails following.
'Something is happening here that I'm missing,' he thought to himself, while watching the dragon flip onto its four legs again, huffing out long breaths with wisps of smoke. Determined, Sasuke was going to try his best this time to get a better look at where that blinding light was coming from.
The dragon clawed its way up the wall again, its wings fluttering slightly to help with the weight of its body and Sasuke squinted his eyes and moved slightly closer to watch. The light coming from the opening in the rock ceiling reflected off the dragon's scales and Sasuke took in the massive sight. He was still in awe at the impressive creature, but he quickly looked around the beast and tried to see the area around it.
There was nothing out of the ordinary. Rock and more rock, with some vegetation clinging to it. 'Where the hell was this blinding flash of light coming from?' He hummed to himself.
The glimmer was only a fraction of a second, but Sasuke's eyes moved towards the dragon's foot. The same foot that he saw the gold band. He briefly wondered how that band got on the dragon's toe, why it wouldn't come off and how the dragon seemed to not want him to touch it. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise when he managed to see that same gold band glow brighter in a fraction of a second then the blinding light returned, causing Sasuke to hold his arm up to his eyes. Though his eyes closed briefly, because of the burning of the light on his retinas, he peeked through his eyelids, ever so small to try and see when the blinding flash suddenly would disappear.
Sure enough, that gold band was glowing just for a moment before going dim and the dragon was falling to the ground once again. Sasuke held his arm up against the rock wall while the vibrations moved from the dragon's fall. Bits of rock and dust fluttered onto his head.
'The fucking gold band is creating the blinding light?!' Sasuke leaned back against the rock wall, running a hand through his locks to remove the dust and bits of rock, his lips pinched tight in thought. 'Why? How? Something is happening here. Think Sasuke! Think!' he berated himself.
The dragon released a long moaning type sound, still laying on its side, deciding not to make a move to get up.
Sasuke glanced towards the silhouette of the dragon, the light from the ceiling highlighting various areas off the scales. He decided to approach the apparent disgruntled dragon as it lay there, sounding like it was moaning out in agony.
The dragon stopped making noises upon Sasuke's approach, its large eyes watching the young Uchiha's stance. Sasuke took care in walking slowly, his hands up where the dragon could see him, his eyes making contact with the dragon until he was closer. "I'm curious to what you are doing," Sasuke said, deciding to just converse with the dragon instead of being silent. "And why whatever is happening, is happening." The dragon of course said nothing, but also did nothing to move, its eyes still watching the young man.
Sasuke crouched down, still quite a ways away from the dragon's form and stared at the gold band on the dragon's one foot. "So, this band," Sasuke started, "appears to be causing you the inability to leave through that hole up there." Sasuke pointed up to the ceiling and looked at the dragon. Surprisingly, the dragon snorted a sound and looked away. Confident with the situation, Sasuke continued, "so this gold band must be something magical?" The dragon snorted again, still not looking at him. "Cursed maybe?" Another snort. "Can we get it off?" Sasuke moved slightly towards the dragon.
The dragon shifted, pulling its one leg away from Sasuke.
"Okay, okay, I won't touch, I was just looking," Sasuke stated as he stopped moving. "Where did you get it?" He looked over at the dragon again.
The dragon moved its head and looked over its shoulder, into the darkness.
'Well this is something,' Sasuke thought while watching the dragon's movement. He glanced the same way the dragon was looking and squinted. It was encased in darkness of course, but when Sasuke looked around at his position, he realised that it was the corridor that led to the area where the pile of treasure lay.
"There? With all that gold stuff?" Sasuke asked, suddenly feeling extremely stupid asking a question to a beast that obviously couldn't talk. A loud snort with a lingering growl was the response before the dragon laid its head down again, its eyes on Sasuke. "Interesting," Sasuke hummed, deciding to sit down on his ass on the floor and then ran his fingers through his hair. He cringed slightly at the feel of his filthy strands of hair.
After several minutes of silence, with only the dragon's breaths echoing through the cavern, Sasuke lost in his thoughts, Sasuke then stood and brushed the sand and gravel off his pants. He turned and took a few steps towards the dragon's head.
"Look, I'm stuck here," he then crouched again so he was at the same level as the dragon's eyes. "And I believe that you are as well." A blink of large marble eyes was his answer. "Though I don't understand completely why you are trapped here, and how you had gotten out before because I know you have been out in the open before since…" he lingered on that statement, remembering the past years. He shook his head. "I'm going to figure this out," he whispered and turned on his heel, walking back towards the small flickering flames of where his campfire was.
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
The group of Uchiha knights wandered carefully through the winding trail that went through the mountain pass. The men that explored the night before found that the trail went on for quite some time so it was decided that the group would continue through the pass. Yamato left a small group of men at the opening to send word to King Uchiha on their progress and wait for their return.
The group was rather quiet, watching the morning sky and the ground, taking in the sights and making mental notes continuously. Yamato had no idea how far this path would go, but he certainly hoped it wouldn't end into a dead end with no other way except retracing their steps. There didn't appear to be any other paths either, just the one.
After several hours, the path began to open, Yamato and Izumo talked about how the claw marks seemed to be less and less the longer they travelled. They came up with theories and so far the best one they could agree on was that the dragon lived somewhere within the mountains.
It wasn't until sunset that Yamato and Izumo began to frown at their journey. The path had opened indeed, but the cliff walls were still several metres high with no safe way for a knight to climb them and possibly look to see where they were going. The sun's position was their only guide at the moment and the group knew that nightfall was upon them. Before Yamato was about to call a halt to the group and set up camp, he decided to take one more turn and gasped at the sight.
With how the path was situated between nothing but solid rock, metres high with what seemed like an endless twisting of going nowhere, the trail came to an instant end and opened into a large bowl nestled between at least three large mountains.
"Captain, forgive me while I say, holy shit!" It was Izumo, who trotted his horse up to a stop beside Yamato. His eyes were taking in the scene before them, that just seemed to appear out of nowhere. The rest of the men were awing and oohing behind them as they caught up to them.
"You recognise those mountains?" Yamato asked Izumo and pointed to the massive large rock formations that reached high into the clouds. There was snow on the peaks of them, a reminder of just how tall they were.
"Those peaks that we can see on the outside certainly don't give any, I mean any, indication that–that this area even exists!" Izumo exclaimed.
The men looked upon the small open area that housed an almost perfectly round lake, filled with a water that was a cloudy crystalline blue. The lake was surrounded by a shore of rock that led to nothing but dry grass and small bushes. The bushes were brown and bare, a sign of the season change.
"With all do respect sir, I doubt anyone knows of this place, considering that you can't see it and it appears the only way in is the way we managed to find," Izumo explained to Yamato. Yamato shook his head in agreement as he glanced around.
"Have the men look around the entire area and report anything out of the ordinary. I'll have a group set up camp," Yamato ordered. Izumo saluted Yamato and made his way towards the other men, barking out orders.
Later that evening, while many of the men were sitting around the fire, Yamato and Izumo sat with some of the scouts taking in what they had discovered. Thus far there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. It did not seem there were any predators in the area and the dragon marks that initially led them to this location seemed to have disappeared. With the falling of the sun being quickly in the small bowl nestled between the huge mountains, the men were left to retire for the evening and continue their search for any dragon marks in the morning. Yamato had sent a hawk to the Uchiha kingdom with his findings and made notes in his book.
"From what I can see sir, there is no other way in or out of this place," Izumo mumbled as he ate some cooked meat. "Not sure what this place would be with only one opening through the rocks."
Yamato just hummed in response.
"The men and I will take a closer look where the last dragon marks were located on our way in. I'll find an answer," Izumo stated.
"Hn," Yamato answered. Izumo was one of the best trackers of the Uchiha kingdom and he knew Izumo would find an answer.
The next morning, the men were already up and about, making breakfast, checking their equipment and making plans to continue to explore the large bowl within the mass of mountains. Yamato stayed within the camp, going over the notes from what the men had found thus far. Izumo had gone back through the path to look more into the claw markings that originally led the men this way.
"Sir, we have some news about the water," one of the guards saluted to Yamato. Yamato nodded for the man to continue. "There appears to be an underground stream or river that is creating a very small whirlpool near the far edge of water."
"Interesting. There is obviously a flow of water coming in and out if the lake isn't empty from this whirlpool you have discovered. Show me." The two men went over to the lake, and Yamato noticed that the small whirlpool was small, that unless someone was looking right over the water, it would be easily missed. Such small whirlpools are often created when there is an opening at the bottom of the lake, but normally the body of water will be emptied after some time. "Can we really say that this lake isn't being emptied since we've never seen this place before?" Yamato mused.
"Considering some of the wildlife that is living around the area, it is a theory that the lake hasn't emptied," the man hummed out in response. "But we can't really say for sure."
"Try fishing, maybe the fish can tell us something," Yamato ordered out before turning around. "I'll take a look around the area and see if I can't find something more to give us an idea." Yamato began walking about to see if he could understand what exactly was going on with the lake.
A couple hours later, one of the knights came to Yamato, who was sitting outside his tent, going over his notebook.
"Sir, take a look at this," the knight called out, grabbing Yamato's attention. He held up several large silver fish. "I've caught dinner. The lake seems to be teeming with these familiar types of fish eh. I don't think they've ever been exposed to fishing lures, they seem to strike right away."
Yamato looked over the fish. They were a familiar breed that the kingdom was familiar with but didn't look diseased, they looked plump, healthy and most likely tasted just as good as they looked. Any poisonous fish they have ever come across lived in the oceans, not fresh water lakes anyhow. "Cook em up and we shall check them out." Yamato gave a nod of his head while making notes about their new discovery.
The fish turned out to be as tasty as the men were used to. Happy with having a change of meat to eat, the men appeared more relaxed and settled with full stomachs. When the first batch of men had eaten their fill, Izumo returned from his scouting walk. He grabbed some fish the other men offered him and sat beside Yamato.
"Find some fish in that there lake eh?" Izumo hummed. "I assume its good, since everyone here looks full and rested." He took a bite of the fish, groaning out a sound of enjoyment as he chomped away. Yamato just chuckled at the sight of his long time friend. "Yup, its great," Izumo mumbled out with a full mouth.
Yamato smacked him on the arm, "stop talking with your mouth full you barbarian." Yamato chuckled when Izumo retaliated and gave a big bite into the fish and ripped it, making grunting noises. "Did you find anything?" Yamato questioned while Izumo chewed and swallowed.
"Mmm, yeah, the way the claw marks work, it looks as if the dragon was heading to this area. But where it headed exactly, I'm not sure. It may have taken flight. If I can get around the more rocky faces of these mountains, maybe I'll see something."
"Well, it's only midday, you have time. Take some more eyes with ya when you go and check it out." Izumo just nodded his head while smacking his lips around the fish.
It was only a couple hours into the afternoon when Izumo came back to where Yamato was situated in the camp, going over plans with the few men that were at the camp.
"Sir, I've found something," Izumo called out while making his way towards Yamato. Yamato nodded and the pair headed to a place near the small camp fire and took a seat. "There's a crack high up one of the sides of the mountain, barely visible, but it seems there may be some markings, suspiciously looking like claw marks, but they were way out of the way to get a clear visual. But I would bet my left nut those are claw marks leading to a possible cave."
Yamato smirked at the man.
"The trouble is, I'm not sure we can get up there. The rock face heading up there is practically a straight wall." He shrugged. "Without proper equipment I don't have any other ideas on how to check it out."
"Let's consider that for a return. Until then, let's gather as much information as we can about this place." Izumo nodded in response. "We will document everything, create a map, but most importantly, no one, absolutely no one else should know of this location other than us." Yamato nodded firmly to Izumo who agreed. The two men went off to separate locations to continue on their work. Yamato ran his hand through his hair. It looked like they may be spending at least a couple days here to ensure they investigated every inch of this small rock bowl. He would send a message to King Uchiha immediately of their findings.
~~back at the Uzumaki kingdom~~
Kushina sat at the large table, Orochimaru's men eating supper and chatting quietly amongst themselves. Orochimaru sat to Kushina's left, who was just eyeing his men and appeared to be concentrating on each bite of food.
"Where is Konan-chan my lord?" Kushina whispered out between bites. She hadn't dared approach the young girl since she dropped her off at her quarters this morning.
"Konan was feeling under the weather. I had dinner brought to her room. The trip had exhausted her more than anticipated, so I ordered her to stay in her room and rest for one full night." He turned to look at Kushina, a slight curve in his lip as she stared at her. Kushina just nodded and hummed. "Konan did mention that you came to see her," Orochimaru added, his eyes not leaving Kushina.
"Ah yes, I wanted to ensure that she was comfortable and had everything that she needed," Kushina hummed out. "I do want to ensure that the girl is comfortable while here, don't you?" Kushina fluttered her eyes at the Sound King.
"I see," Orochimaru nodded and turned back to his food. "Nice to see that you are reaching out to her a little more. I was worried that you may have been a little jealous of her?" he smirked through his tone. Kushina mentally gagged.
"Well," Kushina whined her voice a little and glanced at Orochimaru. The snake like king chuckled at her and grabbed her chin, making Kushina look at him. Kushina gave a sultry look. "I thought it was cute, but I don't want to even hear about you questioning my decision on who I have by my side," he growled out in a warning with a snarl of his lip. "Who I have to assist me is my decision alone, make no mistake about that, my dear," he snapped and pinched her chin before releasing her. He gave her a quick glare before turning back to his food.
Kushina clenched her teeth together and held herself back. She was ready to claw the man's eyes out but thankfully she was able to remind herself of the situation she was in. She eyed Kakashi on the far side of the room who had moved forward towards her when Orocihmaru grabbed her chin harshly, his eyes concerned, but her look stopped him in his tracks. He nodded his head slightly and returned to his post. "Y-yes my lord, you will not have to worry," Kushina whispered out, trying to sound meek and submissive. It appeared to have worked since Orochimaru hummed out an appreciative sound and continued eating.
"In other news, I wanted to discuss with you regarding your kingdom's financial situation," Orochimaru suddenly started talking again.
Kushina turned to look at him, slightly surprised at the comment. "What would that be my lord?" she quickly answered, covering up her surprised look.
Orochimaru finished swallowing his food but continued to cut up the meat before him as he continued. "Well, considering the dragon problem your kingdom has been having to deal with for years, I would like my kingdom to begin combining with your treasury so I can assure that your kingdom will no longer struggle." He placed his cutlery down and turned to look at her. "Therefore I will be assigning my paymasters to your treasury immediately." Kushina gasped at the information. "Tsk tsk my dear," Orochimaru then purred out, leaning closer to the woman. "I don't want my future queen to be worried about the financial burden of the people that the dragon is obviously the main cause of."
Kushina found herself shocked at this information. With Orochimaru taking over her treasury, she would lose substantial control of her kingdom!
"But my lord–"
"No buts, it's the least I can do at this time. As well," he continued when he turned back to take a large swallow from his goblet. "I am going to have a special team to look closer into the dragon situation," he explained after his swallow. "With my team, I'm certain that we can take care of the beast and perhaps gain a little financial prize once its captured!"
"C-captured my lord?" This wasn't what she was expecting of this man at all! Why would he want to capture it? It was a burden on her kingdom, it needed to be destroyed!
"Of course! We will capture it and determine what kind of price we can get from it. It may be worth a lot alive, we may be able to harvest pieces of it while it lives, learn what sort of secrets it has," he snorted out with a laugh. "With the riches that we will most likely get from it, you will not have to worry about finances ever again. With our two kingdoms combined, there is no doubt that we will be the most powerful kingdom known." He nodded his head with a smirk. "Wouldn't that be nice, heh," he finished off the drink in his goblet. He raised it up towards a servant, indicating another refill and the servant scurried over to him quickly. Orochimaru looked back at Kushina, and the queen was suddenly very quiet. "I would think you would be thankful my dear, considering I'm offering you relief from such a heavy burden."
Kushina blinked and saw the scowl on Orochimaru's face. "Oh! You just took me by surprise my lord! I-I never expected such generosity!" She brought her fingers up to her lips, mocking surprise at the man.
Orochimaru nodded at her response, obviously pleased. He reached for her fingers and brought them to his lips. "Only the best for my bride," he whispered and placed a kiss upon her fingers. "I am certain you will be showing me your respect on our wedding night," he purred out, squeezing her hand and giving a suggestive look.
Kushina could only smile slightly and nodded her head in response. "Do keep me updated with your progress my lord. I want to ensure that everything runs smoothly for you," she managed to squeak out.
Orochimaru just nodded his head and turned back to his men. He stood and held his goblet up, catching the attention of all his men in the room. Kushina watched as he mentioned something, all the men hooted and hollered and drank from their cups. Her mind was just a mess of emotions, the days were moving too fast and at once she suddenly felt that she was fighting a losing battle. If things kept going the way they were, she would be stuck in an arranged marriage with a man that would most likely kill her the second he could for the power and control of her kingdom. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms, biting the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't cry.
~~elsewhere~~
Kabuto wandered through the darkness of the night, two men following him close behind. He and the two men had walked in the afternoon, following a crude map that Kabuto had created from his collected information. He often muttered to himself as he stopped and started, looking at his map, but the two men followed him with no questions asked.
He looked up at the stars and grinned. "Let's make camp here for the night, we are on the right path," he ordered. The two men began immediately setting up for the night.
Kabuto laid in his tent, a small light at his side, reviewing his supplies in his carry bag. He slowly inspected each piece, ensuring it was safe, ready to use and carefully wrapped each piece and slipped it back into his bag. Looking over the parchment again, he dragged his finger around the lines and grinned. "This should be a piece of cake," he chuckled to himself. Quickly sticking his head out of his tent and looking up to the sky, glancing down at his parchment, he grinned yet again. "Things are right on time." He closed up the parchment and slipped quietly back into his tent, snubbing out the light.
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
Itachi was sitting at the breakfast table, slowly poking at his food, more or less pushing it around his plate and his eyes stared down at the plate. He had many thoughts going through his mind; the situation of the Uchiha knights seeking out his otouto, the safety of his otouto, his kingdom everyday duties, and now his betrothed.
The petite figure, he had to admit, intrigued him. Though he knew that he has never shown any type of sexual interest towards anyone, he would admit that this little bride was someone he was feeling drawn towards. Was it because his bride was so petite? The way that the delicate hand felt in his? Itachi played with the idea that he needed to protect this individual, just like he felt when wanting to ensure his otouto was safe.
His betrothed never made it for dinner last night, noting that the trip had been exhausting and Itachi accepted this information and ensured that a healthy meal had been sent to his betrothed's room. He was so lost in his thoughts last night, that he still hadn't discovered if his betrothed was a male or female, or even his or her name. He had hoped to at least find a name from the lips of his betrothed over breakfast. He did not want to approach the help for a name, he felt that was just rude.
The large doors that entered the dining hall clicked open, Itachi lifted his eyes to see a host of servants leading the way and his betrothed walked within the circle. Itachi stood immediately, leaning slightly against the table for balance and he took in the sight of his betrothed.
His future bride was still dressed in white and gold coloured robes, not the same ones from before, but Itachi knew the colours were to signify his betrothed's innocence and engagement. A common practice when an arranged marriage, such as this, was happening. A soft veil of gold hung over the face of his betrothed, another clan tradition that the bride would not show their face until after the wedding.
Itachi smiled warmly at the sight, watching as his future bride practically floated towards the seat prepared just for them. Small hands were clasped together in front, head bowed just slightly and the fabric swayed gently with each step. Itachi held out his hand towards the seat next to him and pulled out the chair. The small bride held out a glove-covered hand and gently put their fingers in Itachi's palm. Itachi was once again fascinated by the small dainty fingers in the palm of his hand, a small feeling of excitement washed through him and he almost couldn't pull his eyes away, until there was a small squeak of noise. Itachi lifted his eyes away from the sensual looking fingers and gave his bride a small gentle smile.
"I do hope you are well rested," Itachi bowed his head slightly in greeting and pulled the dainty hand towards his lips. He placed his lips on his betrothed fingers gently, placing a soft feather like kiss before pulling gently to signify that his bride sit. His bride nodded once and moved to the seat.
His betrothed did sit with all the grace and movement of a butterfly moving through a breeze. Itachi couldn't keep his eyes off the small figure while he slowly settled back into his own chair. There was something so captivating about how his betrothed moved, the petite frame and–and…
"Good morning my lord," the small voice filtered out through the room that broke through Itachi's thoughts. "I did sleep very well, thank you."
Itachi just blinked. He was suddenly entranced and wanted to hear that sound more. He shook his head quickly, breaking the spell. "I wasn't sure what your preference was, so I took the liberty to make a substantial amount of foods. Of course you or your help can inform the kitchen of what you enjoy." Itachi kept the conversation going, wanting to at least get his bride to feel comfortable with him. "Please, help yourself to whatever you like." Itachi waved his palm over the selections of food on the table.
Itachi watched from the corner of his eye as his bride pointed to various foods and the servants placed each food on a dish. The gloves did not come off his bride's hands, which was fine by him, but when it came time for his bride to eat, one of the young servants came to stand nearby and gently pinch the golden veil and move it just a little so his bride could bring a fork of food to the hidden mouth. Itachi smiled at how that worked.
Something about how secretive his bride was, how Itachi was denied to look upon his betrothed, added to the interest that was slowly building in him. He took a sip of his warm tea and cleared his throat. His bride's covered head looked over at him.
"May I know your name?" Itachi asked out plainly. "Sadly your father had never informed me, and I don't believe we have ever met in the past, so I am slightly embarrassed to inform you that I do not know your name." He threw a soft smile at his bride.
"O-Oh!" the small voice hiccuped in surprise.
Itachi was immediately curious to see if perhaps his bride was blushing?
The small covered head bowed slightly towards Itachi, "m-my name is Haku my lord. P-prince Huku Yuki." Small gloved hands wringed together nervously in the small prince's lap.
'Holy grace of the angels…' Itachi thought.
His bride's bird song's voice flowed through Itachi's ears, leaving a host of wonderful feelings. "Prince Haku-kun, welcome to the Uchiha kingdom, and I am very honoured to have you here," Itachi purred out and grasped his bride's gloved hand again, pressing his lips, again, for a soft kiss. "I am very excited to hear more about you. Your likes, dislikes, stories that you may like to share. Perhaps you would tour with me this morning through the castle and tell me more about you?" Itachi could feel the slight quivering of Haku's fingers in his hand, so Itachi moved his thumb to softly caress the small fingers, hoping to calm his bride.
"O-oh-kay?" the whispering song bird voice called out. "I-I mean, it would be an honour my lord," Haku quickly responded.
Itachi frowned slightly at the response. Did he frighten his betrothed? Was Haku-kun nervous to be around him? The small gloved hand was still in Itachi's larger hand and Itachi took his other hand and covered Haku's hand completely. "If you are not ready or comfortable to walk with me, you do not have to Haku-kun," Itachi responded, trying to determine if Haku-kun was scared of him.
"I-I," Haku stuttered out. "Forgive me my lord," he finally spat out. "I would like to attend with you to see your beautiful kingdom, as much as you can show me." He bowed his covered head towards Itachi.
Itachi pinched his lips in thought. He patted Haku's hand gently before releasing it. He knew that Haku was most likely still very nervous around him, but it was a start. "Alight. I will come to retrieve you shortly after breakfast. Bring a shawl, we will go outside but just for a short bit." Itachi smiled when Haku's head nodded in agreement. Both turned back to their plates and continued their breakfast.
/\==/\
A few days later, Itachi sat at his large desk, going over various documents and parchments, the usual things for his kingdom. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk, trying to focus on the upcoming plans for the winter. He was waiting for another message from Yamato, hoping that the team had found something. After reading the same lines several times, he gave up and leaned back on his chair. His one hand immediately went to his one thigh and rubbed it deeply. The cold weather certainly made his legs feel uncomfortable, a constant dull ache that he had learned to live with for the past decade since that night. He closed his eyes briefly, allowing his fingers to dig into the aching muscles to try and get some relief.
He thought back to the last few days, everyday he spent with his betrothed. Haku-kun was a fascination that just wouldn't leave him alone. The way Haku moved as he walked, those gloved dainty fingers that pointed and were just so perfect in Itachi's hands, his light silky voice, Haku's head when he nodded and looked about even though it was covered in a veil all the time, and even the way he would eat. Itachi found himself excited and almost impatient at seeing any skin of his betrothed. It was how most arranged marriages worked. The bride would be hidden until the wedding night but Itachi hummed happily, thinking that it wouldn't matter. He was finding himself content just having Haku in his presence.
A knock on the door brought him out of his musings. He called for the person to enter. One of his servants brought him a rolled parchment, small, and Itachi knew immediately it was from Yamato. He held out his hand and the servant placed it in his hand while bowing. Itachi dismissed him before breaking open the seal and reading the parchment. He pinched his lips together before letting out a huff. He tapped a finger on his chin in thought and hope. Yamato reporting that they may have found an opening to a potential cave with dragon claw marks all around, hope that his otouto would be found, alive and well, had started to rise within his gut. 'Otouto, you better be okay.' Deep down Itachi knew he would be. With the years of weapon and survival training, he was confident that Sasuke would be coming home. And hopefully with answers. He crumpled the small paper and threw it in the fireplace nearby, then folded his arms across his chest, watching the flames dance in the fireplace.
Another knock echoed through the room and Itachi looked towards the door. 'Odd, there really shouldn't be…' The knock wasn't as pronounced like when his servants and knights would knock. He turned slightly back in his chair and stared at the door.
"Come."
The large door opened slowly, and a servant stepped back to allow another person in. Itachi's lip twitched into a slight smile when he saw the familiar robes of his betrothed.
"Y-your majesty? Am I intruding?" Haku's soft voice came from beneath the golden veil. "I-I can come–forgive me, I–" Haku suddenly bowed, his small gloved fingers clasped tightly before him.
"Haku-kun, what a pleasant surprise," Itachi called out. "You are not disturbing me and please, always come to me for whatever you feel you may need." Itachi waved Haku to come towards the desk. "Please, come, tell me what's on your mind."
Haku's frame stood slowly and he shuffled closer to Itachi's desk. His small gloved hands were wringing nervously before him when he stopped before the king. Itachi just smiled warmly, waiting for Haku to speak.
"M-my lord, I thought, if you approve, w-we could possibly see the garden, again?"
Haku's voice stuttered out, but was still soft like a songbird and Itachi felt warm listening to the voice. When Haku spoke no more, Itachi leaned back slightly and frowned sadly. "As delightful as that sounds, it is unfortunate that today is not a good day for me." Itachi rubbed at his leg again, feeling the ache in his muscles not letting up. Haku's shoulders slumped slightly and Itachi swore he heard a small whine of disappointment. Itachi felt the pang of guilt, as going for a walk with Haku again would be something he would very much enjoy.
"Again, I-I am sorry to disturb you my lord," Haku whispered out, bowed and went to turn around.
"No! It – well you see, just wait," Itachi called out, not wanting Haku to leave disappointed. When Haku stopped, Itachi let out a longful sigh. "You see, the weather, it–it affects my legs at times, and it can be most painful." Itachi began to rub at his leg again, feeling angry at his disability. "And today, well, today just isn't– I'm not feeling strong enough to make the walk I'm afraid."
Haku stood, not moving, even his hands had fallen to his side. Itachi couldn't fathom what was going through his betrothed's head. He knew that he was sharing a vulnerable weakness to Haku, but he did not like the idea of Haku being frightened of him, because it obviously took a lot of courage for Haku to approach Itachi on his own.
"Can I help?" Haku finally whispered.
"I don't think you can. I have had many doctors and several healers in my years–"
"Please my lord. My family has studied and performed with many medicines and techniques through generations. I–I would like to try, if you would so allow?" Haku stepped closer to the desk, his voice a little stronger than it had been in the past few days.
Itachi liked seeing this side of his betrothed. Haku seemed to express a passion that he was proud of and wanted to share with Itachi. The soft birdsong voice was now stronger and Itachi nodded his head in permission, allowing his betrothed to take the lead.
