(A/N: Thanks for the reviews!
Junsui-san: I'm glad you like the story, despite its nature. And here I was, freaking out over what people might say. . .
AquaHawk-04: I'm glad you like the story, and think it is 'original'. I personally know I'm drawing elements from other stories [which are too numerous to name].
BishieHuggler: Yes, yes. Same pairings. There probably will be a smidgen of romance in here, but it's probably going to be more sex on a carnal level, than on the emotional one. And you're right with your psychoanalysis - I am a sadist that likes to torture Sasuke. But I also wanted to change around the typical 'lower random race of people versus higher up human race' story. I'm glad you liked it. It took me forever to figure out how I was gonna pull this one off.
SeOsiris: I'm glad you like the fic thus far.
Mister Pineapple: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.
Iceheart19: I'm glad you liked it. I've never heard of Elvenbane, but I might have to read it. . .
Watermelon Gal: I looooove angst. I'm glad you liked the story.
CelUnknown: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.
teckno: I'm glad you like the story. =)
ePuiChi: I'm glad you liked the story, and I agree with you completely about Sasuke's character. He's harder to write. He's certainly an angst case, but not to the point of self-pity. In fact, I'm not at all happy with how I wrote most of the characters in this. Oh well, I'll call it artistic license for now, but I'll work on Sasuke. If there's any other glaring problems, feel free to let me know.
Nocturne's Requiem: Wow. I'm glad you're so...adamant about how much you like the story. =)
Yuen-chan: I know it's depressing. And it probably won't get much happier. Sorry.
YukaYuka: ::offers you a cookie:: . Yes...the officer is Naruto. . .But don't tell anyone else! =)
I think now that I've gotten you all hooked, I feel bad, so I'm going to let you know this now: the story will involve some mpreg [male pregnancy for those of you who don't know]. It's not going to be the sole backbone of the story, but will probably play an intricate role. If you're at all uncomfortable with the thought, refrain from reading, or if you must, don't flame. Constructive criticism is much better.
Warnings for this chapter: Probably some badly used Japanese suffixes, more OOCness, especially on Sasuke's part, talk of drug use, swearing, sexual references, and I think that's it.
Now, on with the fic!)
Chapter 2: Chains
"Uzumaki-sama?"
Hearing his name, the blond boy, no more than sixteen, turned around, looking at his elder, yet inferior officer.
Hatake Kakashi's one visible eye looked up at him lazily, in the trademark bored expression only geniuses seemed to wear. "May I have a word with you?"
He merely nodded and followed the silver-haired one. It wasn't as though Kakashi was old - far from it, only turning thirty just prior to the blond turning sixteen - but rather, this was his natural hair colour.
He walked down the corridor slightly ahead of the younger officer, hands jammed in his pockets, seemingly completely calm. The blond, however, knew something was up. Kakashi, the leading general of the kitsune-jin army, elite forces and special unit, did not just ask to 'have a word' with anybody over nothing. No, not even with the prince.
Yes, that was right. The blond creature was the next heir to the throne of kitsune-jin Konoha. His name was Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the great Yondaime (the fourth king of kitsune-jin Konoha. The dynasty hadn't even lasted fifty years yet and they'd already been through four kings. Go figure).
Naruto was not at all the image fitting of a prince. First off, he was short. Secondly, he looked more like a boy who had yet to hit puberty, rather than one who had already been through it. His face was still round, like a child's, and his unruly blond hair and his large, wide blue eyes didn't help that image. He was hoping that he was merely a late bloomer and would become more regal and king-like, as his father was, within the next few years.
Third, and foremost, Naruto did not act like a prince. He was loud, he was rude, he was ever attention-seeking, he had no manners and his favourite hobby was pulling pranks. Still, he was the prince and everyone respected him as such, and he pleased his father to no end.
Kakashi stopped rather abruptly, in the corridor, just before the hall gave way to the jail cells for those who had been caught by the special forces unit. The florescent lights overhead buzzed and Naruto suddenly knew that all those jail films had actually been filmed in a jail.
"About the one you brought in last night," Kakashi was saying, when he decided to clue in again.
"Yeah?"
"Did you find out what he was addicted to? 'Cause he's pretty bad in there. . ."
Kakashi trailed off and turned his attention to the cells, where some poor sap was singing and banging his cup against the bars of his cell. He'd been in there for god-knew how long, before Naruto ever was assigned to the special forces, and Naruto now supposed it was enough to drive one batty.
Kakashi turned back to him and he shook his head, his blond bangs scattering over his face. "Nope, ain't got a clue. Think it was something bad, Chief?"
He called Kakashi 'chief', merely to recognize that while he was here, Kakashi was his superior, royal blood or no royal blood.
Kakashi looked like he was in thought, which was a rare sight. It wasn't that Kakashi didn't think, but rather, he thought without effort.
"He said he was part of the Uchiha clan, didn't he? Huh, I thought we took care of them a long time ago. . ."
Kakashi had been his father's general when he'd first been coronated, and though Naruto didn't really remember it, he'd heard of the massacres against drug rings and prostitution rings. The Uchiha one had been the one that everyone remembered, merely because the family had been very large and very infamous for what they'd done.
Kakashi was looking back toward the cells. "Huh, it figures. Itachi, he had to fight for his life, and this one...Well, I bet he's the one we let go, and lookit him now. Just goes to show you, habits are hard to break."
Kakashi looked back at Naruto, who was merely looking at him stupidly. "Go talk to him. See what you can get out of him. I'll see if I can find anything out from the other one."
Naruto nodded, knowing that by "the other one", Kakashi meant Itachi.
With a suppressed shudder, the blond prince wandered into the cell area. Some of the prisoners called out to him, wanting to know his name, his number. They wanted to know what day it was, what time it was, when the next meal was, when that bastard Kakashi was coming back. Some of them didn't say anything. Some of them were singing like the man in the first cell on the right.
Naruto ignored them and walked right by. He walked down, to the far end of the hall, listening to the prisoners scream at him.
He stopped at the furthest cell from the door. He fished around for the key, then entered the cell. He slid the door shut, then sat down on the edge of the rotting cot.
The prisoner glared up at him with murderous eyes. Obviously, he'd not wanted to be interrupted. "What do you want?" His tone was as dangerous as his eyes.
"I want to talk to you."
The boy sat up, his teeth looking blanch white in the dark of the cell. His dark eyes snapped with anger beneath his mussed hair. "I think you did enough talking last night. So, you can leave."
The boy rolled over and pulled the thread-bare blanket over his form. Naruto looked at the wall and saw that there was some mould forming. "So...you said your name was Uchiha Sasuke?"
He received a grunt in reply. "So, Sasuke, what kind of drugs were you doing?"
"What does it matter?"
He grabbed one of the boy's arms and looked at it intently, studying the various marks. There were bruises, and cuts, which were obviously not from drugs, but from his line of work, but there were funny little track marks, which ran up and down his arms to meet the apocalypse of wounds, a crater-sized wound, that was circled with black, probably from infection and bruising. Naruto looked at the boy, who was looking at the wound dully.
"Morphine? Heroin? What?"
" . . .Heroin," the dark-haired boy said, almost in shame.
Naruto made a soft noise. Heroin was powerfully addictive, and terribly expensive. It was little wonder Sasuke had hauled himself into debt with seemingly such ease.
He rubbed the wound absently, making Sasuke wince and try to pull away. "Did I wake you up?" he asked after a moment, wondering why the black-haired creature was in such a foul mood. It never occurred to him that it was because Sasuke had gone without drugs for a while, was in withdrawal and was in prison to boot.
"No," Sasuke mumbled, turning over again.
"Did you sleep at all?"
The dark-haired one shook his head, keeping his eyes down. "Don't sleep," he muttered. He failed to state why.
"Why?" was Naruto's next question.
Sasuke heaved a tired sigh and murmured, "Nightmares."
Naruto understood, not entirely, but he vaguely recalled Kakashi's words and no doubt life had been hard on the human who was pitiful in front of him.
He felt slightly sick to his stomach. Why did he feel so...worried about this stupid human? Humans were disgusting, and this was a prime example. He was filled with drugs, from dirty needles, and disease from sex. He didn't eat and he didn't sleep, and he reeked of sex and sweat and blood. He probably hadn't bathed in months.
Sasuke shuddered and turned over, and Naruto suddenly became aware that the prisoner was crying. Hesitantly, not wanting to touch the filth-ridden thing, he placed his hand on a shaking shoulder and became aware of just how thin Sasuke was.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice being a little more cold than he had wanted. His thoughts were still all wrapped up in being disgusted and his voice reflected it.
Sasuke shook his head and rubbed a bony wrist across his face, as if trying to dry his tears. Slowly, Naruto removed his hand.
He watched in silence as Sasuke's crying became more apparent, and he curled up, with his knees to his chest. His shoulders shook roughly and he bit his lip hard.
Naruto, however, could think of nothing to say to the human boy, and he rose, ready to leave. Honestly, he didn't need to hang around with dirty, rude humans all day.
Just as he was sliding the door back, he deciphered words from beneath all of Sasuke's sniffling.
"....stay.....hurts...."
Naruto turned back and looked at Sasuke. "What hurts?" he asked.
". . .everything. .," was the whiny reply.
Naruto sat back down, only to be bombarded with angry thoughts. Why did he care?! He found himself stroking the human's tousled hair. Sasuke pushed up into his touch and whined more. Naruto continued to pet him, uncertain as to why he continued to touch the filthy thing.
Sasuke coughed and rolled over, curling up even more. The ragged blanket became twisted about him and for the first time, Naruto could see the cuts and bruises, and all of the boy's skeletal features.
"Don't you eat?" Naruto asked, abruptly and Sasuke coughed again, then shook his head.
"Why not?" Naruto asked, curious as to why someone would starve themselves.
"Money," came the weak reply.
Naruto looked at him, surprised. "Bread isn't that expensive! It's only a dime a slice -"
"Makes me sick," the dark-haired human replied, sounding almost amused.
Naruto frowned. "So, why don't you just buy milk or something that doesn't make you sick?"
This time, Sasuke did laugh - bitterly. He looked at the blond, eyes blazing. "Do you know how much a cup of that stuff costs?! Four and a half dollars, four and a half! And a litre, do you know what a litre costs? Seven dollars. Seven fucking dollars! Someone like me doesn't have that kind of money!"
Naruto snorted. "Yet you have money for drugs."
How pathetic really, that the human low-lives were more apt to spend money they didn't have on drugs, something they didn't need, than food.
Sasuke shook his head. "I could get it, without paying for it. For free, in a way. Didn't need the money for it right then and there. Stuff...food, you've always got pay for it, right then and there. No giveaways there."
He sprawled out on the cot, and for the first time, he looked to the blond like the courtesan he was supposed to be. He sighed heavily. "No money, no education, no food, no home, no family and no status."
He smiled, almost sadly. "I've got nothing."
Absently, he rubbed his shrunken stomach, then sighed again and rolled over, wincing. The blond had long since removed his hand from him. His stomach growled and began to chew on itself again. He closed his eyes and curled up, feeling a familiar weakness spreading through his limbs.
The blond said nothing to him for a long time, and it was just before he plunged into sleep that he realized his inquisitor was gone. He plummeted into unrestful slumber.
- - - - - - - - -
"So, what did you find out?"
"Not much," Kakashi returned. "Itachi didn't say much, except that he did, in fact, have a younger brother named Sasuke."
Naruto looked thoughtful. After a minute or so, he said, "I want him put up at the palace."
Kakashi's visible eye widened ever so slightly and his voice was incredulous. "You what?" he cried, causing a few of the workers to stop and look at the normally reserved Special Forces Captain.
Naruto glowered, as best as his wide eyes would let him. "You heard me."
Kakashi couldn't believe what Naruto was saying. Of course, the blond boy was irrational, and sometimes clinically insane, but the elder kitsune-jin had never thought that Naruto had a death wish. "You want to invite a known criminal - a whore, a drug addict, and a human, into your home, the imperial palace?"
Feeling slightly sheepish, now that Kakashi had been so blunt with him, he nodded. Kakashi sighed, deciding he'd better try to talk Naruto out of suicide before he jumped head first off the cliff. "Your father wouldn't allow it."
Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Of course he'll allow it!"
He spoke with a confidence he didn't feel, because he had no idea how his father would react. Kakashi seemed to sense this and rolled his eye. "Whatever. If that's what you want, you can deal with him."
There. He'd tried. Nobody ever said Kakashi was persistent, never mind as persistent as Naruto was. The blond kitsune-jin smiled at him. "By the way, Kakashi, can you summon Hyuuga Hinata for me?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Hyuuga Hinata was of the famed Hyuuga clan, the head of the house and the wife of the local kitsune-jin lord, Inuzuka Kiba. "Why?" he asked, feeling nervous at the young prince's request.
Naruto's smile, devilish to cover up his flustered self, grew even wider. "I need someone to nurse the human."
Kakashi nearly fell over. "Naruto! Are you insane?! Inuzuka won't allow it! Your father won't allow it!"
Naruto laughed and started to walk away. "Well, I'm off to see my father. Summon Hinata for me, Kakashi."
He gave his elder a little wave, then walked off, laughing lightly. Kakashi sighed.
- - - - - - - - -
"So, brat, you're home."
"Yes, old hag, I am," Naruto said, greeting his grandmother, who smiled and shook her head at the insult. It wasn't an uncommon thing for them to insult each other.
Tsunade was a kitsune-jin, and a powerful warrior as well. She was blonde, though her hair was less wild than Naruto's. She was also buxom, which was probably why his grandfather had married her in the first place. She looked to be no older than thirty, but she was just on the verge of fifty. Still, she was young for the grandmother of a sixteen-year old, but that was how the kitsune-jin monarchy needed to operate.
"So, the brat's home?"
His grandfather meandered into the room. Jiraiya looked his age, unlike his wife. His wild mess of hair had gone a silver-gray and his bronzed face was beginning to sag. He'd been the younger brother of the Sandaime, the third kitsune-jin king of Konoha. The Sandaime had inherited the throne merely because he was the elder child. However, when he'd passed on, his only child had been a girl, whereas Jiraiya had a son. Thus, Jiraiya's son had become the Yondaime. The Sandaime's daughter had a son, Konohamaru, who was younger than Naruto.
Naruto grinned at his grandparents. "Where's my dad?"
"Upstairs, brat," Tsunade said, then proceeded to slap Jiraiya for staring at her boobs.
Naruto dashed away to the upstairs. He found his father sitting in his study, reading over several new bills to be passed. Naruto cleared his throat and the Yondaime looked up at him. Blue eyes met blue eyes, blond hair obscuring both sets.
"Can I help you, son?" the Yondaime asked, his manner calm and relaxed, yet stiff and business-like all the same.
Naruto looked, and felt nervous. His father was generally a gentle man, but he had no idea how he'd react to this. "Um, yes, Father, I need to talk to you..."
The Yondaime continued to look at his son, his unwavering gaze filled with curiosity. Why had his son suddenly become so bashful and quiet, when normally he was so brazen and brash?
Naruto felt a nervous smile force his lips to curve up. "I want to bring someone to the palace...A house guest of sorts."
The Yondaime smiled, and his smile, unlike Naruto's, was gentle and pleased. "Your potential bride, I assume?"
Naruto felt as though he was letting his father down. He could see the satisfaction and pride in the man's eyes. "No," he murmured, feeling quite guilty. "A boy. A human boy."
His father's expression changed suddenly, from happy to angry. "A human?!" he roared, rising from his seat. "In my house?! Are you insane boy?! I won't allow it!"
Naruto frowned. "Why not?! Give me a good reason!"
"Humans are disgusting! They're low-lives, not fit to even set foot inside my home!"
"Father!" Naruto cried, feeling anger rising in his own veins. "He'll die without proper treatment!"
"Then so be it! It will be one less of the wretched things to line my streets and beg for bread!"
"Father!" the blond cried, desperation taking hold. He'd never heard his father speak so harshly, and he wished to change the man's words into softer ones. He had no idea why he was fighting so hard on behalf of a human though.
"He'll die! Please! You can't let him die, knowing there was something you could do to help!"
The blond man looked at his son, his eyes blazing. "I should let him die and I won't give a damn about what I could have done! I won't be guilty over the death of some human!"
Naruto, feeling too angry to continue, cried angrily, "I'll bring him here, no matter what you say! I won't let him die, not without trying to help him first!"
And he turned and stormed out of the room, his father hollering after him, "Naruto!"
He ran down the stairs, nearly knocking Tsunade over in his haste. Tsunade stared after the streak of orange that was her grandson for a moment, then continued up the stairs to see what all the yelling was about. She poked her head into the study.
Her son's eyes screamed murder. "Bring that brat back here!"
He charged by his mother, storming downstairs. "Where'd that whelp get to?"
Jiraiya merely looked at his son blankly and pointed. The Yondaime of Konoha took off in the specified direction.
- - - - - - - -
"Gimme a hand here, Kakashi."
"No. I've got no part in this,"
"Please?" Naruto asked, trying to look beseechingly at his elder.
Sasuke watched them with vague interest. He supposed they were moving him to another (darker, damper) cell, where he would wait until his hearing. Naruto was trying to lift him up now and he tried to push the kitsune-jin away. He smelled funny - like heavy perfumes and riches - and Sasuke would be killed before he let himself be carried anywhere by anyone.
"I can walk," he growled and forced Naruto to let him down, only to stumbled and need support from the blond kitsune-jin who seemed so genuinely concerned about him that it was disgusting.
He'd forgotten how much pain it caused him to walk, for days, and even weeks after his encounters with his clients. Lying stagnant for a day or two had allowed the torture he'd subjected his body to catch up with him, and he ached with every movement.
Naruto was close to him again and he wrinkled his nose, hating the scent of those exotic perfumes he must have bathed in - the scent seemed to be entwined with his skin. Lavender, jasmine, and other exotics clung to the kitsune-jin.
Sasuke was well aware he reeked of blood and sweat, and filth; nothing overly pleasant. At first, he'd not been able to bear the scent of his own blood, when he'd first started this whole fiasco, but now he was so used to it, he barely noticed.
However, recently, he'd been basically bathed in the crimson liquid and it was making him nauseous. His limbs felt weak and he had no choice but to at least rest up against the kitsune-jin. He noticed then that Naruto's nose was crinkled.
Feeling almost insulted, Sasuke pushed away, and tried to walk away, only to fall and land on his ass - hard. The cold cement floor beneath him was no saviour and it sent the pain reverberating throughout him, forcing tears into his eyes. He felt as if he was being torn open again.
The silver-haired man merely rolled his eyes at the pathetic human, as Naruto tried to help him up. He utterly refused the blond's help and shoved himself away, this time managing to make his way across the floor, till he stood near the doorway. The door had been left open, and had he any strength, he would have bolted.
It was then that he realized he was wearing almost naught but the shreds of the clothes he'd been wearing when they'd taken him in. His shirt had been taken away, not that it had been much to begin with, and now, the cold air of the cell had cause his nipples to stand pert. His shorts were tattered and stained with blood, but again, they had been short and pretty much useless to begin with.
Aside from that, he was nude in front of the two kitsune-jins, and he was well aware that his shorts clung to and outlined his manhood, and bunched up around his ass. A rush of blood to his face made his pale skin turn pink and he was blushing.
The silver-haired one started to laugh. "You're going to take that thing home, Naruto?! Are you that desperate?"
The blond glared at him, and Sasuke lowered his head to allow his bangs to cover his face. He couldn't help it; after all, sex had been his profession and he wasn't that well-off to afford new clothes every once in a while.
"I'm not desperate at all, Kakashi," the blond retorted nastily, and peeking out from under his bangs, Sasuke could see the sharp canines hidden inside the kitsune-jin's mouth. His whole face was crinkled in a snarl. "If I wanted I could have my pick of the litter, and you know it. At least I could actually get some if I tried, unlike you."
Kakashi seemed to take offense from this and sniffed, "My books are good literature."
"Huh!" the other exclaimed. "They're filth! I should know - my grandfather wrote them!"
"And that just proves that lewdness runs in your veins," Kakashi concluded triumphantly.
Naruto stuck his nose up in the air. "I have no need or want of a whore, Kakashi. This is a religious matter. I'm saving my soul by doing a good deed, unlike you, who wouldn't stop to help a dying whelp."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, knowing full-well that Naruto was anything and everything but religious. "And which god do you plan on having save your soul?"
Naruto stared at him blankly. "Uuuuhhhh....There's more than one god?" he asked, stupidly.
Kakashi sighed. "Yes, Naruto. There is a whole pantheon of them."
Naruto blinked and said, "Oh." He'd only thought there was the one god, Kyuubi, whom his family perpetually worshipped and made the family patron.
Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes again. He knew Naruto was bluffing. Still, the kitsune-jin prince seemed hell-bent on having the human wretch brought up to his home.
It was just then that, like a bat out of hell, the Yondaime stormed into the cells, his white robes billowing behind him, and his eyes like blue fire. As he tore through the narrow corridor, prisoners clawed at him, either screaming terrible curses upon him, or beseeching this supposed saint for deliverance. He shoved them all aside, and with such force that the brittle bones broke.
He stopped in front of the open cell, his robes swirling about him. He grabbed his son by the collar of his shirt and glared at him, their faces almost touching. Even from a distance, one could feel the rage roiling off of him in heated waves.
"You," he growled and Naruto could feel the heat of his father's breath, and see the saliva dripping from his chops.
He was sure he didn't know this creature. He seemed almost rabid, like a demon possessed him and he could tear Naruto limb from limb if he so desired. The younger boy broke out into an uneasy, cold sweat.
The Yondaime of Konoha looked up suddenly and he saw the prisoner. He threw his son away and advanced on the hapless human, still snarling like a man possessed. "You," he growled, pointing a finger at the creature, who seemed undaunted.
Sasuke watched the older kitsune-jin with impassive eyes. He really didn't care at this point what was done to him. After all, what did it matter? He was worthless, and completely useless too. His body needed to be pumped full of drugs, and all sorts of other things, to block the memories, and the need of himself.
Old habits die hard.
His body seemed to act on its own, remembering the ritualistic dance it used to dance when dealing with raging, seething men. When the Yondaime's hand clenched about his neck, he leaned back a bit, pressing the rest of his frail, thin self to the man's body, and thus, removing himself from direct danger. He sought to entwine himself with the other, and his body continued the dance.
The three kitsune-jins in the room blinked stupidly as the human boy nuzzled and ground his way past the Yondaime's stupefied defences. Only when the kitsune-jin male returned to his senses did he realize what was happening.
He threw the whore from himself, turning to sneer to his son, "Do you really want that thing in our house?"
Naruto stared and said nothing. At last, with eyes full of rage, he turned and walked away, storming out of the cell, like his father had entered. The Yondaime followed him, without so much as a glance back. Kakashi, however, sneered at the human sprawled on the floor, "Slut," before slamming the cell door shut.
Sasuke lay on the cold, damp floor, his eyes downcast, thinking.
Junsui-san: I'm glad you like the story, despite its nature. And here I was, freaking out over what people might say. . .
AquaHawk-04: I'm glad you like the story, and think it is 'original'. I personally know I'm drawing elements from other stories [which are too numerous to name].
BishieHuggler: Yes, yes. Same pairings. There probably will be a smidgen of romance in here, but it's probably going to be more sex on a carnal level, than on the emotional one. And you're right with your psychoanalysis - I am a sadist that likes to torture Sasuke. But I also wanted to change around the typical 'lower random race of people versus higher up human race' story. I'm glad you liked it. It took me forever to figure out how I was gonna pull this one off.
SeOsiris: I'm glad you like the fic thus far.
Mister Pineapple: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.
Iceheart19: I'm glad you liked it. I've never heard of Elvenbane, but I might have to read it. . .
Watermelon Gal: I looooove angst. I'm glad you liked the story.
CelUnknown: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.
teckno: I'm glad you like the story. =)
ePuiChi: I'm glad you liked the story, and I agree with you completely about Sasuke's character. He's harder to write. He's certainly an angst case, but not to the point of self-pity. In fact, I'm not at all happy with how I wrote most of the characters in this. Oh well, I'll call it artistic license for now, but I'll work on Sasuke. If there's any other glaring problems, feel free to let me know.
Nocturne's Requiem: Wow. I'm glad you're so...adamant about how much you like the story. =)
Yuen-chan: I know it's depressing. And it probably won't get much happier. Sorry.
YukaYuka: ::offers you a cookie:: . Yes...the officer is Naruto. . .But don't tell anyone else! =)
I think now that I've gotten you all hooked, I feel bad, so I'm going to let you know this now: the story will involve some mpreg [male pregnancy for those of you who don't know]. It's not going to be the sole backbone of the story, but will probably play an intricate role. If you're at all uncomfortable with the thought, refrain from reading, or if you must, don't flame. Constructive criticism is much better.
Warnings for this chapter: Probably some badly used Japanese suffixes, more OOCness, especially on Sasuke's part, talk of drug use, swearing, sexual references, and I think that's it.
Now, on with the fic!)
Chapter 2: Chains
"Uzumaki-sama?"
Hearing his name, the blond boy, no more than sixteen, turned around, looking at his elder, yet inferior officer.
Hatake Kakashi's one visible eye looked up at him lazily, in the trademark bored expression only geniuses seemed to wear. "May I have a word with you?"
He merely nodded and followed the silver-haired one. It wasn't as though Kakashi was old - far from it, only turning thirty just prior to the blond turning sixteen - but rather, this was his natural hair colour.
He walked down the corridor slightly ahead of the younger officer, hands jammed in his pockets, seemingly completely calm. The blond, however, knew something was up. Kakashi, the leading general of the kitsune-jin army, elite forces and special unit, did not just ask to 'have a word' with anybody over nothing. No, not even with the prince.
Yes, that was right. The blond creature was the next heir to the throne of kitsune-jin Konoha. His name was Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the great Yondaime (the fourth king of kitsune-jin Konoha. The dynasty hadn't even lasted fifty years yet and they'd already been through four kings. Go figure).
Naruto was not at all the image fitting of a prince. First off, he was short. Secondly, he looked more like a boy who had yet to hit puberty, rather than one who had already been through it. His face was still round, like a child's, and his unruly blond hair and his large, wide blue eyes didn't help that image. He was hoping that he was merely a late bloomer and would become more regal and king-like, as his father was, within the next few years.
Third, and foremost, Naruto did not act like a prince. He was loud, he was rude, he was ever attention-seeking, he had no manners and his favourite hobby was pulling pranks. Still, he was the prince and everyone respected him as such, and he pleased his father to no end.
Kakashi stopped rather abruptly, in the corridor, just before the hall gave way to the jail cells for those who had been caught by the special forces unit. The florescent lights overhead buzzed and Naruto suddenly knew that all those jail films had actually been filmed in a jail.
"About the one you brought in last night," Kakashi was saying, when he decided to clue in again.
"Yeah?"
"Did you find out what he was addicted to? 'Cause he's pretty bad in there. . ."
Kakashi trailed off and turned his attention to the cells, where some poor sap was singing and banging his cup against the bars of his cell. He'd been in there for god-knew how long, before Naruto ever was assigned to the special forces, and Naruto now supposed it was enough to drive one batty.
Kakashi turned back to him and he shook his head, his blond bangs scattering over his face. "Nope, ain't got a clue. Think it was something bad, Chief?"
He called Kakashi 'chief', merely to recognize that while he was here, Kakashi was his superior, royal blood or no royal blood.
Kakashi looked like he was in thought, which was a rare sight. It wasn't that Kakashi didn't think, but rather, he thought without effort.
"He said he was part of the Uchiha clan, didn't he? Huh, I thought we took care of them a long time ago. . ."
Kakashi had been his father's general when he'd first been coronated, and though Naruto didn't really remember it, he'd heard of the massacres against drug rings and prostitution rings. The Uchiha one had been the one that everyone remembered, merely because the family had been very large and very infamous for what they'd done.
Kakashi was looking back toward the cells. "Huh, it figures. Itachi, he had to fight for his life, and this one...Well, I bet he's the one we let go, and lookit him now. Just goes to show you, habits are hard to break."
Kakashi looked back at Naruto, who was merely looking at him stupidly. "Go talk to him. See what you can get out of him. I'll see if I can find anything out from the other one."
Naruto nodded, knowing that by "the other one", Kakashi meant Itachi.
With a suppressed shudder, the blond prince wandered into the cell area. Some of the prisoners called out to him, wanting to know his name, his number. They wanted to know what day it was, what time it was, when the next meal was, when that bastard Kakashi was coming back. Some of them didn't say anything. Some of them were singing like the man in the first cell on the right.
Naruto ignored them and walked right by. He walked down, to the far end of the hall, listening to the prisoners scream at him.
He stopped at the furthest cell from the door. He fished around for the key, then entered the cell. He slid the door shut, then sat down on the edge of the rotting cot.
The prisoner glared up at him with murderous eyes. Obviously, he'd not wanted to be interrupted. "What do you want?" His tone was as dangerous as his eyes.
"I want to talk to you."
The boy sat up, his teeth looking blanch white in the dark of the cell. His dark eyes snapped with anger beneath his mussed hair. "I think you did enough talking last night. So, you can leave."
The boy rolled over and pulled the thread-bare blanket over his form. Naruto looked at the wall and saw that there was some mould forming. "So...you said your name was Uchiha Sasuke?"
He received a grunt in reply. "So, Sasuke, what kind of drugs were you doing?"
"What does it matter?"
He grabbed one of the boy's arms and looked at it intently, studying the various marks. There were bruises, and cuts, which were obviously not from drugs, but from his line of work, but there were funny little track marks, which ran up and down his arms to meet the apocalypse of wounds, a crater-sized wound, that was circled with black, probably from infection and bruising. Naruto looked at the boy, who was looking at the wound dully.
"Morphine? Heroin? What?"
" . . .Heroin," the dark-haired boy said, almost in shame.
Naruto made a soft noise. Heroin was powerfully addictive, and terribly expensive. It was little wonder Sasuke had hauled himself into debt with seemingly such ease.
He rubbed the wound absently, making Sasuke wince and try to pull away. "Did I wake you up?" he asked after a moment, wondering why the black-haired creature was in such a foul mood. It never occurred to him that it was because Sasuke had gone without drugs for a while, was in withdrawal and was in prison to boot.
"No," Sasuke mumbled, turning over again.
"Did you sleep at all?"
The dark-haired one shook his head, keeping his eyes down. "Don't sleep," he muttered. He failed to state why.
"Why?" was Naruto's next question.
Sasuke heaved a tired sigh and murmured, "Nightmares."
Naruto understood, not entirely, but he vaguely recalled Kakashi's words and no doubt life had been hard on the human who was pitiful in front of him.
He felt slightly sick to his stomach. Why did he feel so...worried about this stupid human? Humans were disgusting, and this was a prime example. He was filled with drugs, from dirty needles, and disease from sex. He didn't eat and he didn't sleep, and he reeked of sex and sweat and blood. He probably hadn't bathed in months.
Sasuke shuddered and turned over, and Naruto suddenly became aware that the prisoner was crying. Hesitantly, not wanting to touch the filth-ridden thing, he placed his hand on a shaking shoulder and became aware of just how thin Sasuke was.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice being a little more cold than he had wanted. His thoughts were still all wrapped up in being disgusted and his voice reflected it.
Sasuke shook his head and rubbed a bony wrist across his face, as if trying to dry his tears. Slowly, Naruto removed his hand.
He watched in silence as Sasuke's crying became more apparent, and he curled up, with his knees to his chest. His shoulders shook roughly and he bit his lip hard.
Naruto, however, could think of nothing to say to the human boy, and he rose, ready to leave. Honestly, he didn't need to hang around with dirty, rude humans all day.
Just as he was sliding the door back, he deciphered words from beneath all of Sasuke's sniffling.
"....stay.....hurts...."
Naruto turned back and looked at Sasuke. "What hurts?" he asked.
". . .everything. .," was the whiny reply.
Naruto sat back down, only to be bombarded with angry thoughts. Why did he care?! He found himself stroking the human's tousled hair. Sasuke pushed up into his touch and whined more. Naruto continued to pet him, uncertain as to why he continued to touch the filthy thing.
Sasuke coughed and rolled over, curling up even more. The ragged blanket became twisted about him and for the first time, Naruto could see the cuts and bruises, and all of the boy's skeletal features.
"Don't you eat?" Naruto asked, abruptly and Sasuke coughed again, then shook his head.
"Why not?" Naruto asked, curious as to why someone would starve themselves.
"Money," came the weak reply.
Naruto looked at him, surprised. "Bread isn't that expensive! It's only a dime a slice -"
"Makes me sick," the dark-haired human replied, sounding almost amused.
Naruto frowned. "So, why don't you just buy milk or something that doesn't make you sick?"
This time, Sasuke did laugh - bitterly. He looked at the blond, eyes blazing. "Do you know how much a cup of that stuff costs?! Four and a half dollars, four and a half! And a litre, do you know what a litre costs? Seven dollars. Seven fucking dollars! Someone like me doesn't have that kind of money!"
Naruto snorted. "Yet you have money for drugs."
How pathetic really, that the human low-lives were more apt to spend money they didn't have on drugs, something they didn't need, than food.
Sasuke shook his head. "I could get it, without paying for it. For free, in a way. Didn't need the money for it right then and there. Stuff...food, you've always got pay for it, right then and there. No giveaways there."
He sprawled out on the cot, and for the first time, he looked to the blond like the courtesan he was supposed to be. He sighed heavily. "No money, no education, no food, no home, no family and no status."
He smiled, almost sadly. "I've got nothing."
Absently, he rubbed his shrunken stomach, then sighed again and rolled over, wincing. The blond had long since removed his hand from him. His stomach growled and began to chew on itself again. He closed his eyes and curled up, feeling a familiar weakness spreading through his limbs.
The blond said nothing to him for a long time, and it was just before he plunged into sleep that he realized his inquisitor was gone. He plummeted into unrestful slumber.
- - - - - - - - -
"So, what did you find out?"
"Not much," Kakashi returned. "Itachi didn't say much, except that he did, in fact, have a younger brother named Sasuke."
Naruto looked thoughtful. After a minute or so, he said, "I want him put up at the palace."
Kakashi's visible eye widened ever so slightly and his voice was incredulous. "You what?" he cried, causing a few of the workers to stop and look at the normally reserved Special Forces Captain.
Naruto glowered, as best as his wide eyes would let him. "You heard me."
Kakashi couldn't believe what Naruto was saying. Of course, the blond boy was irrational, and sometimes clinically insane, but the elder kitsune-jin had never thought that Naruto had a death wish. "You want to invite a known criminal - a whore, a drug addict, and a human, into your home, the imperial palace?"
Feeling slightly sheepish, now that Kakashi had been so blunt with him, he nodded. Kakashi sighed, deciding he'd better try to talk Naruto out of suicide before he jumped head first off the cliff. "Your father wouldn't allow it."
Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Of course he'll allow it!"
He spoke with a confidence he didn't feel, because he had no idea how his father would react. Kakashi seemed to sense this and rolled his eye. "Whatever. If that's what you want, you can deal with him."
There. He'd tried. Nobody ever said Kakashi was persistent, never mind as persistent as Naruto was. The blond kitsune-jin smiled at him. "By the way, Kakashi, can you summon Hyuuga Hinata for me?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Hyuuga Hinata was of the famed Hyuuga clan, the head of the house and the wife of the local kitsune-jin lord, Inuzuka Kiba. "Why?" he asked, feeling nervous at the young prince's request.
Naruto's smile, devilish to cover up his flustered self, grew even wider. "I need someone to nurse the human."
Kakashi nearly fell over. "Naruto! Are you insane?! Inuzuka won't allow it! Your father won't allow it!"
Naruto laughed and started to walk away. "Well, I'm off to see my father. Summon Hinata for me, Kakashi."
He gave his elder a little wave, then walked off, laughing lightly. Kakashi sighed.
- - - - - - - - -
"So, brat, you're home."
"Yes, old hag, I am," Naruto said, greeting his grandmother, who smiled and shook her head at the insult. It wasn't an uncommon thing for them to insult each other.
Tsunade was a kitsune-jin, and a powerful warrior as well. She was blonde, though her hair was less wild than Naruto's. She was also buxom, which was probably why his grandfather had married her in the first place. She looked to be no older than thirty, but she was just on the verge of fifty. Still, she was young for the grandmother of a sixteen-year old, but that was how the kitsune-jin monarchy needed to operate.
"So, the brat's home?"
His grandfather meandered into the room. Jiraiya looked his age, unlike his wife. His wild mess of hair had gone a silver-gray and his bronzed face was beginning to sag. He'd been the younger brother of the Sandaime, the third kitsune-jin king of Konoha. The Sandaime had inherited the throne merely because he was the elder child. However, when he'd passed on, his only child had been a girl, whereas Jiraiya had a son. Thus, Jiraiya's son had become the Yondaime. The Sandaime's daughter had a son, Konohamaru, who was younger than Naruto.
Naruto grinned at his grandparents. "Where's my dad?"
"Upstairs, brat," Tsunade said, then proceeded to slap Jiraiya for staring at her boobs.
Naruto dashed away to the upstairs. He found his father sitting in his study, reading over several new bills to be passed. Naruto cleared his throat and the Yondaime looked up at him. Blue eyes met blue eyes, blond hair obscuring both sets.
"Can I help you, son?" the Yondaime asked, his manner calm and relaxed, yet stiff and business-like all the same.
Naruto looked, and felt nervous. His father was generally a gentle man, but he had no idea how he'd react to this. "Um, yes, Father, I need to talk to you..."
The Yondaime continued to look at his son, his unwavering gaze filled with curiosity. Why had his son suddenly become so bashful and quiet, when normally he was so brazen and brash?
Naruto felt a nervous smile force his lips to curve up. "I want to bring someone to the palace...A house guest of sorts."
The Yondaime smiled, and his smile, unlike Naruto's, was gentle and pleased. "Your potential bride, I assume?"
Naruto felt as though he was letting his father down. He could see the satisfaction and pride in the man's eyes. "No," he murmured, feeling quite guilty. "A boy. A human boy."
His father's expression changed suddenly, from happy to angry. "A human?!" he roared, rising from his seat. "In my house?! Are you insane boy?! I won't allow it!"
Naruto frowned. "Why not?! Give me a good reason!"
"Humans are disgusting! They're low-lives, not fit to even set foot inside my home!"
"Father!" Naruto cried, feeling anger rising in his own veins. "He'll die without proper treatment!"
"Then so be it! It will be one less of the wretched things to line my streets and beg for bread!"
"Father!" the blond cried, desperation taking hold. He'd never heard his father speak so harshly, and he wished to change the man's words into softer ones. He had no idea why he was fighting so hard on behalf of a human though.
"He'll die! Please! You can't let him die, knowing there was something you could do to help!"
The blond man looked at his son, his eyes blazing. "I should let him die and I won't give a damn about what I could have done! I won't be guilty over the death of some human!"
Naruto, feeling too angry to continue, cried angrily, "I'll bring him here, no matter what you say! I won't let him die, not without trying to help him first!"
And he turned and stormed out of the room, his father hollering after him, "Naruto!"
He ran down the stairs, nearly knocking Tsunade over in his haste. Tsunade stared after the streak of orange that was her grandson for a moment, then continued up the stairs to see what all the yelling was about. She poked her head into the study.
Her son's eyes screamed murder. "Bring that brat back here!"
He charged by his mother, storming downstairs. "Where'd that whelp get to?"
Jiraiya merely looked at his son blankly and pointed. The Yondaime of Konoha took off in the specified direction.
- - - - - - - -
"Gimme a hand here, Kakashi."
"No. I've got no part in this,"
"Please?" Naruto asked, trying to look beseechingly at his elder.
Sasuke watched them with vague interest. He supposed they were moving him to another (darker, damper) cell, where he would wait until his hearing. Naruto was trying to lift him up now and he tried to push the kitsune-jin away. He smelled funny - like heavy perfumes and riches - and Sasuke would be killed before he let himself be carried anywhere by anyone.
"I can walk," he growled and forced Naruto to let him down, only to stumbled and need support from the blond kitsune-jin who seemed so genuinely concerned about him that it was disgusting.
He'd forgotten how much pain it caused him to walk, for days, and even weeks after his encounters with his clients. Lying stagnant for a day or two had allowed the torture he'd subjected his body to catch up with him, and he ached with every movement.
Naruto was close to him again and he wrinkled his nose, hating the scent of those exotic perfumes he must have bathed in - the scent seemed to be entwined with his skin. Lavender, jasmine, and other exotics clung to the kitsune-jin.
Sasuke was well aware he reeked of blood and sweat, and filth; nothing overly pleasant. At first, he'd not been able to bear the scent of his own blood, when he'd first started this whole fiasco, but now he was so used to it, he barely noticed.
However, recently, he'd been basically bathed in the crimson liquid and it was making him nauseous. His limbs felt weak and he had no choice but to at least rest up against the kitsune-jin. He noticed then that Naruto's nose was crinkled.
Feeling almost insulted, Sasuke pushed away, and tried to walk away, only to fall and land on his ass - hard. The cold cement floor beneath him was no saviour and it sent the pain reverberating throughout him, forcing tears into his eyes. He felt as if he was being torn open again.
The silver-haired man merely rolled his eyes at the pathetic human, as Naruto tried to help him up. He utterly refused the blond's help and shoved himself away, this time managing to make his way across the floor, till he stood near the doorway. The door had been left open, and had he any strength, he would have bolted.
It was then that he realized he was wearing almost naught but the shreds of the clothes he'd been wearing when they'd taken him in. His shirt had been taken away, not that it had been much to begin with, and now, the cold air of the cell had cause his nipples to stand pert. His shorts were tattered and stained with blood, but again, they had been short and pretty much useless to begin with.
Aside from that, he was nude in front of the two kitsune-jins, and he was well aware that his shorts clung to and outlined his manhood, and bunched up around his ass. A rush of blood to his face made his pale skin turn pink and he was blushing.
The silver-haired one started to laugh. "You're going to take that thing home, Naruto?! Are you that desperate?"
The blond glared at him, and Sasuke lowered his head to allow his bangs to cover his face. He couldn't help it; after all, sex had been his profession and he wasn't that well-off to afford new clothes every once in a while.
"I'm not desperate at all, Kakashi," the blond retorted nastily, and peeking out from under his bangs, Sasuke could see the sharp canines hidden inside the kitsune-jin's mouth. His whole face was crinkled in a snarl. "If I wanted I could have my pick of the litter, and you know it. At least I could actually get some if I tried, unlike you."
Kakashi seemed to take offense from this and sniffed, "My books are good literature."
"Huh!" the other exclaimed. "They're filth! I should know - my grandfather wrote them!"
"And that just proves that lewdness runs in your veins," Kakashi concluded triumphantly.
Naruto stuck his nose up in the air. "I have no need or want of a whore, Kakashi. This is a religious matter. I'm saving my soul by doing a good deed, unlike you, who wouldn't stop to help a dying whelp."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, knowing full-well that Naruto was anything and everything but religious. "And which god do you plan on having save your soul?"
Naruto stared at him blankly. "Uuuuhhhh....There's more than one god?" he asked, stupidly.
Kakashi sighed. "Yes, Naruto. There is a whole pantheon of them."
Naruto blinked and said, "Oh." He'd only thought there was the one god, Kyuubi, whom his family perpetually worshipped and made the family patron.
Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes again. He knew Naruto was bluffing. Still, the kitsune-jin prince seemed hell-bent on having the human wretch brought up to his home.
It was just then that, like a bat out of hell, the Yondaime stormed into the cells, his white robes billowing behind him, and his eyes like blue fire. As he tore through the narrow corridor, prisoners clawed at him, either screaming terrible curses upon him, or beseeching this supposed saint for deliverance. He shoved them all aside, and with such force that the brittle bones broke.
He stopped in front of the open cell, his robes swirling about him. He grabbed his son by the collar of his shirt and glared at him, their faces almost touching. Even from a distance, one could feel the rage roiling off of him in heated waves.
"You," he growled and Naruto could feel the heat of his father's breath, and see the saliva dripping from his chops.
He was sure he didn't know this creature. He seemed almost rabid, like a demon possessed him and he could tear Naruto limb from limb if he so desired. The younger boy broke out into an uneasy, cold sweat.
The Yondaime of Konoha looked up suddenly and he saw the prisoner. He threw his son away and advanced on the hapless human, still snarling like a man possessed. "You," he growled, pointing a finger at the creature, who seemed undaunted.
Sasuke watched the older kitsune-jin with impassive eyes. He really didn't care at this point what was done to him. After all, what did it matter? He was worthless, and completely useless too. His body needed to be pumped full of drugs, and all sorts of other things, to block the memories, and the need of himself.
Old habits die hard.
His body seemed to act on its own, remembering the ritualistic dance it used to dance when dealing with raging, seething men. When the Yondaime's hand clenched about his neck, he leaned back a bit, pressing the rest of his frail, thin self to the man's body, and thus, removing himself from direct danger. He sought to entwine himself with the other, and his body continued the dance.
The three kitsune-jins in the room blinked stupidly as the human boy nuzzled and ground his way past the Yondaime's stupefied defences. Only when the kitsune-jin male returned to his senses did he realize what was happening.
He threw the whore from himself, turning to sneer to his son, "Do you really want that thing in our house?"
Naruto stared and said nothing. At last, with eyes full of rage, he turned and walked away, storming out of the cell, like his father had entered. The Yondaime followed him, without so much as a glance back. Kakashi, however, sneered at the human sprawled on the floor, "Slut," before slamming the cell door shut.
Sasuke lay on the cold, damp floor, his eyes downcast, thinking.