(A/N: Thanks for 30 reviews!
SeOsiris: I'm glad you like the story. And don't worry, Sasuke's in good hands now. Or so we think.
Genrou chan: I'm glad you like the story so much. Updates shouldn't take too long, as long as I keep moving on this, because some of it is pre-written. I could have posted chapters one through five at once, if I so desired, but then everybody'd have to wait a long time for the next update. =3
pdonyin: I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
ePuiChi: I'm glad you like my imagery. And I think Naruto is the only character I can somewhat write in character. - - And yes, Kakashi does have someone, though that hasn't yet been introduced. I think the first mentions of it are in this chapter. I'm glad to hear you're finding the story intriguing.
teckno: Oh, yeesh. I didn't even notice that. Oo;;;; That's what you call coincident. Part of the reason I like writing A/U fanfics is that you don't have to stick to what the animator/manga-ka has provided you with. I like making up family connections. =) I'm weird.
Nocturne's Requiem: The only reason that was quick is that I have some of the chapters already written. Otherwise, it probably would have been weeks. I'm slow. =3 I'm glad you find the imagery realistic. Yondaime does come off as a bit of a bastard, but it isn't really that he's trying to be. The kitsune-jins have been oppressed for decades, and treated unfairly, and you sort of come to a mutual hate with the other party after a while. Not all kitsune-jins hate humans and vice versa, it's a generalization. Yondaime, as part of the royal family, was taught to hate humans, and so set an example for the other kitsune-jins. Another thing there is the influence of nobles on the royal family. You've got a noble who really dislikes humans, and he's got money and pretty large backing, and you don't wanna make him mad, so you play along too. It's all about imaging. The reason Naruto isn't quite as bad is that, I think, the Yondaime really didn't want him to hate anything, so he didn't teach him as strictly, but Naruto kinda picked it up off other people, but not to the same extent. The reason Yondaime's dead set against having a human in the house is a) this human's a criminal and b) the royal family's image. I hope that explained...even though it was lengthy.
Watermelon Gal: Eh....Yondaime's not mean, it's just the way he was raised, and a sort of safe-guard to protect the royal family's image amongst kitsune-jins. The kitsune-jins were oppressed and as a general rule, aren't too happy with the humans. If the royal family sympathizes with humans, the kitsune-jins aren't going to be very happy, and might start a revolt or something. The rest of the explanation is above with the reply to Nocturne's Requiem. Kakashi's the same way as Yondaime, and he's got a low opinion of criminals. I agree that Kakashi should be more 'meh', but when you deal with criminals and humans all day, and then a human whore starts on your king, what else are you going to say? =3 I'm glad you like the story despite that!
YukaYuka: I'm glad you like the story so far.
Bishiehuggler: I'm glad you like the story so far. 1984 does have a knack for killing hope for heroics, ne? I already wrote a story like that, though, so I'm trying something new here, and just seeing where it takes me. Yondaime is prejudice...partially because he wants to be, and partially because his position calls for it. If the rest of the kitsune-jins are against humans, and their leader's not, he's not going to be their leader very long.
kiowen: I'm glad you like the story so much and even pity Sasuke to a degree...I heard somewhere that the mark of a great writer is to evoke sympathy for the characters from the reader. o.O;;;;
Iceheart19: Originality, huh? Well...I dunno. It just seemed like something he would do to get out of immediate danger.=3 Hmm...the Elvenbane book does sound like an interesting read....I might have to see if I can find a copy!
ohmylord: I'm glad you like the fanfic so much.
pochacco5: Well, now the going is getting a bit rougher, just because there are two separate directions I can take this in, but I think I have a way to work them both in. I'm glad you like the story so far.
bleedformeee: I'm glad you like the story. The mpreg really isn't so much the focus of the story anymore, as it was originally going to be, and it'll probably eventually fade into the background...methinks, anyways. O.o;;; I'll try not to keep you waiting too long!
artemis347: So many questions.... They'll all get answered one way or another. As to why they do drugs...drugs are often used as painkillers (ie. Heroin, Sasuke's drug of choice). Sometimes, they're used to block an emotional or psychological pain, and other times, for physical pain. Drugs are a way of altering one's state, and so the opposite of being in pain, is to not be in pain. Since no one likes to be in pain, they try to escape it, and often, can do so by using drugs. Different drugs do different things. Heroin and morphine and things like that tend to induce a state of numbness and lethargy (sleepiness) and the user generally doesn't feel pain. I had morphine once when I needed my arm operated on (stupid me broke it), and I was out like a light (this depends on the dosage though). That's the reason characters in this story do drugs - to escape pain.
Ravyn: I'm glad you like the story, despite the graphicness and the drugs. The drugs are just another part of things people often classify as 'lowly' and 'disgusting', but people do them anyways. I'm just trying to convey something that does happen in real life.
Warnings for this chapter: More OOCness, with plenty of new characters to make it so, the first subtle references to mpreg, swearing, sexual references, drug and alcohol use, violence, and some light shonen-ai.
Now, on with the fic!)
Chapter 3: The Eternal White
A long, long time ago, the earth had no inhabitants. Then, there was the first small, one-celled creature to inhabit the ocean, and then, it somehow evolved and became many, many cells. And evolution went on like that, until it came to monkeys, wherein the true story of humanity began, as the monkeys began to evolve, and eventually, they became humans.
Those early humans roamed the earth, forging and hunting, and gathering, like wild, savage beasts. Slowly, they came to live in groups together, and they hunted and they talked, a strange dialect, now lost forever more.
Gradually, the groups became larger and larger, and the humans discovered how to grow their food, and built permanent houses, and their social structure evolved from there.
There were the kings, who were the highest of the high, followed by the lords, and then by the ninjas, and then by the lower merchants and then by the farmers. In those days, there were no slaves, for the humans had not started warring with each other - that would come later.
And later did come, along with a sense of religious enlightenment, for the different groups began to worship deities and divine presences and only one set could be the true set, and so they must turn the other heathens and pagans into the light before their souls were lost.
The battles were bloody and brutal, and many, many men were lost in the name of their gods. Villages were burned and slaves were taken, and lands were taken and riches too. All in due course, the fighting became about economics, rather than religion and different villages scrambled to create a mighty empire and own land and be the best to trade with so that they might alienate their rivals.
This was how Konoha had come to invade the land to the Far North, the realm of the kitsune-jins. The fox-people lived in relative peace, occasionally attacking a neighbouring village because the chief had stolen the other's oldest daughter, or had encroached on his territory.
By this time, the villages of the humans had grown into mighty cities and they had many luxuries and their social structure was as complex as their religious system and when they saw the kitsune-jins, still with the simple roots they had come from, they had assumed they were primitive and there to be their slaves.
For forty years, the humans had ravaged the kitsune'jins's lands, which were rich in gold and silver and such, and ruled them with an iron fist. They lived in poverty and were forced to pay heavy taxes. The women were subjected to rape and beatings, and the men hardly ever got a scrap of food for the work they did, and the children were laughed at and stoned by the human children, because they were dirty, ill-fed and illiterate. They were treated disgracefully because they were different and the humans claimed them as property, rather than beings and they were loaded up and shipped out by the wagon full, like some sort of cattle.
And lo, forty years of this passed and then, civil war broke out in Konoha, and men were fighting in the streets, like a bloodbath and the stones of the ancient buildings turned an ugly shade of red. Two kings had been crowned and they were fighting with their all, trying to kill the other.
The kitsune-jins were left to themselves and that gave them courage. Days and weeks passed and with each day and no sign of returning soldiers, they were brought new hope. They rallied together and scraped together an army. They marched South for many days and when they reached the Northern tip of the city, they fought with all the animalistic ferocity in their blood. The blood ran thick that day and they marched upon the Northern King's palace and told him that they could help him defeat his brother in the South - for a price. They never named their price and when the South was defeated, they slaughtered the Northern king and all his supporters.
Thus began the rule of kitsune-jins in Konoha. The male who had led them through the war was the first King, and after he died, his bother became the Nidaime, and then his grandson had become the Sandaime, and then, his nephew, the Yondaime.
In this time, the kitsune-jins had given back everything that the humans had ever given to them, at least tenfold. They were killed by the thousands, and their land, and their jobs were taken away. Hundreds of them were sold into slavery, and exported far, far away. Desperation became inherent and the humans turned to drugs and sex.
Naruto sighed and stared up at his ceiling. His tutor, Master Iruka had given him a thousand lectures on the history of the world, and all he remembered was that brief summative. He rolled over, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
Master Iruka had been a human, and he had been allowed to live at the palace. And for all Naruto knew, and suspected and had heard, Iruka and Kakashi had carried on in such a way as to make the entire palace shamed.
Humans, having been educated, were the preferred teachers of the kitsune-jins, who had never learned the fascinating human writing, nor their dialect. In school, they learned history, and physics, and many other sciences, as well as mathematics and languages. They were taught only by kitsune-jins in the kitsune-jin dialect, which no human, no matter how hard he tried, could seem to master - as of now, the common language was something known as 'English', a foreign concept to both peoples and challenging enough for both to learn.
But if Iruka was a human and had been allowed to stay with them, why shouldn't the human that desperately needed to be looked after? He supposed, he didn't care, really, and it was just a sort of whim that, if he had been in the same situation, he'd have wanted someone to take pity on him and save him from the deathbed.
Then again, he remembered that Master Iruka hadn't been a criminal, nor a drug addict, nor a whore, and nor had he lived his entire life on the streets, which were infested with plague and disease.
Sighing, he sat up. He knew he would have no peace of mind unless he did what he felt was right. Already, he'd spent two nights musing over it, and Kakashi had already commented on the wonders that lack of sleep did to his performance.
He dragged himself out of the warm comfort of his sheets, parting the heavy curtains that hung from the four posts of the bed. His room was richly and ornately decorated, with gold trim, and several expensive scrolls hanging on his wall. There were two larges vases of fresh flowers on either side of the balcony door, with large peacock feathers stuffed in alongside them. The curtains were drawn now, and faint starlight trickled in, unaccompanied by the maiden moon's beams.
Naruto stuffed his feet into his slippers and got up, padding across the plush carpet. He pulled a pair of orange pants and a black t-shirt out of his closet - his most normal clothes, as the rest were ornate robes and Special Forces uniforms - and shoved them on.
On the bed, little Yume stirred, lifting her head up. She made a funny whining noise and he looked over a the little fox kit. She blinked her wide golden eyes and yawned at her master, then settled back down, looking at him with sad eyes.
He reached down and scratched behind her ears. She really was just like a dog, those filthy things that humans kept, only ten times as efficient and twenty times as clean. "I'm just going out for a walk," he told her, but she looked at him in such a way as to say, 'I don't believe you.'
He sighed. He couldn't even lie to his animals. He stormed out of the room, not bothering to talk to the little fox. The door slammed shut. After a moment or two, Yume hopped down from the bed and meandered to the door, and began pawing at it, as if begging to be let out.
Naruto, however, couldn't hear her, because he was already halfway across the palace ground on the way to the prison. The night was chilly, and moonless, and the stars barely made light the empty courtyard. He went as quickly and as silently as he could, because the night patrol were specially trained to hear, rather than see, intruders.
Apparently, they were very good at it too. No sooner had his thoughts strayed to how to get into the prison at this time of night, than one of the palace guards was in his face, snarling and growling like something out of a nightmare.
"State your name and purpose," the creature growled, and Naruto suddenly realized why, as a child, he'd never been allowed outside at night. The night guards were not kitsune-jin, and they were not human. They weren't even neko-jins for that matter. They were something altogether more animalistic.
The looming creature advanced on him and he nearly gasped in horror as, finally, his eyes adjusted to the dim light and he could see that the creature had no pupils - its eyes were entirely white.
He felt sick. He stumbled back as the huge, snarling thing took another step forward. There was a shout from yonder, and several people came crashing over the hedges, landing on the cobblestone, just behind the beast.
"What've you got there, Manda?"
It was then that Naruto realized what the hulking beast was. It was the snake used by the army general, Orochimaru. It wasn't a night guard at all. The giant snake blinked, and it's eyes returned to normal. Naruto wondered what it had been doing to make them blank anyways.
It slithered back to its Master, hissing, its tongue flickering in and out. Orochimaru himself looked just as terrifying as the snake, and almost more serpentine than Manda. His eyes were slitted and gold, and his whole face just lent itself to the snake persona. He was paler than death, and his midnight black hair tumbled across the left side of his face.
He was nearly as old as Naruto's grandparents. It was rumoured that he wore gobs and gobs of make-up to hide it, but the only rouge Naruto could detect was the purple eye-shadow that encompassed the top half of his eyes. He smiled wickedly.
"Ah, prince, it's merely you. What are you doing up at this time?"
Naruto swore he saw the man's tongue dart from between his lips, just like Manda's. "Er, nothing actually. I was taking a walk," he lied.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "You really shouldn't. Terrible things lurk in these parts, especially at night. You know, whores, drug addicts, humans, criminals and the like."
There was a hint of humour in Orochimaru's voice and Naruto got the distinct feeling that his father had wired the general and told him exactly what had happened in the past two days.
The general strode by him, a cold aura seeming to follow him, and Manda slithering in his wake. "You're father told me all about it, prince. Don't worry; I've got no qualms about it and if it displeases your father, all the more to your credit. I myself am more concerned with your father's doings than some human whore."
The black-haired man turned back and smirked. "Go get your whore, and see what misery he brings you."
And with that, the general and the snake continued their walk to the palace. Naruto scratched his head, pondering. To his knowledge, Orochimaru was supposed to be afield with the Konoha Army, sacking some village of humans who had dared to oppose the kitsune-jin king. He wasn't due back until a week later, but perhaps, Naruto mused, the task had been completed easily and thus, Orochimaru had returned.
Ignoring the unsettled feeling in his stomach for encountering the general, he returned to the task he'd set himself to relieve himself of his restlessness.
In all technicality, the job itself didn't take that long and before he knew it, Naruto found himself on his way back, dragging the human whore back to his home with him.
He entered the castle at the great hall, expecting it to be empty. How wrong he was. It seemed that the Yondaime's entire army, having just blown in from their mission, had set up camp in the great hall. They were yelling and screaming, laughing and cheering, and generally making a ruckus. They were still in their blood-soaked uniforms. Servants sloshed red wine into their glasses, which they greedily quaffed.
Naruto stared in horror. Orochimaru waved at him, grinning idiotically. "O-ho, here's the brat! Where's your father?!"
Naruto blinked. "I don't know," he answered, though he knew that his father was either in his study or his bed chambers.
Why did everyone call him 'brat'?
Orochimaru frowned. "Well, twerp, bring him down here! We'll sack the castle and cut him up if you don't!"
Naruto made no move to do the general's bidding and said general drew his sword. "C'mon, kid. Or do you want to join your old man?"
One of the other soldiers started up. "Ya, the old man ran as soon as he saw us!"
More jeers ensued, the wine making the soldiers bold. "Went and locked hisself up!"
"Didn't want to deal with the likes of us!"
"Ha! He's scared!"
"He knows he has the money!"
"He just don't wanna pay us!"
"Ya!"
Orochimaru looked at Naruto. "Ya hear us, brat? Get your father down here - we ain't waiting!"
He gestured to a servant and called, "More wine here!"
The servant scuttled over and poured wine into the goblet. He was shaking so badly that he spilled the liquid all over. Orochimaru didn't appear to notice. "Where's my whore?" he demanded, his eyes angry.
Naruto could only blink. Orochimaru's gaze settled on Sasuke, who'd been briefly forgotten. Naruto blinked again. "Huh? Oh, no! No, no!"
Sasuke tried to hide behind Naruto. Orochimaru rose from his seat. "Pretty whore, you've got there."
He slid across the floor. Naruto frowned and glared at the general. "You won't lay a finger on him."
"Out of my way, brat," Orochimaru growled, shoving the blond prince out of the way.
He grabbed the struggling human by the wrist and held him fast. "Here, my pretty, come to Papa...I won't hurt you..."
He flicked his tongue against Sasuke's ear, his breath hissing against Sasuke's frozen cheek. Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the general's hands roaming over his frail body, touching him all over. He squirmed and wriggled, trying to loose the iron grip on his body. Vaguely, he could hear Naruto growling and screaming, but he was too scared to take note of what he said.
His eyes were wide, his lips were numb - he had frozen, his body screaming at him to stop the coital dance and run, and stop subjecting himself to this torture. Run, run, he had to run away! His knees were shaking - the one thing prison had promised him was sanctuary; sanctuary from this, from the way he lived.
Naruto's threats had no effect at all, and his own body had given up on him, and given in. He felt tears welling up in his eyes because he knew the pain that was coming, but there was nothing he could do to stop it, no matter how hard he struggled against the serpentine man.
Faintly, he heard a door crash open. The hands retracted almost instantly. An icy voice cut through the air, barking "Orochimaru! You're back and - what are you doing?!"
Everyone turned to stare at the open door and the boy - the human boy - stalked across the room. He was dressed in a fresh, pressed kimono, which had been dyed black. His long, dark hair was tied into a smooth ponytail. His eyes were red and two faint scars ran under them. He was pale and thin. He glared at Orochimaru, and everyone seemed to cower at his presence.
Sasuke found it strange, to see kitsune-jins, even Naruto and Orochimaru, cowering away from a human in fear and respect.
"I....ummm..," Orochimaru stammered, his eyes darting about the room, nervously.
The human stopped, glowering at the general. "You're consorting with another whore? How disgusting."
"Ah, Itachi-dearest, I'm not -"
"And what's this? Wine and fine dining, without the entertainment!" The human's glare turned diamond hard. "One should think you don't care for my company any more!"
Orochimaru sighed. Itachi was very possessive of him, despite the abuse he inflicted upon him.
The human had long ago discovered that his very existence depended on Orochimaru's want of him. As soon as he had no need of the younger human whore, he could feed him to the dogs, kill him, or give him to the army. Orochimaru sighed again and took Itachi by the hand. "Now, now, dearest, calm yourself. I've not tired of you at all."
The human smirked. "Then show me and come with me to the chambers, and we'll leave this dirty lot behind."
The dark-clad human strode out of the room, leading Orochimaru away. Sasuke shivered and sighed, collapsing to his knees. He started, then gasped as someone their hand upon his shoulder. He looked up at the blond kitsune-jin.
"You alright?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke nodded numbly and allowed himself to be helped up. Naruto hovered about him, asking him questions ceaselessly and making sure he didn't stumble.
From one corner of the hall, someone was watching them. Kabuto smiled a bit, and pushed his glasses back up onto his nose. Orochimaru would be very pleased to hear about this development and he was almost sure that Itachi would be just as interested.
Sasuke and Naruto however, remained oblivious to the watching and continued on the way to the Naruto's bedchambers. It took them far longer than it should have, partly because Naruto had to take the back ways and partly because Sasuke was so very weak.
Finally, they reached Naruto's room and when the door opened, Yume tumbled out, tripping clumsily over her own paws. She sat up, shaking her head, then began hissing at Sasuke. Naruto gave her a little nudge in the ribs and told her to stop. She refused and continued to hiss.
Naruto dragged her inside and looked back at Sasuke, who was standing stone-still in the doorway. "Come in. She normally doesn't bite."
Sasuke looked at the fox warily, who was still hissing at him. He found himself dragged into the room by Naruto. The kit kept hissing. Naruto dragged Sasuke through the room, to the bathroom, where the kitsune-jin engineers had fabricated a fantastic bathtub in the centre of the room. Naruto turned a knob on the basin and it began to fill with piping hot water.
The kitsune-jin bustled about the room, leaving the human to tend to himself. In a moment, he returned with soap, shampoo, bubble-bath, a wash-cloth and a big, fluffy towel.
The blond looked up at his new charge and patted the side of the porcelain tub. "Get in," he instructed.
Sasuke looked away shyly. He really didn't want to remove the last threads of sanctity from his body and make himself bare in front of...
He looked disgusting, he knew, and he really did feel uncomfortable, as the action of removing his clothes for a stranger seemed to entail that the memories from the darkest nights were allowed to choke his mind and freeze him.
Naruto watched the boy, who looked at the floor, mute horror written all across his face at the suggestion. Naruto wondered if humans were somehow allergic to water, or were like witches, and burned away to nothing.
He continued to muse, adding the lavender-jasmine scented bubble-bath he'd had imported from god-knew where to the steaming water. He heard the sound of something metallic clicking and turned back, only to find his vision blocked by something that smelled disgusting and was coated with blood and dry semen.
He quickly realized that this thing was the remnants of Sasuke's shorts, having been thrown in his face. There was a small squeak from Sasuke and the sound of moving water. Naruto pulled the garments off his face and found Sasuke seated in his bathtub, most of himself hidden under the bubble bath.
He was vigorously scrubbing at himself with the kitsune-jin's specialized soap, which had also been imported and was infused with the scent of orange and lime. He hissed every time the soap came in contact with his skin, but he kept scrubbing, as if trying to remove all the dirt and grime from himself.
"Here," Naruto murmured, picking up a soft cloth and rubbing the soap over it. He started rubbing the cloth over the boy's skin, his eyes widening and his stomach churning at how the bones moved beneath the skin.
Naruto opened the shampoo bottle and began to scrub at the boy's hair, washing away the filth. He dumped a bucket of water over the boy's head, washing the soap out of the human's dark locks. He unfolded the towel and offered it to the human boy.
Sasuke looked at him, and then at the towel, and hopped out of the tub, into the warm embrace of the towel. He shivered a bit and Naruto wrapped the towel about his thin frame. He started rubbing the boy's skin down.
Sasuke sighed and rested his head on the kitsune-jin's shoulder, the hot bath bringing out the need to sleep. Naruto hefted him up and walked toward the bedroom with his charge, who was a drowsy pile of fluff. Sasuke yawned and snuggled down in Naruto's grasp.
Yume hissed when the kitsune-jin brought the human into the room and she hissed louder when the human was set on the bed. Sasuke made a soft noise as the bed sank down beneath him, cradling his broken body. Yume hissed and nipped at the naked boy's ankles.
Naruto pulled the covers up and over Sasuke's body, then realized that he had to sleep as well. "Yuck," he muttered, gingerly lifting the covers and clambering in the other side.
Sasuke sighed in his sleep and rolled over. Yume whined, rather loudly, and curled up next to her master. Naruto looked at Sasuke, wondering what kind of ornament the Uchiha would make once he was fattened up a bit.
He flushed a bit, thinking of how he'd like to sleep with the boy, and keep him in his bed. Hell, he was getting hard just thinking about having the whore under him, screaming his name and writhing.
Why not just take him right then? He looked at Sasuke, who was sleeping so easily and soundly. He sighed and rolled over. He'd wait for later. He allowed his mind to wander for the present. He wondered what Orochimaru thought of keeping Itachi in his bed. Did he enjoy it? Did Itachi please him? How did he treat the human slave?
He sighed and continued his musing.
While he was musing on the snake-general, said man was talking to Kabuto, after leaving a sated slave in his bed. His activities had seemingly drove all the alcohol in his veins away.
"So, you say the boy is another Uchiha?"
Kabuto nodded. "I'll say it was so. I was there when we did the deed and I'd know to see another one."
Orochimaru looked thoughtful. Kabuto smiled, almost wickedly. "Perhaps we should instigate the Uchiha Curse?"
Orochimaru's smile matched Kabuto's. "Ah, wonderful idea, my minion. Wouldn't it be ironic, especially since the King seems so dead-set against the human creature?"
Kabuto gave his elder a little bow. Orochimaru looked thoughtful again. "I'll have to talk to Itachi about this however..."
"You'll have to talk to me about what?" a tired, rather grumpy, rather ruffled Uchiha Itachi asked, appearing in Orochimaru's common room, wearing nothing more than a bed sheet.
Orochimaru and Kabuto looked at him, a bit startled. Orochimaru, however, quickly composed himself. "My dear, you saw the whore our lovely prince dragged in tonight -"
"You mean the streetwalker you were set on having? Yes, I saw him and if you dare touch another again, I'll castrate you."
Orochimaru blanched for a second, then said, almost frighteningly calm, "My dearest Itachi, that is your brother, the only surviving member of your clan, save for yourself."
Itachi watched with impassive eyes, waiting for Orochimaru to get to the point. Orochimaru coughed uncomfortably. "He's with our darling prince and the king seems to much disapprove of this. We were wondering if we could, if just for a bit of fun if not for anything else, perhaps, force upon him the Uchiha Curse?"
Itachi frowned and said, rather softly, for he remembered his younger brother rather fondly, "I'd have to see."
Orochimaru smirked. "We could do that now, if you so desired, Darling. I'm sure the brat knows where he is."
Itachi looked pensive. It would do him good, he supposed, to see something of his own flesh and blood, after so long. "Hn," he said, then disappeared to the bedroom and returned wearing a simple black tunic.
Orochimaru smirked more. "I'll take that as a yes."
He stood. "Shall we go disturb his Royal Highness?"
Itachi smirked back. "Indeed."
Kabuto watched the two, slightly scared because the human and his master were very much alike. They swept out of the room, like shadows. Kabuto sighed and pushed his glasses back up to rest on his nose.
Orochimaru and Itachi swept down the hall, then up the stairs, heading for the prince's chambers.
Orochimaru rapped on the door of the chamber, and summoned his most booming voice. "Naruto-sama! Naruto-sama! Wake up and light from you bed!"
Itachi snickered, but quickly stopped as the door opened to reveal a sleepy Naruto. "What do you want?" he asked with a yawn.
Orochimaru stood, prim and proper, his face grim and stoic. "We wish to know what happened to the human boy with you this evening."
Naruto frowned, seeming to snap awake. "And why should you wish to find him?"
Itachi cut in quickly. "I should wish to see and speak with my younger brother, if that is indeed who he is."
Naruto frowned, but pulled back the door and revealed the human whore who was sleeping, naked, in his bed. Itachi and Orochimaru shared a knowing look and smirked. They stepped into the room and Yume began to growl and hiss, although she was ignored.
Itachi seated himself on the bed and began to shake the boy's shoulders. "Sasuke," he called. "Sasuke. Wake up, brother."
Dark eyes opened and Sasuke had been roused from his much needed sleep.
Orochimaru and Naruto watched the interaction between the brothers from across the room. After a few moments, Sasuke began to nod off. Itachi rose and smiled at Orochimaru, who turned to leave with a hand sign to Naruto.
Itachi was stopped, however, by Naruto's hand on his shoulder. "Itachi. I would like to have a word with you."
And that was how Itachi came to be sitting at the head of the table in the prince's private dining hall, with a fine and lush breakfast spread before him. Hungrily, he scarfed down the good food, for even though Orochimaru kept him on fine food and fed him well, the prince's spread was even better.
He knew he appeared as a glut, but he had to sate his appetite. Naruto waited for him, patiently, picking at his own food, seeming more hungry for talk than food.
At last, Itachi set down the sweet roll he'd been devouring and wiped his fingers and lips daintily upon a napkin. He cleared his throat and folded his hands, daring to look up at the prince. Faint morning light started flooding in from the outside.
"You wished to speak to me, my liege? How may I serve you?"
Naruto leaned forward, looking quite serious. "I wish to know how suited your brother is to enduring the Uchiha Curse."
Itachi blinked. " You...you wish to inflict that upon him?"
Naruto did not reply and Itachi swallowed, shifting nervously. "To endure it, you'll first have to gain his trust, and a sort of love, or at least, respect for you. Otherwise, he shouldn't do it for you."
Naruto nodded, still thinking. "What about his health?"
Itachi sighed. "Well, you'd have to make sure he's clean and unfilled with disease. He'd also have to feel stable, and have adequate sleep. The most important thing, however, is for him to gain weight. I'm no doctor, but I'd suggest four or five smaller sittings, for now, instead of three large ones."
Naruto nodded, then smiled. "Have you succumbed to the curse?" he asked, almost cheekily, his eyes straying down to Itachi's empty plate.
The human snorted. "I should say not."
Naruto waved him off. "Thank you for your help, Uchiha. You're dismissed."
Itachi bowed to the lord, then exited the room as quickly as he could. "Me! How dare he! Me, under the curse! I should not think so!" he huffed.
He whipped around a corner, musing upon the suggestion. He had been feeling a bit out of sorts lately. He seemed off balance, and a couple of other minor details that made him think the suggestion accurate. Violently, he shook his head and continued on his way back to his master's chambers.
He opened the door and found the elite sound asleep in bed. He sighed. It looked as though he hadn't been missed at all. He crawled into the bed, rousing Orochimaru, though he spoke not a word, his mind wandering to his own, personal decisions.
Orochimaru elbowed him in the ribs. "Where have you been?" the general inquired, gold eyes narrowed angrily.
Itachi shrugged. "It seems his Highness wishes to inflict the curse upon my poor brother."
Orochimaru frowned. "Well, what fun is it if the brat wants to make the whore so?"
Itachi shrugged, smiling slightly as he tugged the rich covers up over his knees. "Orochimaru, dearest, I've been thinking something over and I wish to know -"
Here, he paused and looked up at the silent, angry general. "- Should you ever like to see me in that way?"
Orochimaru blinked, taken back a bit by the question. Itachi generally avoided questions or answers that had anything to do with bonds. "I...have not given it much thought, love. Should you like to be in that way?"
Itachi shrugged, nonchalantly. "I shouldn't really know, darling, until I was, now should I?"
Orochimaru smirked. "So like you, darling. Yes, I suppose I should like to see you that way."
Itachi twiddled his thumbs. "I suppose you should."
"Then shall we?" Orochimaru asked, wrapping an arm about Itachi.
Itachi cuddled up to him and they shared a kiss, and for the first time in forever, their love-making was gentle and almost loving, nearly tender. There seemed to be no fever between them, when normally it hounded them and made itself their drive. And when at last, they were complete, they lay together in the sweaty sheets, tangled in each other, post-coital and gentle, subdued.
[A/N: Yes, that was very odd. Why don't you review and tell me how freakin' odd it was? I'll sit here and nod and agree with you. =)]
SeOsiris: I'm glad you like the story. And don't worry, Sasuke's in good hands now. Or so we think.
Genrou chan: I'm glad you like the story so much. Updates shouldn't take too long, as long as I keep moving on this, because some of it is pre-written. I could have posted chapters one through five at once, if I so desired, but then everybody'd have to wait a long time for the next update. =3
pdonyin: I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
ePuiChi: I'm glad you like my imagery. And I think Naruto is the only character I can somewhat write in character. - - And yes, Kakashi does have someone, though that hasn't yet been introduced. I think the first mentions of it are in this chapter. I'm glad to hear you're finding the story intriguing.
teckno: Oh, yeesh. I didn't even notice that. Oo;;;; That's what you call coincident. Part of the reason I like writing A/U fanfics is that you don't have to stick to what the animator/manga-ka has provided you with. I like making up family connections. =) I'm weird.
Nocturne's Requiem: The only reason that was quick is that I have some of the chapters already written. Otherwise, it probably would have been weeks. I'm slow. =3 I'm glad you find the imagery realistic. Yondaime does come off as a bit of a bastard, but it isn't really that he's trying to be. The kitsune-jins have been oppressed for decades, and treated unfairly, and you sort of come to a mutual hate with the other party after a while. Not all kitsune-jins hate humans and vice versa, it's a generalization. Yondaime, as part of the royal family, was taught to hate humans, and so set an example for the other kitsune-jins. Another thing there is the influence of nobles on the royal family. You've got a noble who really dislikes humans, and he's got money and pretty large backing, and you don't wanna make him mad, so you play along too. It's all about imaging. The reason Naruto isn't quite as bad is that, I think, the Yondaime really didn't want him to hate anything, so he didn't teach him as strictly, but Naruto kinda picked it up off other people, but not to the same extent. The reason Yondaime's dead set against having a human in the house is a) this human's a criminal and b) the royal family's image. I hope that explained...even though it was lengthy.
Watermelon Gal: Eh....Yondaime's not mean, it's just the way he was raised, and a sort of safe-guard to protect the royal family's image amongst kitsune-jins. The kitsune-jins were oppressed and as a general rule, aren't too happy with the humans. If the royal family sympathizes with humans, the kitsune-jins aren't going to be very happy, and might start a revolt or something. The rest of the explanation is above with the reply to Nocturne's Requiem. Kakashi's the same way as Yondaime, and he's got a low opinion of criminals. I agree that Kakashi should be more 'meh', but when you deal with criminals and humans all day, and then a human whore starts on your king, what else are you going to say? =3 I'm glad you like the story despite that!
YukaYuka: I'm glad you like the story so far.
Bishiehuggler: I'm glad you like the story so far. 1984 does have a knack for killing hope for heroics, ne? I already wrote a story like that, though, so I'm trying something new here, and just seeing where it takes me. Yondaime is prejudice...partially because he wants to be, and partially because his position calls for it. If the rest of the kitsune-jins are against humans, and their leader's not, he's not going to be their leader very long.
kiowen: I'm glad you like the story so much and even pity Sasuke to a degree...I heard somewhere that the mark of a great writer is to evoke sympathy for the characters from the reader. o.O;;;;
Iceheart19: Originality, huh? Well...I dunno. It just seemed like something he would do to get out of immediate danger.=3 Hmm...the Elvenbane book does sound like an interesting read....I might have to see if I can find a copy!
ohmylord: I'm glad you like the fanfic so much.
pochacco5: Well, now the going is getting a bit rougher, just because there are two separate directions I can take this in, but I think I have a way to work them both in. I'm glad you like the story so far.
bleedformeee: I'm glad you like the story. The mpreg really isn't so much the focus of the story anymore, as it was originally going to be, and it'll probably eventually fade into the background...methinks, anyways. O.o;;; I'll try not to keep you waiting too long!
artemis347: So many questions.... They'll all get answered one way or another. As to why they do drugs...drugs are often used as painkillers (ie. Heroin, Sasuke's drug of choice). Sometimes, they're used to block an emotional or psychological pain, and other times, for physical pain. Drugs are a way of altering one's state, and so the opposite of being in pain, is to not be in pain. Since no one likes to be in pain, they try to escape it, and often, can do so by using drugs. Different drugs do different things. Heroin and morphine and things like that tend to induce a state of numbness and lethargy (sleepiness) and the user generally doesn't feel pain. I had morphine once when I needed my arm operated on (stupid me broke it), and I was out like a light (this depends on the dosage though). That's the reason characters in this story do drugs - to escape pain.
Ravyn: I'm glad you like the story, despite the graphicness and the drugs. The drugs are just another part of things people often classify as 'lowly' and 'disgusting', but people do them anyways. I'm just trying to convey something that does happen in real life.
Warnings for this chapter: More OOCness, with plenty of new characters to make it so, the first subtle references to mpreg, swearing, sexual references, drug and alcohol use, violence, and some light shonen-ai.
Now, on with the fic!)
Chapter 3: The Eternal White
A long, long time ago, the earth had no inhabitants. Then, there was the first small, one-celled creature to inhabit the ocean, and then, it somehow evolved and became many, many cells. And evolution went on like that, until it came to monkeys, wherein the true story of humanity began, as the monkeys began to evolve, and eventually, they became humans.
Those early humans roamed the earth, forging and hunting, and gathering, like wild, savage beasts. Slowly, they came to live in groups together, and they hunted and they talked, a strange dialect, now lost forever more.
Gradually, the groups became larger and larger, and the humans discovered how to grow their food, and built permanent houses, and their social structure evolved from there.
There were the kings, who were the highest of the high, followed by the lords, and then by the ninjas, and then by the lower merchants and then by the farmers. In those days, there were no slaves, for the humans had not started warring with each other - that would come later.
And later did come, along with a sense of religious enlightenment, for the different groups began to worship deities and divine presences and only one set could be the true set, and so they must turn the other heathens and pagans into the light before their souls were lost.
The battles were bloody and brutal, and many, many men were lost in the name of their gods. Villages were burned and slaves were taken, and lands were taken and riches too. All in due course, the fighting became about economics, rather than religion and different villages scrambled to create a mighty empire and own land and be the best to trade with so that they might alienate their rivals.
This was how Konoha had come to invade the land to the Far North, the realm of the kitsune-jins. The fox-people lived in relative peace, occasionally attacking a neighbouring village because the chief had stolen the other's oldest daughter, or had encroached on his territory.
By this time, the villages of the humans had grown into mighty cities and they had many luxuries and their social structure was as complex as their religious system and when they saw the kitsune-jins, still with the simple roots they had come from, they had assumed they were primitive and there to be their slaves.
For forty years, the humans had ravaged the kitsune'jins's lands, which were rich in gold and silver and such, and ruled them with an iron fist. They lived in poverty and were forced to pay heavy taxes. The women were subjected to rape and beatings, and the men hardly ever got a scrap of food for the work they did, and the children were laughed at and stoned by the human children, because they were dirty, ill-fed and illiterate. They were treated disgracefully because they were different and the humans claimed them as property, rather than beings and they were loaded up and shipped out by the wagon full, like some sort of cattle.
And lo, forty years of this passed and then, civil war broke out in Konoha, and men were fighting in the streets, like a bloodbath and the stones of the ancient buildings turned an ugly shade of red. Two kings had been crowned and they were fighting with their all, trying to kill the other.
The kitsune-jins were left to themselves and that gave them courage. Days and weeks passed and with each day and no sign of returning soldiers, they were brought new hope. They rallied together and scraped together an army. They marched South for many days and when they reached the Northern tip of the city, they fought with all the animalistic ferocity in their blood. The blood ran thick that day and they marched upon the Northern King's palace and told him that they could help him defeat his brother in the South - for a price. They never named their price and when the South was defeated, they slaughtered the Northern king and all his supporters.
Thus began the rule of kitsune-jins in Konoha. The male who had led them through the war was the first King, and after he died, his bother became the Nidaime, and then his grandson had become the Sandaime, and then, his nephew, the Yondaime.
In this time, the kitsune-jins had given back everything that the humans had ever given to them, at least tenfold. They were killed by the thousands, and their land, and their jobs were taken away. Hundreds of them were sold into slavery, and exported far, far away. Desperation became inherent and the humans turned to drugs and sex.
Naruto sighed and stared up at his ceiling. His tutor, Master Iruka had given him a thousand lectures on the history of the world, and all he remembered was that brief summative. He rolled over, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
Master Iruka had been a human, and he had been allowed to live at the palace. And for all Naruto knew, and suspected and had heard, Iruka and Kakashi had carried on in such a way as to make the entire palace shamed.
Humans, having been educated, were the preferred teachers of the kitsune-jins, who had never learned the fascinating human writing, nor their dialect. In school, they learned history, and physics, and many other sciences, as well as mathematics and languages. They were taught only by kitsune-jins in the kitsune-jin dialect, which no human, no matter how hard he tried, could seem to master - as of now, the common language was something known as 'English', a foreign concept to both peoples and challenging enough for both to learn.
But if Iruka was a human and had been allowed to stay with them, why shouldn't the human that desperately needed to be looked after? He supposed, he didn't care, really, and it was just a sort of whim that, if he had been in the same situation, he'd have wanted someone to take pity on him and save him from the deathbed.
Then again, he remembered that Master Iruka hadn't been a criminal, nor a drug addict, nor a whore, and nor had he lived his entire life on the streets, which were infested with plague and disease.
Sighing, he sat up. He knew he would have no peace of mind unless he did what he felt was right. Already, he'd spent two nights musing over it, and Kakashi had already commented on the wonders that lack of sleep did to his performance.
He dragged himself out of the warm comfort of his sheets, parting the heavy curtains that hung from the four posts of the bed. His room was richly and ornately decorated, with gold trim, and several expensive scrolls hanging on his wall. There were two larges vases of fresh flowers on either side of the balcony door, with large peacock feathers stuffed in alongside them. The curtains were drawn now, and faint starlight trickled in, unaccompanied by the maiden moon's beams.
Naruto stuffed his feet into his slippers and got up, padding across the plush carpet. He pulled a pair of orange pants and a black t-shirt out of his closet - his most normal clothes, as the rest were ornate robes and Special Forces uniforms - and shoved them on.
On the bed, little Yume stirred, lifting her head up. She made a funny whining noise and he looked over a the little fox kit. She blinked her wide golden eyes and yawned at her master, then settled back down, looking at him with sad eyes.
He reached down and scratched behind her ears. She really was just like a dog, those filthy things that humans kept, only ten times as efficient and twenty times as clean. "I'm just going out for a walk," he told her, but she looked at him in such a way as to say, 'I don't believe you.'
He sighed. He couldn't even lie to his animals. He stormed out of the room, not bothering to talk to the little fox. The door slammed shut. After a moment or two, Yume hopped down from the bed and meandered to the door, and began pawing at it, as if begging to be let out.
Naruto, however, couldn't hear her, because he was already halfway across the palace ground on the way to the prison. The night was chilly, and moonless, and the stars barely made light the empty courtyard. He went as quickly and as silently as he could, because the night patrol were specially trained to hear, rather than see, intruders.
Apparently, they were very good at it too. No sooner had his thoughts strayed to how to get into the prison at this time of night, than one of the palace guards was in his face, snarling and growling like something out of a nightmare.
"State your name and purpose," the creature growled, and Naruto suddenly realized why, as a child, he'd never been allowed outside at night. The night guards were not kitsune-jin, and they were not human. They weren't even neko-jins for that matter. They were something altogether more animalistic.
The looming creature advanced on him and he nearly gasped in horror as, finally, his eyes adjusted to the dim light and he could see that the creature had no pupils - its eyes were entirely white.
He felt sick. He stumbled back as the huge, snarling thing took another step forward. There was a shout from yonder, and several people came crashing over the hedges, landing on the cobblestone, just behind the beast.
"What've you got there, Manda?"
It was then that Naruto realized what the hulking beast was. It was the snake used by the army general, Orochimaru. It wasn't a night guard at all. The giant snake blinked, and it's eyes returned to normal. Naruto wondered what it had been doing to make them blank anyways.
It slithered back to its Master, hissing, its tongue flickering in and out. Orochimaru himself looked just as terrifying as the snake, and almost more serpentine than Manda. His eyes were slitted and gold, and his whole face just lent itself to the snake persona. He was paler than death, and his midnight black hair tumbled across the left side of his face.
He was nearly as old as Naruto's grandparents. It was rumoured that he wore gobs and gobs of make-up to hide it, but the only rouge Naruto could detect was the purple eye-shadow that encompassed the top half of his eyes. He smiled wickedly.
"Ah, prince, it's merely you. What are you doing up at this time?"
Naruto swore he saw the man's tongue dart from between his lips, just like Manda's. "Er, nothing actually. I was taking a walk," he lied.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "You really shouldn't. Terrible things lurk in these parts, especially at night. You know, whores, drug addicts, humans, criminals and the like."
There was a hint of humour in Orochimaru's voice and Naruto got the distinct feeling that his father had wired the general and told him exactly what had happened in the past two days.
The general strode by him, a cold aura seeming to follow him, and Manda slithering in his wake. "You're father told me all about it, prince. Don't worry; I've got no qualms about it and if it displeases your father, all the more to your credit. I myself am more concerned with your father's doings than some human whore."
The black-haired man turned back and smirked. "Go get your whore, and see what misery he brings you."
And with that, the general and the snake continued their walk to the palace. Naruto scratched his head, pondering. To his knowledge, Orochimaru was supposed to be afield with the Konoha Army, sacking some village of humans who had dared to oppose the kitsune-jin king. He wasn't due back until a week later, but perhaps, Naruto mused, the task had been completed easily and thus, Orochimaru had returned.
Ignoring the unsettled feeling in his stomach for encountering the general, he returned to the task he'd set himself to relieve himself of his restlessness.
In all technicality, the job itself didn't take that long and before he knew it, Naruto found himself on his way back, dragging the human whore back to his home with him.
He entered the castle at the great hall, expecting it to be empty. How wrong he was. It seemed that the Yondaime's entire army, having just blown in from their mission, had set up camp in the great hall. They were yelling and screaming, laughing and cheering, and generally making a ruckus. They were still in their blood-soaked uniforms. Servants sloshed red wine into their glasses, which they greedily quaffed.
Naruto stared in horror. Orochimaru waved at him, grinning idiotically. "O-ho, here's the brat! Where's your father?!"
Naruto blinked. "I don't know," he answered, though he knew that his father was either in his study or his bed chambers.
Why did everyone call him 'brat'?
Orochimaru frowned. "Well, twerp, bring him down here! We'll sack the castle and cut him up if you don't!"
Naruto made no move to do the general's bidding and said general drew his sword. "C'mon, kid. Or do you want to join your old man?"
One of the other soldiers started up. "Ya, the old man ran as soon as he saw us!"
More jeers ensued, the wine making the soldiers bold. "Went and locked hisself up!"
"Didn't want to deal with the likes of us!"
"Ha! He's scared!"
"He knows he has the money!"
"He just don't wanna pay us!"
"Ya!"
Orochimaru looked at Naruto. "Ya hear us, brat? Get your father down here - we ain't waiting!"
He gestured to a servant and called, "More wine here!"
The servant scuttled over and poured wine into the goblet. He was shaking so badly that he spilled the liquid all over. Orochimaru didn't appear to notice. "Where's my whore?" he demanded, his eyes angry.
Naruto could only blink. Orochimaru's gaze settled on Sasuke, who'd been briefly forgotten. Naruto blinked again. "Huh? Oh, no! No, no!"
Sasuke tried to hide behind Naruto. Orochimaru rose from his seat. "Pretty whore, you've got there."
He slid across the floor. Naruto frowned and glared at the general. "You won't lay a finger on him."
"Out of my way, brat," Orochimaru growled, shoving the blond prince out of the way.
He grabbed the struggling human by the wrist and held him fast. "Here, my pretty, come to Papa...I won't hurt you..."
He flicked his tongue against Sasuke's ear, his breath hissing against Sasuke's frozen cheek. Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the general's hands roaming over his frail body, touching him all over. He squirmed and wriggled, trying to loose the iron grip on his body. Vaguely, he could hear Naruto growling and screaming, but he was too scared to take note of what he said.
His eyes were wide, his lips were numb - he had frozen, his body screaming at him to stop the coital dance and run, and stop subjecting himself to this torture. Run, run, he had to run away! His knees were shaking - the one thing prison had promised him was sanctuary; sanctuary from this, from the way he lived.
Naruto's threats had no effect at all, and his own body had given up on him, and given in. He felt tears welling up in his eyes because he knew the pain that was coming, but there was nothing he could do to stop it, no matter how hard he struggled against the serpentine man.
Faintly, he heard a door crash open. The hands retracted almost instantly. An icy voice cut through the air, barking "Orochimaru! You're back and - what are you doing?!"
Everyone turned to stare at the open door and the boy - the human boy - stalked across the room. He was dressed in a fresh, pressed kimono, which had been dyed black. His long, dark hair was tied into a smooth ponytail. His eyes were red and two faint scars ran under them. He was pale and thin. He glared at Orochimaru, and everyone seemed to cower at his presence.
Sasuke found it strange, to see kitsune-jins, even Naruto and Orochimaru, cowering away from a human in fear and respect.
"I....ummm..," Orochimaru stammered, his eyes darting about the room, nervously.
The human stopped, glowering at the general. "You're consorting with another whore? How disgusting."
"Ah, Itachi-dearest, I'm not -"
"And what's this? Wine and fine dining, without the entertainment!" The human's glare turned diamond hard. "One should think you don't care for my company any more!"
Orochimaru sighed. Itachi was very possessive of him, despite the abuse he inflicted upon him.
The human had long ago discovered that his very existence depended on Orochimaru's want of him. As soon as he had no need of the younger human whore, he could feed him to the dogs, kill him, or give him to the army. Orochimaru sighed again and took Itachi by the hand. "Now, now, dearest, calm yourself. I've not tired of you at all."
The human smirked. "Then show me and come with me to the chambers, and we'll leave this dirty lot behind."
The dark-clad human strode out of the room, leading Orochimaru away. Sasuke shivered and sighed, collapsing to his knees. He started, then gasped as someone their hand upon his shoulder. He looked up at the blond kitsune-jin.
"You alright?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke nodded numbly and allowed himself to be helped up. Naruto hovered about him, asking him questions ceaselessly and making sure he didn't stumble.
From one corner of the hall, someone was watching them. Kabuto smiled a bit, and pushed his glasses back up onto his nose. Orochimaru would be very pleased to hear about this development and he was almost sure that Itachi would be just as interested.
Sasuke and Naruto however, remained oblivious to the watching and continued on the way to the Naruto's bedchambers. It took them far longer than it should have, partly because Naruto had to take the back ways and partly because Sasuke was so very weak.
Finally, they reached Naruto's room and when the door opened, Yume tumbled out, tripping clumsily over her own paws. She sat up, shaking her head, then began hissing at Sasuke. Naruto gave her a little nudge in the ribs and told her to stop. She refused and continued to hiss.
Naruto dragged her inside and looked back at Sasuke, who was standing stone-still in the doorway. "Come in. She normally doesn't bite."
Sasuke looked at the fox warily, who was still hissing at him. He found himself dragged into the room by Naruto. The kit kept hissing. Naruto dragged Sasuke through the room, to the bathroom, where the kitsune-jin engineers had fabricated a fantastic bathtub in the centre of the room. Naruto turned a knob on the basin and it began to fill with piping hot water.
The kitsune-jin bustled about the room, leaving the human to tend to himself. In a moment, he returned with soap, shampoo, bubble-bath, a wash-cloth and a big, fluffy towel.
The blond looked up at his new charge and patted the side of the porcelain tub. "Get in," he instructed.
Sasuke looked away shyly. He really didn't want to remove the last threads of sanctity from his body and make himself bare in front of...
He looked disgusting, he knew, and he really did feel uncomfortable, as the action of removing his clothes for a stranger seemed to entail that the memories from the darkest nights were allowed to choke his mind and freeze him.
Naruto watched the boy, who looked at the floor, mute horror written all across his face at the suggestion. Naruto wondered if humans were somehow allergic to water, or were like witches, and burned away to nothing.
He continued to muse, adding the lavender-jasmine scented bubble-bath he'd had imported from god-knew where to the steaming water. He heard the sound of something metallic clicking and turned back, only to find his vision blocked by something that smelled disgusting and was coated with blood and dry semen.
He quickly realized that this thing was the remnants of Sasuke's shorts, having been thrown in his face. There was a small squeak from Sasuke and the sound of moving water. Naruto pulled the garments off his face and found Sasuke seated in his bathtub, most of himself hidden under the bubble bath.
He was vigorously scrubbing at himself with the kitsune-jin's specialized soap, which had also been imported and was infused with the scent of orange and lime. He hissed every time the soap came in contact with his skin, but he kept scrubbing, as if trying to remove all the dirt and grime from himself.
"Here," Naruto murmured, picking up a soft cloth and rubbing the soap over it. He started rubbing the cloth over the boy's skin, his eyes widening and his stomach churning at how the bones moved beneath the skin.
Naruto opened the shampoo bottle and began to scrub at the boy's hair, washing away the filth. He dumped a bucket of water over the boy's head, washing the soap out of the human's dark locks. He unfolded the towel and offered it to the human boy.
Sasuke looked at him, and then at the towel, and hopped out of the tub, into the warm embrace of the towel. He shivered a bit and Naruto wrapped the towel about his thin frame. He started rubbing the boy's skin down.
Sasuke sighed and rested his head on the kitsune-jin's shoulder, the hot bath bringing out the need to sleep. Naruto hefted him up and walked toward the bedroom with his charge, who was a drowsy pile of fluff. Sasuke yawned and snuggled down in Naruto's grasp.
Yume hissed when the kitsune-jin brought the human into the room and she hissed louder when the human was set on the bed. Sasuke made a soft noise as the bed sank down beneath him, cradling his broken body. Yume hissed and nipped at the naked boy's ankles.
Naruto pulled the covers up and over Sasuke's body, then realized that he had to sleep as well. "Yuck," he muttered, gingerly lifting the covers and clambering in the other side.
Sasuke sighed in his sleep and rolled over. Yume whined, rather loudly, and curled up next to her master. Naruto looked at Sasuke, wondering what kind of ornament the Uchiha would make once he was fattened up a bit.
He flushed a bit, thinking of how he'd like to sleep with the boy, and keep him in his bed. Hell, he was getting hard just thinking about having the whore under him, screaming his name and writhing.
Why not just take him right then? He looked at Sasuke, who was sleeping so easily and soundly. He sighed and rolled over. He'd wait for later. He allowed his mind to wander for the present. He wondered what Orochimaru thought of keeping Itachi in his bed. Did he enjoy it? Did Itachi please him? How did he treat the human slave?
He sighed and continued his musing.
While he was musing on the snake-general, said man was talking to Kabuto, after leaving a sated slave in his bed. His activities had seemingly drove all the alcohol in his veins away.
"So, you say the boy is another Uchiha?"
Kabuto nodded. "I'll say it was so. I was there when we did the deed and I'd know to see another one."
Orochimaru looked thoughtful. Kabuto smiled, almost wickedly. "Perhaps we should instigate the Uchiha Curse?"
Orochimaru's smile matched Kabuto's. "Ah, wonderful idea, my minion. Wouldn't it be ironic, especially since the King seems so dead-set against the human creature?"
Kabuto gave his elder a little bow. Orochimaru looked thoughtful again. "I'll have to talk to Itachi about this however..."
"You'll have to talk to me about what?" a tired, rather grumpy, rather ruffled Uchiha Itachi asked, appearing in Orochimaru's common room, wearing nothing more than a bed sheet.
Orochimaru and Kabuto looked at him, a bit startled. Orochimaru, however, quickly composed himself. "My dear, you saw the whore our lovely prince dragged in tonight -"
"You mean the streetwalker you were set on having? Yes, I saw him and if you dare touch another again, I'll castrate you."
Orochimaru blanched for a second, then said, almost frighteningly calm, "My dearest Itachi, that is your brother, the only surviving member of your clan, save for yourself."
Itachi watched with impassive eyes, waiting for Orochimaru to get to the point. Orochimaru coughed uncomfortably. "He's with our darling prince and the king seems to much disapprove of this. We were wondering if we could, if just for a bit of fun if not for anything else, perhaps, force upon him the Uchiha Curse?"
Itachi frowned and said, rather softly, for he remembered his younger brother rather fondly, "I'd have to see."
Orochimaru smirked. "We could do that now, if you so desired, Darling. I'm sure the brat knows where he is."
Itachi looked pensive. It would do him good, he supposed, to see something of his own flesh and blood, after so long. "Hn," he said, then disappeared to the bedroom and returned wearing a simple black tunic.
Orochimaru smirked more. "I'll take that as a yes."
He stood. "Shall we go disturb his Royal Highness?"
Itachi smirked back. "Indeed."
Kabuto watched the two, slightly scared because the human and his master were very much alike. They swept out of the room, like shadows. Kabuto sighed and pushed his glasses back up to rest on his nose.
Orochimaru and Itachi swept down the hall, then up the stairs, heading for the prince's chambers.
Orochimaru rapped on the door of the chamber, and summoned his most booming voice. "Naruto-sama! Naruto-sama! Wake up and light from you bed!"
Itachi snickered, but quickly stopped as the door opened to reveal a sleepy Naruto. "What do you want?" he asked with a yawn.
Orochimaru stood, prim and proper, his face grim and stoic. "We wish to know what happened to the human boy with you this evening."
Naruto frowned, seeming to snap awake. "And why should you wish to find him?"
Itachi cut in quickly. "I should wish to see and speak with my younger brother, if that is indeed who he is."
Naruto frowned, but pulled back the door and revealed the human whore who was sleeping, naked, in his bed. Itachi and Orochimaru shared a knowing look and smirked. They stepped into the room and Yume began to growl and hiss, although she was ignored.
Itachi seated himself on the bed and began to shake the boy's shoulders. "Sasuke," he called. "Sasuke. Wake up, brother."
Dark eyes opened and Sasuke had been roused from his much needed sleep.
Orochimaru and Naruto watched the interaction between the brothers from across the room. After a few moments, Sasuke began to nod off. Itachi rose and smiled at Orochimaru, who turned to leave with a hand sign to Naruto.
Itachi was stopped, however, by Naruto's hand on his shoulder. "Itachi. I would like to have a word with you."
And that was how Itachi came to be sitting at the head of the table in the prince's private dining hall, with a fine and lush breakfast spread before him. Hungrily, he scarfed down the good food, for even though Orochimaru kept him on fine food and fed him well, the prince's spread was even better.
He knew he appeared as a glut, but he had to sate his appetite. Naruto waited for him, patiently, picking at his own food, seeming more hungry for talk than food.
At last, Itachi set down the sweet roll he'd been devouring and wiped his fingers and lips daintily upon a napkin. He cleared his throat and folded his hands, daring to look up at the prince. Faint morning light started flooding in from the outside.
"You wished to speak to me, my liege? How may I serve you?"
Naruto leaned forward, looking quite serious. "I wish to know how suited your brother is to enduring the Uchiha Curse."
Itachi blinked. " You...you wish to inflict that upon him?"
Naruto did not reply and Itachi swallowed, shifting nervously. "To endure it, you'll first have to gain his trust, and a sort of love, or at least, respect for you. Otherwise, he shouldn't do it for you."
Naruto nodded, still thinking. "What about his health?"
Itachi sighed. "Well, you'd have to make sure he's clean and unfilled with disease. He'd also have to feel stable, and have adequate sleep. The most important thing, however, is for him to gain weight. I'm no doctor, but I'd suggest four or five smaller sittings, for now, instead of three large ones."
Naruto nodded, then smiled. "Have you succumbed to the curse?" he asked, almost cheekily, his eyes straying down to Itachi's empty plate.
The human snorted. "I should say not."
Naruto waved him off. "Thank you for your help, Uchiha. You're dismissed."
Itachi bowed to the lord, then exited the room as quickly as he could. "Me! How dare he! Me, under the curse! I should not think so!" he huffed.
He whipped around a corner, musing upon the suggestion. He had been feeling a bit out of sorts lately. He seemed off balance, and a couple of other minor details that made him think the suggestion accurate. Violently, he shook his head and continued on his way back to his master's chambers.
He opened the door and found the elite sound asleep in bed. He sighed. It looked as though he hadn't been missed at all. He crawled into the bed, rousing Orochimaru, though he spoke not a word, his mind wandering to his own, personal decisions.
Orochimaru elbowed him in the ribs. "Where have you been?" the general inquired, gold eyes narrowed angrily.
Itachi shrugged. "It seems his Highness wishes to inflict the curse upon my poor brother."
Orochimaru frowned. "Well, what fun is it if the brat wants to make the whore so?"
Itachi shrugged, smiling slightly as he tugged the rich covers up over his knees. "Orochimaru, dearest, I've been thinking something over and I wish to know -"
Here, he paused and looked up at the silent, angry general. "- Should you ever like to see me in that way?"
Orochimaru blinked, taken back a bit by the question. Itachi generally avoided questions or answers that had anything to do with bonds. "I...have not given it much thought, love. Should you like to be in that way?"
Itachi shrugged, nonchalantly. "I shouldn't really know, darling, until I was, now should I?"
Orochimaru smirked. "So like you, darling. Yes, I suppose I should like to see you that way."
Itachi twiddled his thumbs. "I suppose you should."
"Then shall we?" Orochimaru asked, wrapping an arm about Itachi.
Itachi cuddled up to him and they shared a kiss, and for the first time in forever, their love-making was gentle and almost loving, nearly tender. There seemed to be no fever between them, when normally it hounded them and made itself their drive. And when at last, they were complete, they lay together in the sweaty sheets, tangled in each other, post-coital and gentle, subdued.
[A/N: Yes, that was very odd. Why don't you review and tell me how freakin' odd it was? I'll sit here and nod and agree with you. =)]