(A/N:: Thanks for 75 reviews!
Kaiyo no Hime: Yes, poor, poor Sasuke. lol And Sakura is a bitch, but she's feeling a little insecure and a little threatened, so can we blame her? [Yes. lol]
watermelon gal: Yes, the Uchihas were mostly whores. And there's this wonderful thing called birth control. As for Itachi not being. . ."in that way" before, he was simply too young. ;;; And I never actually go on to say that in the story. O.o;;; Glad you like the chapter.
artemis347: Yes, pity them! Bwhahaha! I'm joking. Thanks for clarifying what you meant by 'anit', though I did eventually figure it out. . .while I was at work, doing something completely unrelated to this fic. =D I'm glad you like the fic!
Aisha: I'm glad you liked the chapter! I hope Frances didn't hit you guys too hard. . .I don't pay much attention to the news. . I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. =D
Mister Pineapple: Eh heh. If you think that's bad, you should read the later chapters of this thing. . . I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. =)
keelhaul lizzie: Heh. Sakura does come off as a bit of a bitch, but she's got her back up because she's in a new place, she knows nobody, and there's this very pretty human in her husband-to-be's harem. Kinda would put me at unrest - 'why would somebody want me when he's got that? Better put her in her place, and now.'Glad you're enjoying the fic!
dark hanyou: Actually, it isn't possible, except from conception to the fifth month of pregnancy, and at that point, both sets of reproductive organs are non-functional. But. . .I can make stuff up right? It is only fiction. =D Yes! Go Sasunaru! Or Narusasu as some prefer.
Warnings: Crappy chapter title ::dies from it:: and. . .some new characters being very OOC, likely.
And now, on with the fic!)
Chapter 7: The Lies of Jealousy
Temari was busy grinding herbs and other such things, preparing a mixture for a patient, when the door to her laboratory was thrown open, and two people entered the room, one, a kitsune-jin by the name of Uzumaki Naruto and the other, a human by the name of Uchiha Sasuke.
She turned to them, still mixing together the ingredients she needed for this particular medicine, even as she greeted them. She could practically smell the fear emanating from the human boy. The results of her tests would determine his fate.
This would answer whether or not he stayed at the palace in Naruto's bed, or was sold to some other kitsune-jin master; whether or not he was placed to the same fate as his brother.
"Good morning, Naruto," she said cheerfully, setting down the mixing bowl and bowing to the prince. "Up bright and early, aren't we? How can I be of service to you today?"
Naruto gestured to the dark haired human standing beside him. "I'd like to find out if Sasuke will be remaining with us, Temari-sensei. I think adequate time has elapsed - you can test him and find out."
"Of course, Naruto," the apothecary said, glancing sideways at the human.
He was so exquisite, even as nervous as he was. His dark hair was obscuring his dark eyes, and it was the perfect contrast to his pale complexion. She wanted him, and it was only going to be a matter of time before she had him.
Sasuke seemed bashful, and almost shy. He did as he was instructed to, without question and without fail, but he refused to answer Temari's questions, looking to the side, at Naruto, who answered for him.
Temari took what she needed from him, then set about testing it. Though her father had been wise in the ways of medicine, he had never shown her anything to do with the family way, and she had learned everything she knew from her deceased mother's scrolls, which were filled with everything imaginable on the subject. Even the Uchiha Curse had been included.
She spilled the small canister of blood across the specialized paper, spreading it across it so that it became an even coat. The paper would turn blue if the boy was with child, and a red, almost pink, if he wasn't. The paper was made to react with certain levels of hormones, one found typically in pregnant women, and the other, found in males.
She stood back, waiting for Sasuke's blood to change the paper. It took a good quarter of an hour, she knew, but she was impatient to see what the boy's fate was. She watched it for a moment or two, then, knowing that staring like that would only make her more impatient, she turned back to her patient and smiled.
"We have to wait fifteen minutes," she said, almost gently.
Sasuke nodded, and kept his eyes down, which was a shame in her opinion, because he had such beautiful eyes. Naruto's hand was entwined with the human's, and the blond kitsune-jin gave it a gentle squeeze, as if giving him some reassurance.
The clock hands counted down the seconds slowly. Tick-tock, tick-tock, and the endless silence was broken only by that steady rhythm.
At last, Temari turned back to see the paper, and noted that it had changed colour. She stared at it for a moment, then registered what the colour meant and turned back, saying, almost sympathetically, "It's negative. I'm sorry."
Sasuke said nothing, removing himself from her table as quickly as he could, and nearly running for the door. Naruto shook his head and started after the human, looking almost sorrowful. He was almost out of the door, when someone grabbed his hand.
He whirled around to look the blonde girl in the eyes. "Prince," she started. "I know it's customary for the married kitsune-jin to rid himself of all bed-slaves, unless they are with his child. Since the test was negative, you will have to give him up, no?"
Naruto looked at her, as if studying her for a moment, then nodded curtly. "That's right."
He sighed. "I was almost sure though..."
He started to walk away, pulling out of the girl's grip. Temari latched on again, squeezing his wrist tightly. "Would you consider leaving him to me? I mean, I believe it should be better for the both of you, in the end. You would know that he is in good care, and he shouldn't have to leave the palace!"
The girl's hope was crushed, however, by the prince's next words. "I'm sorry, but we must sell him, to whomever will pay the highest price for him. I doubt that you should be able to match some of the kitsune-jin lords' wagers."
Temari scoffed. "Why on earth would anyone pay a high price for a human like that?"
Naruto smiled a little. "He was of a noble, and now extinct bloodline. He was a bed-slave, and is trained already. He can carry child, so interactions with him are not fruitless. Do you see, Temari? His lineage drives his price up."
Temari looked almost disappointed. "Oh," was all she could say, slowly releasing his hand.
Naruto grinned brightly. "But tell you what! If we can't find a buyer for him, I'll make sure he goes to you! Okay? I love the idea, but it's just all these stupid rules."
Temari smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Naruto," she near whispered, and then he was gone, like a leaf on the autumn wind.
She shook her head, knowing full-well that they would find a buyer for the Uchiha, and that would be the last she ever saw of him.
Yondaime kept his eyes on the papers in front of him, rather than the creature that was slumped in a seat in front of him. The words were all blurred in front of his unfocussed eyes, his thoughts drifting to other places than print.
He was still mad at Naruto, though it was hard to be. He had thought he'd brought the boy up well, he thought he'd taught him how to be a fitting prince, and a better king. However, Naruto had just thrown all those thoughts back in his face, by first disobeying him, and then by disobeying the law, by consorting and sleeping with a human being.
And not just any human being. A human boy, the last of the accursed Uchiha, a whore, a drug addict and a criminal. Of all the humans in the world, and by Kyuubi, there must have been thousands, for they were like the plague, Naruto had to choose that one.
It had been a fair secret for a day or two, and he had been hoping silently that the maids and servants that attended to Naruto would keep their mouths shut, but oh no, why would they do that? Some idiot had to open his big mouth and tell the press that the prince of kitsune-jins had the lowest human warming his bed, and the next morning, when the Yondaime had picked up his morning paper and settled in to read it with his morning coffee, there it was, plastered all over the front page.
And so it had been for the past month or so, with all sorts of different, sick and twisted headlines to soil the name of Uzumaki. By Kyuubi, Naruto had gone and done it this time, and he was just waiting for the kitsune-jin elite, who had been plotting to over-throw their corrupted monarchy to put their plans to action.
From the tabloids, which talked nothing but trash and spouted lies, to the most respectable newspaper in Konoha, the prince and the human was the most popular story, whether or not the facts were still intact in the story the editors ran.
The people who read them, and that included almost all of the kitsune-jin populous and a small portion of the humans, the teachers and healers and such, were talking now, and they were spreading the rumours and the lies, and it was growing, like a dark shadow, and it threatened to consume the monarchy and end the line.
They were talking, because it had to be the truth, for it was there in black and white. He wished the newspapers would print their words in red or blue ink, for then, they wouldn't be believable because they were not black and white.
The long suffering ordeal was almost through, though, now and he had finally stepped in to finish it. Naruto was going to cut the strings on this human, and turn him loose, then tie his own strings to Haruno Sakura, and all would be right in the world. The monarchy would continue, with a strong match to serve as the next king and queen, and an heir was almost not preventable.
Uchiha Sasuke was not with child, and so, as kitsune-jin law decreed, to be turned over to a new master for a price and all would be forgotten.
Yondaime tried to study the papers in front of him - bids, from various wealthy lords scattered across his empire. He was half surprised to find an application from Inuzuka Kiba, and he doubted the Lord had bid for his own purpose, but had perhaps been willed by Hinata, his wife, who had possibly been swayed by Naruto.
There was another problem that would have to be dealt with. Though she was married and happily so, Hinata was smitten to her prince, and if Naruto ever became unhappy with his union to Sakura, he could easily sway Hinata to come to bed with him - a scandalous act indeed. Naruto was no wizard with words, but Hinata was bound enough that even the coarsest of words would see submission from her.
He found himself peering over the edges of the paper, no longer reading the names or the bids on them, but rather, studying the human.
Sasuke was pointedly not looking at him, out of some sort of respect, though in passing, the Uchiha had shown that he held no respect for the kitsune-jins nor their king. The old human superiority complex still lingered with the boy, and he felt that the kitsune-jins had no sway over the humans.
He found himself comparing the Uchiha to his long deceased wife. The same complexion, the same hair - even the air of quiet indifference seemed so heartbreakingly similar to him. Unknowingly, he sighed softly, causing the human to glance up at him.
The eyes. The eyes were different and it shattered his almost wistful illusion. He cleared his throat and looked down. He spread the sheets of paper out across his desk, his eyes scanning the print, the words and figures he needed to know.
The human whore was staring at him now, and the silence had become thick and impending, indicating a sort of doom, and the tension.
They kept silent though, for a long while and eternity seemed to stretch out before them. They would never end this interview soon enough.
Too long was too long for Sasuke and he stood up, heading to the door of the small office, silently excusing himself. Yondaime glanced up at him, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Sit down, Uchiha. You haven't been excused."
Sasuke sneered a little, beyond the point of being politely disrespectful. "I believe I have been dismissed. You obviously have nothing to say to me, nor I to you, so I'll be on my way and rid you of my plaguing presence."
Annoyance seeped into the teenager's sarcastic voice, and then the door slammed shut behind him, leaving Yondaime alone in his office. The ruler of Konoha sighed and looked at the papers again. This time, a winner of the alleged auction was apparent to him.
Uchiha Sasuke had been sold. Sighing, Yondaime reached for his parchment and the bottle of ink on his desk. He had to write a letter Sarutobi Asuma, one of his cousins from the West.
Sasuke stormed away from the office, from the Yondaime. Why did everyone around here have to be so cruel? And it wasn't as if they were blatantly cruel, it was a sort of subliminal thing that was ingrained in their nature.
He'd thought he'd been at the bottom when those men would actually shove him to the ground and force him to lick the cement at their feet, but it was nothing compared to this humiliation. In that situation, he could have got up, he could have walked away - he could have righted his wrongs, but he hadn't and now he couldn't do a damn thing. They humiliated him and there was nothing he could do to stop them now, because it was the truth, and it wasn't as if he caught them saying or doing anything. He knew simply from the way they looked at him, as if he was some unsightly piece of furniture.
There was only one thing he could see to do now, in this predicament. He had to leave, before they made him, before they sent him to god-knew-where for some despicable master, to whom he was to be a slave and it actually played out that way.
He paused for a second, just outside the door to Naruto's chambers, and for almost a second, he regretted not informing the kitsune-jin that he was leaving. Of course, he couldn't, because Naruto had the authority to lock him up and sentence him to death, or whatever, because he was a criminal and Naruto was an officer of the Special Forces.
He kept moving. It wasn't as if the kitsune-jin liked him, or anything of the sort. He merely put up with him, he was sure, because of what he could do for him. That was always how it was - what can he do for me, how can he help me? There was never a thought of how the other might feel, or be, about that, but it was always about that other person, who lived in their own self-centred little universe, where the sun circled their earth.
He stepped outside, into the blizzard-blown world, watching as the playful wind kicked snow up into the bright blue sky. The sunbeams turned the snowflakes to diamonds, and then, they settled back down on the ground, sparkling and glittering, blinding. But even though the sun was out, the wind was so bitter, that it stung his cheeks and tore his breath away. The sun could not chase away the cold that lingered.
He stepped forward, crushing the happy snow beneath his feet, letting the treads of his shoes crush it and push it down, until it had become a perfect replica of what he - of what his shoes wanted it to be. And the defiant snow fell into his shoes, over his toes, because the only shoes he had were sandals. He was going to be frostbitten by the time he got anywhere. Already, there was the tell-tale tingling in his feet of numbness.
Some of the snow was more than compliant, rolling out of his way, moving aside for him, as if he was some great god. It was so the same with human nature. There were the ones you had to crush, the ones you could not crush, and the ones who merely rolled over and played dead for you.
He grabbed his fluttering scarf out of mid-air, wrapping the woolen thing about his frozen hands, trying to restore some heat to them. This was okay, he'd done this before. He had frozen to death in the middle of the winter before, this was no different than the eleven years before.
He shivered involuntarily, finding his pace rising and falling quicker, and he was buffeted by the increasingly strong wind. Dark clouds were rolling in from the North, threatening more snow, and he knew he would have to be gone from here before then, so that his footprints would be hidden.
He went, silently, back to the depths of Konoha.
"Naruto."
The blond kitsune-jin paused in the hall, glancing back to see his bride-to-be standing in the hall, just outside of her chambers, hands resting on her hips.
"Sakura," he said with a curt nod, before continuing on his way.
"Where are you going?" the blossom-haired kitsune-jin called, forcing him to stop again.
"I'm going to see my former teacher," Naruto said, trying not to grit his teeth and be annoyed. Didn't she know he was in a bit of a hurry?
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly. "Ah, good, then. I thought you might have been off to see that nasty human of yours."
Naruto bit his lip at the insult to Sasuke. He would not say anything in defence of the boy, for she spoke the truth.
She continued. "I suppose you're seeking guidance on the wedding ceremony?"
She batted her eyelashes and he felt sickness creep into the pit of his stomach. For a moment, he wished that she was Sasuke, cold and stoic, yet commanding. She was not, though, too full of the feminine traits, and seemingly, she thought she had the feminine wiles, when in truth she lacked them and gave them a bad name.
"Eh, no actually. I had something else to speak with him about."
That was apparently the wrong answer. Sakura gave him a long, unforgiving look. Her eyes bored into his, and her voice was cold as she said, "You do that our ceremony is tomorrow? I know they dislike to teach the boys anything of the ceremony before the last second, for fear they forget over time."
Naruto choked. "Tomorrow?" he cried, his eyes wide, turning about to face the kitsune-jin bride-to-be. "So soon? We've barely just met!"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "You really know nothing. They wish to have us married before we can know each other, so we cannot dislike the other and back out of the union."
Naruto gritted his teeth and stuck his tongue out at the girl, unable to resist the childish urge. She stared at him in shock. He grinned wildly, even through his temper. He could win, he could get the better of her! "I know that I'm not supposed to have any contact with the bride for twenty-four hours before the ceremony, my dear Sakura! Which is the rule you just broke. But I won't tell anybody, and I'll leave before anybody sees you conversing with me!"
And he ran. He ran with all the speed that Kyuubi had given him and he ran far away from her, leaving her startled and bewildered in the hall. Of course, she was baffled, for he had just made all that up, but she wouldn't know until she asked someone, and now, he was long gone.
He sighed happily at getting the better of the girl, whom he'd already developed a certain distaste for and continued along the hall at a leisurely pace.
He arrived at Iruka's chambers and knocked, waiting for the keeper of the place to open the door. He glanced out the window and he could see the sunset, because this was the west wing of the palace. The temperature outside was dropping, and clouds were rolling in from the North, promising a storm for the night. Naruto pondered briefly as to where Sasuke was. He'd been gone since about noon, and it was now nearing the evening.
He had no more time to wonder on this, as the door to the chambers was opened and he was face to face with his former tutor. The brunet man smiled down at his former student, who was still somewhat shorter than himself, even after all these years.
"Good evening, Naruto. May I help you?"
Naruto smiled warmly at the human and nodded. "Good evening, Iruka-sensei. I've come by to ask a favour of you."
Iruka nodded and stepped aside, motioning for Naruto to enter his living space and keep their conversation more private. Naruto accepted the offer and stepped inside the teacher's living room.
Iruka shut the door and wandered over to one of the cozy chairs near the fire place. Naruto bounded across the floor and took up a seat in the other, matching seat, much like he had when he was a small child.
"What is it that you need, Naruto?" Iruka asked, titling his head and smiling.
Naruto couldn't help but smile back. Iruka had always been a very kind teacher, if not a bit strict sometimes, and his demeanour just radiated that gentle happiness that seemed to infect everyone in his presence. Had Naruto been a few years older, he might have fallen for the teacher, much as Kakashi had, or so the rumours said.
"I actually was wondering if I could ask you to look after someone for a little while."
Iruka's brown eyes were wide in curiosity, as if asking him who, without saying anything. Naruto studied the scar that ran across the human's face, wondering for the first time how it had come to be there. He could only imagine it was from someone of his race.
"Right now?" his teacher was asking. "I was actually expecting company - not to be rude of course, but I..."
Iruka stopped and they looked at each other for a moment or two. Naruto sighed. "I...actually,...I suppose you've heard of my recent endeavours?"
Iruka looked decidedly disappointed. "Yes, Naruto. I have. And I am not pleased by it, but it's your decision to court that kind of thing and-"
"I'm getting married," the blond blurted, and the brunet stared at him.
"To that thing?" Iruka spluttered, something akin to terror seeping into the tones of his voice.
Naruto blinked, and stared at his teacher for a second or two, then shook his head furiously. "No! I'm getting married to Haruno Sakura, and hence, I have to get rid of my bed-slaves."
Iruka was silent, then finally said, "Oh."
Naruto ploughed on. "And I was wondering if maybe you could take charge of him for a few days. I think Temari lied to me."
Iruka said nothing, then shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that, it's against your father's wishes and-"
Naruto clasped his hands together. "Please Iruka? If he stays for just a couple more days, I might be able to prove Temari wrong and then he can stay -"
"No," the human said firmly, with just a hint of gentleness in his voice. "Temari wouldn't lie to you, so there's nothing to prove."
Naruto stood up, pointedly not looking Iruka in the eye. "Very well then. I suppose it's Fate's way then."
He walked to the door, nodding curtly to his former teacher. "Thanks anyways. I'll see you around," he said, and then he was gone, like smoke on an autumn breeze.
Iruka shook his head and got up, feeling bad for not being able to help his student, but there were things that he just could not do for him. He picked up the fire poker and stirred the fire logs a bit, ash rising into the air a little.
Outside the door, Naruto leaned his forehead on the cool pane of the window, the sun reflecting off his tears. "I suppose it must be done," he murmured to the empty air. "But, by Kyuubi, if I won't miss him."
The only one to hear the admission was the empty hallway, who's stones would keep it silent forever more.
The wind was bitter and the snow had started to fall about an hour ago, softly at first, then like driving rain, and it was more like ice because it hurt to be hit with it.
The wind howled a melancholy tune, and the storm clouds were bruised by its force, and by the jagged mountain peeks that had threatened to bite them as the drifted toward Konoha. The maiden moon and her servant stars were hid away behind the clouds' curtain, and the night was dull and dim and it was hard to see.
Far away in the mountains, the wolves prowled and howled, the hunger of the new winter already washing over the hunters. On the outskirts of the village, the farmers guided their snowy stocks into the barns, in hopes to keep them from freezing to death, and to keep them safe from the prowlers of the night.
Hatake Kakashi was one of those prowlers on that night. With the snow sticking in his hair, and flying into his eyes like devilish sprites, he kept moving, followed by the shadows of his squad. They were hunting.
The only ones out on the streets now were the homeless, and those so drunk that they couldn't see. The beggars huddled in alleyways and boxes and with each other, over a garbage can that they had managed to light on fire and they huddled near it, warming their frozen hands.
Everyone else had retreated from the storm, into the warm indoors. Mothers were feeding their children warm soup while the fire burned and fathers sat by it, reading the evening paper.
The hunting party slid by, unnoticed. Their eyes were searching, everywhere and everything at once. The snow came harder, the wind howled louder through the empty streets.
"Kakashi," someone said beside him, and he glanced over to see Shiranui Genma shaking the snow out of his hair. "This is ridiculous. Remind me why we're looking for this brat?"
Kakashi sighed. "We're looking for him, because the Yondaime's cousin is paying a rather large sum of money for him."
Genma chewed thoughtfully on the wooden stick in his mouth. "But still, he's just a human whore," he drawled, turning his gaze to half-glare at Kakashi.
Behind them, someone coughed, rather loudly, and they both turned to look at the guilty party, who was none other than Gekkou Hayate. The other member of the party, looked at them sheepishly, and mumbled an apology.
Genma rolled his eyes. "I told you, you need to take time off, Hayate," he growled, then turned back to Kakashi. "So, how are we going to find this kid?"
Kakashi shrugged. Genma made a rather exaggerated face of exasperation. "You don't know? Do you want us to tromp around in the snow for kyuubi-knows how long and all die of pneumonia?"
As if to emphasize the older officer's point, Hayate coughed again. "Couldn't we just...follow his footprints?" Hayate asked, blinking tiredly, and giving a half cough.
"Brilliant idea," Genma grumbled, crossing his arms. "Except that this damn storm has erased all footprints."
Hayate rolled his eyes. "Sorry," he muttered sarcastically, then started coughing again.
Kakashi grinned mockingly. "Having a lover's spat, you two?"
"We're not lovers!" both kitsune-jins spat at the other officer in perfect synchronization.
Kakashi rolled his visible eye. Someone cleared their throat and said, "Are you going to argue all night, or can we hurry up and find this kid?"
The three kitsune-jins looked back at the fourth member of their party, Maito Gai, who gave them a toothy grin. "Let's find this boy before his youth wastes away!"
The other three made faces and quickly started on their way again, before Gai could launch into one of his infamous speeches about the beauty of youth, or something like that.
Gaara glanced up from his evening paper at the door, hearing the steady knocking at it. Neji was in the kitchen, doing the dinner dishes, bad-temperedly of course, and he was showing it by throwing stuff around. The red-head doubted he'd hear the door.
So, with no other choice, he got up out of his tattered chair and walked to the battered door.
"Whaddya want," he asked, opening it, because no one ever visited humans like them for polite conversation.
And when he saw who was standing there, he broke into a wide, evil grin. "Oh, Neji," he called to the storming boy, who stalked out of the kitchen, drying a chipped tea cup, scowl planted on his face.
"What?"
"Guess who's back...."