I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any money off of this.

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 4: Petunia

When Naruto found out about Ino's death, he nearly fainted. The maid that was with him instantly called the doctor. Luckily, nothing was wrong with Naruto or the baby. Naruto was forced to stay on bed rest. The maid took care of Naruto, making sure the pregnancy went well. Soon, another five months went by, making Naruto eight months pregnant when he was once more called to the throne room. This time he was escorted not only by Kakashi and the maid, but the doctor and a few other soldiers as well. He found the room filled with even more nobles than the last time. Sasuke sat on his throne, looking ready to kill someone. Sakura on the other hand looked happy. What was about to happen hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. Before anyone said anything, the maid standing next to Naruto let out a gasp. Kakashi and the soldiers instantly turned towards Naruto. Sasuke stood up and yelled out something Naruto didn't hear. Blood had rushed to his ears and he wasn't able to hear anything more as his mind focused on his future. He didn't even feel his water breaking. He only came back to reality when the doctor told him it was time.

Sasuke paced outside Naruto's room while Sakura bit her lip. Both were concerned, but for different reasons. Both were concerned about the baby since it was early, but Sasuke was also concerned about Naruto. Sakura couldn't care less about Naruto. She secretly hoped Naruto would die. Sasuke was a mess of different emotions. He wanted Naruto to make it through this so he could ask Naruto about what the investigation found. But he also didn't want Naruto to make it since it would be karma for what he'd done. A loud cry filled the air and both Sasuke and Sakura let out a sigh of relief. A couple of minutes later, the maid came out of the room and handed the baby to Sasuke.

"Congratulations. It's a boy." She bowed before reentering the room.

"A boy," Sasuke said. He smiled. "A boy!"

"Yes," Sakura said. She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's. "Our son is beautiful."

"Yes," Sasuke said, nodding. "He is."

Naruto awoke several hours later, alone. He struggled to his feet, only to fall to the floor. He cried out when he noticed that his big stomach was gone. A guard ran into the room. Naruto asked him where his baby was. Not knowing the answer, the guard said, "Sorry." Naruto took the apology the wrong way and began to scream and cry. The guard was forced out of the room. He motioned to another guard to get the King. But it was Sakura that came instead.

"You are causing a scene," Sakura said.

"My baby…" Naruto said.

Sakura smiled. "You don't have a child." Naruto let out a sob. "It hurts, doesn't it?" Naruto looked up at Sakura. "Losing a baby." Anger grew in Naruto. It must have been exactly what she wanted. "Help! Guards! Naruto has gone crazy!" Naruto looked at her in confusion. Sakura just smiled as she pulled out a knife. Naruto's eyes widened as Sakura stabbed the knife into her arm. "Ah!" She quickly dropped the knife onto the floor.

Sasuke and some guards ran into the room. "What is going on?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto, he… he attacked me!" Sakura said.

"What?" Sasuke asked. He looked at Sakura's wound then towards the knife sitting in front of Naruto. "You…"

"I didn't do it!" Naruto said.

"So what, did a ghost stab her?" Sasuke asked. "You are the only one here."

"She stabbed herself!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I've heard enough." He motioned to the guards who grabbed Naruto. "Take him away." Naruto kept yelling that he didn't do it while he was dragged to the same cell Ino had died in. "Are you alright?" Sasuke asked Sakura.

"Yes," Sakura said. "I think he was too weak from childbirth to really do much."

"Why would he suddenly attack you?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know," Sakura said. "I only came here to calm him down. When I told him that I had cared for the baby, he suddenly got angry."

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said. "Naruto doesn't have the right to be angry. He took at least three people away from me. Taking one away from him is nowhere near enough."

"I agree," Sakura said.

"He'll also be punished for daring to attack the Queen," Sasuke said.

"Oh Sasuke," Sakura wrapped her arms around him. "I love you."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he hugged Sakura back, not seeing the evil smile on Sakura's face.

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Naruto got out of bed, smiling at Ino's sleeping form. He didn't fully trust Ino, but right now he doubted that Sakura would approach her. He didn't like that Ino had obeyed Sakura's orders at his expense, but understood why she had done it. He had done an investigation of his own and found out Ino's weaknesses that Sakura had exploited. Ino had done what she did to protect her family. Naruto could respect that as he would have done anything to protect his baby. He sadly wasn't given the chance though. Naruto wondered if he'd be given the chance to in this life. He blushed. He'd have to sleep with Sasuke again to make the baby again. Naruto knew the exact day he had lost his virginity to Sasuke. It hadn't been the way he had expected, but it gave him eight months of motherhood. Naruto really wished it had been longer. He placed a hand on his stomach.

"Lord Naruto?" Ino asked. "Does your stomach hurt?"

"No," Naruto shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Alright," Ino said. "I'll get the bath ready. You weren't able to bathe last night."

"That sounds good," Naruto agreed. Ino left only to come back a few minutes later. She then escorted Naruto to the bath. It was empty except for them. Naruto stripped and washed his body a little before stepping into the bath. Ino grabbed his clothes and put them in his laundry bin. She then left to get him something to change into. Naruto let out a sigh of relief as the hot water moved over his body, relaxing its aches. He then closed his eyes, not hearing someone enter the chambers.

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Itachi sighed as he finally put down his pen. He had written down everything he could think of pertaining as to why Sakura or the Harunos would try to kill them. It had kept him up all night. He stood up, cracking his back. He gulped down the last of his water before grabbing a towel and a change of clothes. If anyone saw him right now, they'd be concerned. He didn't want to alarm anyone, so he snuck out of his room. He didn't see any other clothes in the changing room, so he stripped before carrying the towel with him into the bathing chambers. Steam came off the water, covering everything. Itachi didn't question it as he dropped his towel on the floor. He then slowly got into the water. He let out a noise as the water covered his body.

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The noise startled Naruto. "Who's there?"

"Naruto?" Itachi asked, taken back. He hadn't seen anyone else here. He looked around before his eyes locked on the form across from him.

"Itachi?" Naruto blushed. "Wha-what are you doing in here?"

"Sorry," Itachi said. "I didn't know someone else was already here." He looked away. He was about to get out when he remembered that he was naked. "Do you mind looking away?"

"R-right," Naruto stuttered. He turned around.

Itachi couldn't help but stare at Naruto's back for a few seconds before he got out of the water.

"Prince Itachi!" Ino yelled, dropping Naruto's dress.

Itachi lunged for his towel and quickly wrapped it around his waist. "It's not what it looks like."

"It better not be," Ino said. She walked over to Naruto. "Turn around." Prince Itachi did so. Ino helped Naruto out of the water. She quickly dried off his body before getting him dressed. She wrapped Naruto's hair up in a towel. Then she turned back towards Itachi. "You're still here?"

"I don't like your tone," Itachi said. "You realize that I'm a Prince, don't you?"

"A Prince that dared to get into the same bath his brother's future concubine was using," Ino said, crossing her arms. "What if another servant saw you? Naruto's purity would be questioned."

"I didn't do anything," Itachi said. "I didn't even know Naruto was here."

"Lord Naruto," Ino said. "He may not be married to Prince Sasuke yet, but he still deserves your respect."

"Ino, it's really alright," Naruto said. "Itachi didn't do anything."

"You need to be more careful," Ino said. "Think about your position."

"I think we should talk about this after I get dressed as well," Itachi said.

"Right," Ino said. She turned herself and Naruto around, then motioned for Itachi to go. Itachi rolled his eyes before walking into the changing room. He'd have to take a proper bath later, when no one else was around.

"Itachi?" Sasuke asked. Itachi whipped around to find his brother walking into the changing room. "I guess we both didn't bathe last night."

"I had a lot on my mind last night," Itachi said. He moved to block the way into the bathing chambers. He was hoping that Ino would take Naruto out of there.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked.

"You're getting married soon," Itachi said, changing the subject.

Sasuke scowled. "It's not a big deal. I don't know why the Harunos are so adamant about the color scheme."

"What about your wedding with Naruto?" Itachi said.

Sasuke froze. "What about it?"

"You'll also be marrying him soon," Itachi said.

"He's just a concubine," Sasuke said. "The wedding won't be nearly as extravagant as Sakura and mine."

"I feel bad for Naruto," Itachi said. "His wedding should also be a thing of wonder."

Sasuke eyed Itachi. "Are you…?"

"Prince Sasuke?" a voice said. "And Prince Itachi. Good morning."

"Duke Haruno," Sasuke greeted.

"Well, I should be going," Itachi said. "I still have some work to do." He bowed before quickly leaving the room.

Sasuke opened his mouth to call after Itachi, but closed it as he turned towards Kizashi. He sighed as he followed the man into the bath. Kizashi instantly started to talk about politics. Sasuke hid his displeasure. Duke Kizashi Haruno was a greedy man, almost as greedy as his wife Duchess Mebuki Haruno. Together, they pushed how they wanted their daughter's wedding to be onto Sasuke's parents. Sasuke was surprised that his father had been so calm during the discussion. Uchihas had their own traditions and as royalty, their traditions outweighed the Harunos. Still, Fugaku wanted the wedding to be a peaceful event, so he was ready to give into some of the Harunos' demands. Not wanting to talk about the wedding anymore, Sasuke chose to bring up the Charity Ball.

"Will the Charity Ball be an auction or simply a donation banquet?" Sasuke asked.

"Honestly, I'd prefer to do an auction, but Mebuki insisted on the banquet," Kizashi said. "I suppose that it doesn't matter as long as we help those in the Duchy. With the recent strief at the border with Suna, some of the commoners have been struggling to make ends meet."

"Father is planning on sending some soldiers to better secure the border," Sasuke said. "Suna won't be much of a problem for long."

"That is reassuring," Kizashi said. He stretched before getting up. "I'll be getting out now. I must check on how breakfast is going." He bowed before leaving.

Sasuke let himself enjoy the silence for a few minutes before he too left the bath. His servant Iruka helped him get dressed. Then they headed for the dining room. Itachi and Naruto were already there. Naruto's laugh caught Sasuke's attention. It had been a long time since Sasuke last saw Naruto laugh and smile. A tinge of pain squeezed at his heart. Sasuke frowned, not understanding what was going on. He cleared his throat, alerting Itachi and Naruto to his arrival. Itachi smiled and greeted Sasuke warmly. Naruto on the other hand bowed slightly, but remained seated. Sasuke took the seat next to Naruto.

"I see that my boys are already here," Mikoto said cheerfully. She walked arm in arm with Fugaku towards the two seats next to Itachi. Sakura arrived next with her parents close behind. She instantly took the empty seat next to Sasuke.

"Good morning King Fugaku, Queen Mikoto, Prince Itachi, and Prince Sasuke," Sakura smiled. She then turned slightly towards Naruto. "Lord Naruto."

"Good morning Lady Sakura," Itachi said. "Duke Haruno, Duchess Haruno, I hope you had a good night's sleep."

"We did," Kizashi said.

"That's good to hear," Itachi said. "While we wait for breakfast to be served, I was hoping to discuss something very important." Fugaku, Mikoto, and Sasuke gave Itachi a look, but the elder prince brushed it off.

"What is it?" Kizashi asked.

"I'm sure you've already been informed, but one of the carriages you sent us ended up being partially broken," Itachi said.

Kizashi and Mebuki glanced at each other. "Yes, our daughter informed us of the unfortunate incident. We've already sent a few guards to question the makers of the carriage."

"I see," Itachi said. "I'd like a copy of the report, if you don't mind. After all, I don't want the Haruno Duchy to be blamed for an accident. If the damage had gone unnoticed, I'm afraid someone could have gotten hurt. If a member of the royal family had been hurt due to a faulty carriage provided as a gift from the Harunos, I'm afraid that a few other nobles would jump at the opportunity to strip you of your status." His words had a hint of sarcasm to them, but no one said anything about it.

"We would never do something like that," Kizashi said, raising his voice. "That would be treason!"

Itachi smirked. "Yes, it would be. And treason is punishable by death. If someone is found guilty, it would be best if we, the royal family, are the ones to punish them. But that's only assuming that it wasn't an accident, which of course it has to be." He ended the sentence with a fake smile.

Kizashi shook slightly, but only nodded in agreement before saying, "Of course. I'll make sure you get the report immediately."

"Thank you," Itachi said. The meal arrived a few seconds later and silence filled the air. It was awkward, but it was obvious that the Harunos were too afraid to say anything. Fugaku and Sasuke didn't mind the silence. Itachi seemed to enjoy it. Mikoto on the other hand didn't. She ended up speaking up first.

"I heard there is going to be a charity banquet. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh I would love your help," Mebuki said. "Sakura and I were planning on going into town today. Would you like to join us?"

"Yes, I'd like that," Mikoto said. She turned towards Naruto. "Naruto, will you be joining us as well."

"If that is what you want, Queen Mikoto," Naruto said.

"Oh Naruto," Mikoto said. "Please just call me Mikoto. You will be marrying Sasuke in a few months after all."

Naruto saw Sakura flinch at that. Naruto smiled. "Right."

When breakfast came to an end, Sakura asked Sasuke if he'd go on a walk with her before the trip to the market. He agreed, making Sakura cheer. "Naruto," Itachi called. Naruto turned towards him. "I heard that there is a large garden here. Would you like to go see it with me?"

"Sure," Naruto said. "I'd love that." Itachi offered his hand to the blond and he took it. Sasuke stared at them, a frown appearing on his face. He let himself be dragged away by Sakura, but the scene of Naruto taking Itachi's hand bothered him. Sakura kept talking and Sasuke only responded when he needed to. They eventually came across Naruto and Itachi as Sakura also wanted to show Sasuke the Haruno garden. Naruto was laughing as Itachi spoke to him. It made anger rise within Sasuke. Why was Naruto always smiling when he was with Itachi? Naruto was his fiance, not Itachi's. Sasuke glanced at Itachi. The smile on Itachi's face was a true one. Was Itachi in love with Naruto? Did Naruto return his feelings?

"Prince Itachi, Lord Naruto," Sakura called. The two turned to her.

"Lady Sakura," Naruto bowed. His eyes went to Sasuke. "Prince Sasuke."

Itachi just nodded in acknowledgement before he regained Naruto's attention. "And that flower symbolizes joy and beauty." He motioned to a flower that looked like a bird with a crown of flowers. "It actually reminds you of me." He walked over to it and touched the blue part of the flower. "This is similar to your eyes while the petals are of your favorite color."

"They are beautiful," Naruto said.

Itachi turned to Sakura. "May I ask you to have a servant find one of these and bring it to Naruto's room?"

"Of course," Sakura said. She saw the way Itachi treated Naruto and it gave her hope that maybe they'd marry instead. That would mean that she'd get to have Sasuke to herself after all.

Sasuke was not happy to hear this. How could Itachi think that it was ok to give anything to Naruto? Naruto was his! And to call Naruto beautiful… Sasuke clenched his fists. He took a silent deep breath before he slipped his arm free of Sakura. Then he grabbed Naruto's arm. "We need to talk." He dragged Naruto off, ignoring Sakura's call of his name. Itachi couldn't help but smirk as he was able to read his little brother better than anyone. He only hoped that Sasuke wouldn't let his anger get the best of him.

Sasuke dragged Naruto down a path to where a small bench sat. He pushed Naruto down onto it. Before he could speak, Naruto spoke first. "How many times are you going to grab me like that? If you want to talk, you can just ask! Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you can do this."

Sasuke frowned. "I just..."

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked. "You're not even going to apologize for hurting me?" Naruto lifted up his now bruised arm.

Sasuke looked away. "Look, I'm sorry about your arm. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Naruto nodded. "Good. Now if you excuse me, Itachi and I were going to…"

"I didn't give you permission to leave," Sasuke said.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"You're to be my concubine," Sasuke said. "As such, you shouldn't spend time with any other man."

"Itachi and I are friends. I have the right to spend time with my friends."

"Not when they are male Betas or Alphas."

"What does Itachi being a male Beta have to do with anything? Just because I'm an Omega doesn't mean I can't be friends with non-Omegas!" Naruto got up. "I don't understand why you keep questioning me about this."

"You…"

"No." Naruto shook his head. "I've heard enough. It is almost time to meet up with Queen Mikoto and the others. Or are you going to order me not to spend time with them because they aren't Omegas?" Sasuke didn't say anything. The look on his face had turned to one that looked like he was a lost child. "Good bye, Prince Sasuke." Naruto walked away.

Sasuke stood, staring after Naruto, unable to move. When he finally did, he sat down, sighing and putting his head in his hands. He didn't know what to do. His feelings were all over the place. He only knew that the desires of his Alpha side were beginning to overpower his more rational side. He only dropped his hands when a hand touched his shoulders. Sasuke looked up into the eyes of his older brother.

"We need to talk," Itachi said.

Petunias display deep feelings of resentment, anger, and trouble. However, more often than that, the petunia is used to symbolize a desire to spend time with another person.