Notes: I'm terribly sorry! And thank you so much for not giving up on me. Hopefully you will find this enjoyable.

Part 7

The morning of Hinata's wedding day was terrible. She was woken up by her chamber-maid at five in the morning. Reluctantly she left the warmness of her bed and followed the maid to a bath which had been prepared for her in advance. The floor felt icy under her bare feet and she shivered, wishing she could just jump back to bed and bury herself under warm covers.

Assisted by the maid, Hinata undressed and stepped into the lukewarm water. She sat in the bath with her eyes closed, embarrassed of her nakedness and stiff from the cold.

"It would have been nice and hot," the maid said as she grabbed a towel and began to rub Hinata's skin so that it slowly turned red, "but Hinata-sama just wouldn't wake up. I did my best and no one can deny it."

Hinata nodded. She had been accused of being a heavy sleeper before, many times, and as far as she could tell, the accusations were justified. Every time she woke up in the morning it felt like she was crawling out from a grave. The maids hated her habit of taking at least half an hour to wake up because of the extra work it caused them. Hinata had learned years ago to keep her mouth shut about lukewarm water and cold breakfast.

The maid finished bathing her and told her to step out.

Hinata obeyed, her face burning from shame and embarrassement.

The maid snorted. "Hinata-sama, you are going to get married today. How can you stand before your husband if you get so bothered about us seeing you?"

The assisting maids giggled approvingly.

Hinata clenched her teeth and tried to ignore everything. Then her eyes suddenly flew wide open as the maid's words sunk in. Was she implying Neji would also see her without clothes? How? Why? When? Hinata bit her lip. Should she ask the maids? They would probably just laugh at her. Then who? There was no one she could confide in. For a millionth time in her life Hinata wished her mother was still alive.

Neji shut the door behind a manservant who had come in to help him get dressed. Neji smiled condescendingly. The servants actually thought he was a useless nobelman who couldn't even put on his own clothes. The life he had led in the army and the one he had here differed greatly. Of course he had had a servant, all the officers did, but he was fairly confident no one could make Nara Shikamaru actually serve anyone. All the troublesome chores a servant had to do just didn't fit Shikamaru's image. Shikamaru had never done any work for Neji, just lazed around and thrown in a few strategic tips every now and then. Neji hadn't minded. The man was a genius when it came to battle strategy. He wondered how Nara fared under the command of his new lieutenant.

Neji flexed his aching shoulders. He had been up until three in the morning going through some messy papers regarding the Manor's livestock purchases in the last twenty years. Hell of a boring work but had to be done if he wanted to get a grip on the Manor's business. He had slept only three hours but he was used to little sleep so he was sure he would manage the day through. His wedding day.

Neji went up to the window and looked outside. It was still dark but he could see little orange dots from lanterns moving to and fro in the front yard. Servants had been working for hours already. A Hyuuga getting married was always a big event; the Hyuuga heir getting married was even bigger. It was an opportunity for the Hyuuga to show nations their wealth and power. An important matter. But all Neji could think right now was that from today onwards he would be bound to sweet, caring, weak and vulnerable Hinata. His childhood 'sister'. The person who had meant the most to him after the death of his mother. The person he had nearly forgotten in his years away. The person who had already began to become his weakness.

Sudden chill made Neji shiver. He instictively tensed his muscles but then forced himself to relax and turned away from the window. He put on his trousers and his white, frilled shirt and sat by his desk. The ceremony would take place at twelve o'clock. Plenty of time for him to see how many cows Hiashi had bought ten years ago but so little time to remain free from the shackles of marriage.

Hinata did her best not to wince as the hair brush her maid was using met yet another tangle. Her scalp was tingling painfully. Apparently the maid was in such a hurry that she had no time to be gentle. Hinata's gaze travelled over the things scattered on her dressing table. There were brushes and combs and little bottles, all of which she knew very well and which right now looked like old friends. After midday today these things would belong to a married woman.

The maid finished brushing her hair and gave way to another woman who had come here all the way from the Wind Country to style her hair in the latest fashion. Only the best was good enough for a Hyuuga. Hinata took a deep breath and braced herself. This would take hours. She lifted her gaze and looked at herself in the mirror. She wondered what Neji thought of her. Did he think she was was pretty? Beautiful? Cute? Ugly?

What Hinata saw in the mirror was an average person with a round face and dim, hazy eyes of an unclear colour. She had always felt inferior to other girls of her age. She was not the tomboyish but at the same time in a very peculiar way feminine Yamanaka Ino, who had known how to handle men from the cradle. Ino was outgoing and witty and if she sometimes manipulated men and boys to do her bidding...well, no one was complaining. Neither was Hinata the cute and bubbly Haruno Sakura who charmed men with her slender frame and sweet words. Although, Hinata was not sure if that really was Sakura's true nature since she had seen her talking in a very ill-mannered way to poor Naruto who had once again come to try and persuade her to look his way.

Hinata averted her eyes from her reflection. It was depressing her and she didn't want to be depressed. It was her wedding day. She was going to marry the mysterious, exciting, handsome man who made her feel so secure and yet, at the same time, so very uncertain of herself. Hinata glanced at the mirror again. She wished the woman from the Sand would do magic and make her look beautiful. That way she could be a little more self-confident. She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped for a miracle.

"Get up."

Naruto winced as Sasuke slapped his cheek. He sat up in his bed and tried to glare at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What's that? Try again when you're fully awake, you dimwit."

Naruto thought of getting angry but was too tired to actually do it. He lay down again and stretched with his arms above his head and his toes curling.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto from the corner of his eye. Naruto was strangely white as he always was in winter when sun only shone a few hours a day. Even though he got this way every year, Sasuke still wasn't used to seeing that whiteness on him. Naruto was supposed to be tanned. But light or dark, he was always soft. The only part of him that wasn't soft were his hands because they got roughed up by sword play, but that only made his all-round softness stand out more.

Sasuke averted his eyes and went up to a window. Looking down he saw narrow streets and shabby-looking people rushing by. Jiraiya had won this house in a card game. It was fitting, since he had also lost all his money on a card game. And dice. Sasuke had been to this house almost as often as Naruto had visited the Uchiha Manor. He could remember playing hide-and-seek on the streets when they were little, and as clear as a day came an image of Iruka scolding them for doing something so dangerous and him and Naruto running away from the kind man as fast as their short legs could carry them. He remembered Jiraiya teaching them how to play poker and all too enthusiastically showing them the difference between men and women. He could easily recall the excitement they had gotten from stealing Jiraiya's brandy and the thrill of running away from a mad Iruka.

Sasuke turned away from the window to regard Naruto who had by now managed to sit up again. Naruto had changed only a little from those times. He still had the same round face, the same big eyes and the same yellow tuft of hair. He had grown a bit taller of course, but not that much. Sasuke wondered since when had he been able to look over Naruto's head when they stood side by side.

"Hey, Sasuke."

Sasuke blinked. He had been too engrossed in his thoughts to notice how Naruto had risen from the bed and come to stand in front of him. "Hm?"

"Oh, so you're still with us," Naruto said without much enthusiasm and returned to the bed. He plopped down on it and grinned at Sasuke. "For a while there I thought you had been smoking that weird stuff ero-sennin gave us."

Jiraiya had given them opium, Naruto had tried it, Iruka had found out, end of story. It was a miracle Jiraiya was still breathing.

"So," Naruto began again," What are you doing here?"

"You're the one who asked me to come," Sasuke answered irritably.

"Eh?"

"Hinata's wedding ring a bell?"

"Ah!" Naruto jumped up. "That's right! Hinata's getting married today." He went to his cupboard and started throwing out clothes the maids had neatly hung in there with great effort.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked after a little while.

"What does it look like? I'm looking for proper clothes," Naruto answered while discarding a shirt which at first had looked very promising. Too bad there was a huge tea stain on the front.

"What are those then?"

"What?" Naruto turned to look impatiently in the direction Sasuke showed. His eyes widened. "That's my best coat!" he exclaimed and rushed to where the coat hung from the back of his dressing table chair. "Why is it here? You could've told me sooner that it's here."

"How could I have know you've become blind in addition to being stupid?" Sasuke effortlessly dodged the hair brush aimed at his head. "Your aim hasn't improved either, I see," he said smugly and smirked.

Naruto was going to reciprocate in the most vicious way possible, when the door to his room opened and Iruka peeked in.

"Ah, so you're already awake then," Iruka said with a smile.

"Yes yes," Naruto answered, waving an impatient hand at the intruding head. "Sasuke woke me up."

Iruka shifted his kind gaze to Sasuke. "Why, that was most considerate of you, Sasuke. Thank you very much. Naruto can be a little...difficult in the morning. I have to admit that I was a little reluctant to come here when I knew the task ahead."

"What did you say!" Naruto demanded, shocked by this preposterous statement. He chose to ignore the smirk Sasuke was sporting.

Iruka offered an apologizing smile. "It's just that you can be quite dreadful in the mornings, is all. Now, if you would hurry, please. The ceremony will take place in less than an hour." His head disappeared from view and the door closed with a soft click.

There was a knock on the door. So demanding that Neji knew immeadiately who it was. He sighed and pushed away the papers he had been examining. He glanced at the clock and sighed again.

"I suppose it's time," he said to himself and then continued, with added volume, "Please wait a moment." He stood up and glanced at the mirror, smoothed out his hair and then went to open the door.

Hiashi gave him a strict look over. "You are not ready yet?" he asken sternly as he walked in uninvited. He himself looked magnificient and truly worthy of the Hyuuga name.

Neji gritted his teeth to stop himself from saying anything and was about to close the door when another person stepped in. "Who are you?" Neji asked, his irritation finding a good, safe target.

The man covered slightly at the harsh tone and looked at Hiashi for support.

"He's here to help you get dressed," Hiashi explained over his shoulder. His attention was on the papers spread across Neji's desk.

Neji quirked a brow. "I am quite capable of getting dressed on my own, Uncle," he said, trying to remain polite. "I am twenty-two after all."

Hiashi turned to look at him. "Twenty-two, you say? It seems like it was only yesterday when you sat on your mother's lap."

Neji felt the familiar gush of anger but he forced himself to remain calm. "Is that so?" he only said.

Hiashi looked at him for a moment longer and then averted his eyes. He picked up one of the papers lying on Neji's desk. "How old were you when your mother died?"

The manservant who had followed Hiashi into the room shivered suddenly. He felt a sudden wave of something terrible wash over him and backed away from the man who had emitted it. He found the floor to be incredibly fascinating.

Not a single muscle moved on Neji's face. His body had frozen on the spot. A fraction of a second, a bat of an eye, and then he relaxed again. "Eight," he said simply. His voice was even and void of feeling. He told the servant to come to him and the man obeyed, quickly gathering all that he needed.

"It is very tragic that you lost both your parents in such a short amount of time."

"Tragic?...I suppose you could say that." Neji motioned for the servant to start.

Hiashi put down the paper and glanced at Neji. "You have always been a very capable boy, Neji."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Hiashi made for the door but then stopped. He hesitated. "Neji...You will..."

Neji looked up curiously. "I will what, Uncle?"

"...Take care of Hinata, won't you?"

Silence. Then: "Naturally. I will uphold the Hyuuga honour to the best of my ability."

"Very well, then. I shall leave it to you." With that, the head of the Hyuuga family left Neji to the capable hands of his manservant.

"I have a few wigs here that I would like you to try on, Neji-sama..."

Hinata rose from her bed with trembling legs, drawing in a shaky breath. Her corset was so tight that it prevented her from breathing normally and made sitting very uncomfortable. She had wanted to give her feet some rest for she was tired from standing still for over an hour when her dress had been put on her. But it seemed sitting was almost impossible as the edges of her corset dug into her skin whenever she bent her upper body. The only way to feel at ease would be to lie down but because of her hairdo she could not do it. So the only option left was to stand. At least she didn't have to wear her shoes yet. She had been very enthusiastic about those shoes; they were dainty and cute and she loved them. But at the moment they looked more foreboding that an Iron Maiden she had seen in one of her father's books.

She heaved a long, suffering sigh and cast her eyes to her image reflected by a grand mirror by the door. It was true that the maids had done wonders. She could barely recognize herself. If she tilted her head back a little and looked with half-closed eyes, she could pretend the young woman in the mirror was not her and that all this was happening to a stranger. She had a feeling she would wake up soon and Neji would still be in the army and no one would know anything of a marriage.

Her musings were interrupted by a woman entering her room. Hinata looked at her, surprised. The woman was her distant relative, an aunt of sorts, who sometimes came to the Hyuuga Manor for weeks and spent her time playing bridge and patience, much to Hinata's fathers distaste. She was a widow and had three daughters and a son but Hinata had rarely seen them since they usually didn't accompany their mother on her visits.

The woman examined Hinata from head to toe and then concluded her inspection with a quiet snort. She motioned for Hinata to sit and Hinata obeyed although it made her feel very unpleasant. "Since this is such a delicate and embarrassing issue, I will go straight to the point," the woman started, looking pointedly somewhere above Hinata's head. "You are now entering the life of a married woman. And about time, too! Good heavens! Only a little more and you would've become the laughing stock of Konoha and an embarrassement to your entire family." She shuddered elegantly.

Hinata lowered her head.

"How old are you already?"

"Seventeen," Hinata answered meekly.

The woman pressed her lips with a scented handkerchief. "God have mercy on us! Practically an old maid. Good thing Hiashi-sama came up with this brilliant idea of marrying you to that dreadful boy, Neji. You deserve each other. When I was your age, I was already married and with a child."

Hinata listened to the woman's lecture and complaint silently, waiting patiently for her to really get to the point.

"As I was saying," the woman finally said, having exhausted her complaints. "There is a certain duty a wife must fulfill in order to please her husband and to bear children." She looked suddenly very uncomfortable. "This will happen in the night, in your...room before going to sleep. It will hurt," she continued, now with a stony face, "but it is necessary. So bear with it. That is all."

Hinata blinked. She couldn't quite comprehend what had just been said. "Aunt," she said respectfully, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand. Could you repeat that?"

The woman gave a her a scandalised look. "Everything that has to be said had been said. I have done my duty in place of your late mother, God bless her soul, and no one can demand more from me. Really! Repeat it? You will understand soon enough." She turned to leave. "I have arranged you a meeting with the priest who will wed you. Use this opportunity to confess your sins. Men like their wives pure." She stepped out of the room and at the same time, the priest walked in.

Neji checked his attire for the last time in the mirror. Luckily he had managed to scare the manservant away before any permanent damage had been done. His hair fell smoothly, framing his face with few loose strands while the rest of it was neatly tied back with a strand. Most importantly, it was of its original black colour. Not a speck of white powder. Neji smirked, feeling very self-satisfied. The servant had been quite persistent with the damn powder, even though Neji had tried to point out that powder hadn't been used for at least a decade or so. In the end, Neji had had to use his best glare to drive the man out of his room.

Smirking once more, Neji turned away from the mirror. He had seen enough of clothes and persistent manservants to last him a lifetime. He knew how to dress well without anyone's help anyway.

The door cracked open and Neji whirled around, fearing it might be the manservant coming for another round. He relaxed when his eyes met the cold stare of the redheaded prince but then frowned. "What are you doing here, Gaara?" he asked, keeping his voice down while peeking into the corridor. Upon seeing no one, he shut the door and turned to face the prince who had stepped further into the room without permission. Neji grimaced. He had yet to meet a royalty who asked for such permission.

"I have something to tell you," Gaara answered coolly, sitting down on a decently comfortable chair. He looked up at Neji with a nonchalant expression.

Neji sighed, feeling his irritation surfacing. "I'm not sure if you're aware," he said with a strained voice, "but I'm getting married in half an hour. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow."

"The priest," Gaara said, unaffected by Neji's words.

Neji ground his teeth to contain himself. "What about the priest?" he asked, deciding it would be the least tiring to let the prince talk.

"He's Yakushi Kabuto."

Neji froze. "What?"

"That priest, he's Yakushi Kabuto," Gaara repeated. He let his gaze wander around the room.

"Yakushi Kabuto? How the hell..? Wasn't he captured for spying for Orochimaru? How can he be strolling around in Konoha?"

Gaara shrugged. "Perhaps there wasn't enough evidence to hold him," he suggested.

"What impudence!" Neji spat furiously before he was able to restrain himself. He spun around and walked to a window. After a while, he came back to Gaara who had continued to lazily eye his room. "What about Orochimaru? Have you seen him lately?"

Gaara shook his head.

"Damn great. That bastard is playing with me."

"Playing with you?" There was a hint of curiosity in Gaara's voice.

"He sends Kabuto and Kin here almost simultaneously. If he thinks I won't see the connection, he is stupid." Neji paused. "Unfortunately, he's not stupid. He's probably the most intelligent person I've ever met. So there is no doubt whatsoever that he wants me to know he's after me."

Gaara looked doubtful. "Aren't you giving yourself too much credit? You're not that important."

"I spent a year and a half with the sole purpose of imprisoning him. In the end, I failed." Neji cringed. "However, I was able to destroy most of his forces and drive him out of Fire Country. Now tell me, is Orochimaru the kind of person to hold grudges or is he not?" He gave Gaara a challenging look and the desert prince consented. "Well, whatever he's planning has to wait until later. Even though I don't like the fact that Kabuto is the one who will wed me and Hinata, it's too late to make any other arrangements. I'll just have to go along with it. Gaara, if possible refrain from saying anything more today even if you find out something."

Gaara looked silently as Neji brushed his trousers and straightened his coat. "Don't tell me you...love her?" he asked with a curious and doubtful voice.

Neji paused to ponder. Love Hinata? That was shocking. No, he didn't love Hinata. She was his little sister from childhood. But not for long, he suddenly realised. In half an hour he would have to stop thinking about Hinata as his little sister and view her as his wife instead. What was a wife, anyway? Up until now he had went along with the marriage idea because it was convenient for his plans. He hadn't really thought about what it meant. He would have to spend the rest of his life with Hinata. Would he be able to do it? With Hinata? If not with Hinata then with whom? He had had several lovers in the past but he couldn't imagine himself sharing his life with them. The thought of seeing Kin's face every morning made him feel sick. No, he decided, if he had to marry someone then Hinata would be the best candidate.

"Neji?" Gaara promted. He had stared intently at Neji this whole time, trying to catch a glimpse of his emotions but, as always, had found it an impossible task. Neji was an irritating and intriguing man with impenetrable outward appearances and eyes which reflected nothing but the viewer himself.

"No," was Neji's firm answer. "But I will not let anything disturb her wedding day. I owe her at least that."

Gaara cast his eyes down with an odd expression.

Neji lifted a quizzical brow. "Something wrong?"

The desert prince shrugged and stood up. "Get ready. Everyone's already waiting."

Neji stared after the prince with astonishment but then snapped out of his reverie. Gaara was right. He had to hurry down to the family chapel where the wedding ceremony was held. It wouldn't do for the groom to be late.

The sound of Sasuke's rapid footsteps echoed around him and Naruto as they sped down a narrow, deserted alley. This street was usually infested by criminals going about their shady business, but today it was empty and the boys used it as a short cut through what was called Konoha's shanty-town. The centre of this eastern part of Konoha was a group of ancient houses made of grey granite. They stood proudly, albeit shabbily, in the middle of crude wooden houses, throwing a menacing shadow over them. Sasuke and Naruto had steered clear from this place because their fine clothes and aristocratic features attracted the wrong kind of attention amongst the shanty-town's population. Besides, they had been four years old when they had last tried to sneak in here and Iruka had reprimanded them in a way that scared them off for years to come. But today was special.

"You idiot!" Sasuke snapped irritably, glaring Naruto as they ran. "You brainless, vain idiot!"

Naruto huffed and attempted a punch. He wasn't surprised when Sasuke dodged it. "You don't have to be that mad about it," he muttered.

Sasuke's mouth formed a tight line. Of course he didn't have to be this mad. But he was. He couldn't help it. He ground his teeth to keep from saying something venomous.

The origin of his anger was Naruto taking his sweet time to dress up. Nothing wrong with that, it was actually quite funny to see how Naruto tried desperately to tame his hair. What irritated Sasuke was Naruto's continuous chatter about how he was going to exploit the mood of Hinata's wedding to soften Sakura's heart. Recently Sasuke had noticed that this kind of talk was a perfect way of testing his temper.

"We're going to be late," he mumbled, giving in to an irresistable need to say something that would make Naruto feel bad. He had been feeling this same urge more and more often lately, never quite understanding the reason behind it. He wanted to make Naruto suffer and wanted to see him cry. Sometimes he even wanted to make Naruto hate him. But in reality, he knew, the prospect of Naruto ever hating him was terrifying to a point where he found himself shaking with fear.

"So sorry," Naruto said defiantly. "If you had brought a horse there wouldn't be any problem though."
"Who was the one who said that we would go with Iruka-san and Jiraiya-san? I sent my horse away with a stableboy because I thought I wouldn't need it." Iruka and Jiraiya had left before them. Iruka was a man of punctuality. "You just had to stay and fight an already lost battle against your stupid hair."

Naruto grimaced. "How do you know it was a lost cause? How can you know if you don't try?"

"You have already tried a hundred times!" Sasuke burst out, starting to lose his patience.

"Yeah well, sorry for not having the perfect hair you have!" Naruto yelled back.

"Tch!"

They fell into a moping silence. The street steered left and they reached the crude shacks populated by the poorest of Konoha citizens. Broken glass and garbage littered everywhere. A few women loitered on the streets, barely glancing up as the two boys ran past them. Their apathy horrified Sasuke as it always did but today he didn't really pay attention to it. Naruto was mad at him and he didn't quite know what to do about it.

Suddenly Naruto started to laugh. Sasuke looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. He slowed down and stopped when Naruto lost his footing and fell, still laughing so hard that tears started to glimmer in his eyes. Sasuke walked back and looked down, too surprised to say anything. Naruto gazed back up at him, his eyes clearer and more captivating that Sasuke had ever seen them. His breath hitched. "Naruto," he ventured unsurely.

"Sasuke," the blonde laughed, "Do you realise that was the most childish fight we've had in ten years?" He reached his hand towards Sasuke and gave him a dazzling smile. "I'm glad you haven't changed completely. For a while there I thought you would leave me behind." He sat up and looked at himself exasperatedly. His clothes were dusty and dirty and his hair was a mess. He sighed. "I guess Sakura-chan won't acknowledge me this time either," he said forlornly, not noticing the sudden change in Sasuke's expression. When Sasuke kneeled down next to him, he looked up, surprised. "Sasuke?"

Without a word Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hair and pulled him into an inexperienced but firm and warm kiss.

Naruto recoiled, alarmed by the suddenness of it all, but couldn't move away. He felt Sasuke's arm go around him and his hand press his back, forcing them closer to each other, so close that Naruto could feel the wild beating of Sasuke's heart. The foreign feeling on his lips, the pressing of a warm and wet mouth, scared him. Then he smelled Sasuke's familiar scent and his body relaxed although his mind hadn't really comprehended the situation yet. He watched in a peculiar trance how his arms rose and hugged Sasuke from the waist. His eyes fluttered shut.

At first Sasuke was horrified by what he had done. He thought of pulling back and running away to the ends of the world, never to come back, but then Naruto suddenly relaxed and his body fit against Sasuke's so perfectly that parting seemed impossible. Heart racing and hands sweating Sasuke let himself drown in the kiss.

They were rudely interrupted by a small stone thrown at them. Sasuke jumped back and looked around, still dazed from the kiss. A group of little boys grinned at him. Sasuke collected himself enough to send them a glare and then hesitantly turned to face Naruto. The blonde was still sitting with his head turned slightly to the side and a hand pressed against his lips. His cheeks were burning red. Sasuke forced down the heat that threatened to colour his own face and gulped. What would Naruto say? The possibility of Naruto throwing a fit and starting to hate Sasuke was high. It was unbearable. Sasuke pressed his hand against his chest to ease its throbbing pain. He forced out a laugh. If he didn't quickly brush this off, things would change between him and Naruto and if it would come to the worst, he would lose Naruto entirely.

Naruto looked up when he heard Sasuke make a strange sound. The boy was paler than ever and he looked like he was about to pass out. Naruto was about to reach out to him, when Sasuke spoke.

"Don't worry. This never happened," Sasuke said, his tone even. But Naruto could see his hands shaking.

Naruto was taken aback. Sasuke would pretend nothing ever happened? Perhaps that would be for the best. If Naruto would have to think about, he had a feeling he would go crazy. He didn't know what he felt for Sasuke anymore. It would be easiest and safest if they pretended nothing happened. He would have to forget everything. The question was, could he? "...Right."

Sasuke was disappointed to hear Naruto agree. Then he angrily reprimanded himself. It was good that Naruto was willing to forget this. Forget and forgive. And it hadn't meant anything anyway. Just a moment of lunacy. He whirled around, his back now facing Naruto. "Let's go." He heard strangely loudly the rustling of Naruto's clothes as the boy stood up. He started to run and the blonde fell into step with him. They went in silence, both trying his best not to think about anything. Furtive glances flew back and forth but their lips remained sealed.

They were almost out of the city when Sasuke spotted a man and a woman standing in front of broken-down warehouse further down the street. He was surprised to recognize the woman as lady Kin. He frowned. What could a noblewoman like lady Kin be doing in a place like this? Without hesitation Sasuke pulled Naruto out of sight and behind a house they were just passing. He hoped lady Kin and the man had not seen them.

"What are you...?" Naruto began but his voice was quickly muffled by Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke pressed his body flat against the wall and peeked at the couple. They were talking, lady Kin's hands moved as if she was explaining something. The man stood fast with a slight sneer on his face. His long, black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and Sasuke noticed a sword hanging by his hip. He had never seen the man before. He seemed out of place and gave off a sinister feeling even from a distance. His clothes, Sasuke suddenly realised, were of fine material and clean, clashing starkly with his environment. Perhaps that was why he seemed so odd.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered close to Sasuke's ear. The dark boy shivered but glanced at Naruto questioningly. "Why are we hiding?"

A frown marred Sasuke's forehead. Why indeed? It had been his first instinct to hide. Maybe because of the unknown man's menacing countenance? Whatever the reason, he was glad he had hid. It was strongly suspicious that a woman of lady Kin's high standing would walk around in shanty-town. Even more so when her counter-part in this strange ordeal was such an evil-looking man. Evil but clearly of the highest class, he realised. The kind of elegance and graceful features the man had despite everything, could only be achieved by decades of careful aristocratic breeding. Sasuke knew this because he himself was a product of such a breeding. What worried Sasuke most, however, was that Itachi was somehow associated with lady Kin and if the woman was up to something illegal, it would be for the best if Itachi ceased to be in touch with her. The only difficulty was that Sasuke had no evidence and without evidence Itachi would not listen to anything he had to say. So first he would have to gather some information.

"Sasuke?" Naruto insisted, causing another shiver to run down Sasuke's spine.

"Lady Kin," Sasuke whispered back. "With a strange man. We have to get closer to hear them."

Naruto lifted his eyebrows but followed without complaint when Sasuke began to move further into the shadows in the back of the house behind which they were hiding. If anything, they had learned to trust each other's judgement over the years. They made their way between shabby houses and deserted alleys as stealthily as they could. After a while Sasuke stopped and pointed upwards. Naruto nodded. They climbed. on the roof of a shack and then proceeded to crawl closer to the opposite edge. Following Sasuke's wordless order to remain flat against the roof, Naruto dragged his body across the roof and stopped when Sasuke made a gesture with his hand. Then they listened.

"...nt of him," lady Kin was just saying. Her voice was hushed and controlled but laced with fear. "I don't want to be near him."

"Are you disobeying my orders?" the man asked with a voice full of authority. His words were cold and his tone even colder.

"No!" lady Kin hurried to deny. "Of course not. I'm merely saying that we should be more careful around him. He's not a fool."

"I know that."

A short silence ensued. Then lady Kin spoke again with a trembling voice. "My apologies, my lord."

"I ordered you to do what you can with Uchiha Itachi. Don't meddle with anything else."

"But..."

"I have everything under control," the man interrupted. "Or do you doubt my competence?"

"No," came lady Kin's defeated answer.

"Then go back and don't come here again. Your idiocy might reveal my current whereabouts to that bastard. Act like this again and I'll have you dead along with your old lover."

"Yes, my lord."

After that Sasuke and Naruto heard a series of footsteps and a door opening and closing. They shared a shocked glance and then carefully crawled back and dropped down to the street. Still retaining their silence they ran away from the house and didn't let out a sound before they were out of the city and walking down the road leading to the Hyuuga Manor.

"What was that all about?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

Sasuke frowned. "I don't know. But it doesn't sound good."

Naruto nodded. "Your brother might be in trouble."

"Hmm..." Sasuke stared at the road. The snow was disturbed and dirty by numerous sleighs and horses that had went by during the day. He doubted Itachi would have any trouble defending himself. But one could never be certain. And who was lady Kin's former lover whom the two apparently were trying to kill? It had to be a friend of Itachi's, otherwise why would they bother getting close to him? Itachi had friends?

"Maybe we should tell Itachi-san," Naruto suggested.

"Perhaps," Sasuke agreed. "But first of all," he said, suddenly remembering why they were out today, "we should hurry. It's almost time for the wedding ceremony."

Naruto cried in surprise. "You're right. Let's go!" he grabbed Sasuke's hand to drag him along when a flash of memory shot through his mind. He dropped Sasuke's hand as if it was burning. He didn't dare to look at Sasuke. "So...let's go..." He went ahead. It took a while before he heard Sasuke's footsteps following.