Warnings: lalala don't own don't sue. yaoi, yuri later on. don't like, don't read. Reviews are greedilly accepted.Gwen
-----Chapter 1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pink, sweet smelling clouds filled the air of the closed off room, lifting from ancient looking golden incense burners. The room was dark, light coming from candles and some dark red lights that only looked red from shining off the smoke. There was a deep rich red stained carpet on the floor, with golden fringes on it, and a few low couches that just seemed to sprawl over the floor. The room had a very exotic feel to it, there were many bookshelves stacked with things from all over the world, weapons and candles and books, along with quite a few things you probably wouldn't be able to get anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you looked.
Naruto shivered as he surveyed a pretty nasty looking skull, not wanting to think about where and how the room's inhabitant had got it. He didn't even know why he was here. This place was creepy beyond hell. It was the weirdest place he'd ever seen, and he never even remembered seeing it, and he had lived in this city for years. He had just discovered it that evening, the outside looking like a mix between an ancient Japanese palace and an abandoned factory.
Like he said before, weird.
He had figured it to be some sort of night club; he could hear erotic and synthetic music, some weird mix of old and new sounds. He had surveyed the place, and found its name on a sign in front of the doors. "秘密". Secret.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was already inside the place, looking around. It seemed as if his first assumption had been correct- at least somewhat. It did seem to resemble some sort of club. Many- for some reason he couldn't bring himself to call them 'people', he didn't know why- were dancing, raving in the euphoria of the music. There was a bar with alcohols, loud music, flashing lights- just like in any club. He couldn't understand what it was about this place, but something just seemed so off about it, like he had just stepped into another world. A voice inside his head just told him to turn back now, to go home to his nice, cozy apartment, that if he stepped in any deeper, his fate would be sealed- again, he didn't know why he would think something like that, it was just some club, nothing to be afraid of. However, those lingering thoughts were neglected, as the rest of him had the nagging urge to stay there. Naruto always HAD been more of an instinct rather than a brain person.
He had gone to the bar, ordering a drink he had never heard of before. It had made his head spin- in the good way- and tasted like nothing he had tasted previously. It was almost SWEET, but thickly alcoholic, and strangely intoxicating, like some kind of drug. It made him feel exhilarated, helped by the dangerously alive aura of the place and the music. He noticed people staring at him, and shivered. He never liked being stared at- it had been like that all his life- but this was a different kind of staring, wolf smiles stretched out as something glinted in their eyes hungrily. He disliked it even more.
One of the ones staring had started to come over, making Naruto start to panic, but before he reached the bar, a pretty girl sat beside Naruto and sent a glare to the offending raver. The guy backed off.
The girl was VERY pretty, with long black hair, creamy flawless skin and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a blue, Chinese looking shirt with silky see-through short sleeves, and black pants. She smiled at Naruto, who offered a shy smile back. The girl had the same otherworldly feel to her, but it was softer, more normal. He was having a hard time to not trust her. Must've been the smile.
"I'm Haku." The girl said, offering him a hand, which Naruto politely shook.
"Naruto." He replied, Unaware that he was staring.
"Nice to meet you." Haku smiled again, and Naruto found that he couldn't look away. He was slowly drowning in those chocolate colored eyes. Except, drowning wasn't the right word for it. It was such a warm feeling; it was much more akin to melting. "By the way," Haku spoke again "I'm a boy."
"Ehhhhh?" Naruto reeled back a bit in surprise. He was the prettiest person he had ever seen! How the heck was that POSSIBLE! He caught himself though, turning his face and looking down to try and hide his blush. "S-sorry." He managed to stutter out.
Haku laughed good naturedly, obviously not caring. "It's fine." He said. "I'm used to it. Most people seem to mix that up. Most people here though…" he said, surveying the room. "Don't really care either way." He ordered some drink from the bartender (who still had that same weird aura about him) and took the whole bottle instead of a glass. He took a generous sip of it, before turning back to Naruto. "So… this your first time here? You don't seem the type to come here regularly..."
Naruto nodded, and took another drink out of his own glass. "I don't even know WHY I'm here…" he mumbled. " I mean… I like partying and everything, but I've never noticed this place before and, no offence or anything, but it's kind of giving me weird vibes. I don't understand why I haven't just left yet…" he trailed off, staring intently at his drink. Haku just nodded.
"It can get that way for some newcomers." He said understandingly. "But… you're here and you don't know why… and no one brought you or introduced you to this place right?"
Naruto nodded. "I just sort of stumbled upon it…" he replied.
"Hmmm….." Haku was nodding his head again. "I think…" his brown eyes lit up, as if he just got the best idea in the world "I think you should go see Sasuke."
"….Sasuke?" Naruto said after a pause. Haku just nodded. "Who…"
"I will admit that this place can attract a lot of people who are… different. In fact, it's kind of made for them. And Sasuke… Is sort of in the middle of everything. It's fairly strange, he wouldn't seem any different from the rest of them but… that kid has power. Many of the people here are regulars to go see him."
Naruto let his eyes flash towards the door nervously before speaking. "Is he some kind of drug dealer or something?" he said, trying to make his voice intimidating if need be, but, as he was Naruto, he failed. Haku was laughing.
"No, no it's nothing like that. Sasuke isn't like that, and I wouldn't try to push something like that on you. It's more like… well, you kind of have to see for yourself, it's hard to explain. But… if you have questions, or you want information, Sasuke is the guy to go see. I assure you, this guy will give you answers to questions you didn't even know you had." He paused. "Either that, or leave you with even more questions. It depends on his mood and if your willing to pay him or not." Another pause. Haku grinned. "Either way, it couldn't hurt could it?"
And that was how Naruto ended up in this creepy place, a barely noticeable room at the back of the club. The room was closed off from the rest of the club, you could still hear the music but it was like listening to it underwater. The candles that were spread across the room dripped all over the sides of the tables and shelves they were placed on, as if they had been burning there for an eternity. He involuntarily shivered. He didn't know how Haku had managed to talk him into it; the small bit of sense at the back of his brain was still telling him that this was a bad idea. Why would he want to go see this 'Sasuke' anyways? He didn't have any questions that he could think of, except why he was doing this in the first place. 'Well, I guess it's to late now…' he thought.
He heard a rustle behind him, almost inaudible, but his keen senses picked up on it, and he twisted around. There was someone in there with him. The 'someone' lay strewn over the couch; arms sprawled lazily over the sides, apparently indifferent to Naruto's intrusion.
"Ah… Uchiha-san…?" the blonde said tenderly, still unsure of what he was doing.
"aaa." the other one answered. "Uchiha Sasuke." He lifted himself up and turned to Naruto, letting him see the room's owner for the first time.
Uchiha Sasuke was, well, to put it simply, really hot. Not that Naruto was attracted to him or anything, but he was the type of guy that he was SURE had millions of girls swooning after him. He just seemed that type of guy. His black hair spiked up, in a way that Naruto guessed was natural, because even with the light it didn't look stiff from spray or greasy from gel, even though it hurt his brain trying to figure out just how having that hairstyle is possible without products. He was quite nicely built, thin, but strong looking, not at all brittle or fragile looking. He was lithe. He had flawless, alabaster skin, its paleness contrasting with the black of his hair and clothes. But his eyes were the most noticeable feature, deep pools of obsidian that gave off the same feel as Haku's chocolate ones, except this time you really were drowning, in black ice waters that both froze and burned.
"Well?" Sasuke said, his voice deep and smooth, and almost carefully indifferent. "You want something?"
"Ah!" Naruto half gasped, taken aback by the question. He himself wasn't sure why he was here. What was he supposed to answer? "W-well, I met and talked to a guy named Haku, and he said- he said you could-"
Sasuke interrupted him. "You don't know yourself, do you? Why you're here?" he spoke with a seductive voice that reminded him of some kind of serpent, and a small smirk, something that both intimidated and frustrated the blonde. But he wisely chose not to speak up on it.
"A-aaa…. Hai…." He let his words trail off, unsure of what to say next.
"Well… if HAKU sent you here, that must mean he thinks you have some real potential…"
"Huh?" Naruto looked up in surprise. What the heck was that supposed to mean?
Unfortunately, this comment went by so fast, and Sasuke never brought it back up, that Naruto wondered if he had simply imagined it. He certainly hoped so.
"Since you're here," Sasuke said, motioning over to the couches. "Why don't you sit down?"
Naruto contemplated nervously for a moment, he didn't know anything about the Uchiha, and judging by the fact that Haku had said that the boy had 'regulars', he could well be quite shady, even if he didn't sell drugs. He eventually complied however; sliding tensely onto one of the seats before looking back up at Sasuke, who sat as well, much more relaxed then Naruto- in fact he almost seemed to melt back into the chair- his steely gaze never leaving the cautious blonde.
"Your name, if you will." Sasuke said suddenly, still in the same cool tone. "And your real name please. I tend to have problems when people use an assumed name. There is no reason to be cautious. There isn't much I can do with a name, at least, nothing important." Naruto bit his lip, eyeing the floor. He didn't know if Sasuke knew he wasn't planning on telling him his real name, or if he just told all newcomers this after asking for a name. And what had he meant, 'problems'?
"Naruto" he said after a pause. "Uzumaki Naruto." Sasuke nodded.
"May I see your pendant?" he asked, motioning to the silver chain around Naruto's neck. Naruto bit back his confusion to how Sasuke had known it was there- he had worn it underneath his shirt- and started to protest weakly, bringing his hand up protectively over his chest where it lay.
"It's very old- and it's quite important to me- and-"
"I'm not going to steal it, uzumaki-san, I just want to see it." Sasuke interrupted, reassuring the blonde, or at least trying to. "And I promise I will be very careful with it."
Naruto hesitated, debating, before slowly unhooking the chain and holding it out for the dark eyed boy. "Well… ok…" he said "but only for a moment…"
"Of course." Sasuke replied while taking the necklace. He held it up by its chain to inspect it, letting the smooth ore of its pendant hang down and swing gently. "This is very old…" he said, and the blonde couldn't tell whether he was talking to him or merely speaking his thoughts aloud to himself. "It's one of a kind right? Not another one like it?" its owner nodded. "And…. It's been passed down… a family heirloom?" he added as he handed it back.
"Yes…" the other affirmed, hitching the necklace once again around his neck and tucking it under his tee-shirt.
Sasuke smiled. "But you don't have a family. They died when you were a baby, and that's your only remnant of them. You've lived alone all your life and many people seem to dislike you and you don't know why."
Naruto's head jerked up in shock. "How-"he began but Sasuke cut him off.
"But you already know all of that." He said with a smirk. "What you don't know and really want to know is- why are you here?"
The blonde stared at Sasuke a long while before nodding his head.
"Well, I'm sorry to say that I can't answer that," he said in a way which didn't make him sound very sorry at all. "At least not yet." He added as an afterthought.
Naruto frowned. What the heck was that supposed to mean? "Any more questions?" Sasuke asked lazily.
"Yeah. What the hell is this place? And why the hell haven't I ever seen it or heard of it before?"
Sasuke looked up at him with that infernal smirk still etched across his lips. "This," he began "is a night club. People come here to get what they want. Whether it's the dance, get drunk, get laid or it is a more particular need. As for why you've never seen the place before, it's because this place is for a certain type of people. There's a ward on the place that makes sure that no one else will find it."
Naruto took his time to stare at the black haired youth. Was he high or something? Just because you don't sell drugs, doesn't mean you don't use them personally. He eyed the pink clouds suspiciously.
"It's just incense." Sasuke stated plainly, reading his suspicion. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But if you get wary about THAT, then I can't really tell you any more at this time. Your questions will have to wait." He slowly started to get up. "But I wonder…" he said "if I could take my payment now…"
"U-Uchiha-san…?" Naruto stuttered as said Uchiha began walking towards him. Payment? What did he mean? "W-w-what are you doing!" he yelped out as Sasuke was now in front of him, pinning him to the couch.
"Taking my payment." He replied simply, leaning forward.
Naruto let out a huge breath he didn't even know he was holding as Sasuke pulled away from him. "Ah! Neji-kun." He heard him say, and he looked over to the door. A boy who looked around his age stood at the doorway. He had long dark hair that pulled together by elastic at the bottom, and snow white eyes that seemed to see through him. He assumed his name was Neji.
"If you would excuse us, Uzumaki-san, Hyuuga-san if one of my regulars." Sasuke said, motioning to the weird eyed boy.
"I-it's fine." Naruto said, quickly getting up, secretly rejoicing that he had an excuse to leave. He walked passed Sasuke towards the door, where Hyuuga-san was staring at him. 'Just get out of here.' He thought, trying not to notice the white eyes following him as he passed.
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Neji turned his gaze back to the owner of the room, and shot him a questioning look. "Uchiha-san…." He started slowly. "Who exactly was that?" Sasuke nodded knowingly.
"You saw it, didn't you?" He said, more of a statement than a question. "You have better eyes that your cousin."
Neji nodded. "But… from what I've heard THAT one would never join with a human…"
"He didn't." Sasuke replied. "At least, not willingly."
Contemplative silence filled the room, before-
"He's a newcomer isn't he? He didn't seem like one to be a regular. Are you sure he will come back?"
"Positive. It's, as you would like to call it, fate."
"…Uchiha, you think fate is bullshit."
"I think that the way you think fate controls everything we do is bullshit hyuuga. We do have our own will. But sometimes, threes the little but of fate that still is true. And this is one of them."
"…you are going to try and get him aren't you?"
"Well I can't let my brother get to him…"
The Hyuuga nodded in understanding, before walking over and lying down on one of the couches. "So…" the other began, leaning over him "what can I do for you today, Neji-chan?"
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Naruto hurried out of the room, very much wanting to be out of this place. He twisted through the groups of people and almost made his way to the doors before he was stopped by someone. It was Haku.
"Hey. How'd it go? You get your answers?" Naruto shook his head. "Ah. In a cryptic mood eh? Well, must me one of those days… Naruto? What happened?"
"I think he just tried to come on to me!" Naruto replied shakily.
"Ahh... one of THOSE moods ehh…" Haku said, patting him on the back in a way that could be cheering him on, or sympathetic. He couldn't tell which. "That's weird though." He stated "he usually only acts that way for his favorites. And it takes quite a while to become a favorite of Uchiha Sasuke…" Naruto sighed. He really didn't care for the dating habits of some creepy guy he had just met. He wanted to go home, get under his covers and sleep. It had been a long day even without this whole incident. Haku seemed to sense him distress. "Hey, now. You look a bit pale… you should go get some rest…" he smiled at him sympathetically, and led him to the doors. Naruto smiled at him gratefully, albeit weakly.
"Thank you…" he said softly, but Haku waved it away.
"Nonsense. No need to thank me. It was nice meeting you Naruto; I'll see you around ok?"
"Yeah…" he replied. "See you around..."
He waved Haku goodbye and could not believe the feeling of relief that washed over him as he walked out the doors.
--- End chapter 1 -------
