A/N: Finally after a very long time of waiting, chapter 18 is here!
Sorry for the long wait, my studies kinda took most of my time and when I finally had time I used it to work Mep parts for the many Meps I have been taken part in – Kinda got a bit addicted to Meps, it's so much fun! ^^
I added some additional length to this chapter to make up for the long wait!
Oh and to people thinking Sakura is stupid or anything to get herself kidnapped, she was seduces and she let her naivety get the best of her. This is a girl, who has lived her entire lives behind castle walls. She let her curiosity get the better of her.
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter! We are getting closer and closer to the end with each chapter!
I apologize for any grammar errors /spelling mistakes there may or might be. I try my best to avoid as many as possible.
Main pairing: Nejiten
Side pairing(s): Naruhina, possible Kibaino, Shikatema, Sakura x ? and possible others?
Warning(s): Possible OOCness, medieval era, mild mature hints,
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!
A Sense of Duty
Chapter 18: A Sense of Understanding
"You… you are Sasuke?" The pink haired princess asked, looking up at the man, who had managed to steal her and her heart away.
The raven haired man smiled at her, he moved caress her cheek as he answered her:
"Yeah, that is my name, Milady, or should I call you my princess?"
Sakura found herself blushing.
"W-why have you brought me here?" Sakura decided to ask Sasuke.
Sasuke moved away from her and replied:
"As I said when you woke up this is your new home, you will not be returning to your former home"
And it was when reality hit Sakura.
"You have kidnapped me?" Sakura pretty much yelled out at Sasuke, who chuckled at her and said:
"You first realized it now? Took you long enough"
"It is not funny! You tricked me, you lied to me!" Sakura snarled at Sasuke.
Gone was the naïve, innocent princess and out was an angry lady, who wanted answers.
"I admit that tricking you to follow me so willingly by using my handsome looks was very unjust of me, but in order to achieve what I seek I needed to have you by my side, princess" Sasuke explained.
"Why? Why me? Why do you need me by your side? You do not know me and neither do I know you! I hold no power that you could possible use to anything! So why?" Sakura questioned Sasuke's intentions.
"And yet you followed me blindly, wanting to see the world outside" Sasuke spoke to her, ignoring her question completely.
"And now I want you return home! I thought you were a sweet nobleman invited by my grandmother, but I guess you are not. You are an imposter, a liar and an enemy to my kingdom, which means you are an enemy to me as well!" Sakura so bravely spoke, finally standing up from her sitting position walking up closely to Sasuke, who too leaned in close to her as well.
"So, you do have a brain" Sasuke said in a teaseful sarcastically way. Smirking smugly at Sakura before Sakura gave him a hard slap across his handsome face.
*SLAP*
"Never. Insult. Me. Again" Sakura warned Sasuke, who grinned a smirk-like grin while nursing his cheek.
"Looks like I have underestimated you… that will not happen again" With that Sasuke took a hold on Sakura's still raised wrist, forcing it down and pulling Sakura forward.
Right into his arms.
Sakura found herself blushing again as she felt the heat of his body.
Sasuke smirked down at her, noticing her red cheekbones.
"There is no need to be shy. I am not planning on harming you or anything" Sasuke assured Sakura, who refused to look him in the eyes, still blushing.
"I should not be acting like this! He is bad news, but he does not seem to be… such a bad person… I am so confused!" Sakura cursed to herself, feeling frustrated over not knowing whether he really was that bad of a person, he seem to want her to think he was. To her, it seems like he was pretending to be someone, he was not, but who was she to tell? She barely knew him and she was not much of a people's person.
"But my grandmother is…" Sakura reminded herself as she remembered what her grandmother once had told her.
FLASHBACK
Sakura was watching on as her grandmother was having a very casual conversation with sir Nara.
She found herself quite amazed by how her grandmother could go from being a deadly serious leader to a casual, down-to-earth woman.
"That sounds quite interesting, sir Nara, I might add that to the next meeting, thank you for the information" Her grandmother said while she smiled at sir Nara, who bowed down and replied:
"No problem, your majesty, glad to help" Sir Nara then left and Tsunade turned her attention to her granddaughter.
"Is there something on your mind, dear?" She asked, walking up to Sakura before sitting down next to her.
Sakura looked at her grandmother and shook her head.
"No, not really, I am just trying to study your way of interacting with others"
"And why are you doing that, my dear child?" Tsunade asked.
"Because I found myself unable to interact with others in a down-to-earth way like you can. I have been taught how to speak like a princess, not like a… well ordinary lady. How am I supposed to find a man to marry if I do not how to speak properly to other people in general?" Sakura looked at her grandmother with a hopeless expression on her fair skinned face.
Her grandmother chuckled at her.
"Why are you laughing? It is not funny, grandmother, my future depends on it!" Sakura gave her grandmother an annoyed look as she spoke.
"Oh dear, do not think over it so much. Although you have never been much of a people's person, it is never too late to become one. I was not a people's person when I was your age, it was something I learned along the way as I got older and more mature. Remember, with age comes experience. Although I am not very old myself, I am still older than you and have more experiences than you. It takes time, so be patience and stop letting it get to you head" The wise words of her grandmother gave Sakura a sense of hope.
"So, maybe I can still become like her?" She wondered to herself, she felt new hope stir within herself. It already felt as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she felt relieved.
She smiled at her grandmother in response and her grandmother returned her smile with a smile of her own.
"Grandmother?" Sakura looked up at Tsunade.
"Yes, my child?" Tsunade turned to Sakura, waiting for her to speak.
"Why have you never married anyone?" Sakura asked innocently.
Tsunade froze and Sakura felt the sudden change in her grandmother.
"Grandmother?" Sakura spoke in a low voice, confused and unsure of what had caused her grandmother to react like that.
There was a moment of silence before Tsunade finally spoke:
"I never married, not because I did not desire to get married, but because the one I wanted to marry was killed in the war. He was the reason why I decided to end the war for good, he is the reason why I become queen and he is the reason why I am willing to do anything to protect this kingdom, the kingdom he loved and gave up his life to protect"
Sakura looked at her grandmother speechlessly.
"He meant that much to her? Is this what loving someone means?" She found herself asking.
"I am sorry for bringing back sad memories, I was just… curious" Sakura apologized.
Tsunade smiled softly a sad smile at Sakura before wrapping her arms around Sakura, embracing the princess in a warm, comforting hug.
"There is no need to apologize, as much as I miss him as much do I know that he is in a better place and he will always be in my heart, forever" She spoke warming, a single tear falling from her eye as she continued to hug her granddaughter.
END OF FLASHBACK
Sakura's thoughts were cut off by Sasuke throwing a piece of clothing on top of her face.
"What did you do that for?" Sakura hissed at Sasuke, who merely looked at her emotionless and said:
"Change"
"Excuse me?" Sakura gave Sasuke an absurd look.
"Change your clothes into these" Sasuke repeated himself, this time clarifying things just a tiny bit.
"I refuse!" Sakura loudly declared.
"And why do you refuse, little princess loud?" Sasuke asked with a blank expression while his voice sounded somewhat cocky.
"Well it is not oblivious! I refuse to change in the presence of a man!" Sakura explained herself, feeling angry that Sasuke was ignoring the fact that she was female and he was male. Did he have no shame?
"Ahhhh, I see, well I am sorry, but I cannot leave. Someone has to keep an eye on you" Sasuke smirked as he spoke.
Sakura found herself blushing from both anger and from the thoughts of him seeing her in her royal undergarments.
That perverted, handsome-looking pig!
"Then I refuse" Sakura stood by her protest. Arms crossed over her chest and with her chin held high.
"Quit being so dramatic! I grew up with a girl, who I viewed as my sister and I have taken baths with her too many times to be able to count! And judging from what your dress is showing me, she had more bust than you so there is nothing to ashamed or shy about. I am not asking you to walk around in the nude, just take off your formal gown and change into the dress I have given to you!" Sasuke told Sakura, who was now blushing even more with her arms wrapped around her chest area.
"He was been staring at my!" Sakura looked down at her chest with burning red cheeks.
Sakura still refused to change in front of him.
Sasuke sighed deeply as was starting to realize that Sakura was more stubborn than she looked like.
So to make her do as he told her to do, he decided to turn his back to her. Hoping it will calm her down and make her obey him just this once.
"Fine, you win. I will have my back turned to you while you change. You just tell me when I can turn around, okay?" Sasuke asked to be sure.
"Okay, thank you" Sakura thanked him, smiling softly.
"Hn" Was Sasuke response.
Eyes slowly closed as the gap between them slowly decreased until their mouths connected in a blissful kiss filled with desire and a want for more.
Hands grabbing and touching hair, legs, arms and back. Bodies pressed tightly together.
Pieces of clothes fell to the ground, it suddenly felt distracting and unnecessary.
It was-
Neji's eyes opened up wide. Breathing heavy with sweat running down his face, he moved his hand up towards his forehead while thinking to himself:
"Was it just a dream?"
Neji found himself wondering over it for a second until he found his eyes wander down himself.
He was greeted by the sight of his own bare chest and his… almost bare manhood. Feeling somewhat thankful for the blanket the nice couple had given them the day before.
"The last thing I would need will be the thought of sleeping naked in a forest on nothing at all!" Neji thought to himself, sighing out in relief before he recalled something.
"So it was NOT a dream!" Reality hit Neji like an arrow hitting its target and he swallowed nervously before he with hesitation turned his head to the side, looking down at the person next him.
"Oh no, it did not happened! Someone must be trying to trick me!" Neji tried to come up with some sort of explanation to avoid having to the face the reality that was lying all too clear next to him.
Right beside him was Tenten lying, soundlessly asleep and barely covered by her long skirt and long, curly hair.
"I have… sinned" Neji concluded, feeling himself falling into a big, black pit of… wrongness! How could he allow something like that to happen? Where had his self-control and beliefs been when it happened?
"Mmmm Sasuke, you bastard… mmm… one day mmm… I shall win mmm" Neji heard Tenten mumbled in her sleep, nuzzling her head into the blanket she was lying on.
For a moment he forgot the event that had accrued and chuckled a bit at her.
But just for a moment.
Because then Neji's mind decided to think about how cute Tenten looked when she was asleep and then it all returned to him… again.
"Just get out of my mind, impure thoughts! Stop haunting me! Leave me b-" Neji's thought was cut off by:
"Neji?"
"Tenten?" Neji blinked at looked back at Tenten, who was still lying down, now wide awake, blinking her bright, brown eyes in confusement while looking at him.
"What happened? And why are we lying on a blanket without… much clothes on?" Tenten asked confusedly.
Neji froze.
How was he supposed to explain what happened?
"Ehm… well we… kind of got a bit carried away after your story… and well we… how do I put it? We did something that was not supposed to have happened" Neji attempted to explain the very awkward situation he and Tenten had managed to get themselves into.
Some moments passed before Tenten finally understood what Neji meant, but it was only because she had taking notice in Neji lack of clothing.
"We what!?"
Tenten's voice echoed loudly through the forest, scaring away birds and animals nearby.
"Yeah, we did that" Neji nodded his head.
"But, but, but, but how?" Tenten asked out loud.
"I really do not know. It just happened I guess? A moment of weakness, perhaps? But no matter what the reason behind what happened is, we have to face the fact that it happened and we have to move on from there, hopefully without things getting to awkward between us" Neji explained looking at Tenten, who had just managed to pull on her blouse.
"I guess, you are right on that, we cannot undo the past and it is not like odd things like that have not happened before between us. We just have to act similar and not let it get to our heads" Tenten told Neji, reminding him of the kiss they had shared in the catacombs two nights ago.
"Yeah, I think you are right on that, we need to remember our quest" Neji agreed as he pulled his own blouse on before turning his back towards Tenten to give her some privacy to take on her undergarment and skirt.
"Yeah, to find Sasuke and the princess in order to clear our names" Tenten took on the rest of her clothes on as she spoke back turned to Neji, who was taking the bottom part of his clothes on.
"And maybe save your step brother, Sasuke, from that Orochimaru person. To me, it sounds like he is the real bad guy in this whole dilemma and I have not even meet him" Neji told Tenten as he pulled his pants up and buckled his belt.
"Yeah, I hope so, it would kill me to see Sasuke get arrested and in worse case killed for the mistakes he has made, he is just a… confused and lost boy" Tenten sighed deeply at the thoughts as she pulled her long hair up into a ponytail.
Neji placed a comforting hand on Tenten's shoulder and said comforting:
"No need to feel bad, we will do our best to save him from his demons"
Tenten smiled softly at Neji and said:
"Thank you, Neji"
Hinata let out a deep breath.
"I wish we knew what have happened to them" She spoke with low voice, hugging her knees closer to her body while sighing out in sadness.
"Yeah, it seems like the knights have had no luck finding them so far, I do hope they are well" Ino said while trying to comfort Hinata, knowing how she felt about the whole situation.
*SLAM*
"This is so pointless!" Naruto yelled loudly, startling everyone.
"Calm down, Naruto, we all feel the same way" Kiba told Naruto, feeling just as frustrated as Naruto.
"And destroying the walls is not going to help ease the situation at all" Shikamaru pointed out with a blank expression.
"Well what other suggestions do you have, Mister Know-it-all?" Temari decided to ask.
Shikamaru throw Temari an annoyed look before he answered:
"Well we can always try to dig out some more knowledge about this possible kidnapper"
"But we have no idea who this presumed kidnapper is, only that he had some sort of relationship with Tenten, but neither of us knows anything about Tenten's background" Hinata explained to Shikamaru, who nodded his head while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I have a feeling that there are parts of the explanation that was left out. Something is missing I'm sure of that" Shikamaru stated his thoughts to the others.
"What you mean? Parts left out? Like what?" Ino asked, feeling utterly confused over Shikamaru's thoughts.
"Like how would the queen know of Tenten's relationship with someone when firstly, Tenten is not a citizen of Konoha. So how the queen knows more about Tenten than us makes no sense and secondly, neither of us knows anything about her past, so how would the queen? The only explanation would be if someone within the royal castle knows Tenten better than we do and if they know Tenten, they might know the presumed kidnapper as well" Shikamaru finished his explanation his theory.
"You mean they are trying to protect someone else while chasing after Tenten? How is that fair?" Ino questioned.
"Well… this person might not be close to neither the assumed kidnapper nor Tenten now, but merely know them both from his pasts. I do not think he could have helped prevent it nor that he played a central role in it, but he might know something we do not know, which could help us help both Tenten and Neji" Shikamaru explained to Ino.
"So, who should we go ask? I highly doubt many will help us" Hinata said.
"Do not be so sure of that, Miss Hyuuga" An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke out, startling everyone.
Everyone turned around to face whoever it was that had been listening to them.
A royal knight?
"A royal knight? But… I thought they were all out searching for Tenten and Neji? Why is he here? And more important, is he here to help or is he here to shut us up?" Hinata wondered to herself as she and the others watched the royal knight walk forward towards them before lifting the dark hood covering must of his face.
Beneath the hood was a man with onyx, black eyes, long, jet black hair and two long, tear-troughs under his eyes.
"I apologize for spying on you, but I could not help myself. I am normally known as one of queen Tsunade's royal knights, but my true identity is Itachi Uchiha, eldest son of the Uchiha family and the step brother to Tenten" The onyx eyes man spoke calmly, revealing who he really is with no shame nor regrets.
"The truth must come out in order to prevent chaos to rise"
Sakura looked down at herself, running a hand over the dress she was wearing. Feeling the softness of the fabric beneath her fingers.
"It feels so soft and silky" Sakura pointed out to herself.
"I see that you are liking the dress I gave you" Sakura jumped a bit as she was startled by Sasuke suddenly speaking to her.
"Oh… well it is very soft, I am surprised you have giving me such nice clothes to wear considering the fact that you are keeping me here against my will" Sakura explained to Sasuke, who replied shortly:
"You did follow me willingly, didyou not?"
That hit a nerve.
"You mislead me, you bastard!" Sakura snarled at Sasuke.
"Hn" Was Sasuke's short responds.
"Is 'hn' even a word?" Sakura asked Sasuke, growing annoyed by his bipolar way of acting.
"Just shut up" Sasuke told Sakura, who a grumpy tone.
"I think not" Sakura refused bluntly.
"Then I will make you shut up" Sasuke said as he walked up closer to her, holding her arms still while leaning his face closer to hers.
Sakura could feel the heat of his breath against her face and turned it to the side slightly, partly closing her eyes while moved her face away as far as she could.
What was he trying to do leaning to close to her? Invading her personal space, the nerve of him! Had he no shame?
"My Lord! What do you think you are doing to the prisoner! And why is she not in her cell yet! Move away from her this instant! Master Orochimaru wished to speak to you now!" The whiny voice of a glassed, gray haired male interrupted the revenge seeking Lord's teasing the princess games.
Sasuke released his hold on Sakura's arms and moved away from her. Looking pretty unpleased and unsatisfied to have his little mind games interrupted by his mentor's pet.
"Annoying pipsqueak" He thought to himself.
"Fine, I will toy with her later" Sasuke spoke as he turned around and walked past the gray haired man, but before leaving the room he paused and said:
"I must warn you, Kabuto. I need her in order to achieve my goals, so you better treat her like the princess she is and send her to the room I have prepared for her. She will not be treated like a prisoner in what is to be her new home, understood?" Sasuke looked at Kabuto with a deadly look in his eyes, making Kabuto swallow unconsciously before Sasuke finally left the room.
Sakura watched the scene, feeling even more confused now than before.
What was his real agenda? Was he truly as evil as he was trying to make her think he is with his threats and dark aura? Or was he actually good despite his not so pure hearted goals?
She truly could not tell. It seemed like there was two people within him, one who was somewhat kind and another one, who was just plain out cruel. Question was, who is the real Sasuke?
Meanwhile with Neji and Tenten it seems like they were finally reaching the end of the forest. Slowly the number of trees decreased and the road they were walking on grew wider. More fields of bare grass and fewer trees clustered together. A village started to come into view from the distance.
Neji looked Tenten in the eyes and smiled a small, yet soft-looking smile before he said:
"It seems like we have finally reached the very end of border. Once we have crossed that village are we out in area, which holds no ties to any kingdom"
Tenten nodded her head and added:
"And then we will be in an area that I am, for once, familiar with" With that said Tenten winked at Neji with her tongue sticking out cutely.
Neji merely chuckled at her.
"You better not make us get lost then" He said with a hint of teasing in his voice.
"Ohhh shut up" Tenten told Neji with a grin.
They both laughed a bit before making their way towards the village. They needed a break and to fill up their supplies before continuing their journey once again.
It was not a very big village they arrived at, but despite how small it was compared to the capital of the Konoha kingdom, it had a lot of life in it.
On the dusty streets children was running after each other, playing with sticks and other things made out of wood. Women were washing clothes, moving their arms up and down in a big barrel filled with water. The blacksmith was busy forging equipment made out of steels. He wiped some sweat of his forehead before continuing what he was doing. Couples walking on the street, arms linked together.
A small marked was starting to open up, people selling everything from fresh vegetables and fresh-baked bread to clothes and other goods.
The small village was so vibrate in both Neji and Tenten's eyes that it was hard not to look around with amaze and excitement.
"Look at all the things they are selling! Oh how I wished we could buy some of it," Tenten said before she walked eagerly over to a stand selling knives and took one up in her hand while looking at Neji, "Look at it! Just look at this beauty, Neji!"
The man behind the stand chuckled at Tenten, who was eagerly looking at all of the knives, touching each of them with excitement shining brightly in her brown eyes. The man looked at Neji and said:
"That is one unusual lady, you got yourself, sir. Never in my life working as a blacksmith have I seen a woman act like that towards a simple knife"
Neji found himself smiling softly at Tenten as he spoke:
"Well she is also one of a kind, in more than one way so to speak"
The seller chuckled and said:
"I can see," The man paused, "So, are you going to be let her have one or are you just going to let her stare in hunger at them forever?" The seller asked.
Neji looked at the seller, than at Tenten from the corners of his eyes.
"Well… I actually really do not have much money on me… and we need enough for some food and other supplies as well before we head over the border" Neji tried to explain to the seller, who chuckled.
"You know what? Since your lady is the first woman I have ever seen, who seems so interested in my knives I will let you pick one for her and get a discount for it. How does that sound to you, my good sir?" The man asked Neji.
"You do not have to, it is almost too much to ask for" Neji said, not wanting to cheat the man from earning the money he truly deserved. The knives he sold were very well made.
"No need to be so humble, sir. Now, pick a knife and remember not to let her catch you buying it otherwise the surprise would be ruined" The man told Neji, giving him a wink as he spoke.
Neji nodded his head and looked at Tenten, who was still busy looking at some other knives at the end of the stand. Without Tenten taking notice of it, Neji managed to buy a knife with a discount from the kind seller.
"Tenten" Neji called out.
Tenten looked up at Neji and said:
"Yeah?"
"How about we go in here and get something hot to eat? Afterwards we will buy some supplies for the money we have left and head towards the border, sounds good to you?" Neji asked Tenten while he pointed at a bar, which was not so far from where they were standing.
Tenten smiled at Neji and nodded her head:
"Okay, that sounds good to me" She then walked over to him and they both made their way towards the bar to get some food.
Everyone found themselves stunned to silence. None of them had seen that coming.
"Y-you are Tenten's s-stepbrother?" Hinata found herself stuttering out with confusement.
"Yeah, my parents adopted Tenten back when she was just an infant after her own parents had left her to die because she was girl and as you all know in most families women rarely inherit much compared to men" Itachi explained calmly.
"Her own parents abandoned her because of her gender? That is awful, poor Tenten" Hinata said suddenly understanding a whole lot more about Tenten and why she got so angry when people referred her by her gender.
"No wonder she hates having her gender pointed out by others" Ino commented. The others could not help, but to agree.
She had her reasons after all and now they all understood those reasons.
"Wait a minute! Hold up the sob stories for a second!" Temari suddenly butted in, walking up to close to Itachi. Glaring at him and asked:
"You said your name is Itachi Uchiha and that you have a brother by the name of Sasuke Uchiha?"
"That is correct" Itachi answered her. Temari then pointed an accusing finger at him and said:
"You better not be lying! Most people with close connections to the Queen of Konoha know that the Uchiha family vanished without a trace about 16 years ago! No one knows why! Many believe that the family had died out or that it never existed in the first place. So please explain to me how? The two of you were not killed, and why no one knows that there are any surviving members of Uchiha family?"
"Vanished?" "So they really existed?" "What?" "The infamous Uchiha family?" Was the reaction that many including Hinata had after Temari had spoken.
A small smile found its way to Itachi's mouth and he chuckled in low tone before he answered:
"I am surprised you know of it, princess Temari, not many were told of it. But to answer your question, I alongside my younger brother and Tenten never vanished that faithful day because my father had predicted that something bad was in our family's future. So a month before the event he told me that if something where to happen to our family I was to take Sasuke and Tenten with me and runaway. My father saved us because he trusted his instincts and I followed mine, which was why I kept our survival a secret. To keep us safe and clear our name"
"Clear your name? What did your family do?"
"A few family members had apparently been sharing information with the enemies of Konoha, betraying its trust and putting soldiers in danger. Our family had until that time kept itself neutral, but we failed to keep a few members from getting themselves involved in the war. It became the downfall of my family" Itachi explained with a sad look on his face.
"W-what happened to them? I am guessing they really did not vanish in a pleasant way" Hinata asked, wondering how the family had vanished.
"They were massacred" Itachi answered shortly with sorrowful look on his face.
"M-massacred?" Hinata blunted out in shock. Itachi nodded his head.
"They were mas-killed… by who?" Hinata decided to ask carefully.
"At first Sasuke, Tenten and I all thought it was the Konoha kingdom, who had done it as a punishment for our betrayal, but after I left Sasuke and Tenten in order to clear our names I found out that pretty much no one knew of the massacre of my family. Everyone thought our family had vanished, fled away like cowards doing the war. And that left me wondering what Konoha could gain from keeping it a secret. Normally punishments are giving to prove a point and make people follow the law out of fear but no one knew of it, so I began investing it myself, which in the end leaded me to the Royal Knights, who I later become a part of" Itachi explained.
"And they knew of it?" Hinata asked.
"Well truth be told, I never told them about it, I kinda lie about who I was and what happened to my family" Itachi admitted.
"You l-lied? Why?" Hinata, as well as the others, looked at Itachi quite shockingly. He lied to the Royal Knights?
"I did" Itachi smiled at himself, "But I only did it because I still believed that it was the Konoha kingdom that killed my family. I needed to gain their trust in order to find out the truth and the fact that they did not question about my last name nor the name of my family helped keeping my identity a secret. My mission was very clear I had to infiltrate the castle, become a member of the Royal Knights and gain the queen's trust in order to find out the truth" Itachi finished.
"And did you find it, sir Itachi?" Shikamaru decided to ask.
"Not until the night of the royal gathering where the queen wanted to see me after my comrade, Kakashi, had done some research on the guests and doing that research he had found a connection between me and one of the guests" Itachi explained, adding pressure to the last word.
"And that guest was...?" Shikamaru pressed on, already with a clear idea of who the guest was.
"Yes, my younger brother, Sasuke" Itachi nodded his head, "But the conversation between me and the queen did more than just reveal my secret, it gave me hope that I had not left my siblings to die when I left them" Itachi smiled and closed his eyes before he decided to tell what had happened doing his conversation with the queen.
FLASHBACK
Itachi knocked on the door before he opened the door up and spoke out quietly:
"Your majesty, Kakashi told me that you wanted to speak to me?"
The queen was standing with her back turned to him and she turned her head a bit to the side, looking at him from the corners of her eyes before she fully turned her body around and said:
"Yes, I did. There is something we need to talk about, my knight"
For some reason Itachi felt a chill run down his spin. Had she figured him out? Was his secret out?
He swallowed unconsciously before he asked:
"What do you wish to talk to me about, my queen?"
"The truth" She answered shortly.
Silent consumed the room afterwards.
"So… you have figured me out?" Itachi after awhile decided to ask with a very calm voice, trying to keep himself intact.
"No, I did not, Kakashi did" The queen corrected him.
"Ahhh! I see" Itachi said while he moved a hand up to his chin and rubbed it against it as he thought to himself:
"How did Kakashi figure me out? Hmmm"
Itachi eyes widened as he recalled his conversation with Kakashi before the royal gathering.
The conversation where he confessed the odd feeling he had felt. The feeling that something was going to happen at the gathering.
"Kakashi must have gotten worried about it and done some sort of research, question is just… What kind of research?" Itachi asked himself before he decided to ask the queen:
"How did Kakashi figure out that I am hiding something and what it is that I am hiding to be exact?"
"The truth about your past, my knight, you have always told us that your entire family had died doing the famine that raged after the war, but that was not how they died, was it? And not all of them died, am I correct? A few survived, your younger brother being one of them. Now, answer me, Itachi, who are you truly and how did most of your family really die?" The queen asked with a serious, yet calm expression on her face.
Itachi's eyes widened.
They knew of his brother? How? He vanished, alongside his stepsister?
"My full name is Itachi, Itachi Uchiha. Son of Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, heads of the infamous Uchiha family that vanished without a trace after the war, although they never really vanished" Itachi paused before he continued, "They were massacred, all of them expect me, my younger brother and my stepsister, Tenten. They were all massacred for an unknown reason by unknown people, who I at first thought to be the Konoha kingdom" Itachi answered, talking in a monotone. Trying to keep himself composed as memories flashes before his eyes.
Painful memories of those he left behind.
"Massacred? By my people?" The queen looked at Itachi with a surprised look on her face.
"Yeah, I originally thought they were massacred as some sort of punishment for betraying Konoha's trust, but I was wrong since no one knew of the massacre" Itachi explained.
"Is that why you came to us in the first place? To find out the truth and get revenge?" The queen asked calmly.
"Yeah, I guess so, but not anymore, your majesty. I am loyal to you and the Konoha kingdom, although I still wish to find out the truth. Find out why my family was killed and to find out what happened to my brother and stepsister after I left. Figure out why I cannot find them where I last time saw them" Itachi told the queen with a look of regret.
"You thought your brother and stepsister had vanished?" The queen looked with a surprised and curious look in her eyes.
"Yeah, I did, but they are not, am I right?" Itachi looked up at the queen, awaiting her answer.
"Not according to Kakashi sources, apparently your brother is one of the guests here and most likely the one who has kidnapped my granddaughter" The queen informed Itachi, who looked up at her in shock.
"S-Sasuke was here? W-wait a minute, what do you mean by that he most likely is the one who kidnapped princess Sakura?" Itachi asked, not believing her words.
"According to Kakashi your brother holds a heavy grudge against us and that makes him a prime suspect in the kidnapping of my granddaughter, but that is not all, Itachi" The queen told Itachi, who looked at her and asked:
"What else is there?"
"Neji Hyuuga, nephew to Hiashi Hyuuga, had a companion with him to the gathering. Her name is Tenten, " The queen paused and looked at Itachi, who looked at her with big, dark eyes, "And according to Kakashi's sources, she holds a strong connection to your younger brother and you know what that means, right Itachi?" The queen looked at Itachi, awaiting his reaction.
"Your majesty, please! My brother might be on the wrong track, but it is not his fault and do not put Tenten to blame over his mistakes, she is not a bad person and neither is Sasuke. Please, let me handed this! This is my family and family matters should only be dealt with within the family, outsiders would never understand what horrors they-we have been through!" Itachi for the very first time found himself almost yelling the queen right in the face.
"Itachi, I understand your concerns, but I have a kingdom to protect. You can deal with your family matters after I have gotten my granddaughter back until then you will have to keep your personal beliefs to yourself" Tsunade said to Itachi with a harsh tone.
Itachi bowed his head and said:
"You are right, my queen. The safety of the kingdom comes before my own personal desires, I apologize for rebelling and shouting at you like that, your majesty, please forgive me my behavior"
The queen gave Itachi a small smile before she turned away and said:
"We are done for now, you may leave"
Itachi bowed down before he left the room, feeling more divided than he had ever felt before.
A part of him wanted to go warn Tenten, even though she might not remember him and to chase after Sasuke and apologize for leaving, while praying that Sasuke had not completely lost himself in his desire for vengeance. Another part of him wanted to follow the queen's orders, ignore his past's ties and act like any Royal Knight would; protect the queen and the kingdom at any cost.
Which path should he go? The duty he hold to his family or the duty he holds for the kingdom he serves? Which side of him is wrong? Which is right?
Itachi sighed out deeply.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Okay, so let us get this straight. You lied about who you were because you wanted to found out the truth about why your family was killed? And you thought that your brother, Sasuke, and Tenten had vanished after you left them to find out the truth?" Shikamaru asked just be clarified that they had understood what Itachi had explained to them.
"That is correct" Itachi nodded.
"And your brother was apparently a guest at the gathering and it is believed that he was the one, who kidnapped the crown princess, am I correct?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes" Itachi nodded once again, "But I also believe that there might be some sort of connection between the massacre of my family and the kidnapping of the princess" Itachi pointed out.
"You think it was same person?" Hinata asked with a surprised look on her face. Itachi nodded and said:
"Yes, I have theory that it might be and that someone has most likely managed to brainwash my brother into doing these things while believing that he is avenging our family when he really is not"
"So what you saying is, that you brother, Sasuke, still believes that it was the Konoha kingdom, which killed your family, but in reality it was actually someone else, who was behind it?" Ino asked Itachi, who nodded and replied:
"Exactly, this is why I want to help you find Tenten and Neji Hyuuga. If we find them, we will find Sasuke and I need to know what happened after I left because something happened and want to know what"
"Just a curious thought, but what makes you think that something happened after you left? Your brother could have done this himself without the influence of someone else?" Shikamaru decided to ask of curiosity.
"Because he had Tenten with him and as long as their relationship stayed the same he would never let himself get consumed by his own hatred and sorrow. Someone must have managed to get between them and affect their relationship so that Tenten lost the ability to reason with Sasuke" Itachi explained.
"They were very close?" Hinata asked Itachi, who nodded slowly and replied:
"Yes, like brother and sister"
"Not to destroy this very touching moment, but if you guys want to help your friends and family then maybe you should skip the small talk and start to come up with a plan" Temari butted into the conversation.
"The Suna princess is right. We need to make a plan otherwise we might never find any of them in time" Itachi said.
"The Suna princess? Excuse me, I have a name, just so you know" Temari looked offended at the knight.
"Calm down, princess" Shikamaru told her.
"The name is Te-ma-ri! Not Suna princess, princess nor anything else, but Temari! Thank you very much!" Temari spoke to him, arms crossed over her chest and head held high.
"She kind of reminds me of someone else with blond hair" Kiba commented while looking at Ino from the corners of his eyes.
"You do know that I can hear you, right dog boy?" Ino asked Kiba with a warning tone.
"I know, otherwise it would be no fun" Kiba told her with a grin.
"You are so immature" Ino mumbled under her breath before she walked over to Hinata, who was talking to Itachi.
"How does the planning go?" She asked.
"Okay, although we still need to know the correct direction Neji and Tenten went" Hinata explained to Ino.
"And we need to avoid following the same path the Konoha and Suna soldiers are following, we need to keep a low profile" Itachi reminded them.
"Right" Ino and Hinata nodded.
"What would Neji and Tenten do?" Hinata asked herself.
"So, does anyone have any idea of where Neji and Tenten could be because I have no idea where they could be or head towards" Naruto butted into the conversation, stating his own lack of answers to the question everyone was trying to answer.
"Thank you, Naruto, for stating the obvious" Ino told Naruto, who grinned at her, which caused her to sigh at his stupidity.
"Oh Hinata, I have no idea what you see in Naruto" Ino looked at Hinata, who was looking at Naruto with a blush on her cheeks. She couldn't help, but to smile a bit as she saw the adoration that shined in Hinata's pale, lavender colored eyes.
"But I hope that you eventually get the courage to confess how you feel to him and that he returns your love" Ino thought to herself.
"Sir Itachi" Shikamaru suddenly said.
"Yes, what is it?" Itachi looked at Shikamaru as he asked.
"Do you where we can find a map over the Konoha kingdom and the Suna kingdom, there is a theory I need to check before I make any assumption" Shikamaru explained.
"Hmmm," Itachi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "We can try and look for something like that in the royal library, although I really do not know where the maps are kept, but the library might own a small collection of maps over the area" Itachi told Shikamaru, who nodded his head and replied:
"Okay, that sounds good to me"
With that they all left the room and made their way towards the royal library in hope that they would find a map over the entire Konoha and Suna area.
Neji and Tenten walked inside the bar, that turned out to be… rather crowded to put it in a nice way.
People were almost literally mashed together, bodies pressing up against each other at each corner and no, they were not just getting cozy with each other because it was everyone from strangers to comrades to lovers, from costumers to the staff that worked there.
The thick smell of beer combined with tobacco made Neji wiggle his nose in disgust. And people's conversation turned into a choir of noise; disturbing, annoying noise in Neji's sensitive ears.
"Why did I pick this place again? We could have found a nice, quiet little inn, but I had to pick the easy solution. I had to pick the bar. The disgusting, smelly and noisy bar filled with noisy and drunk people" Neji asked himself as he suddenly felt like leaving as soon as he had walked in.
Tenten, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving. She had already found the bar and was ready to order.
"I take two big beers and two bowls of pottage with bread" Tenten ordered the man standing behind the bar, not caring much that Neji wanted to leave. She was hungry and to her, bars were so cozy and fun to be at. Plus they made a good pottage!
"Tenten, what are you doing?" Neji walked up to Tenten, well he mashed his way through the crowd of people, and asked.
"Ordering, what else? We were supposed to get something to eat, right?" Tenten looked at Neji with confusement.
Neji sighed out.
"True, but I…" Neji begun.
"Two big beers for the pretty lady in brown" The barman called out as he placed the two beers before Tenten, who looked at him and said with a grin:
"I am not a lady, but thank you for beers anyway"
Neji sighed in relief after Tenten had replied. At least she did not do what she normally would.
"Attack people and get not just herself, but me in trouble" Neji commented to himself.
"Here, Neji" Tenten spoke.
"Huh?" Neji looked at Tenten, who was holding a beer mug in front of his face.
"Have some alcohol that will do you some good" Tenten grinned at Neji as she said it.
"Tenten, I do not drin-" Neji was cut off by the barman, who returned with their food.
"Two bowls of pottage with bread for the not-lady in brown" The barman said, "We have some more space sitting places in the back of the room, so I advice you two to take a seat there, you can use the door behind me to get there without having to go through all our drinking costumers" The barman explained, pointed at the door behind him.
Tenten smiled and said:
"Thank you, let us go, Neji" Tenten took her food and beer before she walked towards the door the barman had advised them to use.
Neji followed, annoyed by the fact that he had been cut off and ignored by Tenten, once again on this trip.
He felt stumped upon in a way.
…
"Awww Neji, quit the grumpy look on your face, drink your beer it will make you feel better" Tenten told Neji as she took a big spoon of pottage into her mouth, looking very pleased with herself.
Neji, on the other hand, did not look pleased or amused at all.
"Tenten, I do not drink beer" Neji informed Tenten, who paused in the eating.
"Mmm", Tenten swallowed, "Why?" She then asked him.
"I find it to be very disgusting, it smells awful and everyone who drinks it starts acting like animals" Neji explained to Tenten, who shrugged and said:
"Men acting like animals are a pretty normal sight, with or without the beer involved, do not put the beer to blame just because some men think it is okay to act like they are a bitch in heat"
Neji chuckled at the last part Tenten said.
"I guess that is true, in a way, but do not forget that not all men are like that" Neji reminded Tenten, who nodded while she took a sip of her beer before she replied:
"True, you are not… well at least you was not until now" Tenten looked a bit awkward as she spoke, remembering what had happened in the forest.
Neji, getting Tenten's point, turned almost red in the face and ended up looking just as awkward as Tenten. Looking away while rubbing his neck and chin in an awkward way.
"Nevermind, I think I will go over to the bar and order something else to drink, you can have mine if you want to" Neji said as he stood up and walked towards the bar.
He needed something to drink, but he was not thirsty enough to drink the beer he had gotten.
Walking up to the bar, who looked it over as he tried to see what else he could order. Moving closer to the bar itself while waiting for someone to come and take his order.
Suddenly the door to the bar opened up.
"Will everyone please remain calm, we have been sent by the queen of the Konoha kingdom to try and find a young woman accompanied by a young man. They have both run away in the middle of an important investigation! The man and the woman both have brown hair, the man has much paler skin than the female and they were last seen wearing rather formal clothes, clothes that might be covered in dirt or thrashed in some way" A deep male voice spoke.
The man, most likely a soldier, had barely managed to finished before Neji had begun sneaking away, using the many people in the bar to cover him up as well as to take advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was on the soldier, who was speaking.
With fast steps he walked back to Tenten, who looked at him with confusement.
"Neji, I thought you wer-" Neji stopped Tenten by placing a finger in front of his lips, telling her to be quiet.
"We have to get out of here now, or else they will find us" Neji whispered to Tenten, who nodded her head and leaned close towards Neji.
"We could take the bag door" Tenten suggested in low spoken voice.
"That sounds good, we need to keep a low profile as we sneak out, so try to act normal" Neji told Tenten, who in reply wrapped her arms around Neji's arm and said with a moaning voice:
"Oh of course, mister handsome, I would love to spent my time with you, there is no need to ask so politely"
Neji found himself flushing a bit, but he managed to keep himself composed and decided to play along with Tenten's plan.
To pretend he is the type of man he hates, the man with no dignity and no sense of honor.
Running his hand over Tenten's thigh, all the way up until it reached her butt.
"Well then my misbehaving lady, let us get out of this dump and find us a place where we can be alone" Neji spoke into Tenten's eyes while he kissed Tenten behind her ear.
Neji and Tenten then began walking towards the bag door, still very much in each other's embrace, keeping the act up until they were out of sight.
"Hold up, where do you two think you are going?" A deep male voice suddenly spoke, talking to Neji and Tenten, who froze in their tracks.
"Oh shit! What do we do now?" Tenten asked herself in her panic.
"Okay, keep calm, Neji, we are not wearing what we wore at the gathering and only the royal knights knows our full appearance. We just need to keep on pretending we are this couple with no sense of dignity or anything, just two people who want each other very badly!" Neji tried to calm himself down.
Question was, how long could they keep up with the act?
Sakura was lying on a big queen-sized bed, looking up at the ceiling, wondering why it was so important for Sasuke to treat her like this?
Here she was lying on a big, beautiful bed in an even more beautiful room with windows. She could look out and see the world… well forest, a gray-looking forest, but still. If she was a prisoner here, then why was she held captive in a room like this? And not in a cell?
"What is it he wants to gain? And why do he need to me to be able to achieve it?" She found herself asking again and again.
"What is it that you want, Sasuke?" She asked out loud.
"Clarity" Sakura was startles by Sasuke, who was standing by the door to her room. He walked in, closing the door behind him while Sakura looked at him speechlessly. Not speaking, just looking with her big, emerald eyes.
"I want clarity in my life, I want peace in my mind, but most important," he paused, "I want revenge for the sorrow I had to endure" Looking at Sakura with intense look in his eyes filled with so many different emotions.
To be continued…
A/N: And that was all for this chapter of A Sense of Duty!
With each chapter we are getting closer to the true and to the end. Many things managed to happen within this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it!
Please review and tell me what you think ^^
I'll try my best to finish the next chapter a LOT sooner than this chapter!