Hello Minna! Sankyuu for reviewing! Anyway, this is where the Great Almightly Uchiha comes in. My deepest apologies if Sasuke is somewhat harsh to Naruto at this time (he'll act a bit like a bastard) but I need him to do this. Sasuke/Neji rivalry over Naru (I know you're anticipating it!) will be present, but only a little rivalry. True rivalry comes in later chappies.
Thanks and Neji plushies go to: Fox Moonshadow (all three of you) :) , Momo-chan, Clow-angel, Fei-sama, Yukishiroi, and peanut.
Chapter 4: Turmoil and Chaos
The Next Day
The Hyuuga yawned and sat up from within the soft, satin sheets that were draped over his form. Stretching, he pulled back the curtains of his bed to relish the welcoming sunlight that streamed in the windows, and instead revealed a very startled Kiba standing by his bedside with a silver tray in his hands. The Inuzuka fumbled briefly with the platter, almost spilling the orange juice, then set it down awkwardly on the bedside table beside Neji.
"I-I'm sorry, Neji-sama, but your breakfast is ready." Neji's mouth twisted in confusion.
"And what has prompted the unusual conditions of this meal? I usually have breakfast in the dining room." Kiba bobbed his head in apology.
"Naruto-kun has sent this for you. He thought you might want to taste some of his cooking." Neji reached out and gingerly plucked the tray from the nightstand, setting it carefully on his lap.
"Leave me. And give my compliments to Naruto, will you?" Kiba nodded vigorously and scurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Neji scrutinized the platter before him with inward amusement. Though he hadn't tasted the blonde's cooking, he assumed Naruto's cuisine was quite good; the smell rising from his breakfast indicated much time had been spent preparing the meal, making it rather more tantalizing than any previous breakfasts he'd eaten before. Taking a sip from his orange juice, he reveled in the sweet taste before eating the rest of his meal.
It was later that the dog-boy located the blonde in the kitchen, a chef's hat placed jauntily on his forehead and a great, massive apron tied neatly behind his waist. Naruto was stirring six saucepans at once, adding spices and cloves to an enormous silver pot in the middle of the stove. Seeing the Inuzuka approaching him, he whirled around and thrust a spoonful of sauce into Kiba's unexpecting mouth. Kiba choked, startled at first, then swallowed the soup, tasting it carefully.
"This is excellent, Naruto! Did you make it yourself?" Naruto smirked.
"Of course I did; you honestly expected Shizune to come right out of her fever and spend a good chunk of time in the wee hours of the morning cooking up all this?" He retaliated. Kiba smiled.
"Of course not, I was just wondering if you cooked from a recipe or if you made this yourself."
"I made it myself."
"Really? This is really good!" Naruto waved off the compliment.
"Thanks." Kiba nodded and turned, hollering over his shoulder about visiting Shizune. Naruto shooed him out of the kitchen and went back to stirring the pot.
The blonde's nose twitched. He smiled and dipped a nearby spoon into the pot, then silently started the countdown.
Three…two…one…
Naruto spun around and thrust the spoon straight into Neji's mouth, tipping the contents down his throat before turning back to his cooking. The Hyuuga gasped and hacked, forcing the soup down the right tube before coughing violently, taking a good three minutes to regain his breath. Staggering, he leaned heavily on the stove, a frazzled look in his pearly-white eyes.
"What was that for, and how did you know I was coming?" Naruto grinned.
"You seemed a little skeptical when I mentioned I could cook, and besides, I could smell you a mile away. You put on cologne, didn't you?" Neji gagged mockingly.
"It was requested of Hiashi-sama. Why he wants me to smell nice for when Uchiha arrives will forever perplex me." The blonde laughed.
"So how did it taste?" Neji considered this thought.
"It wasn't like anything I've ever tasted before. Spicy, yet rich in flavor; I compliment you, Naruto. And your breakfast wasn't half-bad, either." Naruto flashed his teeth in a huge grin.
"Thank you. It all depends on how much effort one puts into their cuisine. And did mine ears deceive me; Uchiha is arriving today?" Neji winced.
"Yes, Uchiha is arriving today. In fact, right about…" A distant chime sounded.
"Now." Naruto giggled.
"Perfect timing." Neji sighed and pushed himself off of the stove, running a hand through his hair.
"Hiashi expects me to greet him, or he'll have my head. I must be going now, but clean up and meet me in the living room." Naruto raised a whimsical eyebrow at the Hyuuga.
"Which living room, and on which storey of the house?" Neji laughed.
"Third floor, second door on your right when you walk up the stairs. I'll be waiting, so don't take too long, hear?" Naruto pouted.
"I'm not a child." Neji chuckled. The blonde was irresistibly cute in the get-up he was displaying.
"I'd have never guessed." He ducked the frying pan that was flung at his face and sauntered out of the kitchen.
Naruto stored the soup and various dishes in a nearby fridge, then undid his apron and chef's hat, replacing them carefully on a rack. Yelling his departure to Kiba, he bustled out of the kitchen and up the three flights of stairs to Neji's study. Knocking gently, he let himself in to view Neji reclining comfortably in a chair with a visitor. The Hyuuga rose to greet him and beckoned him to his side, gesturing at the figure before him.
"Naruto, I'd like you to meet Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto inclined his head politely, and Sasuke did likewise.
"A pleasure, I presume." Naruto observed the Uchiha before him. Sasuke had a condescending look in his eyes which gave Naruto the impression of an extremely arrogant cat.
"Ditto," he replied. Sasuke arched an eyebrow and turned to Neji.
"Such words for a servant." Neji scowled.
"He is a special case." Sasuke nodded and crooked a finger towards Naruto, smirking deviously.
"Boy. Come here."
A tremor immediately shot through the Hyuuga, and the welcoming warmth in the room promptly packed its bags and left on a permanent vacation, making the temperature shoot down into sub-zero categories. He turned and looked at Naruto, only to observe the icicles and steel shrapnel positively dripping from his gaze. His eyes had darkened into an ominous blackish-indigo hue, and were glazed over with several layers of glacial apathy. Sasuke had obviously felt the effects of the stare; as soon as Naruto turned the full blast of his gaze upon the Uchiha, the smirk on his face practically slid off and shattered on the ground at his feet. Nevertheless, the raven-haired figure fixed a stare of his own on the boy, and two glared bloody fratricide at one another in silence. Neji could feel the tension escalating in great measures, and he didn't at all like what he felt.
Naruto approached the Uchiha with slow, measured steps, stopping at an arm's length in front of Sasuke. His gaze intensified with every passing second, and Neji could visibly see the Uchiha falter and grow uneasy with each passing moment. Sasuke struggled frantically for his composure, his steady gaze now faltering before it died completely, forcing him to look away.
SLAK
"Uchiha!"
Naruto staggered back and tumbled to the ground with the force of Sasuke's blow. Neji caught him with ease and set him upright, glaring openly at the other. Sasuke's lip curled in utter hatred as he scrutinized the boy he had hit. Naruto's glare was beyond all measures of coldness now, rendering the room practically frozen with his frigid gaze. Sasuke recoiled at his stare, utterly taken aback by Naruto's sheer defiance. He started forward once more, but was stopped by Neji's hand.
"He's my servant, Uchiha. You are not to lay hands on what belongs to me." A sneer twisted Sasuke's face.
"Your servant now, Hyuuga? He bears quite a lot of insolence. Perhaps he should be taught a lesson." Neji chuckled darkly, shielding Naruto from Sasuke with his arm around the blonde's chest.
"No one can ever erase this boy's defiance. He cannot be broken, no matter how hard you try. He simply bends with the treatment, but always he gets back up." Sasuke drew back, resting his chin in his hand in surrender.
"Very well then. I will tolerate it for now, but seriously Neji, a mere servant like him should be put in his place." Neji stared long and hard at Naruto, a trace of something like sadness yet admiration in his eyes.
"No…Naruto cannot ever be called just a mere servant." He trailed off, still staring sadly at the boy.
"Cut the sentiment Hyuuga. A servant is a servant, whether he likes it or not." Neji looked at Sasuke patiently.
"You will alter that idea once you've spent time with this one. Believe me, I can relate, for I too acted just the way you had just now." Sasuke fell silent, his onyx eyes dark and brooding. Neji smiled, a little triumph in his gaze.
"Come. You must be tired after your long journey." Sasuke sighed and let Neji lead him to a room. The Hyuuga mouthed silently over his shoulder, informing Naruto to meet him after he was done. The blonde nodded and turned, making straight for the gardens.
It was later that Neji found Naruto nestled comfortably in the grass under the cherry tree, gazing up at the stars. Taking a seat beside the blonde, Neji ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the gnarled trunk, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright?" Naruto nodded, looking incredulously at Neji.
"If I put up with you, I can put up with that bastard." Neji chuckled softly.
"True. Sasuke is a lot like me, although you might find it harder to worm your way past the layers of ice that shroud his heart." Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
"You…you mean…?" Neji nodded silently.
"Over the past month, you've become someone I can place my trust in. I congratulate you, Naruto. No one has ever been able to do that before." Naruto smiled.
"I'm glad. You're not half-bad as a master." Neji wrinkled his nose.
"I do not wish for one I know so well to call me a master." Naruto grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry." Neji nodded, accepting the apology, and the two lapsed into silence, content to gaze at the stars winking on and off in the sky.
"Ne, Neji?" The Hyuuga turned to Naruto.
"Hmm?" The reply came out as a lazy drawl.
"Are you really going to inherit the business that Hiashi-sama possesses?" Neji nodded.
"I believe so." Naruto sat up, gazing intently into Neji's opalescent eyes.
"Do you want to inherit the business?" Neji shifted on the grass.
"I don't really have a choice, now do I?" Naruto looked away.
"I suppose not." The Hyuuga leaned against the trunk of the tree, clasping his hands behind his head.
"What do you want to do with your life?" Naruto gazed up to the skies, a starry look in his beautiful cornflower orbs.
"I want to soar to great heights, to be free, to make something of myself so that everyone will acknowledge me." Neji laughed gently and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"I'm sure you'll succeed." Naruto smiled wanly.
"How can one do anything worthwhile if one stays caged as a servant for all of one's life?" Neji drew back.
"You'll make something of yourself. I can tell a lot of things with these eyes of mine, and believe me, you certainly have the potential." Naruto grinned.
"You think so?" Neji smiled reassuringly.
"I know."
Naruto turned fully to the Hyuuga with a look practically overflowing with gratitude and hope. The full moon overhead caught the irises of his eyes and fully illuminated them to the point where the limitless orbs reflected endless prisms of blue, each shade completely different than the other. Together they blended in, cobalt, indigo, cornflower, baby blue, azure, aquamarine, and cerulean to created an utterly astonishing display of vivid colors. Neji gasped as he witnessed the spectacular change in the blonde. Naruto seemed to radiate moonbeams, gold, and silver; but no, to call it gold and silver would be an insult; it was more like fire and ice that the blonde emitted from his core. The Hyuuga felt his heart give a twist in his chest, and immediately the blood rose and spread to various places in his body, quickening his pulse and shortening his breaths until he was breathing in short, shallow gasps. The whirlwind of emotions that swirled around his entire being enraptured him like never before, both astonishingly frightening yet strangely pleasurable at the same time.
The vision ended and once more Naruto sat before him, a concerned look in his eyes. Neji shook it off with something like annoyance and abruptly stood, suggesting they turn in for the night. Naruto agreed with a little worry, but decided not to think much of it and retreated to the servant's quarters with much trouble in his eyes. He slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning fretfully, images of the Hyuuga tormenting his dreams.
Next chap will be juicy in the beginning! Me so embarrassed...oh well. Will have MAJOR Sakura bashing in later chaps, so all you sakura haters...UNITE!