Wow. That took longer than expected.
First we have to give a great thanks to my new beta-reader who edited this chapter - Duchessa-sensei!(Let me just call her that for now.. I'm hoping she doesn't mind xD) Yes yes applause, she's wonderful and super nice. From now on you will be able to grammar-mistake-free chapters. Hooray! Let me apologize to Duchessa right now though, because I'm sure it's a painstaking job to edit my writing.. I do hope we can work together for a long time :)
So thanks for all reviewers! To all of you who stuck with me this far, thank you so much! I promise to work harder and improve, and I will make this plot as interesting and entertaining as possible. Ehehe.
Enjoy!
Naruto's back tensed up as he hears the thud of the opening garden door.
The damp cloth on his head slips to the floor. He looked to the mirror one last time with desperation, but his messy blond hair showed no change other than appearing to be wet. He rushed through the door, almost tripping over, but caught himself before landing face flat.
"Watch your steps,"
A cold hand helped him up. Its coolness almost startled Naruto, it was as if the appendage doesn't belong to a living person. He looked up, slightly apprehensive. The dark eyes of the second prince stared back at him, and strangely, they hinted a wave of warmth. Naruto could hear his heart beat just a beat faster as he looked away, feeling strangely guilty.
"Thanks, I just stumbled a little."
He wasn't certain if addressing the Tai Zi in this manner was completely appropriate, but Sasuke did not seem to mind. Naruto does feel very self-conscious around Sasuke, a boy of his age, yet possibly the future Emperor - handsome, intelligent, and his rival. More specifically, his love rival. He sometimes wondered how he fared standing next to him. A shabby blond boy.
In the past few days he had contemplated everything thoroughly. The fluffy feeling from Sasuke's first visit had dispersed. Sure, the man was a beauty, but it should have made no difference to him. He may have changed from what he remembered, and they might possibly become friends, but that's not the important thing. Sasuke took Sakura away. To Naruto, that means they were love rivals first, everything else second.
I'll play nice with him, Naruto thought. Make friends, and that way I might be able to contact Sakura. I'll keep on writing letters to Iruka-niang, and maybe later Sasuke will even let me go home and visit.
It was something Kakashi had taught him. Use everything you can. Use them until they fulfill their uses.
It was dirty, sure, but he had come too far to go back.
He was still curious to what Sasuke wanted from him, too. The man had been beyond kind to him, such a different image from which he remembered. Naruto wondered if that was the way he treated everyone, and how loving he must be to Sakura, his lover. And so every time he thought he should come clean, to show his dislike openly, the man's gentle gaze dart the thought away, and always, the image of a girl with cherry-blossom colored hair came into mind.
He can't stop.
"Tch." Suigetsu grunted unpleasantly.
It was only then Naruto noticed the Taijian in the middle of the garden; a huge pile of boxes behind him, on a small wooden cart. He looked displeased.
"There are your clothes, as promised." Sasuke pointed to the pile.
"All of that?" Naruto exclaimed.
"The Taizi has, let's say, has a very varied amounts of choices to pick from." Suigetsu said sourly. "And part of that small selection goes to you today, carried all of course, by me."
"Well, it's a good exercise." Naruto chuckled lightly.
"Do not complain, Suigetsu." Sasuke said, voice flat.
"I would just love to see you do this one day..." Suigetsu murmured lowly. He turned and picked up one of the boxes and kicked it. The box glided gracefully across the limestone floor to Naruto's feet. "You can start trying them on, you know. This really might take a while." He glanced at all the boxes again and sighed.
"Umm... I still don't know if I can accept this." Naruto scratched his blond head, his eyes drifted to Sasuke, who watched him with a gentle gaze. He quickly looked down again to avoid eye contact.
"Foolish peasant boy, how many times must I say it?" Suigetsu said irritably. "It's a command, not a request."
"Hesitate no more." Sasuke said to the still unsure Naruto.
Still a bit reluctant, Naruto picked up the box. It was surprisingly heavy, and the cart was filled with them. He felt a surge of respect towards Suigetsu who probably had carried all of it here by himself. Naruto didn't think that Suigetsu was that well-built, in fact the Taijian looked very slender, but, well. He stepped into the room, a small throb of pain ran down his spine and he winced. He tried very hard not to limp, but he was sure Sasuke had seen him. He bit his lips, unaware that he did so.
"No need to shut the door, we are all men here." Suigetsu shouted, with evil glee.
Naruto slammed the door shut.
Naruto had never seen so many clothes in his life. Most of his were hand-downs from various people, sometimes from Kiba or Choji, at times even from Lee. Some were made by Iruka, hand sewn when they had the luxury to acquire some fabrics. They're sewn with simple lines and no real designs, plain colors and no patterns. But the clothes here - every one of them were brilliant and different. Dyed with high skill, made with extravagant fabrics and exquisite stitches, the value of these clothing were clear to discern. Naruto found he struggled putting some of the clothes on– there were so many different parts and accessories.
"This part goes around your waist," Sasuke said, wrapping the long cloth around Naruto. When did he follow him? Naruto could feel the occasional brush of Sasuke's large, bony hand. Something dark crept into his head. He shut his eyes tightly. No, not now.
"Something wrong?"
"N-no." He feels the warm puffs of breaths from Sasuke, so close to his face. Instantly his face turned apple red. "Nothing."
Suigetsu, who sat on the garden stone chair watching from afar, rolled his eyes and sighed rather loudly.
"Really, and he's telling me that boy is not a Taijian?" He murmured to himself, shaking his head slightly. "Everything he does this blond reacts to instantly. And he's not even minding what Sasuke's doing."
He understands that most people would be nervous around Sasuke when they first meet, that's pretty much a given for every nobles. That pressuring aura he gives off and that face of his can take over many. But that alone shouldn't be the reason. Suigetsu thought it's way too boring if the boy were to fall in love with Sasuke that easily, or be "captured" as Sasuke had phrased it.
Suigetsu rested his head on the cool lime table. He knew one thing: Sasuke loved the boy. That word being used in relation to Sasuke made an involuntary chill run down his spine. But however you word it, it was clear he had heavy interest in Naruto. One that Suigetsu had never seen with any other partners Sasuke had before. And so soon after his marriage. Not that it mattered much. Suigetsu knew all along that after they married nothing else was going to happen. Sasuke never loved that woman, and the only reason he went to the brothel all these years...
Ah.
He wondered what the woman's expression would be if she were to hear the truth. But that doesn't entertain him as much as the thought of Karin's expression when she will hear of this marriage.
His lips curled into a childishly cruel smile.
"Pft," He tilts his head, locks of blue-tinted white hair swaying. "Women."
"Wow," He hears a gasp from the Naruto boy. "This robe, it's-"
"It suits you." Sasuke's low voice said.
So they found another good one. Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "C'mon out and show it to the world and me, how about it?"
Naruto walks out the door slowly, looking a bit unsure how to move in the fussy clothing. Sasuke picked up the long piece of cloth dragging behind Naruto so it won't get dirty swept across the floor. He was smiling a little as he did so. Suigetsu was sure that Sasuke is well aware what he is doing is what a lowly servant would do.
The sun hits Naruto, and a sudden shine reflected the golden robe he wore. Suigetsu squinted his eyes a little.
The robe did suit Naruto, in a way that you would never imagine of a boy not descended from royalty. The gold color is the symbol of the king (and mind you, Suigetsu knows that this is one of Sasuke's dress robes which he wears to formal meetings or parties), and suddenly it set off a sudden glow of nobility from Naruto. Careful patterns adorned with real gold thread, elaborate pieces that complete the whole outfit. Even the careless way of he talked and walked now seem to possess a certain grace. Suigetsu can only sigh on how much clothing can make a difference, looked to his own plain dark blue robe, and sighed again.
But he also knew also that it's not everyone who can attain such glimmering effect.
"Well that sets you off nicely." He gives his first compliment of the day.
"It's really amazing!" Naruto was as excited as a child, lifting up his own sleeve and studying the details. "Wow!"
Suigetsu studied how the boy babbled off to Sasuke, thanking him and telling him how pretty the robe was. The blond hair and the azure colored eyes.
Now where has he seen that before...
"Why are you staring like that, Suigetsu?"
"Don't flatter yourself; it's not because of you." Suigetsu sighed, thoughts interrupted. "More like that robe I really want to steal right now."
Naruto glanced at Sasuke quickly and stuck out his tongue to Suigetsu, a brag and a victory.
"Why you little brat-"
He must say though, now Sasuke and Naruto standing together doesn't seem quite out of place anymore. They now seemed much more balanced - two noble boys of the same age, but enough contrast in colors, persons, and character. The perfect scene.
It was almost better than when Sasuke and Sakura walked down that red carpet on their wedding day.
The thought made Suigetsu smirk, and Naruto glared at him, assuming that the smirk was towards him.
"I have a special one that I want you to try on."
Sasuke suddenly said. His quiet smile makes Naruto's pulse beats faster.
"Really?" The blond boy said. "Which one?"
Sasuke walked slowly towards the cart and picked up the smallest box. It was plain box and seemed light.
"Try this one on," Sasuke handed over the box to Naruto. "It's a simple robe, so you won't need my help." He smiled as he said this, and Naruto felt a little flustered.
"Alright." Naruto quickly turned and went changing.
Suigetsu watched the boy's back as he disappearedinto the door and whistled.
"Say, I'm starting to see what you saw in this boy." Suigetsu said. "Could almost mistake him for some other country's TaiZi in that outfit."
"It was one of the ones that I debated whether to bring or not." Sasuke sat down next to him. "It looks nice and it fits, but that's not him."
"Not a royalty, you're saying?"
"No, that's not what I mean and you know that." Sasuke slanted his eyes towards Suigetsu. "I'm not so shallow as to judge one's social class."
"True, considering who you married and all..." Suigetsu's voice trailed off as he felt another glare. "Alright, alright. What's the robe you just gave him then? Something that is 'him'?"
No answer was made and silence crept in, other than the noise of shuffling clothing in the room and the cicada's constant songs. Suigetsu yawned, stretching.
It was still the same. Everything was. Sasuke was still the boy he never could quite read, always beautiful but so very distant. Those black eyes always hid things within the dark demeanor and solitude. He has always thought that no one but perhaps Itachi can truly read Sasuke.
The door opened. The two men turned their head around.
Out came Naruto in a simple gauzy robe, the fabric almost as if flowing, playing with the wind. The color of the robe, dyed brightly in azure blue matched the boy's eyes in perfection. Though simple, it was elegant. The design was without extraneous lines, no complex patterns but a patch of white dyes on the bottom that looked like moving clouds. It was such an unadorned thing, but it made Naruto looked dazzling, in the soft but bright way like he was. Free of vanity, stark and clean.
"I really like this robe!" Naruto smiled happily at them. He swayed and spun freely. "It's so comfortable and easy to move in. Not that I don't like the last one, of course." He blushed a little, looking towards Sasuke. "But I don't know.. This one... I just like it more."
Suigetsu looked to Sasuke, who had an expression on his face that he had never dreamed of seeing.
Too gentle to touch, as if had the wind blow it will sweep it away. So tender and raw, so unlike the cold masks he wears each day. Quiet and softened, the innocence of a child, so peaceful and loving.
He watched the man stands up slowly. Even his breathing was faint.
Naruto feels Sasuke's cold hand on his face, the touch of touching something fragile.
"This robe sets off your eyes," Sasuke says. "It is you."
And then Naruto felt, that behind the gentleness in the dark eyes there was something hot, an obsession kindling and crackling. It almost made him afraid; the way Sasuke's gaze burned him. But somehow, with no tangible reason, Naruto thought he could trust Sasuke not to hurt him.
He touched the hand on his face, the coolness seeping to his fingers.
"Yes." He says, voice still bright. "Thank you."
He does wants to know, even if they were never meant to be anything but strangers, what is behind those sad eyes, and how he shall caress it.
Dress up sessions. Ah. Such a filler chapter.
But now for the big announcement: after this update, I will be editing all the previous chapter starting from the prologue. Some chapters may be condensed, no change in storyline, so if you do not want to re-read all those chapters again, it's fine. :DD I'm sorry for the notification e-mails that will be probably going around afterwards.. But please bare with me here, I'll try to make this process fast and painless. Thanks again in advance to Duchessa who will be working hard.. xD
Thank you readers!