Naruto imagined himself on the sandy beach. With his feet digging into the muddied water, Dirt ingrained into his toenails. Wind brushing past him, water sprinkling onto his face. He couldn't swim, so he merely stood by the shore with his ankles swimming in water. It smelt heavily of salt and waste. Here he stood, in the middle of fish waste and dead animals. The water was too murky to see anything, but any who weren't aware of what was in the ocean were living a dream.
Konoha had no ocean. It was only greenery, trees and grass. Lakes. Nothing like the magnificence of ocean waves. He peeled his eyes open, rocking back and forth on the rocking chair Mikoto brought in the day before.
"We need you to behave yourself." She had said, "I understand your mother's dead, and you need time to adjust to the change. But you must behave."
Nausea had been crawling through his stomach enough for people to notice. He picked at his food, smelling something rich and fancy rather than poor and basic, never eating enough to be healthy because he wanted to go home with his mom and eating that food felt like a betrayal to her. Mikoto feared he was contagious, despite to doctor saying otherwise, and she locked him in his room.
He could see how someone thought it was nice here. Three meals a day, a beautiful garden, and his own personal servant. Besides minor paperwork and wedding plans and rehearsals, Naruto didn't need to do anything. Meals were made for him, and dishes were always clean. Everything was done before he even got the chance to do it himself.
Other's may enjoy being pampered. But Naruto lived a life of independence. He always found his own meals, walked hours a day for a casket of fresh water. He found his own entertainment through water and trees and rocks. Coming here had cost him everything. The trees weren't built for climbing, and the lakes never washed him ashore as the ocean did. Wind was dry and crispy. The people were more volatile, often scowling when he spoke his opinion.
The guards outside his door were adamant about keeping him locked in. Last night, Naruto tried to leave, his excuse being fresh air. But they'd expressed their concerns for his "contagious disease." And how he can just "use the balcony." Apparently, a false fear of heights wasn't reason enough for a walk in the gardens.
Naruto huffed. A doctor diagnosed him as not contagious and with nothing to fear. Everyone was just overreacting. So, he was a bit nauseous. Big deal. Everyone got nauseous sometimes. He folded his arms across his chest. They had no reason to keep him locked up in here.
Naruto tapped his foot against the floor, closing his eyes again. A servant knocked at his door. She waited a few seconds, then walked in, key in hand. She was a small girl, tiny, even, barely high enough to reach his chest.
"Lady Mikoto wishes you well and wants to see you. If you're not feeling up to it, you may remain here."
Nausea forgotten, Naruto's head perked up. He'd been locked in for a week now, and this was the first time he was given free reign through the palace. With the door wide open and the servant awaiting his response, Naruto stood. This was the perfect chance to leave. Not the palace, but the room.
The guards would pummel him.
Giving the risk a chance, he jumped out of his rocking chair. Bending his legs so his calves straightened and stretching just enough for his limbs to wake up again. A week in this room gave him more than enough energy, and he needed to spend it.
Rushing out of the room and abandoning the servant girl, Naruto ran past the guards, ignoring their indignant screams. The servant could inform them that Mikoto granted him permission to leave.
Being trapped in a room for a week was by far more restful than he had liked.
Naruto slowed to a steady walk. He'd wandered into the gardens. Smiling, he dropped down. Plants had always been a hobby of his. Watering them, replacing soil, caressing petals. No one took better care of plants than him.
"What're you doing in my garden?"
Though the gardener might say otherwise. Naruto got into a fight with him the day they'd locked him up. At first, Naruto thought they locked him up for getting into a fight, then they clarified that someone noticed his loss of appetite and how he clutched his stomach. They didn't believe it was just nausea, and he was imprisoned into the confines of his room.
"Just loitering. A lot of your plants are dying. Need any help?" Naruto said. The gardener was a buff man. With tan lines along his face and a shovel carried constantly. At first, Naruto thought he was here to destroy the gardens. That was how the fight broke out. It then escalated into a fight for who gets to care for the plants.
"Aren't you supposed to be locked in a tower or something? I really enjoyed you not being here."
"It's a prison, not a tower. And Lady Mikoto released me. Do you know where she is?"
"Not here."
Naruto nodded. The gardener was happy to see Naruto out, and he was brought back into the palace. The excitement left him instantly. He used to be a free man. Now he was an object made only to stand and be pretty.
The family was gathered in the throne room. Naruto didn't recognize most of them, but Fugaku and Mikoto both sat on their thrones. Sasuke and his brother were on either side of their parents. A few other's—all of which looked near identical—loitered around the room. Wine glasses were shared and pastries were served. It seemed Naruto made it in time for dessert. A shame. He loved all kinds of meats, and the lingering smell suggested the familiar meal of lamb.
"Ah, Naruto. We'd begun to think you weren't going to show."
I shouldn't have.
The past week gave him time to think, especially since he was left alone for the majority of that time. They told him guards will be watching until he proves himself trustworthy. So, that's what he'd do. Acting submissive shouldn't be too hard. Keeping the act through humiliation however, may prove to be a struggle. But if he wanted any way to get out, then he needed to get those guards off duty.
"I got lost. Can you inform your relatives that locking me in a room proves inefficient when containing whatever it is you think I have? Honestly, I was at more risk of boredom caused death than I was of illness."
He had doubts about the reason, but they continued to assure him it was because he was sick. So, either there was another reason, or they were paranoid folk. He chose to believe they were paranoid. It made the other reason for keeping him imprisoned easier to deal with.
"Inefficient? I found Sasuke quite more relaxing with you gone. You should head back to your room."
Naruto grabbed an offered glass of wine, sipping none before heading away from whomever that man was. Another argument would only bring him trouble. It happened with the gardener, and it would be worse if he fought a relative of his fiancé's.
Most of the tables were filled, but Naruto found an empty one and set his wine down. He folded his arms over the table, resting his head and wishing for something to do.
Parties were supposed to be filled with ale and dancing and singing. Drunken men and woman laughing too hard. Going home red faced and happy because the party they just went to was one of the best. This party, however, was more political than anything else. Mikoto and Fugaku were regal and silent on their thrones. Sasuke and his brother standing proud beside him. Noblemen spoke with hushed tones and whispered rumors of other nobles.
Naruto sighed. One day, he'd teach them what a real party was.
Being the perfect son, Sasuke sat beside Naruto. Regal. Perfect. Sophisticated. Naruto resisted drinking his glass of wine. Sasuke seemed to have downed his, and was just waiting to hand the empty glass to a passing servant.
"You're not still sick, are you?" Sasuke said.
"I wasn't sick in the first place. The plants however… well, you should talk to the gardener."
They knew nothing about each other, and yet were to be married in just a few short weeks. Sasuke was an ass, Naruto already knew that. But surely there was a pinch of sugar in that black heart of his.
"You're acting calm today. Has your isolation lifted your mood?"
Naruto clawed his nails into the table. Was it possible that someone can be black-hearted even to the core? Was there any warmth in this person? Or was Naruto marrying a man with no compassion?
"My mood is none of your business."
Naruto could broach the topic of a cancelled wedding to Fugaku and Mikoto. But they'd thwarted his mom's attempts for the cancellation. It made no sense. What made him so important that Sasuke couldn't marry someone else? Why was he, Naruto Uzumaki, born into poverty and prince of nothing, forced to marry into a noble family? Surely there was someone else more suited for the role of Sasuke Uchiha's husband.
A servant girl sauntered up to them, chin held high and wine bottle in hand. She tilted the bottle and poured Sasuke some more wine. Her feet inched closer to him as she finished, and she made no move to leave. Instead, she knelt low and pressed her face to his ear, ready to whisper something.
Sasuke held up a hand, keeping her at a distance. She took a few steps back, smiling at both of them and said. "Is this your fiancé, my Lord? The servants are talking all kinds of things about him."
Sasuke waved her off, a dismissal. Her eyes melted into disappointment, and she shuffled away.
"Let's get out of here." Sasuke said, standing up. Naruto remained seated. He wasn't going anywhere with a man without a soul. Not without knowing where they were going. And even if he did know, he'd like a guard to be with them, just in case Sasuke's black heart decided it wanted nothing more to do with Naruto.
"Well?" He said, waiting for Naruto, expecting him to blindly follow.
"Where?" Naruto asked.
And why?
"Away from this place."
Naruto's eyes lit. Leave the palace, or the party? Either way, he'd be gone from the political discussions and flabby wine. Normally he'd never even consider it. But as much as he hated exile to his room, he hated exile with every Uchiha in the palace more.
What if your mom was wrong? A voice whispered. Naruto swallowed, holding his hand in the other. Sasuke was offering to take him away, possibly from the palace altogether. If he tried that on his own, the guards would topple him and drag him back. But with Sasuke, he could leave without fear of death by guards.
"You want to leave the palace, right?"
Slipping away from Sasuke in town, no guards watching because no one knew they'd be gone. It'd be so easy to just abandon Sasuke to leave for a forest. He could finally be free from this family. He'd be hunted down, but he'd be free.
As free as a hunted man can be.
Accepting that his life belonged to someone else was hell-fire on earth. He'd be caught running the moment someone realized he was gone, yet he'd be trapped in a marriage if he stayed. Hunted down or married. Two bad choices. Neither one a risk he wanted to take.
With permission, any place in the world was his. The beach, the forest, the town, even his home. He could go anywhere with Sasuke's permission. This was one such situation. If Naruto left the palace alone, he'd be dragged back. But if he left with Sasuke, he'd be let loose.
"Fine." He said, "but don't expect me to be happy about it."