Constancy

Chapter Seven

-Punishment-

"How dare you!" Gaara screamed, pacing back and forth in front of his throne. "This is unspeakable! Thousands of years of order and tradition and you two spit on it like it's nothing!" he stormed up to Akito and grabbed him by the robe, since both he and Natsumi had been dragged out of his bed. "I told you to watch yourself you arrogant child." He seethed, his glare turning icy. "You are no more fit to lead the riders than an insect can take on a bull." He threw him back, only making him stumble slightly before regaining his balance.

Natsumi almost moved to help him, but Gaara pointed an accusing finger at her. "And you! You know better! I raised you better than this. How selfish do you have to be to destroy all my trust? I let you play your sick game of love, despite how dangerous it was, and this is how you repay me! By stabbing me in the back! Do you know what you have done?! You've thrown everything to chaos and took away the innocence a man and a woman give to one another on their wedding day!"

Sakura stood in front of the two, in her pajamas just as her husband was. Her arms were crossed and she was holding her cheek with one hand, trying to hold in the tears that had gathered in her eyes. "How could you?" she asked them. "The ceremony is just two days away, and you couldn't wait and see who the chosen ones were before being together? You have ruined one another for your future mates."

"Natsumi is the only one I will have as my mate." Akito stated.

"Silence!" Gaara snapped, daring Akito to speak again. "Your ignorance is grinding on what little patience I have left. If you had made up your mind that you would not follow the rules, how dare you even come back."

"Father!" Natsumi gasped.

"No!" the redhead glared at his youngest daughter, having to fight his urge of leniency. "You have done something that is unforgivable. Just because you are a princess does not mean you get to break the rules whenever you see fit."

"Nor does the fact that Akito has the alpha mean he is above everybody else in your team." The queen said, her gaze hardening. "I don't care how hard things were for the two of you, you suck it up and bear through it. Everyone goes through hard times, but they don't ruin things for everyone else just because they aren't happy with what fate has in store for them."

Natsumi huffed. "Aren't you supposed to fight for the things you love."

Sakura looked to her daughter. "That was not fighting for your love." She said. "What you two did was going behind everyone's back and trying to make sure you got what you want without thinking or caring about the consequences, or how it would affect the rest of us. It was completely selfish and irresponsible. You have shamed us, Natsumi. You have shamed yourselves, and your families."

Natsumi's hand formed to a fist and something dark flickered in her eyes before it vanished. "So what would you have had me do mom?" the princess replied darkly, glancing over to her father. "Sit and wait and just watch as Akito got married to someone else. Is it not unfair that I or he be married to someone we would never love?!"

"If they are your chosen mate then you come to love them no matter what!" the pink haired woman shouted, becoming frustrated. "There was a time when Neji was so sure he and I would be married, but that obviously didn't happen. And you know what? He's now happily married to Tenten and has a son, and thoughts of wishing we had married left his mind a long time ago. That's just the way it is."

"Well how do you know things aren't different now! There are three girls. Not. Just. One. And you knew that dad was yours like I know Akito is mine." She snapped.

"But I didn't go and sleep with him out of wedlock like some two bit tramp!" Sakura retaliated. "And that is exactly how you are behaving."

Natsumi's eyes widened and she looked hurt. "Sakura." Gaara scolded, glaring at his wife, not needing to say more, since his disapproval of her word choice was obvious.

She glanced at the redhead, before looking back at her daughter. Her glare lessened slightly at the expression on Natsumi's face, something she was sure was similar to the one on her own all those years ago when Gaara had called her something similar. And as those memories began to resurface, she felt guilt well up inside of her.

The princess looked to the side, turning around and leaving the room before another word could be said. And before she could look weak. Akito frowned, watching her leave and then looking back at the king and queen. "So what is to be done?" he asked. "Because if we are through here, I am going to go and find her."

"No you are not." Gaara glared. "You will return to your room and do not disobey me Akito. Because I will sentence you to the North to spend eternity with your psycho grandfather. And then you will never see my daughter again. Do you understand me? Do not test me again."

The young Uchiha glared threateningly at him. "If I truly feared you that greatly, I would not have shared my bed with her this night." He said. "I will go to my chambers, but because I feel it would be better, not because you ordered it so." He turned on his heel and marched from the room then, his black robe swishing around him.

Once they were alone, Sakura let out a sigh as her head fell forward. She held it with her hand, beginning to massage her temples. "How did we let it get to this?" she asked, looking at her husband. "I had hoped their time apart would help lessen their obsession and make things easier when they returned, but it's a thousand times worse." She said.

"Do not worry my love. Everything with fall together in the next few days." He sighed, rubbing his tired face and heading towards the door. "Come on. Let's return to bed."

She moved to catch up to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and smiling slightly when he placed his hand on her hip. She knew her daughter was going through a tough time right now, but she really just needed to have faith. Because things like this always had a way of working themselves out in the end.

Akito lay on the roof of the palace, staring up at the clear, blue sky as Kensei moped next to him, his tail ticking back and forth to show his displeasure. It had been two days since his confrontation with the royals, and two days since he'd seen Natsumi or Tsuin. He didn't know where they were, and it was driving both him and Kensei crazy. He wished she had stayed, so that he could have tried to see her, speak with her…touch her. And the worst part was that Kensei didn't even hold him at fault for what he had done with Tsuin while his master was claiming the princess, because the alpha had wanted equally as badly to lay claim to his female.

But it was his fault. If he had just controlled himself better, then none of this would have happened. They wouldn't have gotten caught, or in trouble, and Natsumi wouldn't have left. 'But you may have never gotten to be with her in such an intimate way. You will forever belong to each other, no matter if you are mated to another human.' His dragon's voice whispered across his mind.

He glanced over at the black dragon. 'You're not helping.' He frowned, returning his gaze to the sky. The sound of footsteps approaching hit his ears then, and he let out an annoyed sigh. After living with her for six years, he would know that walk anywhere. "Taka." He said aloud, that being his only form of acknowledgement.

The brunette continued to make her way over to him, sitting next to him and looking out over the kingdom. "Akito." She replied, glancing down at him. "You shouldn't be so upset over Natsumi's disappearance." She said. "Clearly she's not the right one for you if she just ups and leaves without so much as a goodbye."

"And what would you know about being with the right one?" he scoffed, looking away from her. "You claim that I am the right one for you, and yet I treat you no better than the dirt I walk on."

She leaned over him so that she could see his face. "Well, I wanted you to know that if we are chosen to be together at the ceremony tomorrow that I will look past all of that, and help you to see me as your mate." a small smile came to her face. "So we can still be together forever."

Akito glared at her, sitting up quickly so that they were eyelevel. "I will never want to be with you that way, let alone forever." He seethed. "Just the thought of it makes me want to vomit right over the edge."

'That's a little harsh.' Kensei snickered, stretching before flying off the roof. 'Try not to make her cry this time master. I do not like the effects her upset has on Retsu.' He said as he disappeared.

"Look, I know that I have been a bit…intense, in my feelings for you over the years." Taka said, meeting his dark gaze with her icy one. "But it's only because I'm pretty sure that it is us. I mean, everyone else think so too. Besides, Retsu loves Kensei, and worships the air he flies in. And I know he can tolerate her as well, so I don't see how you adjusting to being mated will be all that bad. Besides, Natsumi doesn't know you anymore. She used to, but I'm the one who knows the man you have become." She reached out and placed her hand over his heart, in turn picking up his hand and setting it over her left breast to feel her heartbeat. "The man that I have always loved."

He glanced down at where his hand was, before returning his gaze to her blushing face, his own appearing dead. He would admit that Taka was pretty, beautiful, in fact. Her looks and body would attract almost any man, and on occasion she was nice to be around. But she wasn't what he wanted, what he needed. It didn't matter how hard she tried, he would never care for her like that. If they were mated, he would still bed Natsumi, and Natsumi only. He would do whatever it took to be with her, even if he had to kill Taka to get her out of the way. And he could do it too.

"You are worth nothing to me." Akito said, removing his hand from her chest. He stood then, not even feeling the smallest amount of guilt at the water he could see gathering in her vulnerable eyes. "You make me feel nothing, your body, makes me feel nothing. If we are chosen to be together tomorrow, I will make sure it is a day you never forget. Because it's going to be the worst day of your miserable life." He turned on his heel and began to walk off, not even flinching when the sound of her muffled sobs reached his ears as he exited the roof.

When he was inside the palace once more, he made his way to one of the balconies that was visited less frequently by others, since he wanted to be alone. Reaching it, he sat on the ledge, leaning against the walls of the castle and looking out over the landscape, his mood darkening the longer he thought about Natsumi's disappearance.

"What are you doing?" Someone asked beside him, actually making him jump. The fact that someone had been quiet enough to sneak up on him meant one thing. It was someone far more depressing than he. Akito glanced back and saw the stoic face that reawakened the hurt of his missing love. Satomi's intense jade gaze bore into him, and it almost felt like something was crawling around in his brain. "Do you get pleasure from making a poor woman cry?"

"If there were any poor women around here, I doubt I would be the cause of their tears." The Uchiha said dully, keeping his face carefully blank as he pushed aside and stomped on the guilt that tried to well up inside of him. He would not feel bad for giving Taka what she deserved, what she had asked for, and had been asking for since the day she showed up at the palace.

Satomi sighed, brushing some of her pink bangs from her face. Her hair was down and cascaded around her in waves. "One who cannot find fault within himself has no right to point out fault in others. You know the tale…do not point out the spec of sand in thy brother's eye and ignore the plank in your own." She watched him once more, the odd sensation coming back to his head. "Something is wrong with you…" the princess frowned. "Something off…" she stopped then, because what she felt was darkness, and it actually frightened her. "What has happened to you Akito?"

He looked off. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine."

"Are you?" she arched a curious brow. "I don't know why you are so clouded with anger and hatred. You will get what you want in the end, whether it is fate or you grasp it yourself." She sighed, studying him for a bit. She took a hesitant step forward, lifting her hand. "Would you allow me to try something?" Satomi asked a bit sheepishly.

The dark haired man glanced back, studying her position before facing her. "I suppose…" he frowned, watching her hand. The closer it got, the louder something screamed inside him not to let her touch him. But this was Satomi, she would never harm him. In fact, he couldn't even imagine the act, though that knowledge did nothing to stop the impulse. Just before she could touch his forehead they both heard someone yell.

"Satomi!" and suddenly Kyo slid to a stop in the balcony doorway. "There you are! What are you doing out here…" he paused and looked at Akito, noting their proximity. "Uh…am I interrupting something?" the blonde asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"No." Satomi said a bit too quickly.

"I was just leaving." Akito said before standing. "I'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow." He walked back inside, turning in the direction of his chambers.

Kyo frowned, watching him leave before looking back at the pink haired princess. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing." She said simply. "I was just trying something."

He moved towards her, taking a seat across from her on the railing. "Well…" he glanced down, before meeting her gaze. "I figured that since the ceremony is tomorrow and all…and I know there's a chance I won't get to keep you to myself anymore…I was wondering if you would join me for a picnic?" he smiled. "We could watch the sun leave the horizon. Futa helped me find the perfect spot for it."

"Alright. So long as the food is good." she sighed, already heading off to the hall. "Well come on. The sun doesn't wait for stragglers."

Kyo perked up and was after her immediately. He wrapped his arm around her waist when he reached her, holding her to him in a way that was friendlier than a caretaker ever got with their dragon riders. The two turned the corner then, off to enjoy a peaceful dinner and forget about what tomorrow may bring. For nobody was looking forward to it anymore.