Yo. First of all, I'd like to dedicate this story to Tigrezz-chan, who has pretty much been the only one faithfully reviewing (and reviewing in general) this story. :D Thx Tigrezz-chan! Anyways, to your theory on the last chapter, you could be right, but you could be wrong. It depends on how you look at it. What is to happen has already been determined, but it's not yet been clarified so... I guess we all have to see. But I know for sure where I'm going with this.

A/N: Naruto, Greek Deities, and Rome don't belong to me. The plot however, does.

A/N 2: Incorrect usage of Greek/Roman mythological figures

A/N 3: All flames will be used to sacrifice to Jashin. Thank you

The Value of a Soul

Chapter 8: Unprecedented Protection

"Tenten's awfully cheerful, is she not?" Naruto commented, as Kiba finished breakfast. He grinned.

"She may be friendly, but don't let it fool you. The maiden is lethal with any sort of long range weapon. Didn't you notice? She doesn't go anwhere unarmed. Her hair was fixed with throwing needles. And the cases on her belt have knives and daggers and whatnot. She also has weapons secreted on her person. Like underneath the decoupage on her sandals."

"Wow. I would've never have thought it," Naruto replied. Kiba nodded.

"Which also makes her an ideal protector for the princess as well as assistant," he explained. Naruto's lips curved upward.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

There was comfortable silence for a few moments, each in the prison lost in their own thoughts.

Naruto silently sighed. What was it about the prince that always made him hold back? After all, he could easily reduce the prince to whatever he wanted. He could force him to change, and it would be far easier. But he simply chose to ease into the cold crevices of the brunet's heart.

He had never felt like doing such a thing with anyone else, even when he had been assigned to such missions before. Of course, he had always succeeded, but somehow, this was different. He smiled at the irony of the situation. He, Naruto son of Aphrodite, for Zeus's sake! Was choosing the hardest path to reach someone. What was so different about the brunet anyways?

Well, he didn't believe in them. That was a start. He hadn't yet been stuck in that situatin until now. Then, he was more sadistic than anyone Naruto had yet to encounter. Medusa was nothing on him, which was pretty bad, once you looked at it.

Of course, he still had emotions, albeit, the ones that were revealed were hostile. Naruto found himself wanting to take those broken shards and piece them together, then restore it to a new figure. He had never felt this way wth anyone else yet.

"Naruto."

But then again, the prince hated him. He didn't even know why! The brunet even admitted he'd wanted to kill him. What was it in him that caused the brunet to loath him so?

"Naruto."

Kiba shook the blonde's shoulder until he snapped out of his thoughts. Naruto's eyes scanned around, and fell on the subject of his thoughts.

"Oh...sorry about that," he apologized. The prince didn't reply. "What do you need of me?" he asked. It had occurred to him, that whenever he spoke with the brunet, he would become almost formally polite, whilst he was perfectly casual with everyone else, the princess included.

"Your training," Neji answered tonelessly. Ah. Lee unlocked the gate, and the blonde stepped through.

As they walked, Naruto noticed that the royal was unusually subdued, which was pretty bad, since he was subdued almost all the time.

"Neji," he began. If he had heard the blonde, the prince gave no sign of it. "What's going on?" Still no reply. "Please tell me," the blonde pleaded. Wait what? Pleading for thing as trivial as this? What was wrong with him?

Neji bit his tongue to keep from replying. How did this concern the blonde again? Oh wait. It didn't. Therefore, he didn't have to answer.

Thankfully, before the youth could pester him any furthur, they were standing in front of the coliseum. Neji stopped walking.

Naruto shot him a glance with an unfamiliar expression on it, before continuing into the monument. The brunet ignored it, and headed back for the palace.

Naruto stole one last glance at him, before turning to his fellow gladiators. He saw them huddled in a group, even Gaara, talking in hushed voices.

"Guys?" The redhead looked up.

"Ah, Naruto."

"What were you talking about?" he asked. Itachi stood up, and stared thoughtfully at the blonde.

"Deidara was able to sneak into a council, and discovered some very interesting information," he replied carefully.

"Oh? And what, may I ask, was it?" Deidara flipped his hair, which had been resting on his abdomen, to his back.

"Apparently, there's a plot against the emperor and his children, yeah. They aren't sure who's behind it exactly, but they heard about it from...eyes, yeah," the long-haired blonde explained.

"That's what it was," Naruto murmured. His eye took on a faraway look, as he absentmindedly jumped up to one of the windows in the coliseum, and ran to the palace.

"What was that about?" Kisame wondered, watching him go.

Naruto jumped onto the edge of Neji's balcony, and was about to intrude on the prince, but the sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks.

The prince was kneeling on one of his mats, seemingly unaware of the blonde's presence.

In those slender alabaster fingers, rested a silver flute-like object, that the brunet skillfully played. From all that he had heard, he had not expected the prince to indulge in music.

Opalescent eyes remained closed, as fingers flew skillfully over the holes in the object. The tune emitting from the instrument was one of such solitary melancholy, that Naruto wondered what was in the prince's mind.

Said prince's upper body swayed to the music with the grace of a swan. His face, which Naruto could only see half of, was set into a sort of peacefully sad expression. Or at least that's what the blonde could see, when he carefully examined him.

Neji was fully aware of the blonde watching him from his balcony, although his eyes were shut. He could determine the aura of the strange youth. Unfortunately, no matter how much he screamed at himself to set the flute down and demand to know what the blonde wanted, his body was enraptured by the melody, even moving to it.

Finally, as the last few notes of the tune drifted off into the mid-morning air, Neji set the instrument in his lap, and opened his eyes.

"Why have you come?" he asked, his voice faraway and sombre. Naruto walked over and knelt down across from the prince.

"That was beautiful, Neji," Naruto complimented. Twin pearls lidded over.

"That means nothing to me," he responded tonelessly.

"Neji, why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Eyes still closed, the brunet raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't I tell you what?"

"What was going on. Someone is plotting against you and your family. Why didn't you tell me?" The prince's opals stared into sapphire orbs.

"It does not concern you," he answered. Naruto sighed, and averted his eyes from Neji's.

"I know that," he replied quietly. "But I care, Neji. Is it really so bad to care about you?" he asked. Neji blinked slowly.

"You care about me. What is this? No one should care." Naruto looked back at him, and Neji was surprised to see pain branded into them.

"Neji, everyone should be cared about. Even if they don't deserve it. Is it really so bad?" The brunet's eyes dropped to his hands.

"Yes," he replied softly. Naruto's enhanced hearing caught the single word as it floated off and disappeared.

"Why?" the blonde asked. "Why is it so bad?" Neji turned his head away.

"I will not show such weak emotions to anyone," he replied firmly. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Emotions aren't weak, Neji. There are many who are strong that show many emotions. In fact, they are what makes us strong. If we hide them all the time, it makes us insecure. Weak even."

"Emotions are what turned me into this," the prince replied, so quietly, it was almost inaudible. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but silenced.

"Neji, please tell me," Naruto softly pleaded. "I want to help. Neji, I know it's been such a short time, but I care about you. Deeply even. I want to help you." The prince's eyes flashed.

"You are just as weak as the rest! There is no one one can rely on but oneself," the brunet stated. Naruto sighed.

"You never knew what I was, Neji. But I can see into you. I refuse to do it though, because I want you to tell me," Naruto quietly informed. The prince inhaled sharply.

"And how do I know you are not lying to me? What are your intentions?" Naruto sighed.

"You want me to look into you?" he asked. Neji ran his tongue over his teeth.

"I want you to prove to me. You have never addressed me by my title. You have never acknowledged me as a superior. You have never respected me for my position. I want to see why. If you are as powerful as you claim to be..."

Naruto rested a tanned hand on a porcelain one. The prince's hand was cold. Almost like a corpse. But there was a pulse. He looked at their hands.

"I never addressed you by your title, because your actions do not earn you that title. I have never acknowledged you as a superior, because you are not. I don't respect you for your position. I respect people for who they are, not what rank they hold," Naruto whispered.

Normally, Neji would have gotten angry at the blonde, and hurt him in some way, but this time, there was something in his voice. Something that made Neji want to know. Know every single thing about the blonde, whose hand currently rested on his.

"What are you?" he asked. The hand departed from it's spot, and returned to the blonde's knee.

"I am not at the liberty to tell for more than my own sake," he answered.

"You want to know about me, yet I know nothing about you," the brunet reasoned.

"What do you want to know about me, other than who I am?" Naruto asked. Neji glanced out the balcony, and his eyes glazed over.

"What is it that makes me so angry when I see you? What is it that makes me want to see you? Why is it that I want to see blood drip from your body until you lay limp? Why is it that I want to see whoever hurts you meet the same fate? What is it that..." He trailed off in frustration. Naruto blinked. Then he blinked again. Then he blinked three more times.

"Neji..." he whispered.

The brunet inwardly groaned. What have I done?

"Just go," the brunet said. "Leave." Unlike all the other times, his voice held no threatening undertone, and he left no hints that he would injure the blonde across from him. Naruto bowed his head in assent.

"I will. But Neji..." Naruto smiled softly as he cupped the brunet's cheek in his hand.
Neji stiffened, but didn't object. Internally, the prince was screaming at his body to get away then and there, but he didn't seem to have a lot of control over his body these days. Naruto's face drew closer. Neji's breath hitched apprehensively, albeit his eyes were as bland as ever.

"I want to protect you. And I will protect you. Even if it costs me my life."

"Prepare yourself, my loyal servants. Tonight we shall strike," a voice hissed, followed by a foreboding chuckle that held sadistic amusement in it.

"I understand," another voice clipped, as if wanting to make it's reply as short as possible verbally.

"And I've got what you want as well," a third voice joined. "Now what should we do? Quick? Slow? Agonizing? Painless? I've got all the different types."

"Ah yes...only the best for our royal family. I think this time, we'll go with the most potent one. The one irreversible once taken. The one that lets you feel every bit of agony while all stand helpless, unable to do anything," the first voice declared.

"And I get the prince," the second voice reminded.

"Patience, my dear helper. We shall take this in stages until all remains of the Hyuuga dynasty are forever erased. You will get the prince to yourself in due time. That is all I will say for now."

"Ah. Your creativity never ceases to amaze me, my Lord," the third voice praised.

"I know, I know. But then again, who would I be if my ideas weren't creative?"

There was a small clue in there as to who those three are. If you can guess, well...Uh... I don't know. But hopefully this chapter was okay. I personally thought it was unsatisfactory, but it was the best I could do with Itachi's theme stuck in my head.

-Jeya-