I'm not dead yet! Yet. Neither is Naruto. Yet. Or everyone else. Yet. Anyways, I just wanted to apologize for all the Naruto-bashing, but apparently you don't mind. I have a plan to bash someone else soon enough, and you're all going to hate me for it...maybe...

Le Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto, Greek myth figures, or Rome.

A/N: Inocrrect usage of Greek mythological figures

A/N 2: All flames will be used to sacrifice to Jashin

The Value of a Soul

Chapter 15: Death Lingers Where Threat Lies

"Well?" Naruto couldn't help but smile triumphantly at the sky.

"Neji, before I say anything else, why are you confiding in me? You don't trust me." He felt the brunet stiffen beside him. For a few seconds, the emperor was a stiff as a statue, before his shoulders sagged tiredly and he sighed in something close to defeat.

"I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me. Something's wrong with me. How did I become so weak?" he muttered to himself, for the first time, emotion surfacing in his voice. Naruto blinked.

"You aren't weak, Neji," he told the other youth. "Everyone needs someone to confide in every now and then, no matter how strong. My question was why me?" Neji smiled mirthlessly.

"I guess it's because...I'm actually beginning to...trust you..." Naruto could see that it took a lot for the emperor to say that. Naruto's smile widened.

"I'm glad. It feels nice to be able to do something that even a sweet girl like Hinata wasn't able to achieve. And I'm happy that you could finally trust me," Naruto remarked. The blonde sighed in a peaceful manner. Unfortunately, Neji was anything but peaceful.

"What is it about you? Why are you doing this to me? What are you?" the emperor questioned. Naruto bit his tongue a bit too hard.

"What is it that you find so unnerving about me? What am I doing to you? Why must I tell you?" the blonde inquired in turn as an answer. The brunet growled in frustration.

"I don't know what it is about you that makes me like this. You're...you're doing something that I can't exactly put in words. If I can trust you, you will tell me," he answered. Naruto closed his eyes.

"It is not for me to reveal...yet," he responeded, practically feeling the emperor's frustration.

"And what am I to you?" Neji asked, unsure why he had inquired about such a thing. Naruto seemed pleasantly surprised at being asked the question.

"What are you to me...funny that you should ask really, even though I've told you countless times before. Although I guess it could be questioned after..." Naruto paused, and brought a tanned hand to his neck, wincing slightly. Apparently it was not as fully healed as he thought it was. He mentally sighed. He would have to wait fo this one. "Anyways, I've already told you, Neji. You are a friend, and despite what you've done, you're one of ny precious people. One I would happily put my life on the line for," he answered.

"You would...put your life on the line...for me?" Neji had ever said they would do such a thing, not even his soldiers, although he knew they would serve him. But then he recalled that a soldier was truly serving his country, not necessarily his ruler. He knew the rumors, thus forcing his brain to a place where he would ask himself if his soldiers would really do what this blonde claimed.

"Of course, Neji! There's something about you...I would do anything for you. I would let you do anything to me. That's also part of the reason I let you do what you did." Naruto didn't realize the extent of his words until they escaped his lips. His eyes widened in realization as soon as the words hung in the air.

Oh Aglaea! Did I just tell him I love him? Well maybe not in those exact words, but the message was in there.

"But why?" For the first time in his entire existance, Neji sounded unsure of himself. He didn't even begin to mentally berate himself because of it. He was just unsure. All his morals crumbled to dust, as this blonde broke them down and rebuilt his walls, instead of defence, the walls were for protection.

Naruto bit his bottom lip. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, thinking his words through, which he rarely did.

"Why? Because I care about you. Maybe even more than I should. You've become really close to me, and I'm not even sure why. All I know is I really...well...oh nevermind..." he mumbled the last part.

"But..." the brunet was about to voice more of his doubts, but a pair of fingers rested on his lips. His eyes carried surprise, and he didn't even try to hide it. He glanced up at smiling sapphires glancing at him.

"Sh...you should get some more rest. Dawn isn't afar off, and you're now emperor. You need rest. If you don't wake, I'll wake you up, all right?" The brunet felt like arguing, but Naruto shook his head. He knew the blonde was right. He sighed, and lay down.

"Fine." He watched the blonde as the youth watched him. He sighed, and opened his mouth, wondering if he was going to regret his next words, but the things he said before were strange enough. This wouldn't add that much. "I can feel this in my chest...I'm not sure what it is, but I think I'm glad you're back..." he murmured uncertainly. Naruto laughed a bubbly tinkling sound.

"You didn't need to tell me that. Even if you weren't happy about me being back, I'm really thankful I'm back. Frankly, I wouldn't be very happy about dying and leaving you here like this," he said. His hand flew to his mouth. He had spoken without thinking. Again.

"Hm." Neji's eyes moved to the roof. Slowly, he drifted to sleep, aware of two brilliant blue orbs watching him.

Naruto smiled as twin opals finally lidded over, and the emperor's breathing slowed to a leisurely pace. The blonde's hand barely ghosted over the alabaster face, swiftly drawing back as the eyelids of the brunet fluttered. Standing up, he drew the curtains, and stood on watch.

About fifteen minutes later, Naruto's eyes narrowed, the pupils turned to slits, and the irides became red-orange, as he willed his eyes to see better since it was still dark.

He could make out a shady looking figure on the edge of the balcony.

"Who goes there?" he asked. He could hear a snicker from the figure, before a reply.

"I am a messenger. Unfortunately, my master does not want a direct assassination, so I am just here to deliver this to our dear emperor," the voice answered. Naruto stiffened and growled when he heard the 'assassination' part. He barely dodged as a knife flew at his head, and lodged itself in one of the brunet's bedposts. He glanced from the weapon to the messenger, and ran at him.

Before he could reach the mysterious figure, said figure jumped off the balcony. In the light of the setting moon, the blonde caught a flash of ash-grey hair. He gasped.

Staring around with his vulpine eyes, he scanned the grounds, but it seemed as if the messenger had escaped. Eyes narrowing, he strolled quickly back to the bed, and pulled the knife out of the post. He could see that around the hilt was a scroll.

Quickly deciding, he swept aside the curtains.

"Neji! Nei wake up!" he whispered loudly. Eyelashes fluttered as twin pearls revealed themselves to the blonde. They widened, and he slowly slid away from the blonde. Naruto realized that his eyes were still in night-vision mode. Blinking thrice, he looked at the emperor, his eyes now a deep indigo.

"What was that?" Neji asked, referring of course to the youth's eyes. Naruto shook his head.

"That's nothing to worry about!" he whispered. "Some sort of messenger sent you a note. He said that his master...just read it!" he said, shoving the scroll into the porcelain-skinned ruler's hands.

Neji glanced down at the seal on it, and bit the inside of his cheek until it bled. No...it couldn't be! In the darkness, he could barely make it out, but he could see it.

"I need light," he muttered. Naruto nodded and disappeared. A few minutes later, he reappered, a lamp in his hands. Nodding, Neji carefully broke the wax, and unrolled the scroll.

Dear Emperor Neji,

I hope my messenger, Kabuto, listened to me and did not kill you while you slept, as that would ruin all my planning. I had a lot of fun preparing, and I must say I was quite surprised to discover how long the late Emperor Hiashi held out against my poison. I'm pleased to say that about eight tenths of Rome, and Persia, are allying with me, and we would love to have a pleasant little war with you, the odds, of course, giving me the empire, and redering you dead. I would love to kill you myself of course, but I promised to let one of my subordinates kill you instead. I'm sure Sasuke will be quite thorough.

The best of wishes to you,

Lord Orochimaru, Underruler of the Southern parts of Rome

Slender fingers cleched together, and the tearing of paper was heard, as Neji's breathing sped up, until he was almost hyperventillating.

"That traitor! I'm taking his head! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him," the brunet snarled. "And I'm going to take his 'subordinate's' head too!" Naruto blinked at the sudden show of hatred.

"Who are they?" he asked. Neji scowled.

"Orochimaru, as he said here, is the lord of Southern Rome. Kabuto is is pet, doing whatever he wants him to. I suspect that Kabuto was the one who forced the cupbearer into poisoning my father. And Sasuke...Sasuke that treacherous bastard! He's supposed to be our double agent."

"Double agent?" Naruto's mind flew back to his time in the prison cell. Kiba had been speaking to Lee about a double agent. Could that be this Sasuke person? He bit his lip.

"But why would this...Orochimaru start a war now?" Neji felt something warm brushing his fingertips, and looked down to see blood.

"That's what I want to know. We can't waste time. I'm sending for the council," he said. Naruto nodded, and took the scroll as the emperor got dressed.

He seemed so different now. Not only did he speak more, his voice had lost it's hostility, and at some times, even showed emotion. Naruto smiled. He had come a long wa from when he was nothing but an emotionless bastard. Or that's how the blonde put it at least.

"Now we have to get a hold on the council. They live-" Naruto cut him off before he could continue.

"I have an easier solution," he informed. "How many are in the council?"

"Six, plus me," was the reply.

"Then write six letters, and allow me to take care of the rest."

Without pausing to question, the brunet walked over to a table on the west side of his room, and began to write with a quill pen, on empty sheets of parchement that lay, awaiting to be written on. Naruto placed the lamp beside him, so he could see.

After he finished six copies, he rolled them up, and Naruto presented him with hot wax. In his hurry, the prince did not notice that the blonde held them in his bare hands.

Sealing the letters, he pressed the signet ring of the emperor onto the wax, signing the message. Naruto smiled, then walked over to the prince's aviary.

Silently, he had a mental chat with his friends, before opening the cage. Six of the emperor's rainbow lorikeets fluttered out and rested on his shoulders and arms. He smiled, and shut the door of the aviary, before walking back to the brunet.

"These are our messengers. They will deliver the letters to your council," Naruto informed.

"I've never trained them to do such things," Neji stated. Naruto nodded.

"I know, but I also know they know what they're doing. Trust me."

The six brightly coloured birds fluttered down, and each took a scroll in his or her talons.

"I had to make sure they were exotic so that your council would know the scrolls were for sure from you." He nodded to the bords, and pointed out the balcony.

Flitting past the two youths, the six birds headed off into the dark city to deliver the scrolls to the council.

"Just trust me. They'll be back."

Six vibrant coloured lorikeets flew into the room and circled around the blonde bafore lighting on his shoulders and arms. He smiled.

"See? Now all we have to do is wait," he said, before walking over to the aviary, and allowing the winged creatures to fly in, before shutting it. "Should we wait here?" he asked. Neji shook his head.

"Let's wait in the throne room."

Walking out of his room, Neji eyed the sleeping guards.

"I thought they get daytime breaks?" he mused to himself, strolling out into the corridor. The tanned youth followed behind him as he made his way to the throne room.

Okay...short, but I would be revealing too much had I put more.

-Jeya-