I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any money off of this.

"talking"

'thinking'


Chapter 2: Leucojum

Sakura's parents welcomed them to their home. They were escorted into the dinning room for dinner. Naruto was forced to sit next to Itachi since Sakura and her mother claimed the seats next to Sasuke. Naruto didn't really mind though. He stayed silent throughout the dinner, not really caring how Sakura's parents were bragging about their daughter. They were trying to paint the girl in a good light. They also started to discuss the wedding. Itachi made his displeasure known by excusing himself from the after dinner tea. He offered Naruto his hand and the blond took it with a sense of relief. He didn't want to sit here and listen to how wonderful Sasuke and Sakura's wedding was going to be. Ino and Itachi's servant Shino went with the two of them to Itachi's room. Naruto looked around the room before sitting down. As far as he could remember, he had never been in this room before. "I've been wanting to talk to you for awhile, Naruto," Itachi said. He pulled out the bobby pin, placing it on the table between them. "May I ask why a bobby pin was found where you'd been sitting?"

Naruto licked his lips. "I wanted an excuse to stop the carriage."

"If you wanted a break, you could have just asked," Itachi said. "But something tells me that there is more to it."

"I can't explain it," Naruto said. He eyed Ino and Shino. Itachi raised a hand and motioned for Ino and Shino to leave. Ino looked like she was about to argue, but Shino put hand on her shoulder and shook his head. The two quietly left, but Naruto knew that they'd be just outside the door. He got up and sat down next to Itachi. He took a deep breath. "I've been having these strange dreams. In one of them, I saw a carriage fall over a cliff. When I saw the cliff from the window, I got scared."

Itachi nodded. "I understand. You had a precognitive dream. The gods must have blessed you with it since it saved our lives." Naruto nodded. He suddenly began to play with his hands. "Is there something else you wanted to tell me?"

"It is about Lady Sakura, or rather the Harunos," Naruto said with obvious hesitation.

"Does it have to do with their carriage and the damage that was found on it?" Itachi asked. Naruto's eyes widened. "I have to wonder how the driver missed that. Had it not been seen when it did, the carriage wouldn't have made it here. The carriage would most likely have fallen down the cliff. The Harunos gifted that carriage to us. I can understand your concern as it makes it seem that the Harunos wanted us to die. Had the carriage fallen off the cliff, it would have killed us, leaving only Sasuke and Lady Sakura alive." He stood up. "It would have been seen as an accident unless the damaged pin was found. It is unlikely though since people would assume it had broken in the fall." He began to walk around the room. "This is not good. The Harunos were supposed to be an ally to better the Uchiha Kingdom. If word gets out about their carriage being broken, other nobles will try to bring about their downfall. No. That's not something we should be worried about. If the Harunos really want us dead, they'll try again. But I have to wonder why they'd want us dead. Sasuke is going to marry Lady Sakura and make her his Queen. Why would they risk that by having us killed?" Itachi looked over at Naruto. "Unless they planned on putting the blame on someone else." Itachi suddenly grabbed Naruto's arm. "I need time to think."

"Prince Itachi?" Naruto asked as Itachi began dragging him towards the door.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Itachi said. He spun Naruto around so that he was in front of him. "I'll look into things. I won't let anyone hurt you, or my family." He let go of Naruto's arm and brushed his hand against Naruto's cheek. "If you have any more dreams, let me know." He pushed Naruto towards the door. "Oh, and just Itachi is fine. We'll be family soon after all." He smiled as he opened the door.

Naruto stepped out of the room, letting the door close behind himself. He was a bit confused about Itachi's attitude, but he knew he could trust the older prince. Naruto turned and met up with Ino. Shino bowed before returning to Itachi's room. Ino began to lead Naruto to his room, only for Naruto's arm to be grabbed once more. Blue eyes met black as Sasuke pushed Naruto against a wall.

"P-prince Sasuke?" Ino asked, bowing slightly.

"You're excused," Sasuke ordered. "I'll escort Naruto to his room after we're done." Ino hesitated before choosing to obey her Crown Prince. When she reached Naruto's room, she looked back, but neither of them had moved. She then stepped into Naruto's room, praying that nothing bad would happen between them.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, ignoring the throbbing of his arm. Honestly, people really needed to stop suddenly grabbing him.

Sasuke's grip tightened and Naruto let out a soft cry of pain. Hearing it, Sasuke released Narutp's arm, but he didn't step away from him. Instead, he trapped Naruto against the wall by placing a hand against it, above Naruto's head. "Why were you in Itachi's room alone?"

"We were just talking," Naruto said, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"You think I'd believe that?" Sasuke asked, stepping even more into Naruto's space, his body only a couple of inches away from touching Naruto's. "He may not be the future King, but he's still a Prince." Sasuke paused before smirking. "Or did you want to see how good he is? He may be only a Beta, but he is an Uchiha."

A loud SMACK echoed in Naruto's ears as his breathing suddenly sped up, a look of anger on his face. He gasped as he lowered his hand away from Sasuke's cheek. A mix of emotions flashed through his eyes before he decided to focus on one of them. He pushed the surprised raven back a couple of feet before clenching his fists. "How could you say that?!" His eyes began to water. "I'm an Omega, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm promiscuous!"

"Tch!" Sasuke glared at him, the stunned look on his face disappearing. "You dare to slap the Crown Prince?" He raised his voice.

"You dared to question my purity!" Naruto got into Sasuke's face before he sidestepped Sasuke and began to head towards his room. He turned on his feet and threw a glare of his own at Sasuke. "I'm a virgin you idiot!" He ignored Sasuke's growl and ran for his room. Once he was inside, he quickly brought down the latch. He then let himself fall into Ino's concerned arms. He cried as she tried to calm him down. The consoling worked as Naruto fell asleep.

Ino carefully got him onto the bed. She brought a wet cloth to his face to clean it. She then stripped him of his dirty clothes, before putting on his nightgown. Once that was done, Ino laid him down for hopefully a peaceful night of sleep. She sighed. 'He needs to put on some weight. He's too light.' She ran a hand through his hair. 'Please lean on me more, my dear friend.'

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Sasuke slammed the door to his room shut before he dropped down on his bed. He let out a displeased rumble. 'How dare that Omega slap me and call me an idiot! I'm the Crown Prince!' He punched a pillow. 'He's the idiot! Anyone would wonder why he was alone with Itachi! It doesn't matter that Itachi is only a Beta! He's still an Uchiha Prince! Anyone would still want to sleep with him, given the chance.' His mind went to Sakura. 'Well, not everyone. She clearly only wants me. Though if Itachi was the Crown Prince instead… Dammit!' He sat up. A picture of a tearful Naruto popped into his head. 'I was a bit harsh. Questioning an Omega's purity, especially a noble's, is like accusing them of a crime. Shit! I owe him an apology.' He sighed. 'But why doesn't he show any desire for me? He's supposed to be my concubine. Sure the wedding has been put off until after I marry Sakura, but that doesn't matter. He's been mine since we were six.' His eyes widened. 'Is he mad that we haven't married yet? He'll be eighteen in a few months. That's when we'll wed. Is he jealous of Sakura? But why? Even if she becomes Queen, Naruto will still be one of the most powerful people in the Uchiha Kingdom. Only the King and Queen will be of higher rank. That means Sakura will have more power than Naruto. Is he afraid that she will shun him? It would be better if they got along.' He got up and began to pace around the room. 'I'll have to make sure they become friends.' He nodded. 'At the upcoming Ball, I'll make sure they talk.' He called for a servant who helped him change. Once he was in more comfortable clothing, Sasuke laid down, a smirk appearing on his face. 'I'll also make sure Naruto knows his position.' With several different plans forming in his mind, Sasuke drifted off to sleep.

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"I can't believe it," a noble woman said. "I mean just because his parents knew the King and Queen he'll get to marry Crown Prince Sasuke? He's just a Baronet. Who cares that he's an Omega? I bet he'd sleep with anyone if it meant he'd get to live in comfort."

"I heard that he slept with Prince Itachi the night before he passed," another woman said.

"I heard it was a couple of knights," a third woman said. "Supposedly he took on not just two knights either. I heard he shared himself with a whole squad!"

"That's just gross," the first woman said. "How can he even think about standing besides Crown Prince Sasuke with his impurity?"

"I know right?" the third woman said. "He's lucky to even be alive. If I found out my bride-to-be was sleeping around, I'd have him executed or at the least banished."

"He has no right to be here," a fourth woman pipped in. "I hope Princess Sakura will make Crown Prince Sasuke come to his senses. Protecting a pact between his late parents and the Omega's is foolish. It is a stain on the royal lineage."

"I'm sure things will change once he officially becomes King," the second woman said with confidence. "Trash like him deserves whatever punishment he gets." The other women nodded in agreement.

Naruto held back his tears as he hid behind a curtain. He was sure that others had heard the ladies' conversation, but none of them would stand up for him. He was only a Baronet and it was clear that people thought little of him. The things they said were all false though. He'd never even held the hand of any man outside of his family, the King, or Sasuke. Itachi had once escorted Naruto by offering his hand, but Naruto hadn't taken it. Ino was the one he leaned on. Even his bodyguards stayed several feet away from him. The only people who've seen Naruto naked were his parents, their midwife, who also happened to be his wet nurse, and Ino. His parents were dead and his wet nurse had long retired after Naruto turned three. Ino became his servant when he turned six. She had been sent by Queen Mikoto as an engagement gift. Before that, Kushina had been the one to help Naruto bathe and dress. To call Naruto impure… it hurts. He had kept himself pure despite everything in order to not disappoint his future husband. Even when Sasuke refused to look at him, Naruto didn't give up the hope that maybe Sasuke would one day turn his affections towards the blond.

Naruto waited a few more minutes before he stepped out from behind the curtain. No one seemed to notice that he was there. He left the hall quietly, not even letting Sasuke know he was leaving. He made it to his room where he found Ino waiting for him. Seeing the condition Naruto was in, Ino sat him down. She gave him the comfort he needed before helping him wipe down his body. It helped him relax. Ino then dressed him in a nightgown. She didn't leave his side until he fell asleep.

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Naruto smiled in his sleep. Ino was more than just a servant. She was a true friend. He suddenly frowned. That's probably why her betrayal hurt so much.


Leucojum symbolizes purity and hope.