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

"talking"

'thinking'


Chapter 8: Antirrhinum

Naruto couldn't look at Sasuke or Sakura during the next few days. He only left his room on the third day after what Sakura calls the incident, due to Mikoto. Mikoto wanted to make sure that Naruto's outfit for the ball fit him correctly. Naruto was dragged out of his room with the help of Ino. He found Sakura, Mebuki, and Mikoto already waiting for him. Sakura glared at Naruto before looking away. Naruto took the empty chair on Mikoto's right side. "How are you feeling Naruto?" Mikoto asked.

"I'm feeling better," Naruto said. He had lied about not feeling good again. A doctor had been called upon to check Naruto out. Luckily, Ino was able to help Naruto fake his "illness" with the use of a heating pad and some warm water. Naruto even made sure to cough a few times while the doctor looked at him. The doctor seemed to be hesitant about giving Naruto medicine, but Ino's prodding forced the man to hand over some herbs. Ino mixed them into Naruto's tea and had him drink it just in case. She didn't want Naruto to actually get sick, especially since he hadn't been eating. Ino helped Sasume pass out the tea while Kurenai, Mikoto's Head Lady-in-Waiting, and Guren, Mebuki's maid, handed out some cookies. Ino made sure everyone saw her add the herbs to Naruto's tea, that way he had an excuse to excuse himself from the room. It didn't take long for several women to walk into the room, some pushing carts of hanging clothes.

The seamstress clapped her hands. "I have brought the ordered dresses, my Queen," Everyone bowed.

"Excellent!" Mikoto said. "I'd like to see Naruto's for the ball first, that way he has time to rest afterwards." Sakura glowered, but didn't say anything.

"Right away," the seamstress said. Naruto rose to his feet and walked with Ino over to a divider. Once behind it, Ino helped him change into the dress the seamstress had grabbed for him. It was a little loose around his chest. He looked towards the seamstress who had a satisfied look on her face. It was clear that she had made it too big there on purpose. Not wanting her to get the last laugh, Naruto proudly stepped out from behind the divider. The look on the seamstress's face instantly dropped. Mikoto's happy expression also vanished.

"Did we give you the wrong measurements?" Mikoto asked. "The bust area is too loose."

"I'm sorry, my Queen," the seamstress said. "We thought it was for a woman so we loosened the bust area just in case there was growth. We can adjust it to fit him better."

"See to it that it gets done quickly," Mikoto ordered. "The ball is tomorrow night after all!"

"Yes your highness," the seamstress said, bowing. She grabbed a couple pins to pin the bust area to fit Naruto correctly. Naruto didn't say anything about the pin pricking him a few times as she worked. He could have made a scene, but he didn't want to give into her childish behavior. She stepped back and Mikoto gave a nod of approval as it looked a lot better now.

"And what of the shawl?" Mikoto asked.

"We wanted your opinion on that," the seamstress said. She motioned to a few younger women. They each held a box. "At first, I thought black." The seamstress opened the box closest to her and pulled out a black shawl with orange trims. "But that may be too much black as it's not like he is going to a funeral." She dropped it back into the box. "Then came orange." She pulled out an orange shawl from the second box. " But that may be too bright. "So then I thought maybe red or white to match the bow." She pulled out a white shawl next followed by a red one. "There isn't much red on the bow, so it would pull out that color more."

"Red is nice," Sakura said.

"Hm… but white is a symbol of purity," Mikoto said. "I think the white one would be better." The seamstress handed the white shawl to Ino who draped it over Naruto's shoulders. Naruto smiled at her in thanks. Mikoto gave another nod. Then Naruto dropped the shawl down a little and placed his hands together. "Yes, white is perfect."

"You don't want to see the red one?" the seamstress asked.

"No," Mikoto shook her head. "I'd like to see the next outfit."

"Next one?" Naruto asked. He didn't realize that he needed another dress. "What for?"

Mikoto smiled. "Your wedding of course!" Naruto's eyes widened, but he didn't get the chance to say anything as Ino pulled him back behind the divider. He was more hesitant about putting on this dress than the one he'd actually worn on his wedding day. That one had been an off white dress suitable for an omega. Since their wedding had been quick, Sasuke hadn't seen the need for an extravagant dress. But this was different. Mikoto had gone out of her way to pick out a dress for Naruto. He closed his eyes as Ino and one the seamstress's helpers put the dress on Naruto. He didn't move nor did he open his eyes when they were done.

"Naruto?" Ino asked. "Are you ok? Should we change you back so you can leave?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it is already on. I don't want to disappoint Queen Mikoto." This time, he let Ino escort him out. There was a gasp and Naruto finally opened his eyes. A mirror was positioned beside him and he turned towards it. His eyes widened once more as he took in the beautiful dress. "This is…"

"It was Kushina's," Mikoto said. "She wore it on the day she married Minato. I had it fixed up and resized. It looks like the measurements were accurate this time." No one missed the way she said that.

"It's beautiful," Naruto barely managed to say. He was flabbergasted. He had only seen the photo of his parents once before his aunt and uncle took it away from him. They didn't want him to dwell on what could have been. He was thankful towards them for adopting him since they could have left him on the streets. When his parents died, everything they owned went to a cousin of Minato's. The old man kicked Naruto out since he didn't want anything to do with the omega. If only they had left a will then Naruto would have taken over Minato's position as Count when he was old enough. His aunt found and took Naruto in, raising him to be the person he was today. Naruto knew it was mostly due to the amount of money given to them when he was sold to the Uchihas as Sasuke's future concubine. It could have been worse as he could have been sold into slavery.

"Can I really wear this?" Naruto asked after a couple of minutes passed.

"Of course," Mikoto said. "Kushina would have wanted you to have it."

"How did you find it?" Naruto asked.

Mikoto glowered. "Count Danzo sold it. I happened upon it one day and gladly bought it." Naruto nodded.

"It is a beautiful dress," Mebuki said. There was something in her eyes that Naruto didn't really like, but he chose to push that thought to the back of his brain. He admired the dress for a little bit longer before he went and changed back into his original clothes. The seamstress was very careful with the wedding dress. Naruto could tell that she was afraid of upsetting the queen.

Naruto returned to his seat. It was Sakura's turn to try on her dress for the ball. It turned out to be exactly as Naruto remembered it. The Harunos had gone out of their way to find a dress that was very expensive. Naruto couldn't blame them as they wanted Sakura to look good as the future queen. And it really did look good on her. It was a lovely light blue gown with pink flowers sewn into it. As it was sleeveless, she wore white gloves. Everyone agreed that a regular white shawl would also suit her. Naruto found that a bit odd since when Sakura had worn that dress before, she wore a white fur shawl with it. That made him wonder what made her pick the fur shawl over the silk one. He knew things would change after he saved Mikoto, Fugaku, and Itachi, but something as small as a shawl? 'No, it doesn't matter. It is just a piece of cloth.'

Sakura also changed into her wedding dress. Nothing was different about it. It was still a gorgeous white dress with a few layers, each making it more extravagant than the other. She even put on her veil. People would have to be blind not to call her beautiful. Naruto remembered how happy she was when she married Sasuke. If she hadn't already been one, people would say that she looked like a princess. She lifted the dress up a little and did a twirl. The seamstress clapped in approval. She was clearly proud of that dress. Not wanting it to get dirty, Mebuki coaxed Sakura back behind the divider. When she emerged, she wore a red evening dress.

"This one is for the first tea party after the wedding," Sakura said. "Since red is one of the Uchiha family colors, I thought it best to wear this one there."

Sakura's first tea party as the future queen, it was a party that Naruto hadn't been invited to. He had watched it from his room for a little bit before returning to his studies. His studies, Naruto wondered if he should start them again. He had done it to help Sakura, but she never called upon him so Naruto never got to show her what he had learned. He had only ever used his knowledge once when a famine hit a few smaller towns. Shikamaru, one of Sasuke's aides, had taken his advice to Sasuke and a plan to stop the famine was soon implemented. However, Naruto never received credit for his part. Shikamaru didn't seem the type to take all of the credit for himself, so Naruto didn't understand why Sasuke didn't at least acknowledge him for his efforts. A need for Naruto's advice never arose again so Naruto never spoke to Shikamaru again.

Mebuki went next. She had a tan dress with long puffed out sleeves. It was still glamorous in its own way, though a little on the plain side for a duchess. It was clear that she wanted her daughter to stand out even besides her. Mikoto's dress on the other hand suited her perfectly. It was a mix of purple and red. It was sleeveless. Her maid held out a familiar white fur shawl and Naruto placed the pieces together. With Mikoto gone, Sakura wore the fur shawl, but now that Mikoto was alive, Sakura wouldn't be able to wear it. Naruto found that change interesting. And it made him wonder what else has changed.

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As promised, Itachi escorted Naruto to the charity ball. It was strange since before, Sasuke had a knight escort him. He let himself feel happy as Itachi was the perfect gentleman. They danced a few times before Naruto excused himself to rest for a bit. On his way back to the ball, his name was called. He froze.

"Ah, so you did hear me," the male voice said. It was familiar to Naruto and he had to force himself to remain calm as he turned to face Danzo. The man was wearing a black kimono with the Namikaze crest above his heart. He hated that this man was flaunting his status. "Where is your escort?"

"Prince Itachi is in the ballroom," Naruto said.

"An unmarried Omega shouldn't be without an escort," Danzo said. He grabbed Naruto's wrist. "I'll bring you back."

Naruto tried to pull free, but Danzo's grip was surprisingly strong. "Let go of me."

Danzo glared at him. "You should be grateful that I was the one who found you and not some unbred fool." He tugged Naruto forward. "As an Omega, your only duty is to give an Alpha an heir. You wouldn't want that to be ruined." He began to pull Naruto towards the ballroom. But Naruto wasn't about to give into this man's demands.

"I said to let go of me," Naruto said, tugging his most likely sprained wrist free of Danzo's grasp. He held it close to his chest, ignoring the throbbing pain. "If you wish to talk about how things work, then you should know that as an Alpha of Nobility that you can't just…"

"Who are you to order me around brat?" Danzo growled. "You're just a lucky Omega to have been born in a noble family. If it wasn't for the contract, you'd have been sold." He lowered his voice. "I suppose it's not too late to do so." He reached out his hand to grab Naruto again, only to stop when he heard someone.

"What is going on here?" Danzo turned slightly to see Sasuke.

Danzo's entire stature immediately changed. "Your Highness Prince Sasuke…" He bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Danzo Shimura-Namikaze, Duke of the Namikaze Duchy."

"I don't care who you are," Sasuke said. "I want to know what you are doing here."

Danzo kept up his fake smile. "I was just talking to my darling nephew. We of the Namikaze Duchy are very proud of him."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He could tell that wasn't the truth, but he didn't want to cause a scene. Instead, he held out a hand. "Naruto, shall we return to the ball? It is our time to dance."

"Right," Naruto said. He placed his good hand into Sasuke's hand and allowed the man to walk him back towards the ballroom. Sasuke led him into a dance.

"What really happened?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Naruto said.

"If it's really nothing, then why does your wrist look like that?" Sasuke asked. Naruto glanced at the bruises forming on his wrist.

"We just had a disagreement," Naruto said. "It's nothing to worry about." Sasuke didn't really believe him, but he wasn't going to press him about it. After their dance, Sakura pulled Sasuke away for another dance. Naruto used this to slip away towards a corner. He watched everyone dance until Itachi found him.

"Is everything ok, Naruto?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah," Naruto said.

"Then why is your wrist so red?" Itachi asked.

Naruto covered his wrist with his other hand. He glanced up at Itachi. Upon seeing the look on his face, Naruto sighed. "I ran into Danzo."

Itachi nodded. He knew what the man did and wished there was something he could have done to help Naruto. He knew that his mother fought against it, but Fugaku said that Danzo had seized the Duke of Namikaze title legally. The law was mostly on Danzo's side since Naruto was an underage Omega. Itachi wanted to better the rights Omegas had. However, it was really hard to do when almost all of the members of the Council were old Alphas that believed Omega were meant to be obedient bed warmers and breeders. They were full of pride and set in their old ways of thinking. Itachi hopes that when Sasuke becomes king, things will change. "You must be tired. Shall I escort you to your room?"

"That would be…" Naruto began.

"Oh Naruto!" Mikoto said. "There you are! I was wondering why I didn't see you on the dance floor." She had an arm around Fugaku's. A look of concern appeared on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

Mikoto opened her mouth to say something only to get interrupted. "King Fugaku, Queen Mikoto," Danzo said. They turned towards him. "Ah and Prince Itachi too." He bowed. "It is great to see you again." His eyes went to Naruto. "My dear nephew, you look a bit pale. Are you alright?" Naruto shivered. Itachi caught it and gently took Naruto's unbruised hand into his, giving it a light squeeze. Naruto turned towards him and Itachi gave an encouraging smile. Danzo saw the exchange and frowned before quickly masking it with a fake smile. "If you aren't feeling good, shall I fetch a doctor?"

"There's no need," Itachi said. "I was about to escort him to his bedchambers."

"I'm a bit saddened," Danzo said. "I wanted to introduce you to someone." When neither Naruto or Itachi moved, Danzo smirked. He waved someone over. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as Sai came to a stop at Danzo's side. "This is Sai. I adopted him. He's my heir."

Sai smiled. He leaned forward, snatching Naruto's free hand and bringing it to his lips. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He kissed Naruto's hand. Itachi growled. Sai just continued to smile as he let go of Naruto's hand. He then bowed. "Good evening, Your Highnesses. I pray that you've been well."

"We are doing just fine, thank you for asking," Itachi said. He turned to his parents. "Mother, Father, if you will excuse us, I'll bring Naruto to his room to rest."

"That's a shame," Sai said. "I was hoping we could get to know each other, as I'd like to become friends. We are now family after all." Naruto was a little taken aback at this. Itachi growled again.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked. He had sensed the anger radiating off of Itachi.

Itachi pushed Naruto towards Sasuke. "Escort your fiancé back to his room to rest." It was clearly an order. Alphas didn't normally like being ordered around, but Sasuke seemed to have caught onto the situation.

"Let's go," Sasuke said. He wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist. He turned towards Sakura. "I'll be back later." He maneuvered Naruto around the onlookers. Naruto remained quiet the entire way to his room. Ino had a concerned look on her face as she began to check him over. Sasuke excused her, telling her to leave them alone. She was hesitant, but she did as Sasuke said. Sasuke sat down beside Naruto and pulled his head against his shoulder. "Are you feeling a little better now?"

"Yeah," Naruto said.

"What was that about anyway?" Sasuke asked. "I've never seen Itachi so mad before."

"Danzo introduced me to his adopted son," Naruto said. Sasuke simply nodded. "Prince Itachi knows how I feel about Danzo."

"He can't hurt you," Sasuke said. Naruto glanced up at him. "As my future concubine, you have the protection of the royal guards. No harm can come to you." Naruto didn't say anything. He wondered why he felt comfortable with Sasuke despite everything. Why did he shake so much more around Danzo compared to Sasuke? Was it because Sasuke was different from before? Naruto closed his eyes, the soothing pheromones leaking from Sasuke putting him to sleep. Sasuke noticed this and smiled. He lifted Naruto up and laid him carefully on his bed. He brushed a few strands of hair to the side before he leaned down and kissed Naruto's forehead. 'He's beautiful.' Sasuke admired Naruto's serene face for a few more seconds before he forced himself to walk away from him. He met Ino outside and let her know that Naruto had fallen asleep. After telling her to take care of Naruto, Sasuke made his way back to the Ball.


Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) represents grace, benevolence, strength and protection. It can also symbolize indifference, deception and denial.