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

"talking"

'thinking'

WARNING! The flashback at the end of this chapter will contain violence, torture, non-con. If you are uncomfortable reading that kind of stuff please skip it. If you want a summary as to what happened, feel free to message me.

Chapter 7: Hyacinths

He couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for a while, Naruto finally got up. He chose not to wake Ino up and slipped out of his room. Only a few guards and servants were awake, but none of them cared to stop Naruto. He easily made it outside the mansion. It was a bit cold, but he didn't want to go back for a coat, so his shawl would have to be enough. He made his way through the main garden until he came to a large fountain. Sitting down on the ledge, Naruto admired the reflection of the moon on the water. It was very tranquil, making him have no desire to leave. The only noise was the water trickling down and the sound of crickets. Naruto swore he heard an owl, but he didn't see any of those majestic birds. He let himself relax, enjoying the smell from the flowers surrounding him.

A crunch and the sound of a pebble skating across another was Naruto's only warning before a voice broke through the ambience. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?" Naruto turned to see Sasuke coming to a stop several feet away. He wore a large jacket over his pajamas. Sasuke frowned, looking Naruto up and down. "What are you wearing?"

Naruto looked down and blushed. He was wearing a lacy tank top that bearing hid his chest and crop shorts that showed off his legs. His shawl was big enough that he was able to wrap it around himself a little. But to make his appearance seem worse, he only had slippers on. It made it obvious that he hadn't planned to go out. "I couldn't sleep," was all Naruto managed to say.

Sasuke sighed before taking the last few steps until he was within arm's distance of Naruto. He slipped his jacket off his shoulders before quickly swinging it around Naruto's. He pulled it closed around the omega. Naruto gave him a confused look. "It's cold outside. I have you getting sick." Naruto simply nodded. "Tch. You should just go back inside. I can't believe your maid allowed you to go out like this."

"I didn't wake her up," Naruto said, defending Ino. "I doubt she knows I'm gone."

"You need better servants," Sasuke said.

"I'll have three Ladies in Waiting soon," Naruto said.

"Not soon enough," Sasuke said. "So? Did you sneak out of the mansion? I'll have to tell Kizashi that he needs better security."

"A-actually, I walked out the front door," Naruto said.

"What?" Sasuke asked, his anger growing.

"The guards… they um…" Naruto looked down, fiddling with his fingers. "They didn't stop me."

Sasuke frowned. How could the guards let Naruto leave the castle unescorted? Sure, he had done the same thing, but he had snuck out! As a future member of royalty, Naruto was required to be guarded at all times, especially since the blond didn't know how to use a sword. Sasuke's hand slid to where his own sword was. Naruto noticed the movement and flinched. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't question him. Instead, he held out a hand. "Let's get you back inside."

"I'm fine," Naruto said. "I'd like to admire the stars for a bit longer."

"Fine," Sasuke said. He sat down next to Naruto. "But we aren't staying here long."

Naruto's eyes stayed on Sasuke for a few seconds before he nodded and looked away. "Alright." Sasuke followed Naruto's gaze and saw him looking at the sky. It was a beautiful and clear night, so they were able to make out all of the stars. Naruto unknowingly began to point out which ones were which and Sasuke pretended not to know anything. Astronomy had been something Sasuke had been forced to learn since it can help us measure time. And if Sasuke somehow found himself lost, he could use it to find his way home. Naruto on the other hand was a big fan of both astrology and astronomy. He loved trying to find his zodiac constellation. "Ah!" Sasuke instantly turned to see what was wrong, but Naruto was still looking up. The blond pointed. "I found Leo!" He smiled at Sasuke. "Leo is a lion. It symbolizes bravery, nobility, and valor. That's your zodiac constellation."

"Mine?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," Naruto nodded. "Since your birthday is July 23rd, you are a Leo."

Sasuke didn't know why, but he was a bit surprised that Naruto knew his birthday. "And you?"

"I'm a Libra. I haven't seen mine yet. It may not be visible right now."

"And what does a Libra represent?"

"Balance. It is the only constellation named after an inanimate object." Naruto paused before adding: "weighing scales." Sasuke simply nodded as Naruto fell silent. Both continued to look at the stars until a weight fell onto Sasuke's shoulder. He looked over to see that Naruto had fallen asleep.

Sasuke sighed before carefully pulling Naruto into his arms. He didn't want to wake the boy up as it was obvious that he hadn't been sleeping much. The bags under his eyes made that clear. Sasuke carried Naruto back to the mansion. The guards looked at the couple in confusion and Sasuke simply glared at them as he made his way towards their bedrooms. When he reached the beginning of the corridor, he hesitated for a few seconds before making up his mind. He entered his room by softly kicking it open. He then lowered Naruto to his bed. Sasuke stared at the blond before removing his jacket and Naruto's shawl as he didn't want him to hurt himself with them. He then got in besides Naruto before pulling the blankets over them. Naruto easily curled up into the warmth of Sasuke's bed. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at his cuteness before he got comfortable on his side. He continued to stare at Naruto until his eyes closed, sleep finally taking him.

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A scream caused both Naruto and Sasuke to sit up quickly, with Sasuke grabbing his sword. His eyes fell on Sakura and he glared at her. "What are you doing in here?"

That question seemed to snap Sakura out of her shock as anger took over. "What am I doing here? The real question is what are you two doing?" She clenched her fists as her eyes went to Naruto. Sasuke followed her gaze. Naruto looked down at himself before letting out an "eep" and pulling the blanket to cover himself. It only seemed to instigate Sakura. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"We didn't do anything," Sasuke said. "And even if we did, it is none of your business."

"None of my business?" Sakura's voice got even louder. "I'm to be your wife and here I find you in bed with that Omega!"

"So what?" Sasuke crossed his arms, glaring at Sakura. "Naruto's going to be my concubine. Of course that means that we'll sleep together."

"I'm your Queen!" Sakura yelled. "He's just a…"

"What is going on?" a voice asked. Itachi appeared in the doorway. "What's with all the yell-ing?" He looked at Sasuke and Naruto only to suddenly grin. "I see."

"Nothing happened," Sasuke said. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at Itachi, but the older man didn't flinch. "Wipe that smirk off your face."

"Now little brother, you don't have to lie," Itachi said. "Naruto is your Omega. It only makes sense that you two are going to…" He trailed off when four more people appeared.

"What is all of this noise?" Fugaku asked. Mikoto was at his side while Kizashi and Mebuki were behind them.

"Queen Mikoto!" Sakura yelled. She pointed at Naruto, whom the parents couldn't yet see. "He's given up his purity before marriage!" Mikoto stepped away from Fugaku and peeked into the room. Sasuke growled and threw another blanket around Naruto.

"For the last time, we haven't done anything!" Sasuke yelled. "We were only talking and Naruto fell asleep so I let him sleep here." He turned towards his mother. "Did you think I should leave Naruto to sleep on the ground?"

"Not at all," Mikoto said. "But you should have brought Naruto back to his room. You two aren't married yet, so you can't share a bed."

"Why should that matter?" Sasuke argued. "We are both of age and we are going to get married anyway."

"Because people will question his purity," Mikoto said. Naruto shivered at that.

"Then we just need to prove that he's still pure," Sasuke said. He pulled Naruto out of the bed and handed him off to Mikoto. "Have a doctor inspect his body if you have to."

Mikoto looked at Sasuke with a horrified expression on her face. "You'd dare to put Naruto through that?" She instantly hugged Naruto to herself. "Don't worry Honey. If you tell me that nothing happened, I'll believe you."

"N-nothing happened," Naruto said in a small voice.

"Well I don't believe him," Sakura said, putting her hands on her hips. "For all we know, they are lying."

"Then we'll inspect the sheets," Mikoto said. She turned and motioned for a few of the maids that gathered to come forward. They huddled around the two while Mikoto took away the blankets that were wrapped around Naruto. She then covered Naruto with her own shawl. Mikoto looked up and saw Ino walking towards them. "Ino, escort Naruto back to his room." Ino nodded. She grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him away from the others. Naruto gave a quick glance back over his shoulder before he reached his room. Once they were in his room, Ino turned towards Naruto.

"Are you alright?" Ino asked.

"Yes," Naruto said.

"What happened?" Ino asked.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I went out for a walk," Naruto explained. "We met and talked. I must have fallen asleep. I only woke up when Sakura screamed."

"And your body? Does it hurt or feel strange anywhere?" Naruto shook his head. Ino let out a sigh of relief. "Then let's get you cleaned up and changed." She handed a robe to Naruto, exchanging it for Mikoto's shawl. Ino grabbed a few things before escorting him to the bathing chambers. She made sure to lock the door before Naruto stripped and got into the water. She helped wash him before dressing him, inspecting his body for any marks but finding none. Once that was done, they returned to Naruto's room where Ino did Naruto's hair. Soon, they found themselves in the dining room. Sasuke sat next to Itachi while Sakura sat across from him with an angry pout on her face. Fugaku and Kizashi stopped their discussion to welcome them. Naruto took the empty seat next to Mikoto. Mebuki clapped her hands and the servants brought out some food. Fugaku and Kizashi resumed their conversation with Itachi and Sasuke occasionally joining in. Naruto remained silent as he tried to pretend that Sakura wasn't glaring at him and Sasuke wasn't giving him a few side glances. When breakfast was over, Naruto excused himself. He returned to his room and laid down on his bed. Ino could only watch as he curled into a ball. She opened her mouth before closing it. Shaking her head, Ino left, giving Naruto his space.

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Naruto was trying to figure out what was going on when he heard a yell. He made his way towards where the sound came from only to see a maid on the floor with Sasuke standing over her. The maid was bleeding from a head wound. She was crying and she had a terrified look on face. Several other servants stood around, but none of them moved, out of fear. Naruto stepped forward. "Are you alright?" The maid didn't answer, her body shaking as she just continued to stare at Sasuke. Naruto frowned. He motioned to another servant who managed to push past his fear and get the maid away from them. Once Naruto was sure the maid was safe, he turned to face an angry Sasuke. Naruto gulped before he straightened up. His instincts were telling him to run, but he ignored them. Instead, he stepped into Sasuke's space and pushed him back into his room. Sasuke began to yell at Naruto, while Naruto carefully locked the door behind him. He made sure to block the exit so that Sasuke couldn't leave and hurt anyone else. Sasuke finally stopped yelling when his voice cracked. Naruto took a deep breath. "Are you done?"

"Get out of the way," Sasuke said.

"No," Naruto said. "I can't let you leave like this."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "First you kill my child and now you're acting as if you're the King?"

"I had nothing to do with Sakura's loss," Naruto said. "And what I'm doing is trying to help you."

"Then give them back!" Sasuke yelled. He grabbed Naruto's collar. "Give me back my parents, my brother, and my child!"

"If I could, I would," Naruto said. "But no one can raise the dead."

"You…" Sasuke growled.

"I'm sorry that you lost your child, but you shouldn't take it out on the servants," Naruto said.

"Oh?" Sasuke asked. "Then exactly who should I blame? You?" He smirked. "That's right. It's all your fault." Naruto only managed to say Sasuke's name before he was tossed to the floor. He looked up to see Sasuke with a strange look in his eyes. "Well? How shall I punish you?" Naruto opened his mouth only for Sasuke to slam his foot down on Naruto's chest. The blond coughed. "I don't think I gave you permission to speak." Sasuke added more pressure to his foot. Naruto struggled to get up, but it was fruitless. Sasuke let out a creepy laugh as he lifted up his foot a little before bringing it back down. Naruto cried out in pain before once more trying to get away from Sasuke. The raven bent down and grabbed Naruto's hair. He moved his foot and yanked Naruto up to his knees. He then leaned down, their faces getting very close to each other. "This is going to be fun." Sasuke dragged Naruto over to his bed. He forced his torso down on the bed while still keeping Naruto in a kneeling position. The movement caused Naruto to get a little dizzy. Sasuke took the moment to loop part of his ruined canopy sheets over his canopy. Naruto regained himself in time for Sasuke to grab one of his wrists.

"No!" Naruto yelled, trying to break free of Sasuke's grip. But Sasuke was a lot stronger than him. He yanked Naruto's arm and he yelped as he felt it pop. Tears began to fill his eyes from the pain. Sasuke ignored him and tied his wrist to one end of the canopy sheet. He did the same to Naruto's other wrist, this time without dislocating a shoulder. Sasuke stepped back to admire his work while Naruto let out a sob. "P-please. S-stop." Sasuke ignored him and walked over to his fireplace. It had been lit only an hour ago, but the flames were already dying down. He grabbed a poker and started to tend to the fire. Naruto watched him over his shoulder, unaware of what Sasuke was planning.

Sasuke left the fire and walked back towards Naruto, holding the fire poker like a torch. Blue eyes widened before Naruto closed them. He knew that begging and struggling wouldn't make Sasuke stop. He bit his lip and allowed his tears to fall. Naruto held back his screams as Sasuke pressed the fire poker against his back. Luckily, the heat didn't last long enough for Sasuke to leave more than a couple burn marks. Naruto heard Sasuke drop the fire poker in frustration. He started to pace the room and Naruto tried to get ready for whatever Sasuke was going to do next. His body began to shake as the smell finally hit his nose. He gagged and coughed. It just made Sasuke more angry. There was a clatter before the sound of something being swung through the air before it slapped against skin. Naruto nearly bit his tongue as Sasuke's belt whipped against his back repeatedly. The pain from the torture mixed as Naruto felt his body growing colder. Naruto remembered Sasuke switching hands before the rest was blank.

The next thing Naruto remembered was waking up with bandages on his back but no other cloth covering him. There were blankets, towels, and what looked to be Sasuke's dirty clothes surrounding him. He shifted only to feel a strange ache coming from his behind. He barely felt it since it hid under the pain coming from his back. Naruto let out a groan. A few seconds later, Sasuke walked into the room carrying a tray of food. Naruto watched as Sasuke carefully set it down on the bedside table. Sasuke reached a hand out towards Naruto and the blond flinched. Sasuke froze, a frown appearing on his face.

"I'm just checking to see if the fever went down," Sasuke said. Naruto forced himself to stay still as Sasuke placed his hand on his forehead. "Hn." He pulled back. "It looks like it worked. You will need to take some more medicine though. I'm sure your body hurts a bit." He grabbed a small cup and held it out towards Naruto. When he didn't move to take it, Sasuke growled. "It's to help relieve your aches and pains. Since it was your first time, and I was a bit rough, the doctor said you need to take this."

Naruto stared at it for a few seconds before his shaky hands took the cup. He hesitated for a few seconds before gulping down the medicine. It was bitter so he made a face. Sasuke snorted before taking the cup away. Naruto's stomach rumbled and the blond blushed. Sasuke smirked. "I knew you'd be hungry. Can you sit up or do you need help?" Naruto tried to move, but the medicine could only cover up the pain so much. Sasuke saw this and carefully moved Naruto so that he was sitting on a pillow. It was soft enough that it didn't cause any more pain in Naruto's ass. Sasuke grabbed a blanket that hadn't been weaved into the oval around Naruto, and he placed it over Naruto's lap. Naruto's face reddened further as he took full notice of his state of undress. "Here. Eat." Sasuke said. He placed the tray in Naruto's lap and blue eyes took in the creamy looking soup. "If it is too heavy, let me know and I'll call for a maid to get you something else."

"I-it's fine," Naruto said. His voice came out in a rasp. Sasuke handed him a glass of water. He tossed it back and Sasuke poured him another one. Naruto hadn't even noticed that there was a pitcher of iced water on the bedside table. Once Naruto was done eating, Sasuke set the dirty dishes aside. He waited, giving Naruto the time he needed to finally gain the courage to ask his question. "What happened?"

"You went into a Drop," Sasuke said, looking down. He was still mad at himself for losing control like that. "My… 'punishment' was too much for your body and you went still. I somehow came back to my senses and called for the doctor. That's when I found out that you were experiencing a Drop."

A Drop was something Omegas only experienced when they are both hurt and put through a stressful situation. Their bodies shut down, putting them in a coma-like state in which their minds become clouded. Some say that it is like being stuck in a nightmare in which you can't process anything. If a Drop lasts too long, the Omega will die. To get out of one, they need the help of their family, friends, or someone they trust.

Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion. "Then how did I get out of it?" He didn't have any family or friends, nor was there anyone he really trusted.

"I brought you out of it," Sasuke said. "My pheromones were enough to bring you back from the brink of it. But then your body reacted in a different way." He coughed before he looked away, his ears turning red. "You went into heat and that in turn sent me into a rut. The doctor said it was our bodies' instincts telling us to make sure the other is safe and near."

"But you aren't my Alpha," Naruto said. His hand went to his neck and just as he thought, there was no mark there. "I shouldn't have been able to enter my heat outside of my cycle since I'm on suppressants."

"The Drop threw your hormones out of whack. When you were first brought back, you had a fever. I'm guessing your suppressants stopped working and it was because of my pheromones that you went into heat early."

"So we mated?" Sasuke nodded. "Does Sa… Queen Sakura know?"

Sasuke frowned. "What does Sakura have to do with this?"

"She just lost your baby and you take your concubine to bed. People will misunderstand what happened and may look down on you for it. But most of all, it will hurt Queen Sakura, especially if she finds out through a third-party. It would be better to explain the situation." Sasuke stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Sasuke shook his head. "Alright. I'll explain things to Sakura while a maid helps you return to your room." He paused before the door. "It would be best if we just forgot all of this happened." He shut the door behind him, missing the look of hurt flashing across Naruto's face.

Naruto looked down, a sad smile on his face. "Right. I shouldn't expect anything more." A few minutes later, a maid helped Naruto dress before bringing him back to his room. He ignored the looks he received from the guards and maids he passed on his way. Once he was left alone, he carefully got into his bed, mindful of his wounds, before crying himself to sleep. He chastised himself for even thinking that he'd found happiness. And what little shred of happiness Naruto had left suddenly turned to bitterness when a little over a month later, Naruto threw up and nearly passed out in front of a guard.

Hyacinths symbolize playfulness, sport and rashness. It can also represent spring, rebirth and family togetherness. Purple Hyacinths however, are known as a symbol of sadness, sorrow and regret.