Chapter 1:

Soragoto Kaibutsu stroked his stubbly chin thoughtfully as he observed the trussed up prisoner from the safety of his observation room. Through the strategically placed cameras, he could watch the boy from all angles as he slept in that uncomfortable position, denied the basic human right of freedom. Although Kaibutsu was aware that many people would consider this treatment barbaric, he could not bring himself to share the sentiment. The boy was attractive, and Kaibutsu had a fetish for bondage and pale, untouched skin. He licked his lips slowly, remembering the cavity check he had performed himself on the brunet, relishing his tiny winces as he probed the tight, clenching heat while the brunet remained limp due to the lingering effects of the drug. He smirked. He always made certain that he got to examine the beautiful ones, as one of the perks of his seniority.

What a lovely sight the pale brunet made. He was bare but for the translucent slip of cloth he wore that resembled a hospital gown, his body streched out with his arms above his head. His feet were similarly bound, although they were touching the floor to reduce the stress on his shoulders and wrists. The chains and straps criss-crossed over his chest and also between his legs and over his thighs and calves, pinning him fimly in place even as he dozed fitfully, his head lolling limply to the side.

Kaibutsu longed to touch him, to tear off that cloth gag and force the proud brunet into submission. For a moment, he considered disregarding the rules and doing just that, going as far as to rise out of his seat. But then he remembered. His life was hanging in the balance here. Kaibutsu had been expressly warned- the price of the boy's virginity was his life.

Not only would his employer personally run him through for reducing the value of the stock significantly, but to force himself on the boy would require going into his tiny padded cell and unlocking the restraints on his legs and groin at the very least. It would be suicide to do such a thing, as the boy was a seasoned fighter and would not have any qualms about proving this to Kaibutsu.

Besides, the client would be here soon to inspect the goods, and it would be very bad for business if word got out that the merchandise here were actually second-hand.

With a glower, Kaibutsu settled himself further down in his chair, feeling it protest under his weight. His fingers itched incessantly as he quelled the urge to surrender to the urges that had been plaguing him since he had first laid his eyes on the fiesty brunet.

Glancing at his expensive watch, he let out a sigh. The client was due to arrive in less than a minute, although he expected the wealthy ambassador to be late as he usually was.

The young aristocrat had purchased goods from this slave dealers before. Afterall, they were the best at what they did, and those who could afford it always came to them.

So far, the ambassador had only purchased slaves for use as servants at his home in Konoha. Never once had he bought one to warm his bed for him, despite the impressive examples the dealers showed to him. He hadn't seemed at all interested. Kaibutsu was astounded that the aristocrat could go for so long without gratification, considering the fact that he left his ex-wife last year and still hadn't found another woman to pleasure him.

Kaibutsu took a sip of tepid coffee, slowly mulling this over in his mind. He couldn't fathom how the ambassador could possibly be so indifferent to the beautiful women he had presented. His eyes had raked over their bodies on occasion, but that was all. He normally chose a capable, level-headed young thing to serve as a maid.

Kaibutsu narrowed his eyes as realisation dawned on him. Perhaps therein lay the problem. Perhaps this ambassador had grown weary of women's wiles and had set his sights on a companion of the male variety. That would certainly explain his bored visage as Kaibutsu hopefully brought out barely clad ex-dancers and the once wealthy daughters of the nobles of the neighbouring Rain country, which the Fire country was currently at war with.

The chair creaked, protesting under Kaibutsu's weight as he leaned forward to look at the video feed showing the tightly-bound brunet. Maybe...maybe he should just leave the monitor screens on when the ambassador came in, just to see if the aristocrat showed any outward signs of interest. If so, then Kaibutsu would casually weave the slave into the current conversation in a subtle bid to get the young man to buy the attractive brunet. It would earn the slave dealer a lot of money, and, hopefully, Kaibutsu would receive a promotion and a payrise for his efforts.

He nodded to himself with satisfaction. If the ambassador still didn't seem interested, then it was a safe bet that he had decided to forgo intimacy for celibacy. In that case, the only think Kaibutsu could do was to keep selling those worker slaves to him and hope that he could find a wealthy dignitary to purchase the brunet.

Of course, it was highly unlikely that the ambassador was abstaining from sexual contact. Who did that nowadays, anyway? It was almost unheard of.

But Kaibutsu had to consider all the angles. Just in case.

Reaching towards the intercom, he pressed a red button, which patched him through to reception.

"Is he here yet?" he asked in the hoarse voice of a smoker.

"Yes, I've just sent him up," the receptionist replied in a clipped tone.

"Right," Kaibutsu grunted, and ended the call.

Barely five seconds later, the door swung open and in slouched a tall, lean man who was dressed casually. His black hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail, and his eyes, while maintaining an appearance of boredom, managed to remain penetrating and intelligent.

"Nara-Sama," Kaibutsu mumbled with an awkward little bow.

"Sorogoto," the young man greeted disinterestedly.

"I take it that you've come to view the latest stock, Nara-Sama," Kaibutsu continued, too used to the ambassador's mannerisms to be bothered by the young man's impolite behaviour. Nara-Sama was a major source of income for the company, so he didn't really care as long as the ambassador continued to bring his custom to the slave dealers.

"Yeah," Nara-Sama replied, "How much is he?"

Without preamble, the aristocrat pointed at the monitor directly above Kaibutsu's head. Kaibutsu blinked stupidly.

"Wha-?" he asked slowly. Nara-Sama briefly quirked an eyebrow.

"How much is he?" he asked in a slightly slower voice, as though he was speaking to a small child or somebody with limited intelligence.

"7,000,000," Kaibutsu answered, his voice hitching slightly at the thought of so much money.

"Skills?"

"Uh...pardon?" Kaibutsu responded dumbly to the short question.

"What are his skills?" the ambassador asked, affecting an exaggerated eyeroll and a muttered "Troublesome." It was as though uttering three more syllables was too much effort for the notoriously lazy ambassador.

"We don't know much yet," Kaibutsu replied swiftly, keen to prove that he wasn't a complete invalid, "He only came in yesterday, and we've kept him restrained,"

"For your safety?" Nara-Sama asked, appearing inordinately amused by the thought.

"Yes, Nara-Sama," Kaibutsu replied, the admittance of his weakness and inadequecy leaving a bitter taste on his tongue, "He's a seasoned fighter. He killed most of the slavers who tried to catch him. They only managed to get him in the end because he was weak with hunger. Exhausted too, by the looks of it. One of my men used a knock-out drug on him when he let his guard down,"

"So he can fight," the ambassador said to himself with a smirk that seemed to be directed at Kaibutsu, "What else?"

"Well, he's a beauty," Kaibutsu responded, "And a virgin,"

Normally, then mention of that one word would cause the client in question to salivate at the mere thought. Kaibutsu didn't know why the prospect of stealing somebody's virginity was so alluring, but he wasn't about to complain. He supposed that it was the thought of the tightness of the body and the taste of power and left it at that. Why did it matter, anyway, when it got the company so much money?

Nara-Sama had always been a tricky one. Instead of responding predictably, he merely smirked.

"Those aren't skills, Soragoto," he said, his voice just shy of being patronising. Kaibutsu scowled.

"Well, that's all we know about him," he said defensively, "We couldn't risk untying him to see what his skills are. He's too dangerous,"

"What, couldn't you drug him again or something?" Nara-Sama asked. Kaibutsu paused, his mouth slightly open. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, and he cursed himself for not thinking of it first. It was so obvious that he felt like slapping himself for his stupidity.

"Yes," Kaibutsu replied when he realised that Nara-Sama was looking at him expectantly with a slight glint of amusement in his dark eyes.

"Then, why didn't you?"

Kaibutsu was unable to form a reply to that. At least, not one that wouldn't make him look any stupider than what he ordinarily did.

This was why he hated dealing with Nara-Sama. Any other noble would come in, pick a pretty young thing to use whenever the need arose, and left. There was no worrying about his lower level of intellect or what he looked like. Those guys only had their eyes on the prize and didn't give a damn what the slave dealer was like.

Nara-Sama was startlingly different. He never actually bought a slave to satisfy his need for carnal pleasure, and didn't have any qualms about staring into Kaibutsu's eyes as though he was something interesting growing in a petri dish. It was unnerving, not to mention creepy.

In the end, Kaibutsu just shrugged in response Nara-Sama's question. The young aristocrat didn't ask, something which left Kaibutsu feeling a little grateful. However, this feeling was overshadowed by his sneering jealousy. The only reason Nara-Sama hadn't asked was because he already knew what was going through Kaibutsu's mind.

At 21, Nara-Sama was the youngest ever ambassador to serve the Fire Country.

He was also the most intelligent, with an I.Q that reputedly exceeded 200.

Kaibutsu could quite easily pass this off as a rumour. But he knew that rumours always had some basis in truth. Even if Nara-Sama wasn't quite as smart as that, his ability to deduce the solution to any given problem presented when he was performing his duties as ambassador, coupled with his talent in understanding the way peoples' minds worked and predicting their actions, were proof that he was very much a genius.

Presently, Nara-Sama was doing what he did best- regarding Kaibutsu with fixed interest and a glint in his eye. Kaibutsu squirmed under the scrutiny, amazed that he was wary of a slouching, eccentric aristocrat. It was almost as though he could see into Kaibutsu's mind.

I wouldn't be surprised, Kaibutsu thought derisively.

"So, you want him or not?" he asked, keeping his eyes locked on the floor in a gesture of submission. And because those dark eyes were way too penetrating for his comfort.

"Maybe after I talk to him," Nara-Sama shrugged, yawning hugely once he had finished speaking.

"T-Talk?" Kaibutsu stuttered almost fearfully.

"Yeah," Nara-Sama responded flatly, "You know, a conversation? I say something, he says something back?"

"I know what you mean," Kaibutsu said, "It's just...,"

"You're scared," Nara-Sama finished for him.

Kaibutsu felt an angry flush creep up his normally pallid face at this. He hated the thought of being called a coward.

"I'm not scared," he said indignantly, "I value my life. There's a difference,"

He winced as he realised that he had spoken disrespectfully to a wealthy client who could potentially ruin the company, but, luckily, Nara-Sama didn't seem offended.

"You fear for your life," Nara-Sama chuckled, "You wouldn't fear for your life if he didn't scare you,"

The ambassador was once again displaying his uncanny knack for manouvering his opponents into a corner through his clever words. Kaibutsu consoled himself that Nara-Sama had out-smarted much more intelligent people during his tenure as ambassador.

He shrugged noncommittally in response. Well, on his own head be it. If Nara-Sama wanted to talk to this beautiful yet dangerous young man, who was Kaibutsu to stand in his way?

"Right this way, please," he said, back to his client-friendly persona, "He's managed to escape once already since we bought him in. We haven't got any stronger ropes, so we've just had to double the amount we've used. You understand that I'm a bit wary of disturbing him,"

As he was speaking, he unlocked the huge steel door that led to the slave's prison, Nara-Sama following close behind.

"If you don't mind me asking," the young ambassador asked nonchalantly, "Why go to so much trouble for one slave?"

"Cause he's valuable," Kaibutsu grunted simply.

"Anything for money," Kaibutsu heard Nara-Sama grumble under his breath.

"When you only get paid as much as you sell, you don't get rid of somebody who's that much of a goldmine just 'cause he's dangerous," Kaibutsu responded.

"If you want to think that, go ahead," the ambassador yawned, "But I personally think you'd be better off looking for some defenceless virgins,"

"He is a virgin," Kaibutsu frowned, "Checked him myself,"

"He's not exactly defenceless, is he?" Nara-Sama pointed out.

"Hn," Kaibutsu grumbled, reaching the end of the coridoor. His keys jangled as he reached into his pocket to take them out. Selecting the correct one, he slid it into the old lock with a grating screeching sound, turning it with difficulty to open the thick steel door.

A rush of light poured into the room, illuminating the pale figure bound in the corner. With a small sound of discomfort, the slender man's eyelids slid open to reveal silver eyes framed by long dark lashes. Kaibutsu had to restrain himself. The boy sure was a beautiful specimin.

"What do you want?" the young man said, in a voice that was thick with sneering condescention.

Well, the brat was perfect until he opened that snobbish mouth. But everybody had to have at least one flaw, he supposed.

"Lord Nara Shikamaru of the noble Nara clan wished to view the new stock," Kaibutsu scorned in return. Predictably, the slim brunet bristled.

"You can send him away," the slave snapped imperiously, as though he expected Kaibutsu to obey, "I'm not part of this "new stock", so there is no reason for him to be here,"

"Not part of the new stock?" Kaibutsu laughed croakily, "Who told you that lie?"

"Nobody," the young man responded icily, "But I refuse to be sold. I won't bow to a filthy old man such as yourself, and I certainly won't be sharing an ugly noble's bed,"

Kaibutsu swelled with fury at the insult. The cheek of the brat! True, he was being made a slave, but, in Kaibutsu's eyes, that gave him no right to speak to his superiors in such a manner.

Raising his hand, he prepared to back-hand the pale young man across the face. He was gratified to see a hint of fear in the brunet's pale eyes.

Kaibutsu was disappointed when his chubby hand wasn't able to connect with that pale cheek. To leave his mark would be glorious, even if it wasn't the ideal mark he wished he could leave.

"What'dya do that for?" Kaibutsu grunted, pulling his hand out of Nara-Sama's strong grip with disappointment.

"I won't buy damaged goods," the ambassador yawned.

"Sorry," the slave dealer muttered abashedly. But Nara-Sama didn't seem to care for his apology. He was too busy staring intently at the bound brunet.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business," the slender male responded coldly. To Kaibutsu's surprise, the aristocrat didn't reprimand the slave as he should have. Instead, he chuckled.

"Unless you want me to call you "slave" or something else to that effect, it would probably be best if you told me your name," Nara-Sama smirked, "Of course, I could always pick a name out for you..."

"Neji," the young man snapped, as though the word was a poison that he couldn't wait to spit out of his mouth.

"Screw?" Nara-Sama raised an eyebrow questioningly. Neji merely shrugged in response.

"So, what skills do you have?" the ambassador continued, stifling a huge yawn. Kaibutsu nearly rolled his eyes. This Nara-Sama, while brilliant, was notoriously lazy. Rumour had it that he slept for fourteen hours a day when not working.

"I'm not promiscuous, if that's what you mean," Neji replied, his pale eyes narrowed. Nara-Sama laughed.

"Soragoto claims that he can attest to that," the ambassador returned with a gesture towards the aforementioned man, causing Neji's angry gaze to flash towards Kaibutsu.

"Any Skills?" Kaibutsu interrupted loudly, hating the way that gaze made him feel to vulnerable. Neji was the one who was bound and imprisoned, not Kaibutsu, afterall.

"Will you leave me alone if I answer?" Neji asked, a sneer twisting his perfect face.

"Yeah, I guess," Kaibutsu grunted. Nara-sama could always finish this little Q&A himself.

"Fighting, riding, writing, singing, classical piano, painting and various other performing arts," Neji rattled off sullenly. Kaibutsu could almost taste the cash this one was going to get the company. His initial assessment was correct; the boy was a veritable gold mine.

"Noble clan?" Nara-sama asked.

"Hyuuga," Neji spat venomously. Kaibutsu's unkempt eyebrows shot up with surprise. It just kept getting better and better.

"The mercenary clan working for Rain?" Nara-sama queried. Neji didn't answer, but the stoniness of his eyes was all the validation anyone could need. Even Kaibutsu could tell this much, and he was of average intelligence.

"I see," Nara-sama said. Then, abruptly: "So, what was your mission?"

"Pardon?" Neji asked, appearing distinctly alarmed.

"Your mission," Nara-sama reitterated with a roll of his eyes, "You're here for a reason, right?"

"No," Neji responded, his white teeth glinting by the dim light as he gritted them, "Officially, I was cast out. In actuality, I abandoned my clan. It will be interesting to see how much they advance without me,"

The way he said it was so prideful, so confident, that it sent a shiver up Kaibutsu's spine. This young man, who was barely more than a child himself, had claimed the lives of some of the company's best slavers, many of whom were former mercenaries themselves. Obviously, this boy was not to be trifled with. Underestimating him was fatal.

Nara-sama, however, wasn't so easily impressed.

"A bit arrogant, don't you think?" he said with a small smirk and a quirked eyebrow.

"Perhaps," Neji conceded coldly, "But not undue arrogance, I should think. Even their leader was no match for me,"

"You were caught," Nara-sama pointed out, his smirk widening, "So you can't be that great,"

Neji stiffened, silvery veins spidering across his head from his eyes. Those pale orbs glowed eerily in the dim lighting as the pale slave's hands balled into fists by his sides.

"For your information, Nara-sama," Neji sneered, "Many of the men I killed were of Jounin level. And I managed to dispose of them even though I had not eaten or slept for four days. I very much doubt that you could accomplish so much,"

Kaibutsu would have reeled back with fear if he had been presented with that tirade from such a frightening individual. Those eyes...He knew very well that he was currently looking at the secret behind the Hyuuga Clan's power: the Byukagan. There was so much power behind those pale eyes. The ability to kill with the lightest touch of your finger was an impossibility for most people. For this clan, however, that was very much possible for a select few members. Currently, Fire country spies claimed that only two people within the entire of the Hyuuga Clan possessed this power: the leader and a young prodigy, who's rapid advancement had inspired raging jealousy in many other members of the clan.

Kaibutsu hadn't told anybody about the single tiny red mark that had been found on each of the dead slavers. He knew that the implication would not go unnoticed, and the Hokage would definitely want to bring the young man in for questioning, or else attempt to turn Neji's talents against his country. This would lose the company valuable money, and Kaibutsu was looking forward to the fat wad of cash he was going to get out of this deal.

However, he couldn't possibly sell Nara-sama this boy without making it explicitly clear that this young man was more deadly than his outward appearance suggested. If Nara-sama was killed, there would be an investigation into the company, and Kaibutsu would definitely lose his job once it became clear that he had sold Nara-sama the treacherous slave. He would have to tell Nara-sama, and hope that he was still willing (and crazy enough) to take Neji off his hands.

"Nara-sama, there's something you should know..." he began awkwardly.

"If it's about Neji being the Hyuuga Clan prodigy who is capable of killing me in an instant, save your breath," Nara-sama advised with a long yawn. Both Kaibutsu and Neji gaped at him.

"How did you know that?" Neji finally asked angrily.

"It's amazing what some people will say if you provoke them," Nara-sama responded, causing Neji to bristle like an angry cat.

"What do you mean?" Neji demanded, hackles rising.

"I wanted answers, but you weren't cooperating," Nara-sama explained, "So I used the oldest trick in the book: I wounded your pride. You couldn't possibly resist the opportunity to boast about how great you are, to prove me wrong. As they say- pride goeth before a fall,"

"Very clever," Neji snapped sourly, "I suppose you've heard all you wanted to? Am I free to return to sleep?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second," Nara-sama responded, appearing inordinately please with himself.

"And why is that?" Neji asked testily.

"Because," Nara-sama said slowly, "I'm buying you,"

The expression on the slim brunet's face was one of barely concealed contempt. Kaibutsu, however, didn't spot it. He was too busy salivating over the thought of that cut he was going to be taking from this sale.

...

...

^^; Sooooo...:cough: As you can see, I've started yet another fic. Now, I know what you're all thinking: "What happened to updating The Beauty And The Beast/Chuushin Hyoukai/Arduous Dilemma?" (circle as appropriate). To put it bluntly, my friend, I'm currently suffering from a little something called "lackofmotivationandinspirationandalsocausesheslazy". I will update eventually, but I felt so bad for not updating that I thought I'd start another fic for you. At least it's something, right?

Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Toribo0 and Headraline. You two are the ones who dragged me into ShikaNeji. You should join forces, I swear. You could take the fandom by storm. And also, Inashosetai, my good friend, and beta-but-not. XD

Ja ne, all!

TenshiXXX