Disclaimer: This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that Kishimoto made Naruto, and not-so-thankful that he hasn't seen fit to hand over the rights to me yet. I'm patient, however, and I'm still working on Plan B(ribe Itachi with Dango). It's merely a matter of time until I've won.

Chapter Twelve:

The Hand that Guides the Lots

(Prompt: Gravitation)

~.~

When Sasuke was very little, only four or five years old, his mother had told him, "A mistake made in honesty is still a mistake."

They had been in the kitchen, making a special dessert for Itachi's birthday, and Sasuke, while not overly fond of sweets, found the open bowl of powdered sugar too tempting a prospect for a little boy to ignore.

Sadly, it was not powdered sugar but baking soda, and the overwhelming taste of salt and bitterness had filled his mouth, causing him to hack and spit and run for a drink of water. Queen Mikoto shook her head and smiled indulgently and told him that phrase, saying that though he didn't mean to eat baking soda and was doing nothing wrong, he still ended up with the consequences he would have escaped if he had payed attention to which bowl contained the sugar.

And now, in the early morning in the autumn of his thirteenth year, Sasuke remembered again what his mother had told him as the priests of the Great Three stood in judgement over him.

He honestly had thought he wasn't breaking his promise to not leave her side, and he honestly hadn't meant to break the taboo.

But the promise hadn't been fulfilled and blood had been shed on the temple's floor, all the same.

He didn't listen to the arguments of the priests or pay attention to the stares of the high-ranking nobility attending his trial.

Sasuke stared straight ahead and pretended he couldn't feel Sakura's gaze on him.

~.~

"You know, I never imagined my wedding night would turn out like this." His Imperial Highness whispered to his vassal, the Uchiha King, sorrow and bitterness coloring his tone.

His Majesty, King Itachi Uchiha, felt rather like hitting his Emperor after that statement, but he knew Naruto and knew what he meant.

It was not the ending he had imagined for the festival, himself.

Naruto and Itachi stood side by side, staring down at Sasuke, bound and kneeling before the chairs of the High Priests in the supplicant's room in El Templo de los Trés. The summons from the priests had gone out an hour after midnight, and all the festivities had been immediately shut down as all the sufficiently-ranked attendees had gathered to watch his little brother's trial. They had now been arguing for hours, and dawn was only an hour or so away.

The night had been long, indeed.

"It's my fault." The Emperor said softly, remorse in his tone. "I asked him to watch after Sakura for me."

Itachi slowly shook his head, his gaze darting to the small, pink-headed figure standing next to Obito's wife, tears silently trailing down her cheeks. "No. Sasuke would have protected your cousin anyway. The only one to blame is whoever sent that man."

"Ah, yes. Him." The Emperor said, anger in his tone. Itachi shot a glance at his Emperor.

"Do you…"

The Emperor shrugged, cutting him off. "I do not know anything. But… there is a man, a certain member of my council. As you know, until I came of age and wed, there were certain actions I wasn't allowed to make."

Itachi understood. Understanding that children weren't known for making the wisest or most well-informed decisions, in ancient days the law had been written down that any child Emperors or Empresses needed a Regent until he or she was wed, marriage in those days being seen as the final step into adulthood. But not only did they need a Regent until their marriage, they weren't allowed to do certain things without the approval of both his regent and his council—things such as declaring war, appointing an heir, and such things… including ordering the removal of a member of the council.

"I see." The Uchiha King said. "I find it strange that such a man served under your father. The old Emperor was most discerning."

"My father didn't appoint him," Naruto replied softly, "And Uncle Jiraiya told me my father planned on removing a certain person from the council, but he died before he could."

Itachi's eyes snapped to the Emperor's face, and Naruto smiled bitterly. "As Uncle Jiraiya tells me, coincidence does not equal proof."

"Of course," The king responded softly. "At least, we can thank Sasuke for saving your cousin and thwarting his plan."

Naruto frowned, his blue gaze darting to where Danzo Shimura stood, across the room, watching the proceedings with a placid expression. "He doesn't look like a man whose plan's been thwarted—that's what bothers me."

~.~

Danzo Shimura watched the proceedings calmly.

True, the attempt to claim the young acolyte girl failed… but he could easily twist this in his favor. For instance, now that it was clear the young lady was in danger, he, as High Admiral and Minister of the Prisons, would step forward and offer his protection. Her mother, Princess Tsunade, was well known to not like him-it seemed to be common in that family; neither Emperor Hashirama or Emperor Minato had been fond of him. Emperor Hashirama had only accepted his service on recommendation from his brother Prince Tobirama, Danzo's mentor and predecessor. And, of course, Emperor Minato's reign had been too short to remove him from power. Still, he was not too worried about Princess Tsunade's dislike being an impediment to his plans.

Every fortress had its weak points—it would be a simple matter of money changing hands, and certain priests would swear they dreamt that 'The Goddess' declared it wise to put her 'favored one' under the Emperor's, and therefore, as commander of the navy, Danzo's protection.

Simple indeed—as simple as it had been to bribe the priest that would draw the lots tonight to ensure the fate that Danzo had planned for the little prince with the impressive eyes.

Prison, after all, was a suitable punishment for the breaking of such a taboo, and Danzo would take good care of him there.

~.~

"It was clearly an accident," Lord Jiraiya stated hotly, "Anyone can see that Prince Sasuke did not mean to kill the intruder."

"In fact, he acted unselfishly in order to save the Lady Sakura," Lady Tsunade added, "And the Gods look with favor on those who act with compassion and honor."

"Still!" The local Head Priest of Indra complained, "He broke the taboo, and spilled blood on sacred ground. That cannot go unpunished!"

"No," Said Lord Yagura, "It cannot. He broke the law, so punishment must be dealt. But it was through a noble action and not by his will. And he is young, full manhood not yet within his grasp—therefore, the severest punishments do not apply."

"I concur." Lady Tsunade said, and her gallant husband nodded.

"I, too, agree."

The Head Priest of Indra in El Templo de los Trés frowned, but sighed. "Very well. Let it be as you say."

"Excellent." Lord Yagura said. "Let the bowl of lots be brought forth then, and the Gods shall decide his fate."

The priest who had charge of the Lots stepped forward and carefully wrote down the list of punishments on slips of paper: service in the temple, banishment, imprisonment, and suchlike. He deposited the slips into the bowl, carefully tucking the one written 'prison' into his sleeve, as Danzo had instructed.

~.~

Sakura didn't look at her parents or Lord Yagura or the other priests—she only stared at Sasuke, heedless of the tears streaming down her cheeks.

This was her fault.

Her mother and Lady Rin and even Sasuke's Mother had all tried to tell her that it wasn't—but Sakura knew better.

Sasuke, brave Sasuke, her hero! He had stepped in to save her… and now he was being punished for doing so.

She choked on a sob and squeezed her eyes shut, not being able to look at Sasuke, who she had been condemned.

Lady Rin's hand on her shoulder squeezed comfortingly, but Sakura didn't allow Rin to draw her closer into the lady's embrace.

Sakura deserved no comfort—not while Sasuke sat alone before the seat of judgement!

She sobbed again. Why Sasuke? Why him?

A voice—soft and warm like earth in the spring, spoke in her ear.

"Your love is young and sweet and tender, like a gentle sprout, but with care and tending it will grow into a strong and mighty tree."

Sakura's breath stuttered—she knew that voice. She answered it silently, in her mind. Goddess Konoha?

"Yes, child, I am here," The goddess's voice said gently, and it seemed to be coming from Sakura's right. Carefully, she glanced that way, and almost fell to the ground when she recognized the two figures standing there.

A tall lady, swathed in a glorious gown of deep emerald cloth with hair a shade darker, with eyes and skin warm and brown as the earth. At her side stood a man in white robes, even taller, with hair as dark and wild as the waves of the sea, and familiar scarlet eyes.

Konoha and Indra themselves! With this on top of all that had happened today, Sakura rather felt like fainting.

"You can speak—" Konoha said with a gentle smile. "None but us shall hear you."

Sakura choked for a second, the words in her heart welling and gathering and sticking in her throat, before she gasped out, "Why Sasuke?"

Konaha's expression filled with sympathy and compassion, but Indra's face was expressionless. "He did his best, but Sasuke is still young, and there was little he could do against the machinations of Danzo."

Sakura's heart skipped in surprise—she knew that name, she would hear Papa and Cousin Naruto complain about him. "He's the one who sent the nasty man."

"Indeed. The man is undevout and greedy for the gifts the Gods bestow upon the faithful." Indra said sternly. "He wishes to get his filthy hands on both you and my chosen heir."

"On Sasuke?" Sakura gasped. The Goddess of the Earth nodded solemnly.

"He has bribed," Indra said, voice low and threatening, like storm-clouds on the sea's horizon, "One of my own priests, so that when the lots are drawn Sasuke will be delivered to prison and into his hands."

Anger stirred up in Sakura then, fierce and hot. Whoever this Danzo man was, he was truly mean and nasty, sending the scary man after them and forcing Sasuke to break the taboo! She open her mouth—to say what, she didn't know; perhaps to demand Danzo's whereabouts so she could kick him in the shins.

But Sakura was distracted when there was a commotion up front on the dais, and she turned to see the priest stand up, holding a bowl filled with paper.

Oh, the lots. Sakura thought, and felt her heart sink don into her toes, and she clasped her hands in front of herself nervously.

Lord Yagura took the bowl and held it up to the heavens, proclaiming in a voice most solemn: "The lots are prepared; Oh Gods, let your will shine forth, and may this priest's hand gravitate towards the fate of your choice. Let your justice be done."

"Indeed, it shall be so," Indra said with a faint, satisfied smile, and Sakura glanced up at him fearfully, her insides all uncomfortably warm and squirmy and cold at the center. He sighed, softly, and lowered one large hand down to rest on top of Sakura's pink head. He smiled down at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Do not fear, little one; all will be well." His smile turned into a smirk, and his scarlet eyes whirled, "Do you think that one corrupt councilman and a greedy priest can thwart the will of the Gods?"

When Sakura thought about it, it sounded rather silly, and she shook her head.

"See?" Konoha said gently, her hand reaching out to rest on Sakura's shoulder comfortingly. "All shall turn out as it ought."

Sakura bit her lip, but she nodded firmly, and returned her attention to the dais.

The priest reached his hand into the bowl, fishing around a moment with his eyes closed, and the gazes of the entire room gravitated towards him with a burning intensity.

After a moment, though none save the Gods saw, he slipped the piece in his sleeve into his palm and withdrew his hand, opening his eyes and unfurling the strip of paper.

He glanced down at it, and his eyes widened.

"Banishment." He read aloud, his voice clearly shocked. The room erupted into murmurs, some relieved, some shocked, and some angry.

Danzo stared at the priest with eyes as hard and sharp as steel.

Sakura glanced up to stare at Indra, only to find him gone, and he was instead standing on the Dais, whispering to Lord Yagura.

The High Priest of the Sea God stood up from his chair and raised the staff of his position high, and a hush fell over the crowd.

"Thus says the Word of the Great God Indra, Lord of the Rivers and Seas, Forefather of the Uchiha: For the breaking of the taboo and the spilling of blood upon sacred ground, Prince Sasuke Uchiha shall henceforth be banished from his home of the Island of Rueda and El Archipiélago del Fuego, not to set foot upon its sand until I Myself send to him a sign in the changing of the wind.

"So it is done."

And so it was.

~.~

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! To those of you Stateside, Happy Late Thanksgiving! To the rest, I wish you a wonderful day.

I thiiiink this might be one of the longest chapters so far! We've finally got to the turning point in the plot. Next chapter we'll see what everyone thinks of this turn of events, and Sasuke shall set off into his nomadic lifestyle in which we first find him in the prologue.

I did hint about this in the first couple chapters but I tried to keep it subtle, so I'm curious how many of you are surprised at this turn of events. I do feel bad for poor Sasuke and Sakura and Sasuke's family, but it's for the good of the plot, I swear. Please don't be too mad.

In other news, I wrote from Danzo's point of view for the first time in this chapter. Yurghghgh. Ugh. I felt like hurling while writing him. You, sir, are despicable and I hate your guts. You are also at fault for most of the bad things in this story, and, sadly, you are necessary for a later plot point, so I shall have to deal with you yet again. Drat you and your weaseling ways.

Now, thanks to my wonderful readers! Thank you for your faves, reviews, and follows! We're drawing near the 100 fave mark, which is most exciting.

Remember what I said last chapter about starting to write an in-universe one-shot when this story hits 50 reviews? Well, you blew that number out of the water, and the one-shot blew itself out of proportion. It's now a three-chapter short story, of which the first chapter has already been posted. It's called 'Shisui Takes Charge', and it deals with certain humorous and romantical events way back in Chapter 7. Be sure to check it out, and I've already started working on Chapter 2. Shan't be long now.

A slight heads up—I can't promise any more chapters for the month of December, though I should dearly like to get the next chapter TCitW out before the new year. December is rather busy for me, with present-making and all, not to mention my next work deadline looming. Plus, you know, Christmas and the holidays and all that jazz.

On a humorous note, the incident in Sasuke's past with the baking soda is based on an experience from my own life, when I was little myself. It was during a science experiment about observation, and I was convinced the baking soda was powdered sugar.

I was wrong. Quite the nasty shock, I still remember it to this day. And Mom was not happy about me eating unidentified experiment supplies. Luckily, I've learned my lesson. Or so I like to think, anyway.

One more note about your reviews—I was utterly blown away by all the lovely reviews posted since the last chapter. You guys are amazing and your reviews made my day over and over again. I can't thank you enough for enjoying my stories!

In answer to rd-chan hokage's review of Chapter 6—I'm glad I kept you on the edge of your seat! However, I'm afraid I can't tell you quite yet who killed Fugaku. I'll tell you one thing, however—before the story ends, the answer to your question will be revealed.

And to rd-chan hokage's review of Chapter 8—Aww, thank you! And you are correct—sort of. Sasuke is indeed fulfilling his Chapter 8 promise in the prologue… but that's not the only promise he's fulfilling. However, you shall have to wait until next chapter to find out more about that.

Until Next Chapter, everybody! I'm quite looking forward to it, indeed.

See you then!