Mwahaha! I'm back, with a chapter only a day late ::cower:: okay, maybe I shouldn't be so gung ho about it. BUT! I have updated, and we finally get to see a bit of our protagonists' past, and the meaning behind Sasuke's cryptic words:
"I wonder what he's doing here?" Sasuke mused to himself. "And after so long?"
Warnings: So slashy you'd think Wolverine and Freddy Kruger had been at it.
Disclaimer: I am going on a ski trip with Cherry Arrow soon. I am not chained to my desk, forced to slave over countless panels of ink and pencil and toner, all for the amusement of the general public. So I am simply Earthborne, a fangirl going on a trip with a friend, and not Masashi Kishimoto. Take that!
"It's not what it looks like."
Naruko regretted her words the second she uttered them. The sentence hung in the air, waiting for Naruko to strangle herself with them. Of all the inane things to say, that line went right up there with "Don't be mad" and "She didn't mean anything to me," as one of the greatest clichéd lines ever.
Gaara seemed to have missed the joke, however, and his jade green eyes flickered from the gorgeous ring to Naruto's even more stunning blue eyes.
"Then what does it look like?" His voice was lower than normal, his lips pressed so thinly together it was simply a line. The sound more or less reverberated through the air. Naruko wondered if Gaara knew ventriloquism.
Naruko opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again in the extremely accurate description of a goldfish, popping eyes included. She finally closed her mouth with a click and wondered how indeed, was she to explain the situation to be something other than what was so blatantly obvious? She hurried to think of a solution before Gaara did some massive collateral damage.
Apparently Gaara didn't like to wait. "You go missing for a week, throw the country into an uproar, and end up on foreign soil. I track you down and find out that not only are you working as a maid, you are somehow betrothed to the lord of the rival country?"
Naruko got on the defensive. "They're not really rivals, you know, we have treaties with them and everything!"
"They are looking for any and all excuse to seize our lands and you know it." Gaara snapped, and let go of her hand. Naruko took it back and tapped her chin with a perfectly manicured and pinkly polished finger. Gaara, who was more or less born without the fear gene, shuddered.
"Well, you know, that's what I've been trying to do! Get some super secret reconnaissance done, and maybe if I observe Sasuke bastard a bit more, I can find out what he really wants!" Naruko said brightly. Gaara took her hand again, and glanced at the ring.
"You call this observing?" Gaara said dryly, and Naruko blushed. "According to what I've just seen, I think the only thing he wants right now is you." Naruko snatched her hand back.
"Man, you're not helping things here!" She groused, and mock-glared at him. Gaara's lips twitched so very slightly.
"Does he know you're Naruto?" Gaara asked.
"I don't think so. It's not everyday you find a prince turning into a girl. He has no idea!" Naruko chuckled evilly.
"You skipped history class didn't you?" Gaara deadpanned. Naruko blinked.
"Eh?" Was the prince (ss)'s oh so eloquent answer.
"The descendants of the Uchiha blood have special abilities that allow them to see through old and new magic." Gaara recited, and all the rosy hues drained from Naruto's face until she was as starchy as paper. She leaned forward and grabbed Gaara's shoulders.
"Say it ain't so!" She shrieked, and attempted to shake him back and forth. But Gaara was as still as a boulder and Naruko got about the same reaction as one. "Argh!" The girl screamed, and hopped up and down. "Why the hell would he try to molest me if he knew I was a guy?"
If it had been anyone other than Gaara, they would have found the scene entirely too hilarious. But since it was Gaara, and his charge was Naruto, he was not amused. Naruko grabbed at her luscious locks and sat down on the stone steps, and wrote an epitaph in her head. Uzumaki Naruto. Immoral Cross dresser, Laid at eighteen. She would have found this funny if she weren't so miserable and terrified.
"Why would he -" she squirmed, "- propose if he's only met me once? Prince of rival country or not, doesn't he care for his own happiness?" Naruko asked, looking up at the stoic Gaara. The red head blinked slowly.
"Have you forgotten?" Came his reply. Naruko blinked and cocked her head questioningly. His eyes narrowed. "Well if you've forgotten I'm not telling you."
Naruko jumped up and latched onto his arm. "Tell me!" She implored, and gave her best puppy dog eyes. Gaara was unmoved. Naruko decided to use a very underhanded trick. She blinked coyly; Gaara almost gagged, but he suppressed the motion and ripped his arm away.
"I'll only tell you one thing." He snapped peevishly, and Naruko grinned. "What Lord Uchiha Sasuke wanted, he got. A decade ago he wanted something so badly, his father had no choice but to try and appease him, and asked your father for help. His majesty refused, and that's when the whole mess started."
Naruko's eyes were shining orbs of wonder. "Wow, what was it that he wanted?" She asked. Gaara shook his head. "I said I would only tell you one part of the situation." Suddenly, the redhead smirked, revealing tiny fangs. "But I suppose you'll figure out the answer to your question soon enough."
XxX
Gaara left the Haruno manor to retire to one of the hotels not long after he scared poor Naruko witless at the front door. For one thing, Gaara showing any emotion besides irritation or anger was astronomical. For him to smirk was just unheard of.
Naruko dragged herself up and pulled her body inside the house, and explained to the head maid that she felt poorly. Taking one look at the pretty blonde's ashen face, the robust woman allowed her the day off.
Naruko, currently Naruto, sat cross-legged on the bed and thought deeply. If Gaara said he could figure it out, then he definitely could. After all, one of the things he was good at was memorising, almost eidetic because he wanted to catalogue every prank he ever played so he wouldn't repeat them.
Okay. Gaara said that Sasuke bastard wanted something really badly a decade ago. What happened ten years ago? Naruto used his fingers as he counted backwards. Erm, I played that ingenious prank on Ebisu… Jiraiya was on his sixth Icha Icha Paradise book, I found a picture of mom and I… Oh, and dad took me to Konoha for a visit. Hmm… what happened?Naruto scratched his head, and flopped onto the soft covers of his bed. I went outside to play while dad and Lord Fugaku were talking. I remember meeting a really pretty lady in the garden. She was using some kick ass weapons, and she had purple nail polish on too. I remember that cos it was weird; wasn't she afraid that it would chip?
The prince contemplated deeper. I ended up somewhere outside the palace because I crawled through a hole in the wall. I was playing in the fields, and a little boy was there as well! He was pretty too, but I knew he was male… Um… we decided to play tag, then hide and seek... I think we sparred? Anyway, we wasted the entire afternoon, until I remembered that I had to return to the palace. I said bye to the boy and ran all the way back. Dad was pretty pissed at me… then we had dinner… Lord Fugaku and Lady Mikoto apologised that their youngest son wasn't there cos Sasuke was feeling ill. Itachi… what did he look like? He sat on the opposite end of the table and I could hardly see his face.
We left the next morning… and I saw that boy again, just before the ship left. He was waving and shouting something I couldn't hear. I waved back… and then we were gone.
Naruto finished the memory, and frowned. Ten years ago he didn't even know Sasuke, how the hell could he figure out what it was the bastard wanted? Naruto began pacing around his room. He brought his left hand up to scratch his chin, and then remembered the ring. He glanced down; the ring, which had fitted snugly against Naruko's thin, tapered fingers, was still comfortable against his larger fingers. Naruto scowled; the damn ring was spelled to fit whoever was wearing it. The teen half-heartedly tried to wrench it off, but again, his labour bore no fruit.
Ten years ago… He thought, putting the spell back on and rummaging in the drawers for gloves. The lunch bell rang, and Naruko exited her room and walked down the stairs absently.
Ten years ago… The mantra continued in her head as she ate her lunch, often missing her mouth and ending up with a forkful of food on her chin or cheek, or even more dangerously, near her eye. She excused herself when she finished, and wandered back upstairs.
Ten years ago… Naruko sat on the edge of her bed. Ten years ago I met a boy… a dark haired, dark eyed boy… that night, Sasuke was ill and he didn't come to dinner. The mysterious boy and I were sparring… it was a draw, and we were both pretty beat up; he had a bloody nose, and I had a split lip… Sasuke was ill… SASUKE WAS ILL! OH MY GOD!
"EUREKA!" Naruko screamed, and leapt off her bed.
XxX
A blonde and yellow blur flashed through Konoha, and people were almost run over. Finally, Naruko skidded to a stop in front of Kakashi's house. She pounded so hard on the door that some dust floated down.
A harassed sounding voice came through. "Wait please! Ah!" Naruko suddenly stopped her chaotic train of thought. That sounded like…
Iruka opened the door, his pants askew and his shirt at least two sizes too big. "Your highness!" He gasped, before bowing down hurriedly; he snatched his pants up when they started sliding.
"Where's my dolphin swimming to?" Came Kakashi's singsong voice. Naruko's train of thought – derailed.
"Oh hello Naruko." Kakashi said casually, shamelessly half naked, wearing only light grey pants. The mask was off, revealing a startlingly handsome face.
"Er. Hi." She said, and blinked. Iruka straightened from his bow.
"Your highness! We weren't expecting you and -" Iruka suddenly squawked. Kakashi jerked his hand back and acted very innocent.
"Can we help you?" The silver haired ex-guard asked a chuckling Naruko. She sobered instantly.
"I was wondering… if you had any pictures of a young Sasuke?" She inquired, trying to sound casual. Kakashi blinked, and thought for a moment.
"Yes, I think I do. A few of that troublesome little tyke." Kakashi waved her in. Iruka blushed before he excused himself and ran back to change. Kakashi wasn't as bothered; he went to a bookcase and began skimming the titles with his fingers. Naruko sat on the edge of a chair; she needed to know for sure, for sure that her deduction was right. She fidgeted in her seat.
"Ah ha! Here we go." Kakashi said, then extracted a heavy tome from the bookcase. He rubbed off the dust and handed it to Naruko, while Iruka, properly dressed, came in as well.
Naruko flipped through the album, mostly of Kakashi and his old comrades, the palace, some nobles doing undignified things like sleeping during a meeting or picking their nose when they thought no one was looking. And finally, she came to one of the royal family, plus Kakashi and two other guards, posing for the camera.
She recognised Lord Fugaku, and Lady Mikoto. Beside Mikoto was an expressionless youth… Naruko's eyes widened. Wasn't that -! She choked horribly.
"Is that Itachi?" she asked in a high, strained voice. Kakashi peered over her shoulder.
"Why yes. He went quite insane a while back. Rotten fruit, I'd say." Naruko felt like fainting; she'd thought that Itachi was a girl. The pretty girl she'd met that day in the garden. Naruko swallowed past the lump in her throat, and her gaze was drawn to the shortest of the group, sitting on a small chair and grinning at the camera.
Young Sasuke, with dark hair and dark eyes, pale skin. Exactly like the boy Naruto had sparred with, all those years ago.
Naruko keeled over in her chair.
HAHA! Sort of a cliffhanger! Meh, I love doing this. And a note on the Chapter titles:
Chapter One: 'Toothsome Chicanery' means 'Delightful Deception'
Chapter Two: 'Verity of the Fantasy' means 'Truth of the Illusion'
Chapter Three: 'Portentous Confrere' means 'Dangerous Friend'
Chapter Four: 'Spectacular Retrospection' means 'Shocking Remembrance'
Reviews are LOVED and APPRECIATED. Will update after ski trip. Maybe. ::cough::
Cheers!