AN: Okay ladies and gentlemen (if there are any out there reading this fic). This is finally the end! Lol, I'm so happy that it's all finished. Sorry I took so long completing RFL. Life and school became a bit hectic. So Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Chapter 7
Usagi woke up suddenly, her body jerking into a sitting position, and her fatigue quickly replaced by suspicion as her shinobi senses kicked in. Something was not right. She always listened to her sixth sense, or her woman's intuition, or Uchiha gene, whatever you wanted to call it. It never led her astray. The last time she woke up like this, she had caught Sasuke trying to sneak out of her room with her diary in his hand. No need to emphasize that after that incident, she bobby trapped her room every night before going to bed. Tonight, though, the only thing she could think of was how nice Naruto had smelled.
Naruto! That's right! The bad feeling she was getting came from the direction of the guest room. She quickly pulled off her pink bunny covers and ran lightly across the room on her bare feet, hardly noticing the cold wooden floor in her haste. Her feet were soundless as she padded down the hall, to the last door on the right. Her heart sped up as she recognized two familiar chakra; something that should have been impossible.
The sliding door fell off the track as Usagi pushed it to the side with an unknown strength. The sound of the falling door made a loud bang in the deathly silent house, and would no doubt wake up her parents, but at the moment, she was too busy to care.
"Naruto-chan!" she cried out in fear as she entered the room. Just like she expected, the older boy was far from alone. The blond boy was on his back, both of his arms pinned against the headboard, while her onii-chan used his bodyweight to pin down Naruto's kicking legs.
"Sasuke-nii!" The bunny cried out in shock. "What are you doing to Naruto-chan?"
The boys turned simultaneously towards the intruder, and both of them arrived at the same conclusion upon witnessing the horrified expression on the little girl's face.
"NO! This is not what you think it is, Usa-chan!" The pet name slipped out of Naruto's mouth without him realizing. He could feel Sasuke's grip on him loosen, and judging from the nauseated expression on his face, it looked like the younger Uchiha heir was torn between cutting of his hands (that were touching Naruto) or just drowning himself and getting it over with.
Despite the denial from Naruto, Usagi couldn't stop the sudden images of the yaoi manga Sakura showed her last week from popping into her mind. The two main characters (who looked surprisingly like her Sasuke-nii and Naruto-chan) had been in the exact same position as the two boys in front of her. Only the characters in the book were half naked, panting, sweaty, covered with hickeys, and doing the naughty naughty.
It couldn't be possible… right? That Naruto was in an illicit sexual relationship with her Sasuke-nii-chan?! How long had they been going out? How far had they gotten? And how was it that she never noticed?! Neither Sasuke nor Naruto appeared to her as good actors.
A stabbing pain, worse than when Sasuke accidentally dropped a kunai onto her foot six months ago, pierced her chest. A hand crept up to where the pain was, and she could feel her heart beating against her ribcage. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the two on the bed, even though the longer she looked at them, the worse her pain became.
Her perfect vision became blurry as tears stung her eyes. She would've continued to stand there if a heavy hand hadn't landed on her shoulder. Looking up, she was surprised to see Itachi's red Sharingan in the dark. "Itachi-nii, what's going on here? Why are you too here? Shouldn't you be in the Country of the Waves?"
She never got her answer as the red eyes looked down at her intently. Instantly, Usagi felt exhaustion wash over her as she stared into the rotating tome of Itachi's sharingan. As heavy lids closed over blue eyes, her last thought was, 'Is Itachi-nii also involved in a strange threesome?!?!?!'. The ANBU caught his sister just before she hit the floor.
Seeing Usagi go down renewed Naruto's struggle to break free from Sasuke. This was not the first he had ended up in this position; he lost count of how many times the other boy was able to pin him down after losing a spar. This time was different though, not only because it was the first time anyone confused the animosity as passion between the two rivals, but seeing Usagi collapse in Itachi's arms sparked anger and protectiveness in him that he had never experienced . His limbs filled with renewed strength that he never knew he possessed.
Red sharingan narrowed as the chakra around Naruto changed. Holding Usagi in his arms, Itachi could clearly see the red glow of the chakra that started to surround the younger boy in a protective blanket. This chakra… so different from the blonde's normal chakra, and filled with so much evil, was one that he had never felt. Beneath his careful scrutiny, the whiskered marks on Naruto's face deepened and the wide blue eyes bled red.
"Sasuke! Get away now."
The younger Uchiha looked up in surprise. "Aniki?" Although he noticed the change in Naruto's behavior, he didn't think it was serious a threat. After all, how many times had he defeated his dobe of a teammate in practice?
It was already too late as a clawed hand suddenly grabbed Sasuke's arm. Deftly twisting his body around, Naruto snarled at his shocked teammate before flinging the dark haired boy towards Itachi with a strength that neither knew he possessed.
Silently cursing at Sasuke's foolishness, Itachi shifted Usagi in one arm and leapt to catch Sasuke with the other as his younger brother was sent crashing into him. Taking advantage of Itachi's momentary distraction, Naruto leapt from his crouching position on the bed.
Itachi almost winced when razor sharp nails grazed his bare arm. It took all his training to keep his features as blank, even as blood gushed out from the five deep scratches. The pain, however, caused the ANBU's grip on Usagi to loosen. Cat-like eyes didn't miss the little detail and Naruto took the opportunity to grab Usagi's wrist, stealing her away from Itachi with a gentle tug that went against his fierce looks and actions.
With a neat twist, both Itachi and Naruto landed gracefully on their feet.
"Dobe," Sasuke growled out dangerously as he righted himself and took a step towards the two blondes. "Let her go now." The dark haired boy would have run to reclaim his sister and repeat the mistake if Itachi hadn't grabbed the back of his shirt. The sudden stop to his momentum made the younger boy lose his balance and fall back rather ungracefully onto his bum.
"What in the name of Hell is going on here?!" The booming voice of Uchiha Fugaku halted all action. "Can't a man get some sleep in his own house in the middle of the night anymore?!"
As one, the group turned as one as two new people joined the fray.
Blazing red eyes surveyed the scene and landed on his daughter unconscious in the arms of the Kyuubi kid, before landing on his sons.
"Usagi-chan!" Mayumi exclaimed from behind her husband. Her eyes widened in fear at seeing her daughter's still body. Fugaku did not stop her- but kept his hard gaze on Naruto as his wife moved forward, arms open to take the little girl.
An animalistic growl sounded from Naruto's throat as he stared back defiantly. Mayumi approached slowly and steady. Not a sound was made as she held out her hands, as she would to a wounded puppy. The blonde boy flinched but stayed still as a soft but firm hand finally landed on his head, gently stroking the wild blond spikes. The firey red chakra enveloping Naruto quietly dimmed under the soft touches until it finally died, leaving blue eyes looking up at Mayumi in confusion.
The Uchiha woman smiled down at the young boy and leaned over to place a small kiss on his forehead, before taking her still sleeping daughter from Naruto's grasp. Even unconscious, Usagi whimpered as Naruto's arms fell away. Mayumi smiled at the small whine and bent down to give the same kiss on the girl's brow. A gentle blue chakra passed from the mother to the daughter, and when it died down, thick eyelashs fluttered against the smooth cheeks.
"Okaa-san?" Sleepy blue eyes opened to see a relieved Mayumi. "What's going on?"
"Yes Itachi, I would also like to know why you and Sasuke are still in Konoha and not away on your mission?" Though not as loud as the last time, the question still cut through the room as sharply as a new kunai.
"Sasuke-nii?" All of a sudden the bunny snapped up with renewed energy and anger as the terrifying images she witnessed earlier coming back to haunt her. "Sasuke-nii! I challenge you to a duel for Naruto-chan's hand in marriage!"
Four dark heads and one blonde spun to stare at the determined bunny in shock and well shock. Sasuke did a very impressive impersonation of a drowning gold fish. "Hun?-What?... Hell?" His mouth opened and closed, sputtering the first words that came to his confused mind. Marriage? Naruto?! Two words that should never be mixed together in a sentence, especially with his name. In all of his years, he had never felt so completely lost, did Usagi just speak to him in a different language?
"You heard me! I challenge you to a duel at sunrise, outside of the Uchiha compound, for Naruto-chan's hand in marriage!
"I…"
"We accept."
Before Sasuke could complete his sentence, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and Itachi answered for him. What the Hell was he supposed to do if he won the duel (he had no doubt that he would). Did that mean he would HAVE to marry Naruto?! Him, Uchiha Sasuke, married to the biggest idiot of the village, not to mention a boy. He would end up as the laughing stock of all the five countries. His entire life flashed before his eyes. Maybe right now would be a good time to commit seppuku, he could already hear Itachi reading his eulogy at the funeral. A hard squeeze made him wince and effectively brought him out of his nightmare. A squeeze that said 'you better win or else…'
Fugaku looked between the fruits of his loins in pride. He had no clue of what the hell was going on, but he was damn proud of the Uchiha-ness his children oozed in handling this situation. "It's settled then. At day break, outside of the Uchiha compound, we will decide Naruto's… err… fate, in a duel between Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Usagi. I shall be the referee."
Sasuke was torn. Normally, when anything threatened his precious imouto's safety, he would be in front of her, protecting her in a heartbeat. But this time, how could he protect her if he was the threat itself? But he was doing this for her own good and safety. He shook his head, for some reason, he felt terribly guilty, even though he was sure he did nothing wrong. It was all Naruto's fault. Damn right. It was that idiot who put this rift between the two siblings. It was the idiot's fault for taking Usagi from her beloved brothers. It was the idiot who was making Sasuke hurt Usagi. It was Naruto.
"Sasuke."
The boy almost fell from his delicate perch on high tree branch.
"Stop scowling."
A light shake and he was joined by Itachi. "Have you been practicing?"
"Of course I have," the genin answered with an offended sniff and showed the older boy the hand mirror he was holding. "Trust me; this will be the shortest battle in the whole Konoha history." He ended with his usual confident smirk.
"Good, because here they come now."
The two brothers looked down just as the first ray of the sun lit up the dark forest.
Usagi walked ahead, her gait every bit as confident as Sasuke's smirk. She looked cheerful after what happened during the night as she chatted with a nervous looking Naruto. Sasuke couldn't help as his smirk grew, Naruto looked even worse than when he failed the genin exam.
Behind the two sweethearts came Fugaku and Mayumi. The two walked hand in hand in a rare display of public affection, which made Itachi and Sasuke raise their eyebrows in surprise. All this madness with Usagi must be rubbing off on them. The four stopped in the little clearing and looked up expectantly at the two pairs of dark eyes peering down at them.
"Ready when you are Sasuke-nii," Usagi called up with the usual Uchiha arrogance.
Sasuke rolled his eyes in an uncharacteristic response, but who could blame him? His little sister was just so predictable, down to the very expression and tone of voice that he taught her when she was old enough to coo.
The brothers nodded and jumped from the tree, landing without disturbing even the fallen twigs that covered the forest floor.
"So now that we are all here, I shall explain the rules," Fugaku began as he walked, between Usagi and Sasuke. Mayumi took a few steps back to give her children space. Naruto however stood his ground, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. It should have been his fight, not Usagi's. How could he live with himself if she was hurt? It was all his fault.
"In a normal duel between shinobi, it is a fight to the death. But seeing as how both of you are of my blood, your mother will kill me if either of you are hurt," here the man coughed uncomfortably, getting a glare from his wife. "So no weapons today, the outcome of the match will be determined by a single jutsu from both sides. And for the sake of fairness, Sasuke, please choose a jutsu that is on the same level as your sister."
Sasuke smirked to himself. So far, things were going as planned. Even without his father's reminder, he would never hurt his imouto… physically at least.
"Okay, on my count," Fugaku raised his hand. "One, two, three!" The Uchiha senior finished and jumped out of the way.
"Uchiha secret jutsu!"
"Oiroke no Jutsu!"
Even before the huge poof of smoke cleared, everyone's hearts were already dropping out of their bottom ends at the name of Naruto's infamous jutsu.
The smoke finally began to disappear, save for the tiny wisp of cloud… covering Usagi's private bits…
"Sasuke-nii!!!!!!!" A loud squeal woke the birds up from their slumber. "You look so cute with a smile!!!!!!!!!"
Sasuke stood with his smile frozen on his face as a fully naked (save for the cloud) male with his imouto's face and voice pounced on him.
"Now I kind of understand why there are girls who are so obsessed with you. You don't look THAT yucky when you smile properly," The male version of Usagi continued chattering, totally oblivious of her state of undress, or how Sasuke had stopped breathing, or how red her father and Itachi were turning (from rage of course), or how her mother had hearts in her eyes (she couldn't believe that a son…err… a daughter from her could be even more handsome than Itachi and Sasuke).
The only one who was still human colored was Naruto- although that quickly changed as the blood drained out of his face. His instinct told him to run and disappear from the face of the Earth as three pairs of fuming red Sharingan eyes turned to glare at him. However, at the same second, Usagi realized that since Sasuke was kind of knocked out, then the winner must be…
"Yeah! I won! I beat Sasuke-nii!!!" In a poof of smoke, the young girl turned back into her normal, fully clothed self. She finally released her traumatized onii-chan and made a leap towards Naruto.
The blond boy would have sagged under the unexpected force if Mayumi hadn't blocked his fall.
"Naruto-chan! I won! You're mine now! We can get married and we can have babies like otou-san and okaa-san!" Usagi blabbed on happily.
Mayumi chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. Uchiha never did things by half. "One thing at a time Usa-chan, one thing at a time." From the way her husband was glaring shurikens (Uchiha glare number five), however, it would be a long time before the two moved beyond hand holding.
Epilogue
People stopped their tasks to turn and stare as the young couple walked down the street. It was a couple like they had never seen before. After all, this would be the first young man who survived the Uchiha brothers, and it just turned out that the lucky young man was the Kyuubi brat.
They were like any other happy, young loves, except for…
"Onii-chan! Can we stop this! It's embarrassing! Everyone is staring at us!" Uchiha Usagi hissed under her breath all the while keeping a happy innocent smile on her face. She had to maintain the Uchiha appearance after all.
"Let them stare, I doubt if they dare to do or say anything," Hard black eyes glared fiercely at the people on the street and everyone quickly looked away in a pretence of normality.
"But do you have to tag along with Naruto-chan and I everywhere?" The bunny cried out in frustration and nearly dropped the larger hand she was holding. "I won the duel, didn't I?"
"Of course you did, or else the dobe wouldn't even be here," Sasuke smirked and stopped his leisurely walk down the street. He tightened his right hand around his imouto's, but dropped the tanned, calloused hand in his left. "Plus, Naruto doesn't mind, right?"
The blond boy grimaced and grunted out an affirmative. "Err… right." He tried desperately to avoid looking at Usagi's direction. There was nothing more he wanted to do than hold Usagi-chan's soft hand in his own, but even though she won the duel… well lets just say that her father and brothers had a very convincing talk with him after the duel, in the basement (torture chamber) under the Uchiha compound (which was rumored to have been the burial ground of a hundred enemy shinobi two hundred years ago.) with some serious consequences if he did not obey.
"But I'm not holding Naruto-chan's hand!" Usagi whined, not carrying if the whole village could hear them, and indeed, it seemed like the whole village had gathered around them.
"Of course you are," Sasuke explained calmly. "You are holding my hand, which is holding Naruto's hand, which is the same as you holding hands with him." He grabbed the two hands again and started towards Ichiraku ramen. If he had his way, the two wouldn't have direct contact for the next ten years…. Even if he had to sleep next to Naruto himself.
The End
AN: Well, that's the end of the long journey everyone. Thank you for sticking with me for so long! Huge thanks to Cygnea-chan, my lovely beta, without whom I would be lost forever.
P.S. Hope no one is offended by the 'Sasuke marrying a boy' comment. It was written as a reflection of Sasuke's horror, not my personal view on yaoi. Hehe I happen to be a huge supporter of Sasu/Naru stories.