Hello, I'm Monkeyface
This is an AU SasuNaruSasu fanfic. (Meaning Sasuke's on top but Naruto doesn't act like a little girl :P)
Summary: Through all the conflicts and plotting of the Uchiha family can a Prince really afford to fall in love with his servant?
Prince Sasuke hates life in the castle. It is lonely and annoying, and he is always being compared to his perfect older brother Itachi. So Sasuke frequently escapes. But one day he mets a beautiful, exciting blond man in the market place. They don't get on well and Sasuke leaves the blond thinking nothing more of their encounter, save the fact that the man was a very stupid, sexy moron.
But what happens when Naruto starts to work for Sasuke. There relationship becomes more intimate as time wares on, and Sasuke changes.
Naruto also has his own plans, plans to become King with the help of the royal crytal that went missing years ago.
Contains kissing, yaoi, swearing and violence. If you are offended by any of these, don't read the story.
To the people who aren't, I hope you like my story.
Disclaimer: I claim no rights to any of the Naruto characters. If I did, Sasuke and Naruto would spend a lot more of their time naked. Heh heh.
The palace stood in all its grandeur, surrounded by lush green grass and beautiful wide trees, branches spiraling and deep bark patterns curving round the trunk and up to the sky.
At the end of the garden lay a deep lake, sheltered by large willows. Shimmering algae covered the water and glittering vermilion flowers lay like red dressed princesses upon the surface. The lake sparkled and danced in the speckled light that slipped through the silver green leaves of the drooping willow trees. And a high white wall ran around the area, enclosing it off.
Guards patrolled along them, making sure the inhabitants of the palace were kept safe from any intruders.
A single snow white dove soared from a high window of the palace and a hooded figure slipped past the trees.
The man was tall and walked briskly. He wore a plain traveling cloak, the hem of which gently brushed along the ground and the large hood cast a shadow across his face. He seemed to know the area well and quickly came to the high wall. Two pale hands reached out to touch it, avoiding the patches of golden light. The hands ran along the wall, as if trying to find something, until they stopped on a small bump near the bottom. A long finger pressed it three times and a neat square of grass lifted up revealing a passage way.
The finger jumped into the opening without a moment thought and pulled the grass-covered trap door shut.
He arrived in a tunnel, it was dark and damp. There didn't seem to be a visible opening but the figure carried on regardless. Once he had reached the end wall he pulled a long string which hung directly above him and it opened to reveal a back alley leading into a busy market. Hot air blasted into the tunnel as the end was opened and golden rays of light broke up the darkness. He stepped through the opening and into the alley. The doorway swung shut behind him. The figure pulled his hood down. His pale face was framed in dark bluish hair which made the white of his skin stand out. His dark eyes, sharp and quick, where wide with excitement and his cheekbones were flushed. The man, who looked about nineteen, smirked.
Prince Sasuke of the Uchiha family had escaped the palace once again.
Sasuke strolled down the alley and stepped out into the hustle and bustle of the crowded market. People pushed and shouted; sweat drenched skin sticking and slipping. Smells mingled into each other and seemed to cover the whole area like a blanket. The thick damp scent of fruit mixed with that of fish, leather, sweat and breath. Of fabric and dye, of hair and dog. All seemed to thicken and grow, becoming more intense. Everyone was so close.
Rich colours of the fabrics flickered in the slight breeze, casting small areas of shade, and large make-shift canopies spread wide over stalls
Sasuke took a deep breath. It was so unreal, so wild. So much colour, so much smell, so many people. It was all really quite different from the clean, perfumed scent of the empty palace.
He past a large stand filled with apples, bright ruby apples, round and juicy. And stopped.
A man, of a similar age to him, stood before the stand also, a mischievous grin on his tanned face. His blond hair seemed to spill out sunlight rather than reflect it and his blue eyes sparkled and glittered. Three whisker-like scars ran down either side of his cheeks and his teeth shone. The man looked over to see Sasuke gazing at him. His smile widened as he reached forward and grasped two apples. With a wink at Sasuke and a glace at the rather large owner of the stall, who was deep in conversation with the fisherman's wife, the man left.
Sasuke felt his breath quicken, he wanted to see the boy again. He took a step forward to follow him but right at that moment the blond stepped on a particularly long bright pink dress that was hanging above another stall. The dress was ripped off the hanger, causing the canopy to come crashing down on both the exciting blond man and Prince Sasuke. A cloud of dust rose up obscuring the scene for a few moments. Sasuke coughed and got to his feet, removing the dress that was now draped across his shoulders. He looked over at the blond and saw him flat on his face amongst mounds of fabric and bits of canopy frame. The two lip-red apples seemed to stand out most of all.
"You IDIOT! Why don't you look where you're going!" Sasuke cried, flailing his arms in a very un-princelike manner.
The blond stuck out his tongue and yelled back, "Maybe if you didn't follow me, you wouldn't be in this mess. Bastard!"
Sasuke was utterly speechless. No-one had spoken to him like that before, he was a Prince. He was about to retort when,
"WHAT YOU DONE TO MY STALL?!" screamed the dressmaker. Sasuke fumed, never in his life had he been treated with such disrespect. He turned to face the woman but,
"HEY! You didn't pay for those!! You little runt! COME BACK HERE!" The owner of the apple store shouted, obviously just noticing the apples that lay in the blond's hands.
The man looked from the angry dressmaker, who was clenching her fists, to the apple seller, who was approaching rapidly. In one quick, graceful movement, stuffing the apples in his large pockets, he reached over and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. With a great pull, they were both sprinting through the market.
They darted in and out between people, before the blond made a quick turn that led to a ladder. They climbed it taking them up to the roof of a large sandy colour building; the man first, then Sasuke. When he finally reached the top he saw the blond man slumping to the floor of the roof top and looking out to the city. He turned round when Sasuke arrive and grinned.
"That was exciting wasn't it?"
Sasuke scowled, "You're an idiot."
The man's smile formed a frown, "and you've got a stick shoved up your ass bastard."
He then pulled out the apples from his tattered faded trousers and threw one over at Sasuke.
"Here. Come sit."
The brunet looked a little annoyed; he didn't like being bossed around, but sat nevertheless.
The view was wonderful. The city of Konoha stretched out across the horizon, and right at the end, at the highest point, was the Uchiha Palace. He heard the man sigh and glanced over. The wind rustled through his golden hair and licked at his worn out clothes. The man was very attractive, with a slim body and a pretty face.
Sasuke turned back to look out to the Uchiha Palace. The sun was just setting and bright reds and yellows bled across the orange-tinted sky from the grand orb that was just dipping below the horizon.
"Have you ever been to the palace bastard?" the blond man asked
Bastard?
"Yes I have. And please refrain from calling me a bastard." His nose wrinkled in disgust at the word. He was a prince and princes are not called bastard, or at least not to their face.
But the blond man just laughed.
"Ooh! Where did you grow up? All your fancy words. Maybe you spent too much time at that palace and picked up some of their posh words like rafein."
"It's refrain, you moron."
The man looked a little angry.
"Don't call me a moron, bastard," he said, crossing his arms and sticking out the tip of his pink tongue. Sasuke smirked at the man's immaturity.
"Anyway," he continued, "one day I'm going live there because I will be King and protect Konoha."
Sasuke scoffed.
"You can't be King."
The blond stood up furiously,
"You watch. One day I will be!"
"You really are a moron." Sasuke stood up also to face the raving blond. "The King is Uchiha Fugaku. And the next in line is Uchiha Itachi. There's even a second prince if anything happens to Itachi. So unless you plan on murdering King Fugaku, Prince Itachi and his spare (1) then you can forget about becoming king."
Naruto looked a little saddened.
"I always feel sorry from Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke glared, "Why is that?" He didn't want any stupid blond pitying him.
"He's known as the second prince. Itachi's replacement. The spare. He must hate it."
Sasuke was a little shocked. No-one had ever singled him out from the Uchiha family. No-one ever noticed that he was lonely and tired, and hated being considered second best. No-one, except this beautiful blond man before him.
"He's my favorite of the royal family. When I'm King I'm going to make him Head of the Royal Guard so he can protect me."
Sasuke stared. But the blond didn't seem to notice Sasuke's silent surprise and said, "But that's beside the point. I am going to be King!"
Sasuke, over his shock, rolled his eyes.
"Exactly how are you going to do that idiot."
"I'll find the royal crystal and make it turn blue!" Naruto yelled pounding his fist in the air. With a thin eyebrow raised, Sasuke said softly, "What?"
"My mother used to tell me this story, that in the beginning of Konoha no-one could decide who was to be king. There was a fight between the two strongest families resulting in bloodshed and war. So a beautiful witch created a crystal. A crystal that was clear as glass, then handed it to the families. She said that when the crystal turns blue the new king shall be the one holding it. So the crystal was passed round through all the family members and the crystal remained clear. It was discarded and said to be a fake. The witch was making fools out of them they thought. But it wasn't until a servant boy picked the crystal up did it finally turns the purest blue. Of course neither families would accept a poor servant boy as king and so the crystal was hidden away and the Uchiha's were made king."
"And you think that this story is true?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Yes I do."
"But even if there were a crystal, and you do find it, and it does turn blue then what makes you think the people will accept you as king?"
"Because I will fight for it. I know I can do it!" Naruto said angrily. Sasuke had had enough.
"I'm leaving," the brunet spat, and with that he turned and flounced away, leaving the blond fuming on the roof top.
"I will become King!" the man shouted after him, "YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and pulled up his hood. The man was an idiot.
Making his way back to the castle was less exciting than leaving it. He almost wanted to stay on the streets but he knew better.
So instead, he crept down the damp tunnel and up the lush garden until he returned home to the palace.
--
Naruto was furious. Not only had he acted like an idiot in front of a very attractive young man, but that same man had also turned out to be a complete dickhead. He had been about his age, maybe a little older. He had had soft black hair and deep eyes with pale flawless skin to match. He looked like royalty, and spoke like it too. But what was such a prince-like man doing in the market place.
He shook his head violently.
I have to forget him. He's a bastard, brushing off my dream like that. Like it was nothing. What does he know anyways!
Naruto climbed down the ladder and began to stroll home. He lived in a crowded area, much like the market place. But instead of stalls, the area was lined with rows of make-shift houses, some with homemade bricks and cement, others out of boards of wood and corrugated iron. Each shack was divided by bumpy dirt tracks which were filled with people and carts.
"Hey Naruto!" cried a familiar voice, when he reached the rows of houses.
He turned and came face to face with Chouji and Shikamaru.
"Where you been?"
Naruto shrugged, "No-where really…"
Shikamaru looked a little uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?"
"You're are always talking about wanting to be king." He said, Naruto nodded.
"Well, "he continued, "Chouji's dad got a job in the palace as a chef and so he's moving. He's going to live in the Uchiha palace and work as a chef along with his father."
"Wow! Chouji that's fantastic!" Chouji was smiling at Naruto and nodding enthusiastically.
"Yeah, yeah, it's all wonderful," Shikamaru said in a bored tone, "but, then my father decided that he wants me to be part of the Guard. He says I have brains for strategy, that's useful and whatever. So he has signed me up for the army."
Naruto heart fell, "So you're both leaving?" He said softly.
"Yes, but you're coming with me." Chouji said.
Naruto stared in shock.
"Chouji's dad mentioned you to a few people and apparently the spare prince needs a new man servant. He keeps escaping and doesn't seem happy. His mother is worried. So she wants to get him a friend."
Naruto scoffed, "You can't hire friends."
Shikamaru ignored him and continued, "So Chouji's dad has told loads of people that you would be perfect, great at making friends and all that. And now you've been hired. You gotta be at the palace tomorrow morning."
"I'm going to work for Prince Sasuke, in the Uchiha Palace?"
"Yes" Chouji and Shikamaru said simultaneously.
Naruto punched the air and yelled excitedly.
Working in the palace was one step closer to becoming king.
--
Naruto stood outside the palace gates with his suitcase of his belongings. They were huge and sparkling white.
With a nervous intake of breath he reached forward and pulled the huge bell that hung at one side of the gate.
A small, letterbox sized flap pulled open.
"Yes?" came low wheezing voice.
Naruto shifted slightly, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm here for the servant job. I'm supposed to ask for Umino Iruka-"
"Well then hurry up and ask for him. I haven't got all day." The man interrupted.
"Urm…alright…can I please see Umino Iruka…please?"
Naruto saw the man roll his eyes and heard him sigh.
"I'll have to go and get him."
There was a long pause as Naruto and the man stared at each other. The guard didn't seem to want to help him.
Then the guard let out a long sigh and said, "Wait here."
The letterbox flap closed and Naruto was left standing alone outside the gates.
A short while later the flap opened again.
"Yes?"
Naruto huffed.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm here for the servant job." He said, a little bolder than last time. This was getting annoying.
"Ah, Naruto," said the different voice.
The gates began to pull open, revealing the beautiful palace with its wonderful garden. Naruto gasped. This place was amazing.
"Just wait till you see inside."
The man, Umino Iruka, had a kind face, with a thin scar running across the bridge of his nose. He had tanned skin and soft chocolate eyes. And his long brown hair was pulled into a pony tail at the back of his head.
"I'm Umino Iruka. Welcome to the Uchiha Palace. You must be Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto nodded and shook his hand.
"Right, come with me and I'll show you around. We need to get you cleaned up and changed out of those clothes before you met Prince Sasuke…"
The blond frowned and looked down,
"What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Well, they're a little scruffy. You need to be neat to work in the palace."
Of course Iruka was right, his clothes were in poor condition. They were a faded orange and had a number of rips and patches. But still, Naruto had spent ages yesterday patching them up so he would look good today and was a little offended when Iruka wanted him to change.
But the brunet was already strolling ahead.
"If you stand there day-dreaming you'll be left behind and get lost."
Naruto shook himself out of his thoughts and ran ahead to catch up with the man.
--
The house was magnificent. Large paintings and huge beautiful tapestries hung from the walls. Long elegant carpets stretched across the sparkling floors. Everything was so clean and perfect…and silent. A few servants bustled this way and that down the corridors carrying various sheets and mops, but Naruto barely heard a sound save Iruka's ramblings.
"Right," Iruka said finally, "here's where the tour ends. I trust you'll be able to explore the palace more with Prince Sasuke but for now we'll leave it at that."
Naruto smiled brightly.
"You weren't really listening were you Naruto?"
"Nope." Naruto said happily.
Iruka sighed, "Anyways, this is Prince Sasuke's room; your room is attached to his. We'll get you some clothes to change into before you meet him."
Naruto nodded and they walked inside.
The room was elegant. The walls were pure white and the floor a soft beige. Large wide windows ran along the walls letting streams of bright light pour into the room. There was a large oak closet on one side and a desk on the other. In the center of the huge room sat a king-sized bed, plush and comfortable with silky covers of the deepest blue. The room was simple, and tidy. But standing there, Naruto couldn't help but feel it must be strangely lonely living in this big white room. Iruka strolled through the room to a wooden door on the far wall. He pulled it open and allowed Naruto to step through it.
Naruto's room was far less beautiful. There was one little window above his small, hard bed and the floor was a dark wood. The bed had been pushed against one wall and opposite it sat a short closet. A light hung from the ceiling and emitted a dim yellow glow about the room.
"Here's your room Naruto. There are clothes in the closet for you. I'll leave you now to get dressed. When you are finished come down to the kitchens and I'll take you to Prince Sasuke."
"Thanks Iruka." Naruto beamed. The man smiled softly and left. Sasuke will not be happy to find out his mother has hired him a 'friend'.
Naruto opened the closet. The clothes were plain, mostly black. He sighed as he began to pull off his own clothes, discarding them in a small pile near his suitcase. He was just pulling on plain black trousers when he heard the door to Sasuke's bedroom open. He looked out as the Prince looked up, to see a half naked blond man in his room.
"YOU?!" Naruto shouted.
"YOU?!" Sasuke yelled back.
--
(1) a spare is a term used to talk about a second prince. A spare prince.
And that's the beginning chapter. If you liked it please review :)