Rye: Hello everyone! And welcome to The Priest and the Demon King!
Hitoko: HI!
Rye: HITO! -hugs- This is my lovely partner in crime!
Hitoko: Ohhh, stop!
Sui: Yo, get a move on!-kicks both in the butt-
Both: OW! JERK!

Disclaimer: We own nothing!

Warning: Um let's see here... Yaoi, craziness, OOCness, violence, language, perverts and Rye's sleep deprived brain combined with Hitoko's sick little mind...

Chapter One: The symbol of Peace.

He sat inside of one of the many wagons heading to Suna, where the King of Wind lived. He looked up at the four men hired to protect him and the man-servant that the king provided him as a caretaker. The four men wore masks carved to look like badgers and wore protective gear round their torsos, arms and legs.

The man-servant was dressed in a simple white tunic and pants. He also wore shoes that kept the sand out and they helped him walk across it with ease as well. The man was sitting against the wall next to him, but he sat on the hard wooden floors while he was allowed to sit on a large pillow that doubled as a bed for him.

"Um… how much further do we have?" he asked nervously.

He was the bearer from his country, Fire, and he was to bring to the king of Wind, a dragon's egg from their nursery. He was a priest who worked in the Dragon nursery looking after and caring for the eggs and hatchlings. He was to live in Suna until the egg hatched and matured into a fine adult loyal to the King of Wind and that took up to five or six years depending on the hatching and nurturing.

"We are still three days away. We'll be stopping at an oasis for the evening and in the morning we'll set out once more." Said one of the masked men; looking out into the distance, and keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble. He sighed and moved the clock to the side and turned the watermelon sized egg in his lap. He smiled at it and ran his fingers over the designs on the egg.

This little egg was a rare breed; the markings on the egg indicated the dragon's height, weight, eye color, scale color, wing span, and its rank. The shell itself was a deep blue, almost black color so the dragon was going to be either blue or white, and its eyes would be gold. He knew that much from the size of the egg. This dragon was a Nine on the dragon scale and it would have one of two forms, the medieval dragon or the Chinese dragon.

"Cover the egg, child! Don't let the enemy see it!" Snapped one of the guards as he noticed that he was looking it over.

He quickly pulled his cloak back over the egg and sighed. He was going to go crazy with these guards. Every little thing he did seemed to upset them. If he changed position, they tell him to sit back in the original one, forgetting that his legs were needed for him move around once they stopped. If he took off his hood, they make him put it back on and just now if he takes out the egg to study the markings, they snap at him to hide it quickly. They were traveling with a band of nomads for heaven's sake; no one would notice the egg from inside the thickly covered wagon.

He grew tired and he was trying to sit still, but soon he slumped over in the heat and the guards freaked out. The man-servant told them to get out of the wagon so he could clean and change the bearer's clothes since they treated the poor child like a convict instead of a liaison from Fire.

Once he had privacy, having drawn the thick white curtains, he quickly undressed the boy and handed the soaked cloths to the guards, who were now running in back of the wagon, and took a pot of water and a wash cloth, he began cleaning the boy and then dried him off before pulling out from his bags a white gown-like material and dressed him in it. He took out a cloak next, but left it folded next to the boy. Once he was done he drew the curtains open and the guards climbed back in…

He woke later that day just as they reached the oasis and he looked about to see that the guards were still there, but silent, one cleared his throat and apologized, the others soon after him feeling guilty to have caused him to collapse like that. He assured them that they were forgiven and reminded them that he was not use to such extreme temperatures or such long means of travel. They nodded and three left to go set up his tent and secure an area for him to bath later…

He sighed as he sat on his cot, the egg safely resting in a basket that the man-servant had provided him with. He smiled at the small twitch it gave, the baby was restless that much he knew, but soon he'd be in the palace in the Nursery and Garden for the king's dragon.

"I know little one, I know… you are anxious to reach the palace before you end up a hard boiled egg…" he laughed a little.

He was young, very young, but his family has raised dragons for years. Many were confused that there was a special set of priests and priestesses that cared for and raised dragons. He was considered the highest rank of priest in the castle since he was in charge of the dragons. He wore robes of the finest white silk that hugged his figure in a gentle embrace and wore a thin wire crown with a fiery topaz in the center to indicate his rank as well as what he cares for. Fiery topazes were symbols of a dragon's fire.

"Young master… are you decent?" asked the man-servant as he peeked into the tent.

"Yes, I am… Please call me Naruto." He smiled shyly at the man as he brought in a tray of food for his young charge.

"As you wish… I am Iruka Umino. Forgive me for not speaking earlier; the guards can be rather… how should I say this? Um…strict?" He was hoping that would sum it up for Naruto without the use of vulgar words and the blonde nodded his head in understanding.

"Yes I gathered that when they were scolding me… Forgive me for passing out. I am not use to such travels or such harsh conditions… Growing up in a castle and never leaving it tends to do that to a person. I hope I wasn't a bother." Naruto said as he sat at the small table he was provided with. Next to the chief's tent his was the second largest, but all he really needed was a place to put the egg and a place to sleep.

Iruka nodded his understanding. He was a gardener in his king's palace and was use to such harsh weather. He smiled and served the boy his dinner, surprised when he asked him to join him. They sat down and began talking, getting to know one another since they were going to be together for the next few years or so…

~Later that night~

Naruto shot up in bed, he could sense something was watching him and it was not a very pleasant feeling, in fact it felt dangerous. He slowly stood from his cot and grabbed the egg from the basket, holding it tight to his chest. It twitched and he cooed it softly as he searched every inch of his tent. Seeing that nothing was there he went back to his cot and set the egg on the bed with him, curling up around it as he drifted back to sleep.

A few minutes passed and whatever was there finally came out of hiding and walked over to the boy on the cot. They had been eying that egg since they first picked up the boy and now that they weren't being watched like hawks he could see that even this so called bearer was a cute kid, most likely sell for a few pretty pennies.

They stepped up to the cot, being careful not to awaken the child, but the doors to the tent suddenly flapped open and the chief, man-servant and the other three guards were all standing there. The boy jerked awake and gasped, pulling the egg tightly to his chest.

"What's going on!" He cried out. He should've stayed in the palace and let one of the others go in his place, but no he insisted on going since the others might have panicked because of the climate change and end up killing the egg, if not themselves.

"Are you hurt, young master!" Iruka asked, he used the titles when around others and called Naruto by name in private. Naruto nodded, though he was still worried about what was going on.

"You foul snake! You're the one stealing the goods and hawking them off to those black market dealers!" The chief cried seeing that the man had a sack full of goods on his back and another one to fit a human body in it.

Naruto rolled off the bed and ran to Iruka as he stood protectively in front of the boy.

"Chief Teuchi, we are terribly sorry… what shall be done with this one?" Asked the leader of the guards as the other two arrested and bound their former colleague.

"I will let the King decide his fate, but for every item stolen he'll lose a finger and from there the rest of his arm and if that's not enough his other arm and eventually his legs. If he can't pay back his debt then his head will be a fine prize to compensate for my missing wares." The chief told him, a firm believer in the old traditions of the sands. A thief who is caught will have a finger cut off for every item stolen. It was harsh but it got the point across.

"And what about the fact he was attempting abduction of someone that the king of Konoha entrusted in your care?"

"Abduction regardless if this is a favor or not isn't tolerated. His head will be on my dinner table and his corpse will be buzzard droppings." He said darkly glaring at the terrified man. He knew that their king would allow this man to punish him as he saw fit. The boy looked horrified, but said nothing as he held the egg tightly.

"Take him away!" The leader of the guards said and then turned to Naruto and said, "It is best that you sleep in the chief's harem tent to night. Those women are like mother cats, they will defend you with their lives. You will travel with them and sleep with them until we've reached the city and the palace. Please forgive us."

Naruto nodded and they walked him over to the chief's tent. He had a small section for himself and the rest was for his harem towards the back. Naruto blushed at the woman scantily clad in skirts and tops, their gossamer braziers glimmered in the dull lights of the lanterns.

"Young Priest, this is my daughter, Ayame, she will take care of you until we arrive in the city… Ayame; nothing is to happen to this boy nor this egg or their majesties Gaara-sama and Danzo-sama will have our heads." She nodded and looked to the harem girls who also nodded their heads to their chief's orders.

"Alright, I am returning to my bed. Iruka, you may stay here for the night and if you wish you may have the company of any of the girls."

"Thank you, sire, but I must decline the offer; I will simply take a cot and sleep near the front." Iruka said, a blush staining his cheeks as the women all giggled at how cute he looked.

After everyone and everything had settled down, Naruto sat amidst girls blushing as they cooed over how cute he looked, petting his golden hair and admiring his vibrant blue eyes as well as the six scars he had on his cheeks. They had stripped him out of his night clothes and washed him, poking fun at his little tool saying that it suited his little body perfectly, but he was still blushing brightly. They noticed a birthmark on his belly and tickled him.

Eventually they dried him off and dressed him chatting about how silky smooth his skin was and how cute he was. Some even spoke about how much men would pay to have him as their pet or lover. He was beet red from this and Ayame stepped in and told them to be silent about such things, that the king's men, his spies will report everything they say to him and if he senses that they mean any harm to the child they will meet a fate similar to the thief's.

Naruto thanked her, and she smiled before she asked him about the egg he was cuddling.

"Oh, this is the gift I am bringing to his majesty, Sabaku-sama… Danzo-sama said that I must present this egg to him, this will be solid proof of the peace treaty between Fire and Wind. I will be living in Suna for a few years until the baby's matured into a fine adult and is loyal to his majesty. But his majesty already knows that the baby's first loyalty will always be to me for I am the one who's going to be mostly raising them."

"Ah, so this melon's a gift to the king?" one girl asked pointing at it since Ayame smacked her hand when she tried to touch it.

"This is not a melon, my lady. This is a dragon's egg."

"A dragon! I've never seen one before! They live only in Fire!" One girl pointed out, they were all ecstatic about seeing a real dragon's egg.

"Hai… this little guy's going to be the first Dragon in Suna and after he matures, I will return home and in a year or two I will return with a mate for him and they will breed more dragons. I will also be teaching a few of the priests how to care for a dragon so that way I will no longer be needed here. I do have a nursery back home that I must tend to."

They all nodded and asked him about dragons he was happy to tell them and they kept him up most of the night like that…

~Three Days Later~

The three days flew by with no other incidents. The girls had taken very good care of Naruto, although they kept poking fun at him for his small size. They had bathed him in their finest oils and combed his hair until it was so silky it looked like liquid gold.

They even dressed him in their finest white silk; they modeled the robes after his own and gave it a silver hemming and silver designs of moons, flowers and their images best dragons. They put his cloak over him and a basket lined with very soft cotton sheets and a plushy pillow cushioned the egg as they neared the city.

The three remaining guards took Naruto and Iruka back to his personal wagon which the girls had made more comfortable for them to travel in. It was about mid-day when they finally arrived at the palace. The guards were all lined up and waiting. The three guards got out and helped the servant first and he took the basket with the egg as they then helped out the bearer.

Everyone walked into the palace; the chief was alongside Naruto as his people presented gifts to the king and then stepped off to the side. Naruto looked up at his guards who were holding their former comrade in shackles and at sword point.

"Greetings, your majesty… I am terribly sorry to ruin such a joyous occasion, but it seems that you have thieves among your guards. This one has stolen many wares and hawked them off, but his greed led him to attempt to steal not only the gift that was to be present to you, your majesty, but also the bearer." Teuchi said indicating Naruto who was holding onto a hand carved box.

Naruto blushed seeing the king, he was very young and handsome as well. He had been expecting an older man and definitely not this handsome. He bowed as the king stood; Iruka who stood behind him dropped to his knees and held the basket above his head. The king, Gaara, walked down the stairs and stood before his guards.

"Teuchi-san, you are a very good friend of mine. But I must ask what it is that's to be his punishment?"

"Your majesty, for stealing: a finger for every item stolen is to be cut off from the left hand and up the arm before continuing on the other hand. Most learn after the third finger, but this one will be missing both arms and legs by the time I'm even half way done with him. But for attempted abduction: His head will be on my dinner table and his corpse will be buzzard droppings by noon." Teuchi said as he looked for the king's approval.

"Then do as you please, make sure that this lesson is well learned by everyone… Take him away." The chief bowed and then smiled at Naruto and gently pushed him forward.

"From King Danzo of Konoha, I'd like to present to his majesty, The Priest in-charge of the Dragons of Konoha." He stepped to the side as Naruto bowed deeply and then held out the box to the man.

"This is a gift from my clan, a bracelet and a matching collar for the baby. It will keep you both magically connected." Naruto said opening the box to show him the items.

"Thank you… You must be tired and hungry, Iruka, please take our guest to his private chambers and please tend to his needs." Iruka stood and nodded, asking Naruto to follow him, they left.

"He's a handsome young man… how old is he?"

"Seventeen sire… He's Naruto Uzumaki. A delicate young man and easily frightened as well. The girls were poking fun at him and he was rather red, I say the blush even reached his toes." Teuchi said once Naruto was out of sight.

"So young and he was permitted to travel this far without a guardian?"

"Yes, he's the only one aside from his aunt and uncle who knows how to care for dragons. He offered to come and is willing to stay. Is his majesty interested in-?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I have my lovely queen. I asked for this gift for him." Gaara said softly, looking up at the upper balcony where he knew his wife was watching. "Now come, we need to speak in private…"

~With Naruto and Iruka~

Iruka was showing Naruto about his private chambers, he had his bedroom, the bathroom, an indoor and outdoor garden, a nursery for the dragon and a chapel. Paintings, statues and stained glass windows depicting the God of Dragons and many others decorated this Holy place, making Naruto feel at home.

"My room is down the hall from yours and there's a pull rope that will call any of the castle staff to aid you…" Iruka said indicating the long golden ropes.

"Thank you… I'd best get the little one into the nursery. He'd been twitching a lot lately. If I'm correct within the next few days he'll hatch." Naruto said, he always treated the dragons he raised as if they were his babies. Iruka gently caressed the egg and smiled feeling it shift under his hand, this caused a smile to come to his face.

Naruto walked with Iruka back to the nursery. It was a large spacious room that could house five adult dragons so there was plenty of space to train the baby. The ground was made of sand and plants, making it soft and comfy to sit or lay on and he saw a large fountain like pool of water to bath and let the baby swim in.

"Okay, first let's set up your bedding… if you are anything like Lily, you'd prefer a large throw pillow." He set the egg in the sand and got a pillow before setting it up under a tree that was growing in the corner of the room; the ceiling was made of glass and let light into the room. He made sure that the plants were set up to provide shade and comfort for the baby.

"You know what you are doing young man." Naruto jumped at the sudden voice and gasped seeing a young man decked out in a blue robe-like dress holding the egg gently in his arms.

"Excuse me, but who are you and how did you get in here?"

"Forgive me. I am Neji, Gaara's wife." The man said and Naruto gasped and bowed as did Iruka. Iruka blushed at the fact he had never met his king's queen until this moment. "Please, stand, there's no need for you to kneel… Ohh, this one; it twitching."

"Ah! Little one settle down! I'm fine, there's no need to rush… shh…" He had taken the egg and soothed it. It was a rather strange sight to see a human talk like this to an egg as if talking to an actual baby.

"They can hear us from inside the egg and sense what's around them. He thought I was in danger and began to claw his way out, but now that he knows I am fine, he's settled down. The shell's not soft enough for him to crawl out of it yet, but soon he'll be here…" Naruto said as he set the egg in the corner and put a thick blanket on it to keep it warm.

"Ah, there you are, Neji. I was coming to get you to let you know that the bearer was here."

"Yes, I was just learning about soothing the baby. Oh, I never learned your name!" Neji gasped realizing his mistake.

"Oh! I am Naruto Uzumaki! I am the priest who'll raise the little one… I believe in about three more days he'll finally be able to crawl out. Ah, listen." They all blinked and listened and they heard it. The soft thunk-thunk sound of something tapping. Naruto smiled and knocked on the stone wall twice, the dragon doing the same again.

"What was it doing?" Iruka asked, fascinated by the blonde's technique with the egg.

"He's testing the shell, wanting to see if it will crack. When you hear him tapping, you tap back, and he'll do it again before settling down or playing a game. He'll tap and you'll tap back. His mother was like that when my father raised her. She liked to sing and I take it this little one like's music as well."

"Oh, so he's playing right now?" Gaara asked as they heard three taps and in turn he tapped three times.

"Yes, he's playing. Most likely bored from all the waiting." Gaara nodded, finding this amusing as he continued to play with the dragon, which seemed to like playing with him as well. Neji laughed into his hand as his husband messed up the beat and the dragon stopped.

"Oh dear, I guess he's not pleased with me… Well, I came to ask if you were hungry and if you wished to join us downstairs for lunch. Oh and Neji, Temari and Kankuro are looking for you."

"Ah, they finished their lessons? Well I'd best get them ready for lunch then. And to let you know, Naruto-kun, I am a Sand Panther from the Hyuuga clan."

"A Sand Panther? So you're a demon?" Neji gave a slight smile and Gaara wrapped his arm around his wife. He kissed Neji's temple and led them down to where they would have lunch.

Naruto felt great after lunch. He felt that Gaara and his family would be perfect for loving the baby. He returned to the nursery with a smile. The egg started to twitch, feeling it's mommy's presence. Naruto picked the egg up and looked out the great window.

There was a man standing under the shaded part of the window. He got closer to take a better look but the man turned on his heel and walked the opposite direction. He shrugged it off as the baby started to tap against its shell...

~Sometime later~

Iruka interrupted their game to invite Naruto on a tour of the city, since he would be living there. The blonde agreed and said his goodbyes to the baby before heading out with his new companion. The city was about the same size as Konoha but the culture was so different. Since everyone had to adapt to all the sand, every shop had a curtain draped in front of it; in case of a sand storm.

But the weather today was calm and so the curtains were up, showing all of the venders fine wears and items of value. Iruka had them stop in a small tea shop. They were two of the three visitors at the moment. The other man sat on the opposite side of the shop with a large hood covering his face. Every once in a while he saw the man sneaking glances at the them. Naruto blushed slightly. He was never used to this much attention.

"So what do you think of our king?" Iruka asked taking a sip of his tea.

"He's a very kind man and I also like his wife and their children very much. All of them are so willing to share what they have and include me. Nothing like our king Danzo."

"I've heard many rumors of your king's cruelty. I heard he kicked out all of the demons, but left only the dragons there since they could be trained and sold."

"That is very true. It has been said that the demons, that were kicked out, banded together under a new king... But to tell the truth, I was so taken back by Neji being a demon. I've never really met that many. But the demons I have met have all been very kind. I don't understand why they were banished from Konoha."

Iruka shrugged and finished off his tea. He paid for the tea and then they left contently engaged in conversation...

~Meanwhile~

Sasuke smirked to himself a little before he removed his hood. A silver haired man came up to the table and took a seat.

"Kakashi have the plans been finalized yet?"

"Patience is a virtue my king. But to give you a rough estimate of time, I would say we'll be ready in two days."

"My presence here started to make ripples, people notice that I'm not a Sand Panther. Also the egg bearer has seen me standing outside the window of the palace. I'm becoming more and more suspicious by the moment."

"Two days won't kill you, Sasuke, and try to lighten up. Might as well enjoy your stay here." Kakashi said getting up from the table. He waved his goodbye to Sasuke, who still sat there, contemplating his next move...

~Back at the Castle~

Naruto headed for the nursery and found Neji sitting on the ground, tapping on the baby's shell. The boy didn't have the heart to interrupt such a precious moment. He could easily check on the baby in the morning. He entered his room and flopped onto the bed. He let out a large sigh before rolling onto his back. The ceiling was a dark blue, like the night sky and for some reason that comforted him. His eyes lids became droopy and then he just shut them...