A.N. – I'm an English native-speaker, who knows no Japanese, writing a fanfic in my language. I'm not going to disrespect that language by trying to fake it. So, unless it is necessary, I won't use any. Thoughts, when not a simple part of the point-of-view will be in italics; including Kyuubi – since the only way the 'talks' is via thought. His, however, will be bold as well as italicized, to differentiate between his thoughts and Naruto's thoughts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. I'm just envious of that.

Prologue

"Wh-what?" Panic and shock distorted the normally effervescent face, twisting deep furrows into his forehead and disturbing his protector. Light flashed, reflecting haphazardly off the surface as it shifted, moved by conflicting emotions.

Sighing, Tsunade leaned forward, arms resting on her desk. "Look, brat" Naruto squawked at the nickname, but was ignored; "this isn't my first choice either. But, the Council isn't taking him back unless he marries."

"But, Sakura –"

"No, he won't marry a woman. Any woman."

"Waa?"

"He'd choose death first, he's said so himself, more than once. And you don't want him to die. Out of all the people in the village, and right now I'm including Sasuke himself – you want him to live the most. That's why I'm asking you this – marry Sasuke, and give up your chance of ever finding love and a forming a family of your own so he can live and be accepted back into the village, or refuse, and watch him be executed as a missing-nin." She paused, knowing it was cruel, what she was asking, crueler still, to put the choice to him as she did, but also knowing there really was no other options. The council had made its wishes quite clear on the subject of Sasuke Uchiha.

She also knew exactly why Sasuke refused; and after three months with Ibiki, truth serums, and her research (she stubbornly refused to acknowledge how much was actually done by Shizune and Kakashi) she was finally about to believe everything that Sasuke had shown her and the ANBU interrogators. She was still surprised that Sasuke had found a way to turn his tsukiyoni into a projection the entire room could see, but then again, he always ways labeled a genius and had far more surprising applications of his various jutsus than this.

Sasuke had been raped. Worse than that, it had happened more than once; and had started when he was only six years old – long before his clan had been killed. The most disgusting information she had found, though, even Sasuke himself did not know, nor could he, if she had any say in the matter… there was a very, very real chance that if Sasuke had never been touched, none of any of it would have ever even happened.

He was already broken, and nowhere near sane. That information he could never handle; the guilt would destroy any chance of returning the young man to any sort of sanity and kill any hopes of him having any happiness in his life. Silently, she cursed Danzo to a thousand hells, and had the young Uchiha currently in a cell below her not already done it; she knew she would kill him herself. Shisui had been investigating Itachi for the clan; his notes had proved Madara's claims of a clan revolt, irrevocably.

It was his diary, though, coded and locked by chakra to prevent village, and his own, secrets from getting out, that had been the final piece of evidence as to why… Danzo had ordered the village police office, which was investigating the assaults on Sasuke to close the case. And, in perhaps the worst failing of any Hokage in the history of the village, Sarutobi agreed and supported the decision. The Uchiha clan began to revolt against the rule of the council and current Hokage for truly justified reasons – the protection of innocent children, or more specifically, a child, Sasuke.

It was ironic; really, that the child that caused all of it to occur was completely unaware. Almost as ironic as the fact that his life, the one that inadvertently cost every other member of this clan their lives, was the one life Itachi could not let go. His was the one life he was willing to beg Danzo permission to save. Ironic, as the man giving that permission set in motion that destruction with his unwillingness to save that same child earlier. It was all very ironic, and oh so bitterly, poetically vile.

It was bad enough that it actually prompted Tsunade to give up alcohol.

Voluntarily.

Which, sitting here now, discussing the worst choices she could ever offer to the young man she loved like her own child, she was really regretting.

"But, why, Granny? Why did the council order such a thing? And, why would Sasuke chose death over marrying a girl, but not marrying a guy? I mean, I know Kakashi probably…. Oh, God, he's not like Kakashi, is he?" His eyes widened in sudden apprehension, and stuttering, "Nnot that there's anything wrong with that! ,,Um, I mean, um,,, we accepted Kakashi, ya know? And, um,"

Tsunade felt honor bound to interrupt at this point, before the poor boy dug himself any further. "The council wanted to bind Sasuke to the village so he would not leave again, and so he would not attempt to destroy it. They felt that if he had familial ties he would feel bound to protect those at least, seeing as how those bonds were the ones that had dictated the majority of his emotions and decisions over his rather violent life. As to whether he is like Kakashi or not, I honestly do not know. I do know nothing in that regard would be expected of you – I believe everyone is aware of where your attractions lie. Which reminds me – I've been recently given another complaint about spying on the women's baths. Quit teaching Konohamaru your bad habits!" This was accompanied by a fierce glare, and thump on the table.

"Ehh..hehe.." Naruto had the grace to look embarrassed, and ran his fingers through the back of his hair, the nervous gesture both familiar and calming to them both. Turning unexpectedly serious, he looked straight at the woman he had learned to love and respect, not that he'd ever admit to that, even in his own mind, as not only a leader, but as a mother-figure. "But, Granny, if he isn't, and you know I'm not, then why? I don't understand, doesn't he want to rebuild his clan? He can't do that if he's dead or if he's with a man, so why can't he accept a woman if he isn't gay?"

Damn. She had hoped she could get away without telling him this, she really had. And, if this had been the younger Naruto, the one from before saving the world more than once, before seeing so many loved ones die, well, maybe she would have. Before he'd been forced to mature, he'd had a short enough attention span the change of topic would have worked. He was still the same man, even if he had grown, though, and sometimes, the same tricks still worked. Of course, it was her cursed luck that the one time it really, really would be for the best if he could be distracted, he wasn't. And she'd been sober for three days now, so her temper and her head weren't their best, either. Stupid cursed luck.

Sighing deeply, and turning away, she very softly said, "He wouldn't want you to know this, Naruto. He only told me because he had no choice. But, with what I'm asking of you, maybe you should know. And maybe it will help you chose… but, I don't want you to decide solely off of this, nor should you pity him. Promise me that first, okay Naruto?"

She turned away from the windows, and once again looked into startling blue eyes, wishing there was an alternative, any alternative. "I, I promise, Granny."

Wincing at the disrespectful, though familiar and loving, term, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Willing herself strength to say what she had to, and silently swearing to prevent from saying what she did not absolutely have to, she opened her eyes again slowly, and with tension stiffening her posture, she spoke. "Sasuke was raped."

"What? Who would – was it when he was with Orochimaru? Damn that snake bastard! How could he have allowed such a thing?" His temper tantrum, while normal, was the one thing Tsunade could not let run rampant right now, otherwise she'd never get through this.

"No, he had nothing to do with it. It was here, women, some civilian and some shinobi, from here, in our village. That's why he cannot trust women, though before he left, I think Sakura might have been changing that opinion, she might have been the only woman since his mother's death Sasuke could trust. However, she destroyed any trust he might have had in her in their last battle. She came up to him weakened from his fight with Danzo, told him she loved him, and tried to put a kunai in his back. That, while admirable for a shinobi, is not exactly a good example of trust earning behavior for future romances."

Naruto was uncharacteristically silent. He, of course, remembered that day, and had his own issues with Sakura over her behavior. He had forgiven her, though; he understood. He saw how that would prevent Sasuke from trusting her again, though; and, again, he understood. He knew she wouldn't, and she would never accept that she had ruined her own chances with the darker haired man. But, the thing he really had a problem with understanding was how a shinobi of Sasuke's talents had been assaulted. Shouldn't he have been capable of fighting off almost any attacker, especially civilian ones? And, he had left at 13, how old was he when he'd been…. Oh, God…. How old?

"Tsunade," his voice was soft and oh, so very sad, "when was he raped?"

"He was 6 the first time. The official records of his assaults ended when the massacre occurred, but I believe that had the village police forced duties not been taken over by the shinobi, there would be a great deal more of them. I suspect it was still happening when he left."

The silence was deafening. Naruto desperately wanted to talk to someone about this, Iruka or Kakashi, and ask how he should handle this. He wanted to scream it wasn't true; bawling his disbelief to the heavens. He wanted to hit Sasuke for never telling him, for making it, yet again, impossible for him to save his friend. He wanted to curse Sakura for blowing her shot in such a spectacular way, and for damaging further the already destroyed man's soul. He wanted to comfort Sasuke, and he did not know how. And, with a wrath burning deep in his soul, like he not felt since standing before that fateful waterfall, he wanted very, very much to let Kyuubi loose on all the women who had dared to harm the once proud man. He wanted to be comforted, to cry, and let loose all his conflicting and confusing emotions and thoughts, all the things he could not, did not accept or understand. He wanted so, so much… and could none of it, because he had promised not to speak a word.

"Can I see him?" It was hesitant, that soft voice.

It hurt so much to deny it. "No. Until either the ceremony or his execution, he must remain in his cell, and only I and the ANBU may enter."

"I see. How long do I have to decide?" How long until he dies, or I have to sacrifice my life for him, was left unsaid.

"A week. That was all the council was willing to give." The old buzzards would not give on even that point, saying anything longer was offering the traitor unnecessary mercy, which they felt they had already given him mercy enough. She had used up her last favors available to use on him when she made them allow for a male spouse rather than execute him when he refuse a female one – even when she presented her proof as to his reason why. Too used to the same tactics and casual cruelties Danzo had so often employed, mercy was not something they well understood. Times were changing, and Tsunade prayed fervently the council would learn, but this time, they had failed her.

"I see." He nodded with a politeness and formality that was deeply contradictory to his nature, then turned and left without saying so much as one single word more.

There really was not right choice now, only desperate, hopeless options. That meant Tsunade couldn't hope her made the right choice; she settled for hoping this did not ruin the bright soul she loved and that whatever choice he made did not kill him. She knew that should he choose to let Sasuke die; the guilt could do just that. She also knew, living without love and hope as long as he had, and with the Uchiha unable to give anything Naruto might need, the hopelessness and despair in his future could also kill him. God, she needed a drink.