Realization sets in
Sasuke stared after the blond, his hands curled into tight fists. It had been a mistake, joining Naruto at supper. Never before had he spent time with the men and women he brought here. He used them as long as it was safe, then he paid them handsomely and sent them away. Far away, with a warning never to return. He had never watched any of the others so avidly while they slept, or burned with such longing for the touch of their flesh.
But Naruto... The blond drew him in ways he didn't understand. He was no different from the others. All had been young. All had been beautiful. Though none had been quite so young, or quite so beautiful, as Naruto. All had been born in poverty and ignorance. But none had expressed such an eagerness to learn.
He should send the boy away now, before it was too late.
But he knew he would not.
Releasing a deep breath, he reached for the wineglass on the table. He stared at the deep red liquid for a long moment, suddenly sickened by the blood and wine concoction that had sustained him for four hundred years. With an oath, he hurled the goblet into the fireplace and stalked out of the room.
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Naruto sat back on his heels, an immense feeling of satisfaction warming him as he surveyed his handiwork. It had taken hours and hours of hard work, but the castle gardens bloomed with colour. Months ago, there had been nothing out here but barren ground and a few scraggly weeds. Now, there were flowers of all kinds and colours, lacy ferns and shrubs.
At home, Naruto had spent long hours labouring in the vegetable patch, hoeing, weeding, nurturing the tender plants that fed the household. There had been no time or space to waste on flowers.
Rising up, he pressed a hand to his lower back, closing his eyes, basking in the sun's warmth, in the heady fragrance that rose all around him. This had been a labour of love. He had planted vegetables, too, but only the ones he liked.
Wiping the sweat from his brow with a cloth, he walked along the narrow dirt path that wove in and out of the flower beds. In addition to flowers, Naruto had planted fruit trees, thinking they would add not only beauty for the eye and shade from the sun, but a bountiful harvest.
When he reached the end of the garden, he stared at the maze that rose up near the castle's outer wall. The hedges that formed the maze were the only thing in the garden that had not needed care. Naruto had wandered to the edge of the maze several times, but had never found the courage to go inside. There was something ominous about the place, though he couldn't say what.
Perhaps it was a fear, however irrational, of being lost in it.
With a sigh, he sank down on one of the marble benches that were scattered through the garden. It had been three months since the night Sasuke had joined him in the dining room.
Why had Sasuke joined him that night? Why hadn't he joined Naruto again?
Naruto had been at the castle for almost six months now. Anything he desired was his for the asking. He had all the clothes he would ever need. He had become an avid reader and had discovered he had a talent for playing the piano, and for painting. In truth, Naruto had everything he had ever wanted—everything except someone to share it with.
When he was bored, Iruka drove him to the marketplace in the next town for a day of shopping and then, like a silent shadow, Iruka followed him wherever he went. It would have been fun, buying whatever caught his eye, taking lunch at one of the inns, if it hadn't been for the boldly curious stares people sent in his direction. Save the shopkeepers, no one spoke to him, though all who saw him nodded politely. It amazed Naruto that gossip from his small village had spread to the next town, that everyone he met seemed to know he was living in Castle Uchiha. Sometimes he heard Sasuke's name mentioned, always in hushed whispers, always followed by the sign to ward off evil. It gave Naruto a sad, lonely feeling.
Once, he had asked Iruka if he might invite Chiyo and the other children to the castle. Iruka had replied, "No, young master, you may not," in such a way that Naruto had never asked again.
Occasionally, he wondered if Iruka might permit him to go visit the only people he knew as family, but he never found the nerve to ask.
Sometimes, Naruto felt like one of those princess’ he read in fairy tales, imprisoned in a magic castle but cut off from the rest of the world.
And always, lurking in the back of his mind like a dark shadow, was Sasuke. Naruto never saw him, never heard his voice, save in his dreams. He wondered what Sasuke did all day, if he was even in the castle. For all Naruto knew, Sasuke could have left months ago. Sasuke. He was like a riddle with no answer, a puzzle that could not be solved. Why exactly was he brought here?
It was a thought that stayed foremost in his mind the rest of the day, and followed him to bed that night.
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Sasuke stood in one of the rooms in the east tower, staring out the window, his gaze drawn to the yard below. Bathed in the dancing silver shadows of the moon, the white roses glowed like ethereal blooms planted in some mystical garden. He felt a sudden longing to wander through the grounds during the light of day, to see the myriad colours of the flowers that Naruto had nurtured, to touch the petals the blond’s hands had touched. In the darkness, the bright rainbow colours looked muted, devoid of life.
Turning away from the window, he donned his cloak and drew on his gloves. Perhaps a midnight ride would soothe him; if it did not, he would go to Shushu-ya Tavern and squander the remaining hours of darkness at one of the gaming tables and lose himself, for a few hours at least, in a semblance of normalcy.
Leaving the room, he locked the door behind him, then made his way swiftly along the dark hallway and down the stairs.
His steps slowed as he approached the stables.
Abruptly, he turned away and made his way to the side yard. The fragrance of hundreds of flowers, of freshly turned earth, and grass and trees, rose up around him as he walked slowly down the narrow pathways, pausing now and then to caress the velvety softness of a rose. Naruto had done this, had turned ugliness into beauty. He wondered if, offered the chance, Naruto would be able to work the same miracle in his life.
A ripple in the air, the scent of warm skin, alerted him to the blond’s presence. He whirled around, his gaze piercing the darkness.
"Come out," he said. "I know you are there."
Naruto stepped from behind a hedge, his cheeks flushed, his hands worrying the folds of his robe. Moonlight washed blond hair in silver, turned his skin to a deep glowing tan.
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" Sasuke demanded.
"I …” Naruto squeaked.
"Speak up, boy. You needn't be afraid."
"I saw you from my window, and I wondered what you were doing out here at this time of night,” Naruto finally spilled from his lips.
"I was thinking of you," Sasuke admitted.
Sasuke’s words sent a thrill of excitement racing down Naruto’s spine. "Were you, my lord?"
The dark haired man nodded, his gaze sweeping over the blond. Naruto wore his night clothes with a dark robe draped over his shoulders to keep him warm from the chill of the evening. His hair hung loosely around his face. His feet were bare in the grass and Sasuke oddly found that provocative. "Why aren't you asleep, sweet Naruto?"
"Because, my lord," Naruto replied candidly, "I was wondering what I had done to displease you.”
"You please me very well, Naruto." Far too well for my peace of mind, he mused, and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers to keep from reaching for the boy, from taking that for which he hungered.
"I've not seen you in months, my lord." Naruto should have been glad of that, he thought, for Sasuke was most mysterious, and, sometimes, a little frightening. And yet the few short hours he had spent in Lord Sasuke’s presence had been intoxicating.
"You should be glad you've not had cause to see me," Sasuke replied brusquely.
"Should I?"
He gazed deep into blue eyes, probing the blond’s thoughts, feeling Naruto’s loneliness, his confusion. He was a young man on the brink of manhood, yearning for something he did not fully understand. Like a finely crafted violin, Naruto awaited the touch of the master's hand to bring forth the music locked within him.
Drawn into the depths of those haunting blue eyes, Sasuke moved slowly toward the other. Needing to touch him, steeling himself to be rejected, he pulled off his gloves and tossed them aside. A gasp—or was it a sigh?— escaped Naruto’s full lips as he lifted his hand and stroked the tanned cheek.
"My lord?" He heard Naruto’s uncertainty in the trembling of his voice.
"I will not hurt you," Sasuke said, praying he spoke the truth. "I want only to touch you. Your skin is so soft, sweet Naruto. So soft..." Bending his head, he brushed Naruto’s inviting lips with his own.
"Sweet," Sasuke murmured, "as I knew you would be."
Blue eyes stared up at Sasuke, caught in the web of his gaze, in the shivers of pleasure that undulated through his young body. There was fire in Sasuke’s touch, magic in his kiss, that it could make him feel so changed.
With a low groan, Sasuke took a step back, the twin talons of hunger and desire clawing their way to the forefront of his mind, threatening to take control. He bit the inside of his cheek and turned to look away. When he was able to subdue the beast within, he reached over and took the blond’s hand and started walking towards the maze.
A sense of dread filled Naruto's heart as they reached the entrance. With a wordless cry, he tugged on Sasuke’s hand.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"The maze." Naruto shook his head. "It frightens me."
"There's nothing to fear." Naruto looked up at him then, blue eyes luminous in the moonlight. The boy’s hand was small and warm in his. He could see the pulse racing in his throat. "Come, Naruto," he whispered, his voice low and seductive. "Don't be afraid."
As though mesmerised, he fell into step beside Sasuke. His gaze darted nervously from right to left as they went deeper into the maze. Soon, tall hedges rose on every side, cocooning them in a silent world of greenery.
Naruto lost track of time until it seemed as though he had been walking through the maze for hours.
Sasuke was a tall, dark figure beside him. The moon cast blue highlights in his hair. His black cloak floated from his shoulders like thick black fog. Naruto had never seen a cloak like his. It seemed alive somehow, moving when he moved, surrounding him in protective folds. Sasuke’s profile was sharp, all hard planes and angles, yet curiously beautiful. Naruto wondered if this was what death looked like, dark and seductive.
It took a moment to realise Sasuke had stopped walking. Glancing around, Naruto saw what had once been a rose garden, though all that remained now were a few dead plants. In the centre of the small garden was a bronze statue of a snarling wolf, and beside it, the figure of a raven carved in black marble. A shiver of unease tiptoed down his spine. An odd choice of ornamentation for a garden, Naruto thought. Conscious of Sasuke's gaze, Naruto turned to face him. "I-I'm sure it must have been very lovely, once."
Sasuke raised one dark brow, his lips curved in wry amusement. "Do you think so?"
"I don't know. But it could be."
Sasuke turned away from the blond and stared at the statues, felt the darkness rise up within him, heard the wildness calling to him, bidding him to shed the thin veneer of humanity and run wild and naked through the night.
"My lord?"
Naruto’s voice, the underlying fear, drew him from the edge of darkness. Feeling as though he, too, were made of cold marble, he turned to face the blond once again. "Could you work a miracle here, sweet Naruto?" he asked softly. "Could you change this ugliness into beauty?"
Naruto looked into his eyes, wondering if he was talking about the garden, or himself.
He placed a finger beneath Naruto’s chin and tilted his face, "Could you, sweet Naruto?"
"I’ll try, my lord."
"Would you kiss me?"
"If you wish."
"No, Naruto, not as I wish. I want you to take me in your arms and kiss me of your own free will."
He was lonely, Naruto thought, as lonely as he.
Time slowed, and Naruto became acutely aware of his surroundings. He felt the cool dampness of the grass beneath his feet as he stepped towards Sasuke, until their bodies were almost touching. Sasuke’s black cloak was soft beneath his fingers as he placed his hands on broad shoulders. His nostrils filled with Sasuke’s scent, a wild musky scent that made him think of damp grass and rain. Stretching up on his tiptoes he tentatively placed his lips upon the other. Sasuke’s lips were cool and firm. When he started to draw away, Sasuke’s arm curled around his waist, holding him close. Naruto could feel the tremors that shook the man’s body, sensed that Sasuke was keeping a tight rein on his emotions, sensed the underlying strength that dwelt in him.
His eyelids fluttered down when Sasuke’s warm tongue traced his lower lip, then plunged into his mouth. Heat and fire exploded within his body, radiating outward, until Naruto felt as though he were melting in Sasuke’s arms. Distorted, disjointed images then flickered in his mind—a wolf crouching over its prey, an enormous black bird drinking blood from a crystal goblet, a thick grey fog moving through the darkened streets of the village. He then heard Sasuke swear under his breath as he stepped back. Like a slate wiped clean, the images disappeared, and Naruto blinked up at him, feeling dazed and suddenly bereft.
"Naruto? Naruto!"
"Aye, my lord?" Naruto said groggily.
"Are you all right?"
"I ... I don't know. I thought I saw..." Naruto squinted his eyes shut, the fog in his mind making him feel dizzy.
"What?"
Naruto shook his head. "I don't remember."
Cursing softly, Sasuke pulled the blond boy into his arms, his chin resting lightly on the blond crown. "I beg you to forgive me, sweet Naruto," he whispered hoarsely.
"Forgive you, my lord? But why? What have you done?"
"I hope you never find out," Sasuke replied, his voice suddenly harsh. He held Naruto for a long while, letting his power move over the blond, calming him. Naruto closed his eyes, soothed, like a child, by the steady beat of its mother's heart beneath his cheek.
He knew the moment sleep claimed the blond. Murmuring his name, he gathered Naruto into his arms. With eyes closed and the moonlight shimmering on his tanned face, Naruto looked like a sweet prince in a fairy tale. A wave of tenderness swept through him as he carried Naruto out of the maze and into the silent darkness of the castle.
In Naruto’s room, he put the still sleeping blond to bed, still fully clothed, and drew the covers over him. Naruto was innocence personified, he thought, and for the first time in years, he hated who he was, what he was, because it denied him all hope of a normal life, of love. He would never have a lover, partner or a child to raise.
Tenderness turned to regret, regret turned to anger, and anger burned into a hot fierce rage. Sasuke had resigned himself to his lonely life shortly after he'd been made. Knowing such things would be forever denied him, he had put all thought of a home and family out of his mind, his heart. He had thought himself content, happy even, until Naruto. Seeing him, watching him, and then holding him, had awakened feelings and desires that had lain dormant within him for centuries.
With a low-throated growl, he leaned over the slumbering blond, suddenly hating him for the power he had over him, for the weakness he felt when he looked at those haunting but beautiful blue eyes. His hand brushed a blond lock of hair from Naruto’s forehead before trailing his finger down to a smooth neckline.
The blond’s scent filled his nostrils, stirring his hunger, kindling his desire. If this was all of the blond he could have, then so be it, he thought, and let loose the beast that dwelt within him.