Seduction
Iruka climbed the stairs to the east tower, aware of the unrest that troubled his master. He had been in Sasuke's employ for over fifty years. He had been but a youth of fourteen when the vampire saved his life. In exchange, Iruka had sworn to dedicate the rest of his life to serving Sasuke.
Crossing the floor, he stood in the doorway of the inner chamber in the east tower, his expression carefully neutral as he watched Sasuke remove his cloak and toss it over the back of a chair.
Iruka eyed the cloak warily. It was a most unusual garment, often seeming as though it possessed a life of its own.
"What am I to do?" Sasuke asked, his voice rising with anger. "He cannot stay here! I cannot bear it."
Iruka remained silent, knowing no answer was expected. Never had he seen his master in such an agitated state.
Sasuke raked his hands through his hair, a string of vicious oaths escaping his lips as he paced the floor, his long legs carrying him from one end of the room to the other in less than a half dozen strides.
He paused abruptly, turned, and went to the window of the outer room. He could feel the tension building within him as he stared into the garden below. How many nights had he stood here, gazing out over the castle walls, wishing Naruto was here, wishing for one more night, one more hour in the blond’s presence? But a year?
He groaned softly. He had sent Naruto away because he was losing control of his desire, of the fierce hunger that drove him relentlessly, urging him to take what he needed, to bring Naruto across the vast gulf that separated them so that the blond might ease the loneliness of his endless existence.
He had always been arrogant and selfish, but he had never been cruel, and so he had sent Naruto away to protect the blond from his own desire.
And now he was here again, in the castle again, in his life again, and it was as if he had never gone away. The blond’s scent was everywhere—on his skin, his clothes, in the very air he breathed.
"Is there anything else you wish this evening?" Iruka asked.
"What?" Sasuke whirled around. He had all but forgotten the other man was in the room. "No. Go to bed. Wait. Tomorrow morning you will go to Naruto's and collect his belongings. He also wishes you to deliver a note to the home."
Iruka nodded. "I shall see to it." He took a deep breath. "Will you be coming down tomorrow night?"
"I promised him, didn't I?" Sasuke snapped, his voice like death.
"Yes, my lord. And will you also be joining him at supper?"
"Yes." Sasuke clenched his hands into tight fists, his expression bleak. "Don't forget the wine.”
Iruka nodded curtly, then left the stark tower room, closing the door behind him. He heard the sound of the bolt being shot home. It was going to be a long year, he thought. For all of them.
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Naruto was waiting for him at the supper table the following night. Dressed in a rich plum coloured jacket, white dress shirt that was tailored for his body and the sapphire donning his neck, the blond took his breath away.
"Good evening, my lord," Naruto said, smiling up at him. Sasuke was clad in black from head to heel. He looked dark and dangerous, a midnight rogue who made Naruto’s heartbeat quicken and his insides quiver with desire. "I'm so glad you decided to join me."
Sasuke took the seat across from him. "I said I would, did I not?"
"Yes, but I thought you might have changed your mind."
Black eyes narrowed. “My word, when given, is as good as that of any other man.”
"Yet you feel as though I tricked you somehow."
"I thought you would likely ask for something that would be of benefit to you or your family." Sasuke picked up the crystal decanter and poured himself a glass of wine.
"Yes, my family. You have been most kind to them, my lord. I thank you for that, and for the generous dowry you have given my sister Hinata."
Sasuke made a vague gesture of dismissal with his hand. "Why do you insist on staying here when you know I want you gone?"
Naruto watched Sasuke drain his glass, wondering why he downed it so quickly. Wasn't wine to be savored? "Because, my lord, in this one instance, my pleasure means more to me than yours."
Naruto pushed his plate away and stood up, offering Sasuke his hand. "Shall we go into the library? Iruka has laid a fire, and I have a new book I wish to read."
Rising, Sasuke took the blond’s hand in his, and felt the quick jolt of awareness that passed from Naruto’s hand to his. Naruto stared up at Sasuke through wide blue eyes. "My lord," he murmured, and Sasuke knew the blond had felt it, too.
Unable to help himself, he drew Naruto into his arms. He gazed into blue eyes for a timeless moment, and then kissed him. It was a brutal kiss, violent, angry, filled with a fierce longing that could never be fulfilled. His hands tightened on the blond’s shoulders as he deepened the kiss, bruising pink plump lips.
"You should leave this house, sweet Naruto,” Sasuke growled as he pulled away. "Leave now, while I am still able to let you go."
Dazed by the intensity of his kiss, Naruto could only shake his head.
He then kissed Naruto again, his tongue plundering the softness of the blond’s mouth. His hands moved over the other, hot and restless, molding Naruto’s body to his, letting the blond feel the rigid evidence of his desire.
Naruto’s head fell back over Sasuke’s arm, exposing the slender curve of his neck. Black eyes fastened on the pulse throbbing wildly in the base of the tanned smooth skinned throat. He could hear the rapid beat of the heart, smell the blood heating in the blond’s veins. And then he felt the prick of his fangs against his tongue.
Abruptly, he thrust Naruto away, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides.
"Naruto, I beg you, ask another boon of me. Anything,” he whispered, his voice laced with desperation. “I’ll give you anything else. This castle if you wish it, my fortune, anything."
"I want only to stay here, with you, my lord," Naruto replied softly. "I know when the year is up, you will send me away, but I want to spend this time with you."
"I only hope it will not prove to be your undoing," Sasuke muttered under his breath, turned away and left the room.
He hunted that night, hunted for prey as he had not hunted in years, knowing that tonight, a few sips of Naruto's precious blood would not be enough to still the awful hunger that the blond’s mere presence stirred within him.
A year, he mused as he bent over his helpless victim. Compared to the centuries behind him, to the eternity that stretched before him, twelve months was less than a moment in time, yet he feared it was a year that would see his end, or Naruto’s.
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Naruto began his seduction the following night, determined to have Sasuke before the year was out. Sasuke had made it clear that he did not love him, that he would never take him, but he was determined that Sasuke would be his first lover.
He had dreamed of the dark lord for four long years, dreamed and yearned, and now he meant to have him. He had heard whispers of how easy it was to seduce a man. Not all the students in the boarding school had been as innocent as he, and those who had traded their virtue for knowledge had been most eager to share what they had learned.
Men were easily led by a pretty face, they had told him, and by the promise of an easy conquest.
To his regret, Sasuke seemed to be the exception to the rule. No matter how brazenly he flirted with him, no matter how boldly he teased and tempted, Sasuke refused to succumb to his enticements. But Naruto knew Sasuke wanted him. He could see the hunger in his eyes, hear it in his voice, feel it in the way his arms trembled when he occasionally weakened and drew him close. But always, at the last, he thrust him away and left the room.
He had done it every night for so long.
Tonight had been no exception.
Naruto stood beside the fire, staring after the dark lord wondering if he lacked some vital attraction.
With a sigh, he dropped down into Sasuke's favorite chair. He had left his cloak draped across the back, and he drew it into his lap, idly stroking the fine velvet. How alive it seemed as he spread it over his legs. Of its own accord, it seemed to press against him, warming him. Soothing him.
Suddenly weary, he closed his eyes, felt himself swept away into a world of darkness.
His hands clutched the smooth velvet as disjointed scenes filled his mind—he saw Sasuke walking along a dark dusty path, his cloak floating behind him like ink splashed against the darkness of the night; he saw a dark gray mist surround a drunken man, heard the man's faint cry of terror, and over all hung a mist of darkness and the scent of blood; he saw a sleek black wolf standing over the carcass of a deer, heard a long, lonely howl echo in his ears...
Naruto woke with a start, his brow damp with perspiration, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Tossing the cloak to the floor, he scrambled to his feet and ran out of the room.
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Neji Hyuuga came calling late the following afternoon. Iruka showed him to the front parlor, his face a mask of disapproval as Naruto made the man welcome.
"Iruka, will you please bring us some tea,” Naruto requested, "and a few scones, perhaps?"
"As you wish," Iruka replied. He fixed another disapproving stare, then left the room.
"And now, my lord," Naruto exclaimed softly, "what brings you to Castle Uchiha?"
"You, of course," Hyuuga said. "Why else would anyone make such an arduous journey?”
"Not arduous, surely?" Naruto teased.
"I would have climbed a mountain twice as high to see you smile again," Neji replied gallantly.
"Indeed?" Naruto mused. "And would you have crossed crocodile infested waters, as well?"
"To be sure." His smile faded as he took Naruto’s hands in his. "Why have you come back here, Naruto?" he asked, his tone and expression grave. "Did Sasuke force you? Threaten you in some manner?"
"Of course not. I'm here because I choose to be here."
"I don't understand."
"It's quite simple, really. Lord Sasuke said he would grant me anything I asked for, and I asked to live here. He's letting me stay for a year." Hyuuga stared as if Naruto was speaking in a language he couldn't quite understand. "You asked to stay here? With him? But why?"
"I'm afraid I can't explain it."
Hyuuga raked a hand through his hair, thinking that, if he lived to be a hundred, he would ever understand the workings of the blond’s mind. "Well, I wish you'd try!"
Naruto shook his head. "I can't." Blue eyes studied Neji for a moment, then frowned. "Why are you so distressed? I thought you were Lord Sasuke’s friend."
"Sasuke has no friends."
"Why ever not?" Naruto tilted his head in question.
"Because he wishes for none. He is a solitary man."
"You play cards together at Shushu-ya Tavern."
Hyuuga nodded. "True enough, but he keeps us all at arm's length, and allows no familiarity. He's never accepted any invitations extended to him, nor offered any in return."
"I find that passing strange."
"As do I, I assure you."
Hyuuga released the blond’s hands as Iruka entered the room bearing a silver tea tray. Back stiff, Iruka placed the tray on a low table, fixed Naruto with a warning glance, and left the room.
Taking a seat, Naruto poured tea for Hyuuga, then himself.
After a moment, Hyuuga sat in the chair across from the other. "I'm afraid it will be most difficult, courting you here."
Naruto added milk and sugar to both cups, then handed one to Hyuuga. "You intend to court me, my lord?"
"I thought you had guessed that by now." Neji smirked.
"Surely you intend to marry someone of quality."
"I do, indeed." Neji smiled at him, the dimple in his cheek deepening. He had every intention of making Naruto his, and he would tell him so, when the time was right. "May I call upon you again?"
"Neji, you must know that there can be nothing between us but friendship. I love Sasuke.”
Neji nodded, convinced that he could win the blond’s heart if given the chance.
Naruto hesitated, wondering if Sasuke would object, and then he put such concern aside. Sasuke was never about during the day. Why should Sasuke care what he did? Sasuke had made it quite clear he had no interest in him, that he intended to send Naruto away when the year was done.
"Naruto?"
He regarded Hyuuga a moment more, and then nodded. "I shall be delighted to have you call on me."
Hyuuga smiled, obviously pleased. "There is a new play at the theater. Would you care to attend?"
"Yes, I think so." Naruto smiled thoughtfully. Nothing else had worked. Perhaps jealousy would produce the results he sought.
"Naruto, it matters not to me, but..." Neji put his cup on the table and raked a hand through his hair. "Aren't you concerned about what the people in the village will say about your living here, with him?"
"I never gave it any thought," Naruto said truthfully. And, indeed, he hadn't. Thinking about it now, he realized it didn't matter what anyone thought. He was determined to stay here, with Sasuke, and he was willing to sacrifice his reputation to do so.
"Are you sure this is what you really want?" Hyuuga asked quietly.
"I'm sure."
"Then I'll say no more about it."
They spent the next hour in quiet conversation, and then Neji took his leave.
.
.
.
Naruto had just sat down to supper when Sasuke entered the dining room. He stood towering over him, a fierce scowl on his face.
"What was Hyuuga doing here?" Sasuke demanded brusquely. He had caught the man's scent even before he left the east tower.
"He came calling, my lord," Naruto said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "I did not think you would mind, since he is your friend."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Did he tell you that?"
"Tell me what?" Wide blue eyes looked up in question.
"That we were friends."
Naruto started to lie. He wanted to lie, but found he could not, not when Sasuke's dark eyes were fixed hard upon his face.
"What did he say?" Sasuke asked, his voice low and silky smooth.
"He said... he said you would not accept friendship.”
Sasuke glanced over his shoulder as Iruka entered the room. "You will not allow Hyuuga, or any other man, into my house again. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Iruka said.
With a curt nod, Sasuke turned his attention back to Naruto. "Is that clear to you, as well?"
"Yes, my lord, but..." Naruto bit his lip.
"But what?"
"But why? Why do you shut yourself up in this castle? Why not let Lord Hyuuga visit you here? I think he would be your friend, if you would but let him."
"I have no need to explain my reasons to you, Naruto. Suffice it to say that no one is welcome here.”
"Including me?"
"Most especially you."
"You are most rude, my lord." Naruto challenged with a glare.
He smiled then. It was most unexpected, and most welcome. "I apologize for my behavior, sweet Naruto but I fear you must learn to tolerate my moods if you insist upon staying here."
"Indeed, I shall, my lord," Naruto retorted. "For neither your foul temper nor your bad manners shall drive me away.” He crossed his arms with an angry pout.
Sasuke sat down in the chair across from the blond and reached for the glass of wine that Iruka had poured for him. He lifted the crystal goblet, studying the contents a moment before he took a drink. A look of pleasure crossed his face as he set the goblet on the table. "Finish your supper, sweet Nartuo, and then I should like to visit the maze."
"As you wish, my lord."
"Indeed, my sweet. Exactly as I wish."
It was most disconcerting, dining under Sasuke’s watchful eye. Naruto’s hands trembled, he knocked over his water glass, spilled a bit of gravy in his lap. And all the while, he could feel black eyes unblinking upon him, as black as the night sky.
When he finished eating, Sasuke donned his cloak, then draped a warm cloak around his shoulders as well.
The gardens lay quiet under a hunter's moon.
Sasuke took Naruto’s hand and they walked toward the maze. Naruto tried to think of something amusing to say, some bit of small talk to ease the taut silence that stretched between them, but nothing came to mind.
"Perhaps, in the spring, you will work your magic in the gardens again,” Sasuke remarked after a while.
"If you wish, though I would have your promise that you will not let everything die again when I'm gone."
"You have it."
"I think I shall plant daisies near the summer house this time," Naruto said, thinking out loud. "And more roses, of course.”
"Red ones," Sasuke said.
"And yellow ones, too."
"No, just red. And white." Red for the blood that sustained him; white for the purity of the young man beside him.
"Then I shall have yellow daisies."
Sasuke smiled in defeat.
"Why didn't you look after the roses in the garden as you looked after the roses within the maze?" Naruto asked as they strolled along the winding pathway.
"I warned Iruka of dire consequences should the roses in the maze be allowed to die."
“Why such concern for the one and not the other?” Naruto asked.
Sasuke stopped. Turning the blond to face him, taking Naruto’s hands in his. "You planted the roses in the garden for your own pleasure," he explained, his thumbs making lazy circles over the backs of tanned hands. "But you planted the roses in the maze for me."
The look in Sasuke’s eyes made Naruto’s heart beat fast. The dark lord’s touch sent shivers up his arms. The sound of his voice moved over and through him. His voice. He had never heard another like it, deep and rich, filled with arrogance and command.
"Why do you live so alone?" Naruto whispered. "Why do you let no one get close?"
"I am a solitary creature by nature,” Sasuke replied simply.
"You have an odd way of speaking of yourself," Naruto said, "as if you were different from everyone else."
"Do you think I am not?"
And in that moment, Naruto knew that Sasuke was different. Different from him, different from anyone else he had ever known, though Naruto could not say why. And then he remembered an odd remark Sasuke had once made. "Do you recall the night before I left for Paris?" he asked as they continued walking.
"I remember." Sasuke nodded. It had been the worst night of his life.
"You said something that night, something I thought most peculiar.” Naruto peeked a glance at the dark lord.
"Indeed?"
"Yes. You said no mortal had ever crept up on you before."
Sasuke hesitated a moment before answering, and it seemed as if he withdrew into himself a little. "Did I?"
Naruto nodded. "Don't you think that's odd?"
"Explain yourself," Sasuke said, though he knew exactly what Naruto meant.
"You used the word mortal as if it applied to me, but not to you."
"Did I?"
"You know you did!" Naruto barked, pouting out his lips in annoyance.
To distract him, Sasuke drew the blond into his arms. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever known,” he said, his voice husky. "Your eyes are as blue like alabaster kissed by the sun. And your hair..." He ran his fingers through the hair at the blond’s nape. "Your hair is as soft as the finest silk."
With a sigh, Naruto melted against him, he turned to face the dark lord, inviting a kiss.
Sasuke’s lips brushed gently with a whisper. "Are you in love with Hyuuga?"
Naruto blinked at him. "What?"
"Are you in love with Hyuuga?" Sasuke then demanded. His hands tightened on Naruto’s shoulders, his eyes burning with a fierce anger.
"No, my lord." Naruto shook his head slightly.
"I don't want you to see him again."
"I thought you wanted me to marry and have children." Naruto tilted his head back to better see Sasuke’s face. "Isn't that what you said?"
"Not Hyuuga." He bit off each word, refusing to admit that he was jealous of the man, of any man. "Not Hyuuga," he said again, and hated the man because he could give Naruto all the things he deserved.
"Very well, my lord, I'll not see him again so long as I am in residence here."
He wanted to shake the blond, to make him promise he would never see the man again, not now, not ever.
"There's just one thing," Naruto said. "I gave lord Hyuuga leave to call on me.”
"Iruka will send him away."
Naruto couldn't help it. He smiled, pleased at the notion that Sasuke was jealous of his affection towards Hyuuga. Surely it was a good sign.
Clasping Naruto’s hand in his, Sasuke turned and headed back toward the castle.
"I thought we were going to sit in the maze awhile," Naruto said, quickening his steps to keep up with the other.
"Not tonight," Sasuke said, his voice almost a growl. Not tonight, he thought, when his black heart burned with jealousy, when the rage running through him kindled his hunger until he was almost mad with the need to hunt.
At the castle door, he drew Naruto into his arms, his cloak enfolding them both in a cocoon of lush velvet and warm silk. He trembled when Sasuke’s mouth covered his.
"You are mine, sweet Naruto," he murmured.
Black as midnight eyes burned into blue, his breath fanned a tanned cheek like a flame. "For this year, you belong to me and no one else."