Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Machi Yoko Naruto ❯ Foothold ( Chapter 4 )

“What did you tell him, Hinata?” the dark-haired man's voice asked, very close to her ear as he stood behind her. His breath tickled the small hairs on her neck. She trembled, wishing she could cry for help. Her father was in the next room, playing shogi with her cousin, Neji. Surely, if she screamed, they would come to her aid? Hinata's tone of voice usually never reached anything above a loud whisper, let alone a scream, but she thought that if it came to it, if she needed to get away from this man badly enough, she could scream. She wished that she could scream. For the moment, she simply answered him.

 

“I…I told him that you weren't here.” She said this hesitantly, and with difficulty. For someone trying not to shake, it actually came out much more steady than she thought it would. A hand clamped down on her arm, and she was shoved against the wall, the side of her face pressed against the searing cedar planking. The sauna was hot as five different kinds of hell, and it became more so the moment she saw him walk in. Her eyes widened, blue so light that they could be mistaken for being white, as she felt his other hand slide down her back and then snake around her waist. He spoke in dangerous tones.

 

“Correct me if I'm wrong, Hinata-chan. Did I or did I not tell you that you are not to give my brother any information concerning my activities?” She could feel his lips next to her ear, almost touching her skin, and it made her shiver involuntarily in spite of the heat. Her voice stuck in her throat, and she could not say a word. His arm tightened around her waist. “Answer me, woman.” The warning bells in her head went off for what had to be the fifth time since he arrived. He was angry. When Uchiha Itachi was angry, he…did things…

 

“Hai. I am not to tell him.”

 

Itachi's hand gripped the cloth of the towel she wore. “Then why did you tell him?” His words were hissed out and then his face was pressed against her neck, lips and tongue tracing a path down to her collarbone. Her breathing quickened against her will. She hated him. She hated what he did to her, and how he made her feel as he touched her. “Why, Hinata?” Her trembling increased at the sound of his voice, but she did manage to answer him.

 

“I don't know why.” At this, she was spun around, and Itachi's strangely reddish eyes looked down into hers as he pressed her against the wall.

 

“You will not speak to him again. You are mine, and you will do as I tell you. Do you understand?” His voice was a low growl now, which never did bode well. Hinata nodded once, and his anger seemed to melt away. His mood changed so quickly, that Hinata at first did not notice the way he pressed himself against her. When she did, her mouth set in a hard line, and she gathered every ounce of her strength to push him away.

 

“Stop it.”

 

“Excuse me?” He asked dangerously, his eyes burning into hers in a way that said he would not be refused.

 

“Stop.” Her voice was less than steady, and she looked fearfully up at him, not realizing that she was covering her abdomen protectively.

 

Itachi's face softened, looking at her with an expression she did not see very often: tenderness. “I won't hurt you, Hinata. I have never hurt you. Why would I hurt my beautiful, perfect, angel?” Physically, there was no argument with his words. He had never physically hurt her. All of the scars he had given her were on the inside. Hinata's mind rebelled against her body, which had long since given in to him. “Why would I hurt my wife, and our child?” His hand touched her face almost lovingly, eyes the color of fast-drying blood staring down into hers, and said, “Why would I hurt what I love?”

 

Love? Somehow, Hinata highly doubted that he loved her. She was not given to believing that he could bring himself to love anything other than power. Her mind shut down after a moment, allowing her some kind of peace as he touched her, for she could not really feel it. His hands moved, brushing over exposed skin, and making small, teasing tugs at her towel. She did not answer him. It was almost certainly a rhetorical question. Though this time, her lack of answer did not bother him. He bent to kiss her, his lips attacking hers in a nearly violent and utterly possessive way that left her panting for breath, and whimpering, her eyes unfocused. And then he was gone. She clutched the towel around herself, and slid down the wall to tremble on the floor.

 

Closing her eyes, Hinata let out a silent scream. Damn him. Damn him for what he did to her. Damn everyone. Her father, for making her marry this man, and Neji for not protesting. He was her protector. Neji had always been there for her. But he could not be there for her now. He was not allowed. Only Itachi. Damn him, Hinata thought again, and she wept bitterly in the heat of the room, wishing that her fate were different.

 

--

 

“Why have we still not moved on the Akatsuki?” Sasuke asked calmly as he sat at the end of the long conference table. He looked around, the other clan heads not meeting his eyes. Naruto stood behind him and to his left, while Kakashi stood to the right. Sakura sat in one corner in a formal pink kimono, waiting to be called, while Ino wore a slinky sky blue strapless dress, a pair of knee high black combat boots, and long leather opera gloves. She stood, smirking, and leaning on Kakashi, who was trying without success to ignore her presence.

 

The heads of the Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame, as well as others of less note simply refused to meet his gaze. Then, the newest member of the council, the freshly appointed fourth cousin of his own Sakura, Haruno Ishida, stood. “Your pardon, oyabun, but I am concerned as to our motives. Is this really for the good of us all, or is it simply your vendetta?” Sasuke's eyes snapped to this young man, who was only eighteen. Had it not been for the dire need for leadership in the Haruno clan, he would not have allowed someone younger than himself into the role of clan head. He knew how hard it was to take on such authority at a young age. Just as he was going to deliver a biting retort, he felt a hand on his left shoulder.

 

He glanced up and back, then saw Naruto. He was smiling softly, but the look in his eyes was telling him to take a deep breath and think before he said something that would be regretted later. Relaxing visibly, he turned back to the young man who had just seated himself. Staring hard at the boy across the glass table top, he said, “Haruno-san, please, understand. Yes, I want to rid the world of that foul excuse for a human being, but I also recognize the threat that the entire Akatsuki Federation poses. Do we want to end up like the council on Hokkaido?” It was a matter of public fact that every member of the yakuza council on the island of Hokkaido was made to commit seppuku before the eyes of their gathered families. It was a symbol of the control that the Akatsuki had over their domain.

 

The members of the council seemed unnerved by the very mention of the Hokkaido council's fate. “Now, I would like it if we could begin to gather our resources. Next time we meet, we will discuss the best plan of action.” With that, the meeting was adjourned, and the men and women filed out of the conference room. When the door shut behind the last of the departing guests, Kakashi shoved Ino off of him.

 

“Baka. Keep off of me.” He shook himself, and rubbed at the spot on his arm that she had been leaning on for an hour. The look on the man's face was one of utter distaste. It was amusing, actually.

 

Ino rolled her eyes. “Come on, `Kashi. You know you like it.”

 

“I most certainly do not.” Sasuke rolled his eyes at this display. His irritation with Ino began to rise, as did Kakashi's, though he thought that there was less truth to the silver-haired man's claims than he let on. Small indicators let Sasuke know that his spy handler enjoyed her attention. The tilt of his head, the way Kakashi's eye flicked this way and that, and the set of his mouth. These little things would not have gone unnoticed by Ino, who was trained to recognize even the slightest change in a person's mood.

 

“Sakura, Ino, you are dismissed.” Sasuke nodded to them as they bowed, and on her way out, Ino delivered a full handed slap to Kakashi's backside, causing the man's one good eye to widen, and once the door closed behind her, he growled curses. As amusing as it was to see the man flustered, Sasuke brought the conversation back to the task at hand. “So, what is the report?”

 

Kakashi pulled a small notebook from a pocket in the sleeve of his kimono. Rather subdued for Kakashi's taste, the right side of it was red, while the other was blue. If he were searched, though, it would take about ten minutes to completely disarm him, so Sasuke wasn't going to complain. The man was useful, and he was trustworthy. Kakashi cleared his throat. “The spies within your cousin's house have told us that Itachi has now forbidden her to speak with you, and they also say that she is with child.” Sasuke closed his eyes. He had been afraid of something like this.

 

From the moment he had learned of Itachi marrying Hinata, he was sure that there was some ulterior motive for it. Now, he was starting to see glimpses of his plan. Itachi would have a child, an heir. That was something that Sasuke could not boast of. And if things kept on the way they were, he would never have one. If it were Itachi's plan to worm his way into the position Sasuke was now in, so that the Federation could take over Honshu the way they did Hokkaido, then he would just have to kill him faster. Muttering curses under his breath, he looked over at Naruto, who simply smiled a little. He was not sure of what to make of things, either. Now three months since he had employed the man, and only a little less than that since they had become lovers, Naruto was already keenly attuned to his moods, and almost seemed to be able to read his mind.

 

“They have no reports as to his plans.” Kakashi snapped the notebook shut, then eyed him for a moment. “What are you thinking, Sasuke-sama?”

 

“I think he's using her. She's his ticket back into power within the clan, and a foothold for Akatsuki on Honshu.” Closing his eyes for a moment to keep his anger under control, he clenched his fists. “How entrenched are they?”

 

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, trying to think. “Well, it has only been eight months. I would say that if we kill the ring leaders, the clans would join together on their own and kick the rest of them out.” That was exactly what Sasuke had been hoping for. He smiled wickedly, and Kakashi's good eye widened. “What is your recommendation?”

 

“What do you think it is, you moron? Call Iruka, and tell him to get us the necessities. Then, you can talk to Asuma to grease the wheels with the authorities on Hokkaido.” Kakashi pursed his lips. Apparently, he had not thought that Sasuke was ready for this, or perhaps that he hadn't been serious. Well, he was going to just have to get over it, as far as Sasuke was concerned. They had a job to do, and they would, in fact, kill every last one of the ringleaders, Itachi included. “And another thing. Find Anko. I need to speak with her.” Sasuke kept a straight face, but just barely, when Kakashi winced at the mention of his ex-wife.

 

Sasuke's smile almost got through. He knew it was torture to make him talk to Anko. And that wince of irritation? Fake. Completely fake. The torture wasn't that he hated her. It was precisely the opposite.

 

“Why her?”

 

“Because I need someone no one will suspect, and she's damned good at getting information.” With a bare hint of the smile that had been trying to form on his face, he added, “You can take Ino with you, if you like.” He had not thought it possible, but the man actually blushed. It was slight, and was gone as quickly as it had come, but it was there.

 

“Hai, Sasuke-sama.” He bowed politely, and excused himself, leaving the room to perform the tasks he was given.

 

Sasuke flopped down on his chair, and looked around the now empty table, then at Naruto. He still had him wearing traditional clothing, because he simply looked wonderful in it. Naruto had convinced him to allow for some color in his wardrobe, though. He could never really refuse anything the man asked of him. Today, he wore blue.

 

His hakama were a very dark blue, almost black, and his haori was the same shade as his eyes. The cloth draped and clung in exactly the right places, and he had to look away from him to keep from becoming aroused. He carried one of the katana that Sasuke had given him, saying that the one his father had left him was for killing only one man. He had never elaborated on this statement, but Sasuke assumed that he was referring to his blood feud with the Nara heir.

 

“Ne, Sasuke?”

 

“What?” Sasuke said, rubbing his temples as a headache started to gather its strength. He heard footsteps, and then a metallic sound as Naruto's weapon was placed on the table. With a rustle of cloth, and a grunt from Sasuke, Naruto plopped down into his lap, straddling his hips and grinning like an idiot. He leaned over and gave Sasuke a kiss on the cheek, warm lips on cool skin.

 

“You need to relax.” The tone of his voice was low, almost a purr. “These headaches are from stress. Close your eyes.” Sasuke did, and the next thing he knew, Naruto was performing a ludicrously wonderful massage on his temples, then his scalp, his fingers moving in slow, tight circles somehow drawing all of the tension from Sasuke's body. At the end of this treatment, he was sure he must be drooling. Opening his eyes, he saw that grin still plastered over Naruto's face, though now it had a hint of a smirk to it, as well. “See? All better, ne?” To his surprise, he found that Naruto really had gotten rid of his headache.

 

“Arigato, Naruto.”

 

Naruto made a dismissive gesture with one hand. “Feh. You can thank me later,” the blonde smiled suggestively. Sasuke almost sighed, but thought better of it. As reluctant as he had been in the beginning, things were completely different now. It was difficult to keep Naruto off of him when no one else was in the room, and sometimes, when there were other people in the present, simply a look from Naruto gave him a shiver. He allowed his hands to rest on Naruto's hips, pleasant thoughts entering his mind and even more pleasant sensations trickled through his body, at the feeling of Naruto sitting so very close. As if sensing his thoughts, the man in his lap shifted slightly and said, “Hm. Or you could thank me now, if you like.”

 

In a very firm tone, Sasuke said, “No, Naruto. It's time for lunch.” At the mention of food, the blonde's stomach made a loud growl of agreement, and Sasuke smirked. “Later, though, I have no objections to.” He kissed Naruto lightly, and ran fingers down his back, causing him to shiver.

 

Pouting, Naruto stood and collected his weapon. “All-right, but after lunch…”

 

“After lunch, I have a meeting, Naruto.”

 

“And after that?” The blonde's voice took on a dangerous tone that, oddly enough, had a hint of a whine to it.

 

“Nothing. After my meeting at three o'clock, I'm all yours.” His voice had taken on a rather sarcastic tone, and Naruto raised an eyebrow. That meant trouble. He hated it when he did that. There was never really any telling what that gesture meant. It could be done out of anger, or it could be simply that he was going to rip Sasuke's clothes off and take him on the spot. One never really can tell with Uzumaki Naruto. He's just too unpredictable.

 

“You're damned right you are.” Suddenly, Naruto was pressed tightly against him, silk rasping against virgin wool, his hands roaming over the cloth of Sasuke's suit, ever downward, until one came to rest between Sasuke's legs. He gave a small moan at the contact, and Nartuo smiled against his neck, nipping at the flesh there, then licking it. A louder moan was produced from this treatment, and Naruto's mouth moved to his ear, licking and sucking at his earlobe. Finally releasing his ear, Naruto whispered, “And don't you forget it.” Sasuke blinked at the possessive tone in Naruto's voice, then nearly growled under his breath at the man when he glanced down. Trying to calm himself, he pushed the blonde a way. He saw an amused smile on his face, and rolled his eyes.

 

“You did that on purpose, dobe.” Naruto's face changed after a moment to an expression of pure (and not to mention completely fake) innocence. If possible, it only made him more aroused. What the hell was wrong with him? Yes, he was twenty years old, and his hormones were obviously still a little unstable, but this was ridiculous. There was no way that he was leaving the room with an erection. Not one that Naruto had given him intentionally. He grabbed the front of Naruto's haori, and yanked him over to the table, laying him down on top of it. “Why do you always do that? You know I have things to do. How am I suppose to do anything if all I can think about is you?” That made the blonde smile happily, but he was not finished. “Now, this is the last time we do this. You're going to have to learn to control yourself. My schedule is suffering.”

 

Smirking up at him, Naruto said, “My libido does not keep time with your schedule, Sasuke.”

 

“You can say that again.” Sasuke smirked down at Naruto evilly, and bent low, using his teeth to remove the sash of Naruto's hakama. He wanted thanking? Sasuke could deal with that. For the next twenty minutes (a true quickie for the two of them), servants shied away from the conference room, since Naruto was moaning loudly, and at times screaming.

 

--

 

Ino shook her head. “Why do I need to go with you?” She looked at Kakashi, who was wearing the most ridiculous outfit she'd seen on him yet. His black jeans were tucked into knee high black leather boots that buckled up, and had thick soles. The tight black shirt he wore had the collar ripped off, and it was slit open to reveal a decent amount of skin on his chest. While these things could be found at any Goth party, Ino had to stare at his coat. It was long, red, and made completely of leather. It made Ino think of a television show she had seen a long time ago, but she couldn't think of the name…oh, well.

 

“Because. I don't want her getting…touchy. I thought if I had a girl with m—“

 

“Oh, hell no. You're not using me as a decoy, you bastard. Either you go alone, or you really ask me out. None of this in-between bullshit.” She watched his face turn a slightly pink color, but he finally just shrugged and grabbed her arm, hauling her out of the door. “What the hell are you doing?”

 

“Taking you on a date, damn it.”

 

--

 

Umino Iruka hung up his telephone. He had just finished talking to his former partner, Hatake Kakashi. They had gone to the Police Academy together, and were partners for about four years, but after Kakashi's accident, he was forced to leave the department, and soon joined the Uchiha clan of the Honshu yakuza. He looked around his office. Not long after Kakashi left, he had followed. It just wasn't the same without the pervert around. Of course, things were different now. Iruka ran guns for the Uchiha clan, and several others, and his wife, Kurenai, was an occasional assassin, but mostly a spy. They lived well, and spent most of their time together, which was a plus.

 

What he was not happy with at the moment was that Kurenai's current assignment had taken her away from home. Hokkaido was a dangerous place at the moment, and he worried for her. She was unable to tell him what the assignment was, but that was for safety's sake. Uchiha Sasuke liked his people alive, and Iruka was thankful for that.

 

Iruka's job was to get the supplies. He was not privy to what was done with them. If he were, he would be in much more danger than he usually was.

--

 

“Hinata-sama! What…” Hinata heard the voice of one of her maids as she blearily opened her eyes. Where was she? After blinking rapidly for a moment, she looked around. She was in her bedroom, on the floor. The maid was kneeling over her, those red-brown eyes filled with concern. “Hinata-sama, are you feeling well? Should I call for the doctor?” Hinata shook her head. The last thing she remembered, she was walking to her bathroom after her daily routine of swimming and yoga, then she just passed out.

 

“I'm fine, Kurenai-san. Could you help me up?” The older woman took her arm, helping her up.

 

“Hinata-sama, please. You should not strain yourself. The baby…” Of all her servants, she liked this woman best. Even though she had only been with the Hyuuga family for a month, Yuuhi Kurenai was Hinata's favorite, mainly because she was like a big sister. “Come, on, we'll get you a bath.” She allowed Kurenai to lead her to the bathroom, and sit her on the little couch. In about two minutes, the woman had started the bathwater, put Hinata's favorite lavender-scented bath oil and some bubble bath into the tub, and gotten all applicable cloths and bath implements. Kurenai was of the opinion that a good hot bath could do wonders for your health and mental state. Once, she had said that all the world needed was more hot baths, and there would be a lot less fighting. Hinata had giggled at that.

 

The air in the bathroom began to be filled with a lovely smell, and Hinata found herself relaxing already. Maybe there was something to Kurenai's theory after all. After stripping off her clothes, Kurenai helped her into the water, and excused herself. “If you need me, please do not hesitate to call. I will be tidying the other room.” Nodding, Hinata settled herself against the back of the tub, bubbles up to her chest. There was definitely something to that theory. She relaxed, almost to the point of falling asleep, and let all of her senses shut down.

 

The door opened, and she was about to tell Kurenai to let her be for a few minutes when she heard cloth rustling. Her eyes flew open, and she saw the elegant form of Itachi in the dim light cast by candles near the mirror. He was removing his shirt, then the rest of his clothes. Doing her best to ignore him, she closed her eyes. Maybe if she pretended not to notice him, he would use the shower and leave. No such luck. Hinata felt his weight displacing the water in the tub, and then felt him slide behind her, wrapping his legs around her hips. Part of her was screaming in revulsion at him touching her, as it always did, while another was glad to have any human contact at all.

 

“Hinata, Kurenai has just told me that you passed out again,” he said softly, his chin resting on her shoulder. She nodded, settling back against his chest. “I don't want you straining yourself. You could be hurt.” Dimly, she wondered at the concern she heard in his voice. His hands ran down her shoulders, fingers trailing wetly across her skin. “I don't want anything to happen to you.” Her breath caught as she felt his mouth on her neck, nipping at skin he knew was sensitive, and then she sighed involuntarily. Hinata could hate her husband all she wanted, but there was no denying that he was extremely good at this.

 

“A-Ano, Itachi…Ahh.” Her brain simply shut down as his hands began to roam, not allowing her coherent thought. All of her hate was forgotten for the moment, and all she could do was enjoy the feeling of his hands on her, his mouth still lightly biting her neck, and the way his body pressed against hers, skin sliding over skin in the most excruciatingly erotic way possible. It was against her instincts, and also her better judgment, to allow him to do this to her again, but he was her husband, and if there was one thing that was made clear to her from the time she was a girl, it was that a woman gave her husband what he wanted. And at the moment, what Uchiha Itachi seemed to want was Hinata.

 

--

 

Closing his eyes, Neji tried to keep himself from seeing what he saw. Hinata, beautiful, kind, gentle Hinata, had found a moment of peace, only to have it ruined by that bastard, Itachi. Hiashi had asked him to watch over her, but somewhere in the back of Neji's mind, he was sure that this was not what his guardian meant. It wasn't healthy to be watching her like this. That was another thing that the back of his mind knew. But all of those things stayed firmly in the back of his mind, because he had shoved them there.

 

So here he was, unwillingly watching Itachi seducing Hinata, and wishing he could rip that bastard of a man limb from limb. Kurenai had told him to `chill out,' and she said that he was becoming obsessed. That, Neji could see. Obsession was something he was quite familiar with. His family was prone to becoming unhealthily fixated on things. But to be obsessed with a married woman, who was not only his clan's heir, but also his not too distant cousin…that was hazardous to his health. Still, he could not bring himself to leave his hiding place.

 

He had watched her sleep many times, trailed after her when she had gone shopping, and even accompanied her on occasion. But now, Itachi would not allow any man within ten feet of Hinata other than himself. How did he end up this way? How did he become a slave to Hyuuga Hiashi, with the brilliantly colored tattoo on his back making that obvious to anyone who had seen it? And how had he become a slave to this unhealthy obsession? He and Hinata had known each other since they were children. When he was a boy, he had hoped to one day be able to prove himself worthy of her. She had always been so kind and gentle, loving and beautiful. Now, she was far beyond his reach. Cursing his fate, he glared daggers at Itachi's back. He wished that he did not see this.

 

Hinata's arms now wrapped around Itachi's neck, her eyes closed. Her beautiful face was almost contorted in pleasure, and the sounds escaping her slightly parted lips were making his throat go dry. In vain, he cursed the fate that had brought Uchiha Itachi to them. Had it not been for Itachi, his fate may have been different. It might have been him with her. It might be his hands on her, him she was holding so tightly. She might be breathing his name, instead of Itachi's as she was overwhelmed by pleasure.

 

God, he couldn't take any more of this. He replaced the small piece of the picture on the wall in the bathroom, and walked quietly back through the secret passage to his room. The house was riddled with such passages, and he was one of the three people that knew of them. Only he, Hiashi, and apparently the new maid, Kurenai, had any idea that they existed. She was rather nosy, but she took good care of Hinata, so he wasn't going to fault her for being a busy-body. As he arrived at the door to his room, he listened for a moment, and then pushed the panel forward, entering into his closet. Almost immediately, he was hauled unceremoniously into his bedroom, and thrown onto his bed. His surprise lasted only long enough for him to see who it was.

 

“What did I tell you about watching her, Neji?” Kurenai hissed, glaring down at him with those oddly reddish eyes.

 

In a bland and disinterested voice, Neji replied, “That it isn't healthy, and that I should stop.”

 

“Then why, pray tell, are you still doing it?” Her eyes seemed to glow in the dull light of the room, showing her displeasure. Why had he befriended this woman? He should have killed her when he had the chance. Now, he knew just as much about Yuuhi Kurenai as she did about him. She was Hinata's favorite maid, and she would be missed. He stared at her, wishing that she would go away. Did he really want to discuss this? Did he have a choice?

 

“Why do you need to know?” He knew well that he was being evasive, but he didn't want to answer her questions.

 

“To establish motive. Depending on your answer, I may be able to help you.” What did she mean by that? His suspicions were growing by the second, and he wanted to get the hell away from her. “Answer me, kid.”

 

“If I tell you, will you leave me be?” She nodded. “Fine. If you must know, I love her, okay?” She smiled, more a showing of teeth than anything else. His eyes widened in alarm, and he inched away from her as he sat on the edge of the bed. What the hell was that look for? Hyuuga Neji was rarely afraid of anyone, but this was coming quite close. She looked at him like she was going to eat him at any moment.

 

“That's good. Sasuke-sama will be happy to hear it.”

 

“W-what?”

 

“I work for Sasuke, occasionally. At the moment, I am being paid handsomely to pass along information about your cousin's husband. Since I know how much you hate him, I was hoping to offer you the opportunity to aid us. We're looking to get rid of Akatsuki completely.” His breathing stopped completely. Get rid of…? His mind worked very quickly, and then he nodded. “That's wonderful, Neji. You must not say a word of this to anyone, especially not Hinata.”

 

“I am not allowed in the same room with her, Kurenai-san.”

 

“That will change, very soon. I'll use the closet to talk with you. Just…don't watch her anymore, Neji. If you do, you'll only get hurt. Take comfort in the knowledge that she was forced to marry him. When we've gotten rid of him, I think Sasuke might have a few encouraging words for Hiashi. Who knows, ne?” At that, he smiled weakly. He could hope, could he not?