Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ One Short Story ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: Took longer than I thought to post this chapter, but here it is XD I dunno when the next update will be, it will probably take a while since my life is very busy atm >_< Anyway, enjoy! :)

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One Short Story

Chapter 2

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To say that Sasuke was displeased would be an understatement. When his older brother had returned with the news that a harem girl would arrive the next day, given to the Uchiha clan leader by the Empress personally, he had been nothing short of furious. Why would his brother need a whore? What was the Empress thinking, suddenly dumping a girl like that in their knees? He didn't care that his brother scolded him for behaving so childishly, nor did he plan to heed his orders of ceasing his fierce sulking anytime soon. He had all right to react like this, and thus he didn't feel bad at all about roaming the clan's compound for the reminder of the day; successfully avoiding his older sibling until he was forced to return to their room later that night.

Much too his dismay, Itachi had yet to fall asleep upon his arrival.

“Are you quite finished, Sasuke?” was the first thing he uttered as the younger of the two silently entered the room. All Itachi received as a reply was an all too familiar sulky pout, making the slight throb in his head increase to a budding headache. He was too tired to deal with this, but it had to be done, so he spoke again; voice slightly softer this time. “You have an annoying habit of coming to the wrong conclusions, Sasuke. And tell me, why do you insist on forgoing to actually listen to me when I explain the situation?”

Having reached their futon by now, his little brother's gaze flickered down to the floor in what he assumed was either guilt or shame. The blush on his otherwise pale cheeks told him it was more of the latter. He waited patiently for a reply, and after a few moments, the now kneeling boy sighed and mumbled; “I apologize. Would you explain the situation to me again, aniki?”

Pleased, Itachi reached out and pulled him down to lie beside him; letting his fingers thread through the spiky, smooth hair once he'd settled down. “The girl the Empress has given me is her own, personal maid and entertainer. It is a great honor to receive such a gift, Sasuke, but the reason as to why the Empress has done this is not what you think. I was asked to protect the girl where the Empress fears to fail, and to do so without rising any suspicion or conflicts, the Empress chose to give the girl to me as a show of gratitude for my services to our country and its ruler. Do you understand?”

Sasuke nodded, still avoiding his gaze as he snuggled closer in his embrace. Sighing, he spoke again. “It remains a fact that the girl is now mine, and that her duty is to entertain and please. She is a rare beauty Sasuke, it would be a shame to let it go to waste,” he paused to smirk, meeting the glare now directed at him. Letting his finger trace the curve of the younger one's jaw, he continued. “Which is why, foolish little brother, we should enjoy it together.”

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The next day arrived far too soon in Sakura's opinion. Despite the honor of serving a man such as Uchiha Itachi, the girl could not find it in herself to feel pleased about the new turn of events. She did not want to leave the palace; to leave her Empress' side. It was selfish, horrible and so improper, but no matter what the rules said it was impossible for her to deny that she had grown accustomed to her position as the Empress' favored. What awaited her in the Uchiha clan was no doubt a low position among many other servants, a position in which she would find it impossible to continue her studies and where she would have to say good bye to her new found confidence. No longer could she speak her mind, she knew, and she would have to tread carefully; she did not want to displease her new master, because that would be like doing so to her Empress. She had to keep in mind that the Empress had done this for her protection, something that made her green eyes mist over in unshed tears of wonder and indescribable joy. Never had someone cared for her in such a way, and it tore her heart apart that she would have to leave this safe haven of knowledge, compassion and sincere affection for something that she had thought to have left behind in the country of Wind.

But as she found herself stepping out of the cart in which she'd travelled from the palace to the Uchiha clan's compound, the turmoil of feelings and thoughts had calmed drastically. She had slapped herself hard half-way through her travel, frowning at her pathetic behavior. The self-pity was gone, replaced by disgust. What right did she have to complain, to feel like the world had ended? How could she forget the people who had never felt silk against their skin, or eaten till they could not force another bite down their throat? It was a disgrace. She had the power to make this situation into what she wanted; she just needed the right attitude. Nothing good would come out of negative thinking; it would only make things worse. As long as she stayed positive, she mused, so would the circumstances. With that, she took a deep breath and followed the guards assigned to bring her to her new living quarters before she was escorted to her new master.

She would have to be on her best behavior, if she wanted to make up for their last meeting. The thought that she had attempted to attack him still horrified her, although a small part of her was disgustingly pleased by the fact that she had reacted to quickly to a possible threat. Sighing in dismay, she pushed it out of her mind for now; choosing to focus on her surroundings instead. She was quite surprised.

The compound was magnificent; it was huge for a clan with only three members, littered with so many buildings she feared she would get lost should she stray from the main road the guards led her down at the moment. She absently wondered why they had not removed the empty houses, but before she could ponder on that for too long she realized that they weren't empty at all; servants disappeared and reappeared through the entrances, carrying books, scrolls, cleaning materials, clothes or nothing at all. Most of them were male, and some so nicely clothed that she had to consider the possibility that they were from other clans and noble families. Why they were here, she did not know, but she could guess by the way they always seemed to carry some material of study with them that they used some of the buildings as libraries or archives; coming here to make use of the space left after the massacre. Either the Uchiha clan leader was very intelligent to offer his property for study, or he'd had no choice if the Empress had ordered him to do so. It was hard to decide which, since the young man was known for his superior intelligence and the Empress just as famous for promoting any kind of learning among her people. Heaving another sigh, she dropped that train of thought before she spent too much time pondering about something that shouldn't capture her attention so.

She let her eyes wander once again, but this time she regarded the various trees and small patches of grass with a small smile, pleased with the beautiful flowerbeds carefully placed out along the houses. She had not been allowed outside much when she had been in the palace; in fact, she had not spent any longer amount of time outside for years. The only nature she had known for the past time of her life had been the artificial gardens made by skilful human hands; she barely remembered the wild beauty of a forest, with blooming meadows and shy animals. Before, she had not been tempted to refresh her memory, but as her green eyes travelled along the high walls surrounding the clan's compound she felt a strange flutter in her stomach. The tips of trees peaked up from behind the thick, protective stone; taunting her in their closeness. She hoped her room would have a window directed towards the walls, if only to tickle her imagination with the view.

“We are here,” one of the guards said in a gruff voice, posture stiff and formal as he led her up a few steps to a rather small house. She bowed gratefully when he slid the door open, and quietly stepped inside. Immediately, her head lifted and she looked around; taking in her new home. It was…pretty. Simple. Turning around to face the guard once again, she waited. He didn't take long to point out the direction of her room, telling her that all her possession had already arrived. “Uchiha-sama wants you to change into a specific kimono for your meeting. You will find it in your room. We will wait here while you change,” the guard added before she could leave, and once again, she bowed her head before making her way towards the corridor that had been pointed out for her.

Making sure the sliding door was firmly shut behind her once she entered her new room, her eyes fell almost immediately on her futon; smaller than the one in the palace, but just as comfortable looking. But it wasn't that which caught her attention, but the beautiful dress lying on it. It had an interesting, but very simple design; silky red in color with creamy white circles adoring the ends of the sleeves and skirt. The obi was white as well, with no patterns, and the pins for her hair that was placed above the dress were plain; the same white as the obi and the circles. Feeling a slight worry start to creep up on her, Sakura moved forward to start getting undressed. The kimono was so simple that her suspicions about a low place among the Uchiha clan's servants were confirmed. At least she would not be part of the harem, or else the dress would be much more elegant and much, much more beautiful. But she was no good with chores, and silently hoped she would at least be allowed to join the dancers and singers.

Not wanting to worry before confronted with the truth of her future, the girl easily slipped out of her kimono and started donning the new one. She didn't allow herself to acknowledge the fact that she was more nervous than she could remember ever being.

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Sasuke let out of a noise of impatience as he sat by the table with his brother, waiting. How long could it take for the girl to get here already? He wanted this to be over as soon as possible, and tried to ignore the amused stares from his older sibling. “Relax Sasuke,” he said, bringing the cup of sake up to his lips, taking a sip as he paused. “She was asked to change into another kimono, and it takes more time to dress than to undress, foolish little brother.”

Blushing slightly at the deep tone his aniki's voice had taken, Sasuke looked away in time to see the door to the room slide open. Itachi put his cup down and let his curious stare rest on the kneeling figure revealed. He could not see her face in her position; bowing deeply with dainty hands supporting her before her knees. Pink, red and white filled his vision, and he made a slight noise of approval, waiting for her to stand.

“I have arrived, Uchiha-sama,” she greeted, voice soft and sweet despite the stiff politeness that radiated off her nervous form. When she didn't raise her head he realized she waited for him to acknowledge her, which he promptly did as the impatience from his little brother seemed to have rubbed off. “Come here, Sakura,” was all he said, eyes not leaving her as she slowly straightened from her bow and opened her eyes. He was not disappointed; she remained as beautiful as he could remember. Sneaking a glance towards his little brother, he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Eyes wide, a blush adoring soft cheeks, the younger male stared openly at the girl now making her way towards the table. The sitting arrangements were much like their meeting at the palace, only now he occupied the odd end of the table; placing her opposite of his brother rather than himself.

“Sakura,” he said, bringing the girl's attention to him and away from her feet as she once again kneeled and made herself comfortable. “This is my little brother Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Sakura; a most generous gift from the Empress to us.”

Sasuke nodded, trance broken, and he eyed the girl more closely; freezing once he met her gaze. Shyly, she was observing him through thick, dark-pink lashes with what seemed more like emeralds rather than human eyes. Reluctantly looking away, he met his brother's amused stare with his own bewildered one. “You were right; she is really beautiful.”

At his frank statement, Sakura blushed a light shade of pink, almost matching her hair. She hadn't known the little brother would be here, or that he would be her master as well according to the way Itachi-sama had worded his sentence earlier. It made her slightly uncomfortable; she had never had, nor heard of, two masters. But perhaps, she mused, they were siblings that simply shared everything. The possibility was sweet, had not she been included in “everything”.

“I am glad she pleases you, Sasuke, but from what I have heard your beauty is not the only thing you possess that is worthy of praise, isn't that so, Sakura?” Itachi said, turning from his brother to eye the young girl. Her somewhat adorable blush deepened, and she bowed her head briefly before answering. “I can dance and sing as well, milord,” was all she said, obviously uncomfortable to have both brothers' attention.

“I have heard the Empress has had you educated as well, in both self-defense and healing,” Itachi continued, reaching for his chopsticks to start with his dinner. The girl nodded, wincing slightly at the frown marring Sasuke's face. “She has been educated?” he said, sounding almost offended. “I know the Empress wants women to study like men, but I had no idea she would allow a concubine to do so.”

Sakura quickly looked down, successfully hiding her furious expression as she clenched her hands and tried to calm down. Concubine? She hadn't been called that since she left Wind. She had been an entertainer, sometimes called maid, in the palace; dancing and singing for her dear Empress. The powerful woman had not allowed anyone to use the young girl for sexual services, so the title of concubine was not justified despite her past. Resisting the urge to tell them so, she tried her best to remain unaffected so the brothers would not notice her change of mood.

“I think you offended our girl, Sasuke,” Itachi spoke, making her stiffen. So much for going unnoticed. Looking up, eyes wide, she hoped she looked as innocently surprised as possible. The amused glint in the older man's eyes told her it was in vain, and she swallowed nervously as he spoke again, ignoring the snort coming from his younger brother in favor of speaking directly to her. “I apologize on behalf of my younger brother for looking down on the fact that you were educated on the Empress' orders. I will not, however, excuse his use of words. You must understand, Sakura, that your position has changed. I will protect you, as the Empress ordered, but you are now ours and we do not require a maid. Depending on your skills, you will continue to sing and dance when we wish you to, but you are, from this day on, a part of our harem.”

The dread that had been slowly building in the pit of her stomach since he started to speak was now gripping her body in a painful way, and she could not hide the way her cheeks colored in shame, nor the way her eyes shone with emotion. His voice had been harsh; clear in its authority. It had added to her surprisingly strong reaction to his words, making her take a calming breath in order to get her thoughts straight. What had she expected? Fingering the hem of her simple kimono, she sighed as she admitted that she had not expected this at all.

“I think it will be wise to warn you that we did not have a harem before you arrived, so you will be the only one,” Itachi continued once she seemed to have collected herself. Raising a brow at her shocked expression, he resisted the urge to smile. “I hope you don't mind?”

Bowing her head, she replied with a soft voice; contrasting sharply with his previous cold tone. “I do not mind, sire. I will do my best to please you.”

Sasuke eyed her, having stayed silent through the conversation to observe the strange girl. He had no trouble admitting that she was as beautiful as his brother had claimed, if not more so, and was pleased to note that he would have no problem bedding her either. Like it or not, his aniki seemed serious about keeping her around for more than just protecting and it was better to adjust to the situation rather than fighting a losing battle. Besides, he had yet to bed a woman and despite the fact that his brother was more than enough in the bedroom he couldn't help but be curious. Now he had an excuse to explore and satisfy his curiosity without rousing any arguments with his older sibling.

“We'll look forward to it,” his brother said, breaking him from his thoughts as he replied to Sakura's statement. Blushing for what seemed like the tenth time during her short stay in the room, the girl looked down. Sasuke felt his lips twitch up in a small grin, and he found himself wondering how soon she would find her way into their bed. The dark gaze of his brother promised it would be soon, and so he started his meal with a considerably lighter mood than he'd sported before her entrance.

This could turn out to be quite pleasant, he mused.

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