Warnings: OOC-ness, bad languageand alternate universe.
Disclaimer: If I own Naruto, then I will eat my socks.
Naruto
Fallen Immortals
By
YamiTsubasa
Chapter II: Complicated
Matters
“Naruto-sama,” Gaara greeted as he entered the demon
prince’s office with two other bodyguards he had ordered to be with Naruto at
all times once they reach the borders of the human countries. Although his
façade was usually cool and aloof, the red head could feel anxiety eating away
at him as he watched Naruto straightening himself up and his blue eyes glinted.
“Let’s go, Gaara,” Naruto commanded as he swept across the room without
waiting for his assistant’s reply.
Slightly startled, the sand controller answered in the harsh army-like
tone, “Yes, Naruto-sama!”
One of the bodyguards opened the door for the prince and bowed low to
show respect. The blonde nodded tightly and did not say anything. He walked out
of the office and then spun around for a moment as if to indicate that the
bodyguards and Gaara should follow him. All three nodded as they walked behind
Naruto, with quickened, hasty steps.
Today is a big day.
They could not afford to mess it up.
Gaara took a sharp intake of breath before asking, “Naruto-sama, do you
think you’ve made a mistake in going into the human country instead of other
neutral countries to make the peace talk? Won’t the people in the human country
try to murder you or something? We will be outnumbered there-” Gaara did not
mean to question his leader, but Naruto could still make some mistakes at
times.
Naruto held up a hand to silence him, but Gaara ignored it pointedly and
continued, “and we need some back up when we reach there. Estimated amount of
our forces going with us will be around a hundred and I think it will be enough
for the humans to handle. But I’m more afraid of your welfare, Naruto-sama-”
“Gaara,” Naruto said sharply, ice underlining the name as the blonde
stopped in his tracks and Gaara with the bodyguards halted promptly as well.
His assistant had shut up immediately.
Naruto sighed, as if the war had taken a toll on him and Gaara then
realized that this leader who was leading them so well, and acted so mature was
actually almost a year younger than him since he was born around October.
“Gaara,” Naruto repeated again and it caught the red head’s attention.
“Do you really think I am not capable of taking care of myself? Even if
I’m attacked,” Naruto paused, as if to contemplate on the words he had said, “I
will be able to handle them. But I am very sure that we will not be attacked as
even their princess had given her word that they will not attack our
side once we’ve reached their country. Are you clear, Gaara?”
Gaara felt like punching their leader all of a sudden. Why is their
leader so blind? Could not he see the damages that the mages had done in
the human countries? The humans would not even forgive them! They will make
good use of every single opportunity that was thrown at them and try to kill
their entire race!
And just a word from the princess and Naruto fell for it? Could he be that
foolish? Or just that he really trusted the humans?
“Naruto-sama,” Gaara protested but Naruto quickly shook his head, “No,
Gaara. That’s enough. We will enter the human’s country to make peace and get
it over with. Once they are willing to hand over the item we want, we will stop
trying to destroy their cities. It’s that simple, Gaara, can’t yousee it?”
He continued walking along the corridor, not waiting for Gaara. Gaara,
however, caught up with hastened steps.
“Naruto-sama!” Gaara exclaimed exasperatedly, “If we are willing to stop
the war, the humans may think that we are weak and tired of war and tries to
climb onto our heads! You know better than that! Peace making only works if
both sides agree. What if they don’t? What if they won’t hand us the artifact? Can’t
you see it? They will make use of this chance to assassinate you!”
“Let it go, Gaara,” Naruto said in a soft voice, almost inaudible. “I
just want this war to end.”
He opened the door to the outside world as all four mages left the
headquarters of the Mages Alliance.
There were exactly eight horses there.
Naruto went over to pat his black steed, and the animal shook its mane
happily as it recognized its owner.
Naruto raised one eyebrow. “Who else is going?”
Gaara glared, “Neji and Temari.”
Kurenai looked out of her window for the umpteenth
time, her hands were oddly clammy cold. Of course, any leader of her country
would be worried about the welfare of her people if the leader of an enemy
country would be ‘visiting’ their country.
But this was not any ordinary leader. This is Uzumaki Naruto, leader of
the Mages Alliance and also the vessel of the almighty demon Kyuubi.
The thought of a demon vessel containing such a gruesome creature would
be entering her country made her shudder in fear.
She knew that the mages’ representatives would be arriving shortly, but
as she stared at the vast land of the city, almost empty, Kurenai realized that
her people were really afraid of the mages.
Sighing, she messaged her forehead as she felt a major migraine coming
up. A knock was heard as her office door was literally thrown open to reveal a
panting Hinata, gasping for breath.
Kurenai shook her head, amused with the little girl’s tactics. “What’s
wrong, Hinata?”
Attempting to regain her composure again, Hinata started with much
difficulty, “T-the mages! They have arrived, Kurenai-sama!”
Kurenai narrowed her eyes and she slipped on her cold, nonchalant mask
of a princess as she walked briskly out of the office to ‘welcome’ the
visitors. “Come, Hinata.”
The pale girl nodded vigorously, as she half ran along with the human
princess to find herself crashing into her own leader’s back. She wanted to
laugh but could not. She fell back onto the ground, painfully.
“K-Kurenai-sama?” Hinata inquired as she stood up quickly, brushing off
the dust that had collected onto her uniform.
She saw her princess bowing slightly and in front of Kurenai was the
blond demon prince.
Kurenai bowed and as she looked up, she found herself
staring into those fascinating, mesmerizing blue eyes of the demon prince. The
cerulean orbs were taking her breath away. She was rather amused by the fact
that she nearly hyperventilated.
“I assume that you are the princess, Kurenai?” Naruto asked in a
business-like tone.
Right. What was she thinking? They were here for business, not like some
casual date or anything. But she had not in the least expected that the prince
of the mages is so… Drop dead gorgeous.
She wished that they were not on different sides, fighting on different
kinds of opinions.
“Kurenai-san?” the demon prince’s voice was like chipped ice, without
emotions whatsoever. There was not a hint of concern in it.
Kurenai nodded mutely and turned to her subordinate promptly. “Hinata,
let’s bring them to the meeting room.”
Kurenai eyed at the two burly looking men standing by
the huge oak doors, as if guarding it. Then, her attention was swayed to a
pupil-less, creepy teenager and a blond girl with a fan strapped onto her back
standing behind the prince. Then she looked at the prince sitting with his two
most trusted assistants, Shino and Gaara.
It was like a beautiful picture painted, except that the beings in the
painting did not hold any emotions of any kind and their faces were all wiped
blank. The artist of the painting must have been some sadistic chap who enjoyed
staring into empty faces.
But Kurenai could just feel her eye twitching as she stared at
the prince and his subordinates.
Why must he and his lackeys be so damn unresponsive?
They had been sitting in that position for ten whole minutes without saying
anything already, damn it! Kurenai shouted to herself inwardly as Sakura,
her loyal assistant, decided to enter the meeting room at that exact,
frustrating moment and gave her leader a quick bow.
Kurenai felt grateful to the pink-haired girl as she saved the princess
from that awkward situation with silence lingering in the air.
“Okay. We are here to make peace, Kurenai-san. We will cease all the
happenings of war if you agree on one condition,” the blond prince started,
with many listening intently. Hinata’s attention however, was on the boy with
no pupils in his eyes hovering above Naruto’s seat.
Cousin Neji?
Kurenai’s eye was twitching again. We will cease all happenings of
war on one condition? This is utter madness! What are they thinking! Like hell
we will accept to bow to them! We will fight till the end if they want us to
give in so easily! Do they think of us as weaklings?
Gaara had noticed the inner conflict within the human princess’s mind. “Don’t
worry, we are not wanting you to submit to us. We only want an artifact in
return for peace.”
Naruto nodded firmly and added, “A necklace. It is said to be available
within the human countries.”
Kurenai wanted to sigh in relief, but she nearly had a fit as she heard
exactly what the prince had wanted. A necklace?-! The war was all for a
necklace?
But before she could respond, Sakura stood up fiercely, causing the
chair to topple over as she glowered at the demons. Angry was not a word to
describe her at the moment. She was livid.
“What makes you think we will give it to you if we really have it?” Sakura
asked, fury triggered something inside of her and she could felt herself snap. She
hated these demons so much. She just wanted to go up to them, spit in their
faces before tearing them into bits.
Her tears were welling up in her green eyes, threatening to fall any
moment. The anger and rage and so much grief that had been locked in a firm,
enclosed box deep inside her heart was suddenly busted open without any
warning.
They had no right… They had no right to make peace with them… They were
the cause, the root of all the problems, all the deaths, and all the damages
done to their human race! What right do they have to demand an item from them?
I-It’s blackmailing… Sakura realized, as her eyes darted
from Kurenai to the mages.
“Y-you have no right…”
Sakura began, walking steadily towards the demon prince. Temari tensed, her
hand reaching for her enormous fan strapped to her back. Neji narrowed his
eyes. Gaara stood up. Shino remained passive.
“You have no right to
snatch away lives from us just like that and then try to make peace with us by blackmailing!”
Sakura hollered, tears were now streaming down her face and a switch was
switched on abruptly in Naruto’s heart.
Was that pity? Was that
guilt?
He did not know that he
could even feel anymore… Everything passed so fast and Naruto was
growing to be accustomed to numbness… It was something he felt every single
passing second, minute, hour in his life.
A perilous glint flashed
in Sakura’s eyes before her hands reached into her weapon holster available on
her uniform so fast that it appeared as a blur and she flung it towards the
demon prince viciously. She hissed in hostility.
She was like a dangerous
animal cooped up in its cage for so long that it just wanted to get its first
kill once it got out.
Everybody’s eyes widened,
as the kunai seemed to soar through the air in slow motion- before Naruto
caught it deftly within his second and third fingers.
Sakura swore loudly,
abandoning all her weapons and launched herself onto Naruto, using her almost
inhumane strength, using all her power to clench her fist and send it across
the prince’s face.
Everyone in the room heard
a horrible ‘cracking’ sound as the fist connected with the jawbone and Naruto
was sent flying across the room and hitting against the wall before slumping onto
the ground. But he was still conscious.
“Naruto-sama!” Neji yelled
as he ran to help his leader. Hyuuga Hinata’s eyes widened to the size of
saucers as she saw the person who looked so much like her cousin Neji it
was unbelievable hurrying over to their enemies’ leader, the demon prince.
“Naruto-sama!” Temari and
Gaara shouted in unison as they, too, ran towards their fallen leader. Shino
used much effort to restrain the demon prince’s assaulter.
Naruto, however, was
already standing on his feet. He used a hand to wipe away the blood from the
corner of his mouth and the other to carefully caress the part in which Sakura
had smacked hard enough to send him flying.
“Let me go! Let me kill this
son of a bitch for murdering my father in cold blood!” Sakura screamed and
kicked, struggling against the strong grip of the bug controller. “Die, you demon!”
She had spat the word, demon, venomously.
“S-Sakura…” Kurenai
coaxed, reaching towards the struggling girl who slapped away the hand that was
offered to her. The princess could feel her heart tearing into bits inside as
she saw the girl that was her assistant, a friend, a comrade, a sister
to her giving in to so much raw hatred, so much anger…
Temari, enraged by the
foul words that Sakura had shouted at their leader, took big, long strides
towards the shrieking girl and put a hand to her fan. But, no matter what the
girl did, Temari still could not decide things on her own in the presence of
their demon leader.
The girl with the fan
glanced back at Naruto with a hopeful, expectant look on her face as she seek
assurance from her leader.
Naruto shook his head,
before instructed the girl, his voice hoarse, “No, Temari.”
The girl wanted to pout
but decided against it. Sakura had given up on struggling against Shino and
slumped onto the ground, sobbing inanely like a little girl who had lost her
precious teddy bear.
Surprisingly enough, the
demon leader, instead of ordering his subordinates to attack Sakura, walked
towards his own assaulter.
His eyes held pity for the
girl.
Wordlessly, he knelt down
before the crying Sakura who was apparently oblivious to the demon prince in
front of her or she would have tried to bite his head off.
Naruto tucked a wisp of
stray pink hair behind Sakura’s ear. “I’m sorry.”
A pregnant silence settled
between the mages and humans. All looked upon the two.
“I didn’t want the war to
happen… I really didn’t…” Naruto knew he was rambling but he could not help it.
It was like his mouth had a mind of its own. “B-but all of you… You won’t
accept our race… We just wanted to let your people know that we shouldn’t be
looked down upon…” Naruto’s mouth had decided it was done.
Temari resisted the urge
to roll her eyes. Why would their leader want to tell the humans that? When had
they ever listened to them, anyway?
Sakura looked up, unshed
tears glistening in her eyes as salty tracks of tears were already left on her
flushed cheeks. “Why, then?”
Naruto could not answer that question.
He did not know the answer.
Sakura’s eyes narrowed at the prince’s hesitation. “Well, I hate you demons
and I still do!” She hit as hard as she could on the prince’s chest
repeatedly and she was slightly fazed about why the blonde chose to take the
blows. “Bring my father back!” She sobbed and cried before she slammed her
fists on the floor, biting her lips hard enough to draw blood.
Naruto sighed as he stood up. His face was already healing, without any
medical jutsu or medicine applied. He had enough of this. He knew how much his
people had suffered and this was the first time seeing one of the humans who
had suffered so much crying in front of him.
He just wanted to close his eyes just for a moment.
Just for a moment.
“What kind of a necklace is it?” Kurenai asked and her voice was meek,
but calm. Things were looking much better as Sakura reduced her constant
wailing into dry sobs.
Naruto turned to the brunette dumbly.
Kurenai wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she repeated her words like to
a four year old, “I. Said. What. Kind. Of. Necklace. Is. It?”
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I don’t know,” he
admitted. Before Kurenai could punch him, he added, “But I had confirmed my
suspicions that a woman in her fifties has it and her name is Tsunade.”
Authoress’ Notes: Bwahaha. Hope you like this chapter.
By the way, if anyone would like to help me beta this story, please tell me
either in your review or contact me by my email, yami (underscore) rakuen at
yahoo (dot) com (dot) sg.Next time…
“The humans are suffering, Naruto-san. Can’t you see it?” Kurenai
asked, her red eyes boring into Naruto’s blue orbs.