Being a Yazkuza's Bride

Chapter 19: Meeting god



Itachi always did his research, the first time he had seen his little brother's new 'toy' he was worried. There were plenty of men who might try and take advantage of his Otouto's 'generosity' (well if you could call it that), and this had been the first time he had actually seen his brother bring one of his 'conquests' to the workplace. So he started researching; he knew his brother would have done his own background research into the blonde minx and found out some interesting things about him.



Well, rather about the interesting connections his foster father kept.



He had only met the 'Kage' once, nearly 5 years ago, when he was negotiating a safe passage through America to deal in some rare antiques, when he had met the red-haired beauty. They had met in Kage territory, it was risky but there was no other way for them to negotiate. The man had been tall, with ruby-red hair trailing down his back, and those steely blue eyes that seemed to literally pierce through his soul. There had been no real indication that that man was the leader, but the simple way the red-haired man held himself was enough to say everything.



At first Itachi had thought that the man was just like any other yakuza leader, all stuck up in his own delusion of power, but the power this guy had was more than real. To say the least this had been the first time in Itachi's life that he had been nervous.



It was a smaller crimson-haired boy with a red Kanji tattoo on his forehead that did all the talking, while the leader remained silent in the background. Itachi would have been insulted if he didn't understand where his 'place' was. Not once had the tall man spoken, but his presence never went unnoticed and continued to bug Itachi all through the meeting. When it was finally over and done with he wanted to do nothing more than leave, only to come face-to-face with the red-haired man.



"Let's do business again, Uchiha-san," he said. His voice was like silk, and literally drew Itachi in.



"Yes, of course. Arigato," he said quickly, and bowed respectfully. He felt very foolish that he had been taken in, and so badly distracted by the other's beauty. The red-haired man smirked and turned around to leave.



Itachi wouldn't deny he had been enamoured by the man, it was hard not to, but that had been a long time ago. Not to mention that every cell in his body told him not to, that the guy was dangerous and not to be messed with, and older men were really not Itachi's thing (this didn't include the fact that if Deidara ever found out about his passing fancy he would wake up one day with one less ball).



It however didn't mean that Itachi stopped keeping track of the man.



His little brother on the other hand didn't stay away, but instead got sucked in to something much deeper and complicated. Itachi wasn't completely sure what connection the blonde had to the 'Kage', but it was serious, and also worrying.



Yet Itachi did what he had promised: he gave Sasuke the coordinations to the general area where the 'Kage' was last seen, and now it was up to Sasuke to do the rest. All for a price, of course.



Oh, Otouto had been furious.



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Naruto was resting for the first time in days, was sleeping on Iruka's lap with the older man's hands gently running through his hair. They were back in the limo now, driving 'home' as the red-haired man had called it. Yet Naruto wasn't afraid, he was quite numb instead with all the information that had been crammed into his head. There was a family for him out there, one that had been keeping an eye on him in a very creepy fashion, and now he was going to meet his 'Uncle'.



He wasn't sure what to think about that so he decided to remain dumb about it; for Naruto, there were bigger problems.



After revealing his relationship with Sasuke, Iruka had a slight panic, and then when he told the Gaara guy, the redhead's expression turned icy. He said some words in English at Iruka and then took out his cell phone to start making some calls.



Naruto wasn't really sure what was going on, but the next thing he knew Iruka told him to follow him, and they were both bundled into the limo. Gaara was sitting just opposite them, staring expressionlessly out of the tinted windows at the lights flashing past them. He pretended to be asleep, it was better that way, at least then he wouldn't have to see those angry glares that Gaara occasionally passed him.



Oh, he hoped Sasuke was okay…



"Naruto, we're here…" came Iruka's soft voice.



Slowly the blonde got up, pretending to rub the sleep out of his eyes, and blinking sleepily at the brunette. Iruka smiled at him and then turned to open the car door to let himself out; when he stepped out Naruto followed right behind him, but literally froze at the sight of the mansion in front of him.



The sun was rising just over the horizon and making the white paint of the building shimmer, especially with the sun's rays reflecting off the large bay windows. Surrounding it was a garden. Well you could call it a garden, or a landscaper's dream. The hedges were cut and shaped into figurines, and a huge waterfall that had an ornate baby angel-thing standing on the top, with water spouting out of his pouted mouth.



It kind of reminded him of the mansion Sasuke had brought him to, to meet his family. Yeah that particular night where that teme declared Naruto was his 'wife'. God, even the memory of it made him blush with embarrassment. With an awed look on his face, he let Iruka lead him towards the large building.



Gaara nodded towards a dark-haired man in a suit standing in the doorway who nodded back at him, then went through the open door. They followed him inside, and it was just as grand on the inside as the outside. The carpet was dark blue, stretched from the main door to a spiral staircase all the way to the other side of the large foyer, with two large doorways on either side. It wasn't inviting at all, kind of cold with the plain white walls and the lack of décor, although Naruto didn't doubt that all of things in here were very expensive.



"What took you so long?" came a velvety voice, in perfect Japanese. Naruto turned to see another red-haired man coming down the spiral staircase.



"Apologies, Kyuubi-sama," Gaara replied.



"Hn, so this is Naruto," he said, turning his steeled blue eyes to Naruto. "To be honest I would have hoped to never have to bring you here."



Naruto couldn't help but feel angry at that remark. "Well I didn't ask for it," he snapped back, while Iruka tried to shush him.



The man named Kyuubi smirked, "What an unruly child, is this how you brought him up, little Iruka?"



"Kyuubi-sama…"



"No matter, come, you must be hungry, we'll talk later about this," it was obvious that this guy demanded respect and for his orders to be followed without hesitation.



And everyone in the room did; Gaara went straight towards the older man, while Iruka gently nudged Naruto through the right doorway which obviously led to the dining hall. There was a long dining table covered with a white cloth covering it. Candles along the middle of the table, and surrounding it were sets of plates piled with food and filled wine glasses.



Kyuubi went to the head of the table and sat down, Gaara sat down on his left with Iruka beside the younger redhead, dragging Naruto along with him. The blonde was starving as he looked down at all the food, and he wanted to do nothing more than gobble it all down, but something told him that he shouldn't, well it was more about the fact that no one else had touched their food either. It seemed like they were waiting for someone. Naruto looked around the table and noticed that there were actually a few more plates out on the opposite side of the large table. So he guessed that they weren't going to eat until everyone came.



Finally there came a loud stomping sound that made the blonde jump; he looked around wildly, slightly panicked, but no one else seemed perturbed. Although Gaara sat up a little straighter than before.



Suddenly a brunette-haired man stomped into the room. He was muscled, his clothes stretched tight over his body, with a vicious scar going down his right eye. A crazed look was embedded in them, which really made Naruto apprehensive. The man gave a twisted grin at the silent redhead who didn't seem to care how the other man acted. The behaviour seemed almost the norm.



"You're late Mamoru, where are the others?" Kyuubi asked.



"Don't call me that Kyuubi, its Shukaku," the brunette growled back.



"Tsk, impudence. Now answer the question where are the others?"



"Ah, y'know, running around doing stuff…" he trailed off. Then he suddenly stopped when he finally caught sight of Naruto. "This him?" he asked.



"Who else," Kyuubi replied.



Shukaku grinned. "So this is big brother's spawn?" it was more of a statement than a question, and Naruto did not appreciate it.



He glared at the older man; he might have been his uncle, but that didn't mean he would show this guy any respect. The brunette kept on smirking; he chuckled darkly and picked up the delicate glass of wine, taking a sip of the dark red liquid.



"He looks a lot like him, but scrawnier-"



"Let's eat," Kyuubi interjected.



The brunette quietened; he gave one last smirk to Naruto before starting to eat. They followed his example, tucking into the roast venison with baby potatoes and an odd sauce that was drizzled over it. Naruto savoured the food, not only to quell his hunger but also the terrible silence that dominated the large dining hall. The occasional clinkering of cutlery against the china really only made the silence more noticeable. He brought himself to look up and noticed that Kyuubi was still looking at him, his own food untouched. Quickly he looked away and tried to concentrate on his meal.



Time passed and finally everyone was done and Naruto was more than sated. Kyuubi dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin before standing up. "Come, we have a lot to talk about, Naruto," he said. Not waiting for Naruto as he left the dining hall.



The blonde hurried after him, not really noticing that none of the others had moved to follow him as he went with his uncle. They went through a set of halls, past large double doors and long corridors. Naruto stayed right behind the older man, looking at the walls and sets of paintings that hung from them. Some followed the western style, portraits of other family members if Naruto had to guess. There were others though, traditional Japanese ink ones depicting the popular tailed beasts. Naruto didn't get a good chance to look at all of them.



Finally they had reached their destination.



The blonde guessed that it was an office, with the large ornate Victorian desk taking up the center space of the large room. On it were papers and files, with a small desk lamp to the side. Shelves behind the desk, filled with a large collection of books. A large bay window took up almost one of the walls, providing the main source of natural light; a chandelier hung from the ceiling. The walls were painted pastel green in colour, and just a couple of feet beside the door was a fireplace with two comfortable-looking chairs in front of it.



Kyuubi sat down in one of those chairs while Naruto, although a bit hesitantly, sat on the other. Again they were consumed by silence, all the time with the redhead just staring at him.



"I will admit that you're not what I expected."



"I didn't come here to impress," he retorted.



"Indeed…" he murmured. Reaching towards a small decorated glass bottle filled with scotch, Kyuubi pulled out the stopper and poured himself a glass; he offered one to Naruto, who declined.



"But we have a problem now, don't we?"



The blonde stilled; he took a shuddered breath in an attempt to calm himself. "If it's about the money…"



"Pft, as if I care about the money, technically it was yours anyway," he replied, taking a sip of his drink.



"What…?"



"Part of your inheritance; your father didn't want it but it was still his, and with his death it got passed down to you, but we can talk about that later. Right now I have the bigger problem of what to do with you."



"There is nothing to do! Just send me and Iruka back home, that's all I want!"



"Now that's where the problem lies. I don't think it would be in your best interests to send you back. So far it has been nothing but trouble, your poor education, then onto the low-class jobs you had moved onto, and your lifestyle in general. I'm starting to think that leaving Iruka as your caretaker was a mistake," he stated, putting the glass down on the table beside him.



"Hey, don't bring Iruka into this-" he shouted, jumping up from his seat.



"Insolent child, sit before I make you!" Kyuubi roared back, and Naruto did. He was surprised at how loud the voice was, and again he was afraid.



"You have no authority here boy, and right now I could honestly care less about the misgivings of Iruka. It was my mistake after all, leaving you with him was not the best idea," he murmured into his glass. "Especially with all the trouble you somehow manage to get yourself into, and getting involved with an Uchiha would be the worst."



Naruto froze; something about that tone brought out a bad feeling in his gut.



"What are you going to do?"



Kyuubi leaned back in his chair, his hands linked together and brought under his chin. Steel blue eyes gazing endlessly into Naruto's own. "Tell me what happened, from the beginning. Then we'll see what we should do."



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After refuelling they headed off to their new destination. Sasuke should have expected it to be L.A, it seemed there were always some Yakuzas that decided to make a base in America. After all in Japan it was getting increasingly difficult to do business, what with all the new laws and security being installed. Not that there wasn't a way to bypass all of it, the one language everyone spoke was money.



They landed in L.A at around noon; the hot sun was beating down on them as soon as they exited the jet. It was a different type from the humidity that existed in Japan, a lot dryer and stingy. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and waited. They went quick enough with the arrangements this time; their car would take a lot longer to get here. Although by now he was getting really tired at having to look at his subordinates, and they could feel the tension emanating from him.



"Have you gotten in contact with them yet?"



"No, and I went through all the channels that Itachi did, I'm guessing that they change their routes…"



"YOU THINK?" Sasuke shouted, giving Kakashi a harsh glare.



"Calm down, Sasuke-"



"How the hell am I meant to be calm, huh? How the fucking hell can I remain calm about this?!"



"Itachi said that they wouldn't hurt Naruto, we just got to be patient, and you need to eat something," the older man replied calmly, which only managed to infuriate the young Uchiha.



"I don't need food," he snapped back a bit childishly, if only at that moment his stomached hadn't emitted a loud growl. He gritted his teeth together; the thought of food had been far in his mind, and the lack of it was really starting to irritate him. But he didn't want to waste time with such things, he only wanted to find Naruto.



"First we get something to eat, and then we'll wait. I'm sure that the 'Kage' already knows that we're here, maybe they will contact us."



Sasuke wasn't too sure he liked that.



Nevertheless when the car arrived he allowed Kakashi to bring them to the nearest 5 star hotel so that they could make better plans. Although Sasuke was starting to wonder if it was worth it anymore; he was starting to get really tired, his muscles ached, his head pounded, and he generally felt older than he ever had. When he had asked for some excitement a few months ago, this wasn't what he wanted. Then again, it felt like he had known Naruto for more than just a few months.



From that moment the dobe had spilled wine on his expensive clothes, everything changed.



What happened to the guy who had only wanted some 'fun', when did things get so serious? When did he become so attached?



When you couldn't stop drowning in those blue eyes, when you couldn't stop searching the room for a wisp of sunshine blonde hair, when you drunk yourself stupid at the thought of him being with another.



That's when things changed.



Sasuke barely registered the knock on the door. Haku went to open it; it was room service. The smell of food wafted through the air and his stomach grumbled, but he didn't taste the food.



Sated he went for a shower, he needed to think and he couldn't do that in a room full of people. Letting the warm water flow down his body, Sasuke couldn't help but let out a sigh. The tense muscles in his shoulders finally unwound, but the pounding in his head remained. He just kept on thinking of how scared Naruto had been, and for how stupid it was to let Orochimaru go. But finding the blonde had been more important for him than killing that bastard. And after all of this was over that was exactly what he would do.



He lathered up the shampoo, massaging his scalp, pushing at the sides were most of the pain came from. It looked like however he would need an aspirin after all.



He finished his shower, dried off with one of the hotel's fluffy towels, and tied it around his waist. Then he went to the door and opened it a crack; instantly two hangers with freshly pressed clothes were handed to him. He didn't say anything in thanks to Kakashi as he took them off the other man, and started putting the new clothes on. Sasuke emerged from the bathroom with his shirt undone and jacket in hand. He threw the jacket on a nearby chair and then slumped down on it with a heavy sigh.



"Anything yet?"



"No."



Sasuke shook his head and turned to look out of the window at the bustling city below. It was sometime around three if he had to guess, but his biological clock had been so messed up that he wasn't particularly sure of anything. He heard the clacking of keys as Shikamaru continued to work. A click of a gun from Zabuza, who was flicking the safety of his rifle on and off; Haku was leaning against him, reading a book if the sound of flicking pages was anything to go by. Kakashi was sitting opposite him, going through his blackberry, waiting for messages. Neji, whose injuries still hadn't properly healed, was lying on the bed beside a fidgeting Suigetsu.



Everything was a mess, and waiting only seemed to make it worse.



Then the phone rang.



It wasn't Kakashi's, no it was the hotel phone. They all stared at it, watching it ring for a while, before Kakashi finally picked it up.



"Hello?"



"Ah, Mister Uchiha?" came a pleasant voice, sounded like the woman from reception.



"No, this is his assistant, how can I help you?"



"There is a call here for one Sasuke Uchiha, he said that it was private," she replied.



Kakashi paused and handed the receiver to Sasuke who took it, pressing the cold plastic against his ear.



"Hello, Uchiha speaking?"



"I'm Shukaku," came a calm voice.



"Where's Naruto!" he instantly asked.



"He's safe, be ready in an hour Uchiha, there will be a car waiting for you, only you will be allowed passage. If any of your men come with you, then nothing can be guaranteed."



"I understand," he replied. There was a click and the line went dead. He handed the phone back to Kakashi, who put it down.



"So?" he asked.



"Nothing, I'm going to be taken to them, you guys will stay here."



"Boss, that's a bad idea. It could be a trap!" Suigetsu exclaimed.



Sasuke already knew that, but he was still going to go, and his silence seemed to show everyone his conviction, because none of them tried to stop him. Just as 'Shukaku' had said a car was waiting for him; it was a sleek black convertible, with a red-haired driver. He looked up at Sasuke, teal eyes staring up at him with icy contempt.



"Get in the car," he said simply, there was a click and the doors unlocked.



Sasuke reached for it and pulled it open before stepping inside the car. He was glad he had showered and looked presentable, and they drove off through the city.



The scenery changed from casinos and hotels to more suburban, rich, if the looks of any of these houses was anything to go by. The car suddenly came to a stop, nowhere near any of those houses, just the curb. The engine was switched off. The redhead turned to look at him, and Sasuke for the first time noticed how young the redhead looked. But his eyes told a terrible story.



"What do you want Naruto for?" he asked.



"Is that any of your business?" he retorted.



"It is if you want to see him," the man replied.



"He's… he's my lover," Sasuke didn't really think there were any other words for it.



The redhead stared at him for a while longer, then he turned back to his steering wheel. He turned to key, put the car back on and they started to drive again. Sasuke didn't know if what he said was the right answer or not. But he guessed he had said the right thing. They kept on driving and the area changed again; this time there were less houses, but they were much larger, with wide expanses of ground surrounding them. Soon they came up to the largest mansion that Sasuke had ever seen in his life.



The iron gates automatically creaked open and they slowly drove through the lush garden, and up the winding drive to the large white mansion in the middle. The redhead stepped out, and Sasuke followed him; they went up the stairs and into the building.



"It's good to finally meet you, Uchiha Sasuke," came a voice.



When Sasuke turned to look at the person who called his name, he came face-to-face with a god.