Societal Gap

Societal Gap

A Fresh Start

A/N: Thanks to everyone who’s been following my story and for all the very helpful correspondence I’ve been receiving. Sorry this took me so long to post but on suggestion of Apythii I reworked the storyline a bit and honestly I like it a lot more. Yes, I know, not much happens in this chapter but there was a lot of back story to add. The next few chapters should be really fun! Keep those reviews coming! They really help spur me on. Just a warning, Zabuza is quite OOC. Special thanks to Apythii and my friend Tara who have been polishing my work and making sure I keep it my own. And to Michelerene who read it over and gave me a confidence booster, making me ready to post it.

Warning: Well, not much, maybe some language.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto, which is good cuz the story would be full of plot holes!

Two Years Later

Sasuke wandered around the town completely disinterested with both his life and his surroundings. A ceasefire had been declared six months earlier and he almost longed for the excitement of battle again. He had spent the past five months at the Uchiha hunting lodge outside of one of the larger towns in the newly joined Uchiha-Hyuuga territory, spending most of his time ironing out the petty squabbles and ruling conflicts that had arisen when the two clans had merged their lands and wealth. It was unbelievably mundane. The dark and now incredibly broody, young man met with the town officials regularly, the monotony incredibly draining. Formerly of the Hyuuga lands, the town was old and traditional, and the locals were vehemently opposed to change. They seemed determined to thwart every new idea that the young noble had brought up, even if it was an innovative, dynamic proposal that would bring the region great wealth.

Alas, the villagers seemed far more concerned with the planning of the annual festival rather than essentials such as housing and trade. Damn festival…that’s all they had talked about for the past two months! The village was bustling with the influx of visitors, merchants and performers that would be participating in the upcoming weeks. Gray buildings in the usually drab village were decorated with bright, colorful cloths and flowers, creating a vibrantly beautiful aura. Sasuke hated it. He wanted to rip out the plants from their pots and set fire to the lovely orange banners that were draped everywhere around the town, returning the streets to their usual sullen, grey state.

Not everything was horrible, though. Sasuke had managed to make the village elders hire three new healers, a new blacksmith and dig two new wells to accommodate the towns growing population. However, for the amount of time spent dawdling on less important issues, he was more annoyed than impressed.

His knights, however, were fully enjoying the festivities, especially the extra men and women that were around the town. Kiba was down the street flirting boisterously with a very pretty woman with white flowers in her hair, completely oblivious to her husband who looked ready to throttle the young knight. Sasuke growled in frustration at all the mirth around him.

“Is something wrong Lord Sasuke?” Iruka was beside him, a look of concern plastered on his dark face. Sasuke didn’t respond, simply jerking his head to Kiba’s potentially deadly situation. Iruka smiled and jogged off to save the young Inuzuka from his fate.

Sasuke gazed around lazily. Why had Lord Fugaku stuck him in this god-forsaken little town? He had requested his father send a replacement or even give him leave to visit one of the castles, anything to get him away from here, but would be surprised if he would grant his appeal. His father pretty much ignored every request he made.

Itachi had become liaison to the Hyuuga court and got to spend his time with other nobles and knights, and the eldest Hyuuga heir was coming to tour the countryside before taking residency at the Uchiha castle. She would be staying in the town for a few weeks in order to help implement Sasuke’s decrees. It seemed that everyone else’s tasks had meaning. He was uncomfortable having the woman he had nearly married in his town, but what could he do? This was part of the new treaty their fathers had signed to end hostilities. Besides he didn’t have to marry her anymore.

Sasuke let his dark eyes roam the street absentmindedly, a bright, jovial laugh disturbing his dour mood. He let his eyes search out the offender to lay a classic Uchiha glare on them, but found himself at a loss, as he slowly took in the features of a tall, tanned, extremely handsome blonde who was chatting down the street with a pale almost feminine man with long brown hair. Sasuke’s feet, moving on their own accord, slowly brought him closer to the pair, eventually getting him within earshot. The blonde was laughing and the other man was smiling gently, a flush tinting the pale cheeks at some of the blonde’s words.

“Oh come on Haku! It’ll be fun. Besides you’re so graceful, you’d be great at it!” Haku laughed in dulcet tones.

“No, trust me, you two are better off without me. I’m not much of a performer.”

“Pleeeaaasee! You could be one of the girls if you don’t want anyone to know it was you.”

“No, really. You two will do great. We should get back though. Your sister wanted these roots an hour ago.” He gestured to the muddy plants in his hands. The blonde pouted but followed Haku down the crowed street.

“Are you and Zabuza joining us for dinner again?” The raven couldn’t quite catch the response as the two moved away, their words lost on the wind.

Sasuke stared in disbelief. ‘No, no, it couldn’t be. It wasn’t him. Don’t even think it.’ He was still moving toward the where the pair had been standing when a hand caught his shoulder.

“There you are Lord Uchiha! Ah, but where are your knights? There are many in the land that are opposed to merging of these countries and would wish you ill. You must use caution in times such as these, my lord.” Sasuke groaned inwardly as the fat little man opened his mouth and it took off at a gallop. Though repulsive, the toad held enough sway to makes things difficult. It was best to suffer through it. He took a last glance down the street hoping to get look at the blonde, but to his chagrin the pair was nowhere to be found. Half listening, he walked back to a panicked Iruka, silently hating the idea of constantly needing an escort. Sasuke tried to bully his mind into focusing on what the stout, annoying man was saying but he couldn’t help thinking back to the beautiful teen he had met two years ago.

Naruto was laughing as he entered the herbs and remedies shop. Rei emerged from the infirmary in the back and smiled, thanking Haku for the roots. She was so delighted to see Naruto flourishing in this new environment.

Even with his gifts the wound had take almost a week to heal properly; his other injury taking a much harder toll. For almost a month the boy had cried. He had tried to hide it after a few days, but he could often be seen wiping his eyes while he tended the garden, brushed the horses and especially when he saw wild strawberries. The worst had been hearing Naruto cry himself to sleep almost every night. She thought there was no pain worse than seeing her little brother so upset…but she was so wrong.

After about a month Naruto stopped crying.

It was as though the tears that he shed contained parts of his being, and when they stopped, he stopped. He stopped crying and he stopped smiling too. He didn’t laugh; he didn’t sing; he never smiled. He had become lifeless, a husk of his former self, his eyes no longer carrying the sparkle that made the boy who he was. Soon she was the one crying herself to sleep, wonder what she could possibly do to get her Kit back.

The answer came one very painful year later. War had spilled all over the countryside. Soldiers were killing all the game, the winter was harsh, and the village was being looted constantly. The villagers had all given the pair a very hard time for the kidnapping; as if it was their fault for the war breaking out. Their situation grew desperate as the entire village became impoverished, except for the Harunos who were sitting pretty on their thirty pieces of silver.

Sakura, who felt responsible for the sudden change in Naruto, had taken to spending as much time as she could cheering him up. Nothing had ever worked but the blonde seemed to have appreciated the company. After their home had been burned for the second time, the Hanuro family left the village in search of some stability.

Rei had been reluctant to leave her home, not wanting to give up on the life she had so painstakingly built there, but when a large battle had erupted in the fields by the paddock, killing Kato and almost burning them alive in the cottage, the decision had been made for her. They had packed up everything that was left and slowly started to work their way toward the more substantial settlements.

At the onset of winter, they had met an interesting pair; a very large, very intimidating man and his lovely young companion. While Rei had been hesitant to travel with the two, Naruto had gotten along so famously with Haku that she couldn’t help but consent. It took a few days, but Zabuza warmed up to Rei and her fabulous cooking while Rei warmed up to the way that troublemakers now avoided them like the plague, petrified of the giant. The two had formed an uneasy friendship, both elated to see their younger cohorts enjoying each other’s company so deeply. Naruto and Haku had spoken on almost every topic; the war, combat, food, girls, boys, reading and medicine. As it turned out Haku had a lot of knowledge about remedies which he was delighted to share with the blonde.

The hulking man was rough and crude and his table manners left much to be desired. He was, in almost everyway, the complete opposite of the delicate young Haku, who was quite, very polite and extraordinarily graceful. The young man’s feminine features made him almost prettier than Rei herself. The pair was so mismatched that one could hardly see how they could stand each other’s company. However Zabuza was quite caring and gentle when it came to Haku, always making sure he had enough to eat, and the poised young man was dangerous when defending his companion. Once, when a group of men had been stupid enough to attack them, Haku had killed two of the men dead in an instant with swift, fluid movements that made fighting look like an art form, his usually serene eyes burning with intensity. Naruto and Rei made a mental note at that point never to really get on his bad side.

Their arrival at Tanzaku Gai couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. No sooner had they wandered into the heart of the village to look for somewhere to begin their new lives, when a portly man had proclaimed that the village was hiring healers. She, Naruto and Haku had jumped at the opportunity, especially since the post came along with housing above the shop that they would be working in. The shop was run by an elderly couple, but belonged to the village. So, while they had to make payments to the town elders and the couple every month, they got free lodging and got to keep most of the profits they made, which were considerable compared to what they were used to. And so they had carved a comfortable place in the town in just two short months.

Rei was pulled from her reminiscing by Haku’s melodic voice.

“Zabuza was hoping we could join you for dinner again. He was going to pick up some potatoes at the market for you.” Rei smiled. It was not unusual for Zabuza to want to eat with them. At first she had thought the brute was trying to get close to her but when Zabuza had spoken to the boys about women and declared that he preferred a woman with meat on her bones she had dismissed her concerns. He had mentioned that he hoped that any woman he fancied could cook like Rei.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure he said it just like that to. Do ya think that fuckin’ woman will cook for us tonight?” Haku laughed as Naruto puffed out his chest, doing his best Zabuza impression.

“Of course. You know that you’re always welcome.”

“That’s very kind and gracious of you. Naruto and I were going to watch some of the street performers this evening; would you like to join us?” Rei smiled and shook her head.

“No, I told Anko I’d stop in to see her.” Naruto grinned widely.

“Awww, Rei, did you make a friend? I’m just teasing. I think it’s great! I used to think you hated women.”

“No, just the women where we used to live.” Naruto snorted, absentmindedly crushing leaves into a powder.

“Okay I’m going upstairs to start dinner. Can one of you give the little one another spoon full of fever medicine? He should be fine to go home in half an hour or so.”

“Okay. Hey Rei, don’t you think Haku should perform with us?”

“Oh Kami, not this again! I told you, I get stage fright!”

“Oh but you’re so graceful! You’d be great! You could always pretend to be one of the girls if you didn’t want anyone to know it was you.” Naruto burst out laughing, clutching the stitch in his side.

“That’s aha ha ha… that’s what I said exactly!!” Naruto and Haku puttered around the shop, preparing medicines and teas and taking an inventory of what they needed. After sending their patients home and closing up the shop, the pair moved upstairs to help Rei with dinner.

The three laughed and sang as they chopped vegetables and baked bread. Suddenly the door burst open revealing Zabuza with a large bag of potatoes in his grip.

“For god sakes! Here these boys are singin’ in the kitchen with you! You’re turning them into women! They should be out with me, bustin’ heads and pickin’ up floosies. You know, learning how to be men!” All three rolled their eyes.

“Hello Zabuza. I see you brought potatoes, thank you.”

“Oh yeah. The shop keeper gave me a discount on account of my intimidatin’ nature.”

“Really? Would you mind stopping at the butcher for me tomorrow?” He released a noise deep in his chest that Rei had come to know was a chuckle not a growl.

They settled into a pleasant meal, Naruto and Haku chatting about the fire eater they saw earlier while Rei asked Zabuza about his new job.

“Yeah, they say I’m an asset to the brute squad.” Naruto snorted in laughter.

“Are you kidding? You could be the brute squad!”

“Naruto and Haku are going to watch the street performers tonight. I think I’m going to see Anko. Would you like to come?” Rei secretly hoped he would decline.

“Nah, to skinny. I’ll stick with the guys. See if I can’t amp up their testosterone an little.”

“Oh Rei were running low on wormroot and mint.”

“Already? Do you two want to go get some tomorrow?”

“Alright! Can we take the horses?”

“Of course you can. I’m getting Sirus shoed the day after tomorrow though, so please pick his hoves when you get back.”

“Sure, no problem. Haku, do you remember where the patches of mint were growing?” Naruto scratched the back of his head, clearly relying on his friend to recall.

“Yes, in the gorge by the river.”

“Well that settles it. I’ll open up tomorrow. Please try to be back by noon. The festival will start in a couple of days and we’re so busy!”

“Not to mention all the drunks that come in with injuries,” Zabuza added of handedly as he shoveled down the last of his dinner.

“Okay guys, let’s hit the streets!” Haku slid gracefully from his chair.

“Would you like help cleaning up Rei?”

“Listen ladies, we’re going out now!” Rei rolled her eyes, nodding to the pair to follow the hulking man out the door.

“Thank you for dinner Rei.” Naruto made a move to follow but stopped suddenly.

“Uh, Rei…do you think I could have a raise? What with the festival…” Rei smiled and moved to the chest that she kept their finances locked in and pulled out several coins. She split them into two piles and handed one to Naruto and one to Haku.

“Call it a bonus. I don’t know how business will be after the festival dies down. But remember you don’t have to spend it all!” Naruto looked in shock at what he considered to be a small fortune that Rei had placed in his hand. He hugged her tightly and dashed after Zabuza, who was yelling for them to hurry up.

The three wandered around the town, Zabuza quickly breaking off from the pair to chase after a curvaceous woman, leaving his young companions to their own devices. They pushed their way through the crowed streets, stopping to enjoy whatever spectacles caught their eye. Naruto grabbed Haku’s hand, pulling him towards a sweets stand, rushing past a group of knights, completely unaware of the blood red eyes that were following his every move from the shadowed edge of the street.

A/N: Did anyone pick up on the homage I put in there. Well two actually. I’ll give you a hint. One’s a movie and ones a tv show. Hope you liked it. I’ll update soon.