The Bastard

Chapter 9:

It was early, when they snuck out…still pitch dark outside. Naruto nodded silently to some of the Spanish settlers, before hurrying Sasuke and the other two towards the horses. Iruka accepted some packs and divided them between the group. They leaped on and trotted out. The hooves had been covered with thick cloth to muffle the clopping. Once out of the hearing of the village, they broke into a canter, not wanting to tax the horses too much.

They rode until the sun was fairly above the horizon, before stopping under a tree by the road. Iruka delved into their packs and brought a hunk of bread and some cheese. Naruto notice the Sasuke was still picking at his food, but the Earl caught his look and finished the rest of the meal fairly quickly and without protest.

Iruka led the horses towards a small stream and Kakashi followed him, which left the two men alone together again. Sasuke lay back on the grass, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at Naruto. “Never thought Spain could be this nice…it’s the first time I’m seeing countryside! And I must say, it seems bloody nice!”

Naruto nodded. “Yes, I love Spanish countryside…though the nobles are a bunch of noddercocks. The politics here are bad. The peasants really are poor…much poorer than our English ones, but they are generous to a fault! You can expect some really good meals if we ask for their hospitality!”

“Then I must say I am looking forward to it. It will be nice to live in the outdoors, I haven’t done that either! If you’ve got people fussing over you every single moment, you miss out on the nice things in life it seems. Orochimaru has done me a favor by framing me, though I do feel bad poor old Sabnack…if only the snake had found a better way of framing me!” Sasuke shook his head a little.

Naruto frowned slightly…he kept getting the feeling that something was really wrong. Sasuke was behaving perfectly fine, but something didn’t ring true. He looked up from staring at the ground when Sasuke stood up. The dark haired man brushed himself off and held up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, as he looked in the direction Iruka and Kakashi had disappeared in.

Then he scowled slightly. “Hey now, Naruto…you don’t suppose they have started…well kissing and all do you? They have been gone an awful long time!”

Naruto blushed and glanced at his clock. “Sasuke…they have been gone for ten minutes. Will you please stop thinking inappropriate thoughts? You are putting me to blush!”

Sasuke grunted as he sat down once more. There was an awkward silence as Sasuke looked off into the distance deep in thought. After a moment he cleared his throat. “Naruto…do you believe in God?”

Naruto looked up startled. “Of course I do…do you not?”

Sasuke licked his lips. “I don’t know. Even if there is a God, I do not think He made all the rules that the priests tell us about. I have realized that the one thing human beings fear the most…are people who are different. They either fear these people or are in awe of them. I think it is because of this, that there are so many social strictures about what we can and cannot do. I often wonder why God would create things, if He did not want them. And most of the people who do go against the rules of our society or religion are good men. So it cannot be the work of Satan…I am sorry, I seem to be delving too deep into this topic. But yes, I would say I do believe in God…just maybe not the rules, which go against what He seems to have made.”

Naruto stared at him, not voicing the fact that he had been wondering the same thing. Sasuke was not looking at him, but just staring at the ground, no doubt still contemplating…or maybe he wished not to look at Naruto. The moment Iruka and Kakashi came back; Sasuke walked to his horse, tied his bag and got on. His horse had almost the same impatience he did, as it pawed and snorted.

The others were soon mounted too and they set of again, cantering through the beautiful countryside. Naruto steeped in his own thoughts about what was wrong with Sasuke as well as the dark haired man’s words.

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It was nightfall when they stopped. They had eaten a few fruits while riding. They were going to sleep outdoors just like Sasuke wanted. The next village was three quarters of a day away. They wouldn’t be able to make it, unless they rode all night, they were too tired to do so.

Iruka led them to spot under a huge tree, before building a small fire. He cooked a quick broth on it with some of the dried meat he had brought. He sent the two young men to look for more firewood and asked Kakashi to help him with the broth.

“Thing do not seem to be going well, yonder. Your master seems to be retreating into his shell again.” Iruka said quietly as he began to stir. Kakashi studied the fire.

“I think it is the Captain…his lordships in love. But the Captain will not allow it, being the good Christian that he is. The Earl has had a hard life; he cannot handle losing things, though you would say he must be used to it now. I have seen his every fall, happiness and sorrow. But I can see nothing good coming from this.”

“But Kakashi…we cannot let that happen. What do we do? Naruto will not understand! It is hurting them both and his lordship seems so vulnerable. I am not sure it was a good idea to bring him.” Iruka began in his motherly way.

“We could not have left him behind. You do not know Sasuke, he would have followed us. He is in love with Naruto and he will protect him. We cannot do anything but watch Iruka…they will have to solve this themselves and you will have to stay out of it. It is their business after all.” Kakashi concluded.

At that precise moment, the lads appeared bearing armfuls of firewood. The set them down and took a seat a little away from each other. Iruka looked between them and decided that he had to say something. “The broth smells good, does it not?”

Though Sasuke and Kakashi gave him dry looks, Naruto gratefully took the cue. “Yes, I must say, I am ravenous! I wish we had some oriental noodles or pasta which are my favorite dishes. Iruka do you think we could buy some anywhere?”

“Well maybe if we can find any Italians here…” Iruka smiled. Naruto grinned back, looking positively happier than he had before. He turned back to watch Sasuke, who had gone to sit a little away from the fire. Naruto collected the bowls of broth and walked over to Sasuke.

Sitting down beside Sasuke, he handed the other man the bowl and a piece of bread. “It is different from London is it not? I love being able to see the stars without having to be on Nine Tails.”

Sasuke nodded, just looking at the sky. He tried to ignore the feeling to want to kiss Naruto welling up inside him. He stubbornly did not look at Naruto. The blond looked a little perplexed.

“Are you angry with me Sasuke? Do not try to deny it; I know that something is not right…” Naruto did not look away from the beautiful face him front of him. He saw Sasuke’s eye twitch slightly.

Sasuke remained silent and after a long while, he looked at Naruto. “Well, what do you feel about me Naruto? I’m confused. One moment, you are a friend, the next moment we are doing…well to put it in your words, inappropriate things…you are making my mind run around in circles trying to understand.” He held up a hand to shush the blond as the latter opened his mouth.

Then he shook his head and continued. “I know you are good Christian, but I cannot understand why you should fight something like this. You are making me doubt myself…is it because I was Kiara that you acted that way? I mean the other night, when you…” the Earl colored a little. “I cannot do this anymore Naruto. Either we give in and help each other through this or we finish the job we came here to do and you really set me ashore in France.”

Naruto stared at him. “But Sasuke…I cannot! It is wrong! I am sorry… you…to me you are…the most importa-”

“Then after this mission you will set me down at France. Please do not say anything else Naruto… I will be remaining your friend, but you must realize I cannot stay on the Nine Tails while things are like this. I have been neglecting Orochimaru… once you set me down at France I will make plans and then attack him. Good night.” Sasuke gracefully stood up and made his way to Iruka.

Naruto watched him hand the bowl back, then pull out a blanket and pillow, spreading it on the ground a little away from the fire. The blond hung his head. He felt like he had lost a part of his soul. The look in Sasuke’s eyes, when he had said the last few sentences, was unbearable. But how could it be possible?

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Once again Naruto was woken up before dawn by Iruka, who said that the earlier they awoke; the faster they would reach the village. They rolled their bedrolls up and washed up a little. Sasuke greeted Naruto as though things were normal. It shocked Naruto that the manner was not forced, it was like Sasuke had accepted things now.

They came to a nice village after riding all day. It was small; Iruka and Kakashi led them to an inn, that wasn’t far off. Sasuke refused to share one room, so they got two rooms with extra bed rolls for the menservants. Luckily for Naruto, they did have some kind of noodles here, so he ate ravenously, somehow managing to preserve his dignity and not lick the bowl clean. Sasuke watched and then smiled.

“Idiot, the foods over. The bowl will not fill itself again, no matter how much you stare at it.” he said in an amused voice, earning a glare from the blond.

“I am full. And I do not want more noodles.” Naruto stated firmly, as his stomach let out a growl. Sasuke sighed and shoved his bowl of noodles over to Naruto.

“Well, I am finished. You can finish that if you wish it. I am sleepy, so I will retire to my rooms. Do not wake me up too early, please.” Sasuke’s chair grated against the wood as he stood. He brushed some crumbs off with his blue coat and nodded to Naruto, before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Naruto finished the noodles after staring at the bowl. He wished he could erase the conversation which had taken place last night and just tell the dark haired nobleman about his feelings, but it seemed to be too late now.

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It was mid morning when Sasuke woke up. He bathed before donning on a red shirt and a pair of black breeches. There was no need for his formal English attire, seeing that they were not in England and weren’t keeping English customs. He used that oil to make his hair stick up again and then left.

When he stepped out, Naruto was in a private parlour, partaking of a small brunch. Sasuke was glad that the Captain had asked for Kakashi and Iruka to serve them, instead of the innkeeper’s staff. The blond gave him a long look as he entered, but Sasuke just bowed with a small smile and ignored it. Sitting down opposite the Captain, he pulled a roll out of the bread basket and a chunk of cheese. He leaned back as he ate, listening to Kakashi and Iruka talk about their findings.

“The peasants don’t care much for Zabuza. He has been enforcing a sort of cruel regime on them, increasing taxes and thinking of cruel punishments for those who fail to do so.” Iuka said as he served them their tea.

“There was a small rebellion that occurred east of here, but it was crushed very efficiently. All those peasants who were involved were publicly executed.” Kakashi stated, settling down next to Sasuke.

“So he is the typically obnoxious General type, it seems. It should be easy to figure him out… people like that always seem to think that they are cleverer than most people, but they can be very predictable.” Sasuke smirked. “Well, he and Orochimaru would be very well acquainted if my guardian were a little higher in his status.”

“So what are we going to do? We need to have a plan.” Naruto asked taking another bite of his bread.

“Wait. Until we get to the capital, there is no need for us to plan. Only when we get there can we formulate something that will work.” Sasuke said decisively. “We should leave now…and not stop until we reach the capital. Ah…Naruto, you have not shaved. That is good…do you not think that the growth is enough Iruka? If we keep it trimmed to that length, then the dye will not wash off.”

“Yes, the Captain should get into his disguise, the moment we leave this village. The closer we get to the capital, the more danger he will be in.” Kakashi said. “I have the dye ready; all we must do is stop near a stream maybe and apply it.”

“I do not want a…” Naruto began, but the menservants walked away, clearing the table. Then he glared at Sasuke. “Why did you have to broach the subject? I do not want to be disguised, I want to go in there as I am and fight Zabuza.”

Sasuke stood up slamming his hands on the table, his dark eyes snagging on Naruto’s blue. “Captain Uzumaki, you will be quiet this instant. We are not worried about what you want and do not want. If you will not stop behaving like a nincompoop, you will force me to take drastic measures. It would not do Konohamaru a lot of good, if you were to be thrown in jail with him. You will be disguised this afternoon. If you do not want the dye, maybe you’d prefer a dress?”

Naruto stared at him, his eyes wandering over the smooth plains of Sasuke’s face and how good the dark haired man looked in red. His thoughts heading towards the image of Sasuke gasping in bed, all those days ago as Naruto pleasured him. Coming back to his senses, he found that he was staring into black eyes that were flashing with anger.

“You are not listening to me are you, Uzumaki? Very well, I will find a way to do this. We will leave in half an hour.” Sasuke left with a last glare. Naruto looked at the shut door and tried to calm himself. He had to rid himself of that urge to jump on to the table and pull Sasuke on top of him, before kissing him. He shook his head…this was going nowhere.

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They did leave in about half an hour. How Sasuke managed to make Iruka and Kakashi work that well was a mystery, but by the time Naruto had come downstairs the horses were saddled and waiting and the bill had been settled. Naruto noticed with misgiving that Sasuke was still wearing the dashed red shirt which made him look so good.

The moment the dark haired man saw him, he leaped into the saddle and waited for him to do the same. To Naruto’s annoyance the two menservants did the same. He pouted and considered refusing to move, but Sasuke was looking a little bit like the devil, so he decided against it. He swung himself into his saddle and followed after Sasuke who’d already begun to move. After a while they reached a small stream and Sasuke motioned for them to stop. Before Naruto knew it, two pairs of hands lifted him off the saddle. He turned to see Iruka and Kakashi on either side of him, carrying him to the stream.

Sasuke stood there looking a little evil, with a small bowl in his hand. When Naruto was brought to him, he pulled out a little brush and started on Naruto’s hair. The blond tried to squirm, but his menservants were very strong. Once his hair was done, Sasuke bent down and began on his beard. First he shaved it off, shaping it into a French beard. Then he applied the dye in quick strokes.

Naruto’s breath caught as Sasuke bent nearer. His eyes lingered on the soft lips of the dark haired man, which were mere inches from his face. Sasuke’s tongue slid in and out as he concentrated on applying the dye perfectly. Naruto found himself following its movements excessively.

“Naruto…if you are finished with staring at me, then I would like you to wait five minutes for the dye to dry. Iruka made it himself, so it works fairly quickly.” Sasuke said, giving the blond man a curious look.

Naruto blushed to the roots of his hair. “Yes…yes I do not mind waiting. I was thinking… not staring at you…I mean…well I want to think for a while now.”

“I think you should refrain from further speech. You seem too confused to make any sense whatsoever.” Sasuke stood up and turned to Iruka. “I think that should do it. What do you think men?”

“Yes, you are quite good at it, my Lord. Ever considered forgetting your title and becoming an actor?” Iruka grinned at him. The short brown haired man seemed to be getting more comfortable with Sasuke.

“Many times yes…but I cannot let Orochimaru revel in my luxuries, can I? I would really not mind giving everything away and living for the road.” Sasuke grinned back. “So what are our plans now? I do not find it likely that I will meet Haku or Zabuza on the streets, but anythings possible. Those two would recognize me, so we will have to be careful.”

“I think you have had enough of disguises my Lord. You might have to become Lady Kiara once more…if you had to attend a ball or something, but I do not deem it necessary.” Kakashi said as he lazed on the grass. Iruka sat down next to him, his shirt riding up a little and exposing a bit of his stomach. Before you could say God Save the Queen, Kakashi’s fingers were playing lightly up on the patch of flesh.

Sasuke blushed and looked away. In spite of himself, Naruto, watched trying to will himself to feel some disgust, but none came. It seemed natural, not something dreadful sin like he thought it.

“I never want to be Kiara again.” The other three looked up as Sasuke began to speak. “If I must be in disguise, we will choose something for a man. I will even dye my hair blond, but I will not get into skirts for anything.” his tone had an air of finality about it. The menservants looked at each other, but Naruto looked away, knowing he had brought it on.

“I think the Captain’s hair is done by now.” Iruka walked up to Naruto and felt his hair and beard which were stiff from the dried dye. “Yes it is. Let’s remove the excess, shall we?” Iruka began to wash it all off, revealing dark chestnut hair and beard. “My, you look very handsome, Captain! Still very good looking, so I do not think you will mind the change of colour. After all it will wash out in a month or so.”

Naruto could not help but look at Sasuke for his approval. The dark haired man gave a small smile. “Well, Iruka is right. It does become you…though you look nothing like the blond, Captain Naruto.”

It struck Naruto, that Sasuke sounded relieved that he looked different. Like for Sasuke, he was a different person now, not the man he wanted. It was in that moment that Naruto made his decision. He wanted Sasuke, and he would win Sasuke back, chestnut hair or blond.

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A/N: yay…at last this is over. I have been so tired after getting home from college, that I have typed one paragraph or so per day and some days none at all. It’s good to be back…kind of. So hope you all are fine and are having a great time! See ya all.

Taka