Bushido

Summary: In which, an American boy is forced to move to a 19th Century Japan – where he soon gets a job in a dojo for up-and-coming Samurai, and becomes fascinated with one raven-haired warrior in particular. SasuNaruSasu, Yaoi, AU.

~ Bushido ~

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Chapter 1: Dearly Departed

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A soft whistling, like that of a faraway train, filled the heavy air of the house - the only discernible sound, aside from the occasional chit-chat and tapping of polished shoes that emanated from the adults that swarmed throughout the empty rooms, and the emotional sobbing of young girls that faintly echoed from the servants’ quarters down the hall.

Already things seemed to be gathering dust, one lone figure thought bitterly, as bright blue eyes scoured the empty corners of the main room.

A boy, dressed in a black suit that didn’t seem to fit with the sunny mop of his hair, sat stoic and still in one of the only sheet-covered armchairs left in the house, near the front of the parlor. His black leather shoes squeaked and protested as he shifted his feet, and he was reminded that this would be the only time he would ever wear them - as they would be sold, along with everything else he didn’t strictly need, immediately after that day. His eyes were blank and empty, though he smiled politely in response to the sympathetic words the other darkly-dressed occupants of the room would occasionally direct towards him - inside, he felt hollowed.

It had happened so suddenly, they had been given no warning at all. He had been sick, they knew - but he had also been getting better, the boy told himself.

Somewhere in the direction of the kitchen, one of the older maids must have removed the boiled kettle from the stovetop, as the persistent whistling slowly ebbed away - leaving the house in a nearly-perfect quiet.

Almost immediately, the boy missed the sound - as though its ending represented everything else that had recently become so empty about the house - and with a sudden flare of rebellion, his eyes fixed accusingly on the cause of that emptiness.

Standing abruptly, without his permission, the boy’s feet carried him closer to the fixture in the middle of the otherwise bare room - the very attraction of the house that day - as a morbid curiosity began to bloom within him.

Incense sticks burned a heady scent into the air, the smoke wafting into intricate patterns from a table near the wall, dancing around the few fixtures left in the parlor, and floating ever-so-gently to the casket that occupied one side of the room.

“We’ve already organised the travel.” A voice spoke strongly from where one group of pallid-faced women congregated in a corner - and the boy stilled for a moment in recognition of the tone. “We can not delay, even another day, unfortunately.”

Tuning the quiet conversation out immediately, the boy shifted his focus once again, as he came to a stop beside the large, cherry-wood structure he had been watching all day - and his eyes widened, as he stiffened, and peered inside.

A man, lying perfectly still as though in sleep within the confines of the box, seemed to take no notice of him, as the boy found himself unable to unlock his eyes from the sight.

It stuck him then, how private it all seemed - as though the boy should tiptoe away in as much silence as he had come, lest he disturb the man. But he didn’t. Standing perfectly still, breath caught in his throat, the boy studied the features of his face, for what seemed the first time.

The man was old, the boy thought, as his blue-eyed gaze moved over the sallow-looking body. His skin had sagged in recent years, from strain and endurance, and his once-broad chest no longer heaved mightily with the effort of dragging ever-more evasive air into his overworked lungs.

He seemed peaceful, the boy decided - and if he tilted his head just so, the blonde youth could almost swear he even saw a contented smile on the withered lips of the man.

Turning his face away suddenly from the sight, the boy’s hands fisted at his sides, as he felt anger bubble up within him - and his eyes caught on the bags piled at the bottom of the stairs.

He was angry at his grandfather for dying so suddenly, for leaving them like this - and though, the blonde knew, it was pointless to be angry, frustration had been welling within him ever since he had been told of their abrupt and unexpected departure.

It was all that old mans fault.

He liked his life here. He liked America. He had been there all of his life; he had friends, a home, plans for the future - he simply didn’t know anything else.

He had never been to Japan before.

Feeling tears suddenly prick at his eyes, he cursed his grandfather, much as it also sent guilty pangs to his heart. He blamed that content, dead man for all he was worth, because soon - he would have to leave everything behind.

And it wasn’t fair.

“Naruto.” A gentle voice, accented softly, called to him then - and the boy’s eyes opened, a hand rising hurriedly to his face to wipe away wayward tears that had escaped down his cheeks.

Turning in the direction of the voice, the blonde’s eyes landed on his nurse, an older servant girl, who smiled at him sympathetically.

And in that moment, he felt the overwhelming urge to just run away.

He could almost see himself bolting out the front door, over the porch, down the tree-lined dusty road that stretched over their property - and all the way to the city, he would run, in his black suit and squeaking leather shoes.

“It is almost three o’clock,” The girl explained meaningfully then, her voice timid, and the boy’s attention snapped back to her - as he saw for the first time how her eyes glinted with unshed tears, holding a lace-trimmed handkerchief in shaking hands. “You must pack your day-bag, and we will leave within the hour.”

Naruto stood for a moment, as though uncomprehending, before he nodded stiffly - watching from the corner of his eye as many of the guests moved past him towards the front door, the service finally coming to a close.

Women sent him caring smiles, while some of the men patted his shoulder, before they too departed, and Naruto was reminded that he would soon be leaving that house for the last time himself.

Tearful goodbyes between the adults were had on the front lawn, and it was not long afterwards that the family of only three made their last trek through the halls of the house, the ten or more tearful young servants following them obediently as they gazed into one room after another, memories of the past fifteen years flickering endlessly through their minds.

Naruto held his grandmother’s hand as they stood at the front door, and he felt more than ever, that this was the end. His nurse, Tenten, stood respectfully on the woman’s other side, as a few silent tears rolled down her cheeks - and after a few long moments, the powerful woman spoke, her words directed at the group of sobbing maids.

“The priests will come by shortly after we leave.” She informed them, and Naruto had to fight down the bitterness he felt at being reminded that they would not even be there for the burial, as the servants moaned loudly in despair. “They will take care of you all.”

In a rush, many of the girls hastened to embrace Tenten, and the older girl wept openly with them - as they then flung their arms around Naruto, the blonde boy hugging them back with a pained expression on his face. He had known many of them since he was a small child.

A few long moments passed, as they each picked up their heavy bags, the grandmother waving away the servants when they tried to help - smiling kindly at them, before they gave their last bow, and the family of three made their way out the front door and toward the already-packed car waiting for them.

As Naruto pushed himself inside and closed the door behind him, his grandmother giving hushed instructions to the driver from the front, he felt Tenten’s hand brush his lightly from where she sat beside him - and she smiled.

“Do not worry, little boss,” The girl told him then, her voice heavy with her own withheld grief. “I will take care of you.”

Naruto did not reply, though he did his best to give her a smile reminiscent of his usual optimism, before he turned back to gaze at the house and the waving, sobbing servants they were leaving, as the car pulled away from the porch, and down the winding dirt road.

Straining his neck, the boy twisted in his seat to watch as the house became smaller and smaller, until he could no longer discern it from the other black dots in the distance, nor see the familiar porch, waving arms and the window that had once looked into his bedroom.

And as they sped on, the boy felt a hole widen in his heart - as he left his home, his grandfather, and his old life behind.

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A/N: Hello! This is the first chapter to a Sasuke/Naruto fic I have going on FF.Net. It is updated and continued there, if you want to read ahead.

My penname on FF.net is Emerald Elf-Slytherin707, it should be right there under my stories. If you have any problems finding it, let me know and I'll help you out.

Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any feedback!

-Emerald-