The Hatake estate rarely received visitors, but a royal visitor? That was absurd! After all, Kakashi reflected, he was only a minor noble, ruling over a somewhat impoverished area. One of the Sorcerer Kings coming to see him bordered on impossible. What could the bloody Uchihas possibly want?

Prior to his illness, there would at least have been servants to answer the door, but the family fortune had been severely depleted with little or no improvement to his condition. His internal organs were slowly deteriorating, due to some exotic infection contracted during his years of service under King Fugaku Uchiha.

Kakashi fought back his dizziness and nausea, forcing himself to walk upright down the stairs to greet their mysterious royal guest. He had to get there before his dearly beloved, but rather impetuous son. Naruto and an Uchiha in the same room could only spell disaster. Sakura would hopefully have the sense to stay in her room; the last thing he wanted was for his beautiful daughter to attract the attention of one of their savage monarchs.

Praying that it was just a branch member of the family on a casual tour of the kingdom, Kakashi swung open the heavy door and descended to meet the royal carriage. Knowing his place, however much he resented it, he bowed deeply and concealed the pain it caused him as his bleeding organs were compressed. I must get Sakura to try another session on them after this…

"You may rise," a cold baritone informed him.

Itachi! Kakashi quickly glued on a smile and gave an appropriate greeting. Of all the Uchiha, the crown prince was by far the most feared. He was cunning, powerful, and utterly ruthless. He also avoided casual outings and social interaction, which eliminated most of the benign reasons for his presence. Oh hell. Oh bleeding hell…

"I must confess," Kakashi observed blandly as he led the guest inside, "I am surprised to see you here, my lord. Surely you have many pressing matters to attend to?"

The prince fixed him with a red-eyed stare and said nothing.

"Of course," he continued glibly, "we all need a moment's relaxation here and there, but the Hatake estate is hardly known for its refreshing countryside. The best hunting would be to the north, in the forest region."

"I know."

Well, rumor was certainly correct about one thing: the next in line to the throne of the Sorcerer Kings was about as conversational as a rock. "I… see. Would you care to sit down?"

The prince's cold red eyes swept the rather obviously mended furniture. "No."

Kakashi waited for the man to say something. Finally, he decided he was through playing games, especially since his children could put in an appearance at any moment. "Is there something I may do for you?" he asked through gritted teeth. Damn arrogant Uchiha bastards…

Itachi smirked ever so slightly. "Summon your daughter."

Kakashi's mismatched eyes widened. "My… daughter?"

"Sakura," the man reminded him, in a voice that was disturbingly like a purr. "Bring her to me."

It was a father's worst nightmare. Kakashi drew himself up to his full height, which nearly matched the Uchiha heir's. "What do you intend for her?" he growled, consequences be damned. His sweet, lighthearted daughter was the apple of his eye, and he'd be damned if he let this prince, who slaughtered without a care, within ten feet of her.

Itachi's eyes glittered. "She will be mine."

"Like hell she will!" the Hatake lord spat, summoning his own borrowed power and preparing for a fight.

"Father?"

Both men turned to see a pink-haired girl standing uncertainly in the hallway, worry in her jade-green eyes. "Sakura," Kakashi said quickly, "find Naruto and get out of here. Now!" Naruto could be an idiot, but he would protect his sister's honor.

"No." Itachi Uchiha commanded sternly. When Kakashi moved to speak, he flicked one finger and the silver-haired man stood frozen. "Walk with me."

Sakura ignored the invitation. "Father!" She ran up to him and felt his pulse, then whirled to look at their strange visitor. "Is he… will he be all right?"

"If you cooperate." He held out a hand to her. Not knowing what else to do, she laid her hand in his and let him lead her outside. He brought her to the door of the royal carriage, then turned to study her.

Sakura shrank back under his intense scrutiny. Perhaps she had offended him with her lapse of etiquette? "My lord," she murmured, dropping into her lowest curtsy. No sooner had she finished sinking than she felt an insistent hand under her chin, lifting her back up. Gulping, she rose and tried not to fidget. It was extremely rude to fidget. One couldn't be rude to an Uchiha, especially not when one's father had already made that particular mistake…

"Sakura."

The man's voice broke in on her scattered thoughts and she hurriedly put on her most polite smile. "Yes, my lord?" How the hell does he know my name?

"I am prepared to make you an offer." He smiled slightly. "One I think you will be hard put to resist."

"O-oh?"

He retrieved her hand and stroked it slowly, almost thoughtfully, with his calloused fingers. "Your father is dying."

"How do you know that?" she gasped.

"I know many things," he responded cryptically. "For instance, I also know that there is little future for you or your brother in this pathetic estate when he is gone."

Sakura willed herself not to demand again how he was getting this information. "You are correct," she admitted softly, lowering her eyes.

"I can change all of that."

Her head jerked up and she stared at him in disbelief. "How?" she finally managed.

He laughed softly. "You don't know who I am, do you?" Without waiting for her to answer, he slipped off his seal ring and held it out to her.

Sakura took the small object and gazed at it in disbelief. Everyone knew that seal! They had seen it burned into stone walls, carved into criminals' corpses, executed in blood on fields of battle… "Itachi Uchiha?" she whispered. When he smirked, she fell to her knees. "Pardon me, my lord. I… I did not realize the heir to the throne would come here, and…"

"You are pardoned." Itachi's hand came under her chin again and she returned to her feet. "Now, do you have confidence in my abilities?"

Sakura nodded, willing her heart to slow down. Itachi Uchiha was the most feared man in history, the most powerful heir the Sorcerer Kings had yet produced. If he claimed to have the power to do something, it was most likely true.

His thumb stroked the side of her face as he leaned toward her. "I will cure your father's illness and restore his fortune. I will have your brother appointed as a retainer to my younger brother, where he will have many golden opportunities. You have my word."

Sakura trembled. "What do you want in return?" she whispered, unable to tear her eyes from the prince's ruby gaze. Please don't say what I think you're going to say…

Itachi's lips curved. "My price, Sakura, is you."

Yes, that's what I was afraid you would say. She dropped her eyes again. "I-I can't." To go with this man, to let him have his way with her, went against everything her mother had taught her. If she did this, even to help her father and brother, neither would ever look at her again. "Please… I… I'm sorry, my lord, but…"

"You misunderstand me."

She looked up at him, astonished. "How so?"

"I do not seek a mere mistress, Sakura." He lifted her hand and pressed a burning kiss to her knuckles. "I would have you for my wife."

o-o-o-o

"You said what?" Naruto bellowed when he heard the story later.

Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples. "Quiet down, Naruto."

"No!" the young man roared. He turned to their father. "You're telling me that that monster of a prince waltzed in here and demanded our Sakura's hand in marriage, and you're just going to let him get away with it?"

"It wasn't my decision," Kakashi reminded him, looking less than pleased with the situation himself.

"There was no decision to be made." Sakura folded her arms around herself. "You two know that as well as I do."

Naruto hugged his younger sister close. "Don't you understand what he'll do to you?" he asked raggedly. "Don't you know what happened to Queen Mikoto? She's a thrall. The king stripped her mind away on their wedding night! She can't feel or think anything of her own."

A tear escaped Sakura's eyes. "Yes," she whispered, "I know."

"Then why would you say yes to him?" her brother demanded.

"Because she had no choice."

Naruto turned to stare at his father, who suddenly looked decades older. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi slumped into a chair. "When Itachi Uchiha wants something, he gets it – by fair means or foul. If Sakura had said no, do you really think he would have respected her wishes and left her alone?"

"Maybe he would have!"

"No," his father insisted, taking him by the shoulders. "He would have taken her all the same. And he would have been angry. You think Sakura's fate is bad now? Imagine what he'd do to her if she'd defied him."

"We could have protected her!"

"Against Itachi?" Sakura asked, laughing hollowly. "Against the man who can reduce entire cities to ash in less than an hour? You would both have died and I… I couldn't let that happen."

Tears welled up in Naruto's blue eyes. "Sakura…"

She shook her head, pushing her brother away. "He… he made me a generous offer. You two will be taken care of, and I will lose my innocence with honor. You both know that that's more than any girl who catches an Uchiha's eye can hope for."

"But… he'll destroy you!"

"That's better than having him destroy you, too!" Sobbing, she ran from the room.

o-o-o-o

Sakura was awakened by a familiar tapping at her window. Opening the shutters, she let the beautiful black weasel into her room. "Hello, Shadow." It wasn't a creative name, but it fit. "Would you like some nuts?"

The creature chattered at her and she giggled, glad to forget her troubles for a moment. She gathered a handful of nuts from the dish she kept on her bookshelf and offered the kernels to her little friend one by one. From his place on her lap, he crunched them contentedly, occasionally rubbing himself against her. Sakura stroked his silky fur and cradled him in her arms.

"This might be the last time we see each other, Shadow." A few tears dripped down her face. "I… I'm getting married soon."

The weasel twisted around and licked the tears from her jawline. She smiled and hugged him closer. "Oh, Shadow. I know I have to marry someday, and I should be grateful that my father and brother will be taken care of, but… why him? Why an Uchiha? Why Itachi?"

Shadow chittered and snuffled her ear. Sakura laughed and set him on her pillow. "Perhaps it won't be so bad," she murmured, laying her head back down beside him. "Perhaps a thrall doesn't know how empty her life is. Perhaps…" She trailed off into a yawn. "Good night, Shadow."

o-o-o-o

Itachi watched, fascinated, as the girl who had caught his interest fell asleep. He never tired of seeing her face relax that way, hearing that little sigh. He was certain he would enjoy it even more when she went to sleep with her head on his chest, her body melting in his arms.

He had been using his carefully concealed shape-changing abilities to escape the constant demands of his royal life when he first met Sakura. He had fallen into a hunter's trap, injuring one of his legs. He was about to heal it and move on when he heard a soft gasp and someone came rushing over.

"Oh, you poor thing!" a young girl's voice had said. A basket of assorted fruits was dropped carelessly to the ground and he was picked up by a pair of soft, gentle hands. "Here, hold still, I'll set you free!"

After a moment's consideration, Itachi deigned to let the girl disentangle him. He was surprised to feel a healing magic, weak but effective, repairing his leg. "Just relax," the sweet voice murmured soothingly. "You'll be all right in a minute."

Itachi digested the rather unusual feeling of being cradled in someone's lap while her hands busied about him, and eventually decided that he liked it. Craning his neck around, he surveyed his rescuer. She was quite lovely, with exotic rose-colored hair, large green eyes, and delicate features. Her slender figure was modestly concealed by a simple gown, but he imagined her in a more flattering court dress and the results were exhilarating.

"There!" she remarked after a few minutes. "Good as new!"

Indeed, the pain had vanished from Itachi's leg. However, finding that the girl had sparked a mild curiosity, he concluded that he was not finished with her. Accordingly, when she set him down, he pretended to collapse. As he had expected, the soft-hearted maiden scooped him up and carried him home with her.

"What's that you have, Sakura?" a cheerful male voice had asked. Itachi cracked one eye open and was surprised to see the man to whom his uncle Obito had given one eye and part of his power on his deathbed. What was his name? It started with a 'K'…

"A weasel." To his surprise, but certainly not displeasure, she cuddled him against her soft chest and planted a kiss between his ears. "He fainted after I healed his leg. Can I keep him, Father? Please?"

The copy-mage gave in with a laugh and ruffled her hair affectionately as she carried him into the house. While he was not at all surprised to be placed on a cushion, Itachi was completely surprised to find a milk-soaked cloth dripping into his mouth while a slender hand cradled his head. Interesting…

Itachi smirked as much as his weasel form would allow. After he 'woke up,' Sakura had been delighted to pet him and hand-feed him – a novel experience. No woman would dare be so bold with the Uchiha heir in his true form, but he found he rather liked it.

After that, he had made it a point to visit Sakura on a regular basis. It was a little odd to be a young lady's pet weasel, but it was highly amusing. And as the girl confided in him, he found himself growing interested in her for her own sake, beyond the delight of being fondled and chattered to.

People were usually quiet, serious, and polite in his presence, fearing to offend him and rouse his deadly wrath. Sakura's high-spirited laughter and bouts of crying were new to him, as were her openly confessed worries about her father and brother.

Over the course of several months, Itachi tired of visiting her as the weasel she called 'Shadow.' He wanted to meet her as a man and see her smile with his natural eyes. He wanted to touch her skin, taste her, see if she was truly as delightful as he hypothesized. He wanted this laughing, dancing, affectionate girl to be his.

And now she will be, he thought contentedly. He had offered her exactly what he knew she prayed for: renewed life for her father, a life of adventure for her brother. And for herself… anything. Anything at all, if she would only be his willing wife.

o-o-o-o

"I don't understand why I had to come," Sasuke grumbled a few days later.

Itachi smiled ever so slightly at his little brother. "I told you. You are coming to meet your new retainer."

The younger Uchiha sighed. "Just because you want to take a girl to bed doesn't mean I should have to put up with her brother."

"Every prince needs a retainer he can trust, Sasuke." Itachi's own retainer, Kisame, was probably the only person in the kingdom privy to his plans. It helped that he tended to find them hilarious.

"And what makes you think I can trust this Naruto Hatake?"

"You can," Itachi informed him.

Sasuke subsided. Itachi was never wrong about people, however short a time he had known them.

"Besides, you must meet your future sister-in-law."

The young prince rolled his eyes. "Why? I don't see the point in this courtship charade of yours. She'll be a mindless thrall before long anyway."

"She will not."

The crown prince's tone was as cold and deadly as Sasuke had ever heard it. He finally sat up straight and stared at his older brother. "What do you mean?"

Itachi's voice dropped to a confidential tone, the one that Sasuke had only heard a few times in his life. "You remember what it was like to grow up with a thrall for a mother, don't you?"

The young man bit his lip and nodded. He and Itachi had secretly envied other children whose mothers could notice them, hold them, talk to them, play with them… Mikoto Uchiha existed solely for their father's whim, and no subservient nurse could ever take the place of a mother.

"I want better than that for my children."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Itachi had thought about having children? His infamous, terrifying brother cared what sort of life his heirs lived? "And… that's why you're going to all this trouble?"

"Not exclusively."

He glared at his secretive brother. "Does this have something to do with all your disappearances over the last few months?"

Itachi remained silent and Sasuke gave up, settling for digesting the information he had already gleaned. His brother was about to break a long-standing tradition of the Uchiha men by leaving his wife her awareness. He had known that Itachi had a rebellious streak, but…

And then there were the disappearances. Itachi had been known to vanish on occasion and was impossible to find, but over the past few months, it had become frequent, almost every night. Rumors had circulated that the dangerous prince was in love, but it had never occurred to Sasuke that there might be truth in there.

But most astonishing of all was the fact that he had openly defied their father, who wanted him to marry for an alliance. In order to gain his father's consent to marry the girl he wanted, Itachi had solved the problem in his own way. He had completely crushed the resistance of their rising neighbor, ensuring that they would remain subservient to the Sorcerer Kings for a long, long time. "Are you going to tell her what you did for her?"

Itachi focused his piercing gaze on his brother. "She is not to know," he ordered. And when Itachi spoke in that voice, even Sasuke obeyed.

o-o-o-o

"What's he doing here?" Naruto grumbled, watching the royal carriage approach.

Sakura was hurriedly fixing her hair into a proper bun rather than its usual wild mane. "The messenger last night said that he was bringing his brother to meet you today, Naruto. Didn't you pay attention?"

"Why would I pay attention to his stupid message?" the blond man groused. "I know he's only coming to undress you with his eyes again and flaunt you in front of us!"

"Naruto!"

"I'm serious!" he snapped. "Have you seen the way he looks at you? It's like a wolf watching the plumpest, juiciest lamb in the flock. He practically drools."

"Quiet down," she hissed. "If one of them hears you talking that way, there's no telling what he'll do to you."

And there they were, back at the whole reason the royal bastard was being allowed in Sakura's personal space to begin with, when he and their father had sent every other man who eyed her that way running for his life. What kind of monster was this Itachi, to exploit an innocent girl's love for her family? The kind that murders hundreds without a thought? the practical side of Naruto's mind reminded him. And that was what his precious sister was going to have to marry!

"Where's Father today?"

"I… may have forged a request from our steward to meet with him today," Sakura confessed. She flushed guiltily. "He's even worse about hiding his anger than you are! He almost attacked when the prince first came here!"

"You should have let him," Naruto grumbled.

Sakura finished her bun and crumpled into a chair. "This is as hard for me as it is for you two," she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed repentantly. "No, it's harder for you," he confessed. "You're the one who's going to be… be…" He swallowed, unable to get the words out.

Sakura leaned her head against her brother's shoulder and let a few tears slip out. "I know."

o-o-o-o

"You keep glaring out the window," Sasuke Uchiha pointed out.

Naruto scowled at his new master. "That's because your brother is out there with Sakura!"

All right, Sasuke had to admit, this was amusing. No one had ever spoken to him so rudely before – well, except his brother, but Naruto Hatake hardly exuded the sheer threat of Itachi. "You're awfully temperamental for someone in your position."

"What do you mean 'in my position?'" the blond snapped, doing a passable imitation of Sasuke's voice.

It seems I shall get a clown as well as a retainer... How thoughtful of my brother. "You do realize that you're practically a hostage, don't you?"

An angry flush came across the other boy's face. "Am not!" he argued childishly.

Sasuke repressed a grin, enjoying this temper tantrum. "Don't be foolish. Of course you are." He inspected his pristine gloves with an air of boredom. "Your sister belongs to Itachi now. You are coming back to the palace with us as motivation for good behavior."

Naruto gave a most uncivilized howl of rage. "Motivation? What does he need that for? He's going to strip her mind away anyway, and leave her a shell of herself, and… and…" He stopped suddenly as the implications of Sasuke's words finally dawned on him. "You mean… she won't be made into a thrall?"

"Hn," Sasuke assented, waiting to see what this reaction would be.

Naruto grinned in relief, then slumped back onto a sofa. "How… how is he getting away with that?"

"He paid my father in blood."

The response was not disappointing. The other boy looked as though he was going to be sick. "What?"

Oh, well. He might as well see how trustworthy his new retainer really was. "Our neighbors have been attempting to upset the balance of power. Itachi wiped out one of their major trading cities as a reminder."

"And… and in return he gets…"

"The wife of his choosing." Sasuke's red eyes glittered. "And I should mention… this is your first royal secret. Do make sure you keep it. I can't be answerable for what my brother might have to do if, say, Sakura were to find out…"

And that was the beginning of Sasuke and Naruto's fistfights.

o-o-o-o

For a man who was planning to strip her of her consciousness, Itachi Uchiha was awfully curious about her, and disturbingly knowledgeable. "How do you know so much about me, my lord?" she finally dared to ask, after reluctantly elaborating on the story of her mother's death.

His red eyes glinted with amusement. "I have my ways."

That seemed to be his answer to a lot of things. Some private joke, no doubt. "Will you cure my father soon?"

Itachi lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't mean to be rude, my lord," Sakura explained hurriedly. "It's just that… I would like to see him whole again, before…" Before you turn me into a mindless zombie, you heartless freak of nature! some deeply buried part of her screamed.

"What puzzles me," he evaded, "is why you haven't healed him yourself."

Sakura kicked at a pebble. "I've tried," she told him quietly, not even bothering to ask how he knew she was a healer. "I work on his organs every day, healing the damage, but… I don't have the power to cure his disease. And it's getting worse. I can't keep up with it."

"He would die without this… bargain… of ours."

She blinked away a tear. "Yes," she admitted brokenly. And that was why she hadn't even given her father and brother a chance to defend her. To save her father's life, she would even give herself up to a man like this one, a man who spilled blood like water.

"Sakura." Itachi's hand came under her chin and turned her to face him. He considered her for a moment, then lowered his head to take her lips with his.

Sakura froze and let him kiss her, shyly opening her mouth when his tongue pressed for entrance. The hot, wet contact sent shivers down her spine. His other hand came to rest on her waist, pulling her flush against him. Don't fight him, she told herself sternly. Don't struggle, don't cry…

He finally broke the kiss and studied her with a look of satisfaction. "You are as sweet as I imagined."

She tried not to gulp audibly. "Th-thank you, my lord."

Itachi was leaning in for another kiss when they were interrupted by crashing and shouting from the house. Sakura paled as she realized that her idiot of a brother was fighting with an Uchiha prince. She was trying to think up an appropriate excuse for Naruto's behavior when the man still holding her chuckled.

"It seems our respective brothers are going to get along famously."