Author's Notes: Not much to say. This is set in the Naruto world using original characters. Do not own world, etc. I own the character here. This is a dramatic monologue, so you only hear one character talking and don't see the action. It's all speech from one character. If you don't like that, leave now. Comments and Criticism welcomed and encouraged.

How did I meet my husband? Why do you want to know that? You're a cute kid, you know that? Are you sure you're related to me? Cute kid.

Anyways, once upon a time… What? Of course it has to start that way. That's the way all good stories start. Once upon a time, I was a young girl living in the Country of Sand. I wasn't in the desert like the other villages. My village was on the beach. The beach? The beach looks kind of like a desert, only it touches the sea, a really big body of water. Bigger than any other. Yeah, the sea looks amazing. Sometimes I wish I could go back there. No, I can't go back. I have a family here now. But back to the story…

Our village wasn't in the middle of a desert, but that meant it wasn't as peaceful as the other villages, either. Why not? Because there were people who knew how to travel on the sea and some of them, called pirates, liked to attack villages along the edge of the sea. I don't know why. Maybe they just thought we shouldn't be so close to the sea.

One year we were having a really bad time with the pirates. They had already attacked four or five times and almost destroyed the village. I was a teenager at the time so I got to help re-build the town every time the pirates destroyed the buildings. Yeah. I did it just like that. You're a smart one, too. The village elder finally sent someone off to the capital to ask for help. Yeah, he came here to ask for help.

The capital thought hard about it and they finally decided to send some soldiers and a couple ninjas to the village. The villagers were really happy to have help with the pirates. They were so happy that they didn't mind letting the soldiers stay with them. I had a lot of work then, because some of the houses needed additions to hold all the people in them. I'm getting there. Just be patient and listen to the story.

Yes, there was someone staying in my house, too. He was a young ninja. He wasn't the best of the best or anything, but he still had a pretty high rank. He was the third son of his family. Yes, that's why his name is Saburo. He was a very nice man when he wasn't chasing the pirates off. He was very attractive, too. He had long, sandy-blond hair at that time. He usually kept it in a ponytail. Of course it was longer than it is now. Sometimes we would sit on the window seat and he would let me play with his hair. Most of the time, though, we would just sit at the table and talk about things. Anything, really. Sometimes we talked about books or songs. Sometimes he told me all about the capital. And sometimes he would just tell jokes and try to make me laugh.

He stayed in my house for over a year. Some of the other soldiers were switched out for new ones, though, and I was afraid he would get sent back, too. My friends said I was being silly and worrying about nothing. Of course they were wrong. If they were right, we would still be in the village by the sea. If you're just going to guess the ending, why did you want me to tell you a story? Why not write your own?

Anyways, one day Saburo sat with me in the window seat and let me play with his hair. It was even longer by then, because he hadn't cut it since he arrived. He didn't say anything to me, but he showed me the letter he just got from the capital. I'll tell you what it said if you'll just wait. It said that he was being called back to the capital to go on another, more important mission. He only had a few days left before he had to leave.

We spent almost all our time together for those last few days. I was already sad, even though he hadn't left yet. The night before he was supposed to leave, he knocked on my bedroom door and I let him in so I could see him again before he left. Once he was inside, though, he pulled a plain gold ring out of his pocket and he put it in my hand. He told me that I should come with him, that we belonged together. I told him that I couldn't leave my village. I was the only one that could fix the houses. Yes, I was. At least, I was the only one who could do it right. He kept asking me over and over again to come with him. I finally said that I would come find him in a few years, so I could teach someone how to fix the houses. He pressed his ring into my hand again and asked me if I would get engaged to him. I just nodded at him and put his ring on my finger. He kissed me cheek and left the room to get some sleep. What?! No, we did nothing of the sort. We were proper children, unlike you. It doesn't matter what I'm like now. That's what I was like back then. Just ask him next time you see him.

The next day, I went to have breakfast and my parents noticed the ring. They asked what it was for and I told them, because I wanted them to be happy, too. Instead, they got angry and yelled at me for making a rash decision and getting engaged to a vagabond that kills people for a living. Well, we know that ninjas don't usually kill people, but my parents didn't know that. The told me that I couldn't marry him. Instead, they were going to find some boy in the village for me to marry. What do you think I did. Well, yes I did run away, but not at first. First I yelled at them.

I yelled at my parents and I told them that I hated them. Told them that I wished they would die. Then I went off to my room and packed up my suitcase. Just as I had finished packing, I heard a knock on my door. I thought it was my parents so I told them to leave me alone and just go away. Of course it wasn't my parents. Are you going to keep interrupting me? If you are, I won't finish the story.

After I yelled, I heard Saburo say that he was sorry for causing the fight. I grabbed my suitcase and I ran for the front door. I caught up with Saburo just outside the front door and I told him that I was sorry for yelling. I explained to him about the fight and why I had yelled. He just smiled at me and ruffled my hair. He said that he'd see me in a few years and started to leave.

I yelled after him and ran up to him, still lugging my suitcase with me. I told him that I was running away and that I wanted to go with him. He looked at me really seriously and asked if I was sure. I told him that I was as sure as I'd ever been about anything. He smiled a little and took my suitcase away from me, carrying it as if it weighed nothing. Then we walked off into the sunset together. Okay, fine, it wasn't a sunset. It was still morning, but it's not as impressive if you walk into the dawn.

He took me to the capital, we got a house together, and got married as soon as I was eighteen. Then we lived happily ever after. Like I said, you're a sharp one. No, we didn't really live happily ever after, but the things that happened after that aren't the kinds of stories that children should be hearing.