Disclaimer: Inspired by/Based off Mitsukazu Mihara's work of art, Dokuhime.


A young girl stepped into a quiet garden, seeking tranquility and salvation for her tortured ears. She sighed and smoothed out her robes, which were intricately designed and fashioned out of the highest quality of silk; such attire was expected at the bustling ceremony she had escaped from.

A breeze lightly rustled her long, blue hair, causing her to looked up and inhale the fresh air, taking in her exquisitely beautiful surroundings to calm her unsettled state of mind. Another bride has just been sent off to meet her betrothed at his kingdom, where she would be spending the rest of her life in bliss.

Ideally.

The farewell celebration was extravagant. Splendid. Glamourous, as everything must be. The courtyard was more magnificently decorated than usual, the food tasted as delicious as it looked, and the dozens of princesses were stunningly dressed. It was a feast for the eyes for the common people outside the Palace.

The girl, being no outsider, knew better.

Marriage is no joyous affair to her kind. Nor will it be to the men involved. The poor, common people had no idea that they were celebrating a funeral instead. Huffing, the girl set her eyes on a particularly pretty rose perched on a nearby bush, deciding that its fragrance will ease her churning emotions.

She did not know the bride personally as she was not from her Court, but she knew all too well the pain and suffering she had to go through up till her engagement. Experience, and their eventual fate, linked them together, along with the other princesses in the Forbidden Palace. They were not related by blood, but agony made them sisters. The girl reached out to pluck the flower from the bush, and-

-dropped it the moment she did.

Wincing in pain from the sudden prick, she sucked on her bleeding thumb and fingers before wrapping them in a hankerchief. She was about to bend down to pick the rose up from the grass, but her unscathed hand paused midway at the sight.

The rose, now void of any life, laid wilting on the ground, its petals falling off one by one.

And there, having dripped to its exposed stem, was the girl's blood. Her poison blood.

She turned away lest her poison tears fall too.


It starts with poisonous herbs below the cradle.

Then under the sheets,

and inside the clothes.

Even mixed into the milk the newborn drinks,

and the food the child eats.

As a result, her body gradually gets used to the poisons.

Thus in effect, she becomes a...

Poison Princess


The more beloved they are, the less I can hold them.


A withered old lady pressed her knees to the carpet.

"You called for me, your Highness?"

Twicoloured eyes regarded the head of white bent over the ground, and a richly ornate hand with fingers full of talon-like nails raised itself to support a porcelain cheek.

"Shirabara-baa-sama, Honoured Attendant of the Third Court." A lofty voice smoother than silk. "Please, get up."

"Thank you, my Lady."

Not even a gesture was needed, and a servant appeared behind the geriatric with a decorated chair. Her vision was fading with age, but the magnificence of the Empress' clothing and jewelry was still as clear to her as ever. As with her impossible beauty.

"Our country, the Land of Flowers, has always been small but thriving, no thanks to our revered poison trade, and of course, our pretty little flowers," the raven-haired Empress narrowed her hawk-like eyes, her dark-coloured lips holding a smirk. "Anyway... Poison is a valued tool of the shinobi, and the population of which makes for great business.

But..." Shirabara briefly flinched at the abrupt change in tone. "All the other countries are currently enjoying a period of great peace, especially so after the apocalyptical Fourth Shinobi World War. Our poison trade is dwindling as a result, and there is a great risk that our country will fall as well."

The old lady bowed deep in respect. "I am aware of that, your Highness."

"From records, the first instigator of such peaceful relations, the first person who had managed to unite the Five Great Shinobi Countries and dissolve all ill feelings and hatred with a single speech, is none other than the Fifth Kazekage."

The lower woman knew where this was headed.

"That person, -Sabaku no Gaara, was it?- is fundamentally the reason for our poor economy as of current. And so, it would be my great pleasure to see him..." A sudden bang of fist on the throne. "Dead."

Every standing individual in the Hall fell to their knees. Accustomed, the elder woman simply lowered her head even further. "I understand, my Lady, but surely with a target as great and renowned as a Kazekage, this mission should be given to the princesses of the First Court?"

"Hmph, as if I do not know that." ("Forgive my imprudence, my Lady!") Leaning back into her golden throne, the Empress flicked her wrist to allow the other servants to stand. "Despite being a person of such influence and power, the Godaime is incredibly young, and quite lacking in height... In consideration of these two factors, the only ready princess suitable happens to be in your Court, Shirabara-baa-sama."

Registering the girl in mind, cloudy eyes blew up in surprise. "But, my Lady! Shirori is not what you would call ready! She is still not as skilled as she should be, and-"

"Silence!" Another bang, another round of kneeling, and this time, the old woman included. "As of my knowledge, she is a fully fledged Poison Princess, and surely, she cannot fail at capturing a man's heart given her beauty! All men are the same, Shirabara. Flesh is all they want.

I am not unreasonable, however. I am aware of the Kazekage's disposition and her inexperience. As such, I will allow her more time than a Poison Princess is usually given. I want all preparations to be ready in a month's time. Diplomats, do your thing!"

A unison "yes, your Highness" resounded through the Imperial Hall, and eunuchs and maids moved to make their respective arrangements.

Holding back a sigh in fear of being executed for disrespect, Shirabara closed her eyes in defeat.

This cannot end well.


"AN ENGAGEMENT?"

Temari yelled so loudly that her brother winced.

Picking his ear, Kankurou replied much calmer manner. "It seems that the Land of Flowers would like to establish warmer relations, and thank us for our efforts in saving the world during the Fourth War. Here, read it yourself."

Snatching the unnecessarily decorative scroll he had tossed, the blonde Wind user opened and skimmed through it so quickly that it risked being ripped apart. "This is ridiculous! What age are we in, needing a betrothal to secure allies? And it's not like our Gaara needs an arranged marriage! He's good enough to marry whoever he wants! He doesn't even need to marry now!"

Raising his hands in response to her tirade, the puppeteer forced a smile. "Oi, oi, calm down! The letter didn't say that Gaara has to marry their princess. All it said was to 'warmly accept her into the country as a symbol of goodwill'. Nobody said anything about marriage."

"Even so," she was not going to relent, "how would we know that they are not dispatching an assassin? How can we just accept a stranger and let her live with us?"

"From what I know, the Land of Flowers has no trace of shinobi at all and is hardly of a threat. It's just a small trading kingdom with an Empress as its ruler." His assurance managed to quell her irritation.

"So, you're saying that you're fine with this?"

"Somewhat. I mean, the Land of Flowers is known for its poison trade. We can really use ties with a village like that, especially for us puppeteers." Then, as an afterthought, "well, not that we would need much of it now, but good poison can still come in handy."

"I agree with him," the baritone of Baki resonated across the meeting chamber of the Sand Council, "it doesn't hurt to form good relations with small countries, even more so when we can benefit from their trades."

"Yep. That, and I heard that their princesses are really hot. Our little brother can finally learn to grow up, huh?" The cheeky grin that Kankurou gave to his brother did not last long as his sister planted a fist to his brunette head. "Ouch!"

At last, somebody had sought his opinion on the matter. Gaara refrained from pinching his nosebridge and flooding the room with sand as the place buzzed with discussions, the most audible coming from his elder siblings. A council member seated on his right noticed the unimpressed scowl on his face and loudly cleared his throat to give the Kazekage the attention he needed.

"What Kankurou and Baki said makes sense, Temari. I do not mind granting her Sand citizenship if she proves to be harmless. We can see her as an ambassador of her country."

The kunoichi, whose big-sister instincts are currently at maximum capacity, opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by her youngest brother.

"But she will live only as an ordinary citizen," Gaara closed his eyes and frowned in mild, stoic embarrassment, "I will not marry her."

That was enough to satisfy Temari, and she leant back into her seat, glaring at anybody, -epecially Kankurou and the older members-, who dared to oppose his stand.

"Well, that settles it then." Biting back a remark to avoid getting blasted out of the building by a hurricane, the kabuki-faced jounin pointed at a shinobi standing by the door. "You, over there! Relay it to the messenger team."

A firm salute. "Yes, sir!"

"Send them our reply."


The girl sat kneeling with her black eyes staring blankly at the wooden floor as an old matron combed through her long tresses. It was routine, but there was a different air to it when she knew that it would be one of the last few times.

"What a gaudy, unnatural colour..." Shirabara tutted in distaste as she untangled the ocean-blue threads. "You better pray that it doesn't turn the Kazekage off at first sight." A rough tug. "I heard that his is a head of blood, so maybe he can appreciate freak-coloured hair better." Another tug. "Heh, maybe you can be the blue devil to his red."

"Shira-Baa-sama!"

"Tch, the blue even clashes with the bright red of the wedding robes!" The matron ceased her combing in aggravation and crossed her arms. "I still cannot believe that you are being sent out to a country as prominent as the Land of Wind. You, probably one of the most unskilled princesses! Of the Third Court even! Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I become!"

"No use complaining... It can't be helped, anyway," Shirori, being used to such depreciation from the old woman, sighed. "I'm the only ready one who is shorter than the Kazekage, or so I heard." And it's not like I want to be sent out...

"HAH! You, ready?" A malicious scoff. "The only aspect which you are ready in is your body's complete saturation of the poisons! Everything else; from general knowledge to embroidery to your heart and mind..." The geriatric emphasised on the latter words by yanking the blue threads down so that the girl faced her, neck inclined upwards uncomfortably. "You are..."

Tears pooled up in the corner of black coals, while the faded, musty green sneered with contempt.

"Lacking."

"Shirabara-baa-sama! Shirori is sick! She's puking her food out!"

An exasperated sigh. "Not again! This is what I get for picking up abandoned babies instead of paying for quality ones."

Cruel, tinkling giggles. "This one won't make it-"

"-she's failing in everything, and she's always crying-"

"-We suggest that you dump her, old hag!"

...

"How useless."

Releasing her vicious grip, Shirabara briefly stalked out to the next room to fetch some robes, where her lamentations could still be heard. "It is rare for missions to be sent to the Third Court, even rarer for them to be successful. Hmph, our only claim to fame was your beloved Suisen. I hadn't expected it, but she not only managed to kill her target, the Daimyo of the Land of Jade, but even did so in such a way that they did not even suspect her to be an assassin, just as how a perfect Poison Princess should be doing. It is thanks to her that we are still enjoying cheap supplies of jade jewelry."

Shirori closed her eyes to prevent the tears from spilling, and finished up the incomplete task of setting her hair.

An increase in volume told her that the old matron was back in the room. "You better pray- No. You must succeed in your mission, if not the Third Court may drop to be the Fourth. Or even worse, the Fifth." The girl gulped, knowing what was in store for the poor girls in the lowest Court. "And of course, I will set Shira-Ki on you. Here, put this on for your final meeting with the Empress!"

"...Yes."

She waited for the heavy thuds on the wooden corridor floor to disappear before heaving a huge sigh. Then, to an intricately carved stone cabinet on her far right, "she's gone. You can come out now."

It was fortunate for the furniture to be made of such sturdy material, if not the old woman would have noticed the violent trembling that happening within it. Warily peeking out before pushing the door open, three little girls clambered out, the oldest being seven and the youngest four.

"Shirori-nee-chan! We were so scared!"

She laughed and lightly poked them in the foreheads each. "Of course you should be! It is nap time for you girls now. If Shira-Baa-sama catches you all outside your room, you girls are dead!"

The raven-haired oldest child balled her fists and whined. "But it's not like we can sleep!"

"Yeah!" The second, a five-year-old brunette, attested strongly, then drooped her shoulders and sulked. "Our stomachs hurt too much..."

Shirori affectionately rubbed their little heads, smiling assuredly and addressing them respectively, "Now, now, Suzuran, Sagiso! Beauty sleep is necessary for keeping our skins clear and glowing! And I know that it hurts now, but when you're my age, even poison from the Wolf's Bane will be no problem for you!"

Her words effectively calmed them down enough for them to flash her warm smiles.

"Ne, ne, Shirori-nee-chan!" The youngest toddler, a blonde, sidled up to the older girl. "Is it true that you're leaving us tomorrow?"

The sadness in her childish voice struck hard, and the blue-haired princess gathered all three children in her arms. "Yes, Popi. And when I'm gone, you girls have to be strong, okay?"

"I know that I should be happy that Shirori-nee-chan is going to be married to a King, but I don't want you to leave!" Suzuran squeezed her black eyes shut.

"Yeah!" Tears were already streaming down Sagiso's cheeks. "Who else is going hide us from Baa-sama, who else will make the hurt feel better after our meals? Who else is going to play with us?"

"Please don't go, Shirori-nee-chan!"

"Listen," the eldest girl was unable to stop the liquid from pouring out of her own eyes, "I know that it's hard. When I was like you, I had a big sister of mine to comfort me whenever I need her too, and when she left, it was so difficult. But I managed to cope, and I'm sure you girls can too, so don't let me down okay? Suzuran, you'll be the big sister from tomorrow onwards. I'm counting on you!"

The little girl nodded while wiping frantically at her face.

Pulling them closer to her chest, Shirori relished the moment. From tomorrow onwards, nobody else can hug her as she cry her poison tears, and nobody else can give her warmth and companionship like this. Looking at their sobbing faces through tear-soaked eyes, she strengthened her resolve.

I must succeed for their sakes.

I will kill the Kazekage.


Author's Note: I know I should really be updating my other stories, but I can't help but write this. And yeah, another work that is inspired by someone else's... I won't make it too similar though! As usual, leave a review to tell me what you think! ^^ Constructive flaming is accepted.