Nothing but Her
Declaimer © Masashi Kishimoto
He was seven, the first time he allowed to be out from the castle accompanied by his older brother and some guards. He was in the forest, tailing his brother in searching deer or whatever animal in sight. His brother loved haunting after all. And the time he asked him to come along in his haunting, meant he wanted him to be like him too.
"What if I don't get one?" he asked innocently, a bow along with its arrow in his hand.
"Don't worry, Little Bro. I'll teach you once we get home. Now, go and try to hunt something."
And they parted. He continued walking quietly with two guards not so far behind watching him securitely and his surrounding intently.
A flash of rabbit caught his eyes. Immediately he rose his bow, eyes focused, and 'srat' could be heard as the arrow flew away. Instead of no sound like he expected, there was a high shriek came from the bushes where his bow last seen. He rushed toward it and his eyes widened. He couldn't even blink with the sight in front of him.
The first time he went haunting, he got a beautifull blond girl looking toward him shocked, instead a rabbit as he expected. As if the world had stopped, he just stood there speechless. Just then, the girl backed away holding the rabbit in her arm.
"Wait! What's your nam―" Sadly, he couldn't even finish because the girl had already run away.
And that's when he decided that being dragged into haunting rabbit, or any animal in that case, as long as its in this forest, was indeed very interesting.
%%%
On the day he had just turned into a fifteen years old teen, the girl from the years ago, smiled for him, or rather, laughed at him.
As much as the sound of her laughter pleased him, the cake, or rather, the butter that covered his face was not something funny. He was embarrassed. Luckily, its just the two of them in this backyard.
It was his birthday party. His parents invited almost all of their citizens to come to celebrate his birthday when obviously he didn't like this kind of stuff. He knew that covered in butter was not a big deal especially in the birthday party, but as the girl he had been dreamed to meet, laughed at him, he couldn't help but scowled and tried to force the tiny red blush to appear on his cheeks.
When he caught the sight of her that night, coming to his party, he felt extremely happy. He wanted nothing except to know her name and if its possible, spent the night with her. Then, without a second thought, he rushed toward her once he finished blowing out the candle of his birthday cake, and dragged her to the backyard. Luckily, people had already lost in their exciting moment, not even gave the birthday boy any attention like moments before.
Then he felt her gaze, her blue eyes peering straight at him. He gave her a confused look, when its clear he should the first in making conversation.
A slender hand suddenly appeared in front of him and in a blink of eyes its finger slided across his face with enough amount of butter from the cake she was holding all the time. She laughed at his shocked face, her hand felt weak that she should hold the cake tighter while laughing or it would fall and covered his well-treated backyard grass with it.
She continued to laugh at him as his face flushed even more. And that's when he decided that the party and the cake was not that bad after all.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Ino, Your Majesty."
"Just call me by my name, Ino."
%%%
On his eighteenth years, his parents approached him with not pleased news, in fact, it was the most not-wanted news he ever heard. He was engaged. Kingdom's rule and kingdom's tradition. He raged, he was furious, and he was angry. He even locked himself ignoring the begging sound of his mother, saying that he didn't want to marry whoever princess his parents picked because he had already choose this beautifull girl that filling his heart since they met in the forest. Like he expected, no one cared, even his brother couldn't do anything to help him.
That was when he decided that jumping from his second story castle was indeed very inviting. He brought money and a few clothes and stealed one of the horse away from his arranged future.
He rode into the forest, to the spot he found the girl ten years ago. Ignoring the winter breeze, he tightened his robe and continued his searching.
His breath hitched. His eyes widened just like ten years ago. But, this time its different. Instead of awe-struck by the beauty in front of him, he was shocked because of bruises that covered almost every part of her body. He rushed toward her and laid her in his lap. Concern and worry could be seen in his handsome face so clearly.
Blood streaming down from the side of her mouth and he wanted nothing but erase the pain away from her.
"What happened?"
"I-I don't want to be here anymore."
"You're injured."
"Please, take me away with you, Sasuke."
And that's when he decided that running away from the castle and dropping his prince status, were nothing as long as he could save her and became her knight in shinning armor for now and forever.
From that day on, he began his new hobby, haunting a better life along with the girl in his arm. He promised he wouldn't regret it.
FIN
AN : Tell me if you found something wrong please.