author's note: Meh, it has been a while. I feel quite rusty. Hopefully you'll enjoy, though. :)
setting: AU
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PROLOGUE
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The chatter amongst the civilians was nothing more than a light buzz in comparison to her friend's loud and obnoxious prattle.
"These humans have always been so… fascinating." Icy blue eyes scanned the crowded streets. Her companion; a female that appeared to be around her age with the lightest of pink locks hidden underneath a white hooded cloak only spared her a glance before responding, "You seem to be quite taken with them." The pinkette grinned. "Do you fancy the idea of migrating here?"
The blond shook her head. "Perish the thought. You of all people should know the tremendous amount of precautionary actions our kind must take in order to move into this world. To blend in with these mortals, and adapt to their lifestyle would have been quite an interesting feat." The blond tapped her lower lip in thought. "However, I don't think I would fit in quite right with these people. I'd stand out too much." She laughed.
Arm in arm the two childhood best friends continued on their stroll; a trail of laughter resounded behind them as they went on their merry way.
Only people of their kind would be able to understand the hidden meaning behind the blonde's words.
People of the Koori No Kuni 氷の国 (Ice Country), most especially the females, were known for their exotic looks, after all.
-x-
A light beam engulfed the small shrine inside the Fire Temple. Two immortals had stepped through the mirror that served as a portal connecting the Ningen no Sekai 人間の世界 (Human World) and the Hi No Kuni 火の国 (Fire Country) of the Seishin Sekai 精神世界 (Spirit World).
"I told you already, the broth of this world is so much different from the broth of our world! You'd think that having lived for over a thousand years, our kind would have experimented more on ramen flavors. Instead, they stick to tradition, and we all get the same bland flavors we've had for centuries. Centuries, I tell you, Sasuke-teme!"
"So jumping back and forth between these two worlds is no big deal to you, so long as you get your desired flavor of ramen?" The dark haired male questioned, raising a delicate eyebrow at the boisterous blond before him.
"Not much of a big deal to me," the other answered.
"And you saw it fit to drag me along, because…?"
The blond shrugged. "You're my best friend. It's mandatory for you to accompany me."
"As usual, your logic astounds me." The pale-skinned, dark-haired male responded with a flat look.
"What can I say, I'm an interesting person."
-x-
Holding the bag of apples she had purchased from one of the stalls along the busy fruit market, Sakura had scanned the area as she waited for her companion to finish her idle chatter with the strawberry saleslady not too far away.
She had only been in the human world a few times (law in their country only permitted adults over 18 years of age to visit and walk the grounds of the neighboring world). As a 24 year old, her number of visits had only totaled to 3, and even then, her past frequents had only been because of political matters.
As the only heiress of the Koori No Kuni's throne, regardless of her age, it was mandatory for her to be brought along to these business gatherings. Only about a year ago did the king and queen (her parents) of her country granted her the true taste of freedom and choice; deeming her fit and deserving enough of this.
The people here were not at all different from the people back in their world. It was true that the descendants of the Koori No Kuni had come from a bloodline filled with unique genetics (explanation of their exotic looks), but the way these humans had interacted with each other, their way of commerce, and lifestyle was not at all different from the practices they had back at her homeland.
Lost in thought, Sakura had failed to notice the huge cart being pushed and pulled along by two men from behind her. Deaf to the calls and forewarnings, she had been jostled over as they had passed.
So maybe the people here were a little bit different from her kind. People of her country would have never exhibited such rude behavior towards her. Mulling over it, maybe this was only because her country's people had known her as their Princess. She wasn't too sure. With this in mind, she had scurried off to retrieve one of the apples that had fallen out of her plastic shopping bag.
The green apple had ceased its rolling once it had bumped into a pair of shoes. The owner's hands had reached out for the fruit, long before Sakura could even make a grab for it.
She straightened up and accepted the fruit being handed to her. The gratitude she had prepared on her lips had long been forgotten, however, once she had recognized the face of the person standing in front of her.
"What a surprise bumping into you here, Prince and current heir to the Hi No Kuni's throne, Uchiha Sasuke."
The left side of the male's lips had quirked up in response. "Ever the polite princess, aren't we, next-in-line to the Koori no Kuni's throne, Haruno Sakura."
She chuckled. "I must say, your presence puzzles me greatly. What business would the youngest of the Uchiha princes have in the human world?" She questioned, inspecting for signs of ruin on the apple she had retrieved.
Sasuke motioned towards the food shop located down the road leading towards the end of the market. "Ichiraku's Ramen Bar," he simply stated.
"How could I have forgotten your blond, right hand man?" She grinned. "Uzumaki Naruto, blond hair, blue eyes, with a penchant for ramen, correct?"
"You know a lot about the people from my country. Why is that?" Sasuke heaved an amused breath.
"Teme!"
The two turned towards the blond happily walking towards them with take-out bags hanging on either side of his arms. "Hitting on girls already?" He joked, nearing the two royals.
"I think we both know why that is, Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura stated, answering his question before turning her back towards him. "It was nice seeing you again." She told him before departing towards Ino, who had been watching their little exchange from afar.
Smirking, Sasuke turned towards the opposite direction and walked the path towards the Fire Temple.
"Was that Haruno Sakura?" Naruto questioned, falling into step with the slightly taller, dark haired male.
"Hn."
"You guys were involved with each other once, if I recall correctly." The blond mused aloud, tapping his index finger on his lower lip. "Two, maybe three years ago," he nodded to himself. "I think I even heard rumors through the grapevine about an engagement?"
The sound of footfalls abruptly halted.
"Sasuke?" Naruto turned towards the male with confusion written on his face.
Silence continued to engulf the pair as the seconds ticked by.
Footsteps could be heard once more as Sasuke brushed off Naruto's comment and continued on his journey.
Collecting himself, the blond jogged the few steps that distanced him from his best friend.
What an absurd idea. Naruto should have known better than to open his mouth, and carelessly sprout nonsense in the presence of his best friend.
After all, there may have been something that might have happened in the past between the pinkette and his broody, childhood friend. But everyone in their world knew of the unspoken rule:
Although both Hi No Kuni and Koori No Kuni were both located in the same dimension, other neighboring countries knew that these two prosperous lands were trying to best each other out in the Spirit World. This rivalry dated back to centuries, possibly ever since the beginning of their kind's existence. Which is why the mere idea of an engagement between the Heir of the Hi No Kuni throne and the Heiress of the Koori no Kuni throne was a laughable matter.
They had tried it in the past; drawing up papers for the arranged marriage of the Hi No Kuni's and Koori No Kuni's respective leaders at that time.
It hadn't worked out.
The elders had learned from their mistakes, and had never tried this absurd idea again; fully accepting that these two countries were just too… different.
Complete opposites.
People were smart enough to know better. The political rulers learned from their past mistake. No one dared cross the imaginary line.
No one. Not a single one…
Until now.
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The heavy clogs of the wheel of time start turning once more.
The spinner of the red string of fate has come alive; forging a new path for this century's pair of star-crossed lovers.
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to be continued
afterword: thoughts, please? 1.5k words for a simple prologue. Chapters succeeding this will be longer, of course! :)
Like I said earlier, I feel quite rusty. Have not written in such a long time!