ONE

The sun was shining brightly on the small barnhouse, the glaring light momentarily blinding the young blonde when he glanced at the sky. He shielded his bright blue eyes and sighed, his other hand gripping the muddy rake he held, having just completed mucking the stalls.

"Ugh, Sasuke-sama." The boy whined, turning to a tall raven-haired boy sitting comfortably on the fence separating the barn from the mansion the said boy resided in. Grey eyes flickered to blue ones and Sasuke straightened, eyebrow quirked curiously. "You're so lucky, being the son of the richest man in the country. And what am I? The poorest boy in the country, mucking stalls and rolling around in mud tackling pigs."

Sasuke chuckled. "Well, Naruto…it's just how you're born into a certain social class and…" He looked at Naruto's face and grinned. "Never mind, buddy." He leaned forward and gave the blonde an affectionate pat on his back. Naruto rolled his eyes and set the rake against the side of the barn wall.

"I better go." Sasuke said, glancing at his house fleetingly. "We're having a ridiculous ball coming up…some extravagant plan to set me up with a wife."

Naruto blinked dully. "Ohhh, I see. Sorry buddy." He struck a cool pose, crossing his arm and leaning against the side of the barn wall. "You see, being single is the way to go. I've never fallen in love before, and I plan to keep it that way."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Is that so? Good luck with that." He slid off the fence and waved to Naruto before he headed toward the mansion with a careless look on his face. Naruto watched him go, shaking his head in pity and turning back to the barn. He looked up when a soft cough alerted him someone was trying to get his attention.

"What?" He asked ruder than intended, looking up at the person. He blinked when he saw who it was; a girl. She looked the same age as him, with clear snowy eyes and short blue hair. She wore a white dress to her knees though she wore riding boots and held the reins to a pure black stallion by her side.

"Um, you accept temporary boarding right?" She asked in a tiny, beautiful voice that made the blonde's heart race. He stared for a moment before he looked at the horse and at the girl again, her head tilted slightly in curiosity.

"Yeah." He said, finding his voice. "So, what brings you here?" He asked conversationally as he took the reins from her, surprised that her small fragile hands held such thick reins and rode such a gallant horse.

"Oh, I'm here for the ball." She said, looking at the mansion. "My father convinced me to go. I think it's ridiculous, but." She stopped, seeming to realize what she was doing; talking to a lower person on the social scale. Naruto was quiet as he put her horse in the empty stall near the doors, locking it and turning to the girl again.

"Well, m'lady," Naruto said, all business again. "I'll take good care of your horse."

"Hinata." She said with a smile that melted his heart.

"Right, I'll take good care of—"

"No, that's my name." She said with another smile. "Not 'm'lady.'"

Naruto stifled a smile himself. "Right. You can trust me, lady Hinata."

"Thank you." She said, dusting her dress off. "And you are?"

"Naruto." He said, almost eagerly. "Oh…ah, well, you better head off. It's quite a walk to the mansion for a lady like yourself."

"A lady like myself?" She said, an amused spark in her eyes. "And what are you implying?"

"Nothing…just, men would definitely take advantage of you if you went off alone." He said with a convincing smile, pushing sweaty hair out of his face, bright blue eyes warm as they peered at the small girl staring at him in amusement, hands on her small hips.

"Then why don't you walk me there, kind sir?" She said. "If you're by my side, surely I'd be fine."

Naruto wanted to, he really did, but he had work to do before the ball. Sasuke promised he'd sneak Naruto in and clean him up if Naruto finished his work early. Naruto flashed Hinata a smile again and bowed slightly, causing her to blink curiously at the sudden gesture.

"I'm sorry, lady Hinata, but I have work to do." He straightened himself. "But, I would like it if I could see you again at the ball."

Hinata smiled. "I would like that. Take good care of my horse, Naruto." She gave him a playful wave before she climbed over the fence and headed up toward the mansion. He watched her go with a hazy look in his eyes before he turned back to the barn, cracking his knuckles and sighing through his nose.

"I have work to do."


Sakura wasn't happy. In fact, she was so angry she almost bit her brother's head off when he opened the door to her room, loud as a sick cow, and cried "SAKURA-CHAN, MY LOVELY SISTER!" She looked up at him in annoyance, resisting the urge to kick him out of her room—literally.

"What?" She asked darkly, shaking her pink hair out of her tired face.

"I just got an invitation to the ball." He explained, striking a pose. "Well, Yuri did, but I thought we could crash it!"

Sakura sighed, running her fingers through her tangled pink hair and shooting him a thoughtful look. Yuri was her older, beautiful sister who was a lady and beautiful and many suitors were chasing after her. Sakura, on the other hand, was the youngest and liked to hunt wild animals and chase guards for fun instead of getting her hair done and being proper. Her brother was close with her, so they did everything together, including making fun of Yuri, who was too busy trying to get married to gain any actual talents.

Sakura, for instance, could skin a deer and haggle down prices for even the most expensive knives they sell on the streets. She could run faster than the guards, jump onto roves if she got a head start, ride wild boars, and trick even the smartest of men. Yuri, though, only had the pretty face in the family.

The more Sakura thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. Sasuke was the local heartthrob; all the girls adored him and the ball had been the talk lately. Crashing it would be fun and exciting, and it would show everyone how ridiculous wasting your life away waiting for a husband with money to come along really is.

"Okay." She said with a sudden grin, now wide awake and up for anything. "Sounds great."

"Excellent." He said happily, flipping his dark red hair, blue eyes sparkling in amusement. "The balls tomorrow night. Are you up for it?"

"Of course." Sakura said. "But next time don't wake me up so early."

He chuckled. "It's past the afternoon." His eyes shone in amusement. "Miss sleep-in-all-day."

"Eh." She said, flopping back onto her back and pulling her thick blanket over her face. "Well next time don't keep me up late at night forcing me to find your stupid lost dog."

"It wasn't my dog." He corrected. "It was Neji's. I had to watch it for him…eh, but he got it this morning so it's no problem."

Sakura peeked at him through her covers. "And I care why?"

"No wonder you're not married." He mumbled, though his tone was playful. "Even your speech is improper."

"Hush, you." She said, her voice tired. "Now leave my room. I must rest up for tomorrow's raid."

"But of course, m'lady." He bowed mockingly then slipped out of the room, slamming the door shut for effect. Sakura peeked through her blankets, made of bull fur that she haggled down to five coins, and saw he was gone. She snuggled back under the warm blanket, content, and fell back to sleep dreaming of the ball raid.


To be Continued in chapter two.

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