The Perfect Princess

summary— "Sasuke, you have seven days to find a bride, or you lose the crown." Well, this was gonna be a royal pain in the ass. SASUSAKU. AU.

disclaimer— No es mine.

notes—Hey there, this is my first ever fanfic :) I really hope you guys like it!

second version; edited.

The Perfect Princess

Chapter 1

"Sasuke, please! Don't—don't do this! I'm sorry!" cried a frantic Sakura, racing down the aisle. A snag in the runner caught her small foot, and she slid forward, only to be caught by two large guards, grabbing hold of her arms. Long pink hair cascaded in front of her face, red from panting, and hot tears rolled off her cheeks onto the ground.

Sakura knew she was defeated, as she made no attempt to escape the iron grip of the guards. She sat there crying, then let a sad smile pull at her lips and raised expectant eyes at the prince before her.

—one week ago—

yawn.

A lean figure rose from his plush bed, his dark eyes shut tight and arms stretched out. He cracked his back and brought a large hand to his eye; they were always sensitive in the morning. He threw the heavy blue covers back, 'making' his bed haphazardly. Sasuke strode over to his closet, sliding open the door to reveal an array of clothes, many of which not exceeding the hues of blue, black or... blue, black.

Yet there was the occasional exception, such as when Sasuke pulled out a high collared short sleeved shirt. A drawer rolled open and out came a pair of lavender pants accompanied by black leggings.

"Master Sasuke—oh!" a maid, Tenten had come up to Sasuke's room, right as Sasuke had begun to change. She hastily covered her eyes and squeaked, "Y-your father s-sent for you?"

The prince had gone red in the face and did his best to keep cool. He pulled on his pants before answering Tenten. "Right. Well, tell him I'll be right down."

The brunette girl nodded, then darted off, down the large white marble stairs. As soon as Tenten was out of sight, Sasuke slid his long arms through the shirt sleeves, zipping it to mid-chest. Grabbing a comb from his nightstand he pulled it through his long bangs. He didn't bother fixing the rest; his hair always spiked in the back, rain or shine.

Though he'd never admit it, the youngest Uchiha prince was indeed vain. So naturally he couldn't help but admire himself just a little bit longer. Black, black hair spiked liked a bird's erm... other end, long bangs that shaded his equally dark eyes. A lightly tanned complexion coated his tall, slightly muscular frame. To many, he was handsome, but girls knew the word they looked for was hot. He knew, they knew it, even his dad knew it.

But that's not important. Not right now, anyways.

Sasuke had just stepped out of his room before being stopped by Itachi, his brother. Itachi was a few years older than Sasuke, around 23, and he too was rather tall, with the same black hair, pulled into a ponytail. He had he same eyes as Sasuke, with thick lashes, and the lines running below them were one of the few things that differenciate their appearances.

"Good lord Sasuke, zip up your shirt. You look like a slut." commented Itachi, smirking slightly.

People tend to get out of character when they're angry, for instance when Sasuke stuck his tongue out at Itachi. "Shut up."

The older boy smiled. "Relax otoutou. That was my impression of Father. It's gotten better, huh?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, mumbling a "sure" and pushing past his brother. He descended down the stairs, past the commons and into a large dining room. Its ceilings were sky high, with 3 large chandeliers twinkling above the long, narrow cherry table. The walls were a burnt orange, set off by the warm red hue of the table.

At the end, sat King Fugaku and his wife. The former was dressed in a silk blue yukata trimmed in gold, black pants, and those old old old sandals, the ones with almost smooth soles. Should anyone ever ask him about them, he'd only say they were well worn and old, just like Mikoto. The queen would then swat him on the arm, feigning outrage at his remark.

Yet Queen Mikoto was the kind of person you wish was an actress, just so you could stare without feeling like a stalker. Her hair was shiny black, her dark eyes glittery, and her lean figure was clothed by a red kimono, it too made of fine silk and tired with a brilliant white obi. A silver pin, delicately engraved, held her hair back in a half pony style.

Her features were soft, rounded, features that were taken by her sons.

Her husband, however, seemed as though his chiseled features were stretched over his square face. His nose was thin, aristocratic, like Sasuke's; one of the few things they had in common. Albeit his stern face and large frame, Fugaku was very amicable, as kings should be. His pride in the Uchiha was displayed by the red and white fan emblazoned on his clothing, and his loyalty to Konoha lied in a leaf pendant that hung low on a chain near and dear to his heart.

"Sasuke-chan, sit down please," chided Mikoto, grasping her husband's hand.

Sasuke took his seat.

"Son," said Fugaku gruffly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "There's something you need to know."

"What?"

"Well," cut in Mikoto, "You are eighteen now, and you can be married, not to mention king, dear. Since your brother has refused the title, you are naturally the next in line. However, it is Konoha's ancient law that one cannot rule alone, as a symbol of our attitude towards working with others. As such, you need to be married before becoming king, and right now, you are betrothed to Lady Ino."

"W-what!" sputtered Sasuke. He was absolutely flabbergasted. There was no way in hell he would let someone arrange a marriage for him, not even his parents. Now, the snarky prince usually had a snide comment for everything, but this—this just had him speechless.

"Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke shook his head. "You can't be serious! Believe it or not, I would rather marry someone on my own accord, not because you tell me to!"

Mikoto felt so bad for her son. Surely he was too young to make such a difficult decision, right? she leaned toward her husband and whispered, "Fugaku. Please, he's your son. There has to be some kind of solution to this."

The two quickly had a hushed conversation, in which someone got quite the smack on his head. Ahem.

"Sasuke, I have a proposition for you. I will give you seven days to find a girl, marry her, and if you refuse, the crown is Madara's." he said.

"That's not a proposition, that's a fucking ULTIMATUM!" yelled Sasuke.

Fugaku rose sharply from his chair. "WELL IT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT!" he shouted.

Getting increasingly angry, Sasuke stormed out of the room, shouting behind him. "Fine then, okay? Have it your way. I don't even give a shit."

Sasuke darted out the back doors of the castle, into a wide open lawn filled with lush green grass and a large fountain gurgling merrily in the center. Off to the side of the garden, which was usually used for formal event, stood a large hedge, covered by purple flowers and the contents beyond it undiscovered.

Unless you were Sasuke.

His legs made long strides across the vast yard. He was still quite angry, and was muttering to himself about stupid fathers and the kind of fuckery being royalty got him into. It didn't last long though; in a matter of seconds he was at the bushes. He breathed in their scent, fresh, with an odd lemon tone. Sasuke pushed them aside, and stepped through.

The scene before him was gorgeous: soft grass so green it looked lime green, large citrus trees shading the tiny pond, inhabited by a lonely white koi, named Kisame. Sasuke had named it after one of Itachi's friends, who lived in Mist kingdom. He was large and blue, from his hair to is toes, and pretty friendly. Sasuke liked him more than any of Itachi's other friends, all of whom were part of the Akatsuki, a group of people around Itachi's age of elite class, such as being royalty, politicians, or highly regarded nobles.

Sasuke was the only one who knew about the garden. Sort of. He had discovered it at age five, when one of his cousins pushed him past the hedge, where he stumbled across the garden. Then, the trees had only been around 2 feet tall, and that little pond hadn't existed. Of course, he was a little boy, and boys tend to get excited, so he ended up telling Itachi and Shisui, his then best friends.

There was an enormous lemon tree that was Sasuke's favorite. He went over there, and sat down, back against the trunk, legs crossed. He tried to remember the breathing excercises Kakashi had taught him. Minutes passed, but Sasuke was still fuming. He was about to leave when Shisui cropped up.

Shisui was one of Sasuke's many cousins, a part of the outer branches of the Uchihas. He bore curly black hair, and the trademark onyx eyes, with lines running up the sides. He wore the usual Uchiha attire: black high collared shirt with the Uchiha crest, and blue pants.

"Hey Sasuke. What's eating ya?" he asked.

Sasuke looked over at him incredulously, glaring out of the corner of his eye. "Shisui, I've been royally fucked."

The addressed cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, how so?"

Sasuke's previous expression of indignance became pained. He looked up at the sky, hating it's clear cloudless blue. It was stupid almost, being envious of a sky that was happy when he wasn't.

"What's the quickest you've ever fallen in love?"

That question was so blunt, Shisui was taken aback. The surprise happened to pass quickly, and soon he turned to his cousin, smiling. "Half an hour." he said proudly, "Seriously. She's amazing, little cousin. Smart, pretty, nice. You know what Sasuke? I think I'm gonna marry her."

The way his eyes sparkled, the way his voice seemed to go up a few notes, Sasuke knew there was one girl he would be talking about.

"Suzume?" he asked.

Shisui's longtime girlfriend, Suzume, was a pretty little thing, literally. Petite, around five-three, and with caramel colored skin. Her hair was dark brown, adorned with a violet sparrow feather and always styled in beachy waves. Sasuke had only seen her once her twice, but each time she was smiling, adorable little dimples in place.

Shisui nodded and stretched out his legs.

"But how could anyone fall in love so... fast?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

A knowing look on his face, Shisui patted the prince's shoulder. "Trust me bro, you just know. Why suddenly so curious, Sasuke?"

Said teen looked so shameful, he as almost pouting. "I...I have to marry someone..." he mumbled.

Sorry?"

"I have to marry someone in seven days!" shouted Sasuke.

Shisui then proceeded to laugh. Loudly. He just kept on going and going and going until the younger Uchiha yelled at him. Even then, the curly haired man still couldn't help but snicker.

"It's not funny. What am I gonna do, Shisui?"

"Keh heh heh heh."

"I said it's not funny!"

"Oh yes it is. I mean, come on, you? The infamous ice queen? That's a riot."

Sasuke was getting mad again. "Shut up, Shisui," he said as he punched him in the shoulder," Now how the hell do I fix this?"

He thought for a second. Suddenly, an idea came to him. What if they set up something where girls would come to him, like an audition? If everything went well, they'd have to find the perfect one.

"I know what to do. All we need is Itachi, paper, and a whole lotta girls."

notes—Okayy, well that's it for chapter one! If you're reading this for the first time, well then you're in luck, because this is the edited version, with all the little stupid errors that shouldn't have been there in the first place all gone! :3

Thanks for reading, please review!