Summary: Being a prince isn't as sweet as one might think. With a deadline to get married to a suitable princess within two years, Sasori is hardly delighted about his circumstances. However, when he ends up falling for Sakura, who is nothing but a mere maid... Things may certainly wind up more complicated than anyone wished for it be. AU. (SasorixSakura)
Author's Note: I've had this idea with me for a while now; I really hope that it turns out all right. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Unfortunately...
---
The Prince and the Pauper
It was something that could not be done.
It was something that was generally unheard of, and furthermore, it was something that was just not possible, in any sense or matter. My grandmother would never approve of it; that was something that I was completely positive about. As for my parents, I could only imagine with how much intensity that they would roll in their graves.
Perhaps if I were someone of a much lower status, it would be deemed as something more appropriate. Needless to say, that was obviously not the case, nor would it ever be -- unless I renounced my title. However, was I really willing to do such a thing? No. I knew that I would never be able to, regardless of how much that would be beneficial to both me... And her. Since, being what I was wasn't simply something that I could discard and throw away. It certainly wasn't a position that I could accept without some amount of responsibility, either.
Not to mention how inappropriate it would be for me to begin an affair with a girl so low in status. Doing so would not only cause me to gain unwanted publicity from everyone in the castle, but it would also strike a hard blow to our country's reputation as well. It would additionally cause unnecessary disputes throughout the members of our court, and overall, paint a bad shadow over my family name. We could not afford something like that to happen, as my Grandmother Chiyo often enjoyed reminding me. And for once... I actually agreed with her reasoning.
After all, a pairing like the two of us made was simply not meant to be. How could it be, honestly? A prince such as myself falling in love with a girl that was nothing more than a maid...
It was ridiculous. It was insane. It was unbelievable.
...It was the truth.
---
Irritation. That feeling you get, when someone besides you does something stupid, or idiotic. It's not exactly an unpleasant sensation, though it can certainly lead to more violent emotions. A prime example of that had been the display of rage I had just attacked my grandmother with.
Marriage? Who was she kidding? I wasn't planning on getting married to anyone yet, and especially not to any of the ditzes she had tried to pair me up with.
At the thought of all of my possible 'fiancée's' my mouth immediately filled with a bitter taste. Almost none of them could even answer a simple question coherently without giggling in the most absurd way. Being overwhelmingly clingy seemed to be a talent of theirs, and unfortunately... They went on doing it extremely well. Apparently their so-called beauty had eaten away at their brains.
Shuddering inwardly, I began striding quickly past the many corridors and hallways that lined our castle. I needed some time alone to allow myself to think, as well as to calm down. I continued to walk for a while, until I reached my own personal haven -- the library. It had always been the place I had gone to reminisce ever since I had been a child. Swiftly, I entered the room, not bothering to close the door behind me quietly as I came in.
Walking over to a nearby table by one of the many large windows, I sat myself on a plump chair. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes tightly, hoping dearly for the headache that had surfaced earlier to disappear.
When had everything all begun anyway? It actually hadn't been too long ago, I realized. My grandmother had never bothered to pressure me with anything, and instead had always treated me with warm affection. I had always gotten what I had wanted to receive, and she had always allowed me to do whatever I felt like doing. It had been like that ever since I could remember, until sometime during the late last season.
Then, as if a strand of realization had struck my grandma, she had suddenly started to goad me into getting married, of all things. Scrolls naming armies of different suitable wives began appearing on my desk in the mornings, and lectures on how unstable our country was becoming due to my... Single-ness began to sprout from various passersby's mouths when I walked past them.
At first I had been mildly amused by everyone's antics, and I had deemed it all as something I could eventually brush off. However, my interest in their deeds soon began to wane as the situation continued to persist and worsen. Instead of being pressed to merely read lists of potential brides; I was soon forced to actually meet the princesses. None of the visits had ever turned out pleasantly, and I quickly discovered that most of the girls must've been dropped on the head as infants.
Arguing with my grandmother always turned out to be fruitless, and so I had soon become tired of that. Today had been an exception though, as she had told me something that was much, much, worse than a hundred meetings with silly, giggle-prone women. She had stated to me that if I did not choose a suitable wife in the duration of two years, I was to be married off to one of Lord Hyuga's daughters by default. She had gone on to explain how our marriage would help the growing bond between our two countries, and how happy she was sure I was going to be in a stable wedlock. That had been when I had thrown a vase at the wall.
Sighing, I stopped my thinking. If at all, I was actually growing angrier with myself instead of quelling my raging feelings. Putting my face to my hands slowly, I readied myself to stand. Maybe reading a book would help keep my mind off of everything, at least for a short period of time. Just as I was about to get up, I stiffened as I heard a noise. It was the sound of a page turning... Did that mean that someone was inside the library, other than myself?
Quietly, I got off of my chair and began to walk, peering around the bookshelves cautiously as I did so. Eventually, I arrived at the source where the noise had most likely come from. Seated comfortably at a long mahogany table was a pink-haired young girl, who looked somewhere between the ages of fifteen to seventeen. From the sordid state of her shoddy looking clothes, it was apparent that she was most likely one of our maids.
She seemingly had not noticed me yet, and instead continued to gaze at the book she had placed on the table in front of her with interest. I continued to peer at her for a while, with only a vague sense of attentiveness. It took me a moment to notice that she was looking at her book upside down. With my attention rifted towards the thin volume she was examining, my curiosity ultimately succeeded in defeating my common sense. Stepping forward carefully and quietly, I spoke to the girl softly.
"You're reading the book the wrong way, you know."
