Flashback:
It was the depths of winter and a harsh wind blew. A small child's cry echoed through the cold, empty streets of the Fire kingdom. A young silver-haired man, about the age of thirteen, looked at the weeping child wrapped in a thin cloth in the arms of a fallen woman, indeed, she was dead. Her eyes were closed and she held the child rather tightly, as if with the last of her strength she was determined to protect the child. He knew she was. Staring at the woman for the last time, he sees that she was uncommonly beautiful. What a waste, he thought.
The said man sighed and took the weeping child in his arms and took her home with him. The child stopped weeping and her bright green eyes stared at him with hope. He wrapped the child in an even thicker cloth. He sighed and thought about the responsibility he had just "picked up". The child grew up bearing the name Haruno Sakura. Haruno, referring to her green eyes, and Sakura, referring to her unique hair color.
The man who took her in was one of the emperor's counselors, Hatake Kakashi. He was kind but at the same time strict. He taught her the ninja basics and sent her to train daily with Tsunade, one of the three elders. Kakashi, being her guardian and a counselor thought it was best that Sakura became one of the trainee concubines of one of the soon-to-be-emperor and be educated with the rest of the trainees. It was hard for Sakura being a medic and an empress-in-training. As a result Sakura grew up to become the apprentice of Tsunade, the best medic-nin in the history of the ninja world, one of the best medic ninja in the Fire Kingdom, and a top concubine trainee.
End of Flashback
"SAKURA-CHAN!" a blonde haired boy, wearing an orange traditional kimono, called.
The girl turned to her friend and said," Ah Naruto-kun... Good Morning! I see you're as energetic as ever..." Unfortunately.
"Sakura-chan you'll be late for your training if you keep wandering the palace at a time like this."
Sakura looked at her watch and saw it was nearly noon.
"Well I better hurry then... Bye Naruto-kun" she sighed and headed for the small, thoroughly-decorated room meant for educating trainees.
On her way there she sighed and said aloud, "Why do I even bother? There are lots of other girls Uchiha-sama would prefer, and besides even if i do fit the job… I wouldn't marry a man I don't love... And I don't care if he's a prince. For all I know he could be gay! Or worst, a stuck up as-"
Her thoughts were interrupted by her colliding into something... err someone. Hard. Sakura fell on the hard wooden floor.
"Gomenasai, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and…" she dusted herself and bowed to the person she collided with, she looked up to see a handsome young man about 20, her age. The man was quite shocked.
"Uhmm... Is there something wrong?" Sakura asked
The boy smirked, "It's nothing... I should be the one apologizing; I wasn't watching where I was going"
"Oh... Its ok I guess… Well I better hurry", she said going around him,
"What's the hurry?" he frowned after her
She sighed, "I'm one of the prince's concubines-in-training and… you know. Well, see ya. ", she waved, running to her class.
The boy on the other hand stood still looking at the girl's fading figure. Once she was out of sight he smirked once more and he said aloud, "A girl who isn't attracted to me... that's some trainee." he shook his head and started walking away.
"I wonder who that guy was…" a 20-year-old girl said to herself while walking.
-o-O-o-
The room was lined with a couple of tables and chairs. The walls, covered with fragrant red velvet wallpaper, gave the room a regal atmosphere. There she was greeted by a navy blue haired girl, Hinata. For years now they have been friends. Hinata knew everything about Sakura, and neither of the girls really wanted to become the prince's concubine; they just did it because they had no other choice. Hinata was in-love with Naruto, a general-in-training, but he was too dense to realize Hinata's feelings.
"Ohayo Saku-chan" Hinata greeted with a smile.
"Ohayo Hina-chan" she said, smiling.
"Hey Forehead! Hey Hina", greeted a girl from behind Sakura.
Sakura looked around to find Ino, she was a friend of the girls, and together they completed the great trio. Ino's main goal was to marry a noble. She was no doubt beautiful; light blue eyes, dim blonde hair, and curves in all the right places.
"Hey Ino-pig!" Sakura greeted back, while Hinata simply waved.
The girls continued talking about events that occurred the day before, when a girl with strangely red hair, along a purple-ish haired girl, entered the room.
"Hey Pinky! Blondie! And... Contacts? Guess what. The prince is gonna visit us today so be prepared. It'll be love at first sight for us! Once the prince sees me he'll be head-over-heels!" the girl with red hair, Karin, boasted.
"Karin and I will definitely be on top of his list!" the girl with purple-ish hair, Ami, exclaimed. Then both girls went to the front giggling about mindless gossip.
All three girls rolled their eyes.
"Puh-lese! The chances that Uchiha-sama will choose them over us is about as much as the chances that Kakashi will stop reading those perverted novels" Ino said, out of Karin and Ami's earshot.
Both girls nodded. Even thought Ino knew Sakura had intentions of becoming empress she didn't fight with her (that much), she knew Sakura only wanted the title to find her parents.
Then their etiquette sensei, Kurenai, came in, making everyone rush to their seats.
"Ohayo minna-san. Will all of you please sit down; I have an announcement to make."
"This year, the Uchiha's would like to invite all of you to the Kuro Yoru Ball."As she said this countless cheers were heard from around the class. Everyone seemed excited with a few exceptions; Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Ami, and Karin. They weren't all that excited in comparison to their fellow trainees because they had been regularly attending the Koru Yoru Ball since they were all from high-class families, except for Sakura who was the adopted-child of Kakashi and apprentice of Tsunade.
-o-O-o-
Sakura walked the path to her house which was a long road with cherry blossom trees to the sides.
"Sakura-chan! Please wait up!"
"Oi Forehead!"
The young medic turned around to see her two friends, Ino and Hinata, calling after her so she stopped to wait for them.
Once they had caught up, Ino asked, "What do you plan on wearing to the ball, Sak?"
"That's between me and my closet! Anyway you'll find out when the ball comes." she replied with a grin.
"But the ball is a 2 months from now!" Ino groaned.
"Then wait a couple of months Ino! Saku-chan is right... it won't be a surprise if you know."
Ino argued with them until each of them had arrived at a crossing where they would have to separate. Sakura waved good-bye to her friends and made her way home.
As she walked home, her mind wandered back to the handsome young man she had met earlier. He looked slightly familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Ah Sakura-chan! Dinner will be ready in a few minutes" said an elderly woman, bowing to Sakura as she entered her home. "Kakashi-sama is in his room and he says he does not wish to be disturbed."
"I understand. Thank you Aya-chan." She smiled and went to her room and rummaged through her walk-in-closet.
"Hmm... What should I wear? The Koru Yoru Ball also known as The Black Night Ball. The dress code? All black"
As she rummaged through the dustier section of her closet, she accidentally pulled a box that was apparently supporting a larger pile of boxes, thus, causing a box avalanche in her large closet.
A small screech came out of her mouth as she found herself amidst boxes, plastic wrapped shoes and miscellaneous, and mostly, dust. She huffed and looked at the mess before her; she had to clean that up herself.
As she was about to stand up, she noticed the beautiful yet dusty box that had fallen on her lap. It was covered in a pink velvety fabric with golden leaf patterns surrounding the frame. As she opened it, she found a black kimono with decorated with falling cherry blossom petals, and a pink obi.
"I wonder…" she admired the kimono from top to bottom and admired the fabric; it was something that seemed more precious than silk. She felt comforted by touching the material, and a gush of nostalgia flowed through her. She was in a trance until Aya, the maid, called her for dinner.
She entered the dining room. A long table was set in the middle, and on it were food more than enough for two people. Her foster father was sitting at the very end of the table and she took her seat at the other end. Kakashi looked at her and nodded. They both bowed and uttered a short prayer then began to eat.
"Ne Kaka-senpai?" she said, putting down her utensils.
"Hmm?"
"Who does that kimono in the closet belong to?"
"Which one? There are a lot you know" he asked, glancing at her.
"Yeah, around 26, but I mean the black one. The one inside the beautiful box"
"Oh that," Kakashi put his utensils down and thought,"Well... the day I found you, you were in a basket ne? Well, under you there was a little parcel. So, I guess, basically, it's yours..."
"Oh... Well I'm planning on wearing it to the Koru Yoru Ball... I can, can't I?"
"Well… If you think the Koru Yoru is important enough for it, why not?" Sakura became silent for a while, and when Kakashi looked at her, he saw that she was in deep thought.
The rest of the dinner went by silently, with Sakura spacing out most of the time, then resuming her dinner, and Kakashi reading that morning's paper.
Suddenly, Sakura stood up and said, "Good night Kakashi-senpai." She kissed him good-night and went to her room.
"Aa" he replied, glancing at her half empty plate.
Sakura went to her room, and entered her closet. Everything had been put back in its proper place.
"Thanks Aya-chan" she mumbled.
She took out the box with the black kimono and opened it. She touched the silky fabric of the kimono and a wave of sadness went through her. She frowned. That kimono was the only remembrance she had of her family. She had decided that the Blue Moon Ball wasn't important enough to wear the kimono. It was too priceless.
That night she dreamt.
The moon shone golden high up the sky accented by the stars. She stood slightly elevated in front of a lake surrounded by the forest. She could see the forest and the sky with all the stars reflected in the lake's smooth surface. A breeze blew past her, yet she did not shiver. There was something about the glow of the moon, the silent twinkling of the stars and the gentle breeze of the wind that made her feel right. Cool, but warm.
A gentle hand grasped her shoulder and she turned to see who it was. She could not see the person's face yet she knew it was a man. He had raven hair and a creamy-close-to-pale complexion. The man said something she couldn't hear and they began to dance to the sound of the wind and the rustling of the tree leaves. Her heart felt content and she especially felt safe.
-o-O-o-
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
The said girl faced her window to see that it was very early in the morning, the sky was still very dark. She checked her clock to see that it was around four. Whoever was shouting like that was either a moron or Uzumaki Naruto.
She got up from her bed and looked out the window. Narrowing her eyes, she saw no other than Uzumaki Naruto himself being hit by the maid with a rake, screaming "ouch", "stop it lady!" etc. She took her time making her way down stairs not bothering to hurry for the sake of her friend.
When she was finally outside the door facing the beautiful lawn lined with cherry blossoms, with Naruto desperately trying to run away from the angered maid, she crossed her arms and glared at Naruto.
"It's ok. Aya-san he's with a friend." the young girl spoke slightly yawning. The woman bowed to Sakura, and glared at Naruto before once again entering the house.
Naruto, who was sitting on the ground rubbing his poor head, looked up to the rose-haired girl who didn't seem too happy to see him. He knew this thanks to the glare she was giving him.
"Ahh... Hehe, gomen Sakura-chan for coming in so early in the morning, but Hinata-chan wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go to the palace with us today. Since neither of us don't seem to have classes... well?"
Sakura sighed and said, "When did she tell you this?"
"Last night, when we were having ramen together"
"Did she tell you to ask me at 4 am?" Sakura stated with apparent annoyance in her voice.
"Uhh... No...?"
She sighed once again, hit Naruto over the head and invited him inside the house since the breeze was freezing her petite body. The two came inside and Sakura made Naruto sit so she could heal him since he was hit by a rake you know…
"Why the sudden invite? I mean we have been at the palace ALL week. Why go back?" she asked, as she healed him.
"Well Ino wanted to explore the palace... Something about being familiar with her future home or something... Sorry I wasn't listening to her much since I was eating..." he chuckled lightly while scratching the back of his head.
Sakura shook her head. "So who's coming?"
"Uhmm... Me, Hina-chan, Ino and Shikamaru."
Perfect couples she thought.
"Why add me?"
"You're our friend! We wouldn't leave you out! Dattebayo!" he shouted, standing up.
"Stop screaming people are sleeping. I'll come" she growled, hitting him over the head. And I have no idea why!
"GREAT! Meet us at around 2 pm" he hugged her and ran out the door.
She was about to ask him if he knew anything about the boy from yesterday but shrugged it off since he had already left, and went back to bed.
Sakura woke up around noon after her early morning-wake-up-call from Naruto earlier. She washed up, changed clothes, ate breakfast and was accompanied by Kakashi to the palace.
"Well Sak, I'll leave you here. I have to attend to my duties. Don't get lost now." he walked away, after giving her a pat in the head.
She scoffed. Lost! I com here daily!
She shook her head and walked around the palace looking for any sign of her blonde friend. It was half an hour after 1 when she came past the palace gardens.
Wow! I've never been to this part of the palace! This place is beautiful! She thought, walking under a lone cherry blossom tree in the middle of the yard.
"Oi! You! Pinky! What are you doing here?" a stern voice from above her spoke.
"Eh?" she looked up to see a boy. Black hair, black eyes, black top and Jounin pants. She closed her right eye and tilted her head to the side.
1...
2...
3...
"Wakata! You're that guy from yesterday!" she screamed
"Aa. Easy to remember you... Pinky" he jumped down from the branch and landed a few yards from the girl
"Hey! Don't call me Pinky, Chicken-butt. The name's Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you. I think..." she held out her hand to him and mumbled the last part
"As long as you don't call me that, fine. I'm Sasuke." He spoke reluctantly, took her hand and gently shook it.
"O...k..." she said. She was disappointed that he hadn't said his family name but shook it off.
"I'm looking for a blonde. Bout your height. hyper-active. Really loud." she said.
"Naruto? Other side of the palace, aguing with that other blonde "he scoffed.
"You know Naru-kun?"
"Aa "
"He never mentioned you..."
"Typical. I'll go with you. He came by earlier, said something about introducing me to some friends of his. I'm guessing you're one of them."
"Alright" Longest sentence he's ever said.
So they started walking. It was quite a long way, since the palace was so big. It took them about half an hour or so, and they got to getting to know each other – well more about Sakura since Sasuke didn't really say much, only nodded, Hned and Aaed. When they got to the other side of the palace, they saw Shikamaru lying down on the grass, beside him sat Ino who was still arguing with Naruto and Hinata sat on the other side of Ino and was looking at Naruto.
"Dork! Why didn't you tell Sakura where to meet us? We've been waiting here for hours! And your friend hasn't shown up either! Its already 3 and we've lost half the day!" Ino screamed.
"Well Ino, You didn't tell me to!" Naruto shouted back.
"I did! But you were slurping ramen so hard YOU couldn't hear!"
"Don't blame this on my ramen INO!"
Hinata sighed and looked up, spotting the two.
"N-Naruto-k-kun, Ino-chan th-there they are" she said in an almost-afraid tone. The two blondes looked up to see their best friends
"Forehead!"
"Teme!"
"H-hey Ino-chan..."Sakura said, backing away a bit. She might bite...
"Hn. Dobe"
"Saku! Where were you? We've been waiting forever!" Ino shouted at her pink-haired friend.
"Forever is an exaggeration don't you think?" Sakura mumbled.
"Well they're here aren't they? So let's just get this troublesome day over with" Shikamaru said standing up.
"H-hai. Shikamaru's right" Hinata retorted
"Fine!" Said both the blondes
After the introductions were done, and Ino and Naruto's argument had dissolved, the group walked around the palace. Ino pointing out the spots and possible events her and her future-husband were to do during the near future. Everyone noticed the way Sasuke would scoff after each event was described in a detailed manner, and Naruto elbowing him afterwards. Well, everyone but Ino.
"Ano ne ano ne Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme! Why are you two together?" Naruto replied wriggling his eyebrows at the two.
"While I was looking for you guys, we saw each other and though we would go wherever you were together." the rosette said blanky
"Well that's nice! Dattebayo!"
"Ne Sasuke-kun! Whats your family name?" Ino asked getting close to Sasuke with sparkling eyes.
"None of your business blondie" he said glaring at her.
"Well If we get married it will be! But the chances of that are as much as of you being the prince, my future-husband"
"What! Ino don't you know who Sasuke-teme is? He's..."
"Hey little brother" a deep voice said from behind Naruto.
"Hey! Don't cut me off Itachi-teme-nii-san! It's rude! 'tebayyo" Naruto said looking at the dark haired man that stood behind Sasuke.
"Hn. Gee. Sorry dobe. Anyway, father wants to talk to you Sasuke-chan" he smirked, not paying attention to the blonde boy's complaints.
"Like brother like teme. Hmph..." and he kept ranting on. Something about Teme... ramen... unfair... tomatoes...
"Hn. Guess I'll see you guys later... Ja" Sasuke said walking away.
"Hmmm... If you guys don't mind, I'll be taking my brother's place for the tour. It'll be fun. I have nothing to do anyway. Besides, it isn't everyday you meet exquisite young ladies" Itachi said, with that ill-make-you-want-to-kiss-me-smile. So cute!
"Of course!" Ino squealed, thinking, "He's just as hot as his brother! And much more chivalrous too!"
Naruto huffed and thought, "Just as bastardly as his brother…"
Shikamaru on the other hand, stared at the young man with bored eyes and had several comments in his mind. "This guy is the future king? Mendokusai. I have to act polite. At least Sasuke doesn't mind."
Hinata and Sakura speculated him and thought he was nice enough.
"Ne ne! Naruto-no-baka! What were you saying earlier?" Ino asked staring at Itachi, but talking to Naruto.
"Well! You see! I was about to say something about Sasuke! But that older teme interrupted me," he exclaimed, pointing accusing finger at Itachi. "Well! Sasuke! Yea! He's the pr..." but before he was able to finish his sentence he was cut off by Itachi... again.
"Hey dobe. They don't know about my brother?" he said with a Too-cute-confused-face.
"STOP CUTTING ME OFF! No, no they don't know, except for Shikamaru over there, of course." he said while sulking and pointing at Shikamaru
"Yea... They as far back as you two don't they? Should we start the tour then?" Itachi commented. He started walking and everyone just followed.
"But what about the idiot's statement about Sasuke-kun?" Ino squinted, really curious about Sasuke.
"Let's not backstab my brother here." He said, then quietly adding so only Naruto and Shikamaru would hear," Besides, according to what I've heard, the young lady here has no idea what her future-husband's name is. For now, I'd like that to make it a mystery, for my enjoyment and such."
"Uhmm... So how old are you Itachi-san?" Sakura said.
"My, my. You're Kakashi-san's orphan kid aren't you? I didn't think you'd be this attractive. Interested in me huh? No matter. Age isn't important." he winked at her, giving her an I-know-you-like-me kinda look.
"Uh-huh..." the poor girl twitched. She wasn't quite sure how to reply without being rude.
"Hehe. Don't worry Sakura-san I was just kidding" he smiled. Just smiled, in a warm kinda way.
"Ehehe... Right. "she said backing away a bit.
Everyone sweat-dropped at Sakura and Itachi's... err... conversation. They kept walking for a few more minutes until Itachi stopped in front of the throne room's doors.
"Well this is my stop. I really am sorry if I frightened you Sakura-chan." He said, bowing to her. "It was nice meeting you all." With that he waved to them and entered the throne room and the rest of them went on their way around the castle. The rest of the day went normally as planned.
-o-O-o-
(A cell phone ringtone plays – rather loudly, the song is "Tonight" by FM Static)
Tonight I've fallen and I can't get up
I need your loving hands to come and pi-
"Hello?"
"Hey Forehead. Listen. Have plans for today?"
"No... Why?"
"Well... Me and Shikamaru are going out. And the dobe asked Hina-chan out for ramen. I told him you wouldn't so they'll be out all day long. So you'll have to sulk all by yourself today! Ja ne!" and the line went dead.
"She woke me up to tell me THAT. Hn. Crazy woman's on crack." She put the phone down and stood up. Lately I've been woken up by annoying blondes that I call my best friends... Oh yea. Life is just sunshine-y. She made her way down the stairs and saw Kakashi getting ready to go out.
"Sakura-chan, I need to attend some business in the palace at noon so I'll be going out. I won't be home until midnight, so don't wait up eh" he kissed her forehead and smiled.
"But it's already 1:30... Aren't you a bit late?" she said looking at the time on her phone then raising an eyebrow at him. The said man only scratched the back of his head and left, leaving Sakura sighing in annoyance.
She went upstairs, fixed herself up and went out the door. Her short hair was tied into two low pigtails. She wore a green oversized off-shoulder shirt, a pair of denim shorts, brown beaded anklet, and green converse.
She walked around the street for a good thirty minutes until she reached the park. She walked a few more yards into the woods until she reached a field. At the center was a lake glittering with the sun's reflection.
There, in the middle of the lake, stood a fine statue, a statue of the "guardian of the forest", Celeby. It was said that Celeby guarded the forest from lumberjacks and the ever growing population. That was why the park was called Celeby Park. A decree for the safety and rights of the forest was instated by Empress Uchiha Mikoto right after she ascended the throne.
Fortunately for Sakura, no one knew of this place so it was rather rare to see anyone but herself come here. Unbeknownst to her, today was going to be quite different. There, under a tree, sat Sasuke, reading, with glasses!
"Osu" greeted the pink haired lady.
The man who was sitting under the tree, looked up from his book and was quite suprized by the appearance of the young lady before him. It took him less than a second to compose himself, then stood up.
"Hey Sak. How did you find this place?"
"Hmm... When I was 5, I got lost in the forest and found this place. You?"
"My parents... Took me here when I was young..." he said, shrugging.
"Mind if I sit beside you? Or were you just leaving?"
"No, I'd actually like some company"
Both of them sat beside each other in silence for a while, until Sasuke's last sentence finally sunk in.
"Seriously? You aren't really much of the talkative type..." she said looking up with a finger on her chin.
"Eh? What exactly do you think of me? And emo kid with over-expecting parents?" he smirked looking at her.
"No, not really. I though you were a normal boy, quiet, composed, arrogant older brother and able to keep his cool. You know? The usual."
"Hmm... Really? Yes my brother is quite arrogant at times, but he's more composed than me... in front of my parents that is" he said feeling a bit awkward.
"I'm more interested in you. Not you're brother. So tell me more about you" she inquired, half to herself and to him. Somehow the statement made a very light shade of red appear in the young prince's cheeks.
Fortunately it wasn't very visible to the person who caused it. Lots of girls have told me that... and clearer than her statement will ever be. Why is my heartbeat increasing? It's not like she confessed to me exactly. Hn. Troublesome hormones... Those were the thoughts kept Sasuke silent for a couple of minutes.
It did not take to long for Sakura to realize what exactly she had just said, and the silence between them was proof that what she just realized was already the boy's current thought, and with the suprized look the said boy gave her it doubled the blood already surfacing the girl's face.
"I-I-I mean I'm interested in knowing you more... not in that particular way! Just as friends you know?" she said, still benevolently red. The addressed man had to admit, as any other man would have, she looked cute when she was in a deep shade of red.
"Hn. Yeah, I get it" he said, smirking.
Sakura sighed and continue to talk. "So where do your "over-expecting" parents work?" she asked, gesturing quotation marks.
"Uhm… Somewhere in the palace."
When she realized that he wouldn't go any farther, she continued.
"You know Hatake Kakashi? He's my father. Well, kinda. I'm adopted, or rather, he found me. When I was just a little baby" she quieted down.
He looked at her, thinking that she was crying. But when he saw her, her eyes were focused at the lake in front of them. Her eyes, shining emerald, glittered the same way as the lake did as the sun reflected upon its surface.
"People always feel sad for me when they hear about it," she continued, "but I'm happy. I wouldn't have met my friends if I weren't adopted, and Kaka-senpai is a great father you know, despite all the Icha-Icha and all." she giggled, as he watched the expression on her face intensely.
He didn't stare at her in a gawking manner, he was simply studying her. Hearing her laugh made him feel welcome. It made him feel home. He closed his eyes and smirked. This girl was very interesting
"I'm sorry, I talk too much" she said laughing at herself.
"Hn. It's fine you make up for my silence."
They talked until noon, until Sakura's stomach couldn't take it anymore and it made a low growl, making Sasuke laugh and Sakura blush in embarrassment, again.
"Wanna get something to eat?" Sasuke said standing up and offering her a hand to also help her up. The just-calmed-down-woman went red again and refused to take his hand. Sasuke smirked at the small presentation of affection.
"Sure, why not? It's just as friends right?" she said, brushing the invisible dirt from her back to avoid eye contact.
"Of course. Unless that wasn't what you had in mind" he said, smirking, again.
"My my, aren't you a bit of a narcissist" said she, acting mature and looking away to hide the blush creeping up her face.
The couple, very quietly, sneaked through the hallways of the Uchiha palace. They were on their way to the kitchen, where their current source of food was located.
"Tell me again, Sasuke, why are we sneaking around the castle looking for food?" the girl, Sakura, whispered.
"We aren't looking Sakura, we know where it is. Besides, its no fun eating at stores, here we get a challenge for food" he whispered back after a long pause.
"But that's stealing!" she said in a hushed exclamation, abruptly stopped and stared at his back.
"No its not," he said facing her, "I told you, my dad... works here. I'll tell him to pay for it later on or something. Now let's go." He said, pulling her hand and walking, quite quickly, through the hallways. Sakura blushed at the sudden contact his hand made with hers. She knew it meant nothing but it meant a lot to her at that very moment.
A few more minutes later, they arrived at the royal kitchen and Sasuke gently pushed the door. It was time for lunch so the kitchen was in a hustle, shouting and talking were heard throughout the room and they could see helpers and the finest chefs in the kingdom run about the kitchen looking for ingredients, utensils and things of the sort. No one even noticed the black haired boy grab some fruits and some drinks from the unbelievably large refrigerator.
He didn't want Sakura to get the food since she might get in trouble, he told her that her pink hair would attract attention and cause trouble, just so the girl wouldn't be suspicious. After that they both ran through the hallways once more, hurried through the forest, and went back to the spot they were sitting in and started eating.
Throughout the 'meal', Sakura expressed how scared she was they might have gotten caught and Sasuke just watched her expression. He was a bit surprised how anyone could openly express such emotions and this gained his curiosity about the pink haired maiden. Sasuke was used to everyone acting calm and composed, he never gave a thought to people like Sakura who freely expressed their emotion, he just passed them off as annoying commoners, sure, he was used to Naruto and fangirls but, Naruto was, well, Naruto. And fangirls were just plain annoying.
He was jumped out of his thoughts when he felt pressure on top of his shoulder. He looked at her surprised and found that she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. He smiled and put his hand around her shoulder to support her from falling.
"Just a little while Sasuke, I'm just so..." she yawned" ... tired." She finished drifting to sleep.
Anyone who would have seen such a sight would mistake them for lovers. Yes, they were the perfect picture, a boy and a girl sitting under a tree, the girl's head lay in the boy's shoulder. The mere sight of it brought serenity and peace to anyone who saw such a sight. Unfortunately, no one was there to see such a vision of love and admiration. For now they were just friends, still kept secrets, still told lies.
A few hours before the sun set, the girl awoke, finding herself enclosed in the boy's arms, she flushed at such a position but her expression changed when she looked at him. Peace, serenity and calmness were present in his face. She liked to see him like this, not like other times when pressure, loneliness and displeasure were present in his features. It was not common for Sasuke to smile, he never forced himself to smile, if he did not like doing things, he would not do it. She admired him in that sense. An air of secrecy was always around him. It made her curious. It made her want to know more about him. Just how much could she open in this almost perfect boy? Her eyes drifted to his lips. Red. In complete contrast with his pale face. She was still dazed from waking up and wasn't aware of what she was doing, she got nearer him, completely invading his personal space. Suddenly, Sasuke stirred and Sakura backed away.
She watched him wake up and gave a small yawn.He looked at her for a few seconds and stared at her red tainted cheeks. He gave her a confused look and she stood up, turning from him.
"Well Sasuke, I guess I need to go. The sun's almost down and Kakashi-senpai will be worried I bet," she said, she turned to him for a while and added," I enjoyed being with you today. Maybe next time again huh?" with all that said she ran towards the path she entered earlier. He stared up at the pink, red, orange, blue tainted sky and thought about the events of that day. He still remembered Sakura's image when she fell asleep on his shoulder. His heart skipped a beat upon visualizing such an image. He wasn't stupid, he knew it. He was falling for her.
-o-O-o-
A warm ray of sunlight shone through the windows of the potential queen's classroom. Haruno Sakura sat at the very last row and admired the beautiful garden outside the window. The light chatters of young girls filled the room before it was silenced by the entrance of their fashion teacher, Anko.
"Alright class, I know I promised you guys that the prince would visit you but that little bug- I mean his highness, claims that he's far too busy to waste his time on such impudent matters. But our crown prince promises the attendance of his brother and himself at the ball next month. Questions?" the class groaned and was soon filled with "But I wanna see him now!"s and "That's unfair!"s.
Sakura didn't really care, she still pictured the prince to be self-centered, narcissistic and possibly gay, but she was planned to keep that to herself. Miraculously, Ino was in deep thought about the princes' secrecy. She raised her hand which caught the attention of the whole class.
"Sensei "she began," I was wondering... What exactly IS the princes' name? I mean, we're all competing to marry either of them and all, but we don't even have any idea what he looks like or what his name is." This struck the curiosity of the whole class, including Sakura's.
Anko scratched the back of her head, grunted and said, "Well Ino... Interesting question but as of yesterday I'm not really in a position to answer that. Seems like the older prince thought up a new game for us, their names remain a secret until further notice. Struck your curiosity did it? Well dig up about it on your own then. Nothing else for today, since none of you seem to be having a fashion crisis. Dismissed." with that she left the room.
The girls gathered their things and stampeded out of the room most of them forgetting the conversation they had with they teacher. Ino and Hinata waited as Sakura packed her things.
"Hey guys... aren't you the least bit curious about the prince? I mean we're preparing ourselves to marry him and we have no idea what he looks like or what his name is. It really gets me thinking you know" exclaimed Ino standing on top of a table.
"I couldn't care less about the prince and as for you thinking, that must be a miracle or did you finally grow a brain?" Sakura who was just about to leave commented.
"Hey! I have had a brain for a long time now, thank you very much!" she screeched, then adding as an after thought," By the way Sak, what'd you do yesterday? Must've been bored without me huh?" she crooned as she followed said pink haired girl out. Hinata just followed silently behind them.
"Actually Ino, I wouldn't mind having a few more days like that..." remembering the events that occured yesterday she blushed a bit. The girls trailing behind her stopped and stared at her wide-eyed, Sakura stopped in suit, looking at them. "What?" she asked.
"Are you dating someone Sakura?" both girls said in unison.
"W-wha? No! I just meant I preferred yesterday better than others cause... well... It was quiet! Yeah. Serene like..."
"So w-who were you with y-yesterday?"
Cause I'm not your princess
this ain't a fairytale-
"U-Uhmm.. excuse me" Sakura fished her cell phone in her right front pocket. Once she saw who it was she quickly ran to the nearest bathroom and shut the door leaving the rest of the girls confused.
"H-hi Senpai.." Sakura spoke, one she had answered the phone.
"Hey Sak. Can you come home now? We have... guests." she knew this was pretty important since Kakashi NEVER called her. Only texted her.
"Who is it? Tsunade-sensai? Jiraya-ji-san?"
"N-no, just come home ok? See you in a few" and he hung up.
"Did he just stutter?" she looked at the bathroom door and saw Ino with an eyebrow raised.
"Its nothing... I'm heading home now guys. Kaka-senpai is a bit... jittery today. Ja ne" she said leaving the bathroom and waving them off.
Sakura walked home.
Ladies don't run. They walk with elegance! Remember that ladies. She remember that morning well,as Kurenai's clear voice pierced every ear in the room. Great. Just what she needed, lectures ringing in her head.
She got the key from her pocket and turned the lock. The maid by the door bowed at her and she politely nodded back. She walked to the living room to find...
Sasuke and his brother, the ever charming, Itachi.
The shocked expression on Sakura's face made the boys in front of her smirk. The room was surrounded with maids and a few male guards accompanying the siblings. Itachi stood up from his seat with the smirk on his face ever widening and walked towards Sakura. He took her hand and gave it a peck infuriating his brother in the process, and shocking Sakura even more. She blushed a bit and smiled at him then quickly but gently pulled her hand back. She gave a smile to Sasuke and kissed Kakashi on the cheek.
"Tadaima, senpai."
"Please take a seat Sakura-chan" he said patting the seat beside him, "Itachi-san" he said motioning his arm to the seat in front of him.
At first there was an awkward silence between the four as the maid served them tea. Sakura quietly whispered a thank you earning a smile from the maid.
"So now that she's here. Would you kindly grace us with the reason both of you are here." Kakashi said breaking the silence.
"Well-" before Sasuke could speak Itachi raised his hand to stop Sasuke. "I came here to speak to you regarding… matters, but was delighted at the idea at seeing such a charming young lady again," he smiled, then continued," He came here on the other hand to speak to your lovely daughter" he smirked.
"Hn" Sasuke stood up alerting a few guards and walked over to Sakura. He took her hand, and left the room with her.
Itachi stopped the guards who were about to follow them. "Give them their share of privacy."
"She's really changing him, huh?" Kakashi said letting his composure go and put his hands under his head as he stared up the ceiling.
"It could be good for him, besides she is on top of her class."Itachi chuckled at this and then turned serious,"Now on to the point..."
"Sasuke!" Sakura, who was currently being dragged by Sasuke to the garden in the back, shouted
"Hn. Don't let him do that." he said still leading her a bit further from the house.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Where are you taking me anyway?"
They stopped near a fountain by a bench.
"Don't let him kiss you again." He stated blankly.
Sasuke abruptly sat down and dragged Sakura down with him. He laid his head down on her lap and closed his eyes.
Sakura blushed a deep shade of red and pouted.
She poked him in the tummy and, trying to act calm said,""What are you doing?"
He opened one eye and sighed, closing them again. "I haven't slept properly all my life except when I was a kid and when you were with me the other day. You don't mind right? I mean... I thought we were 'friends' already" he smirking.
"Well... We are friends. So I guess it's alright. You really are weird Sasuke-kun." She laughed heartily making Sasuke half-smile at the honorific.
For a few minutes she played with his hair while he quietly slept. After a few more minutes she started tracing his face with her finger, first from his forehead to his nose. When she got to his lips she heard Kakashi and Itachi calling out their names.
She sighed and lightly shook Sasuke. He grunted and made a face, making her giggle, and then opened his eyes. He noticed that it was already dark and the path was lighted by the small lamps lining the path.
"They're looking for us." she said softly.
He sighed and stood up, running his fingers through his hair making him even more adorable. Sakura also stood up and turned to the house to hide the blush that was on her face. Once she was more composed she turned to Sasuke.
"Well let's go" and they started walking toward the voices
The two young adults slowly made their way towards the house. Sakura kept on fidgeting while Sasuke glared at the path as if it was the one that disturbed his sleep.
Once they got to the house, they were greeted by a glare from Itachi towards Sasuke's direction and a raised eyebrow from Kakashi towards Sakura's direction.
Sakura was about to open her mouth when Sasuke cut her off by mumbling something like, "We just talked".
The two older men sighed and just shrugged.
Itachi just told Sasuke to "come along" and both we're on their way to the door accompanied by their mass of bodyguards, three guys per prince.
Sasuke silently bid Sakura goodbye and Itachi simply nodded toward Kakashi.
Then, when Itachi was just by the door, a grin made its way towards his face. He smirked his I'm-gonna-piss-my-brother-off-real-bad smirk and headed to Sakura. He was about to peck her on the cheek but was stopped when Sasuke pulled his ponytail strongly enough until he was a good 4 feet away from Sakura. Itachi just pouted while comforting his ponytail as if it were crying as he walked out the door while waving back to the hosts of the house with the other hand. Sasuke took one last glimpse of Sakura before leaving the manor completely.
Sakura sighed dreamily and went up to her room. Kakashi smiled and sighed girl's antics and went on with his own business, but when she was gone, he couldn't help but frown. Bask in it my dear, as long as it lasts.
Once in her room, Sakura slumped on the bed and sighed. Soon enough she fell asleep.
-o-O-o-
A small, completely-not-part-of-this story fly buzzes across her room onto her window sill only to be ruthlessly killed by a rock that was supposed to hit her window pane and not enter her room like a friking rocket ship. The rock then hits a pile of books sitting at the very edge of Sakura's table causing them to fall.
Hearing the noise, Sakura wakes up.
"Huh..?" Scratching her head, she walks toward her window and sees a dark figure preparing to throw yet another rock, that is, until the figure spots her.
"Sakurii-chan..! Wake up..!" says the figure in a loud whispering voice.
"Who are you?" she asks, narrowing her eyes to get a clearer view of the dark figure standing in her front lawn.
"Get your butt down here and find out." The figure says smugly.
Now normally no one in their right mind would listen to a figure talking in the dark that happens to wake anyone up in the middle of the night, but let's remember. Sakura isn't quite normal, and she wasn't in her right mind; she just woke up.
She groggily made her way down the stairs and opened the front door; in her mind one thing was clear. Whoever that person was, he or she was definitely a blonde.
As she walked towards the spot where she had last seen the figure, her steps were stopped when she was tackled down the lawn.
Sakura's senses were awakened when her face touched the grass that was wet with dew. She tried to push the weight on top of her. It was a piece of cake considering the monstrous strength she possessed.
Having completely pushed the person off her, she took the kunai she always kept in her mid-thigh, and went into battle stance.
"Relax Sakurii. It's only me." The fallen person – a woman – brushed herself off and stood up, revealing her face through the lamps by the front lawn's path.
"Temari-chan!" she exclaimed, glomping the said person once she had seen her face. "What is it with blondes this week?" she mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Temari said, raising a brow at her.
"Nothing." She mumbled and got off the girl. "What are you doing here anyway? Is everything alright in Suna?"
"Everything's alright. We're just here for the regular peace meetings." She sighed.
Temari was the princess of the Suna. She wasn't the usual spoiled brat, and Sakura had met her when the royal attaches of Suna made their way to the Uchiha Palace.
Temari had been running away from several hand-maidens that were attempting to apply make-up on the princess' in an unbelievable amount. The princess did not like the idea at all and made a run for it. She thus collided with a pink-haired girl at the age of 12.
Seeing the desperate girl, Sakura took her to a secret place in the palace and helped her hide.
"There is no way I am willing to dress like a soufflé and look like a party clown just for a pair of stuck-up jerks" Temari had remarked that day. Sakura laughed and took the princess away from the hustle they had caused in the palace. Temari did get in trouble afterwards but it didn't matter. She wouldn't have traded meeting Sakura for anything in the world.
No doubt, they became close friends after that, and Sakura was introducted to Temari's two siblings; Kankuro and Gaara. Every time the Suna siblings made their visits to Fire, Sakura always met them. This time was no exception, as the two girls sat side by side under a tree in the front yard.
"How are Gaara and Kankuro? Are they here?" Sakura asked.
"Yep. They're fine. Gaara misses you by the way. You kind of have that way with him you know." Temari said, smiling.
"I guess…" Sakura answered, smiling back.
Sakura and Gaara sort of had a fling during their younger years, they used to have a thing for each other, but Sakura said that it couldn't be because she was in training to be a princess of the Fire Empire, not Suna's. Gaara said he'd wait, but after that incident he showed no signs of seeing her as anything more than a friend.
For a while they were silent. They listened to the breeze that rustled the leaves above them. Sakura was getting cold, but she didn't say anything. All she was wearing was a white silk dress that was rather short for a cold autumn night. Temari, on the other hand, was wearing thick royal robes. She certainly was not bothered by the wind.
"Sakii…" Temari started not looking at Sakura and cutting the silence in the process.
"Yeah?" Sakura replied.
The princess made no reply and again they were silent for a while. Sakura thought that she had drifted to sleep, but when she looked at Temari, she still had that far away look in her eyes.
The sky grew no lighter, and the starts continued to twinkle. To Sakura, it felt like an hour had passed until Temari finally stood up. She stood up as well and looked at her friend; Temari seemed to have a lot on her mind. She still had that look in her eyes, but Sakura didn't think something was terribly wrong; Temari was just worried about something.
"Well. See you around Saki." She said, giving the girl a hug.
Sakura hugged her back and watched as the girl's form dissolved slowly into the night. She looked up at the sky and saw huge clouds closely engulfing the only area of the sky which showed the moon and the star speckled universe.
She wouldn't be surprised if it rained tomorrow.
-o-O-o
Woe and behold, the very next morning Sakura woke up, it was raining. Yup, it was raining, Hard. More like a terrible storm actually. So obviously Sakura couldn't go outside without being soaked like a sewer rat nor struck down by the several lighting bolts shooting from the sky every passing minute. The grand news: no training.
Sakura smiled and burrowed deeper under her thick pink comforters. It felt sleep late during rainy mornings. Alas, as she was on the verge of falling back to sleep a rap was heard at her door.
"Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sama wishes to see you in the breakfast table at exactly 6 am. He says a young lady shouldn't possess the habit of sleeping late and such. Do hurry dear. It's rather late already. 5:30 already you know" came Aya's voice from behind the door.
Sakura sighed. Aya had been a maid in the Hatake family even before Kakashi became the house's master. She had been Kakashi's governess as a child and was made Sakura's when she was adopted into the family. Everyone in the household had treated her like a well loved mother, and to Sakura, she filled the role of being a grandmother figure along with Tsunade.
Sakura smiled, remembering the times she had had with Aya, and got up. She dressed herself for breakfast and made her way downstairs. As she made her way to the dining room, Sakura thought about her life. Her past fling with Suna's prince was not to be forgotten. She couldn't help but smile at the warm feelings of past memories together with Gaara. As she thought of him, she realized that her thoughts constantly drifted back to her moments with Sasuke. She shook her fantasies out of her head as she entered the dining room.
"Ohayo gozaimasu Kakashi-senpai." She said giving him a low bow.
Kakashi peered at her from the top of the newspaper he held in his hand and nodded at her. She made her way to her seat beside at his right hand side and began her small talk.
"Lovely weather we're having" she joked, feeling something was bothering her "old man".
Kakashi sighed, folded the newspaper, put it down, and looked at her with serious eyes. He began, "I will be blunt with you Sakura. There are important matters we need to discuss. There is the matter of your future… and frankly, your past."
Hearing him speak of her future was rather common, and undecidedly boring, but of her past, it was simply unheard of. She sat up straight and gulped, returning the serious look in his eyes. "Please go on Kakashi-senpai", she said, when he had stopped to think whether he had started right.
Deciding that he had, he continued, "Sakura-chan, I have no regrets in the way I had you raised up. I'm proud of the woman you've become and am certain it suits what you will be… or rather, what you are. A lot of changes will begin in your life as of now, and most of them will shock you to the core, but I am certain that you are psychologically and emotionally stable enough face what lies ahead, and behind, you." He stood up, cleared his throat and peered down at her from his mask. "The first of these changes is rather simple, the coming Koru Yoru Ball will be your last as an empress trainee, and the last night you will be known as my daughter." He closed his eyes and sighed, for he had said much already. He ended with one of the sentences that were to turn his keep's life around. "The day after, will be spent I suppose, in the company of your father. Yes, your father."