Well, this is a story that I just wanted to try out to see if people actually like it; and if I get enough responses, I will decide to continue it. It's something different seeing that I usually write stories dealing with Itachi and an oc, so it's new to me to deal with a different story pairing. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this first chapter!

Chapter One: The Beginning

Sometimes it's hard to face life; all you want is for all the pain and suffering to go away and while you pray and pray for things to go right, you never get your way. When all the pain continues to take over, you feel lifeless; as though everything you've gained in your life is forgotten and when you try to ignore the pain, it only gets worse. But maybe that pain was meant to be; maybe it was a warning or a fortunate event that could change your life. Maybe that was what my own fate was trying to tell me, but despite everything I've been through, maybe all that pain was worth it.

I wasn't always the type of person who would willingly submit to someone; it just so turns out that as the daughter of the Daimyo of the small village of Kuroshio, just outside Takigakure, I was expected to follow orders. I don't know what was wrong with me, I just wasn't someone who would stand up for myself, or believe in my own worth. I always depended on other people to be the basis of my life and I would always continue on as if it was a regular routine.

Coming from the Tsutano family, my father, Lord Izanagi, was our village leader and despite the small population we had, people looked to him for guidance. He is a great leader; someone who is always busy, but I was used to that. His green orbs would always reflect his own exhaustion from overworking, but he never let that bother him. I always told him he'd overwork himself to death, but despite those short moments I shared with him, I learned something: if you have loving people surrounding you, then that's all you need to survive; as long as you are together, nothing is strong enough to break that bond.

That's what he always told me and throughout my childhood, even now, I still believe that. I believe that I'll one day meet my prince charming and have a happy ending, just like my mother, Tsutano Takara. My mother is beautiful with long flowing jet black hair with violet orbs to match. Unfortunately, I didn't pick up those traits; I somehow ended up with unruly snow white hair with my father's green eyes to match. So I guess you could call me the black sheep of my family, or the white one, literally. My mother met my father at one of his dinner parties, and I guess it was love at first sight; they were lucky.

My grandmother, Tsutano Manami, has taught me several lessons as well; despite the fact at how she keeps insisting that's its unhealthy to not have a boyfriend or my first kiss at the age of 19, she's kind. She somehow sees the future; don't ask me how, but she told me it was an old genetic technique that skips each generation; supposedly, I'm supposed to gain this skill, but I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary yet.

Now, my brother, Tsutano Akio, is the total opposite of me. As a well-established Anbu captain, he's one of the strongest shinobi in our town despite how small our town is, we still have some shinobi. He, I guess you could say, is a 'ladies man;' it's not that he acts like a playboy or anything, it is just that he has his own fan club. With his bright violet orbs and jet black hair he adopted from my mother, anyone could see he was good-looking. But despite how my brother gets so much attention, he never asks for it; he is modest and I know that one day he'll make a great Daimyo.

As for me, I stick out like a sore thumb in my family; I haven't made that many accomplishments. I'm just an ordinary civilian that barely even knows how to take care of myself. You would think as a full adult I would be able to at least choose my own clothes to wear, but you're wrong. Every day is laid out for me like a schedule: get up, get dressed in a fancy kimono, eat breakfast, then off to classes to learn about more manners, tea with my grandmother and mother, sometimes I get to visit my father, and I usually end with having some alone time for me to head off to our library. I always enjoy being alone; it's as though I can think for my own and make my own decisions. I don't mind my life, but sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like if I got the chance to choose what I want to do with it.

It was just another day, but somehow this day felt different; I woke up just like any other day and took a shower. Upon coming out, I saw that a kimono for the day was lying on my bed; it was a new one, one that I never saw before and strangely enough I should've known something was wrong there, but I chose to ignore it.

The kimono was an intricate piece and as I slowly dressed myself in it, I saw that the dark blue colors and the silver obi deeply contrasted with my green orbs, making them pop out more. The design was simple with just cherry blossoms and cranes, but I couldn't believe how it fit me perfectly. It was made out of pure silk, something that we couldn't afford because of the small income my father made compared to other Daimyos of other powerful villages. But oddly enough, that thought passed through my mind and I ignored it; it was the first time I felt pretty. I saw my reflection in my vanity mirror and as I saw the white-haired green-eyed girl look back at me, I slowly touched my own reflection in the mirror. I wasn't one who had the highest self-esteem considering that I was out of the ordinary.

Within moments, I was broken out of my daze as a voice interrupted with, "Hikari, I see you've taken a liking to your new kimono." My mother said as she approached from behind and brushed back a strand of my white hair into place.

"Hai." I replied as I saw how different my mother and I looked. We looked as though we were complete opposites with her black hair and my white snow-capped head.

"You look beautiful, Hikari." My mother stated as she carefully put my hair into a perfect bun and kissed my head. Looking at my green eyes, my mother's gaze softened as she cupped my face and smiled. "Any man would be lucky to have you; now come on, you have to eat breakfast and then your father wants to see you."

"Father? I thought he was to busy to see me today. What does he want?" I responded back as I turned towards her and saw that she was standing in the doorway. Looking fondly back me, I felt as though something was wrong. It was the same look she always gave me as a child when she worried about my own well-being, and as I raised my eyebrow at her antics again, I decided to not push the issue any further as I got up from my seat and followed closely behind her.

As we both made our way through the hallways of our home, I quickly sat down at my place across the table from my grandmother. It was a quiet meal and as I picked at my own food, I couldn't help but wonder what my father would want with me this early in the day. He's usually always busy, even at the late hours of the night, and to see him this early in the morning was strange.

After finishing my meal, I was quick to bow to my grandmother and mother before excusing myself from the table. Once upon my feet, I made my way through the hallways once again, took several turns left and right before arriving at my father's own study. He usually liked staying in here for peace and quiet.

As I softly knocked on the door, I waited patiently until I heard an 'enter' pass through. I slowly turned the doorknob and as I entered into the room, I saw that my father was still working with heavy stacks of paperwork that were on his desk

His green orbs met my identical ones and as I took a seat across from him, I gracefully placed my hands on my lap, sat up straight, and waited for my father to finish signing off some papers.

His right hand abruptly stopped writing and as he put his pen down, he looked at me with seriousness written on his face. I didn't want to show any fear, but at the moment, I was scared of hearing what my father had to tell me. It felt as though I was in the principal's office at school and I was the kid that just got in trouble, but as I pushed these thoughts out of my mind, I gave my father my full attention and nodded at him to begin.

"Hikari…are you well aware of the fact that our town needs to start making more alliances if we are to flourish, especially in these times in our own economic needs?" my father asked as he looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"Yes; I know that." I simply replied.

"Good; well I wanted you to know that we are planning to make an alliance with the Hidden Mist Village. They've given us a chance to make an alliance with them and seeing that they are flourishing right now and given that they are also known as a powerful country, we need their assistance." Explained my father.

"I understand that, father, but why did you need to tell me all of this?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at him, showing my own confusion.

As I watched my father let out a huge sigh, I saw him slowly lean back in his chair before he stated, "Hikari, this alliance is only permitable if you marry the Mizukage's son."

It was as if I heard these words in slow motion and as I widened my eyes at my father's news, it was as though my whole world stopped. As a child, I always had dreams of finding my own prince charming, and right now, I felt as though someone had stabbed me over and over again. It was as though I couldn't breathe, but as I slowly composed myself, I came back to reality just in time to listen to my father's words.

"A couple weeks ago, I showed a picture of you to the Mizukage and later on he showed it to his son; it seems as though his son has taken a huge liking to you, Hikari. I know that I am asking too much from you, but on behalf of this small town, it's the only choice I've got. If we don't start making alliances, then our village will slowly crumble."

He was asking too much from me and I felt a bit angry at how my father could ever ask me to do something like this. He, more than anyone, knew how much I wanted to feel like what it felt like to fall in love, and here he was, taking that opportunity away from me. I didn't know what to say at that moment, and as I stayed frozen in place, I felt my father shake me from my daze.

"Hikari, I'm sorry. I tried to make another deal with them, but he is quite stubborn." He said.

Looking back at my father, I saw how this decision was tearing him apart and I felt guilty at being mad at my father; he was only doing his job by trying to do the best thing for our small town, and I should be doing that

As I slowly held back my tears, I turned towards him and said, "It's all right, father. I'll do it; it's the least I could do for this village and on behalf of you."

"Are you sure?" he asked as he looked at me with his concerning, green orbs.

Once again, there was a short pause before I answered because I had such a harsh internal conflict within myself; I had to ignore my other emotions and as I turned towards my father, I replied back with, "Hai."

"Then, there's nothing else I can say, Hikari. The Mizukage and his son will be visiting us within a week. You are dismissed."

Nodding and quickly getting up from my seat, I rushed through the doorway and made it to my bedroom before allowing my tears to fall to the ground. As I abruptly shut my door, I leaned my back onto the wooden door and slowly collapsed onto the ground bawling.

I cried for so long that I was sure I had run out of tears. And as I tried to tell my body to sit up, I continued to lay on the ground floor reflecting back on what had just happened a few hours ago.

How could I even say no to my father's request? I knew he was asking too much of me, but something inside me told me to except the offer. At the state our small town was in, we needed all the alliances necessary to stop rogue nin or more powerful villages from taking over and at that point, I knew I had sealed my fate. I was destined to marry some stranger. But in these types of situations, I always tried to look to the bright side and as I still lay on the ground, the only thought that flashed through my mind was the hope of falling in love with that stranger.

Love; it's a raw emotion that holds so much power. It was the only hope I had at finding my happy ending, and now that it was gone, I felt so much pain. And maybe all that pain or heartbreak you face in life only makes you stronger; maybe it's that pain that causes you to feel numb inside until it goes away; at least that's what I tried thinking until sleep overtook me.

Please review so I know that people are reading my stories. Like I said in the beginning, I don't know if I'll continue this story unless I know people are interested in it.