Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.
Notes: This is the first story I've written in months, and the first time that I've actually sat at my desk and had an original idea come to my head. I swear, stress really drains me out creatively. I hate exams. Hope you enjoy.
Print the Legend,
Prologue.
She waited until everyone had settled themselves comfortably on the plush carpet before beginning their now customary story-telling tradition. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat for dramatic effect, and then smiled gingerly at her audience of young men and women.
Grabbing the tightly bound book on the mahogany table beside her, she opened it's thick contents to the page they had paused at previously. She traced the first sentence of the chapter with her index finger, and with a soft breath, began to read:
"It did not take long for the Prince of the land to begin regretting his choice. He had never been a very intelligent man when it came to decision-making, especially in the matters of his own life." She paused, index finger resting on the last word, as she glanced up at the children, smiling when she saw them paying full attention. She continued, "Would it have ever occurred to him to choose power over love if he had known the repercussions? And because he was aware he'd never have an answer to the one question that would haunt him for the remained of his life, he sought out any person who may have had an antidote for his lonely suffering."
"Years and years he unsuccessfully searched for healers willing to rid him of his pain, but he was fruitless. It was not until he met a lonely woman walking along his palace grounds, obviously lost, that his life truly began to change."
She paused reading when she saw a small hand rise, and smiled at the young woman, motioning for her to speak.
"Is this going to be like Beauty and the Beast? Is he going to banish her because she's an old witch?" When the woman shook her head at the girl, she smiled back, glad that the man would not have to suffer in the same way that the Beast had.
"Any more questions?" When the class shook their heads at her, she continued reading:
"He approached her then, eager to find someone else on his grounds, as he had been avoided as of late by even his closest friends. All who he had been acquainted with disliked how cold his heart had turned, and so they left him alone to think of his actions, hoping that his heart would once again fill with love.
He was surprised when the woman who had stumbled upon his land smiled at him, even though his palace walls were coated with sadness and a terrible history of violence. She asked him who he was, and how he had managed to find a way inside the intricate palace. He stared at her, surprised that she would ask him about his own home, one he had resided in since he was a young child.
He questioned her about her motives, and how she, not him, had managed to trespass, threatening to remove her from his grounds if she did not answer honestly. She simply smiled at him once again, and began to walk away from the shocked Prince. When he saw her turn towards the only exit his lands had he began to run after her, shouting at her so that she would stop. He had no other wish but to have some company, and so he was saddened to find that when he reached the exit himself there was nothing there, save for a few dying flower beds by the road."
She turned the page, glancing at her students, satisfied when their attention had not faltered from her reading. She made a show of rearranging her ponytail, and secretly enjoyed the way the class fidgeted in their seats, hoping for her to continue the story. She smiled, and started at the top of the page:
"Alone once again, he began to think of his lost love endlessly. He thought of her silky skin and how he would stroke her scalp at times, as it seemed to be the only way to calm her nerves. He cherished the simple fact that he was the only one that seemed to calm her at all, even when all others had tried endlessly. It was not until he remembered the night on the bridge, and how he had turned her away when she had so innocently tried to calm him that he began to weep, once again regretting the one mistake that would haunt him forever."
Sakura looked up from her book, closing it softly. For a moment, the classroom seemed to be still, silent except for the rain outside.
Finally, a brunette with hazel eyes spoke up, "Does he find love again?" Several others around the room nodded in agreement to her question, all of them looking at Sakura for an answer.
She simply smiled and shrugged at them, "You'll have to make sure you make it to class next week. You're dismissed." She observed her students as they began to collect their things, and appreciated the silence that always came after the last student filed out of the lecture hall.
She waited patiently at her desk until the next group of students began filling up her classroom, waiting just as eagerly for her to begin as the previous class had done.
Once again, she picked up the thickly-bound book and turned to the page assigned for the day, placing her index finger at the beginning of the page. Allowing time for suspense to build up, she arranged herself comfortable in her seat and began to read:
"It did not take long for the Prince of the land to begin regretting his choice…"
This is a little different than what I usually write, but I like it. I don't know if I'll continue to pursue it but for now I really like what I've planned so far. Thanks for reading.
Until Next Time,
D.