Hello there! I must apologize for my belatedness in all my other stories. I'm still waiting for my computer to be fixed (damn geek squad is as slow as snail) So I decided to post this up. If you've read my other stuff, you know not to expect any quick updates, but having said that, I hope you'll read anyway.

Warnings: Rated M for safety (juicy lemons are on the horizon!)- and just to clarify- this is a YAOI fanfiction, which means there is BoyxonxBoy action! Turn back, if you don't like it, before it's too late! Also, this is UN-BETAED! I'm not a grammar machine, okay? Forgive the mistakes...

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto or The Perfect Princess

Note: NNNNNNNNNNNNN- means Naruto's side of life and SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS- means Sasuke's side. Ok? Ok.

The Prince and the Prisoner

Chapter 1

Anticipation

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"Ugh!" A half-grunt-half-gasp issued from clenched lips, when a trickle of blood made its way between his fingers that were pressed against his chest. Despite his predicament, a boiling rage bubbled forth like the blood from his wound.

How could they do that to Ino?! It was unforgivable! "KUSO!" The blonde tried to get up but there was no strength in his legs.

"In-oo," he tried to call out her name, but even his voice was starting to become weak. Black spots erupted before his eyes, even as everything else was blurry and indistinguishable. The murderer had probably left in a hurry after he got there. What a foul trick to hide behind someone and slice a knife through his chest, when he wasn't looking.

Shaking his head a little, he needed to get to Ino. With the last bit of energy he had, the man dropped himself on his stomach, making his wound tear more and fresh blood spill, but the blonde ignored the agony and crawled towards the large thing in the middle of the room that he thought was the bed. He remembered seeing her strewn across it when he first walked in only moments before- thinking her to be asleep.

"Ino," he said a bit more firmly as he flung an arm up onto the bed to haul himself over the side. Maybe his reluctance to relent to the pain is what made his vision clear, but suddenly he could see as well as he ever had before.

Her face was turned away and her strewn yellow hair elegantly rested against the pillows- the very picture of slumber- but as Naruto leaned over her body to see her face, he found her jaw slack and open grey eyes were lifeless and dull. The sight contested to what he had feared. Ino was dead.

A sob caught in his throat, and it stayed lodged there as fatigue quickly got the better of him again. The blood was spilling freely by now; he could feel his entire shirt-front was wet with it and stuck to his skin. With vision starting to flicker, he could see one second and couldn't the next. Knowing he had to do something quick before he'd be dead too.

Remembering his gun that had been slapped from his hand, he fell to the floor again trying to find it. His eyes weren't reliable anymore so he weakly moved his hands across the rug to try and feel for it. By the time cold steel reached his fingertips, his breathing was labored and wheezy. He pulled his upper body up with his arms, one hand still firmly curled around his pistol, so that he could lean his back against the wall.

Looking up he could faintly see the dark rectangle in the wall that was the window. Taking aim as best he could in his condition, he pulled the trigger and faintly heard the window shatter. His hearing was failing him too it now seemed, because all sound was muffled. The muted clamor of footsteps coming up the stairs finally reached him, and darkness began to fully settle over his senses.

Before fully blacking out, he hoped it wasn't the killer coming back to finish the job.

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"HAHUUF," yawned the dark-haired man. When were these insipient little girls going to leave him alone? He just about had enough of their antics. The girls flanking him on either side kept brushing their arms against his, another one was batting her eyelashes at him stupidly, and yet another was blowing kisses to him even though they were sitting at the same table. Their idle chatter was enough to bore him to sleep. Even when he tried to say something in return (which wasn't often), they were too busy fanning themselves in excitement than to listen to what he actually said.

Being a duke's brother entailed his growing requirement in attending these functions, nevertheless that didn't stop him from despising it all. No one cared about who he really was, all they cared about was his name and his looks. Girls melted beneath his gaze, but hell, did he ask them too!? NO!

Where ever he went, he was either flocked by chaperones, girls, or what he liked to call FF's- Fake Friends. They were other young men who wanted to get close to him for the other FF's-Financial Favors. All the fake sentiments swimming around him, was more than enough to make him have the withdrawn and seemingly arrogant persona he had.

Realizing he had suddenly stooped to brooding, he shook off his depression to notice what was going on around him. Lunch had finished a few minutes earlier and he no longer had the excuse of food to ignore the women around him. Although he knew that for the sake of appearances he needed to be at the party, the duke's brother excused himself from the table anyways. Unable to tolerate any other introductions that would most likely be thrown his way, he determinedly made his way from the current annoyance of his life. The lapels of his black coat swished in the light breeze as he walked away from the outdoor gathering and sauntered towards the gardens flanking the back of the mansion. A brisk walk was in order to clear his irritated thoughts.

Winding through the maze of bushes, he walked around a grand fountain that hand a dolphin spouting water from its mouth. Pausing with hands in his pockets, he watched sparrows perch on dolphin's head almost in turn, like it was some sort of a game. How nice it would be to be a simple bird. Free of expectations and decorum. Free of forced cordiallity and friendship. One could simply spread his wings and fly away. Fly away from the boring scheme of things.

In the end, he would be married to a well off girl, unhappily matched together and forced to produce an heir. After several attempts with his former wife, it was known by all but never mentioned by anyone that his brother was unfortunately impotent. Therefore the task of creating the next in line to the Uchiha dukedom fell to the younger brother.

He sighed, realizing he was again lost in these forlorn thoughts. He needed something to distract him. As if by some greater being, his wish was granted when the call of his name was heard from somewhere in the distance.

"Sasuke-sama!" Came the raucous voice of his best friend. He watched as the pale-haired man jogged towards him in a deep purple tunic with charcoal colored slacks and black riding boots.

As he neared, Sasuke's brow lifted from its former wrinkling to a lighter expression, "Suigetsu! Excellent timing. I needed a distraction."

"Ha, seems that's all I'm bloody good for, ne?" His eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Ah, come now. You know that's not true," Sasuke clapped him on the shoulder and they stepped together to walk around the garden together.

"I thought I might find you here when I didn't see you surrounded by all the ladies," Suigetsu was always incredulous that his friend never took the blatant opportunities the women were giving him in flocks, "Why don't you pick one and have a nice romp, huh?"

Sasuke scowled and kicked an abnormally large pebble away from his boot. Suigetsu shook his head, "I can't believe you. I'd be in heaven if I were in your shoes! Plus you look like you need a good lay. When was the last time?" The toothy grin he gave Sasuke was infuriating sometimes, "Oh yes, you haven't yet have you?"

"Shut your trap, Sui. You know I haven't!"

"I don't know what's stopping you! I mean, hell, I'm surprised you haven't been jumped and raped by one of them yet!"

"Ugh," Sasuke sneered in contempt, "They disgust me."

"Well, what would you like them to do? How can you be seduced, oh Un-seduced One," the pale haired man chuckled in fascination.

Sasuke shrugged a little in embarrasment. His own lack of libido was starting to concern him, "I don't know, Suigetsu."

"Maybe we should disguise you and take you to the tavern? Have a good romp with one of the wenches. What do you say?"

It seemed less than tempting to Sasuke, "I think I'll pass, old friend." Suigetsu gave a shrug, admitting defeat, but his raging smirk fortold that, although Sasuke may be a prude if he wished to be, he wasn't going to sit around and abstain with him. The raven always marvelled at Suigetsu's antics. He was always craving attention, and the center of a party- frankly the duke's brother was surprised he wasn't at the lunch party now, trying to get under a skirt or two.

A few minutes of silence passed as they rounded the fountain again, when Suigetsu gasped, "Oh yeah! There was a reason why I wanted to see you, and I just remembered it." Sasuke nodded taking a seat at the fountain's ledge. Suigetsu plopped down as well and turned to the raven in excitement.

"You heard about the execution taking place the day after tomorrow?"

Furrowing his brow in an attempt at remembering the newspaper he read this morning, he replied, "Not that I'm aware of."

"Come now, it's been the talk of the town. That Uzumaki fellow who murdered the Inn girl?" The story clicked in his mind finally.

"Ah yes, the man who used to be a government agent, am I right?"

"Uhuh. He says he's innocent. Believes he's been framed, and personally I believe him," Suigetsu claimed crossing his arms stubbornly.

"How can you be so sure? I mean, yes, he was wounded, but it was a shallow wound and they found the crime weapon discarded, outside the Inn the crime was commited in. He could have cut himself and disposed of it before people came to look for him, and make it look like he was framed."

Suigetsu nodded in agreement but then shook his head to get to his own point, "But the guy was a government official. He was trustworthy in the service and never had a blemish on his record. Why would he kill some girl out of the blue? I even heard he was crying when they found him and the dead girl.," he paused and then started in again more forcefully, "And anyways, if you had just commited murder would you stick around the body? It just doesn't make sense."

Sasuke considered this and nodded absently. It would seem unlikely that the murderer would stay.

"Well, what I wanted to say is that the poor fellow is waiting his death in a putrid cell on Konoha Hill. I wanted to go and give my support and tell him I think he's innocent. I mean the poor bastard's friends all abandoned him, calling him a murderer and won't even visit him. I thought we could go and give him some food and wine before... before..."

"Before he's hanged," Sasuke finished the sentence. Well, at least I won't be at this party, Sasuke thought and then it was decided.

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Said murderer was presently sitting in that putrid cell on Konoha Hill, rapping his fingers against the stone floor beneath him. His heart rate hadn't decreased since the night before. His eyes searched the darkness every few minutes before he lowered his eyes to the floor where his fingers were tapping.

Unless you looked very closely, you wouldn't be able to tell that the blonde was rocking back and forth slightly, trying to ebb his anxiousness. Yes, if you were a fair distance away you would think he was just nonchalantly sitting on the damp and moldy stones, waiting for his inevitable end. But then again why would somebody with death breathing on his back look so calm?

Unless, again, you looked very closely and found that he was far from calm. On the other side of the world from it actually. And if you looked at him just right, you'd think he was waiting for something. Waiting.

Haha, you must understand I'm a sucker for cliffhangers. So sorry for you. If I was in your shoes I'd be cursing too!

Reviews are the fruits of my labor! Please don't let my hardwork go to waste!

~drawingwind