So thanks for the reviews and hopefully this chapter proves to be a more interesting read. ^^


Sakura awoke to an unfamiliar room and sighed. Rolling over the soft bed and silk sheets, she reached for her pack and and frowned. Pulling out all of her belongings she grew more irritated until every last item was removed.

"Fuck" Pulling out her mental check list she realized any and all electronic items were taken: her Ipod nano, her cell phone, her watch, even her digital camera was missing. Folding her clothes neatly, she began putting them back in her pack when a familiar static noise caught her attention.

"Sakura, can you read me?"

Letting out a small laugh, Sakura took out her only hairclip and used the sharper side to slice open a small, inconspicuous pouch on the side of her pack. Pulling out a small ear bud she smiled,

"Yes Naruto, you're coming in loud and clear."

"Great, now we need to find the teme."

"Sasuke can handle himself Naruto, we should turn off our lines until further notice. We still are not sure if we are yet in a hostile situation."

"HOSTILE?!"

Sakura flinched away from the high pitched frequency and threw it out of her ear onto the bed,

"How can knocking us out not count as hostile?! If I ever see them I'll-"

"Listen Naruto" Sakura harshly whispered, "The situation is still unknown. For this moment in time we are guests who accepted our invitations, so chill out and relax. Sakura out."

"But Sakura-"

Throwing the ear bud into her pack, she finally began to take in the room. Finely furnished with an antique mahogany armoire and matching bed set gave the room a polished elegance. The four-poster bed spired up and was draped in a heavy crimson fabric while strewn with various pillows and some of those where carefully strewn on the crème carpeted floor. Clean. Sakura barely glimpsed at the walk in closet and noticed that there was no bathroom.

"Not a suite" She murmured as she walked towards the big bay windows that overlooked the rose garden. It was early dawn, dark blue skies faded into a light lavender as it touched the horizon and everything was covered in a light morning dew that took her breath away, until her eyes caught something more interesting. The various roses took on a particular shape of an ancient family crest that no doubt belonged to the people residing in such a grand estate as this.

"Son of a bitch" Sakura knew who the royals were. Rapidly, she moved over to her pack and shouldered it. She had every intention on finding the library and hopefully avoiding any and all human contact.

"Sakura is that you?"

Unfortunately, she didn't get that far.

"Ino, what a pleasant surprise." Fortunately for Sakura, Ino missed her old friend's dry sarcasm.

=-=-=-=-

It was lunch time when all of the guests were assembled in the grand ballroom. Sakura was towards the back with Ino and TenTen.

"I am excited!" Ino smiled, "We are to see the royals and the Noble elite, this is a dream come true!"

TenTen laughed, "I don't care much for these people, all I am concerned about is the promise of free food and a good time." The two girls looked towards Sakura for her response and she hesitated,

"I only came because Naruto and Sasuke were going."

"Don't tell me you still have a crush on Sasuke!"

"No, Ino, I don't. They're my friends, if one of us goes somewhere unknown so shall the other two follow."

"What if one of you guys get married and move away, are you going to follow?" Ino looked incredulous, "You can't be together forever, I mean look at me and Shikamaru! He took off right after he promised me that once he turned sixteen he would come back and marry me."

Both TenTen and Sakura traded glances, neither daring to speak to the hard-headed blonde and allowed her to continue on her tirade until it abruptly stopped when a deep, tenor voice spoke,

"Troublesome woman, you haven't changed a bit."

"Oh no" Sakura looked towards Tenten who mouthed:

Should we stop her?

Subtly shaking her head the two girls watched as Ino rounded on her four inch heels with the fires of hell burning in her sapphire eyes.

"Bastard" She hissed as a sharp smack quieted the people surrounding the group. Nail marks were scratched across the chiseled features of one Nara Shikamaru while the manicured hand remained suspended in the air. Opening her mouth with every intention of ripping him a new one, she abruptly closed it when she realized she was too upset to form a coherent sentence and instead she choked out,

"Go to hell" Storming off through the crowd, she was quite the sight with her long hair swaying in tandem of every aggressive step she took.

"Long time no see" Sakura smiled.

"Don't tell me the great and lazy genius did not see that coming?" Tenten teased, "Loosing your touch?"

"No" He raked a hand through his shaggy brown locks and frowned when he realized that the band holding his hair was missing, "Troublesome woman took my hair band."

"She slaps you and you're worried about a hair band?" Sakura quirked an amused brow as she looked the lazy man up and down, "Wearing a suit to lunch?"

"With a crest no less." Tenten added, "You never told us you were a noble elite."

Slightly confused at the sudden changes of subject, Shikamaru waited for a moment before answering, "You guys never asked and yes I am wearing a suit to lunch. I'm not worried about her slapping me and it's troublesome having my hair down. I also anticipated her slapping me, I read in a book that the first step is anger, now if you'll excuse me..."

Sakura and TenTen watched their childhood friend disappear amongst the chattering crowd and smiled. Shikamaru has changed. There was a glint of steely determination in his dark eyes, an unrelenting preditor that only had eyes for the blonde bombshell. With that off-putting lazy gait one could easily miss the broad shouders and chest with the powerful legs to support it all. Good thing neither Sakura nor TenTen allowed that to escape their notice. Indeed, this lazy genius had something up his sleeve that silently spoke volumes, and Sakura was not sure how to respond to it.

TenTen looked around her and frowned, "I feel under dressed." TenTen pulled at the hem of her white t-shirt and looked at her navy colored jeans with random patchwork. Her sneakers were a faded grey with little traction due to the numerable months of wear and she clicked her heels together to further emphasis her state of dress.

"You and more than half of the guests here." Sakura waved her hand around and TenTen smiled,

"They are all in gowns and suits."

"Well the waiters are not" Winking at her friend, the girls shared a few giggles and commenced to further comment on the latest fashion trends with good humor.

Meanwhile, Naruto was busy bugging the hell out of Sasuke,

"Sakura and I were worried teme! You should have regrouped with us the moment you woke up!"

"Dobe, you're acting like this was an abduction."

"You're starting to sound like Sakura!" The blonde accused, "I don't like this."

"You don't like anything involving formal affairs Naruto" A silky voice interrupted, "And you're still as paranoid as ever."

"Teme tell your brother to mind his own business."

"Why Naruto I am hurt" The raven haired man stepped to the right of his little brother and handed him a champagne flute and took a sip of his own. His black eyes sparkled in mirth as he witnessed the blonde splutter and struggle to formulate coherent words. "Adorable little brother wouldn't you say?"

Sasuke shot a cold glare at his older brother and was further irritated when his brother gave him a small smirk.

"Well I think I'll leave the two of you alone, I believe there is a friend of yours whom I haven't seen in a while and I'm dying to reacquaint myself with her."

"If you so much as look at Sakura the wrong way-"

"You'll do what to me Naruto?" The stoic man cocked his head to the left to watch the blonde over his shoulder with a disinterested look. The three of them both knew who the better fighter was and how foolhardy it would be to pick a fight at this moment in time.

"Nothing" Sasuke smirked, "Because Sakura wouldn't leave much of you left for us to do anything further."

"Hn. I doubt that." Gracefully, he wove his way through the crowd while Sasuke and Naruto traded looks.

"So Sasuke."

"Hn."

"You weren't fond of your brother right?"

"Hn"

"In that case..." Naruto shifted his gaze and whispered conspiratorially, "Do you know any good places around here to hide his body?"

Smirking, Sasuke replied, "There's a man made lake near the western forest."

Cackling the blonde rubbed his hands together, "I like it."


"Hello Sakura"

"Itachi-san" Sakura gave a small bow towards the tall man. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Hn."

Shaking her head she lightly commented, "You Uchihas are all the same; monosyllabic with a hint of a suave mysteriousness that drives most girls wild." Waving her hand she dismissed her previous sentence, "I digress, what are you doing here trying to strike up a conversation with me?"

Quirking his own brow, he smoothly answered, "Can't I say hello to my little brother's friend."

"By all means, however I know you well enough that you want something. Mingling with your little brother's friends in lieu of charming a lady to grace your bed this evening is not usually your style."

"What makes you think I don't have that intention already."

"Because, if you're as much of a genius as most claim you are then you know that I could rip out your balls and feed them to you before you take your next breath, now if you'll excuse me I have other people to better spend my time with." Handing him her mostly full champagne flute, she side-stepped the man sparing no backwards glance.

Twirling the glass between his thumb and forefinger, Itachi raised it in a mocking salute before knocking back the bubbly substance in one gulp. Finding a waiter, he deposited the empty glass and wove his way through the crowd where his little brother was sulking in the same dark corner this time without his companion .

"Little brother"

"Hn."

"You never told them, did you?"

"Hn"

Smirking, Itachi watched the various people amongst their cliques and spoke softly, "Do you believe that they will still be your friends after all of this is over?"

For once in a long while, Itachi could see uncertainty flood his little brother's otherwise stoic eyes and felt a pang of sympathy for him. Truly both Naruto and Sakura were the most loyal friends his little brother never asked for. Without them Sasuke would have fallen through the cracks of their vast family and probably be more distant and cold hearted than what he pretends to be now. However; once his long-kept secret gets out, it will test to what extent their friendship goes. This secret could possibly break the terrific trio apart, which was what Itachi was counting on. Together, they were a formidable team, broken...well they were only one person with their predictable strengths and weaknesses.

"I don't know."

Itachi turned his head, not sure if he quite caught what his brother said but seeing the bowed head and clenched fists Itachi reacted on his big-brother impulses. Turning around, he faced his brother and bent to his level,

"They are too stubborn to give you up as their friend." With one, single poke to his forehead, Itachi turned around and disappeared before Sasuke had time to look up.

-=-=-=-

It was fifteen minutes later where the invited guests found themselves spaced between various noble elite. The many dishes spread before them were all equally tasty and exotic which left a few guests hesitant and feeling quite uncomfortable especially when every plate called for its own silverware. Sakura, however was borderline annoyed. It wasn't because of the food or that Naruto was loudly complaining there was no ramen, no it was the people she had to sit between.

To her left was a male around her age with red facial markings who had the personality complex that he was kami's gift to women and all should fall for every cheesy line that came out of his mouth. Yeah right.

"Hey babe, you seem tense. What do you say after this is all over we both scratch an itch?"

Clenching her left hand under the table, she took a bite of her salmon before replying with a calmness she did not feel,

"First off, the name is not babe. Second off, I have no need to scratch anything but if you do you can get medication for fleas in the market."

Unperturbed, the brown haired male forged on, "You have a temper pinky, I wonder how-"

"If you finish that sentence Inuzuka-san" She hissed between clenched teeth, "Then you will be singing castrati for the rest of your miserable life, comprende?"

Backing off from the volatile female, the Inuzuka turned to a shy looking girl with beautiful dark hair and the most unusual pearl colored eyes.

"Hey babe..."

Taking a sip of water another conversation caught her attention. It was the noble sitting to the right of her with shaggy crimson locks and heavily lidded dark brown eyes. He could be considered pretty for a man, especially with his black painted fingernails and long, elegant fingers, but his features made him seem more like a child, that is until he spoke in a quiet, deep voice,

"Art is meant to last and be appreciated in the future; beauty endures the ages."

"Art is an explosion" Argued a long-haired blonde man directly across from the noble. One bang was covering his left eye while exposing the other outlined in black. "It is meant to be transient and is meant to depart quickly." His blue eye glinted and murmured loud enough for her to hear, "Nobles don't know anything about true art un."

Noticing the red-haired man tensing himself for another argument, Sakura turned her attention elsewhere. She knew when a discussion was going nowhere and the blonde hot-head and aloof redhead seemed ignorant of the fact.

Looking down at her empty plate, she found herself full but while looking around everyone else was still enjoying their meal.

"Need anything miss?" A waiter bent down to fill her glass and she smiled,

"Yes, is it rude for me to go to the bathroom?"

"Not at all miss" The waiter replied, "It is down the hall, second door on the left."

"Thank you".

-==-=-=-=-=-=

Sasuke watched his pink haired teammate depart and fought the urge to go after her and tell her to get out while she still could. He hated this barbaric tradition with a vehement passion.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Screw off Shisui."

"Dear cousin" Mocked the tall, lithe man, "This is a momentous occasion. You and your brother are supposed to be scoping out your targets not brooding."

"Hn."

Ruffling his cousin's hair, he chuckled before taking a seat towards the opposite end where his wife was. They looked perfectly content with one another, but if only the guests knew to what extent his cousin pursued that female then they would see the seemingly happy couple in a new light.

Disgusted, he was reminded of the female hanging off him and shoved her none-too-gently to the male next to her.

"Sasuke-kun" She whined playfully, "Don't play hard to get."

The red-headed bimbo was gradually grating on his nerves and it was only a matter of time before he takes his salad fork and stab her with it.

Thankfully he didn't have to further contemplate her murder when both of his parents stood up and tapped on the crystal goblet.

Immediately the entire place fell into silence and Sasuke's eyes immediately darted towards his blonde haired friend. Naruto caught his friend's look and curiously darted his eyes between the two people and him.

Sasuke's gut began to tighten and his palms began to slightly sweat just as his parents announced,

"We would like to thank everyone for coming on such a momentous day. As your king and queen we hope you enjoyed your stay in our castle and ate your fill."

Sasuke saw the recognition, disbelief and utter betrayal cross Naruto's features and felt as though he was kicked in the gut repeatedly. He shouldn't have kept this from them, why was he such a fool to think that his two best friends would never find out? Turning away, he spotted Sakura walking in and foolishly hoped that she hadn't put two and two together but judging by her look, she seemed a bit too calm as she quietly sat in her chair, knowing her, something in the castle tipped her off a lot sooner. He wanted to go over to both of them and apologize for never telling them he was of royal blood, but he was an Uchiha and Uchiha's never apologized even if they royally fucked up and knew it.

"-this tradition dates back hundreds of years and allows the lower class to elevate themselves in the form of finding your significant other." Fugaku looked around with his stern frown before continuing, "However the courting is a bit more unorthodox. The invited guests who are not Noble elite will be given a half an hour to prepare and run. When that time limit is up the noble elite will pursue. If one noble deems you unsuitable and catches you then your life is forfeit. If caught and the noble approves then you will be bonded soon afterwards."

"What if we don't approve of the person who caught us, do we not have a say in this?" Sakura stood up from her seat and easily matched Fugaku's icy glare with one of her own. "This barbarism is uncalled for, surely a noble elite could find their own significant other like most citizens do."

"Tradition states-"

"Tradition is like art un. It is transitory and not meant to last." The blonde man piped up. "If we are being pursued I'll have it known right now that I will not be taken down easily un."

"If they're allowed to use any means of force then so shall I. I have the right to defend myself." TenTen spoke up.

"Very commendable" Fugaku sneered at the three, "If you are able to get off this island then you will not be pursued."

"How can you tell if we got off then?" Naruto also stood up, "And how long does this thing last?"

"While all of you were being transported by our ANBU we implanted a chip that will tell us weither or not you remain on the island, and it lasts until every noble has their target acquired."

"This is bullshit" Naruto exclaimed, "And if you think any of us will give in to you nobles then think again because I am not going to be caught, believe it!"

Not impressed by the blonde's speech or others Fugaku looked at his watch and coldly answered, "Your time starts now."