Author's Notes: I'm really sorry for the long wait! And I said this was high on my priority list XD Anyways, I won't bore you with excuses; go on to read the chapter!
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!
Chapter 2
Princess Emiku sighed as the woman put her purplish hair up in a perfect bun. She stayed completely still while her aid applied just a bit of makeup to define her features. She didn't know why her adoptive Father suggested that she look her best. It wasn't like any of the men would actually see her from behind the blinds. However, in this place, Father's word was law. She looked down at her red, white flower-imprinted kimono in disdain. She didn't want to marry anyone. At least, not now.
But Father said that an alliance with any of the Hidden Villages would help the Samurai. And that was precisely why she agreed to go through with it. She owed her very survival to the Samurai. They had saved her from the depths of Hell, and she would forever be grateful. She smiled at her aid as she left the room, carrying the makeup kit with her. Once she was sure the older woman was far enough, she let down her hair and put it up like she always did; a kind of messy hairstyle that let strands of her purple-blue hair fall to frame her face.
"Are you ready yet, Princess?" A familiar voice asked while a knock resounded on her door.
"Yes, I am," she stated with a fake smile contrary to the man's genuine one.
"Excellent," he continued, "The candidates are most likely very close," he paused, a thoughtful look adorning his wrinkled face, "I thought you would like to choose the contest the shinobi will partake in, wouldn't you?" Leave it to her Father to try to be fair to everyone, even when his adoptive daughter's marriage was crucial to the Samurai's continued existence. She nodded with a truthful grin. She was going to marry one of the five people anyways. Why can't she have a bit of fun with them while she's at it?
-oOo-
Kakashi set a fast pace to the Land of Iron. The few hours of rest he got did nothing but dull the aching of his muscles. It won't be long now, he thought as he jumped with chakra enhanced strength and speed. The air was already becoming colder, the breeze chillier. He stopped to bring out his coat from his kit. It wasn't long before he wished he hadn't stopped at all.
"Yo! Say! Ho!" he turned around to come face-to-face with a bulky man. He blinked at the weird man in front of him several times.
"Who are you?"
"You know my name, you know my fame, don't be lame!" he rapped, "Eight tails, that's me, da rappin', Killer Bee… oh yeah!" The Jonin hummed, so that's what the Hidden Cloud sent, he thought as he watched the man pointing at himself with his thumbs, a bad rapper of a Jinchuuriki.
"That is me Lord Killer Bee," the white-clad Jinchuuriki continued, "And who might you be?" The silver-haired ninja considered turning and running off but quickly decided against it. First impressions, he knew, were important, and it wouldn't do for one of the other contestants to think he was a coward.
"Hatake Kakashi," he stated as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Oh that's you, bakayaro!" he said (more like yelled), "The farmer playing ninja, konoyaro!" Huh? That doesn't make any sense… and it doesn't rhyme either…
"A tail-" The Cloud nin didn't get far before he was interrupted.
"Why do you always rap everything?"
"I'm the only one who gets to interrupt me!" Kakashi rolled his eyes before turning and leaving as fast as his legs could carry him, coat keeping him warm as the first signs of snow started appearing. He heard the odd Jinchuuriki exclaim something about rude or other thing like that before his voice was drowned out and footsteps sounded instead.
It wasn't long before the huge structure the Samurai called home came into view. His pace unconsciously sped up, eager to get out of the cold. Once he got there, the Samurai at the entrance welcomed him and Bee, quickly showing each of them to their rooms and leaving them to unpack. According to one of them, all the other contestants had already arrived.
The room he found himself in wasn't what he was expecting. A Japanese bed was put at the very center of the far wall, a lot of comfortable-looking cushions placed on it. The walls were a dull brown decorated with gold linings. There was a small dining table at the center with pillows around it. A door was left slightly ajar and beyond the door was a bathroom. The tub itself took up most of the space inside and the rest was the contents of a normal toilet, but much classier.
Kakashi sighed for the umpteenth time since accepting this 'mission' before starting to look through the items the Hokage gave him at the last minute.
There was a dark blue kimono; the very end of its sleeves dyed a solid white. He was pretty sure he was supposed to wear that when they went to 'meet' the Princess without actually seeing her. One of the Samurai had told him that he was to be ready in an hour. Thus, he went into the bathroom. It wouldn't do to meet the Princess smelling of sweat and dirt, after all.
-oOo-
Emiku grinned after hours of waiting. As she waited, she had been trying to come up with the toughest contests she could think of, and after all that time, she had now decided. She was now excited to start the thing already!
She watched the door for any signs of its opening. She wasn't disappointed as seconds later; her aid had opened the door, looking oddly flustered while trying (unsuccessfully) to keep her anger at bay.
"Princess, why did you ruin your hair?" she asked in that sophisticated manner of hers.
"I like it better this way," Emiku replied, "And it's not like anyone will see it," she continued when she thought the woman would protest. Instead of trying to convince her, though, the aid only nodded as she led her behind the blinds, which were made in such a way that she could see everything outside, but no one would be able to see her. The Princess waited for her would-be suitors to arrive, all the while turning a strand between her fingers, her honey eyes sparkling.
It wasn't long before one of them came. A man with blue hair and an eye patch over one of his eyes, he wore a light blue kimono. He sat patiently, back straight and eye forward. Emiku checked for the man's headband. Hidden Mist, so that means this one is Ao.
A burly man wearing a red kimono came soon after, a red bandanna proudly displaying the Rock's symbol. His nose was too big for his face, Emiku noted absent-mindedly. A man with a white cloth covering most of his face and a brown kimono entered next. Most definitely from Suna, she thought, I never understood why they wore that ridiculous thing, though.
"Yo! Say! Ho!" Emiku scratched the back of her head as the others grew quickly annoyed by the white-clad man's rapping. Some of the Samurai tried to shut the Hidden Cloud ninja but to no avail. The servants, then, brought in water and a small appetizer. The last man was ten minutes late, but he made it eventually. A black mask crept from under his dark blue kimono to cover the lower half of his face, his Leaf headband covered his left eye and his silver hair was so messy that Emiku wondered if he had just gotten up from a nap. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, something inside her screamed 'familiar'. For the life of her, however, the Princess couldn't remember him.
Now that they were all here, Emiku didn't know how she should start this thing. Should she start with a 'hello'? She wondered why her Father and her aid didn't tell her what she should say. Therefore, Emiku started with the only thing she could think of.
"Hello," she greeted, "Welcome to the Land of Iron," the five men were quiet, even the loud one from the Cloud, "I think all of you already know why you're here, but I'll say it anyways," She played with her hair as she continued, "You are here to marry the Princess in order for an alliance to be made between your respective village and the Samurai," she nodded to herself, "The decision is mine to make, and I always like to choose carefully. That's why you will all partake in a contest of sorts, as you no doubt know," She smiled gleefully, not that the men could see it, but still, "The competition will start tomorrow, so please be ready," Taking the unsaid order, the five men stood up as one to head back to their rooms.
The Princess sighed as her thoughts jumbled. She was sure she knew that man from somewhere… but where? She shook her head when Mifune checked on her before he accompanied her back to her chambers. She started making all last minute preparations and adjustments. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
-oOo-
Kakashi's mind was swirling since the moment he heard that voice. That voice was so familiar yet so strange. For a moment there, he thought that the Princess behind those blinds was his own from long ago. Nonetheless, it was not time for such thoughts now. He had to get ready for the day ahead. He checked his pack, just in case they told him that he needed it before succumbing to bed where blissful sleep finally allowed him to rest.
Author's Notes: The contest will start next chapter! I hope you all are excited for it and that you enjoyed the chapter!
A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 1:
Yungsun: Thanks! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint!
SilverSapphire34523: You're going to have to look forward to next chapter then! Did you like the action-less update? :S
Jleath1234: Thanks! You're the only one who guessed who 'she' is, so I have a reward to give you! 1: Choose a plot for a one-shot featuring whichever characters you want (from the Naruto universe) or 2: Get a sneak peek of the next chapter. I would love it if you would send your choice in a pm!
