The new title, Faute de Mieux, basically means "for lack of something better". As my wonderful beta -Out-of-Inspiration- would tell you, I am totally UNSATISFIED with the old title, Fair Play. So there. Enjoy For Lack of Something Better, Chapter 2.
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Many Different Shards of Sanity Scattered in A Million Directions
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Sakura could swear she just spend the day being screeched at by large, imposing ladies in pinstriped dresses. She seriously couldn't believe there was this much to being a princess. In the storybooks she read as a child, all they had to do was sit around all pretty and wait for a Prince Charming. So why the fuck did she have to learn the country political history, its allies and current stances on world issues? Why was she the only one being yelled at to sit up straight, to not leave a curl of hair on the right side, but on the left, to never stare, to not tilt when standing, to not move her head, and being laughed at when she couldn't tell a salad fork from any other fork? Or a soup spoon from a broth spoon? What was the freaking difference? Why couldn't they just use the same goddamn utensil?!
Fueling her anger was the fact that she hadn't seen a trace of the Great and Terrible Tenten-sama anywhere near the stupid hell-sent lessons she was forced to sit through. She heaved an extremely annoyed huff as she plopped down onto her bed, pulling off her stockings and trying to loosen the strings on her godforsaken corset. Granted, she mused as she strugged, Tenten probably had her whole life to learn all this shit, and she's probably madly busy helping the King sift through the complications caused by Ino's disappearance, but couldn't she have the decency and empathy to just visit?
As if on cue, another stuffed shirt knocked on her door and, not bothering to wait for her response through the door as she remembered he properly should, entered. Sakura leapt up at the chance to reprimand him, as she had been reprimanded all day, but before she could, he cleared his throat and announced: "Her Highness Tenten-hime, First Princess of our Nation of Mizu, commands the presence of Haruno Sakura, temporary Second Princess." He then snapped the parchment shut and stared at her pointedly with his black-brown eyes.
She blinked for a few seconds as the man waited patiently. Sakura remembered the words the Manners Mistress taught her that morning, straightened, waved her hand delicately, and said in a commanding, careless voice, "Send her in."
But instead of the desired effect of bowing and scraping, the messenger snorted. Sakura blinked in confusion, her annoyed mood immediately replaced by worry.
"What? What did I do wrong?"
The messenger, taking pity on her, calmly explained through stifled snorts that she, as Second Princess, and albeit a replacement for Ino, had no right to make Tenten go to her rooms, and must in her position trek to Tenten's chambers at such summons.
Sakura blushed several shades of pink and proceeded to move to the door. The messenger stopped her, and then again kindly explained that she had half an hour to show up, and should not be introduced to Her Royal Highness wearing a mere slip. He called for her ladies-in-waiting, who immediately ran to her newly overstocked wardrobe, picked out a pale green robe and threw it on over her thin white underskirt as the pink-haired girl flailed around in embarrasment. The messenger bowed out politely, before telling her he would be waiting outside and shutting the door.
Immediately, the two girls, Ayame and Kikumo, dove inside her wardrobe. Sakura stared in bewilderment as they flew around trying to find a proper kimono for her to wear. Eventually they surfaced with one and proceeded then to shove her in it as quickly as possibly, explaining apologetically that it is impolite to keep Her Highness waiting. They then proceeded to screw with her hair.
Ten minutes later, Sakura found herself kicked out of her rooms by her hyper ladies-in-waiting. Her kimono was golden, with a molten yellow pattern on it, and an emerald obi. The pale green robe was placed over it, arranged so that the sleeves of the robe ended before the sleeves of the kimono, and the body lay flat against the silk of the Japanese gown. On her feet was a pair of straw-woven sandals. Her hair was pulled into a chignon, and thin silver necklace with a jade pendant lay on her chest.
The messenger whistled when he saw her.
"If I may say so, Your Highness, you clean up pretty good."
Sakura blushed.
"I'm Inuzuka Kiba, Her Highness's right-hand man. Right this way, little lady."
Sakura followed Kiba tentatively. He kept up a steady flow of random, cheerful conversation that stemmed her nervousness a little. He was bawdy and loud, but everyone they passed seemed used to it -- even Manners Mistress didn't blanch when he snorted as he spoke to Sakura in the halls. When he suddenly stopped, she started, before seeing a pair of large, foreboding oak doors. Unconciously, Sakura swallowed.
Seeing her nervousness, Kiba grinned. "Don't worry," he told her, "Tenten doesn't bite." He paused, then added, "Most of the time."
Before Sakura could scream and run away, Kiba knocked sharply, thrice. The sound echoed through the wood as he, unlike with her, politely waited for Tenten permit his entrance.
Instead of the soft, delicate, welcome voice she was expecting, the doors were unceremoniously wrenched open. A pair of chocolate eyes glared angrily as the owner snarled, "What, you mangy bastard?"
Kiba grinned, and it was clear why. The tall girl's long chestnut hair was wet, down to her knees and dripping like a waterfall. The only thing she had on was a large white towel wrapped around her body. Sakura flushed in embarrassment. Clearly, this girl had just stepped out of the shower to open her lady's doors.
"Don't be like that, Ten. I brought you a present."
Sakura stared at the girl.
This was Tenten? The Tenten?! She looked nothing like Inoichi, or Ino. Her hair was thick and dark and wavy, unlike the sleek blonde tresses of her sibling, and her eyes were a deep cocoa color, far from the sparkling blue orbs that Ino possessed.
"Shut up, you ass. Go away and leave me alone. I've had a long day and fifty feet of paperwork to go through before the hour's up, so scram and tell 'tou-san I am not, not, NOT paying for all that crap!"
Sakura had no idea what she was talking about, but Kiba clearly did, and he snorted disdainfully. "No, can't. Here's the girl you sent for."
Tenten was silent for a moment, before she formed a little "Oh," and invited them both in. She muttered with Kiba for a moment; something about "half a goddamn hour, it's supposed to be!" She then directed Kiba away to the room he had adjoined to hers, before going into her bedroom and calling her lady-in-waiting, the image of Kiba, only older, who dressed her in a white silk robe, dried her hair and braided the long, dark locks. Finally Tenten remembered Sakura, who was still standing awkwardly in the alcove near the entrance, and sat her down on an auburn chaise lounge, before seating herself on the reddish brown four-poster bed and crossing her arms, scrutinizing Sakura.
Said girl took the time to take in the main room of Tenten's chambers. The bedroom was in shades of autumn, with large gold bay windows, an oak bedside table, and a fluffy tangerine carpet.
Many plush seats were scattered around the room in various shades of yellow, most accompanied by little wooden bookshelves in honey brown. Against every wall was a barricade of dark oak bookshelves holding thousands of leather-bound books. The room held a warm tone, unlike the reception area outside. Out there, Sakura remembered seeing long, curving white sofas, glass coffee tables, and chrome lamps, along with white fur rugs. The outer room gave a feel of detachment, noncommittal, and impersonal. The bedroom was comfortable and homey.
A voice cut into her contemplations.
"So."
Sakura looked up. The older girl's eyes held an unreadable expression.
"So," Tenten repeated. "You're the one."
Sakura nodded uncomfortably. Tenten didn't seem friendly, but she wasn't openly hostile, either. She didn't know how to act around her, and that made her uneasy.
"So. What would you like to know about Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sakura blinked at the sudden question. She had expected an interrogation, perhaps a scolding, maybe being told she wasn't good enough, like she had been all day. Instead, she found herself staring, dumbfounded, into a pair of warm chocolate eyes. Suddenly, she recognized that Tenten was only trying to help her, help the girl who was stealing her sister's fiancé, however unwanted, help her to know the man behind the big name six days before she's shipped off.
She wanted to help the girl whose mother had shamed her family by running off and marrying some random stranger. The girl who was strung into a marriage that wasn't even supposed to be her own.
Tenten was being the big sister for her. Sakura felt like she was going to cry.
"I…ah…" She felt stupid. Did Tenten think her stupid? She hoped not.
The princess nodded. "Go on, think. I've got all the time in the world."
Sakura didn't know if she was kidding or not, so she quickly shot out.
"Who is he?"
Tenten contemplated that question. Sakura waited, twisting her fingers nervously behind her back.
"Uchiha Sasuke…hmm." The brunette paused. "Prince of Honoo, first of all. The second one, really. The First Prince is his older brother, Itachi. They're both extremely talented shinobi, very powerful, intelligent, and absolutely gorgeous. However, they're both very detached. Itachi's completely passive. Emotionless. Sasuke doesn't care about anything, except surpassing Itachi. God knows why."
Tenten stopped again. Seconds later she opened her mouth to continue, but Sakura cut in.
"What about the rest of his family? Inoichi-jou said something about Suna."
Tenten nodded contemplatively.
"Suna. That's a really big problem for us. The Uchiha and the Sabaku are related by marriage. Uchiha Mikoto is Sabaku no Hikaru's older sister -- that is, before the latter died in childbirth. The two countries are very close. You could say Ino was our sacrifice." She smile wryly.
"Anyways. Sasuke's family is a very strict facility. Their clan is powerful; they resent weakness, and raise their children as such. Free will is nonexistent. Things like sugar and toys are utterly denied, even to toddlers. Time is given as a reward. Mothers are not permitted to see their children anytime of the day other than at meals. Love is an indulgence rarely given. You are never allowed to want. You are trained not to need. This is how Uchiha children are reared."
Tenten waited for another question. Sakura didn't notice, too busy trying to imagine what a life like that would be like. Quietly, she asked, "Is Uchiha-san…very…resentful?"
Tenten shook her head.
"No. He's just a frigid bastard, and--"
She stopped, and leaned forward. Seeing this, Sakura copied the gesture.
"Now. This is the reason I called you here today. It could mean your life if you forget it. Are you listening?"
Sakura nodded. Her stomach twisted in its nervousness. Tenten searched her eyes for a minute, before taking a breath.
"Alright. There's a man after Sasuke. His name is Orochimaru, he rules a small, nondescript country in the East -- Oto. It's gaining power slowly. Slowly, but surely.
"The Uchiha posses a bloodline limit called the sharingan. It's very powerful, and very rare. The only other kekkei genkai that rivals it is the byakugan, owned by the Hyuuga of Haku. And guess what? Orochimaru wants the sharingan. He wants Sasuke."
Sakura interrupted.
"Why doesn't he go after his brother?"
Tenten snorted.
"Orochimaru is powerful, but not that powerful. There is no way in hell he could ever lay a finger on Uchiha Itachi. He's going for Sasuke because he's young, he's reckless and he doesn't have the ultimate weapon of the Uchiha yet -- the mangekyou sharingan.
"Remember how I told you that all Sasuke cares about is surpassing Itachi? Well, I mean it. He would give up his life to defeat his brother. Orochimaru knows this. He's discreetly trying to slip past the intricate security system of Honoo and offer Sasuke power for his body. The King and Queen fear that, given the temptation, Sasuke would agree." Tenten stopped, before reaching out and taking Sakura's hands in her own, letting the clasp dangle in the air between them.
"Have you wondered why such a large, prosperous country like Honoo would deign to have a child from such a small country like Mizu for a bride, when richer countries would kill to marry into the Uchiha family?"
Sakura shook her head in embarrassment, her brain immediately jumping to work on that puzzle. Tenten helped by…well, telling her.
"The specialty bloodline jutsu of the Yamanaka--you know it? Shintenshin no Justu. It's an astral-projection, mind controlling jutsu--do you understand?"
It clicked.
"You're saying…that's just what the Uchiha need."
Tenten nodded.
"Yes. They need it to restrain Sasuke, if the time come need be. The problem is, only those of pure royal Yamanaka descent, like me and Ino, can do it. Now, you…you understand, you can't, no matter how hard you train. Your father...isn't noble. By blood."
Tenten took a second to look rather abashed at mentioning Sakura's father before she leaned in more.
"You. Can't. Do it. Don't ever let it slip that you're my cousin," the brunette whispered sharply. "Don't ever let the Uchiha know what you can't do."
"What will happen if I do? By accident?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself. She was trembling with fear.
Tenten's answer held no hesitation.
"They'll kill you."
She drew back and stood, brushing imaginary lint off her dressing robe, and all the tension that previously existed in the room vanished. Tenten looked disinterested again, and her eyes slipped back to the Haruno girl for a split second before she turned and walked out, throwing a steady dismissal over her shoulder as she left.
"Good day, Sakura. I look forward to seeing you again."
The lady-in-waiting, Hana, appeared, and escorted Sakura into the living room to Kiba. He had a solemn look on his face, like he knew exactly what Tenten had said. Politely, he walked her back to her rooms in silence, said goodbye at her door, and left.
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It was dark outside now; she didn't realize the conversation had taken so much time. Sakura collapsed into bed the second she entered her bedroom, waving off Ayame and Kikumo, instead squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to drift off, but Tenten's words kept echoing in her head.
Hours later, she rose in frustration and ran towards the bathroom. Shedding her kimono and possibly ripping it, too, she dashed towards the inlaid pool that served as her tub and dove in, relishing the feeling of cold water against her skin. She fell asleep that way, floating on the surface, the stabbing sensation of the freezing liquid distracting her dreams from the threat of death.
I'm going on vacation starting June 17th (CHINA!! WHOO!!) and I won't be back until July 20th, so during the five weeks I'm gone, don't say "Why the hell aren't you updating?! IT'S SUMMER!!" because I will have minimal internet access in China and will probably be using it to email/IM my buddies. And send crap to Kerry.
The next chapter is titled Out of the Frying Pan but Not Quite in the Fire. It'll probably be out mid-July to early August. It's around 50 percent finished. Just wait for it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I'M STILL LOOKING FOR REALLY AWESOME BETAS (like Kerry)! If you're interested, PM me. GO FOR IT! GO! GOOO!!
As always, R&R
