I'd like to thank sakura0617, oddity, strawberry9212, Beatjooup, Sayonara Solitaire, Frozen Poptarts, MintiNeko, bo0bah (the names Yoshitsune and Yoritomo are their court names, kind of like an actor changing their name. Sasuke and Itachi are the names they grew up with though. It's kind of confusing, I know. lol), AngelFire Rei, hellopanda23 (yeah, it'll be different then memoirs of a geisha, but it does have the same feel to it. As for intimate scenes…that is a surprise! .) Oo.cherry-chan.oO, TennantFangirl, and Cookies321 for the review. I really appreciate all of them!

Disclaimer: I've dreamed that I've owned Naruto and the characters. Does that count?

The emperor sits in front of me, smiling at me genuinely. A noble smiling genuinely…that's a new one. However, no matter how reassuring he is trying to be, I feel uncomfortable underneath all these lords and ladies stares. I would feel much better if someone else was here with me, but all the shirabyōshi are in the guest rooms while I stand here, trying not to fidget. Right now, I would even appreciate the flighty personal assistant. I must really be desperate to want his company.

I force myself to look at someone else besides the emperor. To my dismay, I find myself looking into the cold eyes of Uchiha Yoshitsune. I better not look too long, or I'll freeze to death. I laugh silently at my own joke and try to avert my gaze. I can't because his obsidian eyes are possessive. They seem to try to hold on to my gaze, unwilling to share it with anyone else. Ha. I wish. I just can't stop looking at him because he is damn sexy. Dear Buddha, why did you kick this god out of heaven? He appears to guess what I am thinking and smirks, imagining I am like all those other women who fawn over him. WRONG! Ok, maybe I am fawning over him, but I'm only doing it in my thoughts so it doesn't count…does it? Damn him.

"Excuse me, dancer, was that a real Buddhist chant?" someone drawls, wakening me from my inward cursing of the Uchiha's perfection. From the way they said it, this person knows that it wasn't real and just wants to see what I'll say. Honestly, I'm glad they do because it means not all nobles are stupid. However, I believe that these intelligent nobles make up the minority of them.

I search for the source of the voice, and I find it is Nara Shikamaru, the lazy noble who Ino is in love with when she hasn't even spoken to him yet. I want to tell the truth, but what will happen if I do? Will they still be pleased with everything? As pleased as the gods would be if I told them that I was the one who unlocked the gates of hell and let all the demons out. So, I decided to take the easy way out. Avoid the question.

"Excuse me, but my name is not dancer."

"I know, but it's too troublesome to get into formalities."

"Shikamaru," his mother says sternly, giving him a fierce but controlled glare.

Shikamaru sighs and mutters something about troublesome women, which causes his father to smile. His wife chooses to ignore them and turns her attention back to me, her face humorless. She obviously didn't find it funny. I think Lord Nara might be sleeping with the deer when they get back home. Shikamaru averts his gaze from me, implying that he thinks it's too troublesome to ask the question again. Victory!

"Lady Shizuka, you haven't answered Shikamaru-sama's question yet," Yoshitsune reminds me, there's no smirk but a stolid face that makes me want to hit him. But that would be a shame because I might damage his godlike face.

"Well…" I start, "…no, it isn't one written by a priest. Buddha…inspired me to say it."

I know that is a pathetic answer, but it's all I had. As I look at all their faces, they appear satisfied with that answer. I quietly let out a deep sigh of relief. This game of picking the right move to make is exhausting.

"I'm glad he did," the emperor says sincerely. "If he hadn't sent you to us and inspired you, then we wouldn't have any rain. We are extremely grateful, Lady Shizuka."

I feel a blush rushing to my cheeks, but my mask of rice powder hides it. I bow to show my gratitude for his generous compliments and rise up so I am standing again. Shikamaru was right. Formalities are troublesome. I wait patiently for another noble to make a comment, calming myself so I don't do anything stupid. Too bad my preparation was pointless. The room is quiet.

"You must be tired, Lady Shizuka. Shall I send for someone to escort you to your room?" The emperor asks kindly.

"I don't need…"

"I will," a deep voice volunteers, "to show how much the Uchihas appreciate all that Lady Shizuka has done."

Who is this gracious volunteer? It's none other than Uchiha Yoshitsune.

Shall I rejoice or despair? Hmmm…Now that I think about it...I'm doomed

"You are too kind," I reply eloquently. I'm amazed at the lies that come out of my mouth sometimes. "But you really don't have to go to all the trouble." Ah, but there is an ounce of truthfulness in me.

"It is no trouble at all, Lady Shizuka," Yoshitsune insists, that obnoxious smirk on his face again.

The emperor nods, showing his approval at Yoshitsune's gallant gesture. No! Tell him you will get someone of lower stature to do the menial task! Be a typical noble, damn it! I don't get to finish my silent rant because Yoshitsune is ushering me out the room to the hallway. Have you no mercy, great emperor? I whimper softly enough so Yoshitsune doesn't heart me as the large, closing doors obscure my vision of the proud and smiling emperor.

"You are so full of shit," Yoshitsune says over his shoulder nonchalantly as he leads the way down one of the many halls that I would have gotten lost in without him

"Excuse me, Uchiha-sama? I did not hear what you said." If he said what I think he said, I will hurt him.

"Don't make me say it again. You know exactly what I said. You and all those other shirabyoshi are just a bunch of liars, hiding behind your pretty white masks. You don't care what you say or do, as long as you get paid."

His voice isn't angry as he says it, but it should be. Instead, it is completely calm. What is wrong with him? Is he totally devoid of emotion?

"Excuse me, but I could say the same about you." Great Buddha, did I just say that?

"Really?" He drawls, but he looks at my directly this time, seeming interested in my response.

"You nobles have your own masks. You hide everything from the world except your arrogance." Am I really talking to a noble this way?

"Hn." That's it? All I get is a "Hn"? What is that anyways? Is it a yes or a no? Is it some grunting noise that simply means he heard what I said? I don't respond because I honestly don't know how, and Yoshitsune smirks at my silence.

I really want to take my tachi and hit him over the head with it while it is still sheathed. It would give me all the satisfaction of him in pain, but I wouldn't be executed for murder. Surprisingly, Lady Shizuka lets Sakura do as she pleases because, frankly, Lady Shizuka hates Yoshitsune as much as Sakura does and wants him to get what he deserves. I bring my hand to my tachi and clasp my hand around the hilt. It makes a slight noise as the tachi is jostled inside the sheath by my walking.

I don't know what happened after that. I just remember blinking and then my hand was pinned to my back with Yoshitsune behind me. My arm really hurts as he twists my arm slightly, causing me to wince. Hmm…maybe I shouldn't have done that. Now, I'll probably be thrown in jail for attempted murder, and that's if the best should happen. Through the pain, I turn my head slightly so I can look at his face. Surprisingly, it isn't grim like I imagined, but he was still smirking.

"So, you were sent to kill me? I wasn't expecting that." If Yoshitsune had emotions, I would classify his current one as amusement, but he doesn't have emotions or facial expression, except for that damn smirk.

"What an imagination you have, Uchiha-sama."

"I was wrong? What a rarity." Arrogant bastard. Now that I think about it, killing you sounds like a good idea after all.

"You're an arrogant noble that deserves to be slapped, but slapping isn't my style," I inform him, forgetting everything Kurenai-sensei taught me about manners and controlling myself. "So, I was thinking about whether to just hit you still with my sheathed tachi." I realize that my speech has reverted to how Sakura talks. Shit, I need to cover this up fast. "But it was very rash of me. I should have held my temper even though we don't see eye to eye. Forgive me, Uchiha-sama."

He sees through my act. "Too late to cover it up now, Lady Shizuka," he sneers.

"Buddha, damn it all," I hiss, not realizing I'm saying this aloud.

"I never expected such language from a shirabyoshi," he says sarcastically, clearly enjoying mocking me.

I can't stand it anymore. So, what do I do? I do the unthinkable. I wrench my arm out of his firm grip and turn to face him. He isn't surprised, but I know that is because of the joint effort of his life-long training and iron will. In one sweeping motion, I grab his wrist and yank him forward, sending him flying. He doesn't fall flat on his face, but he uses his momentum to roll forward and stands up again. I should have expected that from an Uchiha.

He turns to me slowly, and instead of angry, he seems…excited. Not the happy sort of excited, but more like the anticipating a battle sort of excited. With a smirk, he grabs my wrist and starts dragging me away from the guest rooms, down a different hallway. He quickly leads me to a door, which he throws open, and pulls me inside. I barely have time to realize that it's an armory because Yoshitsune practically runs through the room. As we go down another hall, I notice the katana in his hand. Why does he have a…NO! I HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE! IT CAN'T END THIS WAY!

It's just my luck that I end up having getting into a sword fight with Uchiha Yoshitsune. He happens to be a samurai, and one of the best swordsmen in Japan, if not the best. Oh, he's also a genius. He is the perfect warrior. He is strong, courageous, determined, and a brilliant strategist. He can be out on the front lines, battling enemy samurai, or he can be leading an entire army, planning out every move. Men respect and admire him for this, but they also fear him. I would fear him too if I was the one that had to be his sparring partner. He isn't the type to show anyone mercy, even if it's one of his own.

After a long expedition through the large palace, Yoshitsune leads me to the palace training grounds. It's still raining outside, and I can feel the makeup starting to run off my face. It feels almost symbolic to me, but I don't dwell on that thought for very long. I go back to thinking about the untimely end I'm about to meet.

"Don't just stand there looking like an idiot," orders Yoshitsune. "It'll be hard to move in all of that."

I notice that he is removing his clothing like he suggested. He pulls the kanmuri off of his head and discards it on the muddy ground. His hirao, gyotai, and obi are thrown down with the same care. He obviously doesn't care that he is ruining his clothes. Oh, that's right he's a rich noble. He can buy all the damn clothes he wants to whenever he wants to. He lifts a foot and takes off the asagutsu on it and chucks it thoughtlessly away from him. He repeats the action so that all that are on his feet are his shitozu.

"Are you deaf? Or just stupid?"

Grumbling, I start to take off on the suikan I'm wearing, but unlike Yoshitsune, I fold it carefully and place it in a dry spot. I roll up the sleeves of my second suikan and tie them in place so that my arms can move freely. It would be so much easier to take it off as well, but even with the light kosode that goes under my clothes, I wouldn't feel comfortable with Yoshitsune seeing me in that.

Yoshitsune obviously doesn't feel the same about that. He has already stripped off his hoeki no ho, okatabira, uwabakama, hanpi, and shitagasane. He now works on his hitoe, while I, with only two layers, have barely finished tying my suikan. How many layers are there? Do they ever end?

I voice these questions to him, and he simply smirks like he always does. Typical. He continues the tedious process of undressing until he finally has everything off except his oguchi and kosode. I stare in awe at him as he stands there, sliding the gleaming katana out of its sheath. The heavy rain makes the thin fabric of his wide open kosode cling to his chest. I can see his well-formed muscles that are the result of vigorous training. I could have stared at him like that all day, but I figure that Yoshitsune isn't a very patient person.

Now completely rid of everything except my first suikan and my hakama that I tied around my ankles, I pull my tachi out of the sheath and swing it experimentally. The tachi is perfect for fighting on horseback, but it is a little awkward when on foot. It'll have to do. I slide my foot back into an offensive stance, lifting my blade in front of me. Yoshitsune does the same, except the stance looks natural for him to be in, while I look ridiculous.

To surprise him, I try to lunge forward and attack first, but a gust of wind blows through the training grounds, causing my long hair to whip in my face. Damn hair. I release one hand from my tachi and grab a fistful of my hair. With a good tug, the wig comes off my head, and my pink hair falls into place. I throw the wig into the pile with the rest of my clothing and then resume my stance. Yoshitsune raises an eyebrow; he might as well be saying "What the hell is up with your hair?".

"Yeah, I have pink hair. It's natural, and yes, I am full Japanese. Do you have a problem with that?" I inform him gruffly.

"Not at all…Pinky," he mocks, not realizing what he had just done.

Rage boils up in me as I hear that accursed name. In blind anger, I rush towards Yoshitsune and swing my blade down in a large arc, aiming for his head. Yoshitsune instantly brings his katana up so that it crosses my blade, creating a resonant ring. With a forceful movement, he pushes my tachi away from him and spins. I barely react quickly enough by bringing my sword down to parry his attack. He somehow managed to be in a crouching position with one hand off the hilt for balance, and before I can attack, he brings his hand back to the hilt and thrusts the katana upward. I frantically shove it away with the tachi, now realizing why no one wants to spar with him.

I feebly try to aim my sword towards his chest, but as expected he stops it with ease. He continues with amazing agility and fluidity, and feints a stab to my thigh. I leap backwards to avoid being cut, but that was what he wanted. He somehow appears behind me and brings the katana to my neck, pressing it hard enough so that I feel the pain but not enough so that I bleed. I'm breathing heavily, but Yoshitsune isn't tired at all. I can tell he is smirking even though I can't see him. I thought they teach these samurai never to underestimate their opponents.

I twist around rapidly and use my free hand to lift his hand that wields the sword in the air. I give him a swift kick in between the legs, and he bends over and groans with pain. His face should have gone from surprised to one contorted with pain, but he didn't give me that satisfaction. Ah well, one can't have everything they want.

I should have known it was all too good to last. My short-lived victory ends as Yoshitsune grabs my ankle and pulls me to the ground. I feel all the air leave my lungs as I hit the ground. I cough as I try to breath, but no air fills my lungs. I gasp for breath, my chest heaving as I try to get air into them. Yoshitsune, feeling no sympathy, grabs his blade and touches it to my neck. I do my best to glare at him, but it's kind of hard when you can't breathe.

"Give up, Pinky?" He asks calmly, not bothering to hide his arrogance.

"Never," I whisper breathily.

I do a backwards roll to get to my feet and get to my feet, pointing my tachi menacingly at him. He teases me by gently pushing my blade aside, but I viciously swing it back into place. Raising his eyebrows at my fury, he easily eases back his weight so he is in another perfect stance. I decide to forget technique and lunge at him poorly, my execution badly done because of my rage. Instead of blocking, he sidesteps me, and I continue to move forward. Using my momentum, he gets behind me and gives me a swift kick on the back. I land face down in the mud with a loud and undignified squelch.

Damn. It. All.

I gingerly raise myself from the ground, using my sword to brace myself. Yoshitsune walks up to me and knocks the tachi from my hand with his sword, sending me to my knees. Smirking triumphantly, Yoshitsune lifts my head up with the tip of his katana. I raise my head unwillingly, but he still presses the blade against my chin, urging me to stand up. I obey with an unattractive scowl on my face.

"How about now?" The cold blade still touches my skin.

I avert my gaze from him and don't answer, but he knows I admit my defeat. Lowering the sword, he drops his arm to his side and lets it rest there. I bring my head down so that my eyes are level with his dark ones. Our gaze doesn't last for long because Sasuke turns away abruptly. He bends down to gather his discarded clothes, ignoring that I exist. Slightly indignant, I put my hands on my hips and glower at him.

"What was all this about?" I ask. I should have asked this question along time ago. "You bring me out in the pouring rain and fight me. Want to explain?"

"Hn."

"That is not an answer." My voice is exasperated. I'm starting to get the impression he really doesn't like conversation unless it is mocking someone.

"Hn."

"This isn't funny!"

"Aa."

"Uchiha-sama! Please stop annoying me and answer the question!"

Everything is quiet except for the rain splashing in the puddles that fill craters of mud. I sigh tiredly as I wait for him to say something. He makes me wait for a long time, but he finally answers.

"You're annoying."

"At least you said something, but that's not answering the question."

"Don't call me Uchiha-sama unless you have to. Reminds me too much of my…fans." His voice is deep and impassive as he says this.

"Then what do I call you?" I ask, not completely sure what he means.

"When no one else is around, call me Sasuke."

"Sasuke? Oh, isn't that your childhood name?"

Sasuke spins around and looks at me, trying to understand how I know this. I grin evilly, causing his eye to twitch in annoyance. "They say that if you want to know that darkest secrets of a noble, you should talk to the servants," I say obnoxiously, trying to rub it in his face. He denies me another triumph, and I fold my arms, pouting childishly. "I've performed for your family before," I explain. "You wouldn't remember because you weren't there. You were away on military business."

"Hn."

"Here we go again!" I say exasperatedly. "Don't you talk in full sentences?! Fine! Don't tell me why you dragged me out in this rain and fight me, nearly cutting my head off!"

I snatch up my clothes and my wig, avoiding looking into his eyes. I angrily storm away but not very far. Sasuke grabs my wrist and pulls me roughly toward him. I'm now so close to him I can feel his warm breath on my face. I feel my face heat up, but this time, there's no mask to save me the embarrassment. Lady Shizuka left me on my own a long time ago, and for once, I kind of miss her.

"And you?" He whispers without any emotion.

I assume he means my name when he asks this. "Sakura," I breathe, barely able to speak because of our closeness.

Sasuke stands without saying anything but quickly pushes me away. "Stupid name," he sneers as he turns away, disappearing out of the training grounds into the palace.

I stand motionlessly as the downpour continues to drench me, staring at the place I last saw him. I still don't know why he had me do this, but it was the most interesting experience I've ever had with a noble. Having a duel and being asked to call him by his childhood name the next time I see him isn't something a shirabyoshi is normally asked by a noble. Normally, it's will you spend the night with me and have a good time; the next day it's that was great, but it was a one time thing, leaving said shirabyoshi with a broken heart.

"Sakura! Sakura!" A familiar voice calls.

I turn around slowly and find Ino standing by the door, looking at my angrily. She marches over to me, not caring that the ends of her hakama are getting dirty. She snatches me wrist and forcefully pulls leads me back inside. How many times am I going to get dragged around today? I can't see her face as we move through the palace, but I can tell she is furious at me, though I'm unsure why. We finally end up back at the guest rooms where Sasuke and I had been an hour earlier. She spins around and lets out all of her rage that she had kept inside the whole time.

"Where were you?! I thought you let yourself get swept away by one of those nobles!"

"I'm sorry, Ino-chan," I mumble timidly. Ino can be just as scary as Anko when she is angry.

"Don't Ino-chan me! Where the hell were you?!"

"I was with Sas…Uchiha-sama."

"Doing what?" She asks tensely, not liking the sound of things.

"We fought," I say even quieter.

"What?!" Ino bellows. It wasn't what she had expected, which was a relief, but this wasn't good either. "What happened?"

"He started annoying the hell out of me, and I reacted. Then, we fought some more outside the rooms, and then I really lost it. I threw him down the hall…"

"You didn't!" Ino exclaims, interrupting as she always does when I tell her interesting.

"Yes, I did. Then, he got all excited. Not that happy kind of excited, more like the ready for battle kind of excited. After that, he dragged me out to the training grounds, and we fought each other."

"Great Buddha! Then what?" Ino begs excitedly.

"I asked him why he dragged me out in the rain to fight me, and he doesn't respond. I nagged him for a while, but he finally tells me I'm annoying and tells me to call him Sasuke, his childhood name, because Uchiha-sama or Yoshitsune reminds him too much of annoying court ladies. Then, he asks my real name."

"Oh," she disappointedly says, dropping her head slightly.

"What? Was he supposed to do something romantic?"

"Well…yes."

I snort at the idea of Sasuke being romantic. He barely talks and rarely shows emotion. I doubt he even knows how to be romantic. I don't even know if he likes girls. Maybe he prefers men. I have heard of noble like this; they are rare, but they do exist. There was a rumor of a male noble that took on a male concubine from an acting troupe.

I laugh out loud of the idea of the dignified Uchiha Yoshitsune liking men. Ino gives me a strange look, but I shake my head, implying that it's nothing. Ino shrugs and goes into one of the rooms; I follow her into the room. Tenten and Sayuki are sitting on the futons; Tenten is pulling off her wig and putting her hair into two buns like she usually does while Sayuki is wiping her makeup off. They stop to greet Ino happily, but as they see me, their cheery faces change into expressions of shock. I cock my head, bemused at first, but I realize that I'm soaking wet and covered in dirt.

"Hey, everyone," I say, ignoring their faces.

"Sak, what happened?" Tenten wonders, standing up to see if I'm all right.

"Why are you all wet, Sakura-chan?" Sayuki asks sweetly.

"Oh, I…" I try to make up an excuse, but Ino throws me a stern look.

"Don't even think about lying, Sakura."

"Well, it started when Sasuke offered to take me to my room…"

"Who's Sasuke?" Sayuki and Tenten interrupt at the same time, a hungry look in their eyes.

I sigh as I sit down on one of the futons. The two of them sit on either side of me, giggling girlishly. Ino even sits on the futon with us to listen to me tell what happened again. I start to tell them, not leaving anything out because they would know if I did. Without my mask, I'm a horrible liar. They gasp at all the same places that Ino did, and they have the same disappointed face she did at the end when I finish. I roll my eye and fall back so that I'm lying on the futon. I'm exhausted from my encounter with Sasuke, and I want nothing to do with another noble for the rest of the day.

"All right, dearies," Anko-sensei says as she opens our doors. "We've been invited to dinner with the emperor, so don't get too comfortable. You don't have to get back into costume, though...What happened to you, Sakura?"

"I got lost and ended up outside in the rain," I lie, not even raising my head to look at her.

"Right, and I'm the emperor of Japan," Anko-sensei snorts, causing the other girls to giggle.

I scowl and grab a pillow off the futon, throwing it hard at Anko-sensei. She catches it and sends it straight back at me, hitting me square in the face. I groan and pull it off my face. I raise my head and stick my tongue out at Anko-sensei as she leaves to alert the other shirabyoshi. Letting my head rest on the futon again, I let out a weary sigh and close my eyes. Great. Dinner. With nobles. With THAT noble. More manners. More lying...Damn.

"Sakura, you have to get ready! You're covered in dirt, and dinner is going to start soon!" Thanks for reminding me, Ino.

"Shut up, pig, I know."

"What did you call me?"

"Hn." I say, mimicking a certain noble. Ino raises an eyebrow confusedly, making me burst out laughing. Ino doesn't bother asking what I am laughing at and looks for something she can wear to dinner. Right, dinner. I can't wait.


A/N: Sorry. I feel like I'm going to be letting down some people with this chapter. Their meeting is probably not what people were expecting or wanting. Sorry. And I know Sasuke is OOC and the ending isn't very good. Well, please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like. They would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, if you want to know what Sasuke's outfit looked like, you can go to my profile and check it out.