I don't own naruto.
Ino stood up from the hot spring, looking at her reflection in the water before she wrapped a robe around her petite body. All of her long hair was tied in an elegant bun in the middle of her head and half-way through her hair being a bun, the rest was pulled over her right shoulder, tied beautifully.
Walking out of the hot spring, she immediately faced Sasuke outside. Without needing to be called, he trailed behind her slowly and at a distance as she made her way back to her room, locking him out so he could guard the door.
Just as she opened the door, she walked out in a long flowing dress with soft purple floral patterns. "Are they ready yet? I don't like traveling from palace to palace," Ino stated, softly pulling on Sasuke's sleeve as she led him into her rented room.
"You're just meeting a prince." he closed his eyes, slowly he opened them again, seeing the princess struggling with her luggage and he leaned over, quickly pulling it up. "Let's go now," he said, and Ino immediately wrapped a hand around his arm.
Sasuke didn't mind as they walked back out to where the rest of the soldiers were, raising a hand to help her mount her white horse. He kept a hand to the rope tied around the horse's nose and gave it a gentle tug as it lifted its head, walking slowly ahead.
~'.~'.~'.~'.~
Ino woke up the following morning and stared at her surroundings before her eye caught the form of Sasuke Uchiha. She gave a fast hand movement, which he understood immediately walking toward her, stopping the horse along the way to help her off.
"I want to walk the rest of the way," she said, pointing to the tall castle in the distance.
"It's not proper for a princess to walk in on her feet."
"I've never had proper training as a princess. What do you expect?" she asked, giddily, and then walked ahead, running ahead jumpily, making everyone smile to see their princess so happy.
Sasuke gave a small smile that was barely noticeable and walked ahead, trailing behind her each time. By the time they had arrived it had already fallen to night and the lights from inside the palace sparkled and gleam to the arrivals.
A soft carpet was placed down onto the floor while the princesses and princes walked down of it, giving courteous bows to another of higher rank. "Princess Temari with Prince Kankuro and Prince Gaara," an announcer said from an unknown area, three people walking in through the doors.
Their clothes was foreign, everyone's was due to the fact that each of them had came from a different part of the world. Ino looked down at her magnificent long gown, which hid her feet and ankles, then toward Princess Temari's, which revealed her tone long legs.
"Are we all supposed to look so different?" Ino whispered, back, toward Sasuke. He shook his head simply and nudged her where all the other princesses were beginning to walk up, separating to different places. The blonde princess had obviously zoned out when her father had explained the process to her earlier.
Sasuke slowly led her to the far end of the castle, pushing two doors open. "How did you know where to go?" Ino asked, her fingers between his.
"Your father gave me specific instructions. Now, you wait. If they don't come to at least invite you to dinner, we'll leave."
"That's an odd method of picking out a future wife."
Sasuke shrugged, leaning onto one of the elegant tables as Ino sat down on the bed. "That's how the customs are around here."
There was silence, not awkward at all. It was silent in a nice way without anything needing to be said. Ino, awkwardly moving her gown patted down on the seat next to her on the bed. "Here, sit down," she said, pressing her hands onto her lap when he did. "How was it to be outside the castle?"
He didn't reply at all. Ino placed a hand over his gently before pulling it. "Let's dance," she said, a small smile on her face as she reached for the button. The minute the music turned on, his hands fell to her waist and her hands reached up for his shoulders, around his neck.
Ino looked up to his face but his gaze never met hers. Giving up, Ino rested her head onto his chest slowly, noticing his sudden tenseness. A cough interrupted them a bit later, and they pulled away quickly.
"I didn't hear a reply when I knocked, so I came in to check on you." Ino turned to the side to see Gaara. Her hand slid off of Sasuke to press the button to shut the music off. "I did not know you were with …Prince…? Did you invite him to the palace?"
Just as Gaara had opened his mouth to say other words, Sasuke forcefully interrupted, "I'm not a prince. I'm her knight." He tapped her shoulder gently, something she thought he wasn't possible with. "I will be outside."
When he had left, Gaara immediately looked at her with a wondrous look on his face. "Is it in your custom to be able to marry knights as well? You two seem extremely close to each other."
He took her hand, lifting it to kiss it softly. Ino stared, enchanted in a way and pulled back her hand. "We have been with each other for a while now. He's only my personal knight." She pushed some of her loose hair back to the elegant hairstyle toward the back of her hair, which had been specially fixed strand by strand and clipped before it rolled down her shoulders gently.
The red-head took a step closer, practically right in front of her, his scent intoxicating to her nose and her heart skipped a beat. "You are much more beautiful than the pictures show you as," he said, his tone didn't change but it seemed to still have a startling affect on her.
"Thank you," she said, stepping back as he grabbed a curl off her shoulder, rolling it between his fingers.
"Usually I'll invite a princess to dinner, but today I feel a wife that can hunt is more resourceful. Will you join me today for a hunting session? Nothing too hard, just to see if any of the princesses here can hunt to begin with." He dropped the curl.
"Of course," Ino replied, her voice sweet and sugary, then she bowed.
He beckoned his head toward the door. "I'll see you then." with a small smile on his lips, he left, brushing past Sasuke when he had walked in.
The ebony-haired male glared at the door. "Are you jealous of a prince?" Ino asked, teasing and she grabbed his hand, pulling him down to sit on the couch.
Sasuke pulled his hand away. "No," he replied, his jaw clench and tight. Then he sat down, his hand on the handle of the katana.
Before anything else could be exchanged between them maids began to burst into the room, hollering for Ino to get up so they could get her ready. Sasuke sat straight up, being pushed out of the room when a rather plump woman sat Ino down on a comfy chair and began to fix around with the beauty's hair.
He didn't try to force his way through, because honestly, he was afraid of those kinds of women.
~'.~'.~'.~'.~
Ino and Sasuke were both of a bit late but when they had walked onto the training grounds it was a small spark of pride and dignity being slashed at the other princesses due to everyone turning toward them. All the princesses wore nearly identical outfits, which consisted of stretchable fabric that hug close to their body.
Her long ponytail fell down her back, almost reaching her rear. On the top of her head was a shining diamond tiara, which she touched several times before getting ready, with the bow and arrow.
Releasing the arrow, it shot forward with amazing speed, landing on its target perfectly. Just as it landed down on the red spot in the middle of board, Sasuke pushed Ino to the side, making her fall as the gleam of his sword caught the hilt of a kunai.
It bounced back easily and landed on the floor as Sasuke spun around, to catch another kunai that fell from above. His hand reached out, a streak of strong streaming lightning stretched out from it, stabbing into the bushes where the attacker was.
Sasuke leaned over to help Ino up, his hand touching against her knee. Before he knew it, a wave of an unknown rippling force pushed outward from Ino, her hand extended as if she was making the force. As it passed Sasuke's head a wave of metal kunai's and daggers were stopped by the invisible force.
When the force stopped, along with the waves of objects, it all disappeared. Sasuke pulled himself to a standing position, his katana reaching out only a few seconds too late to see a kunai whiz pass him.
It successfully found its target when it glazed against Ino's arm, the fabric of her outfit splitting immediately as a gush of crimson red blood dripped out. His breath choked out, "I-"
"Princess, the maid outside can take you to the nurse," Gaara helped her up, his eyes meeting with Sasuke's. As Ino walked off, her ponytail swaying to the side, Gaara looked at Sasuke intensely. "You've been taught chi before."
"Everyone has," Sasuke replied, walking around him and toward Ino, holding her securely.
Beads of sweat had already broken out on her forehead and as he followed the maid outside, he noticed the way her feet were beginning to drag. Upon reaching the outside of the nurse's room, Ino collapsed into Sasuke's arms, the flesh around her wound was a light red, the color that resembled an irritation.
"Hand her over to me," the maid urgently said, and pulling Ino into the room, she slammed the door in his face.
"That's nice," he muttered under his breath, looking out of the window nearby to see Gaara with his brother, helping all the other princesses in hunting.
~'.~'.~'.~'.~
Sasuke sat down on the bed besides Ino's feet. The princess had been changed into a soft, thin dress after they had managed to calm the fever down just a little bit. He didn't turn around when he heard the door open and Temari's voice saying, "King Inoichi wants you to escort him here."
The Uchiha stood up and walked out of the room, never making any eye contact with Temari.
Princess Temari walked closer to Ino, pulling the blanket aside gently before helping the sick girl into a sitting position. Ino coughed, bringing her hand up to her mouth slightly. "Take your medicine," Temari said, holding the palm of her hand out, a single pill on it.
"Alright…" Ino took the tiara off her head, placing it on the nightstand beside her before taking the pill delicately from Temari's hand, dipping her head back to slip it into her mouth, taking a gulp of water from the cup Temari handed her afterwards.
"We sent a letter for your doctor to come see you. Obviously this is very serious…" Temari pushed Ino's long hair out of the way, wiping a towel against her forehead gently.
Bandages were wrapped around Ino's upper arm. Ino covered her mouth with her left hand, coughing several times before looking at her hand, eyes widening to see blood covering it.
Temari's eyes widened and she took the towel originally used to wipe Ino's forehead and covered the blood quickly. Then without any warning, Ino closed her eyes, her body limp and fell back down against her pillow.
Pressing a button on the table, nurses began to rush in and before she knew it, Ino was gone.
Temari wiped her hands against the towel, moving to the side as some maids rushed in to start cleaning the room of its smell and the blood. She walked into the bathroom, washing her hands before walking back out, wiping her hands against her dress fabric. Slowly she ran a hand through one of her pigtails, frustrated.
"And Gaara and Kankuro are still trying to whoo princesses," she said, distastefully, and they nodded as the other remaining maids left the room. Biting her bottom lip slightly she leaned back, "when's my prince going to come?"
Taking several steps toward the bed, she took Ino's tiara off the table, looking in the mirror as she placed it on her head gently for a few seconds, then swiped it off. Then she took a long look at it, staring at its silver before taking in the aqua sapphires and diamonds.
"She probably would want this… afterwards." Then she walked out of the room, looking around for any other people in the halls before heading the opposite direction of the room Ino was pushed into.
~'.~'.~'.~'.~
"I'm a bit afraid of marrying my little princess out to another kingdom," Inoichi said, walking into his daughter's room, heading toward the tiara cases. "Do you think we should have another tiara made when she comes back?"
"Perhaps, the princess does love her gifts when given at the right time," Shikamaru said.
He walked up toward one of the glass cases, lifting it carefully off its spot to study it. "Ino sure does admire her diamonds and aqua sapphires…" and then Inoichi placed it back, smiling slightly at the picture of his daughter on the table nearby.
Ino was smiling, but she had tilted her body last minute, an unsure smile on her face as the picture was taken. "I will not know how I can live without seeing her smile, she's so precious to me."
"King Inoichi," a voice said.
He turned around, seeing Sasuke, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be protecting my daughter."
With a deep breath in, Sasuke said, "Your daughter is probably poisoned and I need to get Sakura to help her. Besides, you told me to escort you to the palace she is staying at."
"My daughter is poisoned? Sakura!" Inoichi shoved at Shikamaru, pointing at the door. "Call for the poor girl, while I pack my possessions."
"You're not panicking," Shikamaru noted, a bit surprised.
"Sakura can heal anything, and besides, my little princess Ino can handle anything," he said, confidently, "like me."
He gave a small smirk as he walked back toward his room. "And just like her mother… she will never go down with a decent fight."
I know, the update is really getting to drag, but anyway, I'm thinking of a new story coming out. It's a highschool fanfic (I know it's overused but I think this one is a bit different) and I really hope my audience likes it? Not that I have much. o.o
Review? I know this fanfic probably isn't really popular anymore.