Chapter Seven
Hi, in this chapter I'm going to do my best to have all of the people have a say. Please review and tell me ideas for what you think the dresses the girls wear should look like!
7 Days Until the Ball
Konaha Dress Shop
No One POV
Sakura sighed as she looked around the small store filled with multicolored fabrics, shining and sparkling. Ino seemed perfectly at ease, swaying though the isles, selecting a dress with a glance and taking to the dressing room. Shikamaru was content just to be watching Ino, his love for her apparent in his eyes, enough for all the times he never shows it.
'Why did I let Ino talk me into coming here? There is nothing for me, and even in the least expensive store the prices make me wince.' Sakura thought, glaring at Shikamaru. This wasn't the first time Sakura was jealous of Ino's easy life, she and Shikamaru were getting paid, not a lot, but enough that one day they could leave that stupid house and spend their lives together. Sakura was stuck there, maybe forever, and she didn't even have a boyfriend to make her life worth it.
Prince Sasuke…Nah.
'I still can't believe Ino was even able to make it that we could get here." Sakura smiled at how Ino had completely duped Anko and the evil twins.
Mere seconds after Sakura had agreed to go to the ball, Anko burst into the kitchen screaming. "A Ball!!! Prince Sasuke is having a ball, and he has invited ME!!" She yelled happily. Karen and Mimi shoved their way in past her.
"I was invited too, Mom!" Karen complained.
"Yeah, and me too!" Mimi squealed.
"And I shall be the one he marries!" Karen declared, then stormed up to Sakura and demanded a yogurt. Mimi bounced up behind her and said, "Not if he chooses to marry me!"
"Well you both are being imbeciles! I'm quite sure he would rather spend his life with an older, more sophisticated women, like myself." Anko purred, snatching away a sandwich a kitchen maid had been about to give to her dog, and took a big bite out of it. "And besides, before any of us shall impress Prince Sasuke, we must buy our dresses!" Ino saw her chance, and carefully stepped forward, hoping not to be mistaken as some of the food they were devouring.
"Madam Anko, there are so many dress shops, why don't you have Sakura, myself, and Shikamaru go look through the shops and write down which ones would have gowns that would please you?" Ino said charmingly.
All the cooks and maids and dishwashers in the kitchen stopped to look at Ino, it might have seemed like such a small thing to ask for, but no servant in the entire history of the house had ever been allowed to simply leave the house for their own purposes. (Everyone had heard Ino's announcement and knew what she was planning, except of course for the two fat girls eating yogurt that had chocolate mixed in –thanks to Ino- and the old lady eating a maid's dog's food.)
"Good idea….um, servant girl, you three go do that" Anko said, not looking up from the dog food sandwich, which she was falling in love with.
While Sakura was remembering this, Ino had slowly walked up to her and showed her a gown. It was silk, shining in the fairly dark store, it sparked, even though it didn't have sequins or glitter. Sakura could easily imagine herself in it, sashaying around a ballroom, on the arm of a handsome dark haired man.
Ino smiled at the look of pure happiness that crossed Sakura's face.
"It…it's beautiful."
***
5 Days Until the Ball
Hyuuga Mansion
No One POV
Hinata was fairly happier; she had found the wedding dress of her dreams and a lovely one for the ball. Her heart sped faster at the thought of the mysterious stranger who filled her dreams and made her smile.
Tenten knocked on her door and slowly entered, she didn't want to do this, but she felt she had to tell Hinata.
"Hi, Tenten." Hinata whispered, blushing at being caught swooning.
"Lady Hinata, I-I don't mean to force you, not at all, but…if you don't take the throne…." Tenten stuttered out, pausing when a dark look passed over Hinata's face. "Um…well, a new leader would be appointed, the next in line…"
"Yes, I am well aware of that." Hinata said stiffly, easily shifting into a more queenly way of speaking when she realized where this conversation was going.
"It's just that….Neji would be appointed…."
Realization dawned on Hinata face. "So, Tenten, you are saying that you are concerned for your welfare with Prince Neji if he were to be the one to take the throne, am I correct?" She said her voice hardening. 'She only cares for herself! She believes that as long as she is happy, it doesn't matter if I'm forced into a loveless marriage!'
"It is partly that My Lady, but I also know, that you are a strong person. And you will find a way to marry the one you want. I love Prince Neji with all my heart, but he is willing to submit to his parent's wishes and do what they want, not what is best for the kingdom. Just from speaking with you, I know you would be a fine Queen, a wonderful ruler." Tenten smiled at her; there was obvious truth in everything she said.
'I'm the one who only cares for herself.' "Thank you, Tenten."
Tenten started to walk out the door, but she stopped herself and said, "Oh yes, the King and Queen wanted me to tell you that the King and Queen of Konaha are sending servants here tomorrow to bring gifts and to be here for service for our trip to the Sound Village in three days."
Hinata nodded and Tenten left. Hinata collapsed on her bed. 'It's really happening, these few days I've just been hoping that something will make it not happen. And if I can't I will ruin everyone's lives, my parents, Tenten and Neji's, the whole village! And for what? It's not like my life would be any better not married to Sasuke.' The face of that man appeared in her mind's eye once again. 'He's not real, he's just someone I came up with, that I can't have.'
She was trying to convince herself of this, and it wasn't working.
***
5 Days until the Ball
Uchiha Mansion
No One POV
It hadn't taken Sasuke long to realize that there was no princess he could get married to, become king, get rid of the no marrying between peasants and royalty, so then Naruto and Hinata could get married, because the only princess was Hinata. So he had spent the last 3 days studying in the library, trying to see if a prince could change laws. No luck so far. A scribe came up to him and bowed.
"Hello Scribe." Sasuke said.
"Greetings Prince Sasuke, is there anything I can do to help you?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"No, thank you…um…"
"Shino, Prince."
"Ah, thank you, Shino…" Sasuke thought about it, despite this man's hood which covered half of his face, he seemed very trustworthy. "Well, I could use some help, I think you have heard of my upcoming ball, and…m..."
"Marriage? Yes I have, in fact."
"Well, my parents have sent out invitations to all the girls in the village, saying I am taking a bride, they are not at all planning to let me marry any of them, oh course, so they are completely unwilling to eliminate the no present/royal marriage rule. But I was hoping that I could abolish that rule myself."
Shino nodded, thinking. "I understand, but I'm wondering, why send out invitations for women to come, thinking you are intending to marry one of them?"
"Mostly so they can find wives for lesser royals, my cousins and younger brother, and so there are more guests. And, very slightly, if Hinata ends up marrying a prince from a very far away kingdom, they need a backup wife, but I don't want to make that my only chance."
"May I speak freely, Prince Sasuke?" Shino asked, and when Sasuke wearily nodded, he said. "No offense to you or the Royal Highnesses, but they sound like jackasses." The Sasuke's morbid face was broken with a loud laugh, getting him shushed by the Librarian, who blushed when she realized she had shushed the future king. "And I'm not positive, but I think there is a scroll somewhere about a princess who changed a law and how she did it."
Sasuke smiled. "Thank you so much."
A few hours of searching later had led the two no where, so they decided to give up for the day. Sasuke, exhausted and stiff, went into the village to take a walk in the cool evening air. He passed several stores, and didn't stop until he reached his favorite one. Owned by Naruto's parents, the Konaha Dress Shop used to be the happiest place in the world when he was younger. He had visited it with Naruto almost everyday, before the King decided it was time Sasuke acted like a prince.
He carefully stepped inside, admiring the small shop, remembering everything from years ago. "Sasuke!" A woman's voice cried and Naruto's mother came running up to him. She grabbed him in a bear hug and scolded him for not coming around sooner. Sasuke smiled, loving how she didn't treat him like a prince. Suddenly two girls and guy appeared behind a dress rack, looking at him in wonder. 'Damn, she has costumers.' Sasuke thought. He stood there, waiting for the girls to act all slutty fangirl like, but they didn't. The blonde giggled and whispered in the pink haired girl's ear, making her blush. Pinkhair then shrugged, and they both went back to their shopping, the blonde holding the guy's hand.
Sasuke couldn't help it; this was a big insult to his pride. So when Naruto's mother left to go help a different girl, Sasuke followed after them.
"So what do you think of this one, Shika?" The blonde asked, modeling a dress for the guy.
"I think Shikamaru shouldn't say anything in the interest of you not killing him, Ino." Pinkhair said. Ino laughed and shrugged, grabbed another dress, and went into the dressing room.
That girl, Ino, and Shikamaru must be dating. But who is that other girl? I can't stop staring. Slowly Sasuke made himself walk away, but he couldn't help glancing once more at the beautiful pinkette with the bright green eyes.
***
Road to Sound Village
No One POV
Because it would take so long to get to the Sound Village, the King and Queen of the Konaha had the servants leave during the evening on the day before they were to arrive. Naruto yawned on the back of his horse; he didn't see what use they could be over there. As he started to doze off, a beautiful girl's face filled his mind.
Hinata….
Suddenly the horse snorted and bounced slightly, startling Naruto awake with a gasp. The other servants chuckled at him.
It was early morning by the time they arrived, too early for most of the castle to be awake. As they were let inside, their only welcome party was the other servants of that castle. Naruto admired the flowing plains and rivers, the kind of thing that wasn't so abundant in the Sound Village.
The castle was smaller than Konaha's, but its smallness had a quaint feel, and all the walls were decorated with beautiful tapestries. As Naruto handed a sack of cakes, a gift from his Queen, to a kitchen maid, he happened to glance up at a beautiful dark haired girl in a nightgown, not something any girl should want to be seen in unless by her husband, so Naruto blushed. And then, when he recognized the girl mostly hiding behind a wall, he smiled.
Hinata….
Princess Hinata…
Hinata POV
It-It's him! The mysterious man! He is real! He's right there, looking even better than I imagined!
His name dawned upon me, and right before my heart would soar so high that I would fly down the stairs into the arms of a stranger, who was not a stranger to my heart, I realized something else.
Naruto…
Servant Naruto…
Wala! 10 pages on my word document! Did you love it? Hate it? Tell me! R-e-v-i-e-w!!
~Jamie
