Chapter 6

I gulped. I had to tell him. I had to tell him everything that had been said to me the day before, or else I couldn't be myself around him. The idea of finding a suitor was a little disturbing, especially since he could be one of the possibilities. And I didn't want anyone to get that idea, even though several already thought something was going on. Not that their opinion mattered. It was truly mine that did.

"So? Tell me everything." I smiled. Don't worry, Sasuke, I will, I told him mentally.

'I honestly don't know why I can make other audible noises by means of my voicebox…I guess the strains I use for verbal conversation are either nonexistent or severely damaged, or perhaps just genetically malfunctioning. I can feel the difference when I attempt.'

"Oh," was all he said.

'And as for what was truly said yesterday…'

"Truly? You mean you lied to me?"

'I wasn't sure if I should tell you or not. But I will now! Basically, my parents have been forced to step down from the throne and I am now the official ruler of this land.'

"Gah!! I…I didn't know you were of royal blood!"

I nodded, then continued writing. We were on the floor, and Sasuke was sitting a little closer to me than I'd have liked, but I let it be for now. 'But there's a catch. Within the next three months I have to find a boy to marry, and then I will go back and be crowned, so to speak.'

Sasuke blushed. "You have to…whoa…"

I sighed.

"I'm sorry."

'What for?' I wrote instantly.

"All this…so sudden."

'Yeah…'

"What else is there that you haven't been telling me?"

I just looked at him. 'What do you mean?'

He cleared his throat and stood up. "Well, do you want anything to drink?"

I followed him a bit clumsily, which I hoped he would take as a 'yes' since he wasn't looking at me and I couldn't express an answer either way. But I only ended up running into him from behind, which made him stumble into a table that happened to have breakable dishware on it… I grimaced when several plates and a few cups hit the floor and shattered. I wouldn't have expected it, but Sasuke was rather calm despite the sudden incident. (In fact, all he said was a whispered 'dammit.') However, I was quite the opposite—extremely panicked. I gulped and attempted to get off of him, as I was currently pinning him to the table, but my foot slipped on a large piece of broken plate.

I went down. And I took Sasuke with me.

After the collision and the crash, there was a short moment of silence before Sasuke finally broke it.

"Ow…"

I nodded.

"A-are you okay, Shizuka?"

I nodded again, but bit my lower lip this time. What was he thinking? Was he irritated with me? Or just in pain?

"What the heck was that? You could've at least given me a warning or something."

I couldn't move to reach my paper, so I just turned and looked at him. His face was all scratched up…and a little bloody. Had I really hit him that hard? Had dishes also broken on the table as well as the floor? I used said table to pull myself up and found that yes, there were. I looked back at him.

'Um…' I imagined myself saying.

"Ugh…well, whatever. You're just lucky that wasn't the important set of dishes," Sasuke muttered as he stood up.

I gave him a pathetic look that I hoped he took as 'I'm sorry' and stood up as well.

"Don't look like that. It's okay, really."

I looked down at my feet. It was okay. Why was it okay? I didn't understand. Back home, if that had happened, I would have been severely punished and then exiled to the harsher part of the mountains for a month of training. Of course, I wouldn't be sent alone. My grandfather would come with me, as part of my punishment. I would have to fight him constantly, and usually lost because he was almost as strong as my father, whom I could never beat in any battle.

When I came back to reality I realized that Sasuke was handing me a glass of water. I stared at it blankly for a moment, then took it from him and held it carefully. I was afraid I would drop it if I didn't.

"Shizuka…what are you going to do?"

I blinked and met his gaze. He looked very seriously, maybe even intensely, back. I shivered, intending to reply somehow, but he only continued talking. I guess he'd realized I didn't have my paper on hand.

"Because, well I've never personally tried to help anyone before, but…I'd like to help you, in whatever way I can," he said. After a minute it seemed like he had only just realized what he was saying and then added, "O-only because you're new and all, and it seems like I'm the only one who's nice to you…and…"

I smiled. So I have a friend after all… I thought happily, and set my drink down on the table. I walked over to my trusty paper and scribbled on it the words, 'I am glad I have a friend! Thank you for being the first one.'

Sasuke looked shocked—no, he was shocked—and seemed even a little scared when he read that. But in a moment it had all passed and he said, "Um…what…what are you going to do? I mean, about finding someone to marry and all that."

'It's a little awkward,' I replied, 'since you are a guy, which makes you a possibility too.'

He blushed and looked away. "I-I know that," he said, but I knew he had really forgotten that he could actually be one of the ones I would feel safer with choosing. I hadn't really met any others…yet.

"And so, it's important that you find someone within the next three months, right? What'll happen if you don't?"

'Well…someone will be selected for me, based on their background and abilities. That's why Yohaku and Kusari were sent here. They are supposed to be looking for possible matches. I can only hope you'd be one of them, but then again, they'd probably try more with you than other guys.'

"Wait, what? Why would you want me to be one?"

'Because, you just said—you're my friend.'

"Well, I didn't really say that out loud, but…"

'You implied it. Anyway, and so because of that, I'd feel safer. But, like I said, if they tried to do anything else…'

"What do you mean? If they're only here to pick out guys for you, then why would they try something with me?"

'It's…see, their personalities aren't that great. Yohaku is stern and calculating, not to mention cold. Kusari has an attitude about her that screams 'ME' and they are both beautiful. Guys we're used to like those qualities, or at least most do, and so they expect to be regarded as goddesses or something. You aren't in a very good place if they set their sights on you, because you're on the verge of 'cute' and 'sexy' and they would literally eat you up.'

"Okay, now you're scaring me."

'I don't mean to, but it's true.'

"So you really mean to tell me that I'm both those things?"

'Everyone thinks so.'

"What are you talking about? You've only been here for a few days; how could you know?"

'I took one look at you, and knew.'

"You don't make any sense."

I grinned. 'It doesn't matter.'

"But then you also think that about me, don't you?"

My grin faded instantly. 'I can, if I want, because you are, and that's…just the way all girls think, that's all.

"You're trying to defend yourself," he said with a small smirk.

'Come off it! Okay, there's something else you need to know about Yohaku and Kusari.'

Sasuke sighed. "Fine, ruin my fun."

'Most of our people—the 'important' ones at least—are extremely against the Uchiha clan for what happened years ago.'

"And you still haven't told me what that is."

'I will later. So, Kusari and Yohaku were two of the ones most hurt by that past act. And even though amends were made, and reparations restored us, most still hold grudges, and so whomever is left they will hurt. It doesn't make it any better, considering who you are.'

"What about the other one?"

'What other one?'

It seemed to take an inner struggle with himself to finally say, "The other living Uchiha."

'Oh,' I said. 'Him.'

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Yeah. What about him? What would your village do to him?"

'Nothing.'

"Why not?!" Sasuke practically yelled.

'Because he was the one who was sent to us to make amends. He's the only one we have no problem with. They don't hardly know anything about you.'

"WHY? Why don't they have a problem with him? He's the one who killed our clan! That's a big problem, isn't it?!"

'Yeah. I know. It's not my decision on who we trust.'

"But aren't you the ruler now?"

I shook my head. 'Not yet. Three months' time, I will. But not yet.'

Sasuke growled. "What else about us have you withheld from me?"

I blinked. If he only knew…

'Well, there is the Uchiha Fund…'

"The WHAT?"

'The Uchiha Fund…it's a pointless collection of money. In fact, more than sixty percent of our money goes into it. Our village does research on your clan…and that's why we have that fund. But it's pointless, and stupid, since most of you are gone now. But they think that, for some reason, it will give us insight into your clan, thereby granting us abilities we had never dreamed of. It's absolutely ridiculous.'

"This…this doesn't make any sense. If we really did make amends then why devote all your time and money into giving it back to us?"

'Our village is full of fools.'

"Wait, why are you dissing your own village?"

'It's the truth.'

He said nothing to that.

At home I sat on my bed and looked out the window into a night sky full of stars. Kusari and Yohaku had not come in yet, so these were most likely my last hours of peace before they returned to our village.

The sky wasn't as dark as usual, because the sun was only just disappearing far below the horizon, and the color of the sky now was a sort of light navy, tinted with pink and orange. And the stars were twinkling almost as bright as the sun itself. I felt so happy, so calm, so complete, just staring into that sky…and yet I knew that tomorrow that same feeling would be hidden away somewhere deep within myself as I fought to live another day of life.