My words from me to you: Hey! Apologies! Must have taken me decades to continue this story… Please forgive me. I decided to upload some of my other stories at the same time. So if you guys don't mind, please give my other stories a try and review them for me. I'll try my best to improve! Thank you!
Chapter 7
"Hey Sakura… I'll show you to your room…" The 15th prince, Neji smiled warmly at her.
Sakura nodded gratefully and wrapped her arms around his. "Thank you…" She whispered softly. "Actually… I was kind of afraid to be here… But since you're here with me… I think everything else should be okay…" She added timidly, sounding as if she was trying to console herself.
Neji laughed to himself upon hearing her words and seeing her expression on her face. "How adorable…" He thought to himself. He held Sakura's hand in his, giving her a sense of comfort and assurance. "You're right…" He told Sakura. "As long as I'm here… There's nothing you should be afraid here… I've promised you that I'll protect you, remember?"
"Umm…" Sakura nodded her head once again. "I knew that…"
They walked silently in each other's company through the palace which was guarded by many soldiers here and there.
When they reached Sakura's room, "Here's the east wing of the palace. Mine is a few yards away from yours. If you need me, just send a servant over. I'll reach you as soon as possible. Is that okay with you?" Neji asked softly into her ears.
Sakura made a gesture to show that she understood but her face fell for that fact that Neji could not stay over at her place and accompany her. As a prince, he should uphold his honour and dignity. Neji knew instantly what she was thinking from her expression. He smiled and held her lightly by the shoulders, planting a light feathery kiss on her forehead. "Forgive me, will you? But I promise you to see you at dusk tomorrow. We'll watch the sunrise by the valley tomorrow." Neji spoke tenderly.
This cheered up Sakura a little. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then… Good night." She smiled.
Neji said nothing but gave a smile and waved goodbye. He was about to turn and leave when he remembered something. He turned to the 2 servants behind him. "Stay with Miss Sakura. From today onwards, you will serve her. Attend to all her needs. Is that clear?"
"Yes, 15th prince." The two servants bowed down slightly as a gesture of respect and to show they obeyed his orders.
Neji took one final glance at Sakura. He smiled and then left for his room.
"Neji… He, indeed hold a great deal of power and status…" Sakura muttered to herself thoughtfully. "Missy… Please get into the room. The night is getting cold. It wouldn't be good if you fall sick." One of the servants named Cui-er said politely.
Sakura nodded and smiled in return.
…………………….
Sakura changed into her night gown prepared for her by the servants and was about to get on her bed when she noticed both her servants were standing by the door. "Everything's fine here… You can go back and sleep now…" Sakura smiled at them.
Both the servants stared at each other as if Sakura had just lost her mind. But they guessed that, maybe Sakura was still new to the palace, she didn't know the rules and regulations here and probably, how the palace functions. "Missy, we servants, aren't allowed to leave even when our masters or mistresses are asleep. We are supposed to stay by their side." Cui-er explained politely.
"Huh? Then how are you going to sleep? If you don't sleep, then where do you get all the energy to work?" Sakura asked, nonplussed.
"We sleep on shifts during the day, Missy. We take turns at different times of the day." The other servant, Yue-er answered smiling.
"That must be so tiring…" Sakura thought to herself. "Guess, I wouldn't be able to take it." Sakura told them, giving them a 'I-would-die-if-I-were-you' look.
Both servants smiled in return. "Please do turn in early, Missy." Cui-er bowed.
Sakura ignored her. She sat on her bed and thought hard for a while. Then, she came out with a brilliant idea. "Why not both of you rest here?" Sakura asked anxiously.
Both Cui-er and Yue-er looked at each other, can't quite believing their ears. "It's okay… I wouldn't mind. Just take it as my order." Sakura smiled.
"But… But the 15th prince ordered us to…" Cui-er began, stuttering away. "We would be severely punished if we were to defy his orders…" Yue-er added, nodding her head.
"Don't you want to sleep? Aren't you tired?" Sakura asked doubtfully.
"We are… But…" Yue-er muttered, embarrassed.
"It's okay… I'll explain to him… He'll understand. I can just say you both were just easing my boredom, then we all have a small talk then all of us fell asleep. Surely he wouldn't mind, will he?" Sakura asked, feeling rather unsure of herself.
Both of the servants giggled at Sakura. Sakura smiled having to see they relaxed a little.
…………………….
Sakura, Cui-er and Yue-er were talking about themselves happily in the midst of the night.
Deep inside Cui-er and Yue-er, they felt that Sakura was special. She treated them equally with respect, as if they were her friends or her kin. They began to like Sakura a lot.
All 3 were laughing happily when Cui-er brought up a question boldly. "Missy, how did you get to know the 15th prince?" She asked.
Sakura just looked at her; her expression seemed as if she was thunderstruck.
"Sorry… Missy… I was just curious… Do forgive me." Cui-er quickly apologized, wanting to go onto her knees.
"No!... Don't… I didn't mean that way… I… I was just embarrassed… to… to answer your question… that's all…" Sakura smiled, half stammering. "Do get up."
Cui-er got up and sat beside her, face flushing red. Yue-er said nothing but giggled to herself. Cui-er just gave her a pissed off look.
"So… Missy, tell us… Do you like the 15th prince?" Yue-er asked mischievously.
Sakura blushed to a deep crimson colour. "Of course… I do…" Sakura muttered, still blushing furiously away. All 3 giggled hardly.
After their laughter subsided, Cui-er spoke enviously. "You know, Missy… I would definitely marry and love the 15th prince with all my life if I were you…"
Deep down in Sakura, she does love Neji a lot. "But why did she say so?" Sakura thought to herself. "Why? Tell me…" Sakura asked her, curious.
"Anyone would have… He's handsome… He's honourable and dignified. He treats everyone of us as humans… Not like the rest of the officials here… They just order us around and treat us like animals. They discard us whenever they like…" Yue-er spoke seriously, with a bit of pain in her eyes.
"Yeah… And besides, the 15th prince is nice to us… Though he may seem fierce to us when he order us to do things… But that's not the truth. He's just like you Missy… He only does it when he's supposed to… Many are watching him for he's the emperors' favourite son." Cui-er chirped in thoughtfully.
"Yup… And we know many are eyeing him… Prepared to hunt him down if he ever makes a mistake…" Yue-er said, her voice trailing off.
"But never mind! Thank God he found you… Missy. You're just like him. I believed you'll share his burden. The 15th prince is indeed a fine man, Missy… You should treasure him." Cui-er added smiling at her.
Sakura's face fell upon hearing their words. "Neji must have been under tremendous pressure then… And to think I'm always so willful, wanting him to accompany me everyday… So much stress and yet he compromises me instead…" Sakura thought bitterly.
After thinking much, Sakura thought defiantly to herself. "I must not be his burden anymore… I'll be someone that he can turn towards to when he faced a problem and needed someone to be there for him…"
"I will…" Sakura smiled at Cui-er
(Next morning)
"Sakura! Sakura! Are you there?"
Cui-er, Yue-er and Sakura jumped. "The 15th prince will surely be made at us! We fell asleep!" Cui-er stammered softly. "What are we going to do?"
"Quick! Go and wash your face over there with my basin of water!" Sakura urged them silently.
"But Missy…"
"Then we can just pretend I just woke up and you can just pretend to fetch me another basin of water." Sakura explained hurriedly. "Now go!"
Cui-er and Yue-er nodded. They went to wash their face hurriedly and adjusted themselves properly.
"Sakura!" Neji called out, knocking her room door anxiously. "Surely there is nothing that happen to her, is there?" He thought to himself. Neji was about to force the door open when Yue-er opened it.
"Where is Miss Sakura?" Neji asked impatiently.
"My apologies, your highness. Missy had just woken up. We were helping her to dress up just now. Now I'm going to fetch Missy a basin of water for her to wash up. So if your Highness don't mind, please wait for a little while." Yue-er smiled politely.
"Sure… You can go now…" Neji replied back courteously. He relaxed a bit. He was thinking too much.
After washing up with the water that Yue-er fetched for her, Sakura went to greet Neji who waited by the door.
"Good morning…" She smiled at him. Neji smiled in return. "Did you sleep well last night?" He asked. "Perfect." She answered happily. Then she turned to Cui-er and Yue-er. "Both of you can go and take a break now." She smiled at them. Both of them looked at Neji. Neji said nothing but smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Missy…" They bowed before they left. They even winked at Sakura. Sakura felt light-hearted though. She had a wonderful session with them, talking whole way through last night.
"Well… Let's go take a stroll…" Neji smiled, holding her hand in his.
"Umm…" Sakura nodded happily in agreement.
Both of them walked together, chatting away happily from the palace to the valley nearby the palace. Both sat under a pavilion enjoying the nature's scenery and a light breeze that brush against their skin gently.
They sat there together for quite a while when Sakura reached for Neji's hand. Neji looked up at her.
"Neji… I'm so sorry for being your burden… I didn't know you were under so much stress and pressure…" Sakura goes, not daring to look at him in the eye. Sakura was embarrassed.
"Don't say that… Loving someone is all that it takes… Isn't it? Besides… I have you… By just looking at you, my worries seem to be gone instantly…" He smiled, lifting up her chin to face him.
"I promise I wouldn't be a burden or a problem to you… I'll try to help you… I promise. Really." Sakura said anxiously, holding his hand tightly in hers.
"It's okay…" Neji smiled, hugging her tight in his embrace.
Sakura closed her eyes and hugged him back. "Thank you, Neji…"
Little did they know, nearby, someone as standing behind the tree, "Oh really? No longer his burden? That will just make things so much simpler for me…" the mysterious person laughed silently.
………………………
Sakura and Neji spent their whole day together at the Capital City. They walked around, bought some stuff and ate meals together. But soon, it was nightfall. So they made their way back to the palace.
Neji walked Sakura back to her room before leaving for his. "Good night…" He whispered. He was about to turn and walked away when Sakura caught his arm.
"Huh?" Neji turned around. Sakura tipped her toes and reached to kiss his cheek. "Good night…" She blushed. Neji smiled, he cupped both her cheeks. "Thanks." He said as he kissed her on the lips. They held for a while when Neji broke away rather unwillingly. "It's really late… You better turn in early…" Neji whispered before he waved and walked away.
Sakura watched him walked away contentedly before entering her room.
"Thank goodness I broke away from her… Otherwise I wouldn't be able to control myself… Guess I love her too much…" The young prince signed as he walked to his room.
………………………
Sakura entered the room and much to her surprise, she saw the 6th prince, Itachi sitting at the table waiting for her. Whereas, her servants, Cui-er and Yue-er were standing beside him.
"The 6th prince had been waiting for you Missy." Cui-er spoke timidly.
Sakura looked at Itachi. He stared right back at her. He looked as if he was looking deep into her. His look was making her pretty uncomfortable. So she broke their eye contact and looked at Cui-er instead. "I understand. Thank you…" She muttered softly.
Itachi knew what Sakura was thinking. He bent his head low, closed his eyes and smiled to himself. "Is she afraid of me?" He wondered.
"I have some gifts for you… My sister-in-law to be… They're from my Father…" Itachi smiled, walking towards her and handing her an equisitive box. She opened it up and gasped. Inside contained a lot of precious jewellery pieces like pearl necklace, ruby earrings and so on.
"How can I accept such valuable gifts? I can't. But I appreciate his Majesty kind gesture." Sakura said anxiously.
"This is my Father's intention and it is his way for showing care and concern to you. So please accept it." Itachi smiled. "Please don't make things difficult for me…" He added, joking.
Sakura blushed and accepted the gift in silent consent.
"I have something to tell her. Both of you leave first." Itachi suddenly said to both of the servants. Both Cui-er and Yue-er looked at Sakura as if they have something to tell her but dared not to. But nevertheless, "It's alright. You two can leave first." Sakura assured them.
Both of them have no choice but to leave silently, closing the door shut behind them.
After both Cui-er and Yue-er left, Sakura spoke. "Is there something important you want to tell me, your Highness?"
Itachi laughed upon hearing those words. His laughter sent shivers down Sakura's spine.
He walked towards her and stood in front of her. "Do you really think I have something to tell you?" He breathed, their face only an inch apart.
Before Sakura could even react, Itachi hugged her tight to him by the waist and began kissing her neck. His left hand caressed her waist while the other brushed through her hair.
"Let go of me!" Sakura struggled to get free. She pushed Itachi hard away from her. Both of them stumbled. Itachi tried to grab hold of her, not letting her escape away from him. But all he managed to do was undo her waistband ribbon as Sakura fell onto the bed.
Itachi got up and looked down at Sakura who sat timidly on her bed. Sakura was just like a prey against its predator, Itachi.
Itachi looked at her and smiled. "Now I see why my brother loves you this much… You're really a beauty… A fine one indeed…" He laughed.
Sakura tried to cover herself as much as possible with her clothes. But the ribbon was torn and it couldn't hold her clothes together. Her shoulders and cleavage were revealed. Even her thighs were revealed. Sakura was already on the verge of crying. "What do you want to do?" She stammered.
Itachi crawled over her and pinned her down on the bed. "Don't you know yet? I want you…" He laughed as he forced to kiss her neck.
"Get away from me! HELP!" Sakura screamed desperately with tears flowing down her cheek.
Itachi stopped and licked her lips. "Scream louder if you want others to know about us. Scream louder if you want my brother to leave you…" He laughed.
Sakura stopped screaming. She felt helpless and horrible on the inside. She didn't want Neji to leave her.
"That's my girl…" He whispered devilishly into her ear as he advanced to kiss her lips. "You better serve me well tonight…" He added, removing her clothes.
Sakura cried silently. "Neji… Save me…" Her inner voice cried out inside her.
Sakura shivered as Itachi touched her all over. "It must be her first then…" Itachi thought. It excited him at the thought of that. He was deriving pleasure from her.
"Hug me towards you… Please me… Or I'll torture you till you'll beg me for forgiveness…" He whispered dangerously as he held Sakura's waist tightly to him with her clothes hanging loosely around her.
Sakura couldn't retaliate. With shivering hands, she hugged him tight towards her. "Satisfy my hunger for you… My cherry blossom…" Itachi said seductively as he kissed her neck. "Call out all you can to please me…"
Sakura could no longer bare it. She hated every moment of this especially when it wasn't someone you love at all. "Love me…" Her voice choked.
Itachi could feel the ecstasy in him upon hearing those words. He was dying to have Sakura to himself ever since he laid his eyes on her. He wanted her and in fact, he was falling for her.
Itachi breathed hardly, he kissed Sakura all over, hugging her as much as possible towards him. All Sakura could do was to cry out in pain as he leave 'love bites' all over on her fair delicate skin.
After about an hour or two, Itachi stopped. It was midnight already. He sat on the bed and made Sakura sit facing him as well. Sakura had stopped crying, she was feeling weak and tired all over.
Itachi looked at her. He could see how much pain she was in. She was basically suffering. He knew he should stop but the beast in him didn't allow him to. He held Sakura towards like how a little child would hug his teddy bear. He looked admiringly at her as he ran his fingers through her skin. "How beautiful…" He thought to himself as Sakura continued shivering at his touch.
"I want you…" He whispered once again as he French kiss on her lips. Sakura wanted him to stop but knew he will do what he said. So she returned his kiss. Allowing his tongue to wrap around hers, allowing his hands to touch her body, allowing him to violate her…
Sakura wanted to cry out. She was desperate. Itachi was doing so much to her that she couldn't take it.
"Forgive me… I cannot take it anymore…" Sakura whispered weakly, then she passed out.
Itachi stopped instantly when she passed out. He looked at her with a soft look in his eyes. She seemed weak, tired and sick. He began to regret for what he had done.
He laid her gently on the bed as he got up to dress. After which, he fetched a wet towel from her basin and cleaned her face and body. He picked up her clothes gently from the floor and put them on nicely for her before lying her down on her bed.
Before he left, he knelt down beside her and touched her face. "You made me anxious… Are you aware of that?" Itachi whispered, stroking her face. "The look of you always made me want to make you mine… Do you know that?... Do you even know that… I love you?…" Itachi's voice trailed off softly as he kissed her on the forehead.
After which, he left her room, closing the door silently behind him.
He strolled about the palace slowly thinking about what he had done. Maybe he shouldn't do this to her… This way she would definitely not fall for him. But what's done is done… Itachi began to feel troubled. "No one but you made me feel this way…" He thought to himself. And he began to be totally aware that somehow, after the incident that happened previously, he seemed to change a little. There were too much things going on in his mind. But currently, he was trying to avoid them. All he could think about was her. "I love you… Forgive me…" He signed as he walked away into the night.
End of Chapter 7
Sorry for being so 'naughty' in this chapter. Forgive me. But this is how I want to continue the story. Gomen nasai.
