The Oblivious Life

- Chapter 10 -

"I want every single one of my soldiers ready." Fugaku's demanding voice boomed in the throne room as his most trusted men stood in lines expecting their orders. Itachi and Sasuke were standing few steps behind their father listening every word he says.

"I don't care if they're in the middle of a family dinner or their parents' birthday party, I want everyone to be on alert when I finally call them. There's no time for delay."

"We will make sure that everyone is aware of the situation right away. I have already sent a couple of my men to go around the village and in form all the higher ranking soldiers." Minato bowed his head and avoided eye contact with the angry kind standing on top of the stairs of the throne platform.

Everybody knew that when king Fugaku was in a stage of outrage it was better not to challenge him in any way, and instead stay put and do what ever her told you to do. No one want to cross paths in a bad way with him since the danger of a severe punishment loomed over everyone who messed up. Even Naruto was quiet with his head lowered to the expansive granite floor, his face serious.

No one dared to back talk and no one dared to even glance at the intimidating man, who had his hands entwined behind his back as he walked from side to side on the throne platform.

Sasuke had a hard time controlling himself back in the woods with Sakura, but he had to use every ounce of self-control not to curse out loud and scare the girl, who already appeared to be uncomfortable with him. When he had heard the cry of a man, he had a very bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach and he thought it best if Sakura stayed behind while he went to check what was happening.

Their nice horse ride had turned into one of danger, for Sasuke couldn't believe he had actually brought the girl so close to danger. The masses of men that were putting up a camp under the small cliff screamed of danger and the familiar mark of Uchiha Madara was visible on some of the banners. While looking down at the valley Sasuke couldn't believe the old Uchiha had so many men behind him, but he had much more important things to do than starting to investigate further what was going on.

At the time, his most important mission was to get Sakura out of there, for he had promised his father to look after the girl even if it cost him his life, and there was something about the girl that unsettled him. He could still vividly remember everything he had done with the girl back when she hadn't been kidnapped and even then the girl had an odd affect on him.

He was so close to panicking that he almost was ready to grab the girl from her horse the same instant when he came back to her, and gallop away. Fortunately, he own a very good level of restrain and he was able to have her join him on his horse willingly. His shoulders had been tense, but when Sakura had accompanied him on his horse a wave of relief had washed over him.

He was glad they reached the Main House's domain quickly and he got her in the safety of the kingdom. But he wasn't sure what had encouraged him to be so bold with her back in front of her room. His original plan was to do things slowly and let everything progress at their own pace, even though it was his mother who had suggested that they go for a horse ride.

Immediately, he thought of the idea good for it gave him time to get to know the girl a little more and it also gave him some time away from Naruto, who had been bugging him because of Sakura the whole day. But during their ride Sasuke found it odd how quiet the girl was. He was so used to the talkative side of Haruno's that it felt foreign and he had to confront her because of it. And it was funny how insecure she seemed to be.

It was obvious that she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of being the Haruno heiress, and the clothes seemed to make her uneasy, even though she looked stunning in that red dress of hers. Not to mention, he wasn't the only one finding the girl beautiful in that dress since he couldn't help but notice few of his and Naruto's friends looking at her, especially Kiba seemed to be drooling his eyes out.

It annoyed him, for he was so used to people not having such a reaction to his fiance, since Karin was an average looking person, but still beautiful in her own way. However, it didn't matter how good looking the red head was because Sasuke always had a feeling about her that something was wrong. She never felt like she was the Sakura he had know twenty years ago, because she never gave him the same sensations when around her. But when Sakura they had picked up Sakura with other from the dirt road, everything came back.

From day one, she seemed so familiar. Everything about her screamed that she belonged here much more than Karin, who even had declined of using the name 'Sakura' just because she was used to being called Karin.

The most unfortunate thing of finding the Haruno heir so late was that it was impossible to stop people from using Haruno as their last name, for it had already been accepted as an open name. Luckily, since the Haruno clan's last members are recorded in the archives no one can come and pretend to be one of them. Sakura is, and always will be, the last Haruno.

"I want the underground tunnels the Main House's lands to be filled with necessities such as water and food. I want everyone of my villagers to have access to there when ever Madara is going to attack."

Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward, "I will make sure that a group of guards are alert at all time to make sure everyone get's to the safe chambers."

"Good." Fugaku approved nodding his head, "I also want all the medics to transfer their supplies to the safe chambers, we can't risk Madara eliminating any of the medical stuff. Tsunade will take full control of anything that will happen if anyone gets injured, she will also be the one to make sure everything goes smoothly after evacuation."

"I'll start preparations right away."

"What about you my Lord?" one of the men stepped forward.

"I'll be joining you in the battlefield when the time comes."

"Do you wish for me to send a letter to Sunakagure?" Itachi had taken a step forward to address their father.

"Yes, I want them to know of the situation as soon as possible. I'm sure that Gaara is ready to send some of his soldiers to our aid."

Itachi bowed and backed away back next to Sasuke.

"May I lend your hawk?" Itachi asked his younger brother, who nodded in agreement, "Of course."

"We need every help we can get."

Sakura wasn't sure what was happening when she walked into the hospital wing. Everybody were jogging around masses of supplies in hand and were packing them in bags. Even Shizune was with Kushina doing their part, which looked comical since Kushina seemed annoyed but at the same time worried. It didn't take long for the red headed woman to took notice of Sakura looking lost on the door way.

She put down the sheets she was holding and made her way to the girl.

"Sakura, what is it?"

"What is going on?"

"The king has declared an emergency evacuation."

"Why would he do that?"

Kushina took a glance behind her to make sure that no one was listening before pulling Sakura back to the hallway.

"Someone saw Uchiha Madara's men gathering not too far away from Konoha at the edge of the forest."

Suddenly a memory of yesterday came to Sakurawhen prince Sasuke demanded that she waited for him while he went to investigate what had caused the sound. And the way he seemed unsettled when he returned to her told her that something was wrong. Even when he wanted for her to ride the horse with him.

"Of course.." she didn't even realize she had said it out loud when Kushina looked at her with her head tilted, "What?"

"N-no nothing. I was just recalling something that happened earlier." Sakura tried smiling reassuringly for the worried look on Kushina's face deepened.

Kushina nodded and looked like she believed her, "By the way, you should go find Tsunade, she said she wanted to talk to you as soon as possible."

"I'll go find her."

"Good, I have to go back." they bid goodbyes as Kushina left for the hospital leaving Sakura standing alone. She couldn't believe they actually were so close to Madara yesterday with prince Sasuke. She would have thought they were bandits making a camp, but this was something she hadn't even given a thought of. It felt so surreal for Madara didn't seem like the person to attack so quickly.

But considering that his last assassination and attacking attempts have failed, this seemed very likely. He wanted the crown more than anything and was ready to start a war if it was the only way.

While thinking Sakura had made her way to Tsunade's office. She knocked four times and heard the familiar voice of her mentor calling her in.

"Good, you are here." Tsunade spared a quick look in her way before continuing scribbling something on a scroll.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," she shuffled a moment with the papers on her desk, "I need you to pack all your valuables as soon as you can and come here. We will be evacuating to the underground base."

"But no one hasn't even attacked yet."

The older woman stopped what he was doing and looked her apprentice dead in the eye, " King Fugaku is man known to protect his citizens at all costs. Not to mention he is a man of great pride. He wants all important people transferred to the base in the course of the next two days with as much supplies for surviving as possible."

"Why can't I stay here? I could help everyone around here. What about when some of the soldiers get injured? I could be there right away and help, until they get to safety."

A chuckle from Tsunade startled Sakura for a moment.

"If you haven't still come to the terms with the fact that you're the bride of the future king than there is not much I can do, but with your position comes many obligations. One of those obligations is that you must be protected at all time, just like the current queen."

"But I'm-"

Tsunade held her hand to silence the girl.

"I don't wish to hear any objections from you. These are king's orders and we must follow them. My hands are tied." Sakura bowed her head and apologized, but when she rose back up there was a glint in Tsunade's eyes that made shivers run down her spine.

"Wh-what is it with that look?" she asked uncertainly.

"If you have any objections with evacuating to the tunnels, I suggest you go talk with your future husband. Otherwise I suggest that you go and pack your things for we will be leaving in two hours."

It took half an hour to find Sasuke and a lot of questions since she had to ask many maids for directions. Sakura was determined to be of help if Madara decided to attack instead of hoping and praying in the underground tunnels for everything to be okay like everyone else.

She wanted to help. But why wouldn't anyone allow it? She's well aware of her current position as the future queen, but everything has to have limits. And not to forget that when she woke up this morning and left her room it became very evident that there were two guards following her around. Even when she was in Tsunade's office they stood near the door and when she came out they didn't even try to hide it.

She felt annoyed for being under so much protection. It felt so unusual and if someone asked her right now whether she wanted her old life back, she would definitely say yes because this was getting ridiculous. She tried her best to ignore the two guards and that's why she didn't want to ask for their help in finding her husband-to-be.

Luckily after that annoying half an hour she found Sasuke from the throne room talking with his best friend Naruto. Since Sasuke's back was facing her, Naruto was the first one to notice her approaching them and alerting Sasuke of her arrival. The prince turned around just when Sakura stopped before him.

"This is ridiculous." were the first words coming out of her mouth.

Sasuke looked openly curious as of why she was saying those words, but still he found it amusing for her to be acting this way, ecpecially in his presence.

"What is ridiculous?"

Swiftly she turned around and pointed at the two guards making their way into the throne room and bowing deeply when they notice their prince's eyes on them.

"Who though it to be a good idea to have guards follow me around like I need a babysitter, clearly is not a sane person." Sakura had turned back to Sasuke, whose face was as impassive as ever as he continued to observe the two men, now standing near the door way looking awkward.

"And second," Sakura's voice drew his attention back to her, "Why do I need to evacuate into the tunnels like everyone else?"

The one to answer Sakura wasn't Sasuke but instead his loud mouthed friend standing next to him, grinning widely. "Of course, you will go to the underground base. Every woman of high rank will, even my Hinata-chan!" He stated it like it was obvious. "It's going to be dangerous up here if Madara decides to attack and the safest place for everyone is in the Main House's tunnels."

"But I can help! Like the other doctors." Sakura fire back and Naruto looked baffled, which made Sakura almost roll her eyes. Since when have people been so close minded?

"It's not about if you can help or not," Sasuke finally said looking gently at her, "it's about your status."

Sakura sighed in annoyance, "I'm not the queen as of yet."

"Yes, but you are my bride."

"I don't understand how that effects my capability to help others."

Sasuke shook his head in slight dismay, "It does not, but it is proper for you to be safe. And it is for the kingdom as it is for my own peace of mind."

Sakura didn't flinch at the prince's words or even blushed because her mind was working and she came to a conclusion that made her want to rip her head off, "You assigned those two guards to follow me."

"I think now is the time I leave you two alone." Naruto said casually and began strolling away from them and soon out of the throne room.

Sakura didn't spare another glance at his way because she wanted to know why in the world would Sasuke have two men run after her, unfortunately Sasuke didn't look like he was about to tell her.

She pointed her finger at him, "Don't even think about ignoring me."

But instead of answering her question he did the exact what she had told him not to; ignore her. He simply walked past her leaving her alone, but she was having none of it. She was determined to find out why right at this very moment, so she quickly made her way after the prince, who obviously had longer legs that carried him quickly out of the throne room, but Sakura wasn't going to give up that easily.

She stayed few foot away from him, holding the hem of her dress so that she wouldn't step on it and fall all over the floor. That would be embarrassing but predictable because she wasn't used to wearing such a long dresses. Short and practical were familiar to her, but long and always-in-the-way, not so.

"I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me this instant, why would you have two guards follow me."

Suddenly after a while of walking through the halls the prince turned around almost causing Sakura to fall head first on the floor, if it wasn't for his reflexes that caught her just in time. As he helped her back up on her feet, she saw his free hand move and the next thing she heard was two pairs of footsteps walking hurriedly away.

Sakura was just about to demand for an answer again but Sasuke beat her to it, his voice calm and gentle, while a bit frustrated, "You're my bride, I should take care of you and make sure that you're safe at all time, especially now that Madara is becoming a greater threat that anyone of us could have imagined."

As he said those words he was still holding her upper arm.

"But I'm not a child that needs to be watched over twenty-four seven."

"I know, but it makes me relaxed to know that there's someone making sure you're fine." There was a certain unwavering tone in his voice that told Sakura that the conversation about her two dogs has ended. She knew that there was no way to turn his head.

"Then at least allow me to stay in the Main House for a little longer."

"No."

"Why not? It's not fair that I'm not allowed to do anything."

"I'm not taking any risks."

"Well, if something happens to me, you can always find a new wife."

Immediately as the words left her mouth Sasuke body went rigid and face paled, as he took Sakura's serious face in.

"How can you even say something like that?"

To say that Sakura was baffled with the prince's reaction was an understatement. The way she sees everything is that she's just another person that can be replaced and she didn't mind if something happened to her if she can be of help. Helping others is something she's always wanted to do and Tsunade's offer was the best thing that has ever happened to her.

"I'm just a person." Sakura said looking straight in Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke sighed deeply and shook his head.

"You're not just a person. You're the only person from Haruno clan alive, and not to mention you're the legitimate heir. And you're also my bride which makes you everything else than just a person."

Sakura was speechless but she's never been one for titles and the idea of who is more important than the other. In her eyes everyone are equals. It didn't matter whether you were a farmer or a rich merchant.

"I-, we're all equals in my eyes."

Sasuke took steps closer to Sakura, his hand sneaking around Sakura's neck causing a cold shivers run down her back, as he held her close.

"Have you ever thought what would happen if there were no people who are more respected than others? People who take care of things such as politics and shipping, and also the relationships between countries."

She merely shook her head in denial.

"There would be no one to control anything, as everyone would try to decide on things and there would never been an agreement on anything. The fact that there are people like me and you means that there's also order. People feel safe when there is a king that takes care of things that they don't know nothing of. If an average farmer was put in control of a country what would happen?"

"I-I don't know."

"He wouldn't know how everything works. Just like if you put a king or someone who's higher ranked and used to taking care of politics to work on a farm, there would only be chaos for they wouldn't know how to farm the land. A country that has different people with different status is like a carriage. Everything works smoothly when the wheels work perfectly and the bolts keep it intact."

"The Land of Fire would never work if it weren't for the king and his subjects. I admire the way you think, it is very noble way, but not practical."

"I take it that I have to go to the underground base."

"Yes, I insist." he said while brushing her cheek.

"My lord!" yelled a male voice from behind Sasuke and he turned to see a soldier telling him that his father was looking for him and wanted an audience with him right now.

Sasuke turned his head back to look Sakura whose eyes were unfocused as she tried to take in his words. Moving his other hand he completely cupped Sakura's cheeks between his bigger, warm hands gaining Sakura attention back to him.

"I have to go, but I'll stop by the safe base later this evening, and I expect you to be there for the idea of something happening to you burns painfully at my soul."

Sakura walked back to Tsunade's office in a haze only to find it empty. There were no trace of her being in there at least for a moment, for her bags were gone and few books were missing. She closed the door and headed for the hospital. As she walked she came to the conclusion that she was thinking too much. Her head was ringing with the prince's last words.

'The idea of something happening to you burns painfully at my soul.' He had said and it sounded more like from one of her novels than something coming out of a prince's mouth especially to her. She wasn't used to being admired or even respected the way prince Sasuke was treating her. It made her feel giddy on the inside but also doubt his motives. Was he only doing this because they were bound to get married? Or was he actually doing this because he is truly interested in her?

Shizune was talking with a nurse on the corridor with a stack of papers in her arms. They greeted each other with a nod as Sakura made her way in through the double doors. Tsunade was barking orders for everyone and it took a while for her to notice Sakura hanging in the background, but when she did her sole attention was on her.

"How did it go?"

"Not well."

"He didn't allow you to stay here?"

"No, but at least he got rid of the two guards following me around."

"Well we'll be leaving in thirty minutes. Go pack your things and come here so we'll go to the base together."

"Will the nurses and doctors up here be okay?" Sakura asked unsure of the safety of everyone.

"There are couple of doctors that are also trained in combat. They'll be fine, but you have to get packing or you'll be late and the maids coming pick your trunk won't be delayed much."

Sakura nodded and left to go pack. She felt really exhausted and tired. She wished nothing more than to lay down on her bed and sleep, but she was well aware that she had to pack the little amount of stuff she owned. Instantly she made sure her necklace was around her throat before pulling few of her new outfits from the drawer and placing them in a trunk.

Luckily she didn't own much so putting all of her essential stuff in to the trunk took less than five minutes, and by the time she was ready two male maids were knocking on her door asking for the trunk. Sakura walked after the two men for a moment before she had to make a turn to the right to meet with Tsunade whereas they went to the left.

When she arrived at the hospital everything was already organized and they headed for the tunnels. Sakura expected for the place to be somewhere near the place she was interrogated for it was underground but the place where they went under was in a completely different direction near the back of the Main House. The heavy metal doors were pulled apart by two guards and people started to file in.

Sakura and Tsunade waited for the nurses to get in and just as they were about to cross the doors and head down the stone staircase an enormous explosion rattled the entire structure.

And that was chapter 10. I hope you enjoyed it and if you did then please leave a review.

Thanks for reviewers:

RobinSparkelz

Chachiha

Anissa

jean

Conan-Ai

and two guests.

- Jakura