Sakura stared at the group in front of her nervously. They were standing in front of the large manor which belonged to the Hyuuga family, filling up the wagon with chests and boxes. She felt like a stranger, someone who didn't belong with the people she saw.
When they stood together in a group, she could clearly see how they stood out, different from everyone around them. She could see their nobility in the way they stood, in their unblemished skins and their immaculate clothes. Itachi, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Naruto and Hinata were a formidable group of people, and Sakura felt self-conscious about traveling with them to a foreign country.
"At least my role is of Lady Hinata's handmaiden and companion. Nobody will spare me a second glance." She muttered to herself, not realizing that to the passerby she was the most exotic beauty among them, with her striking green eyes and pale pink hair.
"Looks like we're all set to go." Kakashi motioned for Sakura to step in closer to the group as the last couple of servants finished loading their wagon. "We'll be a merchant group, traveling to Suna to sell our wares. Hinata and Sakura will ride on the cart with Shikamaru as myself, Naruto and Itachi go on horseback." Kakashi went over the plan once more. Everyone agreed to the plan, ready to set out. Their intent was to leave before lunch, but the sun was already high in the sky.
"Let me help you up." Naruto smiled at his fiancé, taking her hand as he helped her climb atop the wagon. Sakura admired the lovely blush that colored Hinata's cheeks, internally admiring the girl's pure love towards the prince. She herself didn't expect any assistance, ready to jump up however she could, but she was surprised to see Naruto stand by, waiting to help her too. "Up you go!" His smile was contagious, and Sakura found herself mirroring it.
"Thank you." She nodded.
"What? I don't get a helping hand too?" Shikamaru teased Naruto as he was next in line to hop up on the wagon, and all he got was a rude gesture from the prince.
Sakura settled herself inside the wagon across from Hinata. Shikamaru sat in front, taking hold of the horses. With a quick shout, he set the vehicle in motion. It shook as it began to move, and Sakura held on to the wooden frame for support. Hinata was not as prepared and lurched forward. With a quick movement, Sakura leaned forwards to support her.
"I'm so sorry." Hinata apologized and Sakura waved her apology off. She looked sideways to the back where she could see Naruto, Itachi and Kakashi following them. Despite the commoner clothes they were wearing, the three of them still made an impressive appearance.
"We'll be taking the Western exit, I made sure it was clear for us." Shikamaru spoke from the front. Curious, Sakura scooted towards him, to better see the path. As they made their way past each circle of Capital City, she noticed the roads growing emptier. "I had the army announce the gate was closed for repairs today." Shikamaru explained as they approached the gate. It was completely empty of civilians, and they passed through. The soldiers saluted them as they passed by.
As soon as they passed the gate and were on the road, they were greeted by a wind that Sakura couldn't feel. She noticed Hinata's hair fluttering and Shikamaru's ponytail shaking.
"It's the first time I'm leaving Capital City. Our clan has a castle in the north, but I've never been there." Hinata noted.
"Do you want to sit up front to have a better view?" Sakura asked.
"It's better to wait until we're further out, Lady Hinata's features are too easily recognized." Shikamaru spoke. Sakura doubted anyone out there cared that Lady Hinata was going out of Capital City, but she felt that questioning the Royal Strategist was silly.
"Thank you for coming with us, Sakura. To be completely frank, Naruto was the one who insisted on your presence. He said that if you came, Master Uchiha would come as well. I of course admired you in Queen Kushina's funeral, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to become closer to you as well." Hinata smiled at Sakura. While Sakura was glad that Hinata seemed to like her enough to want to know her better, she couldn't help but feel bitter that she was being used as a pawn to manipulate Itachi.
"It was my idea in the first place. Naruto didn't want to go through with it, he doesn't enjoy this type of social bargaining." Shikamaru joined the conversation.
"I know, which is why I went through with it. As future Queen it's my role to support the King, even if he doesn't want it." Hinata nodded. Even if she didn't like being a pawn, Sakura at least admired Hinata's resolve. She looked back to see Naruto talking to Kakashi and Itachi and smiled.
"It's nice to see the future King inspires such loyalty." She noted.
"Yeah, inspiring is a good way to describe that idiot." Shikamaru snorted.
"He's not an idiot. Naruto is much smarter than you give him credit, Shikamaru." Hinata pouted. Sakura found herself laughing. It was surreal that they were speaking so casually about the future King, and yet it felt natural. It reminded her of when she and Ino would gossip about their friends and neighbors.
Itachi and Kakashi sped past them, galloping ahead. Naruto also sped up, catching up to the wagon.
"Itachi and Kakashi are going ahead to scout. How are things here?" He asked, keeping pace with the vehicle.
"We're fine." Shikamaru answered.
"Hmm. Hey Sakura, did something happen to Itachi lately? He looks off, like something happened to him." Naruto asked Sakura. Her mind immediately went to her rejection and she felt herself drown in guilt.
"Well he was recently sick, so maybe he's still recovering." She lied, forcing herself to smile. Naruto nodded, but there was something about his expression and his blue eyes that made Sakura feel like he had just seen right through her lie.
"That has to be it!" He smiled brightly, and yet Sakura didn't feel relieved. "By the way, why did you insist on coming, Shikamaru. Neji would have been a perfectly good option. Do you know how hard the Hyuuga Duke glared at me when I told him Neji wasn't coming?" Naruto directed his attention to Shikamaru allowing Sakura to breathe easily again.
"I have friends in Suna." Shikamaru answered casually.
"Oh is it Gaara's sister? What's her name? The blonde one? That one you liked?" Naruto snapped his fingers. Shikamaru shot him a glare.
"Your Highness, please keep your nose out of my business." Shikamaru grumbled as Naruto laughed loudly.
Naruto's presence was like a bright warm sun. He talked and laughed a lot, and Sakura found herself smiling a lot. He was different than everyone else she was around and while sometimes he said stupid things, she found herself enjoying the time with him.
They continued forward until they met up with Kakashi and Itachi, who were standing by the side of the road. It was then that Sakura realized that the sun was low.
"I'm so hungry, it's a shame we didn't stop for lunch." Hinata sighed.
"We had to make up our late start." Shikamaru spoke.
"Are you not hungry, Miss Sakura?" Hinata asked Sakura, who was surprised. She couldn't feel hunger, but she still nodded. Shikamaru guided the wagon to a stop and hopped off, stretching his arms. Naruto helped Hinata and Sakura down, and as soon as Hinata made contact with the floor she complained about her aching legs.
Sakura didn't feel anything, but she guessed that if she wanted to, she'd be able to mirror Hinata's pain. Noticing Shikamaru's sharp gaze on her, she mimicked Hinata's movement, massaging her back to get rid of an unfelt ache.
Sakura noticed Kakashi and Itachi separating the horses from the wagon. She watched as Kakashi guided the horses away and Itachi placed down an open box.
"Wait! We need to take tonight's provisions!" Naruto stopped Itachi.
"Then be quick."
Following everyone, Sakura rushed to the back of the wagon to pick up clothes for herself and Hinata. She took everything she thought they'd need, and stepped back. As soon as everyone stepped back, Itachi waved his arms, a magical circle appearing beneath the wagon. Sakura blinked and the vehicle disappeared. All that was left was the small box Itachi leaned over.
"Come this way, we've set up camp already." Kakashi pointed towards the north of the road. The group followed him, leaving the road behind. They walked for several minutes until eventually finding a small wooden house.
"This is not my specialty, but I did the best I could." Itachi spoke as Kakashi opened the door, leading them inside. The house looked bigger inside than outside, with several rooms and simple wooden furniture. Sakura was used to magic, but Itachi still found ways to surprise her.
"There's three rooms and two bathrooms. Do people want to eat first or clean up first?" Kakashi asked.
"Food first!" Naruto spoke up first.
"We'll have to cook ourselves." Itachi noted. "It's not automated." He explained, motioning towards the house.
The nobles looked at each other with wide eyes and Sakura quickly realized that none of them likely knew how to make food for themselves.
"I'll get started on something. Let me just drop these things off first." She smiled.
"Oh I can do that, you can focus on the food." Hinata smiled, taking Sakura's bags from her. Nodding, Sakura walked towards the simple kitchen. Kakashi and Naruto dropped off the food provisions they had taken. Sakura looked over what she had, planning on what she'd make.
"I'll assist you." Itachi stood next to Sakura. She avoided looking at him, nodding at the vegetables.
"Thank you."
Cooking with Itachi was awkward yet familiar. Despite them barely speaking or looking at each other, they managed to work together with a lot of synergy. Even without communicating they still fit well, understanding each other's processes and thoughts. By the time they were finished, Sakura felt relieved. She believed that even if things were awkward now, they would repair themselves eventually.
.
.
.
Naruto knew he wasn't smart like Shikamaru, skilled like Itachi, experienced like Kakashi or gentle like Hinata. And yet he also knew that there were things only he could see. He prided himself in being very good at reading people.
They were being so obvious, it was hard for him to hold his tongue and not say something. The Itachi and Sakura of today were different from the Itachi and Sakura of his mother's funeral. The way they avoided each other, and yet unconsciously placed themselves in direct eyesight of each other told him that something happened between them.
Naruto knew Itachi wasn't Sasuke, his best friend. But Itachi was still Sasuke's older brother, and Naruto felt responsible for the single Uchiha. His family had given their lives to protect his family and his people, and Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was indebted to Itachi. There wasn't much he could do for him, but he still wanted to be his friend, to ease his loneliness. He had been happy to discover Sakura, and that she was his companion. While their relationship was unusual at best, Naruto could look past any impropriety if it made Itachi happy.
Except now Itachi didn't look happy anymore. And Naruto didn't like that. Itachi had chosen his room first, and Naruto wasted no time in rapidly claiming the second bed in that room. He smiled at Itachi's glare, completely ignoring it.
"I let the girls use the bathroom first, cause they'll take longer." Naruto warned Itachi. The Uchiha was about to leave the room when Naruto stopped him. "I'm sorry." His apology caught Itachi's attention, stopping him from leaving the room. "I'm sorry for using her to get you. In my defence, my strategist, my Spymaster and my future wife did it despite my complaints. It doesn't sit well with me either."
"Then as future King you should have stopped them."
"Perhaps. But I believe that I don't know everything." Naruto shrugged. "What I do know is that there's something going on with you and Miss Sakura. What happened?"
"Nothing." Itachis's voice was dark and clipped, and the way he said nothing was just like Sasuke used to.
"You know, the last time I heard an Uchiha say that, Sasuke was upset at some girl who didn't dance with him. Was that what happened to you? Sakura refused the magical Uchiha charm?" Naruto lied. Sasuke had never been interested in dancing with any girls, but he hoped to bait Itachi.
The Uchiha turned around to look at Naruto with a glare. The blonde prince grinned, as he knew he had gotten it right. Giving up on his plan to leave the room, Itachi returned to his bed, sitting down heavily. He reached into his coat pocket, taking a small black box.
"I proposed and she said no." Itachi sounded genuinely upset and Naruto was surprised by how easily he shared the story. He had expected he'd have to work much harder for it. He was clearly more bothered than Naruto saw.
"Hmm, knowing you, I'm guessing it's your fault." Naruto was met with the red Sharingan and he quickly amended his statement. "I just mean that your clan isn't good with words. Did you go through the whole spiel? Tell her that you love her, can't live without her, she's the best thing that ever happened to you, you know?"
"No." Itachi muttered. Naruto sighed deeply and shook his head. "If I said those things, I think she would have been more upset. She said that I didn't love her, and she's right. I simply thought that I hadn't planned on wedding anyone else, and that at least I could do right by her, and give her safety."
"I don't think your heart is in the wrong place, but you have to consider her feelings too." Naruto explained, realizing that the situation was much more complex than a simple lover's spat. "If you were a poor young man and some lonely rich woman offered to marry you because they had nothing better and wanted to give you financial stability, how would you feel?"
"Angry. I see. She thinks that I pity her." Itachi nodded. Naruto smiled, Itachi understood things easier and faster than Sasuke had. "I suppose it's true that I pitied her, but she is pitiable."
"That doesn't mean that she wants your pity. Nobody wants to be pitied, no matter how pitiful they are. Especially women. They don't want you to be logical and rational towards them. What they want is your unconditional love. You know Hinata used to have a crush on me since we were kids, and I'll be honest, a lot of the time I spent with her was because she was really quiet and didn't have any friends. Then I got to know her and I started to like her, but in the beginning she still thought I was just being nice to her and didn't take my feelings seriously. It took some work for her to see that while I was nice to everyone, I was extra special nice to her. It's obvious that you have some attachment to Sakura, but first you need to think if she's just a friend or if she's a lover. And if you do love her, you need to show her that you love her, and she's the most important person in the world to you." Naruto nodded. His relationship with Hinata was not the fairytale everyone thought it had been. Despite how much she loved him, it had still taken him years to figure out his own feelings and get them across to her.
"Her rejection still hurts." Itachi pouted and Naruto promised himself to never forget the one moment Uchiha Itachi showed him vulnerability.
"Of course it does! Rejection always hurts!" Naruto stood up from his bed and crossed the room to sit next to Itachi. He placed his arm around the Uchiha's shoulders. "If you want to cry, I'm here for you."
Naruto was met with a glare and a shove. He laughed as he fell backwards, watching Itachi storm off.
However Naruto saw the change happen the next day. He was standing by their vehicle, waiting for Sakura. Hinata was already settled, and he was watching Sakura finish setting down their luggage at the back. He could see Itachi hovering around, seemingly disinterested, but Naruto saw him sneak glances at Sakura whenever she wasn't looking. Finished, Sakura walked around the wagon to the front, ready to take her place. Naruto had been waiting for her, but after a quick look at Itachi, he turned around.
"Yo Kakashi!" He left Sakura and Itachi behind to go look for Kakashi. The older man looked at him oddly, but as soon as he was far enough away he looked back, just in time to see Itachi offer his assistance to Sakura, and for her eyes to soften as green and black finally met each other after days of avoidance. Proud of himself and happy for his friend, Naruto's smile was brighter than the sun that shone down on them.
I'm sorry for the delay, but we'll be returning to our weekly updates. For the first time in a while we had a point of view of someone who wasn't Sakura or Itachi, Thank you all for your patience, your lovely reviews and to everyone who shows up to read.