Sasuke woke up with the series of screaming fangirls right outside the hotel. He disentangled Sakura's hold on his shirt carefully to finally take a glimpse of what was happening outside. Media, photographers, and so many people outside. He also noticed Naruto and the palace guards outside trying to dissipate the crowd. Sasuke cursed mentally.
He contacted Naruto's number to know what was going on.
"What the hell, Naruto." He spoke once he heard the squealing girls at the other line.
"Oh hey!" He heard his best friend laugh nervously. "I promise you we're taking care of it. And well sorry to say the King had asked me to escort you and Milady back to the Palace immediately."
Sasuke groaned at that. He thought that he could still at least have a breakfast with Sakura and visit her parents one last time. Giving up, he sighed and tossed his phone to the couch.
Sakura, on the other hand, rolled over and stirred awake afterwards when she felt the body beside her left. "Mm.. Sasuke?"
Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm here. We have to go back to the Palace now."
Seeing the disappointed look at her face, Sasuke cursed Naruto again mentally. Instead, he hesitantly kissed her forehead. That resulted to a bright smile coming from Sakura. It was evident that Sasuke relaxed upon seeing that. "Take a quick shower. I'll ask Naruto to bring us food."
While Sakura was in the shower, Sasuke busied himself packing his things and checking his phone to look at their pictures for the last two days. A smirk made its way to his lips when he came across a picture of Sakura under a pile of snow. He kept on browsing until he stumbled upon a particular picture of them together in the ramen stand.
He could not understand how one simple girl changed his life in a span of three-almost four months now- how Sakura forced her way, not only in the Palace, but also into his life personally. He could not say that he was already in love her. Hell, he had no idea what it felt like to be in love. But, he was a hundred percent sure that he deeply cares about her well-being and that he never felt like this to anyone before. Are they friends? Sure. Sometimes. She even told him so. Are they lovers? They should be. Since they are promised to be married to each other. She already confessed to him, so what now, Sasuke?
He continued to scan his gallery and asked himself how did he not notice how had he also changed. His phone gallery was full of pictures of her, be it by simply for his teasing purposes or whenever he brings her in a new place, he would take a candid photo of her. Sakura would also borrow his phone and babble about how dull his life is. She would always take pictures of him and her together forcefully.
He simply could not understand how can she be so brave.. so sure about confessing her feelings to him. He could not understand where was her strength coming from.. how could she have liked someone like him. All he did for the past four months was tease her, made her feel like shit all the time. And she still liked him? How naive she is. At first, he was mad at her for inflicting this confusing feelings he's been having for a while now. She always annoyed the hell out of him.
She was making her into a fool. Fool for simply wanting her to smile. Fool because he feels this way towards her. Fool because he is into her. He may not be in love with her quite yet, but it is definite that he's on his way.
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The Royal Couple was escorted by the Palace guards into their way to the awaiting limousine. They kept their hands intertwined until they made it inside the car. The crowd was crazy; people kept on pushing to the point that Sakura almost tripped if not for Sasuke's hold on her. The press bombarded them with questions speculating that Sakura was already pregnant and other ridiculous questions such as Sasuke cheating on her. The Royal couple continued walking with Sasuke already shielding Sakura from practically everyone.
Sasuke asked her if she was okay once they were safely inside the car.
"I'm okay, I guess. It's just that I kind of twisted my ankle." She hissed in pain and gently rubbed her right ankle.
The car has started moving, and the chauffeur informed them that he was assigned to bring them back to Palace immediately. Sasuke merely nodded and proceeded to carefully check up on Sakura's right foot.
He brought her ankle into his lap, not caring about the way the chauffeur watched them in the rear view mirror, massaging and examining what happened. He guessed that she may had twisted her ankle with all the people pushing earlier.
Sasuke peered at her only to see the adoring blush on her cheeks. If she wasn't hurt, it would be great to tease her, however, he chose to ask her if it really hurt that they could go into a hospital if she want to, but she immediately denied.
Once the chauffeur announced their arrival, a doctor had already been waiting for the couple to get off the car. Many of the maids had also been standing nearby. Sasuke sensed how uncomfortable she was seeing many people making a big fuss over her sprain. He helped her get off the car, silently commanding the maids to back down first.
Sasuke noticed how Sakura was biting her lower lip trying to stop herself from cursing. Unable to contain himself, Sasuke carried her just like how newlyweds do. Sakura protested right away, but Sasuke just glared at her telling her to shut up and stop acting like a brat. Sakura hid her face in the crook of his neck, embarrassed with the people present around them. The maids had followed them to Sakura's room with the Queen already waiting for their arrival. Sasuke bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment to his mother and proceeded to deposit Sakura to her bed.
"Sakura, my dear. Oh poor thing, that must hurt a lot." The Queen told her while brushing a lock of her hair. The maids had already assisted the doctor, bringing ice, bandages, and other medicines. Sasuke stood by the door silently observing how the people hovered over Sakura.
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The doctor had strictly reminded Sakura to rest and to not engage in any strenuous activity. Once all the maids are out, the Queen told her that she could stay in her room for the rest of the day. On the way out, Mikoto had given Sasuke a knowing smile and a wink. Sasuke, in return, stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Itachi and his influences..it had already rubbed off to their mother.
Sasuke cautiously sat on the edge of the bed. "Does it still hurt?"
"Not so much anymore. Thank you. I'll be fine." She rambled about being uncomfortable having so many people worked up just by having her ankle sprained. She even mentioned about preferring having Tenten assist her. "When you got hurt, not so many people made a big fuss over it. Why is that so, Sasuke?"
"Hn. I hate it when they do that. Mother knows that very well."
Sakura fell asleep without meaning to when Sasuke went out for a bit to change his clothes. Sasuke silently exited her room after he draped the blankets over her shoulders.
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King Fugaku had asked Sasuke to come by his office the minute they arrived, but he chose to stand by Sakura's side until he was sure that she was okay. He was now seated across his father looking so serious as usual.
"Sasuke. I understand your concern to the princess, but I told you to come here straightaway." Sasuke merely shrugged in return, not really understanding what was he doing there. The King rarely asks him to visit him in the office; it was always Itachi. He guessed that it had something to do with the quite behavior he had shown earlier this week. The last thing he needed right now was for his father to scold him.
"Itachi and Izumi's wedding will be held a week after their graduation. That leaves us roughly three months. There had already been speculations about them being not suitable to be the next leaders of the country. Most of the critiques think that Itachi will make quite a change once I pass down the throne to him." King Fugaku continued while sipping his tea.
"Why are you telling me this, Father." Sasuke asked him, keeping his head down, not looking at anything in particular.
"Many people had already expressed their dissatisfaction about the Royal family. You are a prince, Sasuke. You, going to Oto, will widen the gap between us and the commoners. I allowed Itachi to study outside Konoha for I do trust Kirigakure's king; I trust him that he'll protect my son while he was there. As for Oto, we had a lot of complications concerning their government. And having you hurt months ago do not put me the least at ease. It is better for you to stay here in Konoha, get more involved in our charity works, stay by the princess's side." He explained to his son.
"The problem I see here, Father, is the way we think of ourselves. We are no different from other people. So what if I am a prince? It is this way of thinking that led us to this situation. We are no more than entertainers trying to please our people. If this is your way of telling me to be the back-up for your throne, I don't need it. You having problem with Oto's monarchy should be the least of your worries when you should be worrying about Konoha's." Sasuke abruptly stood up, completely pissed off the way his father makes lame excuses about worrying about his safety when all he wanted was to secure the throne.
King Fugaku did not bother to call him back; he merely watched his youngest son left his office. The way Sasuke was being more difficult for the past weeks had clearly put him under stress. With Itachi, it was different. Itachi had obeyed all of his orders, listened to his advice. With the King's political advisers, they strongly agreed that Sasuke had became more popular having Sakura by his side. Even if Itachi blindly followed his footsteps, his political advisers had seen the potential in Sasuke. They thought that if Sasuke were to be his successor and not Itachi, it would give the people the power they were aiming for. With Sakura being the queen, they would think that they were given a voice in the government.
It had been decades since the Uchihas rule Konoha. And this was the only time when people begin to doubt how the Uchiha rules the country. Moreover, having to choose between his sons who will be his successor had been the most punishing decision he had to make.
It was true that Itachi had never expressed any dismay concerning the pressure he was under ever since he was a kid. However, he knew his son very well. He knew how he did not like to be a king. He knew that he wanted his younger brother to be the king instead of him. Both of his sons were prodigy. And yet, both of them were also not interested about the position of the King.
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With less than three months before their high school graduation, Gaara had decided to stay in Konoha University. He had not decided yet what major he would be taking but it was sure to have something to do with politics. His decision to stay was heavily influenced by the princess of the said country.
Even if he and Sakura did not spend so much time together for that matter, he was contented when the said princess would smile at him whenever she sees him. She is smart, beautiful. She is a little clumsy that makes her adorable. She looks so innocent, so fragile.
He did not realize the extent of his feelings for the princess until he had seen Sasuke kissed her. The pang of jealousy he had felt back then.. the tightening of chest. It burned.
He would also observe how often would Sakura shed tears for that prince. There were times when she would skip classes, isolate herself in the school gardens. He never dared to approach her; he just simply watched her. But when he noticed her not eating her lunch one day, he voiced out his concern trying to at least cheer her up.
He did not know what kind of relationship Sasuke and Sakura had. But, he could see how much Sakura had suffered in the hands of Sasuke.
With the Royal Couple skipping their classes for two days now, Gaara could not help but wonder what was going on. The last time he had talk to both of them, Sasuke had clearly threatened him. To be honest, he did not care. He just wanted to make Sakura happy.
His sister, Temari, had warned him not to pursue Sakura anymore for it will only bring conflicts in the future. Not that he did not try, he could not take her off his mind.
He was currently seated inside the classroom. If the couple did not show up once again, it would be the third consecutive day. However, a few minutes after, the two of them showed up with Sasuke supporting Sakura to keep her balance. That's when he noticed the bandage on her right foot. He stopped himself before he could go to her aid.
Sasuke's hand was on her back while his other hand was gripping Sakura's hand to keep her steady. Judging from their body language, he guessed that they had made up once again. Once they were settled down on their seats, he tried to hear their conversation.
"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked her. "You can go back to the Palace if you like."
Sakura dismissed her hand. "I'm fine. Anyway, we're just going to sit all day." She smiled as to reassure him.
Gaara was beyond curious what happened for the last two days. They were acting like a normal couple and he had never envied Sasuke until he saw Sakura initiating to intertwine their hands.
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For the last three months of their high school, many news articles featured the young couple. One was about the couple holding hands as they walk casually in a park; the other was a picture of them together in the Konoha University. Many girls had always dreamed about being a princess, but moreover, all the girls had envisioned to be the one next to Prince Sasuke. And Sakura had it all since she was born.
There was one time when Hinata caught the couple in the act. She left her pencil case in the classroom and when she was about to open the door of the room, she noticed that there were still people inside. She quietly turned the doorknob only to see Sakura hugging Prince Sasuke from behind.
Upon seeing her enter the room, Sakura had abruptly remove herself from her previous position, cheeks blazing.
Hinata quickly apologized. "I-Ah I'm sorry. I just- I'll come back. Uh yes, uh- my pencil case!"
She did not know if Prince Sasuke got mad at her for interrupting them. His back was turned against her so she had no idea. But the next day, both of them were acting weird around her. Sakura could not look straight in her eyes while Prince Sasuke avoided everyone (more than usual).
Princess Temari had also unintentionally broken a moment for the two of them. They were in the rooftop when Sasuke fell asleep using Sakura's lap as his pillow. Sakura was brushing away his bangs hesitantly when Temari had barged in the rooftop. Sasuke hastily stood up when he heard Sakura gasp. Unlike Hinata, Temari just stared at the both of them and left the vicinity after about fifteen seconds.
When they were in the Palace, Tenten had caught them in an embarrassing position for more than three times. There was a time when Sakura plopped herself atop the prince's stomach who was currently lying down on the grass in the Palace gardens. She played with the tie that he was wearing. She could not hear what they were talking about, but it was probably for her safety. By the heavens, if Prince Sasuke knew she was there spying at the both of them.
The other one was when she was about to bring the milk to the princess's room. Since the door to her room was open, she did not bother to knock. She placed the milk on the study table, and when she was about to enter her bedroom, she saw the prince and the princess settled down on the bed, with the princess cuddling with Prince Sasuke. She quietly exited the room.
Naruto, for that matter, had the luckiest (worst) fate. He knew for a fact that slowly Sasuke had opened up his heart to the lost princess, but he never knew the extent of their relationship. He was walking along the hallways coming from the King's office. When he turned left, he quickly hid himself. Sasuke's face was a mere inches away from Sakura's as if asking her a permission. He knew it was wrong to invade their privacy like that but he could not help it. However, as if sensing his presence, Sasuke chose to plant a kiss on her cheek and threw dagger looks on him. Naruto escaped right away.
All in all, Gaara still had seen the worst. Their first kiss no less.
Sasuke was still not good at expressing his feelings, but he let Sakura to express hers. When he promised himself that he would try his best not to make her cry, he successfully did it for three months. That is until their graduation.
He never mentioned about his plans for college after the night he told her he wanted to go to Oto. Itachi knew of course; he could not keep a secret from his brother about anything. But as he and Sakura get to know more each other, the more he hesitates to leave her. Seeing her there on stage, being the class valedictorian, he regrets that they have to end whatever they have this way.
For he had already booked a flight to Oto that same night.
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Sakura awoke when she heard noises coming right outside her room. She looked at herself in the mirror to fix her hair. She quickly brushed her teeth and went outside.
A distressed Queen and a clearly vivid King was right outside Sasuke's room. She thought that Sasuke may had said some things again guessing from his parents' reaction. She supposed that she could help them calm down.
"Your Majesty. What is the matter?" She inquired. She was not sure if she imagined it, but the Queen's features had softened. The both of them did not say anything. That did not put her at ease. She pushed herself straight into Sasuke's room, but he was nowhere to be seen. She did not understand at first, but then when she had surveyed his room, tears threatened to fall down from her eyes.
He left her. Without saying a goodbye. He went to Oto.
She contemplated whether to call him or the least send him a message. But it hurt too much. He led her on once again. Like a fool, he tricked her. Like a fool, she smiled and thought nothing was wrong. And like a fool, she fell completely in love with him.
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A/N: Spoiler Alert: Itachi and Izumi will be back in Konoha next ch. I would also like to ask some suggestions for the next chapters. It had been hard for me these past few weeks. (srsly im about to quit school) I hope that the readers of this fic will continuously to be patient with me. Thanks for sticking with me. :)