Naruto was on his way to the airport following the orders from the Queen herself- be Prince Sasuke's personal body guard and assistant at the same time.
The Palace had already pre-arranged his flight to Oto. He had a first-class ticket, and the Palace had also arranged everything the young prince needed during his stay in the said country. The only thing Naruto needed to do was to go to Sasuke's current apartment and drag his ass to his penthouse.
Prior to that, the King was livid at his youngest son, commanding almost a hundred of bodyguards to secretly locate Prince Sasuke and drag him back to Konoha. On the other hand, Sasuke had been surprised to find out that when he came back on his small apartment, the door was already unlocked and a few of the body guards bowed their heads in the sight of him.
"Your Highness. His Majesty commanded us to find you and escort you back to the Palace immediately." The commander-in-chief, as Sasuke guessed, politely addressed him.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared at all of them. He ordered them to leave, but the bodyguards merely bowed their heads and apologized once again. Sasuke knew that they could not also disobey the King's orders. Leaving with no choice, Sasuke used the phone in his apartment to contact the Palace.
The guards had left the room for a while to give the prince his privacy. On the other note, Sasuke stubbornly refused to go back. Shouts of the King could be heard from the other line. But after a few minutes, Prince Sasuke's facial expression softened.
The Queen was now talking to her son. "Please Sasuke.. Just come home. Every one's worried."
"Mother..I-" Sasuke was interrupted, but mostly surprised with what his mother told him.
"Look, my dear.. I understand. But do you seriously want the press to question the Prince's absence at his fiancee's birthday?" Sasuke frowned upon hearing that.
"Birthday?"
"Sakura's birthday a week from today? Don't tell me you do not know." Sasuke heard his mother sighed; he could not help but feel guilty since he knew how worried she was.
"Sasuke, just think about it, okay? Meanwhile, I'll send Naruto to Oto to be your personal body guard. That will make me the least at ease that you're safe. Take care and make sure you eat and sleep-"
"I'm fine, Mother. I'll make sure to keep that in mind."
Currently, Naruto was more than ready to punch his bastard of a best friend's face. That bastard never told anything to anyone. Naruto was also mad at his sudden disappearance. Sasuke could have at least gave him a heads up or something. Anything actually. He sighed and once he got to Oto, he would beat the shit out of him. He was now seated inside the airplane. He looked outside the window trying to figure out what was his best friend thinking leaving Princess Sakura alone in that dreary Palace.
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The Palace maids excitedly welcomed Prince Itachi and Princess Izumi back to Konoha. Izumi was so happy to be back to her home country that she even hugged the Palace maids. "God! It's been ages! How are things here in the Palace?" She asked them, and in return, the Palace maids smiled the brightest with the idea of the Princess giving them the little of her attention.
Afterwards, the couple went into the throne room to pay their respects to the King and Queen. Izumi had learned that they found out about their secret wedding from Itachi. She bowed her head out of shame.
The King's voice echoed throughout the room. "Raise your heads." Only then did Izumi notice the Queen smiling reassuringly to the both of her and Itachi.
The King further cleared his throat and proceeded to give his well.. mini speech. "You are the future leaders of Konoha. The people have high expectations from the both of you ever since you were born. Your wedding ..should have been held publicly. Think about the happiness that your wedding will bring to the people. Haven't you thought about that?"
Izumi bowed her one again, but this time out of guilt. She had been selfish; she was already aware of that. But given that, she still could not regret her decision. At least for awhile, she escaped the reality of being trapped with the fate sealed specifically for her.
She knew very well that once they got married, the press would express their excitement for the new king.. would ask many questions when would King Fugaku give his keys to his kingdom to his eldest son. That would not leave them any minute with each other.
Moreover, she was kind of glad that the public's attention shifted towards Itachi's younger brother and the lost princess. In a way, it helped them to have their secret wedding. Izumi was also looking forward to meet the said princess; she heard many things about her from Itachi. She also thought that maybe this could be the opportunity to tease Itachi's younger brother. Before she can further dwell into those thoughts, the King's authoritative voice interrupted them.
Fugaku shifted his attention solely to Itachi. "Itachi.. your brother had left Konoha. He is too stubborn for his own good that your mother could not even convince him to come back." Itachi tensed visibly; he looked at his mother whose smile had vanished. The King addressed him once again. "Talk to him. I know you can handle him."
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Sakura avoided any human interaction as much as possible. It had only been two days since Sasuke left Konoha. She refused to go out of her room unless necessary. She did not want the King and Queen to worry about her so she told them that she would like to be alone for a while in order for her to contemplate on what major she should take in college. Of course, at first, they were not convinced that she was okay. (Hell, she isn't okay at all) She smiled at the both of them and thanked them for their concern towards her. Eventually, the King and Queen decided to leave her be as to give her time and space.
In a way, she had not lied. Actually, deciding on what her major would serve as a double purpose: an excuse and also a distraction. She had researched on a list of undergraduate majors that Konoha University currently offers. Her eyes sparkled when she came across BS Biology. Not so long ago, she had dreamed of going to the city to pursue her desired degree in college. She still felt like living a dream sometimes. She had no idea what would be the King and Queen's reaction or opinion regarding the matter. She chose to leave the confines of her room that day. She would try her luck and ask the Queen first what she thinks about pursuing a degree not related to politics.
The Palace maids had properly bowed their heads as they came across her. They looked happy to see her once again even if it only for a short period of time that they did not see her. Sakura immediately noticed the bags and suitcase that they were holding. The first thing that came to her mind was him... to run and kick him in the ass. Sasuke..that jerk.. did he come back already?
"Uh..excuse me? I mean..those bags..uh-" Sakura hesitantly asked one of the Palace maids.
"Yes, Your Highness. Prince Itachi and Princess Izumi had returned to the Palace."
Sakura opened her mouth, but no words came out. Only after a few seconds did she realize that the maids were still waiting for her response.
"Oh! Right. I see. Of course, Prince Itachi. Thank you for informing me."
Concealing her disappointment, she focused back her attention as to what was she about to do in the first place. The maids had once again bowed their heads and went straight into the hallway. On the other hand, Sakura turned left to go to the throne room.
Once she arrived to her destination, a palace maid announced her arrival asking permission to His Majesty to let her enter.
As soon as she was allowed to do so, her eyes landed to the beautiful lady next to Prince Itachi. Sure she had seen Princess Izumi in the magazines and the like, however, Sakura was not expecting that she could be this pretty. Princess Izumi had a long black hair, the way she carries herself defines elegance. She is perfect, Sakura thought. Suddenly, she felt like an outsider. Not for the first time, she felt that she was not supposed to be in the Palace in the first place. To put it simply, she is not an Uchiha.
Itachi's voice had broken her train of thoughts when he introduced her to Izumi.
"Izumi, this is Sakura. My sister-in-law. The one my brother fancies."
Sakura had no time to correct Itachi for Izumi had already held into both of her hands. "So you're Sakura. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now." Izumi further got close and lowered her voice. "Tell me. How did you get to capture that silly boy's heart? Do not worry. Once he gets back here, I will pummel him to death for leaving you."
Taken aback, Sakura shifted uncomfortably and looked into the Queen's direction. But she did not find her in her seat anymore. Instead, Mikoto had already closed the distance between the two of them and hugged her daughter-in-law. She was so happy to see Sakura outside of her room.
Mikoto had whispered sort of comforting words to Sakura. "I really am sorry, sweet heart. For my son had broken your heart too many times. Please forgive him." Once the Queen's words had sink in, Sakura hugged her more tightly this time. "You do not need to apologize, Your Majesty, none of these is your fault."
The Queen took a little while to respond, but when Sakura heard what Mikoto said, it was her turn to be silent.
"Please do not give up on Sasuke. Please."
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Naruto had arrived in Oto after five hours of flight. He looked up to his phone to check on the address where he could find Sasuke. He hailed a cab, and he was surprised to arrive in the said place in barely ten minutes.
He knocked at the door twice, but it had seemed like no one was around. However, Naruto knew better. He started banging at the door to make his presence known.
"Bastard! Open the damn door!"
A tired-looking, irritated Prince Sasuke opened the door, and by the looks he was giving Naruto, one could guess that Naruto was just seconds away from his death. Without wasting a second, Naruto barged in the small apartment.
"How could you! Leaving just like that! Newsflash, Sasuke.. You are not just anyone. You are a Prince! A prince! Do I still need to define to you what a prince is? You selfish imbecile!"
Sasuke sighed and sat down on the sofa. He knew Naruto would lecture him the minute he arrived. Sasuke even considered leaving the premises of his apartment and finding a new one. However, he also knew for a fact that his father would get angrier, and it was not what he needed right now or ever.
"Naruto. Shut up."
"No. I will not shut up! Did you even consider Princess Sakura's feelings? She is now locked up on her room, refusing to talk to anyone! How many more times will you hurt her until you're satisfied, huh?"
But Sasuke did not hear the rest of Naruto's statement after he learned that she was once again refusing to leave her room. Is she okay? Is she eating? Of course not, you did this to her.
Sasuke refused to meet Naruto's eyes after that, refraining himself to voice out his concerns towards Sakura.
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Izumi had invited Sakura to have a "girl-talk" with her. In the theater room wherein a film about the history of Konoha was played, Izumi decided to corner Sakura and talk to her. Sakura was slightly uncomfortable at first because in her opinion, Princess Izumi is way way too friendly and was acting like she had known her ever since.
"So..Sakura.. have you and that foolish boy kissed yet?" Izumi asked her, wiggling her eye brows in the process.
Feeling her cheeks blazing, Sakura averted her eyes and uttered incoherent words. She tried her best to save her dignity but failed miserably nonetheless.
"I- Your Highness, Sasuke- I mean Prince Sasuke and I-uh"
But Sakura was cut off with a loud laugh coming from her companion. Sakura merely stared at her in awe and chuckled nervously.
"Stop calling me that. You are a princess! And goodness, judging by the way you stuttered, I think I already know the answer to my question. I just cannot believe that clueless, stoic boy will fall in love!"
Sakura, still embarrassed, fixed her eyes at the wide screen wherein the actor portraying King Madara delivered a speech about the will of fire.
"You do not have to be shy. And I know, things are hard for you these days. But let me tell you something about your fiancee." Izumi whispered, gaining Sakura's attention back.
"Sasuke..that Itachi's oblivious little brother. He hates people. More so, he hated being a royalty. He likes to have his own privacy which I think you already know by now. I grew up with him and Itachi.. and yet I cannot say that I truly know everything about him. I tried reaching out to him by teasing him and making fun of him sometimes. But he would just ignore me. That is the reason why I was so surprised to find out about you two.
"I know he probably hurt you too many times. But also know that he has no idea how to handle these kind of things. He never got interested in girls. To simply put, men are idiots, Sakura. It is up to us to understand the meaning behind their gestures. Just because we were hurt does not mean that they intend to hurt us. It was just that they did not think it will affect us that much."
After Izumi's speech, Sakura nodded slightly in understanding. She smiled sadly; she was grateful that someone could finally understand her current situation.
"I know. He has no experience in this field..but I just don't know what to do anymore. I am much aware that he really is persistent to go to Oto..but he could have at least told me. I want to be a part of his life."
Sakura, however, was quite taken aback when Izumi shook her head.
"It looks like it's not only Sasuke who is clueless. You, our princess, can not read between the lines, it seems. Why did you think he did not tell you?"
Because he's selfish and arrogant prick.
As if reading Sakura's mind, Izumi exhaled heavily and faced her.
"Sasuke went there not only because he was persistent to go to college there. He wanted to help Itachi to make peace with Oto. Of course, King Fugaku would not allow him. You are very much aware of that country's history. But you know that foolish boy. Maybe, he did not tell you because once you find out all of these, you will stop him. Am I wrong?"
At the end, Sakura did not know what should she feel. She was worried and frustrated at the same time. Worried that something might happen to Sasuke and frustrated because she could not do anything.
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King Fugaku and Itachi had a private discussion regarding the upcoming Royal wedding to be announced at Sakura's birthday party. They also talked about Sasuke and how to explain to the press his absence. King Fugaku thought that no matter what explanation that they convey to the public, it was no doubt that people would wonder. It was really the best for everyone if Sasuke would just show up at the party.
Itachi, on the other hand, was not worried at all. In fact, he even suggested to focus their attention at the current problems Konoha was facing such as the people criticizing how Uchihas run the country for so many decades already. It was also not unknown to Itachi that there had been many who oppose him as the next in line to the throne. Public officials, political advisers even voiced out that Sasuke and his future Queen Sakura would be the better future for Konoha.
He was not really much affected by these. Moreover, he was worried for Sasuke. As his wedding with Izumi approaches, these people who oppose him will be more expressive in their disapproval of him as the next King. They will most likely push Sasuke to be the next King. Itachi was afraid that Sasuke would get even more rebellious and reckless.
Sasuke's relationship with Sakura had already been impaired. This was the only thing that the political advisers worry about Sasuke being the King. People were always excited about the new developments about the two. Furthermore, Sasuke's absence on his fiancee's birthday celebration will create rumors that will result to further drag the Uchiha's name through the mud. Itachi, however, was confident enough that whatever his brother's feelings for Sakura would eventually win and lead him back to Konoha.
He was also happy that his wife had been very kind and understanding to Sakura. Sakura must had been through a lot these days. He hoped that Izumi had helped in order for Sakura to understand things better.
It served as a double purpose-"the girl talk"; Izumi had always wanted to have some girlfriend in the Palace. And also, their time spent in the theater room would give the Palace maids plenty of time to organize Sakura's surprise birthday party.
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March 28th
Sakura stirred awake very early in the morning with Tenten shaking her gently.
"Milady. Please. You already have to wake up. Today is an important day."
At first, Sakura only groaned out loud and used one of the pillows surrounding her to cover her eyes.
Tenten sighed and then, an idea suddenly popped into her head. "Your Highness. You really have to wake up now. You will get to see your parents today." She whispered to the slumbering princess who abruptly sat up, a bright shining emerald eyes staring back at Tenten.
"Really Tenten?!" Sakura asked excitedly.
"Yes, Milady. But first, we have to err..prepare you to your meet up with them"
Immediately, Sakura bolted up from her previous position and proceeded to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and taking a bath, instead of the usual morning routine wherein she greets the elders and have her breakfast in the dining area, the maids had already brought up some food for her in her room. This led to Sakura's confusion. She started bombarding questions to the Palace maids.
Sakura got even more confused when one of them told her that it was a secret and that she would soon find out at the end of the day. She was well aware that it is indeed her birthday today that was why maybe her parents are going to visit her or perhaps..the Queen allowed her to go back to her hometown. What she could not understand was the Palace maids acting different and giddy.
She did not voice any of her concerns until they started applying some make up on her and curling her hair. Tenten only smiled at her and told her that dressing up in one's birthday is normal.
After all the necessary preparations, Sakura stood up to look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a silver open-back sequined gown. One side of her hair was pinned up and the rest was styled in loose waves. She tried to find some adjective to describe herself as she observed herself. And at the end, she described the one in the mirror as someone who looked just like a princess.
The maids eventually accompanied her to the waiting limousine. She chose to remain on her side of the car feeling dejected as she stared at the empty space beside her. She focused her eyes on the road instead, and even talked to the chauffeur to distract her from ever thinking of him.
She was escorted by Tenten and a few of the body guards to a room in a grand hotel. She snacked on some biscuits and afterwards, Tenten started retouching her make-up.
"You look really beautiful, Your Highness." Tenten commented as she peered at Sakura in the mirror. Sakura, in return, shyly smiled and muttered a quiet thank you.
At exactly six in the evening, Tenten led her to what seemed like the ballroom of the hotel. Before she entered the room, Tenten grabbed her hand, squeezed it and wished her a happy birthday.
She was about to thank her when the guards had opened up the doors. Sakura stood frozen for a while, overwhelmed with so many people gazing at her. Celebrities, royalties, and some other guests clapped their hands as she took a step forward. She also recognized the paparazzi who quite often followed her and Sasuke around, the King and Queen, Prince Itachi and Princess Izumi who were both smiling at her, Ino, who was cheering her on, and her parents.
Gaara took the initiative to walk her to the stage when he saw how she was struggling to walk because of her dress. Murmurs and whispers echoed through the room, but Sakura paid them no heed. She thanked Gaara for his kindness and smiled at him as she took her seat on the stage.
The rest of the Royal Family joined her on the stage soon after, announcing Prince Itachi and Princess Izumi's homecoming. They greeted Sakura one by one, hugging her and kissing her cheek. The King had also announced the upcoming wedding of Prince Itachi and Princess Izumi; he even referred that Sakura's birthday was a very important day for the Royal family and Konoha.
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Sakura was more than surprised; she was stupefied with how many people who came to wish her a happy birthday. She also observed that it was like her engagement party with Sasuke except that the said person was not beside her this time.
Noticing that the princess was a little sad, Maito Gai, a former palace high-ranking commander, presented his gift to the said princess.
"Your Highness, If I may.. I would like to give you my present." Gai said, bowing his head in the process.
"Oh.. Of course. Thank you. Uh.. Mister…" She asked, accepting a rectangle-shaped box that was wrapped in a pink ribbon.
"The name is Maito Gai, Your Highness. Your father and I had been friends..and even rivals." He faced Sakura and smiled at her.
Sakura studied the man before her; she blinked twice and wondered if her father Kakashi, who was said to be highly-regarded by King Obito, also wore the same clothing as this man who claimed to be his friend. Gai was wearing his usual green jumpsuit which in Sakura's opinion totally not appropriate to a party like this. In fact, he even attracted more attention than Sakura, herself. She was just curious that maybe it was some kind of old fashion.
"So uh..you and my father had been close? What was he like? I heard that he was the only friend of King Obito. And also, your outfit..is it some kind of uniform of the palace guards back then?"
For a minute, Gai found himself staring at his friend's daughter before chuckling. "Your father and I grew up together. We entered the Palace at the same time. He was a genius. That was why I chose him to be my rival. In a way, he became someone who I look up to. And to answer your question, Kakashi might be tough and all that, but unfortunately, he had no fashion sense. I actually had given him one of these, and yet, he refused to wear it."
Sakura, slightly uncomfortable and yet, happy at the information she had learned about her father, giggled and afterwards proceeded to open his gift. Once she opened it, tears had gathered at the corner of her eyes. It was their family picture. She recognized Kakashi, and she assumed to be her mother who had the same emerald eyes as her. Her mother was gorgeous; she was carrying a baby girl in the picture. Both Kakashi and her mother appeared to be beyond happy at the moment.
"Thank you so much. Even if I haven't opened any of my gifts yet, I can already say that this is the best gift I had received. I regret that I haven't even met them. But just by looking at this picture, I can already tell how much they love me. If it is not bothersome to you, I would like you to visit me in the Palace once in a while. I want to know more about them."
Gai smiled, showing all his teeth and gave her the promise of a lifetime. "I promised Kakashi a long time ago to look after you. I forgot to mention that I am one of your godfathers. I was beyond honored to have Kakashi to trust me enough to ensure your safety. My son..Lee aspires to be a Palace guard. I hope that in my place, he could protect you. And as for your invitation, Your Highness, I suppose I could not decline a command coming from a princess."
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At one point in time, Gaara had invited Sakura for a dance. Of course, she could not just decline. Gaara had asked her the same question everybody asks. "Where is Prince Sasuke?" Sakura only averted her eyes and smiled at the photographers who had taken this opportunity to get some pictures that would surely be into the headlines tomorrow morning.
King Fugaku was visibly tensed on the side, watching her future daughter-in-law with another prince. "Do you think he will still come?" He asked his eldest son on his right.
Itachi merely inclined his head at the other side of the room wherein Sasuke was already there sitting in the open bar, drinking some wine.
"That foolish brother of yours. When did he arrive?"
"Couple of minutes ago, I believe."
"People started speculating about his absence. And that Prince of Suna-"
"Relax, Father. Sasuke knows what he is doing."
As if on cue, Sasuke stood up from his seat finishing his drink. In a few seconds, he was standing at the center of the ballroom surprising everyone.
"Can I dance with my fiancee now." Sasuke commanded more than asked, interrupting Gaara and Sakura in the process.
Gaara looked around noticing that all eyes were on them. Although he was curious, he let Sasuke took her hand and moved away from them. Sasuke pulled Sakura to him more closely. "Sakura.." he began, but was stopped with Sakura shaking her head.
Sakura, on the other hand, was keeping herself from making a scene. She wanted nothing but to punch his face and shout at him. She bit her lower lip to stop the tears that was starting to cloud her vision. When she could not hold it in anymore, she buried her face on his shoulder. Only Sasuke could hear her whimpers, and as if to shield her from everyone, wrapped his arms around her and continued to sway a bit as if nothing was wrong.
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After seemed like a year, Sasuke led Sakura inside her hotel room. She sat on the bed keeping her eyes on the ground. Sasuke had not said anything. He stayed at the back of the door looking at her. But when Sasuke chose to break the silence, the words coming from his mouth left Sakura even more speechless.
"Only a week had passed by and yet you were already practically jumping into another man's arms. Bet you were happy that I left." He crossed his arms and leaned on the door. Jealousy once again, clouding his judgment.
"Excuse me?" She asked, disbelief written all over her face.
"Hn. Stop playing dumb. Do not worry; I will not stay here for long. Aren't you glad I came? It would have been bad for the image of the Royal Family to have the lost princess having an affair."
How dare he?! Leaving without a warning, and coming back just like that. On top of that, accusing her of cheating with no basis. Angry tears started to flow from her eyes.
"Was not this your idea, Sasuke? In this way, we free ourselves from each other. Apparently, I wasted my time worrying for you. If you were okay, were you eating, did you sleep well. Like a fool, I was ready to forgive you the minute you come back. I was ready to listen to your explanation. I thought I already know you enough. But here we are again.
"You know what? Thank you for giving me such an incredible idea. I heard that Gaara would stay in KU. Such a nice opportunity to know him better. Heh, can you imagine? If I marry him I'd still be a princess. No, I will be the future queen of Sunagakure. Isn't it great?"
Sakura was not prepared when in a second, Sasuke had pinned her on the bed, his eyes holding so much anger that Sakura had not seen before. He started kissing her. Sakura's eyes widened and tried to push him away. "You are mine. Mine. Remember that." He whispered in her ear as he kissed her on the neck. Sasuke had her hands pinned above her head. Feeling helpless, Sakura's tears run down her face. "Sasuke please. Please don't do this."
At the sound of her distress, Sasuke tensed up, immediately releasing her and sitting up.
Sasuke cursed inwardly, clenching his fists tightly. He did not know what happened, but as soon as Sakura's words registered, he had never felt so mad, this furious before. He had planned on explaining everything to her, of making sure she would not lock herself in her room anymore. But when he saw her smiling and dancing with that Gaara, something inside him loosen.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not instantly noticed Sakura's movements. She had stood up, shaking. She was scared..of him. She removed the necklace that he had given her during their engagement party and threw it in his direction, hitting his shoulder. "I cannot believe you! You jerk!"
She exited the room right away leaving Sasuke clenching the necklace in his fist. In his pocket was a bracelet he meant to give her as a present to her birthday.
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A/N: Things will get better eventually, I promise.
This sure took a while. I am so overwhelmed with the number of people who had written me a review last chapter. Thank you so much. I will try my best to update sooner. Wish me luck in my exams. :)
Leave me a review? Please?