"I want you to give this idiot a job."

Inuzuka Kiba could only gape at the crown prince who was standing beside the blond-haired boy.

Naruto, on the other hand, looked puzzled. "I thought you were going to bring me to the prince?" He couldn't understand why instead of leading him to the throne room, they made their way back to the stable.

The dark-haired boy smirked. "It's the job that you want, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Then a job you will have." He turned to Kiba once more. "This is an order. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," said the ranch caretaker immediately, bowing his head.

"Your Highness? You can't mean to say—" Naruto's eyes bulged. "You're Kiba and Akamaru's teacher?"

Sasuke's face darkened. "What?!"

"That's how Sir Ebisu wants to be addressed when he's mad," explained Naruto with a shrug.

"I am NOT their teacher."

"You aren't? Then you shouldn't be ordering Kiba around like that."

"The ranch head bows to me. I can order him to give you a job. I ride the best horses here. What do you think does that make me?" he asked the clueless Uzumaki Naruto.

"Um… a bossy guy who rides the best horses without the permission of the stable owner?"

Sasuke's face darkened as Kiba groaned out loud.

….

Chapter Seven

…..

Naruto followed Sasuke into the main receiving room of the palace, rubbing his head. "You know, you should have just told me that you were Prince Sasuke to make things easier for us."

"Under normal circumstances, introductions aren't necessary," the castle lord muttered under his breath, and then realized that this didn't exactly count as normal—at least the blond boy wasn't.

Uzumaki Naruto. He secretly eyed the cheerful boy and wondered why Ebisu and Iruka would talk of him so proudly. They said that he had such a vast, untapped potential, and that he had the makings of a great fighter. Looking at him right now though, it was hard to imagine that this was the boy who lived after the encounter with the devil serpent.

"Hey, is Lady Haruno Sakura around?" the boy suddenly asked, eyes lighting up in excitement.

"You don't know who the prince of the kingdom is, but you know who that woman is?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable."

"Believe it!" He grinned. "So where is she, huh?"

"You talk too loud."

"What has my voice got to do with my question?"

"Nothing."

"That makes no sense! Are you drunk?"

He whirled around to face the blond pest, annoyed. "I am the crown prince of Hidden Leaf, and I say what I want to say, and you have no right to question me for THAT!" Aside from Kakashi, this commoner was one of the few to dare answer him so impertinently.

Naruto blinked. "Even when you're sounding stupider and stupider by the minute?"

Sasuke did a double take, and then wordlessly turned his back on the blond to proceed to the central greeting room.

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With a delicate turn of her wrists, the silk ribbons tied to her wand gracefully danced with the chilly autumn breeze coming from the window. And then suddenly, she was a burst of movements—jumping, leaping, arms thrashing as she concentrated on timing her moves with every precise rotation of the red and blue ribbons. She vent out all her anger and frustration regarding the incident awhile ago with her routine.

Every attempt of her mind to bring back the memory of Neji's mouth on hers in savage claim was met by her scathing fury. She gritted her teeth as she was reminded yet again how would have to live the rest of her life with the humiliation of having her first kiss taken by a monster like Hyuuga Neji.

It was too late for her to realize that she was sniffling already. Her movements had lost its power and accuracy as she blindly jumped and ran and jumped again.

"Stupid... stupid, stupid, stupid!" she cried out loud. Suddenly, she felt her muscles in the left foot stiffen, and before she could react, it got caught in the loops of her ribbons. She crashed down the floor with a resounding thud.

After a moment, she didn't get up yet. It was as if her face buried on the floor gave her freedom to cry. Since she remembered, she had never allowed herself to weep, thinking it was a sign of weakness. And if she was to keep up with Neji and Lee, she must harbor no weak spot within her.

But right now, she was too exhausted to keep carrying the leash in her tear ducts. She wanted to release her anger at Hyuuga Neji in any possible way, even if it meant succumbing to her one hated weakness.

"Tenten!" She heard Lee yell in worry. Seconds later, his hands had lifted her up. Through her blurred vision, she could see Rock Lee's panicked face. "Are you hurt? What happened?" he asked continuously. "Do you want me to call the paramedics?"

"Lee…" she forced a smile. "I hurt myself. I feel so stupid…"

He gazed at her, shaking his head. He knew that somehow, she was not just talking about her accident. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "Tenten, the wisest mage in Hidden Leaf, and perhaps even in all the kingdoms…she is absolutely not stupid." He helped her to sit up. "Can you still walk?"

"I don't think so," she admitted defeatedly.

"It's alright. I can carry you to your room. But first, we have to ask our doctors to check on your foot, okay?" he asked, smiling tenderly.

"'Fine," she agreed softly, and he carried her up in a piggyback.

"Don't complain about my weight, Lee," she said, smiling for the first time since her workshop this morning.

"Nah. I think you can stand to gain a little more weight, Tenten' nee-san," he replied, fondness in his smiling eyes.

Perhaps, if there was one good thing that Hyuuga Neji brought about, it was the sibling-like closeness between her and Lee. And it was almost enough to make her forget about what happened between her and Neji. Almost.

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Aburame Shino removed the weeds around the baby blue roses, oblivious to the harsh chill of the afternoon breeze.

"Winter is coming, and you have to act fast," said a voice coming from the direction of the almost leafless cherry blossom tree. "The Hidden Leaf kingdom is starting to suspect about things."

He wordlessly went to the next plot.

"And our little princess?" the voice wanted to know.

"She is resting in her room." His eyes remained on the light azure rosebud. "She contacted a fever."

"Make sure that she will remain safe and sound. You do know that as the successor of the Hyuuga Main house, she will be very beneficial to our master's plans."

He exhaled sharply. "I have no master. I cooperated because I'm going to gain something."

"You and I both." The figure walked away. "Good day."

Shino gathered the weeds into his drum and walked away.

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"So will she be alright?" asked Lee while Yakushi Kabuto, the kingdom's substitute physician, examined Tenten's leg.

"No serious torn ligaments, fortunately. It's just a minor sprain." He smiled kindly at the girl. "That's good news for Mage Tenten, isn't it?"

She nodded. "I'll just have to be extra careful the next time I train."

"That is really something, you know. You already excel in sorcery, and yet you still work hard on improving your combat skills," said Kabuto somewhat admiringly, bandaging the girl's foot. "What motivates you to do all these?"

"Well, for one, wiping the ground with Earl Hyuuga Neji's face," she declared, eyes burning in determination.

Lee and Kabuto sweatdropped.

"I would like to see you try."

Heads turned to the doorway. The Earl of the Hyuuga Court himself was standing there as if he owned this piece of ground where he was situated.

"Ah, Neji, I don't think now's a good time for this-" said Lee slowly.

"Don't interfere," he barked. "This is between me and the witch."

Her eyes crinkled in anger. "It's alright, Lee." She reached for the cane that Kabuto handed her and walked towards him, trying not to limp. "What are you doing here, Earl Hyuuga?"

"What happened to your leg?" he asked.

"I was bored, so I purposely jumped down from the rooftop," she countered. "Also, you haven't answered my question yet."

"I heard from Gai that you-" Something flickered in his eyes, but he looked away before she could scrutinize what it was. He then crossed his arms over his chest. "More importantly, you're not anywhere near coma. What a waste of time this was."

"I'm so sorry for disappointing you by surviving a minor injury," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

In one fluid movement, he crossed the deceptively safe distance between them leaned down towards her ear, close enough that his mere breath fanned her face and sent electricity racing down her spine. "You will keep yourself safe for me at all times, witch," he murmured huskily. "Especially now that our jousts have become a tad more... entertaining."

"Prick." She angrily lifted her cane, and with all her might, struck against crotch.

"Damn!" Neji stepped back, narrowly missing a world of pain, as Kabuto and Lee's jaws dropped open in shock.

Tenten turned to the doctor and to her friend. "I need to go. Thank you for your help, Kabuto-sensei. Lee, let's go."

Lee was the first to recover. "Eh? Tenten, what is wrong—"

"I kissed her," the earl said all of a sudden, making the taijutsu expert gasp.

"WHAT?!" The bowl-haired boy turned to the mage, astonished. "But... why?"

"Shut up, Neji!" hissed the mage.

"And she kissed me back." Neji's eyes never left Tenten's, whose face blanched at his last line.

"But... but..." Rock Lee was stunned. His gaze went to the now speechless mage, and then back at the earl. His brows furrowed. "I don't understand. Why would you...?"

"Lee..." Tenten's eyes shook as she saw the concern on Rock Lee's face.

"By any chance... when Tenten dumped orange juice on you earlier, did the pitcher smack your head as well?" Lee clenched his fists. "Yeah, that must be it. Because the Neji I know... my most esteemed rival Earl Hyuuga Neji will never act so dishonorably upon any woman!"

Neji looked away, looking grim.

"Oh, Lee!" Tenten returned to his side and rubbed his head. "You're right. Earl Neji is only kidding. And you know how horrible his sense of humor is! The last time he laughed was when everyone in the horror movie we were watching died in the end."

"Eh? But-"

"She's right. Only fools kiss witches and risk falling under their wicked spells." With that, Neji left the room.

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At the end of the hallway, Neji saw the flamboyant Starlet Gai resting against the wall in a cool pose that seemed to have been taken off a page from Kakashi's Book of Kakkoii-ness. He silently prayed that he could escape this confrontation without an exchange.

"Neji."

He exhaled audibly.

Surprisingly though, his mentor had only brief words for him. "I've told you many times over: the strong who provokes the weak does not truly believe he is really strong at all." With that, Gai patted his shoulder, and then headed for the clinic.

"Nonsense." Neji clenched his fists. "What do you all know... about weakness or strength?"

Silence was the only response of the empty hallway.

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"Hello, beautiful, passion-filled youngsters of Kingdom Konoha!" greeted Maito Gai as he entered the clinic. "And how is our Mage Tenten feeling?"

"Quite lovely, but I will be eternally grateful if you can stop coming up with excessive pet names for us, Sir Gai," replied Tenten, bowing.

"Oh, Mage Tenten! Your dripping sarcasm is incomparable as always, hahaha!" laughed the Startlet before he turned to the doctor. "When do you think can Tenten walk without her cane, Kabuto-sensei?"

"Based on her strength, the longest will be four days," he replied cheerfully.

"That's good news then." The bowl-haired Starlet placed his arms on the shoulders of both kids. "Let's go. We have troubled Kabuto-sensei long enough."

To this, the healer laughed. "Never did that thought enter my mind even once. Please get well soon, Mage Tenten."

"I will, thank you," promised the mage.

Some minutes after the three left, Kabuto disappeared. From the window emerged Kabuto, holding a blue rose fresh from the garden, wearing a mysterious smile.

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"The birthday of the princess of the clan? Why do we have to attend that stupid gathering? It's not something to celebrate!" He heard his father yell angrily. "The branch family is not going to be acknowledged by the clan anyway. Besides, I am not in the mood to feign formalities."

"Then at least Neji should be there. There must be someone to represent us…" His mother.

"No way will my son bow down to someone inferior. A girl as a successor of the advanced bloodline, Byakugan? No, Neji will not go! We owe it to the pride and dignity of our ancestors!"

But his mother and the maids dressed him up for the occasion anyway. He was made to wear the best robes and he was thoroughly bathed with perfume. He was also tasked by his mother to present the princess a crystal brooch that represented winter, the season when she was born.

He thought it was not enough though. He took out his polished wooden jewelry box that he carved out from the bark of their ancestor tree himself. He decided to place the brooch in it, and he was satisfied. The gift became even more precious to his young eyes. With that, he was off to the celebration.

He was particularly nervous—his mother reminded him over and over that he must not do anything to bring shame to the lower family. He would represent the name of his father's father, so he must be always conscious of his demeanor.

Upon his arrival, he met many people who were from the main family. He was puzzled by the strange, appraising looks he received from them, but in his young age, he had chose to ignore them. He went for the clan princess after all.

And then he saw her, the pride of Hyuuga. So small and delicate, like a budding white lily flower, Hyuuga Hinata stood in the middle of the room as everyone looked at her with reverence. She would be the successor of Byakugan, and with that title came a big future in store just for her.

Her eyes met his, and she smiled. It was so endearingly charming that he couldn't help but smile back. He had never seen a girl prettier than this flower that stood before him now.

She went towards him and eagerly reached out her hands. However, before he could hand the jewelry box to her, the adults intervened.

"Take Hinata away from this boy!"

"Who let him in, a child from the branch family?"

"Branch family? Such nerve to show their face in this place!"

He watched in horror as the jewelry box he was holding slammed on the floor, and the crystal brooch broke with the impact, shattering into tiny hundreds of pieces.

He couldn't forget that image even when he was thrown out of the house, or when his mother embraced him miserably, weeping for her shamed son.

And within him, the seed of fury was planted. He hated the main family. He hated the clan princess. And someday, he would avenge the branch family—his family—and show them how horribly wrong they were for treating his family this way.

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"Are you sure you're well enough to get up?" asked Haruno Sakura as she and Hinata walked down the hallway. "The maids told me that you had a fever last night."

"I-I am fine, Lady Sakura, really," she said, smiling. "I will not get well if all I do is stay in my room with nothing to keep me preoccupied."

"Alright, but you must not exhaust yourself." Sakura's emerald eyes then went to the Earl Hyuuga Neji who was seated by the patio, drinking his usual cup of green tea . "Hey! I-I mean…excuse me, Earl Hyuuga, if I may interrupt you for a moment?"

"No, you may not, but I don't think that'll stop you anyway," he muttered darkly.

"Indeed." She silently measured the boy before him with an intent gaze. It had been barely two years since the revolution in the Hyuuga clan happened. The main house and the lower branch was dissolved into a unified kin. This was to protect the branch family from the abuses it had been put to for the past centuries. This had been successfully lobbied by no other than Hyuuga Neji, thus he became the appointed earl to represent the tribe in the castle until such time that the clan finally appoints a representative of its own. However, the Hyuuga clan had been satisfied with Neji's performance so far, which explains why he was still in this court.

But he's still as rough and brusque as ever, thought Sakura smugly. Very unlike cool, calm, and collected Prince Sasuke.

"Say what you want and go." But Neji's eyes darted at Hinata first before her.

The dark-haired maid looked surprised when the earl took notice of her, making her smile tentatively. He turned away, poker-faced.

"Have you seen Lord Sasuke today?" Lady Haruno asked, making sure her voice was a careful mix of crisp elegance and at the same time courtly indifference. This was one of the things she was taught to do as a sophisticated lady of the Kingdom Hidden Leaf.

"I am not his keeper," replied the earl sourly.

"V-Very well. Thank you for your time anyway," she said, maintaining the poised smile in her face and retreating. However, her Inner Sakura's temper was fast reaching the hundredth Celsius mark. How dare you talk to a lady like that! Barbarian! Brute! Jerk!

Hinata hurried after the pissed of Lady Haruno, too busy to notice the ice-cold gaze of anger that Neji gave her.

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"Be seated," said Sasuke as he calmly took his place on his platformed throne.

Naruto examined his guest seat, which was at the level of the prince's hunting sandals. "Do you mind, Sasuke? It's hard to talk when I have to crane my neck up just to look at you."

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "So what do you suggest?"

"I think I'll take that seat next to you." He cheerfully marched towards the throne located to Sasuke's right side. "There! That's better!"

The prince's face darkened at once.

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Sakura's cheery hum halted upon entering the throne room. Her whole body went rigid, and her face turned a fuming shade of red.

"L-Lady Sakura, what's wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly.

Her Inner Sakura erupted. "Graaaaaaah!" She launched an attack towards the person seated in the queen's throne.

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"Hmm?" Naruto's eyes bulged when he saw a very, VERY furious Lady Haruno Sakura heading his way, an uppercut aiming directly for his face. "Gyaaaa!" He leaped out of the way a second before Sakura's fist landed on him. The girl lost her balance and tripped on the queen's seat, making her crash down on the scandalized Sasuke's lap.

"Ooops," said Naruto, sweatdropping. He knelt in front of the prince's knees, peeking at Sakura. "Hey, hey. Are you breathing there?"

"Idiot!" Sasuke slammed his fist on Naruto's head, and then turned his attention to the court lady in exasperation. "And you, Lady Haruno, don't you have any plans yet of getting up from there, or will you wait for your father to see us in this awkward position?"

"L-Lady Sakura! Lady Sakura, are you alright?" Hinata rushed into the room in panic, momentarily forgetting that it was forbidden for maids like her to enter this place without permission from the headmaid.

Naruto turned to her, eyes wide. "Hinata..." A jovial grin spread across his face. "HINATA! You're safe!"

"H-Huh?" She did a double take. The boy had twinkling blue eyes, unkempt blond hair held back by goggles, and an infectious grin on his face. He also carried an aura of familiarity as if they had already met. However, the most arresting part of him was his azure eyes. The eyes that told of his bright outlook in life, his determination…

I once looked at eyes like those…

Sakura slowly got up, as if still in a daze. On the other hand, Sasuke frowned. "How did you know about Lady Haruno's maid, Naruto?"

"U-Uh..." Naruto could feel Hinata's puzzled gaze on him. "I-I... Kiba told me about her earlier. He said she's one of the nicest people here."

Heat crawled on the maid's cheeks.

"In any case, you will be working with Hinata and Kiba starting tomorrow." The crown prince turned to the dark-haired maid. "For the meantime, will you please assist your lady to her room?"

"Your highness!" Sakura straightened, snapping out of her trance. "When the Uchiha Court announced for a suitable partner for Lord Sasuke, I thought they meant a female partner!"

Naruto sweatdropped.

"I'm not going to lose the battle to someone like you, Uzumaki Naruto! I have sealed my destiny, and my destiny has Uchiha Sasuke's name written on it!" With that, she marched away, chin held up high.

Hinata hurriedly bowed at the prince, and then at the blond boy. He gave her a peace sign in return.

Uzumaki Naruto. Even if she was already treading the hallways far away from the receiving area, she still had not quite forgotten the face of the boy that made her heart first beat this way.

To be continued