Chapter 5: The Plan
"Wake up, slave." Sasuke said, tapping the shoulder of the sleeping figure on the bed. Sakura turned her back against him and it made the Prince frown. He firmly grabbed her shoulders and shook her with enough strength that would definitely wake any girl of her size.
Sakura's eyes slowly opened then immediately sat on the soft mattress. "Huh? What the hell--? What time is it?" She sleepily asked the Prince. She rubbed her eyes gently with the back of her palms.
"It's time for you to get up and start working." Sasuke sternly answered. "And start acting like a servant. You've been really lazy."
She yawned then quickly retorted, "Work? What work?" This time she was kneeling on the bed so that she was of the same height as the standing Prince. "Hey, and what lazy are you talking about, you idiot! For your information, I'm a very industrious person and-"
"Is that so? Then you're the right person for this job." He had a pleasant smile on his face but she knew that he was hiding something. She knew that he was about to punish her again by making her do something difficult and tiring. "I am ordering you to help that moron, the gardener, in watering the plants."
Sakura imagined herself watering the plants with Naruto. The Uchiha garden was as big as hell and it would take almost half of the day just to water all the plants in there. She didn't want to get stuck with Naruto and all his stories. For sure it was Sasuke's way of slowly torturing her.
"Watering the plants?" She crossed her arms across her chest. "I'd rather clean the whole palace than water those green living things in the garden with Naruto."
"Really? You really are industrious." His smile turned into an evil grin. "It's nice of you to volunteer in cleaning this huge palace. Besides, I think the maids are all tired and I should make them rest. I've changed my mind. Thank you for volunteering to clean…" He turned away from her. "…by yourself."
Sakura's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, stupid Sasuke? I thought you were smart but you didn't realize that it was just a joke. You stupid, idiot Sasuke!" She shouted at him. She looked at her injured foot with some leaves and bandage around it. "Besides, have you forgotten that I was injured? It happened just yesterday and you can't remember it now? You're really a moron, Sasuke."
"So you want to do something else?" He calmly asked her.
Sasuke turned to look at her with a seductive smile and it immediately sent chills to her spine. He was moving closer to her and as he did, she started backing away. One of Sasuke's knees was already on the bed and he continued advancing towards her.
"Hey, wh-what do you think are you doing, you bastard?" Sakura nervously asked. She felt that she was almost at the end of the bed and the Prince was getting closer to her. She backed away some more until she fell off the bed.
"Ouch! Damn it…" She whimpered. She remembered Sasuke who was still advancing towards her. Summoning all her strength, she stood up, pushed Sasuke and leaned on the wall. "Get away from me, pervert!"
Sakura's strength wasn't enough to make him lie on the bed. He had a triumphant smile on his face. He got off his bed then walked away. "See, now you can stand. That medicinal plant is highly effective. You're a smart girl, you should've known that." Then he left, leaving a humiliated Sakura behind.
Uchiha Itachi was looking outside the window of the meeting room. He was starting to realize that his life was getting more and more boring each day. He would sign papers, meet with the royal family's council and the leaders of the other countries-it was his daily routine and he hated it. He let a deep sigh escape his lips.
"If I knew being a leader is this boring, I should've not done it." He whispered. Memories of his sinful past suddenly plagued his mind.
"Itachi, why are you doing this!" He asked, desperate to hear his answer.
"There is no point in doing this, Itachi. Please stop this madness!" She actually begged him.
He didn't listen to them. The full moon was the only witness of the crime he committed.
A knock on the door made those thoughts float away. He waited for the servant to open it and when he entered, he said, "The leader of the Wind country, Prince Neji, has arrived. Princess Hinata is with him."
"Bring them in." He answered then dismissed the servant.
A minute later, Prince Neji was in the meeting room.
"Where's your cousin?" Itachi asked.
"She said she wanted to explore the Uchiha Palace." Neji paused. "I told her it's just fine. She'll be staying here after Prince Sasuke and she gets married, after all."
The older Uchiha frowned. He secretly hated the Wind country's Prince.
Sakura didn't know why on earth she was following the Prince's orders. All she knew was that she should finish doing her chores so that she could eat. It was already afternoon but she hadn't finished cleaning half of the entire Palace. 'I'm so hungry!' She complained.
She looked around the hall. There were no maids at sight. Sasuke really did made them rest for the whole day. 'That Uchiha bastard! I'll show him when I'm through with this!'
She was on her knees, a bucket of blackish water by her side. She was holding a cloth stained by the dirt of the humongous palace. Her mind was suddenly filled with thoughts of the Prince. 'One minute he is so gentle and caring then the next he transforms into a super bastard. I just can't understand that Sasuke.' She deeply sighed as she dipped the cloth into the bucket and started wiping the floor. 'I really thought that he was nothing but an idiot but then… Argh! Stop thinking about him! Maybe he's kind because he's got a hidden desire on me. Yeah, maybe that's it. I shouldn't let my guard down. How can he be so kind to someone like me?'
The pink-haired girl shook the thought away from her mind and concentrated on what she was doing. She didn't want to be punished. 'I should've followed his first order. That's better than cleaning this whole place! This is ridiculous!' She protested mentally.
She was really concentrating on her work that she didn't hear the footsteps of the lady. She was in a hurry, running that she didn't notice Sakura who was cleaning the floor. Sakura was startled when the lady hit the bucket and all the black water spilled on the floor, making it dirty again.
"Look at what you did! I've been cleaning this damned palace for almost half a day and now you-" Sakura looked at the person who hit the bucket who was standing beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. She didn't know that pale girl with pale eyes but she knew she was someone who is to be respected. She was wearing an elegant dress and an expensive shiny necklace was around her neck.
"I-I'm really sorry. I didn't notice you and I was in a hurry. Please forgive my carelessness." There was sincerity in the lady's soft voice. She knelt beside the pink-haired slave, soaking a small part of her beautiful white dress with the dirty water. "Let me help you clean the mess I've made. It's the only way I could-"
Sakura flashed a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I can clean this up by myself. I'll be able to finish this so you need not worry about me."
The lady held Sakura's hand, trying to grab the dirty cloth from her. "I can do it. Please, let me." She was persistent.
Sakura gave up and let the pale lady do what she wanted. She clumsily wiped the wet floor. "I'm Hyuga Hinata from the Wind country. I'm really sorry." The violet-haired girl said.
The word 'Hyuuga' rang a bell in Sakura's mind. The Hyuuga clan, the leader of the Wind country. While she was watching Princess Hinata she thought, 'She is one hell of a different girl. Why is she helping me and letting her expensive dress get soaked?' She mentally shook her head. "I'm Haruno Sakura." She introduced herself. "So, why were you running?"
Hinata looked at her with her shy eyes. "My cousin is here to meet with Prince Itachi and we'll be leaving soon. I wanted to spend some time in the garden so I was running as fast as I could but then-"
"Then you should've left and let me finish my work. Your sorry is enough for me." Sakura answered.
"No, it's okay. We'll be going back here soon, anyway." Hinata squeezed the water from the cloth to the bucket.
"Why are you going there? Do you love nature?" Sakura crossed her arms across her chest. "There's an annoying blonde boy there, you know. He-"
"Naruto," Hinata said with a smile on her lips.
Sakura knew, by seeing the Princess' expression that she liked the blonde gardener but before she could say anything, someone grabbed Hinata's arm, making her to stand up.
"Hinata, what on earth are you doing!" The brown haired boy angrily asked.
"Neji-niisan! I-I was running and I spilled the-" Princess Hinata tried to explain but he pushed her away then stared at Sakura with fierce, pale eyes.
"And you, why did you make Hinata do your awful job? Do you not know that she's a Princess?" Neji told her. He grabbed Sakura's arm tightly that it almost broke her bones. "How dare you!"
Sakura whimpered. "Wh-Why did you do that to Hinata? Get your filthy hand off me!" Even if she was in pain, her eyes remained fierce. "I don't care if you are a prince but you can't do that to anyone!"
Neji raised his other hand, ready to slap her hard on the cheek but then someone caught it and stopped him.
"You can't just hurt or slap my slave, Prince Neji." It was none other than Sasuke. "She's mine."
Neji turned to look at the frowning Prince behind him. "What she did was wrong. You should punish that girl, Prince Sasuke." He said, secretly angry at the dark blue haired Prince for stopping him.
Sasuke looked at Hinata who was leaning on the wall. "Please tell me what happened, Princess Hinata." He politely said.
The Princess looked from Sasuke to Neji to Sasuke again then slightly nodded. "I was in a hurry. I was running here and I didn't notice her. I accidentally hit the bucket and all the water spilled. I wanted to help Sakura so she let me. I-It's my entire fault, Neji-niisan." When she finished explaining, she bowed her head.
Neji let go of the pink-haired slave then gave her an angry stare before turning to look at Sasuke. "Please forgive my cousin for the trouble she caused."
Sasuke summoned a maid and ordered her to clean the mess. "I'm headed to the library. Would you like to come with me?" He was inviting the two royal people.
Neji nodded. "We'd love to."
Sasuke walked, passing the other Prince then held Sakura's hand in his. Sakura was smiling at him. "Hey Your Lowness, I owe you one. Thanks for saving me." She whispered.
Prince Sasuke leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "We're going to the library. Just do as I say. You owe me, after all." He smiled at her then walked ahead, still holding her hand. "Let's go." He told Neji and Hinata.
Prince Neji was really angry. Sasuke was intentionally doing that. He looked at Hinata who was walking by his side. She had a happy, contented smile on her lips. It made him angrier.
Sakura missed the library and all the books in it. It was the best place in the Uchiha palace for her. She could spend the whole day just reading and reading there.
"Let go of my hand now, Sasuke." She whispered. She was really excited to read the book she saw a few days ago.
Sasuke did what she asked then sat on a chair across Neji. Princess Hinata was standing by the window, looking at the garden and watching a certain blonde boy who was watering the plants.
"I've talked to Prince Itachi while you were having your lessons," Neji told him.
Sasuke didn't say anything but his expression was saying, 'I know' so the brown-haired Prince went on, "We've set the date of your wedding."
Sasuke didn't look surprised. He was calmly watching Sakura who was climbing a ladder. "When will it be held?" He monotonously asked.
"Eight weeks from now," Neji coolly answered.
Sakura was having a difficulty climbing the ladder and she was beginning to shake. Sasuke stood up then said, "Princess Hinata is nothing but a friend to me. She feels the same for me. She wouldn't be very happy."
Prince Neji fixed his eyes on Sasuke's dark ones. "You don't need love to make a country's relationship with another stronger. Your parents and Princess Hinata's made this decision and besides," Neji had a smirk on his lips. "…this is just business, a political marriage."
Neji never cared about his shy cousin. Controlling her entire life made him angrier to the Wind country's Prince. Sasuke snarled at him then ran to his slave who was about to fall from the ladder. He came just in time and was able to catch her when she fell.
"Hey, put me down!" Sakura told him. He did what she said.
"I've been saving your sorry ass for days and that's how you're going to thank me?" He whispered in her ear.
"I didn't know you say such words," Sakura said with a happy grin.
"I think I've learned it from you. Anyway, Neji is watching us. You can really be punished because of what you've done to Princess Hinata even if it was not your fault. Neji can be pretty scary when he's angry." He seriously told her.
Sakura bit her lower lip. "He's really angry with me, right?" She asked, quite scared of the look that Prince Neji was giving them. "Don't let him get me, Sasuke."
"I won't but I want you to cooperate and trust me; everything's going to be alright." Sasuke said reassuringly. Sakura unsurely nodded.
'What's taking him so long? He's been talking to that slave for almost five minutes.' Neji deeply sighed. 'Damn it!'
He was watching them like an eagle. The girl turned away from Sasuke, her back facing him, and she looked angry. Sasuke put his arms around her waist and let his chin rest on her right shoulder. The pink-haired looked at his face and Sasuke suddenly placed a kiss on her nose.
Neji frowned. 'What does he think he's doing?' He angrily asked himself. He continued watching the two.
Sasuke roughly pushed her on the bookshelf and fortunately, no books fell. The girl looked surprised yet excited. Sasuke was standing in front of her and Neji could only see his back but then he knew he was whispering something in her ear. He could hear strange sounds coming from her and it made him sick.
'Sasuke is really fond of that girl. If she keeps getting on my way, then I'll have to get rid of her.' The angry Prince was glaring at her.
Sasuke was sure that Neji was staring at them. After he told Sakura his plans, she immediately turned away from him.
"Act as if we are lovers?" She angrily said in a low voice. "Why me, Sasuke? I can't do it. I hate you, you know that."
Sasuke put his arms around her waist and let his chin rest on her shoulder. "I want you to do it. You owe me." He quietly answered.
Sakura looked at his face. "Hell, no!" Sasuke silenced her with a kiss on her nose and it surprised the slave. "Hell, no, Sasuke! I'm out of here." She tried to remove his arms around her waist but was unsuccessful. He pushed her hard on the shelf and leaned on her to whisper something in her ear.
"Oh no, you don't. You're mine and will do as I say." He harshly whispered.
She could feel his hot breath against her skin and it sent chills to her spine. Sasuke leaned closer and it made her blush. She could feel his strong chest.
"You said that I like you, right?" His voice was husky. "I like you. Now we are lovers."
"Hey, what kind of plan is this, you pervert! You can't just-" Sakura protested. She could feel his tongue licking her earlobe. It was one of her weak spots. She clenched her fists while giggling. "Stop, Sasuke. I-It tickles!"
The Prince stopped what he was doing when Neji spoke.
"We should be going now, Prince Sasuke."
Sasuke turned and looked at the other frowning prince. "What's with the rush, Prince Neji?" He casually asked.
Neji sighed. "It seems that you are no longer interested in talking with me." He called Hinata. "We shall meet again, Prince Sasuke. Prepare yourself for the important event that will take place here eight weeks from now." He and Princess Hinata left.
The two were silent for a while. Sasuke had a contented, triumphant smile on his lips. Sakura still can't believe that she let Sasuke do that to her but she was curious about that event.
"What event, Sasuke?" She asked, looking at him. "What was he talking about?"
Sasuke looked at her. "Nothing important."
He wasn't lying.
That evening after taking a bath, Prince Sasuke met his slave who was sitting on a couch in his bedroom.
"I'm tired, Sasuke. I want to sleep but I can't find my blanket anywhere. When I came in it wasn't on the floor anymore. Have you seen it?" She wearily asked the Prince who was drying his wet hair with a towel.
"I ordered Gaara to throw it away," He answered. "You are now my lover and it is only right that we sleep on the same bed."
Sakura's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?" She angrily said.
"What does it look like to you?." He retorted, sitting on his bed.
Sakura shook her head. She stood in front of him. "No, no, no! I mean, what you said in the library… That… That…"
"That I like you?" Sasuke filled in for her.
"Yes! I mean no!" Sakura started walking back and forth then stopped. She sighed. "I thought it was just a plan. What happened?" She was starting to have a headache.
"Yes. It's a plan and at the same time…" He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes. "…the truth."
Sakura frowned. It was too much for her to handle. 'I shouldn't let my guard down! He wants something from me. Don't believe him.' Her mind kept on yelling at her.
His question definitely caught her off guard. "What am I to you, Sakura?"
He stared at his dark orbs, searching for a hidden meaning on what he said but she found none. There was nothing but pure sincerity. "I…" She was speechless. 'Think, Sakura, think!' "It's impossible! You, a Prince, likes someone like me, a peasant? Can't be." She retorted.
"It's only your stupid perception that a person like me can't like someone like you. You told me once that we are equal, that we are both human beings and that we should treat each other with respect. I'm starting to realize that, you know." He gently said.
"J-Just forget about that, okay! I-"
"What am I to you, Sakura?" He repeated his question.
She found herself blushing intensely. She can't look straight in his eyes. "I… I really don't know, Sasuke."
Sasuke grabbed her arms firmly and made her look straight in his eyes. "I want to know the truth, Sakura. What am I to you?" He leaned his face closer to her. "I like you," He paused. "I like you a lot, Haruno Sakura."
XOXOXO
The purpose of this chapter is to make Hinata, Neji, and Sakura meet each other. Now, Neji hates Sakura. Sakura thinks Hinata is a nice girl. And yeah, Sasuke's little confession about his feelings toward her. I wonder what will happen to them…
It's been quite a while! I was wondering why a lot of people are reading this fic when I think that it's getting boring. (sigh) I hate myself for making you wait. Oh yeah, I know I can't please everybody. So tell me what you think about this fic. Too boring? Too stupid? Too simple? Nice? Just tell me, okay?