DESTINY OF THE PRINCE OF UCHIHA CLAN

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: Chapter three is done. I am really sorry for the delay. I have been really busy with school.

Thanks for the reviews:

Dude in the Darkness – Kimi wa otoko tte shiranakatta.

little wolf blossom – Yes, Hinata is coming back

Sailor Leo – Unfortunately, some of the words are really hard to express in English, which is to say, they are better expressed in Japanese rather than in English.

Kaze no Shoujou – Sasuke was cold dakara sabishiku narundayo…tte iu ka, mada chapter two dabe.

yinyang-sensei – a story is not a story without a problem or obstacle. Otherwise, the story would be as boring as whatever.

Ruriko89 – It is a SasuSaku as the introduction says.

Sakura Camille – As the introduction says, it is a SasuSaku.

animeforever24 – I apologize for the loooong wait. I have been really busy with school.

bleeding heart in the fire – I think I know you…

Xx-S H I N O B I-xX – My apologies for the long wait.

Chapter Three: A Smile from a Cold-hearted

Kssshhhh! Chhhhhhhhkkk!

Sakura jumped from tree to tree skillfully, as she listened intently for any noise she might hear. It was hard to tell if the noises were caused by wandering rabbits or by Naruto. Silence. There, she saw it – one sharp shuriken was zooming towards her direction. In one swift move, she disappeared and reappeared at the spot where the blade came from. There, before her, stood Naruto.

"Haha…Naru – "

Naruto, who was unwilling to lose to Sakura, disappearead and reappeared three meters away from Sakura.

"You almost got me there, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I know." Sakura said.

Looking at Sasuke's direction, Naruto yelled, "It's your turn, Sasuke! I gotta rest…"

"Aa…" was Sasuke's reply. He was just sitting there the whole time, watching Naruto and Sakura practice their ninja techniques.

"Sakura, I admit, you're pretty good for a girl." Naruto said before he slouched down under a tree.

So the Sasuke-versus-Sakura practice fight began. It was less intense compare to the Naruto-Sakura fight since Sakura seemed to be losing to Sasuke. It would seem like Sasuke was better than Sakura but there was a slight trace of exhaustion in Sakura, implying that her condition might be the cause of her weakness. As Sakura focused on dodging Sasuke's attacks – too tired to attack back – she did not notice the three kunai's zooming towards her. However, Sasuke did see the kunai's and in a blink, he threw three shuriken's. The three kunai's were caught in the center of the shuriken's, thus pinning them to a tree along with the shuriken's.

"Dare da! Come out!" Sasuke said fiercely.

There was no answer.

"Huh? Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he and Sakura stared at Sasuke blankly.

Sasuke looked at them then walked towards the tree where his shuriken's were still pinned. He pulled the shuriken's out along with the kunai's and then walked back towards his cousin and future bride.

"These kunai's were about to hit you a minute ago. We will stop for now and keep watch on whoever's trying to kill us. Sakura, rest. Naruto, be on guard." Sasuke said.

Sakura sat down as Naruto passed out their lunch – onigiri's, to be specific. They all listened in silence to every unusual noise they heard. After half an hour of waiting, Naruto got tired of "keeping on guard" and stood up.

"I'm gonna go peeeeeeeeeee." Naruto declared as he walked deeper into the woods.

When Naruto finished "peeing" he immediately headed back. As he was walking back, he met a guy from the village.

"Excuse me, have you seen any kunai's around here? I lost mine while I was practicing a while ago." The guy asked Naruto.

Naruto looked at him and replied, "I think I do know where your kunai's are, sir. Just follow me."

Naruto lead him towards Sasuke's direction. As they were nearing Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto called, "Oi, Sasuke!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto's direction and stood up.

"This guy – " Naruto began but was cut off by the guy.

"Have you seen my kunai's, sir?" the guy asked Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at him and said, "So it was you. It was you who set those kunai's after Sakura."

"Oi, matte, Sasuke. It was an accident. He was just practicing." Naruto said as Sakura blushed at Sasuke's reaction.

Sasuke glared at him before he glanced at his cousin. Turning around he ordered, "Go!" With a more calm voice he said to Naruto, "Give him his kunai's."

Naruto took the kunai's from Sasuke's pack and handed them to the guy. "You'd do well to stay away from my cousin until he forgets your face," Naruto said before the guy turned around and left.

"We're heading back," Sasuke announced coldly as he took up his pack and began to walk back to the village, leaving Naruto and Sakura behind to follow.

They got home just right on time. Fugaku was about to send a messenger to call them for supper.

"The Hyuuga Family are coming back tonight, son." Mikoto informed.

"Perfect timing, they can attend your engagement celebration tomorrow," Fugaku said.

Mikoto, knowing all the rumors about Sasuke and Hinata, glared at her husband. "It is up to both of you, Sasuke, Sakura. If you do not wish to invite them to your engagement feast, we will understand."

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said tonelessly.

After supper, they all retired to their rooms, though it was still too early to sleep. It was not long before a messenger knocked onto Sasuke's door and entered.

"Sasuke-sama, Fugaku-sama has summoned for you," the messenger said, bowing low.

Sasuke followed the messenger, who lead him out of the Uchiha Residence. There was a procession going on, signifying some arrival of a new leader. "Hyuuga Hinata and her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, has come back, son. Welcome them." Mikoto whispered.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura were still up in their rooms. Hearing extraordinary noises, they opened their windows and peeked out. Down below, they saw Sasuke, standing by his father's side. They noticed the procession, filled with musicians and other servants, bearing a "Hyuuga" banner. Right on the very middle of the long procession stood a boy and a girl, heavily surrounded by people. The girl scanned the crowd and spotted Sasuke. She smiled at him but Sasuke only looked away. The girl seemed shocked with grief and was comforted by the boy beside her.

'Hyuuga…' Naruto thought as a sense of familiarity filled him. "Hyuuga Hinata!" he exclaimed finally remembering. 'Why did Sasuke ignored her? Is she not his bestfriend?' he thought again.

After the procession, Hinata and Neji were welcomed by leaders while Sasuke went back to his room, only to be bothered by Naruto.

"It is her, isn't it? Hyuuga Hinata?" Naruto asked as he sat on Sasuke's bed as though it were his own.

Sasuke only nodded. He did not really want to talk about Hinata now. The pain he felt a year ago seemed to have reawakened.

"Why then? Why did you not greet her? She's your bestfriend! Was her departure not the cause of your coldness? Why do you give such cold expression to her?" Naruto asked.

Annoyed, Sasuke only said, "Uruse – !"

"Answer my questions!" Naruto insisted.

"She left me, I already told you that. She left me – when I asked her not to," Sasuke muttered angrily.

"You were the one who told me her family had to go back to their village, did you not? It was a necessity. Stop being arrogant and welcome your bestfriend."

"No,"

"Suit yourself, as long as you don't want her company and friendship anymore. I might as well ask her to be my real girlfriend with her ex-bestfriend's protection gone now."

With this, Naruto left Sasuke's room to give his cousin some time to think. The next morning, Sasuke was awakened by noises coming from the streets. The entire Uchiha household was already preparing for the great feast to be held by sunset. So much preparations were made the whole afternoon.

By sunset, Sasuke and Sakura were already dressed in formal kimono. Guest began arriving from different lands. Hinata and Neji came, also in formal clothing. Upon seeing them, Sasuke approached them and excused Hinata and himself from Neji.

"Forgive me, for my behaviour yesterday." Sasuke apologized.

"You are already forgiven, dear friend. Trouble yourself no more, for it is your engagement day and we have come to celebrate with you," was Hinata's reply.

A rush of relief spread through Sasuke as he return Hinata to her cousin. When the sun had set, Fugaku and Mikoto came out.

"It is indeed, very unfortunate to have the Haruno family miss such a special event. But as planned we are pleased to announce the engagement of my son, Sasuke, to the successor of Haruno Clan, Haruno Sakura." Fugaku announced as the guests applauded.

Sasuke then walked towards the table positioned on the very middle area. On the table, sat a very heavy metal box, which was decorated with Uchiha symbols. Sasuke lifted the heavy lid open to reveal a ring on a red silky cushion. Sasuke took the ring and held Sakura's hand. Not looking at his fiancée, he slid the engagement ring on her finger.

Sasuke and Sakura held hands, as Fugaku had requested, and bowed. After all the applauding and clapping died down, the feast began. Musician and performers began performing their well-practiced skills. Several guests approached Sasuke and Sakura to congratulate them personally. Sakura was really cheerful and accepted the guests' gifts and words with a smile. Sasuke, cold as ever, only bowed out of respect but never smiled back. Soon, everyone else was dancing, feasting and eating. Sasuke then approached Hinata, who was standing beside her cousin, followed by Sakura.

"Hinata, I am sorry for not having introduced Sakura earlier. Hinata, this is Haruno Sakura." Sasuke said with a spark of warmth in his tone, which really surprised Sakura. "Sakura, this is Hyuuga Hinata, successor of Hyuuga Clan, and her cousin, Hyuuga Neji."

"An honor to meet you, Haruno Sakura-san," Hinata said, bowing as she smiled.

"The honor is mine, Hyuuga Hinata-san. Beautiful, is what the villagers described you most. The rumors, indeed, are true." Sakura complimented.

They were soon joined by Naruto, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. They talked for a while, mostly Sasuke and Hinata, trying to catch up with the year they missed. Soon Mikoto called for Sasuke and Sakura for the traditional dance. Sasuke and Sakura did as was requested and was later joined by everyone else. Naruto came up to them and asked to dance with Sakura. Sasuke nodded his approval and went to dance with Hinata.

"Where is the rest of your family?" Sasuke asked as he and Hinata stopped for a drink.

"They decided to remain in the village, lest our village gets attacked again." HInata said.

"Why did you come back then?" He knew the answer but wanted to hear it from her.

"I made a promise to return in a year, did I not?"

"Thanks for keeping your promise," Sasuke said as he smiled at her.

Hinata returned the smile and said, "I can see you've found yourself a real girlfriend."

"It is an arranged marriage,"

"So I heard. You don't have to run from girls anymore, now you are to wed somebody."

"Yes, Ino was the last to give up."

Hinata gave a laugh and said, "I guess I lost my pretend boyfriend, eh?"

"Hinata, married or not, I will still protect you," Sasuke assured her as he smiled at her again.

Hinata only laughed and nodded.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura had also stopped dancing and were watching Sasuke and Hinata.

"Naka ii ne," Sakura commented as Naruto handed her a drink.

"So it would seem," Naruto replied.

"This is the first time I've seen Sasuke smile."

"Same here. A shame, he's my cousin and had known him all along but had never seen him so…un-cold…warm…gah, I don't know the word!"

"He certainly missed her,"

"I bet."

Sighing, Sakura said, "It probably broke her heart when she found out I'm marrying Sasuke."

"Why is that?"

"Well, they are obviously still in love with each other,"

"I see you heard the story about Hinata being Sasuke's ex-girlfriend, eh?" Naruto asked.

"Couldn't help it. Stories and rumors are everywhere."

Naruto took a deep breath and said, "Oh well, Sasuke is more than what the stories and rumors say. You'll get to know him more once you're wedded."

Dictionary:

Shuriken: small throwing blade/throwing star

Kunai: ninja throwing knife

Dare da: Who/Who was that

Onigiri: triangular-shaped rice ball

sama: used after the names of royal/noble/rich people/customer

Uruse: noisy/annoying

San: added after a name for respect

Naka ii ne: they're pretty close, aren't they?

A/N: Sasuke and Sakura are engaged! LOL! Oh yeah, if I forgot to translate any Japanese words included in any of my chapters, please tell me. Anyway, the next chapter will follow if I receive reviews.

hope you like the story

mizu no musume