Chapter six: Business Ball (Itachi)

"Princess Hinata escorted by Prince Neji!" I turned my attention back to Lord Rock Lee. I have been watching for the now Sharingan Healer, curious to see her in red. I am not proud to say I'm becoming childishly impatient for this glimpse.

"Princess Sakura, Princess Ino, and Princess Hanae!"

A collective gasp sounded in the room as the three princesses walked down the staircase. The two on either side of her paled in comparison of the healer. I'm glad I told her to wear red. It suits her well.

Her dress was a brilliant shade of ruby, the ruffle falling beautifully, the fabric hugging her skin in all the right places. The gown fell into ripples from her waist and onto the floor, swishing silently as she moved. My free hand clenched as Kisame watched her with the same look as before. Hunger. Desire. I guess my warning wasn't enough last night.

"My king," Sakura greeted as the three bowed. "At your request, we have found a red dress for Hanae."

"Excellent work, ladies. You may go." The two curtseyed before walking away to mingle with the crowd. I offered my arm, and Hanae slid her hand into it with a soft smile. "Gentlemen, this is my personal medic Haruno Hanae."

"Good evening." She curtseyed slightly.

"Hanae-san, this is Prince Shikamaru, Lord Rock Lee, Lord Kiba, Lord Zabuza, and Lord Haku. They are the lords- and prince- I have chosen to rule over five of my newest kingdoms. Lord Kiba resides in the Cherry Kingdom."

She looked up at me in surprise, her smile dropping. "He's…. Wait, so what do you usually do with the ruling family when you take over?" I fought a smile at her innocent worry.

"It depends on the reigning lord. Lord Kiba allows them to rule over without as much power."

"Oh." She smiled again. "Well, that's good."

"Hanae-san, I've heard you are very talented on the piano. I am curious to have a taste of this talent," Haku replied. The green haired girl looked up at me for support; I nodded and she looked back at the lord.

"Alright." The ball room slowly became quiet as I led Hanae to the grand piano in the corner of the room next to the glass doors that lead to the gardens. She sat on the bench, took a deep breath, and began playing.

My heart skipped a beat as I watched her play Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit", a very difficult classical piece that not even I am able to play completely through without messing up somewhere somehow. Her eyes had closed, and she was biting her lower lip in concentration. The music flowed from her perfectly and with… soul. Emotion. Beauty.

When the song ended, she was breathing slightly harder than before. Cheers exploded throughout the room.

"Brava!" "Beautiful!" "Wonderful!" So on, and so forth.

I held out my hand with a small smile, and she took it with one of her own. As she stood, I tucked the hand in my elbow. I looked up and saw Neji walking towards us with Hinata.

"Itachi-sama." We bowed our heads to each other.

"Hanae-san, this is Prince Neji and Princess Hinata. Sharingan has a treaty with their kingdom, Byakugan, due to a very bloody war."

"Pleasure to meet you." They bowed/curtseyed to each other.

"Hanae-sama, th-that piece was v-very beautiful. I w-would be honored if you w-would play wi-with me one d-day," Hinata stammered shyly. Smiling, Hanae nodded.

"I would love to play with you one day, Hinata-sama."

After a few moments of listening to the girls talk, I decided to excuse myself and go talk to the other lords. Hanae will be alright with Neji. I watched her giggle at something Hinata had said while talking with Kakashi.

As the quartet got ready for the next song, I excused myself from the conversation and approached to three once again. The Hyuga and I have a tendency to switch partners for a waltz. And it is time to do so.

"Hinata-san, may I have this dance?" I asked, holding my hand out to her. She blushed lightly.

"H… hai." She slid her hand into mine and I led her to the now cleared dance floor as Neji asked Hanae. The waltz began to play, and we swung the princesses into our arms at the same time.

As we danced, I looked over at Hanae. She was talking quietly to Neji with a smile of delight on her face. When they turned, I was surprised to see the usually impassive brunette smiling down at her. Affectionately.

"M-my kind?" I realized I had been glaring at the two of them. I turned my attention back to Hinata. "I-is everything al-alright?"

"Hn." At the end of the song, I had to restrain myself from yanking Hanae to me as we escorted the two princesses back to the piano. After bowing at the waist, Neji and I walked away to the refreshments table.

"Itachi-sama." I grunted in response. "I would like your permission to start courting Hanae-san."

If I had been drinking at that moment, I would've spit out a sip and/or coughed it up. just in case, I set my cup down on the table.

"I thought you were courting TenTen."

"Her father has further plans for her." He studied me for a moment. "If you're already courting her…."

"I'm not." I picked the cup up again and took another sip. "Don't interfere with my healing, Hyuga. That's the main reason she is here. Otherwise feel free to court her. I don't control absolutely everything she does."

"Hai."

Yay! Neji is here and on his way to being a major comforter for Hanae! Bet you weren't seeing that one coming, were you?

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

-RozaCourt