The First Kiss

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The sun rose and scattered its warm rays across the earth like a warm and cozy blanket, gently prodding for everything to awaken from its nightly slumber. On hot summer days such as this one, the ocean waters looked like diamonds were engraved into each wave ornately. On days such as these, you could see clearly all the way to the ocean floor even in the deepest of waters. Maybe if humans traveled out far enough, then they would be able to see the kingdoms that lay at the bottom of these depths. Even in those great depths, the sun's rays reached and warmed all of the creatures that lived there.

So it was with a lazy yawn that princess Sakura woke from her dream world when the sun's rays filtered into her room through the body sized hole in the rock wall they called a window. She had been dreaming of her beloved naga prince. In her dreams, he was so open with his feelings toward her. She could almost feel his gentle caresses and the way his eyes held such intensity as he lowered his head so that he could capture her lips and make them prisoner to his. It was a battle which she would gladly lose a thousand times over. However, she never got the chance because she always woke before she could feel the intoxicating pressure of his lips on hers.

Sakura sighed in disappointment before rising from her bed made of comfortable sponges located in a giant open clam. Half-awake, she proceeded on to her usual schedule of brushing her hair and primping so that she would look acceptable. It was another normal day filled with routines and schedules. Like usual, Hinata was waiting for her outside her door with a good natured smile on her face. Without hesitation, Sakura returned it and both girls began their morning conversation while making their way to the throne room. It was customary to do this in order to find out what kinds of tasks were needed to be accomplished for that day.

Sakura noted that the only thing that was off was that Neji had not yet joined up with them. Usually, he would be waiting with Hinata outside her door with that ever emotionless expression on his face. Sakura had always been able to see through it. Neji was really a nice guy, you just had to look through the cold façade. On the inside, he was kind and was fiercely protective of those he cared about. Over time, they had become close friends, and Sakura told him just about everything even if it was trivial and important. He always answered with a quick yet wise answer and always listened intently to whatever she had to say. Despite their closeness, he always respectfully called her princess refusing to call her Sakura even when she asked him to. It seemed like he was always by her side, so it was weird this morning as they approached the throne room without him.

Sakura soon found out why he had been absent. She could hear voices coming from the other side of the throne room doors, one of which definitely belonged to Neji.

"No, absolutely not, your highness I must insist that this absurd idea be forgotten and dismissed this instant!" Neji was obviously vehemently opposed to something. Whatever it was, it had to be unreasonable because Neji did not ever question the king's judgment. However, in two seconds Sakura's mind immediately changed or rather her rational mind just shut down at the sound of the next voice.

"I don't see what's so absurd about the idea. I have patiently waited a more than reasonable amount of time since that…incident, but now I believe that I have the right to at least see my betrothed. It would be unreasonable to keep her from me."

"That was Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed in excited wonder. Already, her heart began to pound in the way only Sasuke could incite.

"Believe it! Sasuke wants to see his girlfriend! Just let him see her already, he's been cranky enough as it is! I mean, he's had a hard enough time trying to wait for today to come. He's totally desperate…"

SMACK!

"Ouch, you moron why'd you do that? Why I outta!"

Sasuke cracked his knuckles trying to keep down the urge of killing Naruto right there in front of the king.

"Shut up loser," Sasuke growled trying to keep his cool. It was true; he was desperate to see her. Ever since that stupid not to mention costly incident caused by Ino, he hadn't been able to see Sakura for well over a month! Ever since he had met her he found that he was at ease whenever he was in her presence. Now it seemed that the opposite effect was true as well. He had grown increasingly anxious with her absence. Who knew that that one meeting would have such an effect on him, that she alone, would have that effect on him? Right now, his entire being ached to see her, to be able to reach out and touch her. The only other feeling he was experiencing was the urge to sink his claws into that Neji guy for trying to keep Sakura from him.

Sasuke was not stupid. He knew that that worthless merman harbored feelings for his Sakura. He saw the way that he looked at her when he thought that no one was looking. It made Sasuke's blood boil. Unconsciously he clenched his fists. If fish boy thinks he's going to keep me from Sakura, he's got another thing coming. She's mine! His thoughts raged on like this while his icy mask was held perfectly in place.

Meanwhile, the king put his hand over his mouth in order to keep a chuckle from escaping. It was blatantly clear that the young naga prince had already begun to fall quite hard for his daughter. He remembered that not long ago, it was he who was in the same emotional turmoil when he was courting Sakura's mother. However, the young prince did a better job at it then he did. He would be a fine ruler someday, and more importantly he would grow to be a fine husband for Sakura. He was about to intervene in the boy's increasingly heated "discussion," when the throne room doors were thrown open.

All of the males snapped their heads toward the stranger who was bold enough to interrupt their meeting. Both Neji and Sasuke were going to let them have it. Both boys were about to rip each other apart and so they were going to take out their frustrations on the poor unsuspecting stranger. That is…until they actually saw who it was.

There was a collective gasp when it was princess Sakura who peeked her head in followed slowly by the rest of her body. Instantly, Sakura scanned the room, searching for the boy of her dreams. It wasn't long until she was rewarded. To the right of her father was the heavenly form of her beloved.

Unconsciously she swallowed the lump that had built up in her throat. What would Sasuke think of her being so brash? Surely he would not approve. But oh, when she gazed at him, those insecurities flew from her mind. Every part of his body held that sweet perfection that she adored so much. Slowly her eyes rose glancing over every regal blue scale, every ripple of masculine muscle, and finally to his perfect face.

There are moments in life that time seems to magically stop, when all rational thoughts and reality just seem to melt into the hazy back round. For you see, undying devotion was born when the princess looked into the eyes of her prince. There was something just powerful about the way he looked at her, the way his shy smile also lit up his eyes. It was like all others faded away as Sakura wordlessly made her way over to Sasuke. His very being beckoned hers to come to him. About half of the distance Sasuke started to move toward his vision of beauty and grace.

Looking at her now rendered him speechless. It wasn't because she was dressed up or because her beauty was so intimidating. He just…was. Sometimes, the greatest happiness can be expressed through a contented silence.

When he reached her, wordlessly he knelt and placed a tender kiss on her palm. Sakura's cheeks felt like they were on fire when his lips gently pressed against her palm. On the outside, the act was completely chaste, but somehow for them it was more intimate. Slowly, as if in a daze, he lifted his eyes to hers.

"My princess," his soft velvety voice caressed her ears in a whisper. Unable to look away, Sakura smiled. Everyone else looked on in wonder, except for Neji. The majority, however, could not wipe the grins from their faces, especially Naruto. He was happy that his best friend had found such a love in the mermaid princess. Love? Sure why not? Naruto was not one to complicate what was simple. Maybe, she would be able to melt him somewhat and then he and his best friend could have some real fun. In Naruto's opinion, Sasuke always was such a stiff. He just didn't know how to loosen up and let his guard down. But now, looking at him with Sakura, Naruto couldn't help but feel that there was hope for him yet.

Naruto was not the only one who was pleased with the show of affection and obvious attraction for one another. The king looked on with contentment. There was no way that he could keep these two separated any longer.

"Alright, Prince Sasuke you may spend the day with my daughter. Try not to cause too much of a stir this time ok?" the king teased. Sasuke was so entranced with the beauty before him that he almost missed what the king had just said. Still, he heard it, and with a brief appreciative smile, Sasuke nodded gratefully. Sakura's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh thank you father!" she exclaimed. Locking eyes with her once more, Sasuke held out his hand to Sakura. A pretty pink bush settled on her cheeks as she slowly intertwined her fingers with his, never losing his gaze. His hand tightened around hers in an experimental squeeze. A small smile of satisfaction and contentment graced his lips as he continued to gaze at his shy angel. Without a word, the couple swam for the doors, looking forward to spending the day together.

"Hey wait up!" Naruto called realizing that he was going to be left behind without a second thought. He quickly caught up to them only to halt dead in his tracks when he saw who was on then other side of the door. It was none other than the incredibly timid Hinata. A huge blush permeated her face as she twiddled her thumbs nervously. Naruto beamed.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed, rushing over. He had no reservations about his feelings so he quickly wrapped her up in a tight embrace almost causing Hinata to faint from the unexpected attention.

"I…it's g…good to see y…you too, N…Naruto." She squeaked out. Meanwhile, Sakura tried in vain to suppress her giggles while Sasuke merely smirked. It turned out that this day was going unexpectedly well. After a few more minutes of Naruto emphasizing how much he had missed Hinata the two couples finally set out to have some real fun. This left an angry Neji to attend to other ninja duties.

Meanwhile, the two couples were "strolling" contentedly through the streets. Each girl was holding hands with her respective boy, a small smile on each of their faces.

"So, what is it that you guys like to do in your kingdom?" Sakura inquired. Sasuke was about to answer when Naruto energetically beat him to it.

"We go on missions! It's awesome! We totally kick butt! Believe it!" Naruto said striking the "cool guy pose." The girls seemed to be interested. Both of these boys were ninjas. They went on dangerous missions to protect their kingdoms. There was no telling all of the different things that these guys had experienced already.

Sakura felt happy just to be near to her prince. His masculine presence was soothing and exciting all at the same time. As they swam through the city, she could sense the surrounding people's eyes on them. After all, it wasn't everyday that a naga was in the mermaid kingdom, and it was certainly a rare site that he just happened to be with the princess. Sakura didn't care, she just smiled open up at him like he was the only one she could see. It was a joyous heart she had when he flashed her a small crooked smile, one of his fangs peeking over his lip. She found this to be incredibly cute but wouldn't tell him because the smile would then instantly vanish.

It was actually a good day. Being with Sakura like this was truly satisfying. The only thing that could make this day more perfect would be if they could be alone. It wasn't like he cared, but all of the merpeople couldn't seem to stop staring at he and Naruto. He could only assume it was like this for Sakura and Hinata when they had come to visit them in his kingdom. Unfortunately, that excursion had turned out with disastrous results. Next time, he would escort her personally to the palace. No one would hurt Sakura. Looking at her trusting face, he realized that he wanted to give her everything. He wasn't good at showing or expressing his feelings but he would show her somehow. Right now, he wanted to take her somewhere special. Suddenly, he got an idea. Yes, that would be perfect…

Sasuke turned to Naruto who was busy educating Hinata on all of the ways of a ninja. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Was that all Naruto ever thought of? Oh well, back to his plan.

"Hey loser," Sasuke called.

"Yes moron?" Naruto replied shooting Sasuke one of his glares. Sasuke remained impassive, and answered, "We should take them to the spot." Naruto's eyes widened as he stopped abruptly. Naruto looked at his best friend like he was nuts.

"Sasuke, you know we can't take them there, it's like impossible. I didn't think you were that stupid," Naruto laughed at the apparent ignorance of his best friend. Sasuke growled not liking being called stupid. He clung to the patience that he accumulated through years of having to tolerate Naruto.

"Naruto, we can take them there remember, don't you remember it? Do you remember what it has?" Sasuke said trying to jog the blonde's memory. For a few moments Naruto retained that complete blank look on his face and Sasuke slapped his forehead in frustration. When this continued for a few more moments Sasuke got impatient and and whacked the back of Naruto's head. Naruto rubbed his head and turned heated eyes to his friend when realization dawned on him. His face lit up at the new possibility.

"Yeah, I do remember! Yeah let's go!" Naruto cheered while everyone else sweatdropped. It was amazing how one being could be so dense. The boys quickly lead the girls out of the city without as much as a second thought.

It was a long trip, but nervousness built in the hearts of the girls as they noticed that the boys were leading them up towards the surface. The surface was a place that not many ventured up to. There really was no need to go up to the world of air. Mermaids can not survive for extended amounts of time when exposed with no water. The threat of humans also hung in the air. For this reason, anxiety built in the hearts of the girls. This feeling escalated when she could see that they were only a few feet from the surface. Sasuke wouldn't do anything to harm her would he?

The doubting thought vanished from her mind when Sasuke squeezed her hand and gave her a heart melting reassuring smile.

"It's ok Sakura, come on, the surface is only a few more feet," his velvety voice eased her nerves. Still, she had never ventured to the surface, so she was terrified. What if something horrible happened? Sasuke sighed when he saw her frightened features. Something in him, hated it when she was scared. Didn't she know that he would protect her no matter what? Sakura was quickly becoming the most important thing in his life. It was a little frightening how intense these feelings were for her. Without thinking, he drew her into his tight embrace where she buried her face into his bare chest causing Sasuke to blush hotly. Still, he whispered in her regardless.

"I won't ever let anything hurt you. Now hang on." With that he propelled them the remaining distance to the surface where Naruto and Hinata were already waiting. When their heads broke the surface, Sakura could already hear Naruto's loud and cheery explanations to Hinata.

The whole experience was new. The world above felt so different from her home under the sea. It was bright and there was the foreign experience of the wind blowing against her face. There was no water up here. Sakura had yet to open her eyes or remove her face from Sasuke's warm chest. Soon, she could feel the small vibration coming from his chest and hear the sound of his soft chuckle.

"It's alright Sakura, you can look," Sasuke said keeping her tightly in his embrace. Reluctantly, Sakura cracked an eye open to see Sasuke's bare chest. Sakura's cheeks felt like they were on fire and she timidly looked up at her prince. He looked different than he did under water. His hair seemed to be stuck to his head. With a curious hand she ran her fingers though his soaked tresses. His hair was wet as was the rest of him. He allowed her to examine him. There was something totally entrancing about her as she ran her hands where there were water droplets clinging to his shoulders face and chest. His eyes drooped from the unknown pleasure she was giving him.

"What in the crap are you two doing? Gosh Sasuke you're a bigger pervert than Kakashi!" Naruto exclaimed, officially ruining the moment. Sakura quickly moved away from him and went to Hinata's side completely embarrassed. Sasuke growled at Naruto. He was enjoying that dang it!

"It wasn't like that, you moron," sasuke said shaking his head free of the excess water, causing his hair to spike up in its usual manner.

"Suuurrrreeee, just don't think you're coming near Hinata," Naruto said rolling his eyes, and rejoining Hinata. Sasuke sweatdropped and shook his head.

"Let's just go," Sasuke groaned pointing to a tiny island that wasn't too far off in the distance.

Sakura and Hinata looked on in complete amazement. They had never seen land before so of course it was an amazing sight. What strange plant life inhabited that island? To them trees and flowers were complete mysteries. They were snapped out of their reverie when Sasuke and Naruto waved for them to follow. The four approached land until the girls halted when the water came to their hips. Due to their lower halves, the girls could not venture and discover what the interior of the island had to offer.

However, the girls were surprised to see when the boys completely left the water. With their snakelike tails, they were not limited to the water. The girls watched in awe as the boys could actually "stand" with their tails.

"See, we discovered this place after a mission. It's cool to just come here and hang out. Nobody knows about it," Naruto explained. An "o" formed on the girls mouths.

"I…it must be n…nice to be able to e…explore… on land," Hinata gestured to them.

"Yeah, I wish I could go on land," Sakura said wistfully trying to gaze as far into the tropical palm trees as far as she could. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow smirked and looked to Naruto who nodded in agreement.

"And who says you can't," Sasuke challenged. Sakura looked away. Hinata seemed to twiddle her thumbs as the boys approached them.

"Sasuke, we're mermaids, we can't go on land like you can," Sakura said softly like it was the most obvious fact in the world. Sasuke shook his head in disagreement and both boys had a mischievous glint in their eyes. This made the girls nervous.

"True…but with some help," With that he lifted Sakura into his arms, bridal style as Naruto did the same. Both girls blushed fiercely and Hinata was on the verge of passing out.

"Now you can go wherever you want," Naruto finished feeling quite pleased with the reactions he was getting with Hinata. Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"I'm going to take Sakura to the spot, I'll be back before it's time to leave," sasuke said slowly. Before leaving, Sasuke shot Naruto a look that said, "So you had better not disturb us Naruto!" Naruto got the hint. He wanted some alone time with Hinata without distractions too.

"Fine, fine whatever," Naruto said turning and leaving with Hinata in his arms. That left Sakura and sauke alone. Finally, he thought in satisfaction. He turned his attention back to his unusually quiet princess.

"So, are you ready to go?" he asked giving her another one of his crooked smiles. Sakura nodded dumbly. Suddenly, all words had seemed to slip from her mind. Slowly at first, he swam with her until they were completely out of the ocean. Her tail seemed to shine like diamonds in the sun's light. Sakura couldn't catch his wandering eyes because she was too busy looking at the lush scenery around her. The most tropical plant life seemed to decorate this entire island. Sasuke slithered along a well traveled path for about another minute until they reached a breathtaking sight.

There, in front of her was a scene right out of a fantasy. A large circular lagoon splayed out before them with a natural water fall in the center back. The most colorful flowers seemed to line the lagoon adding to its majesty. The sound of the falls gave the secluded are a sense of comfort and magic. The crystal clear waters beckoned her to come and play in them.

"Oh Sasuke it's gorgeous!" she exclaimed in wonder. He looked at her and smiled.

"I'm glad you like it," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Sakura slowly looked up at him in wonder. Without even looking forward, he moved until he was waist deep in the lagoon's waters. The liquid felt like a breath of fresh air when it brushed over her tail. Still, she did not leave the comfort of her prince's arms. This seemed to please him greatly.

Wordlessly, he dropped them lower so that they were submerged up to his chest, so that Sakura's tail was completely underwater. From there, he just swam with her in his arms about the lagoon, the water making her entirely weightless. There seemed to be this trance between them that neither wanted to break.

After awhile, he let her go, and they played like children splashing about laughing and carrying on without a care in the world. They spent the whole day just laughing and telling silly stories from their childhood. As the day wore on until sunset, so did the couple's energy.

Twilight found them sitting on a large rock that was located near the waterfall. Sakura was leaning her head on her prince's shoulder while their hands were entwined. Sasuke was using his thumb to rub soothing circles on the back of her hand. It had been a perfect day, well almost.

Right now, the fireflies were starting to come out and a peaceful breeze was blowing through the few willow trees. When more than one firefly started to appear, Sakura sat up and looked on in wonder. She had never seen anything like this in her whole life.

Meanwhile, Sasuke couldn't give a flip about the fireflies. He was too busy staring at the enchanting mermaid sitting next to him. Neither of them had said a single word in over one half hour. Yet, no words had to be said, there was something about her that said enough. She was mesmerizing. More precisely, her lips were mesmerizing. He didn't know why, ok yes he did he wanted her. He wanted to taste those lips and see if they were really as soft as they looked. He wanted to capture those lips with his own and make them his possession. Everything in him was just dying to hold her in his arms and show her how much he cared for her through that one simple gesture. Looking at her awe filled face now, he had never wanted anything more in his whole life. The question was, did she want him? It was a terrifying thought. What if he was rejected? The pain would be enormous. But then again, what if she did want him? The thought alone gave him more courage. Well there was one way to find out. He could just ask her, only, he wouldn't use any words.

He took the time now that she was looking away from him to slowly lean down, so that that when she turned around he could give her a quick peck. But when she did start to look back he jerked away with such intensity that he almost fell off the rock that he was currently sitting on. Sakura looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright Sasuke?" she asked worriedly. Sasuke sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered utterly mad at himself. He was such a loser! He was too shy to kiss her! He had chickened out! When did he become such a wimp! He was fearless in battle! Why was this so different? He groaned inwardly, when he could mentally picture Naruto rolling around in hysterics at his pansy behavior.

But the truth was…he cared about Sakura more than anything, that's why he was so cautious about this act of affection. It was true that he wanted her, but at the same time, he wanted her to want him just as much. The reason he was fearless in battle was because he didn't care about his opponents. Kissing someone is totoally different. But was it really, sometimes in order to win in battle, you have to take risks that could literally make or break you. In this case, kissing Sakura was no different; he had to show her how much she meant to him even if it meant getting his heart crushed. He would lose her eventually, at least in heart, if he didn't. Besides, you can't lose what you never had.

So, with a steady hand, he was careful of his claws, and he took her chin in his hand and gently turned her face so that she was looking up at him. Instantly, his gaze locked onto hers.

No words were needed to convey what he was about to do as he lowered his face to hers. Sakura blushed bright red as her eyes slid shut. His followed suit when he was only centimeters away. For a second, he stopped and his warm breath soothed her lips. Slowly, he closed the distance and gently pressed his lips to hers in a curious and chaste manner. He had never done this before so this was a totally new experience. Both hearts were beating like a butterfly beats its wings.

Indeed, her lips were soft. He pulled away for a second before placing another kiss on her willing lips. This time he gained more courage and wanted to continue his exploration. The pleasure that he was feeling because of her was indescribable. This time, Sakura wasn't completely still. She responded by kissing him back shyly. The shockwaves of pleasure that shot through both of them was intoxicating. That lit a new fire of emotion between them. More soft kisses were exchanged as they massaged each other's lips before Sasuke pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. Both were blushing madly, but they didn't care. In that moment of utter contentment, Sasuke decided that one day this girl would be his mate…

Mate…In that moment, the complete memory of the day that led up to the kiss and the kiss ran through the group's mind. It was really not a good time for that sort of thing. They were being attacked and worst of all, their sensei had just been killed. Everyone was in a panic. What were they going to do! The little group of four was terrified. They had never gone up against real enemy ninjas before. There were two ninjas with sharp chains. After scanning, the group, the two dark ninjas chuckled and began to charge Sakura.

Sasuke saw the whole thing from where he was standing. They were going to kill her! At that moment, the inner Sasuke was enraged at the ninjas and was fearful for the one he loved. His feelings were so intense that the inner Sasuke actually took over for a moment. In a flash Sasuke was standing protectively in front of Sakura, his arms stretched wide. Sakura, looked shocked. Sasuke had never done anything like this before. The others looked shocked as well. Sasuke didn't care though. For some reason, this felt right. His inner self would let nothing harm the love of his life, even if Sasuke himself didn't realize it yet.

Sasuke stared down the two ninjas who were getting increasingly closer by the second. His eyes started to flash red as the sharingan appeared. Ssauke readied his kunai ready to do battle. Nothing was going to get past him. However, there would never be the chance because out of nowhere, Kakashi appeared in front of him and with a well placed punch and kick the two offending ninjas were knocked out cold…

In later chapters, we'll find out what went down with Naruot and Hinata. Next chapter, Zabuza appears and the real fight begins. Don't miss it! Remember to please review! I will update sooner if you do! REMEMBER 5 REVIEWS!