It's been a while since I've updated any of my fics. Sorry! I'll try to keep at least a monthly update for this story. Thank you for all the support! You guys keep me going.

Disclaimer: Wishful thinking.

..5..

Sweet dreams oh mighty one

May the ghosts come haunt you

May the giggling girls bother you

May you toss and turn all night

For once in your life

May everything go wrong

………

"Did you hear me? Take out your belongings and go into the stables." The Prince's eyes hardened with resolve, but Sakura made out the sparkle of amusement in them too. She was about to run her mouth again before her common sense stopped her. Ticking off a man who was already going to kick you out was not wise. Sakura bit her tongue and tried to look more like a sophisticated young lady.

"There must be some other way…" She started meekly. Truthfully, Sakura knew that it would be near impossible for the Prince to change his mind. The disapproving grunt that came her way from the said man proved it.

Sakura ignored the triumphant expression on Tayuya's face. She was hideous enough, but with that gloating aura around her, Sakura may just have to deem her even more so. Inwardly, she knew that the red-head wasn't ugly looking at all, but at the moment, any insult toward her would do. Sakura scanned the room to focus her eyes on Tsunade. The woman just stared at her in a helpless way and gave a subtle shrug of her shoulders. She couldn't do anything for her either, it seemed. Sigh.

"The stable doesn't have doors though. It's old, rickety, and it may fall on me at night…" Maybe the Prince had compassion?

"I'm sure you can deal with it." Guess not.

"It's not safe for a girl to be outside by herself at night." If he was any normal, caring guy, that should've persuaded him to return her her room.

"No need to worry. They'll just mistake you for an animal since you're in the stables anyways." But then again, he was a pompous, chicken-haired prince.

Sakura pursed her lips. She let the insult pass, but reality was sinking in, and she realized that she may just have to sleep in the hay tonight.

"Ay, don't you think you're being a little too harsh on her?" Naruto looked towards the Prince. "You shouldn't treat a lady that way." Maybe he was going to be her knight in shining armor.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose in distaste as he regarded Sakura upon his friend's words.

"…She's not a lady though."

That does it. Sakura grumbled profanities underneath her breath as she puffed out imaginary steam through her ears. Or maybe they were real because Naruto and Kiba took a tiny step backwards upon her change in demeanor. The girls were probably too used to her tantrums by now to even care.

A brilliant idea formed in her mind as she straightened her posture, glanced at the prince, and bowed slowly.

"As you say, my lord." Sakura offered a small smile, took in some surprised faces, and turned around to pack up her stuff.

If he thought that she had given up, then he was going to be so sorry by daybreak the next day. Carefully not showing her inner glee, Sakura walked out calmly from the dojo and practically skipped towards the house next door. She needed to pack her things up and make the prince feel welcomed for when he would use it. Sakura really loved her inner genius sometimes.

That was…easy? The Prince stared at Sakura's retreating back. Something was nagging at him from the back of his head. The girl gave up too soon, too…willingly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to use my room for the night, my lord?" The red-head's voice broke his reverie. He glanced at her in question.

"I'm afraid her room is rather small, and she's quite a slob as well." She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle a fake laugh. The couple of girls around her giggled as well. Sasuke nodded curtly.

"I'm sure I'll be to handle it." If he could handle Naruto, he was capable of anything.

"Oy, why are you staring at me like that?" Mumbled the blonde male. Kiba patted Naruto's back comfortingly before directing his gaze to the Prince.

"So Naruto and I will be sharing quarters?" The idea didn't really appeal to him either, it seemed.

"Aw come on, I'm not that bad." Kiba glanced at the little dog on his head.

"I'm not sure Akamaru and you would get along at night." The dog barked as if in agreement. Sasuke thought he saw it wrinkle its nose towards Naruto as well, but that may have just been his imagination at work.

"I'm a sound sleeper." Defended Naruto. He crossed his arms and huffed. "I don't get in anyone's way."

"It's an earthquake when you snore."

"I don't snore!"

"I beg to differ."

"Ay! Sasuke, do I snore?" The Prince stared at his companion before nodding.

"In various pitches as well." He remarked as if to emphasize his nod. "I believe you sing at times in your sleep."

"Oh yeah, you do that too." This time, Kiba bobbed his head up and down. The little dog barked once again just to team up against the blonde. Ignoring the groan and retorts from Naruto, Sasuke maneuvered himself to a nearby table. After requesting tea from the closest girl next to him, he began to rub his temples. This trip was meant to be relaxing, but it was anything but. He hadn't even stayed for a whole day yet, and the headaches were already raging.

"Do you need anything?" The red-head practically purred as she lowered herself down next to him and messaged his shoulders. The tension eased immensely, and Sasuke grunted in approval.

"If you need anything else, you know you can always tell me." The girl announced. Tayuya, wasn't it?

"Hn."

"I'm much better than Sakura. You'll come to this realization soon enough." It was a bold statement, even though she whispered it. The Prince closed his eyes. There was a moment of silence before curiosity got a hold of him.

"Tell me about her." Tayuya went rigid behind him, and her hands became almost mechanic while massaging. She eased slightly, and Sasuke was glad for the ease in pressure on his joints. This girl was rather strong for a 'proper lady.'

"Why do you want to know more about her?" She tried to make her voice sound calm, but it sounded more like a sneer. Sasuke opened one eye to look at the others in the room. He didn't want to be the center of attention at times. It was a good thing that Naruto and Kiba were keeping the rest of the girls to themselves. It would've been a nuisance if they all surrounded him. Tayuya probably had more power over the rest of the girls. As soon as she came over to him, the others had backed away. It was an interesting observation, and Sasuke noticed how the girl that brought him the tea was also quick to scurry away after seeing Tayuya.

"You didn't answer me." The red-head pouted in a seemingly hurt way as she stopped rubbing his shoulders to grasp the tea pot. "This should help ease your nerves." Sasuke noticed her posture as she poured the tea. She was a natural at it, he supposed. If any normal man saw her, they probably would have fallen for this girl.

The sweet aroma of tea interrupted his thoughts as he took the cup that she had poured for him. After sipping it, he stared at her.

"I don't always answer to others." It was a haughty statement, he supposed, but it was the truth. Tayuya seemed to calculate his words in her head with disappointment before wiping the expression and giving an awed look instead.

"Very sophisticated." She poured him another cup before speaking; this time with an evil glint in her eyes. "You want to know about Sakura? Well then, I hope you're ready for the story of a crazy girl."

The red-head was certainly interesting, but Sasuke couldn't help but be amused at her descriptions of his horse stealer.

Sakura surveyed the room with a careful eye. She had to make sure everything was perfect for the Prince's arrival. She wanted it to be memorable for him. A sly smirk was plastered on her face as she smoothed the wrinkles out of her blanket. Hopefully it hid the darkened bed sheets from view.

Sakura moved around her cramped room with ease, knowing exactly where to step to avoid tripping. She wasn't a neat person, and things were rather cluttered.

Deeming everything was where they were supposed to be, Sakura hoisted her sack on her shoulder and walked out of the room. She had brought her blanket and a pillow. Other things were unnecessary to bring to a night in a stable.

If her night was going to be horrible, then Sakura prayed that the Prince would have an equally terrible time. Then again, sleep in the soft hay was probably better than what he was going to get. Snickering to herself in a happy sing-song voice, Sakura found herself once again, skipping.

The Prince was escorted down several hallways to make it to Sakura's room. Hers was probably the smallest, he realized unhappily. It was off to the side though so he would probably get few annoyances at night.

Naruto and Kiba had already settled into their room. Kiba wasn't too thrilled with the arrangements, but the blonde had insisted that he wouldn't snore. Sasuke smirked knowingly to himself as he concluded that his personal arrangements were better off than Kiba's.

He followed Tsunade quietly to Sakura's room. She seemed a bit tired by her student's antics today, and he felt a bit sympathetic towards the woman. It must be very hard to try to teach girls like her. He wondered why she hadn't given up yet.

"Enjoy your stay, my lord. If you need anything, I am in the room down the hall. The other girls would be more than happy to provide for you as well, I'm sure." After bowing respectfully, Tsunade walked slowly away. Sasuke murmured a 'goodnight' before stepping in to his new sleeping quarters.

The first impression he got was that the girl must be a slob. Several cups of ramen were ajar on the small table in the middle. ( She and Naruto would become great friends. ) The bed on the left seemed alright. It was a little too small for his liking, but it'll have to do. There were various books on the ground. He didn't bother looking at the titles. They were probably picture books anyways. Not many girls nowadays cared about the arts of literature.

The Prince closed the door behind him and walked over to the small table. After pushing the empty ramen bowls off to the side, he placed his pack on it. The only warning was a crack, and before he knew it. The table had given away and collapsed underneath the pressure of his bag.

Confused, he examined the legs of the table. One of them had broken off. Sasuke knew that his pack was not heavy so it wouldn't make sense for the table to break from the pressure. A small screw on the ground caught his attention, and the Prince picked it up for better inspection. It belonged to the table, no doubt.

After comparing the leg with the screw, Sasuke came to the conclusion that this was deliberate. He smirked, amused at the girl's actions. He knew that she wouldn't give up without a fight, but to actually resort to sabotage was something else.

Not bothering to fix the mess in the middle of the room, Sasuke walked towards the window. It was pitch black outside. He couldn't make out anything. He used his index finger to swipe at the glass pane. A sticky, black substance came off. Sasuke lifted his finger towards his nose and sniffed it before scrunching his nose in distaste. Where in the world would she get tar from?

His curiosity deepened as he poked through other things in the room. He cut his finger on a broken cup and realized that all of the other cups have all been mysteriously cracked. The milk in her room was very overdue as well. Although, Sasuke wasn't quite sure if that was intentional or if the girl really didn't notice that it had already expired a while ago. It wouldn't surprise him if she had just drank it regardless.

A few more trips around the room gave him a few more surprises. They weren't serious enough to cause fatal injuries, but the little things that would've never crossed his mind did make him quite humorous towards the girl.

After believing that he had done enough exploring, the Prince retreated towards the small bed in the corner. It seemed safe as he slipped inside the blankets. Then a coldness seeped into his clothes, and Sasuke immediately got back up. The sheets were a darker shade than normal, and apparently she had gone through the trouble of drenching them in water. Maybe Sakura wanted him to have hypothermia.

More tired than bemused, Sasuke laid on top of the blanket. At least she didn't soak that as well. He was more than ready to take a well-needed nap after the tiring journey. Sasuke grasped the pillow and placed it underneath his head. The hardness of the material told him that she had planted another trick. Grumbling, he reached inside the pillowcase to find rocks in them. Wonderful. She wanted him to be sickened by the cold and suffer from a probably rather severe neck ache as well.

Tayuya's description of Sakura flowed into his head.

"You must know… she's peculiar, and if you mind my language, a complete nutcase." Tayuya paused as if the silence would emphasize her words. Sasuke merely nodded, probing her to continue.

"She's not like the rest of us. I'm sure you could tell by now, my lord. She's quite violent. Temper tantrums are a regular thing when she's around. Very vengeful too. Oh, I'm not saying she'll do anything to you, sire. You're too smart and tactful to fall for her little fits." At this, the red-head giggled. After composing herself, she continued. Her voice dropped an octave lower as if she was telling him a secret. "Actually, she really doesn't show any interest in the other sex. I'm afraid she may be into her own kind, but she hasn't really gone after the girls here so maybe I'm wrong."

Sasuke had a feeling that Tayuya just wanted to add that regardless if it was true or not.

"Is she…not well?" He questioned, inducing another round of giggles from the girl.

"She may have some mental problems. That wouldn't surprise me, my lord. You see, she's a bit of a loner and who knows what she thinks about by herself. She doesn't really have friends here either. It's a wonder why Tsunade still keeps her around. It's probably due to pity." Tayuya sighed dramatically. "My lord, you really shouldn't concern yourself with the likes of her. Sakura's not a girl you would want to get to know."

"And why is that?"

"Well…" The red-head glanced at him with a close to exasperated look. "She's evil. Simply evil."

Sasuke wouldn't disagree with that statement as he ignored the twitching of his lips to form a smirk. Sakura wasn't giving him the kind of welcome he would've expected, but her quirks were amusing. The Prince yawned sleepily as he threw the pillow off to the side. It was probably better for him to spend the night without it. That was when he noticed a small leather-bound book on the bed. It was probably originally hidden underneath the pillow.

Intrigued by it, he picked the book up. The cover was a bit worn out by the prolonged use which was interesting since girls didn't care much for books... or so he thought. As Sasuke flipped through the pages, his amusement grew. He hadn't planned on a long stay here, but this girl was making it hard for him to leave.

There you have it!

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