"There are not many women with chivalrous spirits matching those of men…"

-Chiyo to Sakura Chapter 279 page 10 of "Naruto"

A/N: You guys' oughtta know me by now. No canon for this fanfic author. Oh and if you don't like lots of blood, fighting, decapitation ect, then this IS NOT the fic for you… The backspace button is in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Thank you. Also Free Fall people, FYI; the last chapter is done, it's going through it's beta stages. This is something I wrote from my down time during the intervals of Free Fall. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters there in. I just borrow them to torture them for my own amusement from time to time.

Summery: There once was a pink haired woman who was nothing more than a simple blacksmith's daughter. Yet none could match the ferocity of her spirit once the hilt of a blade was held within her grasp. An arrogant, cocky, self-assured dragon prince was certainly no exception.

- Sakura/Neji - -AU –

Rated -M- Because there will be lots of blood, violence, gore, and swearing. Ect. Ect. And possibly some erotic scenes here and there.

Chapter 2:

The blood on her arm had long since dried. However her pride still stung from her defeat. Her chin dipped as she knelt at the anvil her father had used daily when he had been alive, "Father forgive your daughter. I failed our people. But I am not ashamed because I alone stood up for what I believed in, and though there was no battle, I spilled my blood in the way of a warrior. It was inevitable that a powerful kingdom would take over the Grasslands. Please help me serve my master well. May I always uphold our family's honor."

The hammer still laid upon the metal surface of the anvil in the exact spot her father left it since he had fallen ill and died. Her father had always wanted a son, but the deities had not lfistened and all he got was a rambunctious pink haired daughter. Even still he made do and so had proudly taught her the way of the sword. She had eagerly learned it, bored to tears by dolls and doilies. Her mother had died in an accident of some kind when she had been but two, and so the ways of a woman were a mystery to her. Sakura's father's great skill was not in only forging legendary weapons, but he had also been a proficient swordsman as well. He had been highly respected by all the clan's leaders.

Her father would never forge a sword for someone he felt would shame the blade. His daughter had not only worked hard at the footwork but strength training as well to be as good at the way of the warrior as she was. He had been irrefutably the best sword smith in the Grassland's country and possibly the entire continent. Peoplfe came from hundreds of miles to have a personal blade forged for them.

Before he had passed away, he forged one last sword for his precious daughter. It was beautifully done. The handle was ornate, but the blade was as deadly as it was intricate. A pair of phoenixes adorned the ivory handle. The blade was forged in the highly rare metal that he had gathered long ago. Black mithril. It had taken him many years to gather enough ore to make one blade. The nicest thing about the weapon was that it was very light and she was able to dance around most of her opponents with a grace unmatched by many. She had often wondered if her father had forged it with her specifically in mind.

After he had passed away Sakura had strove to earn the respect of the remaining chiefs with her own skills as a swordswoman and had taken her place as a Captain of the Grassland Armies. Sakura was the only woman ever known to have earned such a position in all Grassland history.

"Why did you run away?" The familiar baritone that belonged to the prince drew the young woman out of her thoughts, "You didn't seriously think I'd just ignore such behavior…"

Sakura stood and then strode over to the male throwing him off guard by kneeling before him in a respectful pose, immediately making him wary of her intentions, "I'm afraid I owe you an apology," candid green eyes flickered upwards and met the prince's own startled pearly orbs, "I am not saying this to you because you are a prince and I am now your servant. I purposely picked a fight with you to see how far you would take it. I was delighted that you took it so far and was even happier that you wanted to duel me for such high stakes. However it was dishonorable and that is where I owe you an apology. I am usually not so underhanded."

The young woman's guileless and forthright demeanor threw Prince Neji completely off balance. It wasn't everyday he met a woman who held herself in such a manner. Or a man, for that matter. Due to her earlier attitude the dragon had thought she'd been all sneers and taunts.

He didn't say anything for several moments. Finally he replied coldly eyeing the troublesome female, "Do not run off again without my explicit permission. You need to have that wound attended to before it becomes infected. I do not have a need for one armed servants."

Sakura merely smiled, ignoring his gruff manner. The next set of words rolled off her tongue smoothly, "But of course my prince."

Prince Neji's sharp eyes noticed the wistful glance the woman sent towards the little, rundown house before mounting her horse and heading off in the direction of the Konoha camp.

-o-

"Absolutely amazing. A human female accepting the challenge of our great prince! Of course you lost…" the elven doctor babbled cheerfully to Sakura's internal frustration, "But I can't believe you wounded him as well!"

He continued on in this manner mostly speaking to himself as Sakura had long since tuned him out. She put up with his rambling, since he was the only doctor available to tend to her wound.

"Thank you sir," Sakura mumbled her gratitude dutifully; she lifted her bandaged arm to inspect it.

The doctor smiled good naturedly, "You lost a lot of blood. You need to take it easy for a day or two at the very least."

"Of course," the woman answered dutifully.

Prince Neji entered the flaps of the tent taking in the condition of his new servant. He noticed the color was back in her face, which was good. She would not hold them up on the way back to Konoha. He could see the irritation in her eyes. Probably from something the doctor had said he surmised easily and then dismissed the thought.

Sakura turned her head and nodded respectfully to the male in front of her.

The dragon waved the doctor away, ignoring the bobbing head of the elderly silver haired male as the elf exited to give the both of them privacy. He voiced coolly, "I never got your full name Haruno…"

"Oh," the woman tilted her head, "It's Sakura, Sakura Haruno."

"Sakura," the female's name rolled off his tongue. His eyes roamed over her pink tresses momentarily before saying, "It fits you."

"Eh…" The woman raised a brow at him as an amused smile twitched at the corner of her lips, "its just confirmation that my parents had a knack for stating the obvious."

Even though the prince felt amused by her statement it didn't show on his face other than the slight twitch of the left corner of his lip. Prince Neji queried, "Since we will be around each other for quite some time. What should I go about calling you?"

"Whatever you wish my liege," Sakura returned obediently, all signs of humor gone from her face. Neji frowned. He could see no signs of mockery on her countenance after such a nonchalant statement. He took that moment to really study her. Now that her face was devoid of war paint he could finally get a good look at her.

She was actually a lovely young female; the male inside of him relented reluctantly. Not much more than five feet tall, her build was slender and toned, athletic. He wondered absently if she bound her breasts because she looked as flat as a man. He realized he was at least a good head or so taller than her. She wasn't voluptuous by any means. But that sort of thing probably didn't bother a woman like her. She dressed more like a man, in pants, tunics, and soft leather armors. She kept her pink hair up in a high ponytail; he wondered absently how it looked down. He also speculated for a quick moment about what she'd look like in a proper dress.

Sakura felt disconcerted beneath his piercing gaze. The dragon had a brooding look about him. His long brown hair was swept back in a low ponytail that was tied at the nape of his neck. He was wearing fine obsidian robes now, his milky eyes unfocused.

The woman queried tentively, "My liege?"

Sakura didn't much care for the look in his eyes as he strode over towards her with purpose filled steps. The girl winced as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. She didn't like the expression on his face, but didn't quite know how to react to it.

"I was going to wait until we reached Konoha, however… I will do it now," the prince murmured more to himself than to the girl.

"Do what?" Sakura wanted to struggle from his grasp but knew instinctively that to struggle would cause more trouble than it was worth.

Quicker than Sakura's befuddled mind could register, Neji's head snapped to her neck. His fangs grazed the skin at the apex where her neck met her shoulder for a moment before sinking them into her skin. Sakura winced at the prickle of pain but didn't react to it. She could feel blood trickling down her neck. Her pink brows knit in confusion. Sakura was about to ask him again about what he was doing, but Neji brought his wrist up and bit into the skin drawing his own blood to the surface.

He gently rubbed the fluid against her neck. He ignored her wide shocked eyes as he bent his head to run his tongue over the broken skin. Sakura couldn't help but shiver at the sensation running up her spine. As he stepped away to assess her the girl asked him, "W… what did you…?"

She was unable to finish the sentence before slumping in a dead faint. The prince caught the woman before she hit the floor, sweeping her slender body into his arms. He walked her over to a cot and laid her down gently.

The prince summoned the doctor back to the room. The elven doctor entered moving the flap aside. The doctor's eyes widened when he seen the unconscious woman on the cot, "My prince."

"No need to worry over such a trivial matter. I merely marked her and since she's only human her body quickly reacted to the magic," Prince Neji waved the other male's worry aside.

"I understand," the elf glanced at the young woman with concern still gleaming in the depths of his gold eyes, "I will keep an eye on her then. I'm sure you have more important matters to attend to."

The prince nodded with one last glance at the woman. He was somewhat surprised. His inner beast had not only savored the flavor of her blood but it had wanted more. His body had reacted to the feeling of her yielding body in his arms and her soft feminine scent.

He shook his head. It would not do to be attracted to a mere servant. As much as he tried to tell himself that, the inner beast within him refused to let the matter drop. He frowned; he must have been celibate far too long. He had more lovely ladies waiting at court far more interesting than that little sarcastic female with the big mouth and too large eyes. The court ladies were practiced in the arts of pleasure and many of them were waiting for his return. That little scrap of femininity lying on a cot in the tent behind shouldn't attract his attention in such a way. At last the inner beast let up, and he dismissed the thought easily.

-o-

Sakura woke to a dark and lonely tent. Rolling over gingerly to avoid hurting her arm further her eyes widened when she could see the prince stretched out on a cot across the tent from her. Biting her lip as the memories before she had passed out assaulted her, she wondered what it was that he had done to her.

Looking around the tent her eyes alighted on a full standing mirror. Unfortunately it was located next to the prince's cot. Sakura hesitated a moment but eventually her natural curiosity got the better of her. Sitting up slowly she rose to her feet and quietly padded over doing her best to avoid his sleeping form. Brushing away the strands of pink hair, she tilted her neck to the side exposing the right side to the mirror. Viridian orbs widened in shock as the shadowy image of an eastern dragon with silver eyes stared right back at her from the mirror.

Sakura looked at the tattoo with trepidation. What sort of strange magic was this? Gently her forefinger traced the stark image against her skin. Sakura gasped as what felt like a current of electricity raced up her arm. Slowly she backed away from the mirror. Her heel caught on the edge of the cot and she found herself falling backwards. To her horror she tumbled onto the sleeping form of the prince. Or so she had thought. She found herself caught in a pair of arms stabling her. Slowly Neji sat up and brought her up with him indicating to her that he had more than likely been awake for a while.

"What in the hell are you doing? Did you think that you would be able to catch me off guard in my sleep?" the prince asked not in the least bit amused by the female's antics.

Sakura was glad it was dark and the prince couldn't see the blush that suffused her cheeks. The close proximity to a male such as him was disconcerting to say the least. She recalled with chagrin she had called him 'squishy'. He was anything but. Her hand went to his chest to steady herself only to find that he was shirtless. The reddish hue in her cheeks deepened. She quickly snatched her hand back and let it settle in her lap.

Sakura was completely unaware of the fact that yes, the prince could indeed see the red in her face; he was a dragon after all. The prince's sharp eyes narrowed at the sight of the woman's obvious discomfort. He woke the moment she moved from her cot and had watched her as she stumbled through the darkness only to make her way to the mirror.

She was pleased by the steadiness of her voice as she apologized, "Forgive me liege," she took in a deep breath, "I was curious about…"

"About?" Neji prompted the young woman, his concentration was being thrown off by her sweet scent of apples and vanilla.

"The bite mark you had given me earlier. I wasn't sure if I had dreamt it or…" Sakura ducked her head down even more embarrassed by the memory.

"It was not a dream," The prince's fingertip went to the dragon seal on her neck and he ran the appendage gently over the mark. Sakura stiffened as that electric feeling danced its way down her spine. He continued in his rich baritone, "You belong to me now. I am making sure that whoever sees it will be in no doubt…"

"It's so dark. I couldn't see what it was very well. It looks like a dragon. Is it your family crest?" Sakura queried softly, she honestly didn't care much for the thought as being tagged as a piece of someone's property. But what could she do? She had given her word.

"No, each dragon's seal is unique and their own. If you ever decided to run away, I would have no problem in locating you," the prince explained coolly.

Sakura tried to wriggle off of his lap but as she did so the arms that held her up tightened subtly warning her that he had no intention of letting her go just yet. Taking in a deep breath she turned her chin up, soft green eyes meeting his momentarily, "I gave you my word. Did I not? But I will tell you this now… My allegiance lies strictly with you and you alone. Not to your family or your kingdom. My honor demands this…"

Neji was finding it hard to think straight with her wriggling her nice firm behind in his lap. He asked slightly curious about her background trying to ignore the sensations she was invoking in his body, "Are you the daughter of a noble? You have such high principles about honor for a woman…"

Sakura smiled a bit sadly at this, "I am no such thing my liege. What noble allows his daughter use a sword? No, I am afraid I am nothing more than a humble blacksmith's daughter."

The prince hid his surprise at her forthright answer. She was nothing more than a peasant at best and yet the Chiefs of the Grasslands had treated her with such respect, they had even allowed her to interrupt the agreements of surrender. It was confusing to him to say the least.

He found himself asking, "The sword you fought me with? Was it made by your father?"

"Yes. He made it just before he died for me. It was my inheritance from him," Sakura nodded, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute by his close proximity, "My father was highly respected by all of Grassland's for his skill."

"Your mother?" the prince inquired further.

Sakura's eyes crinkled at the edges as she was drawn further by thoughts of the past, "She passed away when I was just a babe."

"You are all alone then?" Neji concluded, feeling slightly bad for the young woman, though his face conveyed nothing of the emotion.

"I was," Sakura rose to her feet relieved that he had released her and turned to face the prince, her sharp orbs assessed his face a moment before adding cryptically, "But not anymore… You probably have much to do tomorrow and I am keeping you from much needed rest. Forgive me." The woman bowed and then turned to return to her cot.

"The final negotiations have been completed. We will be leaving in the morning," the prince paused and then said, "I will give you some silver to buy some new clothing. I will not have any servant of mine looking like a pauper. You will buy something of quality."

Sakura turned and gave a curt nod in his direction, "Of course my liege. If you need anything tonight, I will assist you immediately."

He didn't reply as the female settled back into her cot. Neji listened to the rhythm of her breathing and realized that it had taken her no time to fall asleep. He smirked to himself in the darkness; he couldn't believe he hadn't confiscated her sword from her. Somehow he doubted she would let him, servant or not. It mattered not, it wasn't like she could do anything to him with it. Since dragon magic was far stronger than some piece of metal it really wasn't a concern. He didn't trust her in the least, but it wasn't like the human female could do much to someone like him anyways.

As he watched the tiny vivacious pink haired woman sleep, it was hard to imagine her as the talented swordswoman that she actually was. His uncle, King Hiashi was going to be surprised by her appearance. Alpha male dragons didn't think of females in any other role that that of mates and the duty of bearing and rearing heirs. There were very few humans in Konoha, and none resided in court. The Grassland's were the only territory that his family had conquered where the population was mostly human.

Finally the prideful prince settled down in his cot and finally allowed himself to give into the comforting beckon of slumber.