"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 4:
Sakura immediately went to her room and washed the makeup off of her face and quickly changed into a plain black tunic set and left her room to explore. Stopping a servant politely she queried, "Where are the training grounds located?"
The servant grinned, fangs showing, curiosity gleaming in his eyes, "Down the hall, through the main corridor, on your left, take the door with the country's emblem on it, it will lead to the back end of the courtyard. From there it's easy to find."
Nodding the woman mumbled a polite 'thanks' before making her way as she was directed. And as the servant had explained it was easy to find. The target dummies were erected on the far eastern end of the grounds and there was no one at about this time of the day about. The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky. Sakura figured she had at least an hour of daylight left, maybe less.
"Would you like to put that pretty blade of yours to use?" a masculine voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.
Turning she met the eyes of an artic fox demon, his tail swayed behind him. His silvery white hair spiked up and all over. However she couldn't see the bottom half of his face since it was covered in a black, cloth mask.
He wasn't dressed too differently from her. He also seemed to prefer shades of black and grays. The irises of his eyes however were visually astounding. The pupils were more elliptical in shape much like the dragon kin. Blues, purples, and whites were all swirled in the iris of his eyes. He seemed a little taken aback when he realized she was a woman. His sharp gaze didn't miss the prince's mark upon her slender neck. Frowning he took a step back.
He was about to excuse himself politely and apologize when she put out her hand and introduced herself, "Sakura Haruno."
Taken aback by her informal greeting he grasped her offered hand and was surprised by the firm callused handshake, "Kakashi Hatake." His eyebrow rose a moment as he studied the woman in front of him. She didn't look like a prince's courtesan; she was dressed too much like a man. He'd been around long enough to know the girl wasn't the typical female the prince sought out either so she was a bit of a mystery. The mark did indicate that she belonged to the prince. However he decided to leave out his title since the woman standing before him was nothing but a stranger. An intriguing stranger, but one nonetheless.
Sakura took a deep breath and then smiled in a surprisingly charming manner, "I would love to take you up on your offer Hatake…"
He hesitated a moment but when he realized she was already falling into a fighting stance he asked, "First blood?"
"I need to burn off some steam. How about the best two out of three?" the woman replied saucily.
She could see the smile forming beneath his mask. He gave a curt nod, liking her attitude already, "As you wish my lady." She wasn't the typical air headed court female, the assassin decided.
Kakashi unsheathed his sword, holding the blade in a fierce grip. Sakura took the moment to study her opponent. She knew he would be fast, more than likely faster than the prince, but he wouldn't have near the brute strength of a dragon. The woman decided he would more than likely rely on agility and cunning over strength.
The yokai put out a gloved hand and gestured at the woman, "Ladies first." Sakura mused to herself, at least he was polite unlike someone else she didn't feel like thinking about at the moment.
With the tip of her blade pointed down she rushed forward bringing the sword up hard and quick, spinning on the balls of her heels, whirling the blade straight for his unprotected left side. He met her ferocious swing and thrust her back with his considerable strength.
Sakura smiled as he reacted just the way she believed he would. He wasn't as strong as the prince as far as brute strength went as she had first surmised, but he was much faster. Taking this in stride, they took the crescendo of their battle spinning higher and higher, the speed of it a blur to the naked eye.
Prince Neji rounded the corner flanked by his two female cousins and a young lordling that was visiting the young prince, Lord Kiba Inuzuka. They were strolling the courtyards leisurely, discussing current events. The prince listened quietly while the three began to talk about the upcoming masquerade. They all grew silent as the loud clashing sound of blades from the direction of the training grounds interrupted their conversation.
They all came to a halt taking in the sight of Neji's new servant clashing with furious abandon with the leader of the Assassin's Guild. They were going at each other with such fierce determination one would think they were fighting real odds. Sakura's left hand was oozing with blood from a wound that had obviously been just afflicted. Kakashi's right cheek glistened from a small cut where Sakura had caught him off guard. It was definitely a sight to behold as they twisted and gyrated, their bodies nearly touching intimately in their deadly waltz. Their shadows danced in the torchlight as the sun finally disappeared beneath the horizon.
The inuyokai's tongue lolled out of his mouth, "This is that new servant everyone's talking about? She's … hot!"
Neji's lips firmed into a thin line but he chose not to respond as the two continued to battle.
Hanabi murmured offhandedly, "She's good… for a human." Even though she herself had no idea how to handle a weapon. The dragon felt a little jealous as she watched the human fight.
"I…" Hinata started to say something but quickly shook her head deciding against it. The gentle female never would have considered anything close to what the strange human woman was doing. Was it possible for a female go toe to toe with a male? She was intrigued by the thought, though she wouldn't admit it out loud.
Kakashi's eyes crinkled with amusement when he realized they had gained themselves an audience, however he chose to ignore them for the time being to the prince's irritation.
The fox caught Sakura's blade with his and held it. He thrust back roughly, sending her skidding several feet. From his sleeve, he quickly pulled a dagger and threw it accurately at her leg and was surprised when she danced to the side with little trouble and pulled a dagger of her own. Instead of throwing it, she took it in her left hand and deciding to take it up a notch and came at him dual wielding.
"Little cheater," he hissed at her in an almost playful manner.
"Takes one to know one," she returned the childish banter and for good measure she stuck her tongue out, and caught him off guard with the silly gesture. Gripping the black handled dagger tightly she swiped it in a quick arc grazing his left hand, delivering a quick slice to the skin.
She gasped as he caught her wrist and wrenched the dagger from her and swung her around hard against the wall. The brick and mortar scraped her shoulder painfully. She could feel warm blood as it trickled down the front of her tunic. He had effectively knocked her breath from her but she still managed to roll to the side in time as he followed through with his fierce thrust of the sword, almost piercing her upper left arm. Sakura quickly decided that since he was fighting dirty she would as well. She quickly kicked his knee out beneath him, and hopped back to her feet. She watched as he stumbled slightly. She backed away to give them some breathing room. Then, gripping her sword blade out, she crouched down in a menacing manner.
Kakashi put up his hand and said, his own breathing slightly hitched, "Enough. We have an audience…"
The prince raised a brow sarcastically. The damned fox had realized they were standing there for quite a while, "Couldn't help your curiosity I see Hatake…"
Still ignoring the onlookers Sakura relaxed and sheathed her sword and thanked the artic fox yokai as he returned her dagger. He surprised them all by clasping her forearm in respect, "We will have to do this again some time kit." A true rarity from the head of the assassin's guild, he was not one that gave respect to others easily.
She returned the gesture, not too happy with the "kit" title but still she replied out of breath, "Yes… we ended… on a stalemate unfortunately."
Kakashi couldn't help but ask, "Who are you really kit?'
"Ms. Haruno is my newly acquired servant," Prince Neji waved a dismissive hand at them both irritated by the fox demon's deference to a servant.
"I can see that," Kakashi shot the arrogant male a look, his voice dry and sarcastic. Neji tensed but didn't reprimand the older male for his blatant disregard. Hatake was one of his old instructors. The yokai was also the best at what he did and so the prince put up with the attitude of the artic fox demon.
The yokai returned his attention to the young woman who put out her hand once more, "I am Sakura Haruno, ex Captain of the Fourteenth Division of the United Grassland's Army."
"I am Kakashi Hatake, the leader of the Royal Assassin's Guild," He grasped her hand ignoring the fact that their blood was mingling from their still dripping wounds. He also disregarded the prince's deepening frown. The kitsune wondered what had him all wound up.
The sister's glanced at their cousin and Hinata interrupted softly, "We're going to head back now Neji…"
The prince nodded almost absentmindedly as the girls left whispering to one another. He watched as they disappeared back around the corner. Lord Kiba decided to nose his way in on the conversation. He moved forward with a suave practiced smile on his face, "Hello there… Ms. Haruno. I'm Lord Kiba. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Sakura's eyes widened when the male took her bleeding hand in his and lifted it to his mouth to place a kiss. Her entire body stiffened when his lips touched her skin and she felt his tongue snake out to taste her blood.
The prince's eyes narrowed at the lordling's shameless display and he felt something ugly roil in his gut. He didn't think much about it as he started forward with the intention to pull Lord Kiba away from the obviously flabbergasted servant.
Before she knew what she was doing Sakura's hand curled into a tight fist. She cocked her elbow back and instinctively punched the male in his smug face. Kakashi had to hide an amused smile as he watched the very startled lordling flail back in complete shock. He highly doubted the blow actually hurt nothing but the pup's pride. He quickly recalled that notion when he got a good look at the red bump on the other male's cheek threatening to swell. The grin finally broke free, as he could no longer contain his mirth. This girl was definitely not an air headed court lady.
Sakura knew that the individual she had just punched was probably somebody important and the prince might punish her for her actions, however she couldn't care less at the moment. She glared at the male, her lips pulled into a frown, "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?"
The prince paused mid step at the sound of venom in her voice. He remembered the way she had taunted him on the battlefield but it had lacked the bite she had now. Like this, he could easily see her as a captain of a division. Her body was held in rigid unyielding lines.
"What was that for bitch?" The lordling wiped his cheek, his eyes were beginning to bleed red in their anger, "I don't think that a common house whore should be raising a hand to a lord."
The prince knew he should intervene however he found himself curious as to how the young woman would handle the situation. The woman never ceased to do the exact opposite of what he expected her to do, and he was intrigued to see how she would handle herself.
However Kakashi interrupted, his multi-hued eyes pinned the inuyokai with a fierce glare, "I'm really disappointed in you pup," the assassin bared his teeth at the other yokai in feral gesture, "This female has every right to disregard such… pathetic advances on her person. Did you not… see the mark on her neck? The prince could call you out on such behavior."
The lordling's face paled when his gaze followed the fox yokai's eyes and fastened on the dragon's mark on the woman's neck. He immediately recognized whose it was. The reddish hue in his eyes melted away leaving stunned gold, "You marked her? Why? I thought you said she was just a servant."
The prince finally spoke, his deep tenor was encased in its usual icy calm, "It is as Hatake says. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't behave in such a manner to Ms. Haruno. I don't really feel I have to explain myself to you but I will so that you do not misunderstand. She is a personal servant acquired from the Grassland's war and is bound to me for life because of an oath."
Sakura lifted her still angry eyes and met the inuyokai's with a ferocity that even stunned Kiba for he had never seen such a look on a woman's face before, "I'm not some… some… plaything… and I will allow no one to treat me as such. Lord or not…" she took a deep breath, "If you ever speak to me in such a manner again… I will call you out myself…"
"Call me out?" Lord Kiba scrunched his nose at her, his hand still holding his throbbing cheek but somehow he still managed to smirk, "You…"
Kakashi touched the woman's shoulder causing her to turn her head and glance back at the artic fox demon, "Don't even bother, that pup is not worth your time. I've played the roll of sensei for a lot of the nobility you'll meet…" Hatake winked at her, "Including his Highness here… and Lord Kiba was always more interested in chasing skirts than he was in mastering the fighting arts."
"Why do you keep insulting me old man?" Kiba snarled irritably at the kitsune yokai.
Prince Neji raised a brow at the assassin, "I'm wondering myself Hatake. Are you that taken with her skill?"
"It's not that I'm taken with her skill so much as… well… she is an excellent swordswoman," Kakashi shook his head and then raised a brow at the prince, "You've fought her haven't you?" he paused watching the tell-tale shadow flicker in the other male's pale eyes, "I know it's a bit soon as she's just arrived but I would like you to consider sending her to train with me."
"You would waste your time on a woman?" Lord Kiba scoffed.
Sakura felt like punching him again. Her fist curled at her side in a telltale gesture.
Prince Neji ignored Kiba's statement and met Kakashi's eyes levelly, "You haven't trained anyone in over ten years… I thought you were done with that sort of thing…"
"Call it… curiosity," Hatake folded his arms and met his liege's eyes levelly, "Or a whim if you'd like."
The prince seemed to mull it over for a few minutes ignoring the astounded look on Kiba's face, "Alright Hatake she's yours to train. However whatever duties I may decide to assign her in the future will take precedence…"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Hatake nodded at the prince, keeping the triumphant smile off his face so that prince Neji wouldn't change his mind.
Sakura watched as the edges of the fox yokai's eyes crinkled into a smile as he offered her his arm, "I think you and I need to visit the infirmary and get patched up…"
Sakura couldn't help but grin back at the charming male and looped her arm through his.
The two younger males watched as they disappeared around the corner. Lord Kiba raised a brow at the prince, "That was odd… Hatake is usually to himself…"
"Yes." The prince nodded in agreement. The only reason he went ahead with the decision to allow the girl to train with the older yokai was so he could see what that crafty fox had planned. There was no such thing as a "whim" to anything Hatake did. Either way it couldn't hurt, he had been wondering what he could do to keep the human female busy, at least for a while until he figured something else out. The stoic dragon could also tell that Kakashi was charmed by her, for the male usually never jumped into a verbal argument that didn't involve him. The way he had defended her from a highly ranked lord was not like the fox.
"Let's return for the evening," Lord Kiba finally said after a few minutes of silence. The inuyokai was still simmering with resentment from the blow the woman had given his pride, but getting a taste of that sweet blood of hers had been worth it in the end.