"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.
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
Thanks to: (xokatherine229-Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it that much! Xxcherry-vixenxx- I'm happy you love it so much, here's next chappie. Narugaaralover- Well here it is. Enjoy! Roxnroll- Funnily enough I entertain myself a lot while writing this plot. I'm glad you like it! Theristia- I do my best to keep my adventures/romance entertaining. Jiraiya's fangirl- Heart to you too! Ease your heart, the next chapter has come! Blackonyx83- I will try! Hikari Sakura chan- Sometimes it takes a little time to get things rolling. Silent Sinner Abella- Darling, they're here. Just don't worry overly much about it, they will make an appearance. I promise! Starlight-Wild Koneko- Thank you! You're a good writer yourself! Salenar- I need warnings in front of my fanfictions… WARNING: STRONG FEMALE LEAD! I hate weak female leads! I'm glad you like the butt kicking as much as I do. Minniemousemom- Thanks as always! Enjoy! Princessofdrama- Update is herez! Miss Legenza – Alright… I won't leave you hanging… here you go! And a special thanks for adding me to a C2 MyKyo!)
Chapter 7
Sakura kept her head lowered respectfully as she traversed the halls behind her master. She was quite proud of herself for keeping a stoic demeanor around him despite what had happened at the hot spring. It was through the strict training regime of the tribes that she had gone through, as a lone woman, which had given her the strength to carry on her duty, as she should.
The prince shoved open a pair of ornate double doors, leading them into the family room. Immediately Sakura felt uncomfortable under the gazes of the royal family as the doors shut behind them. The pinkette kept her face carefully neutral as the king approached his nephew, "I've received the news. Sunagakure was involved in the end after all."
The prince's voice was curt, yet respectful as he dipped his head, "Yes. I've arranged a meeting for you and the emperor at the end of the month. We can only hope that he comes to reason and this can be settled in a reasonable manner."
The king nodded at his nephew before turning pearly-hued eyes at the pinkette standing mutely behind the younger male, "I also wish to thank you Miss Haruno for your assistance and courage in this matter."
Sakura executed a sharp polite bow, "There is no need. It was my duty."
King Hiashi had to work at keeping the corners of his lips to twitch in amusement at the woman's austere manner. To him, such an attitude in such a delicate looking woman seemed so out of place. He could never imagine his daughters behaving in such a way.
"Yes of course," the king mumbled thoughtfully.
"You are dismissed Haruno," Prince Neji ordered without turning to look at her.
She bowed once again before pivoting on her heel and leaving him. Sakura immediately went to the practice grounds to find Kakashi. There was so much she needed to discuss with him.
Sakura couldn't help the tensing in her shoulders as the whispers of the servant's followed in her wake. What was their problem? Ignoring them she shoved open the doors that led out to the training area. A soft sigh escaped her lips when there was no sign of either Kakashi or Rin anywhere. Maybe they weren't back yet from the investigation, she surmised.
Deciding to at least check at the Assassin's Guild, she quickly made her way over to the small, non-descript structure. Lifting her hand she gave a firm knock, hoping that they were back. She had less than a week until the damn masquerade and Kakashi still hadn't taught her the hand signals that she might be required to use.
The door opened revealing a curious Rin. Her soft red ears twitched as her lavender eyes crinkled into a welcoming smile, "So you're back finally… Kakashi's been worried about you kit."
"I've got something to talk to you both about," Sakura murmured softly, casting her green eyes downwards.
"Come in, come in," Rin ushered her inside cheerfully.
The pinkette's eyes widened when spotted Kakashi's black clad form. He was speaking intently to what looked to be several members of the assassin's guild. She glanced up at Rin, "It looks like I came at a bad time… I could come back later…"
The redhead placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry kit, they're wrapping up the meeting as it is."
Sakura nodded and then pointed at a seat over in the corner of the room, "I see. Well then I'll wait over there then…"
The yokai nodded at the young woman before striding over to the group of assassins. The pinkette sat on the seat, her hand clasping her chin thoughtfully. So much had happened in the last few days. Sakura was so deep in thought that when Kakashi approached she didn't even notice. She about jumped out of her skin when he flicked in her the forehead, "So…?"
Rubbing the spot with her lip furling, her eyes flicked up at the fox yokai thoughtfully, "I came here to let you know … that the prince has ordered me to attend the masquerade… so everything's going according to your plans… I think…"
"Eh…! If that's the case then why do you look so down Sakura?" the white-haired male tilted his head at her curiously.
"It's a punishment… for disobeying his orders…" Sakura sighed and then groused irritated, "He ordered me to wear a damned dress! I haven't worn one since I've been six summers. I'm so embarrassed…"
Rin peeked over her mate's shoulders, "Oh… well… of course you'd have to wear at least a formal dress," her lavender eyes widened as she took in the dull flush that painted the pinkette's cheeks, "Don't tell me you were planning to attend in your armor?"
When the girl didn't respond the woman face palmed herself in disbelief, "Ah… Sakura…" the red huffed a sigh and then asked curiously, "So what did you do… to merit such a punishment?"
"Uh," the pinkette rubbed the back of her neck embarrassed, "He told me not to enter the battle… but I did anyways."
Kakashi frowned beneath his black mask, "I see. I heard about what happened. It's a good thing they listened to you Sakura. They left no clues whatsoever in the village they destroyed."
If possible the young woman wilted even further, "About that Kakashi-sensei… I made a decision…"
The lanky male crouched and gazed up into his student's viridian eyes, "You've decided to quit training with me haven't you? At least for awhile…"
The young woman's eyes widened and then she chuckled softly, "Nothing gets past you sensei…"
"Well you were right about one thing kit… everything is going according to plan…" he patted her head with a gloved hand.
"Huh? What do you mean… according to plan?" Sakura brushed his hand aside irritably.
"At any rate, you've decided that you need to perform your duties properly… Correct? And so you've made the decision to not allow the prince to ignore you anymore and will do your best to assist him properly…" Kakashi grinned at her triumphantly beneath his mask.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura glared up into his face as the realization that he'd been manipulating her actions all along and she found she didn't quite like it, "That's just damn creepy!"
Rin placed a placating hand on the pinkette's shoulders, "It creeps me out too sometimes… even after all these years of being his mate…"
The silver haired kitsune only continued to smile to the aggravation of the two females.
Sakura sighed softly before changing the subject, "Anyways I came here to tell you, I'd still like to learn those signals you mentioned before…if you wouldn't mind…"
"Don't worry about that, I have that all taken care of," Kakashi waved a dismissive hand at her, "But if you ever want to spar … or continue a lesson here or there don't hesitate to come down to visit kit…"
Just as she was about to open her mouth to agree, a firm knock echoed through the nearly barren room. Rin strode over to answer the door. Sakura was surprised to see a royal guard standing at the entrance. The two conversed for a moment and then Rin turned her head, "Haruno, the prince is looking for you…"
"I see," rising to her feet she nodded to the two kitsune's, "Thank you both for everything. I'll take you up on that offer to spar again sometime Kakashi-sensei."
"I look forward to it," he waved at her back cheerfully as she left.
Sakura was silent as she followed the guard back into the castle. The guard led her to a formal room and then glancing down into her face, "Wait here. The prince will join you in a moment."
"Thank you," the pinkette responded formally as the guard left, the door clicking softly behind him.
Sakura found herself standing in the exact middle of the nearly empty room feeling slightly awkward. Pink eyelashes swept up as she gazed around herself. It was a sparsely furnished room. A few plush seats and a small table sat in the far corner along with a bookcase filled with select literature.
She glanced up when the prince entered the room followed closely by a cat yokai. His sharp yellow eyes were piercing as they assessed her.
The prince's gaze was shuttered as he halted next to her and glanced down into her upturned face, "I should have known you'd be at Hatake's…"
The pinkette only nodded, "Yes my liege. Is there anything that I can assist you with?"
"Once I told Aunt Kumiko that you were attending the masquerade she insisted that you receive at least a bit of dance instruction. I will return later to take you to the tailors," he waved a dismissive hand at her before leaving her standing there watching him with wide eyes.
"Hello, I am Raus. I will be your dance instructor," the cat bowed, white ears flattening against her skull.
"Uh… you really don't need to worry about such a thing. I… I won't be dancing," Sakura waved a dismissive hand at the young yokai.
"It's the master's orders. As such, I would like to know what it is that you know before starting," Raus said while running a clawed hand through her silvery tresses.
"Well… I'm a Grasslander… my knowledge is limited to tribal dances," Sakura replied softly, clasping her hands in front of her.
"A savage eh?" the yokai smirked at the young woman, "Well you'll need to take your hilt off for this Miss Haruno. Once you do so we will begin…"
"Yes ma'am," Sakura obediently unfastened the hilt and went to lay the blade down in the corner of the room.
Raus took that time to head over to a record player that Sakura hadn't noticed before and gestured for the young woman to come over. She grinned a fang toothed grin at the pinkette, "Well you look athletic enough… this shouldn't take long…"
Biting her lip, the pink haired woman did her best to listen to the yokai's verbal instructions. The cat yokai gestured for her to move in closer and then in a professional voice instructed her how to position herself. As they started to slowly move to the music, she stumbled over her own feet for the first fifteen minutes. The instructor guided her through the steps slowly and after awhile she picked up on the proper movement. This was cake compared to many of the sword katas she practiced on nearly a daily basis.
They went over a few basic waltzes, quick-steps, and a basic slow dance. Which Sakura mentally swore she would do her best to avoid all of this at the masquerade. She'd find herself a nice corner to perch and do her best to keep an eye on the prince. Even if Kakashi told her not to worry about it, there's no way that she could not.
After about half an hour the prince returned, his nearly colorless eyes assessing his servant. The two women stopped once they noticed they were being watched. The prince nodded at Raus, "You've done well. You're dismissed."
"Thank you my prince," the white haired feline bowed before taking her leave.
Sakura nodded obediently at the prince. Turning on her heel she went to her sword and quickly fastened it to her belt. She frowned at the prince, "It isn't necessary for you to go to all this trouble my liege. I can search out the tailor if that's what you desire…"
The prince gazed at her a moment silently as if contemplating something. Without a word he gestured for her to follow and she immediately began to follow him. They traversed through a labyrinth of hallways before taking a spiraling staircase down. Sakura's eyes widened thoughtfully when she found herself in a small room surrounded by colorful bolts of material. An old gray haired elf lifted his head, he nodded at the two of them, "Is there something I can do for you?"
"I'll leave the rest to you. I'll summon you later," the prince's gruff voice interrupted her thoughts, "remember my orders…"
"Of course my liege," Sakura's eyes narrowed as her sarcastic tongue decided to get the better of her, "I wouldn't dare disobey…"
Prince Neji's eyes went half lidded as he surveyed her. His voice was emotionless as he said, "It's good to see that you do have some sense…"
He left her standing there standing on the bottom step. With a sigh Sakura turned to face the expectant elf, "I'm sorry. I was sent here to put in an order for a dress for myself for the masquerade."
"You don't like dresses?" The master tailor took in her stiff demeanor.
"It's not that I don't like them…" Sakura shook her head, "It's just I haven't worn one in years. I have no idea what's in style… or even what would be considered acceptable for something like this…"
"The nice thing about masquerades is that it doesn't necessarily need to be in style… you just need to decide on a style in which you'd find acceptable for yourself," the elf waved a wrinkled hand at her.
"I'm a warrior. I haven't played dress up since I was a child," Sakura folded her arms, her chin dipping as she tried to think of something.
"Well… at any rate… please call me Aldred," the elf gestured for her to come a bit closer.
Sakura drew closer, a frown still tugging at her lips while nodding at the elf politely, "My name is Sakura…"
"You're far too serious for a woman your age," Aldred's finger went to his chin thoughtfully, "And you're an attractive young thing. Even if you do dress like a man…"
"Uh… thanks," Sakura's brows knit together and then as she looked around herself at the dazzling selection of colored bolts an idea came to her. A soft smile touched her lips, "I think I might actually have an idea…"
"Oh?" Aldred's eyes sparkled at her merrily, "Do you?"
"It's… probably weird but… since it is a masquerade, I think this will be acceptable," Sakura tilted her head to the side, forefinger tapping at her lower lip, "Do you have something I could draw on…"
"Yes," the tailor pulled out a pencil and a blank piece of white paper and set them on the table.
Kneeling, Sakura took the pencil with proffered thanks before sketching out her idea. The style was way outdated. Perhaps by a hundred years or more. She murmured thoughtfully, "How about in black and amber…."
The tailor looked at the girl's rough sketch and smiled, "Austere colors for a young woman… but interesting… What would you call this piece?"
"Saber, a knight of Konoha," Sakura responded softly as she began to fill in the details.
Puffy sleeves at the shoulder, the rest of the sleeve would be tight, the neck would be high and button together. But below that it would be open revealing some skin, a little of her bosom, with a white peasant style blouse underneath with a laced ties coming to rest right below her breasts. The dress front, would end in an v, and from there beneath the skirt section would flare out to her ankles, but split open revealing white material beneath. She did her best to sketch fringe at the bottom of the skirt and also at the tips of the sleeves to give it a proper look.
The tailor grinned gamely liking the idea, "This will be interesting. Far more interesting than anything I've done for quite awhile. I think I've gotten the gist of your idea. Do you want a mask?"
She shook her head, a smirk on her face, "He never said I had to wear a stupid mask to this thing…" She knew he'd be irritated with her for it, but she really didn't care what he thought. He never ordered her to and so she was going to take advantage of that fact.
"When I'm done, I'll have this sent up to your room. I think I've got just the footwear for this… if you don't mind leaving that up to me…" The elf interjected thoughtfully.
"Yes! But please puff the sleeves some. I would like to hide a dagger if at all possible," Sakura glanced at the elf, her green eyes meeting his old silvery ones.
Aldred nodded, "I can do that. I'll have it sent up to your room when I'm finished."
"Don't you need any measurements?" Sakura queried curiously.
"Not necessary, I've been doing this so long. I can eye a person and create at will," the elf smiled at her amused at the serious look on her face.
"Well er… thank you," she replied before bowing stiffly at the elf. He waved at her absently as he began to get to work.
She met the prince half way up the stairs. He eyed her coolly before saying, "Now that you're done with that. I have a few messages I'd like delivered."
"Of course my liege," she reached out to take the documents he held in his hand while listening to his list of instructions.
After he disappeared Sakura marched up the spiral staircase, flipping through the documents a moment. With a sigh, she decidedly went to deliver all the assigned messages the prince gave her. However she took her time. By the time she finished she decided to head to the kitchen for something to eat. She grabbed a bowl of plain white rice and chicken, quickly polishing it off before heading back to retire for the night.
She froze a moment when she spotted Tenten entering her room.
She swore irritably under her breath, if that stupid woman were up to something no good, she'd gladly kick her scaly ass. The two of them had an unspoken agreement of avoiding one another if at all possible. Throwing the door open roughly, she found that the maid was laying two nicely wrapped boxes on her bed.
Tenten turned at the sound of the pinkette's footsteps. She voiced frostily, "The master tailor sent me up with your dress for the masquerade."
"He finished already," Sakura strode past the girl curiously, wondering how it turned out.
The brown haired maiden asked curiously forgoing the usual animosity between the two of them, "So what are you going to be?"
"That's a secret," Sakura glanced at the woman's face and then sighed softly, "But you can see what the tailor came up with if you want."
Tenten edged in closer as Sakura lifted the lid of the box and pulled out the dress, holding it at her neck level. The maid's eyes widened, "It's actually rather… different than I expected."
The material felt soft and comfortable between her fingers. The black and amber were the exact hues that she imagined in her head. The old elf did a damn good job.
"There's a note in the box," Tenten pointed at an attached piece of paper.
Taking out the paper, Sakura read it under her breath, "I couldn't get the sleeves to look right when I tried to give them enough room for you to slip a dagger into. So I used a little magic that should fit your needs. The sleeves will open for you if you whisper, dilato. This word works both ways. Thanks. This outfit was much more enjoyable to concoct than those mindless in fashion things. Aldred."
"Crazy old elf," she muttered, albeit gratefully.
"You're not going to wear a mask?" Tenten queried bemused.
"No. I would quickly find such a thing irksome," Sakura gestured with her free hand as she spoke.
Suddenly the brunette blurted while blushing, "Please let me do your hair for you…"
"What?" Sakura was taken aback by the girl's sudden request.
"I… know we have gotten off on the wrong foot… but I've got the perfect hairstyle in mind for that outfit," Tenten suddenly smiled at her.
Sakura pinned her beneath a suspicious gaze, "You're not planning to lop off my hair are you?"
"No… of course not," Tenten was appalled by the suggestion, "Besides if I wanted to do that, I would have done that while you were sleeping."
"That wouldn't be wise," Sakura sneered at the other woman, "You'd end up with a dagger in your throat…"
"Any how… I've offered to do a few of the visiting lady's hair since a few of them have already arrived… but I've been turned down by all that I've asked, as they either have their own personal maids, or my servant's rank is too low for their liking," Tenten's shoulders slumped, "And…"
"It's alright," Sakura put a hand on the dragon woman's shoulders, "You can do my hair, since I have absolutely no clue how to do formal styles. Besides… I hate snobs like that to begin with… and I highly doubt the prince would want me to attend with tribal hair…"
Tenten gave her a wobbly smile after smothering a small laugh, "Truce…?"
Sakura put out her hand and grasped the other woman's thin hand, "Truce."
Tenten accepted her the proffered appendage. They both shook hands with true smiles on their faces.
-o-
The days passed by and Sakura had only caught glimpses of the prince's retreating back. Every time she approached him he dismissed her. She chalked it down to him being busy. She knew he didn't quite trust her completely yet and so she didn't press her ground, knowing that such a thing would come with time and patience.
Before she knew it, the masquerade was upon her and she found herself putting on a dress, something she hadn't done in at least a decade.
"I think this outfit suits you very well Ms. Haruno," Tenten clucked as she backed away from the prince's personal servant.
"It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be. It's comfortable. And the nice black leather military knee high boots go with it quite well," Sakura gazed thoughtfully in the body length mirror.
"Yes it's…" Tenten broke off, her mouth gaping when she watched Sakura mutter some elfish word and strap a nasty looking black ornate dagger on her arm. The pinkette whispered again and pulled the sleeve over her arm. The material completely smoothed out, deceptively skin tight, the weapon was completely concealed and unnoticeable.
"You're going armed?" Tenten choked out somewhat horrified.
"Yes… if I'm able to do so easily. So could anyone else that decided to do so…" Sakura left the rest unspoken.
"Only you Sakura, only you," Tenten shook her head as she gestured for the woman to sit on the stool so she could do her hair.
The dragon brushed out the fine strands of her hair, putting her hair up in a fairly fancy bun, she wrapped a somewhat thick braid around the bun, giving it a conservative look. To soften the harsh style, she used a matching amber, silky hair ribbon to pull it all together. After that, she rubbed a few scented herbs in her bangs, fluffing them out to also alleviate that harsh hawkish expression Sakura often wore. She even smoothed out the top of her hair with some glitter, and a little on her cheekbones.
Before Sakura could protest, Tenten touched up her eyes with emerald eye color, and a soft peach, nearly translucent color to her lips. A knock sounded at the door, indicating that her escort had arrived. The servant looked at her, "You look great. Just do me a favor and make sure to get a dance in ahead of Lady Ino Yamanaka…"
"What does she look like?" Sakura asked curiously, "Because I will try… I suppose the prince will force me to dance with him since he made me attend those ridiculous dance lessons."
"She's a haughty young blonde dragon, about your age, with blue eyes. I heard rumors that she's going to be wearing a purple gown with gold frill, and a mask to match…" Tenten's gaze hardened visibly.
Another knock drew her to her feet, "I will honestly give it a try, but with everyone wearing a mask. If I fail you could just lop off her hair while she's sleeping."
Tenten laughed behind her hand as Sakura opened the door only to meet a brightly dressed domino wearing orange and black. Telltale spiky blond hair and glittering blue eyes gave away the person's identity immediately, "Naruto…"
"I've been sent here to be your escort Sakura," he announced good naturedly before offering her his arm.
Sakura curtsied playfully before placing a hand on his well-muscled arm, "Well thank you Captain Uzumaki… I am honored."
He grinned down at her, "No mask my lady?"
"Err… no… masks are for wusses," she grinned up at him playfully.
"Hey!" he protested laughing, "It's what you do at masquerades…"
They continued arm in arm down the corridors. Sakura's eyes widened as a servant opened a pair of ornate double doors for them to the major ballroom and her eyes widened. A sea of masks and colorful gowns met her bedazzled eyes. She in all her years would have never believed that, she, a simple blacksmith's daughter would have ever even witnessed something as grand as this.
A stringed quartet complete with a piano player was off to the corner playing a lovely waltz. She had absolutely no clue on how in the hell she was supposed to get the better of this Lady Ino person, if she couldn't tell who anyone was. After they descended from the stairs, several young women rushed forward to snatch Naruto's attention.
Sakura wrinkled her nose. They were like a bunch of vultures. Or stupid turkeys, the way they chattered about nonsense, she half wondered why Captain Uzumaki's brain didn't start to melt out of his ears. Making her escape she quickly traipsed her way to the table to grab a small bite to eat, or maybe a healthy glass of wine.
Several dishes of meat lay in a pool of fresh blood at one table. At the other table, lay a fancy array of platters full vegetable and fruit delicacies. So her option was either to be a total carnivore or a damned rabbit. This made sense however since more than over half of the guests were dragons and the other elf or yokai. Wrinkling her nose Sakura as she contemplated her choices she pivoted on her heel and found a nice well-shadowed pillar to lean against.
She watched with interest as the males and females flirted openly before dancing with one another. It was going to be a long night, she thought to herself irritably.
Unbeknownst to her several of the noble women were staring at her with open curiosity.
One spoke, "Look! Look at her… that's the prince's newly acquired servant from the Grasslands…"
Another replied cattily, "She's definitely got some of that androgynous charm…"
Lady Ino Yamanaka waved her fan in front of her pale and pointy face with a few rapid strokes. The women started giggling as she approached the human pinkette.
Sakura was startled as she found a very feminine blue doily dangling in front of her face, "Will you honor me with the next dance…?"
Sighing at the woman's blatant mockery as several giggles followed the woman's seemingly innocent query, "I'm sorry I'm on duty right now."
Sakura turned her head away trying to ignore the young woman. Lady Ino huffed at her, "Why should that be any concern of mine? Didn't you know I'm Lady Ino Yamanaka daughter of the first minister of Konohagakure?"
Sakura shut her eyes in exasperation, "No I didn't know…" No wonder Tenten disliked this woman.
Sakura recoiled as the woman slapped her across the face, "How dare you act as if you are better than me slave?" Her pride stung more than her cheek. Green eyes shot open to regard blue, her face a mask of practiced boredom.
"You were obviously sold out by your people as some sort of bargaining chip to the prince… just a toy for amusement… and then to be thrown away when he tires of you!" the woman half-screamed.
Sakura's face flushed deeply crimson with anger. This stupid bitch was drawing the attention of the entire room, but even so she wouldn't lower herself to her level. However even so, smacking her wouldn't satisfy Sakura, no… she wanted to deck the dragoness in the face.
A harsh voice brought them both out of their angry glaring, "Lady Yamanaka, I would ask you to refrain from assaulting… my personal servant… I didn't think the first minister would bring up his first daughter with such atrocious manners."
"My prince," Lady Ino whirled with tears in her big azure eyes, "You have it all wrong… it was she who assaulted me…"
"You would dare to lie to my face Lady Ino," The prince's emotionless voice sent shivers down the pinkette's spine, "this entire room heard your insults. I watched you assault her with my own eyes. Get out of my face before I have you escorted back to your room."
The ugly look that Lady Ino sent her way would have made most other women shake in their boots, but Sakura just met her eyes emotionlessly. Let me meet you in a darkened hallway. Her eyes spoke to the other woman. And instead it was Lady Ino who flinched.
"Of course my prince. My deepest apologies," The dragoness left in a flurry of skirts, followed by her entourage of girls.
After she left Sakura took that moment to study the prince. He wore as per usual unrelenting cream. His coffee colored hair was tied at the nape of his neck in a fastidious ponytail. Even with a mask on, she could tell immediately who he was. His silvery eyes glittered down at her with curiousity, "You just let her hit you…"
"My liege, her behavior was quite childish and I was not about to reciprocate such actions. Despite my status now I was a highly esteemed captain in the Grassland's army," Sakura returned a little too tartly.
Prince Neji could see she was still quite angry and it didn't help her temper any when his lips twisted into a smirk. He then finally took notice of her dress and frowned down at her, "I should have never let you pick out the design of your own dress… it's so military."
"My liege… I'm sorry if it is not to your taste," she replied even though she didn't look apologetic in the least.
"Where the hell is your mask?" The prince asked her, his eyes cool.
"You didn't order me to wear one," was the quick tart reply.
Silvery eyes turned to slits as he surveyed her face for several long moments. She couldn't quite get a reading on his emotions. She tensed warily beneath his regard, "Is there something you need liege?"
"Dance with me," he ordered as he extended his hand to her.
"Liege. I am but a personal servant. Surely there are young ladies that would be better suited," Sakura returned tight-lipped. After that incident in the hot spring, she really didn't want to get that close to him if she could help it.
Wordlessly he grabbed her wrist and led her to the dance floor. Sakura almost groaned out loud when the quartet began to thrum a slow waltz. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she didn't dare look at his face as his fingers found the small of her back and she found herself staring at his chest.
The feel of his touch was hot and she felt a telltale blush spread over the bridge of her nose as he smoothly led her into the steps.
"You're quite argumentative tonight Sakura," he whispered silkily.
The pinkette did her best not to flinch as his warm breath tickled her cheek. She felt her face grow hot. What in the hell was wrong with her? His touch was making her quite tingly and unfortunately she hadn't had any wine to drink tonight, so she had nothing to blame her untoward behavior on.
Just as she was about to reply a shadowy movement at the furthest corner of the room drew her eyes.
The pinkette asked thoughtfully, her voice low, "Is Kakashi-sensei here tonight?" She knew he was supposed to be, but she suddenly had a bad feeling.
The male stiffened at the inquiry. A low growl left his throat as he said, "Possibly. Why?"
"It's nothing," Sakura averted her eyes away from the prince's icy perusal.
She tried to relax in his hold and ignore the prickling sensations that were making themselves known wherever the prince's eyes touched. However Sakura didn't have much time to contemplate the implications of her emotions when a glint of silver caught her eye. Instinctively she shoved her master with all of her strength and he stumbled aside shock at her actions etched deeply in his features.
A pained cry left her lips as a dagger struck her left shoulder. Dropping to her knees she hissed as her hand went to grasp the hilt. The guests in their vicinity gasped as Sakura hissed loudly, "Bastard!"
Wordlessly she yanked the dagger from her skin, a pained grunt leaving her lips. The prince called her name but she ignored him as she staggered to her feet, the bloody dagger clattering to the ground. She whispered through clenched teeth, "Dilato."
There were more gasps from the guests as she wrenched the black ornate dagger waiting on her arm and broke into a run in the direction she'd spotted the shadow. That blade would have struck Prince Neji in the direct center of his back, she thought angrily leaping up onto the table disregarding the burning pain, ignoring her billowing skirt she ran with all she could.
Her eyes flickered to the side when Kakashi suddenly flickered into view at her side, "Did you see where he went?"
"Northeast corner," she replied in a hoarse voice.
Kakashi sped off with several of his trained assassins hot on his heels. She jumped off the table and staggered. Her vision blurred a moment and she cursed under her breath. That dagger must have been poisoned, she realized. The guests watched wide-eyed as Kakashi yanked down a black curtain revealing an open hidden door against the wall.
She could hear her heart hammering in her ears and her left shoulder began to go numb as she ran with what strength she had left through the hall. If she hadn't been paying attention, the prince could have been seriously injured or worse. She stumbled but relief filled her when she seen Kakashi and his men standing over a fallen person. Sakura was thankful that they got the bastard.
Sakura was doing her best to keep her breathing under control as she approached the group. She frowned when she saw that the assassin was dead. The pinkette whispered, "He committed suicide?"
The fox yokai replied without looking at her, "Seems so…"
"Asshole made me run in a dress," she muttered irritably under her breath.
Kakashi turned his head to fully look at her and his eyes widened when he seen her clasping her wounded shoulder with blood squirting through pale clenched fingers. The whole left side of her torso was a stained crimson.
He was about to berate her verbally but the crown prince himself stormed forward and beat him to it. Prince Neji grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him, "What in the hell do you think you are doing?"
Silvery eyes widened at the sight of the wound.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly the dagger gripped in her hand clattering to the floor, "my liege…"
Sakura's head lolled to the side as she fainted against him.
The prince hauled her limp form up into his arms ignoring the blood staining his shirtfront. The pale pallor of her face alarmed him, and the anger he felt at her for running off after being wounded melted away. He ordered curtly just as the royal guard finally arrived, "Hatake… I'll look at the results of the examination of the body later. I'm going to take Haruno to the infirmary."
"You better hurry. I think… that weapon was poisoned. Normally when a victim is wounded by poison you can smell it on their blood... but that poison is scentless... all I can smell is her blood..." Kakashi nodded his head in the direction of the girl, multi-hued eyes clouded with worry.
The prince glanced down at the girl, his nostrils flaring at the scent of her blood. He realized that Kakashi was right, there was no scent other than her blood. Could there have been a scentless poison on that dagger? With that Neji pivoted on his heel and carried the trouble making bundle in his arms to the infirmary. It stung his pride that he'd just been saved by the tiny scrap of female in his arms, yet he was grateful for her actions. If there was any question about her loyalty in his mind before, it was now firmly gone.
Captain Naruto met him half way to the infirmary his blue eyes worried, "Hatake said you were headed this way. Do you want me to take her so that you can attend to other matters?"
"The woman took a dagger for me. The least I could do is carry her to the doctor," the prince replied coolly without breaking stride.
Suddenly the girl's body began to twitch in his arms and a cold sweat dotted her temples. Urgency filled the prince and he picked up his pace the sleeves of his garment swaying as he walked. He kicked open the door to the infirmary and set her down on the bed calling impatiently for the doctor. The elf that had tended to her when she'd been wounded on the battlefield from their duel rushed forward placing his fingertips at the pulse on her neck.
His watery eyes widened with worry, "We don't have much time. Prince Hyuuga I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
The prince nodded his head and said before he left, "As soon as you have news... send word immediately."
The doctor didn't seemed to hear him as he began to bustle around the room gathering herbs and various instruments. The prince sent one last look at the deathly pale features of Sakura and he grimaced as his inner beast began to stir with agitation. Shutting the door behind him he glanced up to see Naruto standing there, azure eyes wide. Prince Neji told him, "There's nothing we can do for her now. The doctor will send word when there's news."
The Captain just nodded before walking away. The prince couldn't help but flinch when he heard her pained moan from within the room. Running a hand through his hair he decided to head back to his room. There was no way that he could return to the masquerade with blood on his suit, and even still, he wasn't in the mood for such frivolty. With one last look at the door of the infirmary, ignoring the growling of his inner beast, he strode in the direction of his room trying to persuade himself that it was useless to worry over something he couldn't change.
-o-
A/N: Well there ya go. Anyways, for those interested in what Sakura's dress looked like, I thought about Saber's outfit from Fate/Stay Night. So if you're interested in seeing what I had in mind, just Google it. Thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome :)