Ayakare4Unmei: looks to see how many review got on last chapter One blink…two blink. eyes grow wide and teary OMG, I got so many reviews last chapter!! Well, at least more than I usually do. Thank you soo much everyone, I'm so happy!! I think I should stick to not following Goong too closely although it does take me a hell of a lot longer. Oh, yes, yes, before I forget, disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I are a GIRL, and yes I know that my grammar sucks.
Unmei: And for anyone who didn't pick it up…I purposefully made my grammar wrong on the disclaimer. Now, onto the story!!
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Princess Hours
Chapter 6: Melancholy
Unmei no Hana
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(Hi no Kuni Palace)
The ceremony had finally finished and Sakura dragged her weary feat into an overly decorated room. She was to eat the ceremonial dinner with her new "husband" in this small room or so she was told. Sakura plopped herself down in front of one of the low tables, thankful that her massive headdress that most likely weighed nearly five pounds was finally taken off, and waited for Sasuke to do the same. When he did so, Tsunade came into the room and told them,
"Traditionally, the wine ceremony is the second to last ceremony in the royal wedding, the last being the royal couple's first night together. However, since both of you are under-aged, we will postpone this ceremony until you both become adults." She was about to say more until Sasuke cut her off.
"Why do they do that? I mean, why wait until we're adults?" Tsunade looked at Sasuke, stunned that he had asked such a question. Sakura also looked at him as if he had gone crazy.
"What are you thinking? Have you gone insane?" She murmured across the table. Sasuke eyed her lazily and smiled.
"Don't worry, I'm not asking because I want to spend the night with you, because that's far from the truth. But, don't you think it's unfair, restricting us because of our age? Anyways, forget my question and let's proceed with the ceremony. The sooner it's over, the better." Tsunade, albeit stunned, nodded her head mutely and, shaking off the befuddlement, proceeded with the ceremony. Slightly flustered, Sakura shook her head and rolled her eyes at the boy, muttering a few curses under her breath.
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Sakura stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and eyed Sasuke curiously. He was looking out of the room and into the hallway where Tsunade and a handful of maids were sitting, supposedly keeping watch.
"What is this? How are they keeping guard when they're all asleep? What a bunch of weaklings." He scoffed abruptly. Sakura's drowsiness instantly dissipated as she felt anger rising within her at his arrogant comment.
"Oi, chicken head! Just because you're the Crown Prince, doesn't mean you can look down on others. Have some compassion and pity those poor maids. They must've been up since dawn trying to finish the preparations for the wedding, unlike you." She told him defensively.
"Why do you care…pinky?" Sasuke asked her mockingly.
"What did you call me? Pinky!?" Sakura screeched, outraged. "You…you…arrogant bastard! Show some more respect!" Sakura lunged herself at Sasuke, grabbed his hand, and bit him hard.
"I can't believe you bit me!" Sasuke yelled out, obviously in pain. He shook her off from him and held his injured hand in his other one. "First you tried to kick me at school and now this? What kind of unmannered peasant are you?" He seethed as he advanced towards her. Sakura stood her ground defiantly, as if daring him to try and harm her. Sasuke however was unable to get any closer to her for he was instantly held back by various maids, awoken by the shouting.
"Sasuke-sama, please control your anger."
"Please, calm down, Ouji-sama."
"Sasuke-sama!"
"Ouji-sama!!"
The maids, perspiration beginning to form at their temples, slowly and with great difficulty dragged the shouting Sasuke out of the room. Sakura stuck out her tongue at the fuming prince and waved mockingly at him. The last she saw was his face; anger and what seemed to be hurt, present on it. When the maids had at last dragged him out and silence once again reigned peacefully, Sakura settled herself on a pillow and, leaning her head onto her hand, quieted into deep thought.
'What kind of person is Sasuke really… He can calmly tell me that I can get a divorce and smile during such a serious wedding ceremony. He has a most atrocious attitude however! But…just now he looked almost…hurt and betrayed. And then also when he was smiling and waving so warmly to everyone during the parade…it makes me want to know him better. It seems like he's always in such deep thought. Sasuke…who are you really?' Yawning, Sakura felt the full effects of the whole day hit her and lowered her head onto a pillow and instantly fell asleep.
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Shaken awake by a bowing maid, Sakura groggily rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes.
"Hime-sama, the King and Queen request your presence." The maid mumbled in a low voice. Sakura stood up and smoothed her now very wrinkled dress and followed the maid. When she arrived at the room, Sakura noticed Sasuke sitting already on a couch opposite of his parents. After the maid announced her arrival Sakura bowed in front of the King and Queen and took her place beside Sasuke. She eyed him wearily before turning her attention to her new parent-in-laws. Smiling warmly, the King addressed Sakura,
"We have reduced the number of bodyguards at school to only three. Not only this, but we also have permitted you to go around school without them being around. Instead, they will be stationed outside of the school. I hope you find these choices suitable." Surprised at the sudden changes, Sakura turned her head to look at Sasuke suspiciously. He shrugged his shoulders before nonchalantly looking out the window. Remembering her manners, Sakura bowed her head and murmured a few words of gratitude. The King then dismissed her and Sasuke from the room. When they exited, Sakura turned to Sasuke.
"What did you tell him?" Sasuke looked at her briefly before turning his head away while continuing to walk towards his room.
"Hn. Nothing at all." Came out his trademark reply. Sakura ignored this and ran to catch up with him.
"Thank you Sasuke-kun!" She said, smiling broadly, as if all thoughts of what had happened the night before had disappeared, and ran off to change into her school uniform. Sasuke looked at the figure of the girl fading into the distance before running a hand through his raven locks.
"I told you I didn't tell him anything…." He muttered to no one in particular, the faintest trace of embarrassment showing on his face. Sasuke looked one last time at the door that Sakura had entered before his own room to change.
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(Konoha High school)
Sakura had retreated to her new spot of rest on the rooftop to eat lunch. It was the day after the wedding and Sakura sought peace and quiet, both being a foreign concept to her now. Sighing she stretched her arms above her and laid on a bench, staring at the puffy clouds go by. Suddenly a head popped out of nowhere and blocked her vision.
"Ahhh!!" Sakura screamed as she not so gracefully fell off the bench. She rubbed her sore bottom as she sat herself on the bench again and glared at the person who, a wide grin upon his face, was sitting next to her. He tried to cover up his amusement but failed miserably. "What do you want Yamamoto Sai-kun (1.)?" Sakura asked pointedly.
"Don't be mad at me Haruno-san. It's not my fault you're so clumsy." He laughed as Sakura playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Anyways, what's it like being Crown Princess?" He asked somewhat teasingly. Sakura looked down at her hands glumly and sighed.
"It's not as glamorous as I thought it would be. I have no one anymore. I live worlds apart from my family, my new family is distant, and everyone either hates my guts or just plain ignores me. To tell you the truth, I guess I would have felt unhappy too if some random girl came and took away the prince. I'd feel hateful, jealous, and spiteful even. I can understand we're they're coming from. I was an ordinary girl and suddenly became the Crown Princess. Doesn't seem to make sense does is? It's not even some Cinderella story. Either way you look at it, it makes you want to puke." Sakura said, laughing bitterly.
"But, there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll just have to make the best of it. This time, I won't give up like I always did…for my family." She trailed off as she continued fiddle with her hands. Sai looked at her, a strange look upon his face. An unsettled peace reigned until the bell rung, signaling the end of the lunch period.
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The bell had rung and Sakura and Sai reluctantly climbed back down the stairs and headed towards their classroom. Before they entered Sakura turned around and faced Sai.
"Sai-kun, thank you so much."
"For what Haruno-san? I didn't do anything." Sai asked, scratching his head confusedly.
"You listened to my complaints. I'm really grateful for that." Sakura told him smiling warmly.
"No problem at all. I'm happy to do it anytime Haruno-san."
"I'm so glad I've made such a good new friend. To tell you truthfully, you really are great."
"If that's the case then call me Sai, Haruno-san. Just Sai."
"Fine, then call me Sakura, just Sakura." Sakura told him.
"Deal."
"Deal." Sakura replied. She then held out her pinky. Laughing at her child-like antiques, Sai linked his own pinky with hers. Grinning widely, the two of them entered the classroom. Little did either of them know that someone lurking in the shadows was watching them, silently fuming. Sasuke watched the two of them enter the room and turned around and stormed away. He didn't know why but seeing the two of them together bothered him.
'Why the hell am I feeling like this? Haruno's nothing to me. She's just a toy for my amusement. I shouldn't be feeling this way. Plus, it's not my place to say whom she can befriend. It's none of my business.' Sasuke growled mentally, angry and disturbed at the fact that a certain pink-haired girl was making him feel the way he was. He decided to let his anger out by practicing and headed in the direction of the practice rooms. However, when he entered the music building, he was surprised to find Fuyuno Mika leaning against a wall.
"…What are you doing here?" He asked after a long period of silence. She looked down smiling to herself silently.
"I want to tell you something… Fuyuno Mika was a fool. All she did was practice ballet, paying no attention to the people around her. But then again, when you look at everyone else competing, they pay attention to nobody either. We're all like robots, totally void of all emotions. All my life's secrets, happiness, sadness, have been used up for dancing and what was left was an empty, emotionless shell.
"So I've decided, I'm going to play all I want now. I promise you, you're going to regret it. You're going to regret for your whole life not waiting for me. Forever. It's game over for us now." Mika told Sasuke, looking at him straight in the eye. However, her serious look was soon replaced by a playful smile.
"But, you'll still play with Mika, ne?" She waited in silence for his reply but none came. Smiling bitterly she turned away. "You're a fool Sasuke, you know that? You're a fool for not playing with me. Like I said, you're going to regret it." Sasuke, cold as ever, turned his back to Mika and slowly began to walk the other way.
"We'll see about that…Fuyuno-san."
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Sakura sighed for the umpteenth time. Everywhere she turned she was greeted by cold stares or blatant disregard. She was tracing the lines on her desk when a loud clatter startled her. She looked up and was met by Tenten's indifferent face.
"We have something to tell you." She told Sakura stiffly. Perplexed, Sakura nodded her head slowly.
"What is it?"
"Go up and stand by the teacher's desk." A voice behind her said sharply.
"I-I… okay." Sakura stuttered back at Temari, slightly alarmed. She turned slightly to look at Sai for support. He smiled at her and motioned for her to do as she was told. Nodding faintly, Sakura hesitantly made her way to the front of the room. She looked up at the sea of heads and gulped nervously.
"Before you tell me anything, I would like to thank you guys. You've much better than I thought you would've… I mean, you even kept my desk and chair." She was about to say more when Ino's penetrating voice interrupted her.
"CUE!!" A huge banging sound erupted from all around Sakura and she was suddenly covered in confetti, silly string, glitter and what appeared to be flour (Sakura was told later on that they didn't have enough money to afford so many bags of confetti and had to resort to a cheaper alternative.)
"Huh?" Was Sakura's befuddled reply to all of this. Temari, Tenten, Hinata, and Ino (apparently she had skipped class to come) ran up to the front and pulled out bouquets of flowers, a huge cake, and poster that bore the words 'Congratulations Sakura, Hi no Kuni's kick-ass Crown Princess.' They shoved the flowers into Sakura's arms and set the cake down, hugging her tightly as the rest of the class cheered.
"Cheer up Sakura! You're a married woman now. You're life's over. Don't you realize that?" Temari told her jokingly. She pulled Sakura into a hug again.
"Hey, hey what's all of this? Is it over already?" The lights flickered on and off as Mizuhara-sensei entered the room. "I can't believe you got married before I did Haruno! I'm going to become an old maid if I don't get married soon, ne?" The students in the classroom laughed at their teacher's comment except for one. Sai was too busy staring at the happily smiling Sakura.
'She's mine. You do realize that Sasuke, don't you? You're in my place. It's my place and she's supposed to be mine!'
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(Konoha City)
'This sucks…' A very unhappy Haruno Sakura thought yet again. Currently she and Sasuke, or as she liked to call him oh so very affectionately, Chicken Head, were riding in the back of a heavily guarded car. Grumbling silently to herself, Sakura slid down the leather seat as and stared glumly out the window. She was abruptly stirred out of her thoughts when she noticed that they were passing the street that her house was located on.
"Ah, ah, that's my street!" Sakura cried out as she craned her neck to get a better look at it. "I remember going to and from school on that road while riding on my bicycle. Oh, my bicycle, I wonder how it's doing? It rained just recently…I hope it hasn't rusted because of that. I miss riding my bicycle. Hey, Sasuke, why aren't I allowed to ride my bicycle to school?" Sakura asked her companion as she turned to face him. However, Sasuke didn't reply and continued to ignore her, looking out his window.
"Sasuke? Oi, chicken head… chicken head!!" Sakura shouted at the nonchalant prince. And yet he still ignored her. Fed up, Sakura poked Sasuke hard on the arm.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sasuke snapped as he pulled out the cleverly concealed earphones from his ears. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh when she realized that she had been talking to herself all along.
'Jeez, I must've sounded like an idiot to the chauffeur. He must think I'm schizophrenic or something. I can imagine the headlines now, "BREAKING NEWS: Diagnosis of schizophrenia explains Crown Princesses' odd behavior." Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.' Sakura thought wryly. Afterwards however she turned her attention to Sasuke who was looking at her with an expectant look.
"Ne, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him as sweetly as she could muster, "could we stop here for a moment?"
"No." Came the quick and sharp reply. Sakura's happy expression fell slightly.
"But…but, we're so close to my house. Can't we just stop for a couple of minutes so I can go see my parents."
"Are you deaf? I said no." Sasuke told her scathingly, raising the volume of his voice a notch. He then put his earphones back on and turned his back to the crestfallen Sakura. In an attempt to not look weak in front of Sasuke, Sakura tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.
"You know…you're so lucky Sasuke." She told the boy although she knew he wasn't listening. "You're able to see your mother…father…even your grandmother everyday." Sakura started to sob, unable to hold back the tears anymore. "You're really mean and so selfish. Conceited. You don't see how lucky you are and flaunt it in front of everyone, making them feel even more miserable than they already are." Sakura vigorously rubbed her face trying to dry her tears. However as soon as she dried the existing tears, new ones welled up in her eyes to replace those she dried away. Suddenly, Sakura heard a sigh.
"Stop crying. I hate it when people cry. I can't stand it." Sasuke told the girl. He dug around for something in his pocket before pulling out a slightly crumpled handkerchief. Still looking out of his window, Sasuke shoved the handkerchief at Sakura. She accepted the handkerchief after a few stunned moments.
"You…were listening all along?"
"Aa."
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(Haruno Household)
"I wonder how my princess is doing…" Came the sad voice of the Haruno patriarch. Clad in a pink apron, Keito took off his matching rubber gloves as he picked up a picture frame. A happy, yet slightly chubby, Sakura smiled back at him. Tears came to his eyes and he squeezed the picture against him tightly.
"I hope she's doing okay. I'm sure trying to learn all the palace rules is so hard for her. How hard it's going to be for her to fit in!" Keito took out a handkerchief from his pocket and, with a loud 'toot,' blew his running nose into it. A piercing voice cut through his lamentations.
"Tch, don't worry so much! You know how clever our daughter is. She'll have no trouble at all." Atsumi said as she gave her husband a stringent look. "Even if she stutters in the beginning, she'll catch on right away and get used to it, so stop bawling your eyes out like a baby. God knows why I married you."
"I hope she's alright…" Keito sighed pitifully. Suddenly a light bulb went off. "OH! Do you think I can call her?" Looking proud of himself, Keito retrieved the cordless phone next to him. He was about to dial Sakura's cell phone number when Atsumi cut him off.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't call her just to cry your eyes out! My goodness, leave her alone and give her some space. She's already 19 years old."
"But, Atsumi, aren't you worried about our daughter. For all we now, she could be silently suffering right now! Imagine what kind of horrible things she may be enduring. Oh the tragedy of it all!" Keito bewailed dramatically, tears streaming down his face. Giving her husband a look of utter disbelief, Atsumi asked,
"Are you seriously a man?"
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(Aoyama Hotel)
"What do you want?" Came the curt reply of the 40-year something old woman. She had short black hair, covered by an emerald green scarf, and was wearing a sapphire colored dress. The receiver of the unfriendly greeting was Fuyuno Mika, carrying a bouquet of pink tulips.
"Please, Tanaka-sensei, don't be mad." Mika said, slightly pleading. Her teacher however crossed her arms over her chest and, pouting, looked away.
"Why should I forgive you? I worked so hard with you so that you could be given an opportunity of a lifetime. And when you finally were offered such a chance, you rejected it coldly."
"I know it was wrong of me Tanaka-sensei…but I promise that I'll return to dancing after a year. I just need some time off. When I come back, I'll be even more focused to work and become better. I promise." When Mika said this comment her teacher's face instantly lit up.
"Do you really promise?" The teacher asked Mika eagerly. Nodding her head, Mika smiled and handed over the bouquet.
'Sasuke, just you wait. I'll make you regret leaving me. You're going to regret not waiting for me! Just you wait and see, just you wait.'
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(Konoha International Airport)
Carrying a small sign that read 'Welcome Home Mom,' Sai stood nonchalantly at the entrance of the terminal. He brightened up when passengers began filing out of the terminal and into the hall. He made his way to the front and scanned the mass of people looking for a certain person. Finally when he saw her, Sai smiled and waved the poster in an attempt to catch her attention. The person, a very pretty woman in her mid-40's, immediately saw the poster and ran up to greet Sai, hugging him tightly.
"My, my, Sai. You've grown taller since I've last seen you! But look how much weight you've lost!" Sai's mother told him. They're family time however was cut short when a bright flash went off. Turning their heads, Sai and his mother found a slightly pudgy man with graying hair wave to them.
"Oh, such a touching reunion! It brings tears to my eyes to see the true Queen and Crown Prince after so long." The man said while wiping away tears. "Oh, how rude of me for not introducing myself, I am Watanabe Kyou. Good friend of the late true King."
"He was your father's best friend." Sai's mother clarified for Sai. "He agreed to help us in our mission." At this, Sai cocked his head in confusion.
"Our mission? What was that?" With a steely glint in her eyes, Sai's mother replied,
"Don't you remember, Sai? When the old King, your grandfather, banished us after your father died, I promised that I would get revenge for what they did to me. I promised myself that I'd do anything to get revenge on those who made us suffer and that I would restore the throne to it's proper owner, you. I'm going to make them feel all the suffering and hate that I felt."
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(Aoyama Hotel)
Fuyuno Mika and her teacher, Tanaka-sensei, were preparing to leave the hotel. They were chatting merrily when they got to the entrance of the hotel. Mika heard the doors of the hotel slide open and glanced up to see who had entered. She was greeted by a very familiar face.
"Ah, it's you! Building A, Class 3-A's Yamamoto Sai-san!" Mika said surprised. The woman next to Sai looked curiously at Mika and then at Sai.
"Do you know her Sai-kun?" Sai nodded his head slightly.
"I've met her a few times. We go to the same school mom." He was about to say more when Mika's ballet teacher shouted out,
"Ahhh, Satsuki-nee-san! Don't you remember me? I'm Tanaka Yuriko! I majored in dance at our school! Oh, Satsuki-nee-san, I thought that I would never see you again after you went away to Kiri no Kuni! I thought you had died or something!" Mika's teacher gushed exuberantly. Sai's mother looked at her for a brief moment, as if examining her, and then her face instantly lit up with recognition.
"Ah, I remember now. Yuriko-san you said? You were always so enthusiastic, how could I forget you?" She said kindly. Tanaka-sensei blushed slightly.
"I'm so touched that you remember me. I mean, you being such an important figure."
"I have a very good sense of memory." Sai's mother said, tapping her head for emphasis.
"Haha, I guess so. Anyways, I'm so glad to see you though Satsuki-san! You haven't changed a bit. No wait, you have. You've gotten so much younger looking. Are you some witch with magical age resistant powers?" Tanaka-sensei babbled on. Suddenly, somewhere through her talking she realized Sai standing next to Satsuki.
"Ah, is this your son? Oh, you've grown so much! You really do look like your mother a lot. Like a real prince I say! Oh, what am I saying? He is the real prince after all! My mistake, sorry." Mika's teacher said talking faster and faster until all that was heard was a blur of words. After a moment, Sai's mother interrupted her.
"It's been very nice seeing you Yuriko-san, but we—Sai and I—must get going."
"Oh of course. So sorry for talking too much." Tanaka-sensei said laughing in embarassment. The four of them then bowed politely to one another. Sai and his mother began to walk away when his mother turned around and said,
"Oh, and Yuriko-san, please don't tell anyone I'm back yet." After saying this, Satsuki turned back again and she and Sai walked away. After they had disappeared from view, Mika turned to her teacher who was smiling broadly.
"You know her?"
"Yep, the two of us were classmates. That is until she became the Queen." This comment surprised Mika very much as she turned to her teacher in shock.
"She was the Queen? But what about Mikoto-jyou-sama?" Mika asked confused.
"Ah, of course you haven't heard. You were too young. About…15 years ago King Fugaku's older brother was actually the king. Satsuki-san was his wife and of course Sai-san was their son. However, the King Masao was killed in a car accident. The old King Tohma banished Satsuki and Sai. It's really such a tragic story." Tanaka-sensei recounted to Mika. Mika nodded understandingly as she processed the new information she had just heard. Suddenly, a look of realization crossed her features as she said,
"Wait a minute, that means Sai would be…"
"The Prince." Tanaka-sensei ended Mika's trailing off question.
"Then would that mean that the current Crown Princess, Haruno Sakura, would have…." Mika trailed off once again, leaving her teacher to finish her sentence.
"I'm not completely sure, but I can guess that our current Crown Princess was actually supposed to be wed to Sai-san instead of the current Crown Prince Sasuke."
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1. For clarifications, Sakura does not call Sai with the honorific '-kun' at the end of his name because she likes him or anything like it is in the manga with Sasuke. Instead, it's to do with school "traditions" you could call it.
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Hey, everyone, Sakura here! So with me finally settling into life at the palace, what happens next? They say Chicken Head's birthday coming up soon and a huge celebration is being planned! Sounds like so much fun, I wonder if my friends can come too. Wait, Sai-kun was invited too? What's going here? Did he fail to mention something to me? Ah, I'm so confused! Anyways, you don't want to miss the next drama-packed chapter of Princess Hours!!!
Next time, Chapter 7: Revelations
"What!? You're related to chicken head Sasuke?"
-Crown Princess Haruno Sakura
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Unmei: So I am soo very super sorry that this took me FOREVER to update! Nearly two months! My gosh, I'm so bad. Hopefully this was worth the wait. If not well…I'm sorry? I'm also so sorry it was a bit on the short side this time. But I think it's still pretty long…but that's just me. Anyways, thanks you everyone for reviewing. You don't know how happy I was!!
heartless soul: I'm so, so, SO very sorry for not updating soon. Do Sakura and Sasuke fall in loved? Well, of course! Or else why would I have put it under the SasuSaku category? But how, well you'll have to just keep on reading!! Thanks so very much for reading.
julene: You don't like my story…that's so sad for me, but I can understand your reasoning. I know it seems like there isn't much SasuSaku action, but in the end, their really gonna end up together. Not really much of a spoiler, but just so everyone knows that, this fic is the SasuSaku category for a reason. Anyways, thanks for reading up until now. I hope you keep on reading.
Epiff Annie: Are my paragraphs really that long? I thought they were rather short actually… Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing! Please keep on reading, reviewing, and most of all, enjoying my fic!!
kurapink: Sorry that there isn't much action in it. I'm really trying to add some more in. There will definitely be some in…two chapters from now I think. Although it might now be action everyone is wanting…. But, thanks so much for reviewing!
And to Kaydreams, iyashi kaze, Confuzzled239, randomangel, XxaoshixX, Uchiha Rose, rainingblood666, Sakura Angel 4eva, and silverdragon994 thank you ALL so very much for reviewing. I LOVE all of you so much!!