Unmei: Yay, I'm FINALLY done w/ the first semester of school and very super ickyful finals (which I hate so very much.) So, I'm SUPER SORRY I haven't updated since…forever! But, ugh, school this year is so busy and I have so many more things for orchestra as well. Well, enough excuses, I should start getting on with the story ne? But before I do, one note:
Disclaimer: Do I look like Masashi Kishimoto? No, I didn't think so.
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Princess Hours
Chapter 7: Revelations
Unmei no Hana
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(Hi no Kuni Palace, Sunday morning)
"WHATTT!!!" a horrified Sakura screamed. "Your turning how old?"
"Twenty." A very pissed off Sasuke said through clenched teeth.
"Oh my god, why did I marry this grandpa? You're so old!!" Sakura said dramatically. "Why did I waste my youth and beauty upon this wrinkly old man?" Unbeknownst to her, a vein was a beginning to pop out of Sasuke's forehead as he clenched his hand into a tight fist.
"What are you talking about? I'm only a couple months older than you are." Sasuke replied in an even voice, attempting to keep a calm and composed face in vain.
"What do you mean 'only a couple months older?' I just turned nineteen and you're already turning twenty. You're just about nine-freaking-months older than I am!" Sakura exclaimed, still oblivious to the ever-rising anger of her companion.
"Want. To. Say. That. Once. More?" Surprised with the brokenness of his speech, Sakura turned to look at Sasuke and was met with unusually red eyes with three black spinning commas. Instantly she felt the blood drain out of her face.
"Oh shit, I'm screwed."
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Hey everyone, my name is Haruno Sakura—the current Crown Princess of Hi no Kuni. To most girls this would be their dream come true. I mean what girl wouldn't want to be married to the hottest guy in the county and have wealth and influence like no other? But it's really not that great in fact. Crown Prince Sasuke—or as I affectionately call him chicken head—has the worst temper I've seen in all of my nineteen years being alive. His temper's even worse than mine, and that's saying something. He's also arrogant, pompous, thinks he's the best, and just about any other quality that is considered bad. Oh, and another fact about him that I just found out—he's a GRANDPA…
Don't tell him I said that about him. He'll just about kill me…again.
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"…like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," a woman in formal clothing glared at the sheepish looking Sakura, "the Prince's twentieth birthday will be celebrated at the Asahi resort next Saturday. Sakura-san, as the Crown Princess, you are required to attend as well…" Queen Mikoto trailed off as Sakura's hand shot into the air.
"Mikoto-jyou-sama, will I be able to invite my friends?" Sakura asked with an eager look upon her face. Queen Mikoto looked stunned for a moment before hesitantly replying,
"…I suppose so. There shouldn't be any problem with that." Sakura cried out in delight and turned to face her companion.
"Yatta! Did you hear that Sasuke? My friends can come. Ha, I bet you thought Mikoto-jyou-sama would say no! Just wait until I tell Temari, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten. They'll be so happy. None of us have ever been to a resort before. Is it nice Chicken Head? Oh, is the food free? I bet it'll be so yummy!"
"Sakura, shut up and don't call me Chicken Head." Came Sasuke's monotonous reply. "Let Queen Mikoto finish what she was saying."
"Oh, you're right Chicken Head. How silly of me. Please continue Mikoto-jyou-sama." The delighted Crown Princess laughed as she ignored Sasuke's comment completely.
"Yes, thank you. I hope there will be no more interruptions." Queen Mikoto said while giving an apologetic looking Sakura a stern look. "Like I was saying for the second time already, the Prince's birthday will be held at Asahi resort. Sakura-san as Crown Princess you are required to attend and yes you may invite a handful of your friends to accompany you. I hope there will be no complications for the media will obviously be there and will be watching your every move. So, do not do anything you will regret in the future. That is all. You two are dismissed."
'Don't do anything you will regret in the future? What does Queen Mikoto mean by that?' Sakura wondered to herself as she bowed to the Queen and left the room with Sasuke. She was shaken from her thoughts however when she realized that Sasuke had abandoned her and was already halfway down the hallway.
"Hey Chicken Head, wait for me!" Sakura yelled after the retreating figure of Sasuke.
"Don't call me Chicken Head!" Sasuke snapped back at the girl.
"But it's such a fun name to call you! And you call me pinky, so it's only fair that I call you chicken head!" Sasuke just shook his head at Sakura's logic, or in this case lack of it, as he continued to walk away.
"Chicken Head! I said to wait for me!!" Sakura shouted to Sasuke once again as she quickened her pace to catch up with Sasuke. Unbeknownst to the couple, someone was watching them from the shadows. When Sakura and Sasuke rounded the corner and the noise they were making quieted down, Sai walked out from behind a large column with a troubled look. Despite that, he knocked on Queen Mikoto's door and walked in.
"Queen Mikoto, you were looking for me?" He asked while bowing.
"Yes, it's about Prince Sasuke's birthday. Will you be able to attend it?"
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(Asahi Resort, Saturday afternoon)
"Wow, it's humongous!" Sakura whispered in awe as she stared at the large resort in front of her. "This is what it's like to be rich I guess."
"Stop babbling and move slowpoke." A sharp voice behind Sakura demanded. Sasuke tugged at his tie to loosen it and looked expectantly at Sakura.
"Why should I? You're always so demanding Chicken Head. Say 'please' and I will, okay?" Sakura told Sasuke in an overly sweet voice.
"You must be dreaming." Sasuke replied and pushed his way pass the girl. However as he did so, Sakura stumbled forward and fell, unaccustomed to wearing high-heels. She let out a scream and closed her eyes to prepare for the hard impact. But it never came. Instead Sakura felt warm arms wrap around her waist and a soft body cushioning her fall. Hesitantly she opened her eyes and saw Sasuke's annoyed face looking at her.
"…why?" She uttered after moments of awkward silence.
"Why what?" Sasuke asked, slightly confused.
"Why did you save me? Don't you hate me?" Sakura asked timidly, as if afraid of the answer. Sasuke let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
"I don't hate you. I just think you're annoying. So pay attention to what you're doing okay? I can't save you all the time." Sasuke mumbled quickly, the faintest trace of embarrassment showing on his face.
"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered, touched by his meaningful, or at least as meaningful as Sasuke would ever get, response. It was then that both he and Sakura noticed how close their faces were to one another. Only a couple centimeters separated their mouths. They were so close that Sakura could feel Sasuke's warm breath upon her face and vice versa. Unconsciously, Sakura felt her face lean forward until…
"Yo, Sasuke-teme, stop trying to make out with your wife in public!!" Naruto's voice broke through the silence. Naruto had arrived holding hands with a blushing Hinata while a furious Neji trailed after them with an exhausted looking Tenten trying to calm him down. Ino, Shikamaru, and Temari had also arrived in a separate car and were looking at the couple with equally amused expressions.
"Baka, shut the hell up. You don't even know what you're talking about." Sasuke retorted, annoyed thoroughly by his friend's comment. He pushed Sakura off himself and got up.
"Ouch, chicken head! What was that for?" Sakura glared at Sasuke as she picked herself off the ground and smoothed her dress. She opened her mouth to chastise the blasé Sasuke more when a car pulled up to the entrance of the resort and a very familiar person walked out of it. Everyone grew silent as Fuyuno Mika approached the group.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke's sharp voice broke the silence. Mika looked at Sasuke and then Sakura somewhat apprehensively before replying,
"Don't you know Sasuke? I was invited here for your birthday like everyone else."
"By who?" Sasuke demanded. But his question was never answered for another car pulled up and a person exited.
"Sai-kun!!!" Ino squealed loudly and rushed over to greet the boy a.k.a cling to his arm tightly like there was no tomorrow.
'Sai's here? I wonder why…' Sakura asked herself as she walked over to greet Sai as well. On her way, she saw Shikamaru shooting daggers at the unsuspecting Sai. Sakura giggled mentally to herself.
'Ohh, looks like someone's j-e-a-l-o-u-s. I guess even lazy bum Shikamaru can fall in love. I can't wait to set Ino and him up together!' Sakura rubbed her hands together in an evil way as matchmaking plots instantly popped into her brain.
"I think forehead girl has cracked finally." Ino's voice rang though Sakura's mind and all her plans poofed into nothingness.
"Want. To. Say. That. Once. More?" Surprised with the brokenness of her speech, Ino turned to look at Sakura and was met with an unusually mad looking Sakura with the words "Inner Sakura" stamped on her forehead. Instantly she felt the blood drain out of her face.
"Oh shit, I'm screwed."
Déjà vu anyone?
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"Geez forehead girl, that hurt a ton." Ino said as Sakura applied ice to Ino's forehead where a bruise was beginning to form.
"Sorry about that Ino. I swear, staying around chicken head is making me more violent." Sakura tried to reason as she applied a Band-Aid to a cut on Ino's arm.
"Yea right. She was always violent." Tenten whispered to Hinata who giggled in agreement.
"What did you say Tenten?" Sakura snapped at her friend, a murderous glint in her eyes. Tenten sweat dropped and replied,
"Ah, nothing Sakura. You can continue."
"Anyways like I was saying…" Sakura began to say when a waitress came up to the group and offered a tray of beverages. Sakura stared at the colorful cocktails, unsure of which one to pick. She chose a random one and bowed to the waitress before turning back to her friends. Curious, Sakura took a sip of the drink and immediately spat it back out, making a face.
"Excuse me." Sakura motioned for the waitress and placed the drink back on the tray. "I didn't drink this one, so I'll take this one instead, okay?" She asked and took a different colored drink and took a sip, thankful that this one tasted much better. Satisfied, Sakura turned back to her dumbfounded looking friends and opened her mouth to talk to them. However, before she was able to do so, the sound of someone laughing cut her off. Sakura turned around to face the offender and glared at Sai.
"What is it?" She asked the boy in a tone of mock annoyance.
"It's nothing Crown Princess. Only that it surprises me that here you are drinking cocktails while Sasuke is already beginning to open his presents. Surely the Crown Princess cannot be absent during the present opening ceremony, can she?"
"What! He's starting without me? That inconsiderate jerk." Sakura said as she began to run towards the gazebo where Sasuke would open his presents in. She got to the gazebo in a matter of seconds, but short of breath. However, she pushed through the large crowd until she found Sasuke surrounded by a massive pile of presents and sat beside him, glaring fiercely. If only looks could kill.
'That little… little…chicken-headed, inconsiderate, good for nothing jerk!' Sakura continued to mutter in her head as Sasuke was handed a large present from palace official. Sasuke nonchalantly unwrapped the gift and gave it a momentary glance before handing it to another palace official and received another gift. This process went on until Sasuke unwrapped one very colorful present that Sakura recognized right away.
"From the Crown Princess." The official told Sasuke as she handed him the gift. Sasuke looked at the present as nonchalantly as he had looked at the other ones and proceeded to unwrap it. He lifted up the lid from the box and raised an eyebrow as he looked at the gift. Inside the box were shoes in the same design as his school ones. However unlike the plain white school shoes, these were covered in colorful drawings of ornate flowers and other objects.
"Ah I designed those shoes myself. I got the idea from the carvings of flowers all over the palace." Sakura told Sasuke excitedly. "Do you like them?" Sasuke however didn't answer, but instead Sakura was answered by the mutterings of people behind her.
"Geez, what a tacky gift Sakura."
"Is the royal treasury so low that the Crown Princess had to give him such a cheap gift?"
"Did she really make that by hand?"
As the mutterings from the crowd grew louder, Sakura began to shift in her chair uneasily. She looked at Sasuke hopefully, waiting for answer to her question. None came however. Like all the other gifts he had received, Sasuke put the lid back on top of the box and handed it to an official. Sakura said nothing but looked at her hands, feeling tears prick the corner of her eyes.
"Oh, that's my gift." A voice called out as Sasuke was handed another gift. Sakura looked up and saw Fuyuno Mika. Mika pushed her way through the crowd until she stood before Sakura. She looked at the chair in which Sakura was sitting before saying, "Excuse me, but that was my seat Haruno-san."
"Eh?" Sakura squeaked, and looked down. Sakura, much to her horror, found the jacket that Mika had been wearing underneath her. Instantly, she stood up and tried to un-crumple the jacket by shaking it out. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize." Sakura muttered in shame as she handed the jacket to Mika.
"It's fine Haruno-san. Suke-kun, do you like my present? It's the newest model." Mika told Sasuke who was oblivious to the scene going on beside him. Sakura watched the two of them from the sidelines feeling dejected. But what hurt her the most was what Sasuke said next.
"Aa. It's nice." He replied. Obviously happy, Mika plopped herself down on the chair beside Sasuke and took her gift from him—an mp3 player—and began to show him all the functions. Unbeknownst to the couple however, Sakura pushed her way through the crowd, tears beginning to stream down her face, and ran as far away as she could.
'Suke-kun? They're that close that she has a nickname for him?' Sakura thought, as she reached a secluded bench overlooking a pond. 'Well that's pretty obvious, isn't it Sakura? After all, he did propose to Fuyuno-san…I made such a fool out of myself.' Sakura sighed heavily, another batch of fresh tears ready to spill over. However, a handkerchief was suddenly pushed in front of her face. Startled, Sakura took the handkerchief and looked up.
"My mom was right. Girls look prettier when they're happy than when they're crying. So smile Sakura. That frown makes you look even uglier." Sai told Sakura as he took a seat next to her.
"Thanks…I think Sai." Sakura said, smiling a little at Sai's comment, however ignoring the last part.
"It's nothing." Sai commented, turning to face Sakura. Noticing that there were still tears on her face, he frowned some and took the handkerchief from her hands, wiping up the remaining tears. "There you go. All pretty again. Don't worry about Sasuke. He's been like that all of his life—insensitive and emotionless. You'll get used to it eventually."
"Really…I guess that's true. Wait, but how would you know that Sai? After all you just moved here from Kiri no Kuni I heard." Sakura asked, confused.
"Sasuke didn't tell you? Figures, how typical of him. I'm Sasuke's cousin." Sai said nonchalantly, smiling as if what he just said was nothing of importance.
"What!? You're related to chicken head Sasuke?" Sai laughed at Sakura's horrified expression as he explained to her.
"Chicken head Sasuke? I hope I'm not smiling faced Sai—I'm not big on epithets. But yeah, Sasuke's my cousin, believe it or not. We've always been close although we're nothing alike." Sai leaned back against the bench and looked faraway to the horizon. "We lived together from when we were born until I was around five. But after a tragedy struck the palace, my mom and I were forced to move to Kiri no Kuni. If it weren't for my mom's work, we probably wouldn't have moved back here. I haven't been in touch with Sasuke since, but even after nearly 15 years of separation he's still the same as he was before we moved."
"A tragedy struck the palace? What do you mean by that Sai?" Sakura racked her brain for any news of a tragedy in the palace, but was unable to remember any. She looked carefully at Sai, noticing that he wore a sad expression, and waited for another explanation.
"It's—" Sai began before he was cut off by screaming and shouting in the distance.
"Forehead girl!!"
"S-Sakura-san."
"Sakura!!"
"It seems like your friends are looking for you Sakura. You better go to them before they start to worry." Sai told Sakura as he helped her off the bench.
"I guess so. Thanks for making me feel better Sai. I really appreciate it. Well, I guess I'll see you at school then!" Sakura said, smiling brightly at Sai, as she ran off to find Ino and the rest of her friends.
"If only it didn't happen, then you would be standing by my side right now." Sai whispered to the air, letting the wind carry his words far off into the distance as he watched Sakura tackle Tenten. "Would you be mine if I told you the truth, Sakura?"
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(Hi no Kuni Palace, Saturday night)
"What a drag. The only time I've ever been to a resort and I have to come back the same night." Sakura complained loudly.
"Don't complain Sakura. We have to greet the elders in the morning, remember?" Sasuke pointed out to the girl.
"That's right, I totally forgot. It's Sunday tomorrow and I can't even sleep in. Might as well not sleep at all if I can't sleep in!" Sakura said as she opened the door to her room. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll…" Sakura trailed off, suddenly noticing Sasuke's change in shoes. Instead of the dress shoes he had been wearing earlier that day, he had changed into the school shoes Sakura had given him as a gift. "Aren't those—" She began to say before Sasuke cut her off with a large yawn.
"Go to bed Sakura instead of trying to stay up all night. It's getting late and you'll need the sleep." He told the girl sharply and hastily retreated inside his room. Sakura let the words sink into her for a moment before she too retreated into her room, a large smile gracing her face.
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(Sunday morning)
"Was that Fuyuno Mika?" Sakura asked after Sasuke had finished talking on the phone with someone.
"Yes." Was his short answer.
"Well there's no need to eye me like that." Sakura muttered. When Sasuke looked at her questioningly, she explained, "Just now, you were looking at me. There's no need to do that since you're just talking to your friend."
"Eyeing you?" Sasuke scoffed. "There's no need for me to do that. Whether I'm married or not I will pick up the phone whenever I want without thinking or caring what anyone else is thinking. The reason I was looking at your face is because there's a piece of rice stuck to it." Feeling her face redden, Sakura turned around and felt her face. When she located the piece of rice she stuck in her mouth and turned around.
"Wasn't that a bit harsh?" Sakura mumbled. "Even if you married in order to get away from the elders, how could you say that in front of me? It makes me feel like the goods that are used for trade. It makes me feel bad."
"What right do you have to say that?" Sasuke asked, stabbing a piece of cake with his fork. "First off, you married me for my money. I heard you begged the Queen to help you solve family's financial problems. I heard you were a smart, but simple-minded girl. Who knew that you could be so devious as well? How do you feel now, looking at your bank accounts? Does it feel good to have money? What's this, you look so angry. Did I say something wrong?"
"If it's possible, I feel like twisting your mouth off." Sakura said crossly. She suddenly stood and looked at Sasuke. "Fine, it's true that I married you for money. Are you satisfied now? Yes, I felt good when I saw the bank accounts. I felt that I had done well. Since you already labeled me as a gold-digger, I might as well take your property as well and help my poor family. I'm upgrading my plan now. Marry a good husband and keep a hold on him. Take all his money so I can upgrade my status and wealth. You better be careful from now on Sasuke, you jerk!" Sakura yelled, sobbing, as she ran out of the room. Sasuke sat stunned, fiddling with his fork.
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Sakura ran into one of the many courtyards in the palace, tears streaming down her face. Wanting to have some peace and quiet, she headed in the direction of a rather isolated fountain. However, when she arrived there, she noticed someone else was already present.
"Sai?" At the sound of his name, Sai turned around and when he saw Sakura, smiled. He scooted over to one side of the bench he was sitting on and motioned for Sakura to sit next to him, which she gladly did after wiping the tears off her face. "So all along you were part of the royal family. I still can't believe you didn't tell me earlier."
"According to the Law of the Imperial Household, all other relatives must live outside the palace. It's because of that that I don't live in the palace. Instead, I can only come inside the palace once a day to say the morning greetings." Sai explained. "But, I guess I still should've told you earlier."
"That's right, you should've." Sakura nodded in agreement. "Anyways, what have our classmates been talking about? It seems like I haven't gone to school in so long." Sai was silent for a few moments, as if wondering how he should answer Sakura's question.
"Just about how the modest cat unequally rose up, how such a face could attract the Crown Prince, and other nonstop talk like that." Sai answered. Sakura made a face and whipped out a mirror, inspecting her face. She glared reproachfully at Sai when he started to laugh. "You actually believe all that nonsense I just said?"
"What! You were just joking?" Sakura asked, feeling blood rush to her face. "What are they really talking about?"
"Mm, they say that although you are cute, you're not Shin's type." Sai responded. Sakura opened her mouth to talk when her cell phone started to ring.
"Hello?" Sakura answered it.
"Where are you?" Sasuke's voice replied. Sakura hesitated, unsure of what to answer.
"Why do you care? Are you calling to affirm whether I stole something or not?" Was Sakura's annoyed reply. She then closed her phone and stuck her tongue out at it.
"Already having a lover's quarrel?" Sai laughed. "It seems like you guys are having a fun life. You better hurry and go though. Or else he'll starting throwing a temper tantrum if you let him wait too long." Sakura sighed reluctantly. She slowly got off the bench and languidly walked back to the palace.
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"I was thinking of inviting you to dinner tonight." Sasuke said as Sakura entered his room. "You can even invite a few friends along if you want."
"Are you fooling around with me right now?" Sakura asked. Sasuke sighed and bent down so that they were eye-level. He put his hands on her shoulders, but Sakura immediately threw them off. "Don't! I don't ever want to see you again." She yelled, trying to push him away from her.
"Hey, I was kidding." Sasuke replied, somewhat taken aback. He was about to say something else when he caught the look on Sakura's face. "You want to go home, don't you? Should I arrange it so you can? Or would you rather me invite your parents over here?" He asked, sympathetically. All Sakura did was nod, feeling tears surfacing again. Seeing her tears, Sasuke sighed and brought her face to his shoulder, allowing her to cry out her emotions.
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(Saturday morning)
"What did you say?!" Sakura asked as she accidentally spat out some of the orange juice that she had been drinking. Sasuke grimaced and wiped the orange juice from his face, making an inaudible noise of disgust.
"I said, you're parents are visiting today."
"Today? Why did no one tell me about this earlier? Oh, and I have so much work to do today. Tsunade-sama gave me loads of kanji to practice that were supposed to be finished today. When she finds out I haven't done any, she'll make me do it all this afternoon. What am I going to do?" Sakura whined. She opened her mouth to complain more when a light bulb went off. With a crafty smile upon her face, Sakura turned to Sasuke, who was reading a book and drinking tea. "Ne, Sasuke-kun!"
"No." The boy replied, his eyes not even leaving the book.
"But, I haven't even asked anything yet." Sakura pouted, her hopes slightly crushed.
"I know you're going to ask a favor of me. Unfortunately, I am unable to help you for I need to study in the Western library." And with that, Sasuke closed his book and walked away, leaving Sakura fuming.
"Oh, that…that…chicken head! Fine, see if I need your help. I can finish without you!!"
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"I apologize, I should have invited the both of you to the palace earlier." King Fugaku said as he motioned for Keito and Atsumi to drink the tea a maid had placed in front of them. "It was very impolite of me to not properly greet my new in-laws."
"Ah, yes, yes." Keito nodded absentmindedly as he attempted to drink the tea despite his very shaky hand. He sipped the tea in a noisy manner and, letting out a sigh of satisfaction, set the tea back on the table. Atsumi shook her head in disgust at her husband and stepped on his foot.
"Please, excuse my husband." She apologized, shooting daggers at Keito. "It's our honor to be invited here, even though you are busy. Because we didn't teach her properly, I ask if she has been…um, how to put it, troublesome or a pain?"
"No need to worry, Atsumi-san. Although she is silly at times, she is very hard working." Yoshino-sama assured the family.
"Yes, that's our daughter. She may not be the brightest, but she can adapt to anything." Ignoring the looks his wife was giving him, Keito smiled as he continued to talk about Sakura. "Even if there was a plane crash she would survive. And if she was dropped in the desert, she would make dumplings from the cactus." Atsumi groaned at Keito's comment.
"What did I do to deserve this husband?"
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Sakura scratched her nose with the end of a calligraphy brush as she stared at the blank piece of paper. She dipped the already saturated brush in a bowl of ink and looked at her paper again. Seeing that Tsunade was engrossed in the book that she was reading which looked suspiciously like the perverted ones Kakashi read, Sakura inched her hand over to where her cell phone laid. In one swift movement, Sakura whipped it in front of herself and opened it quietly. Or so she thought.
"Crown Princess, you are forbidden from using your handheld device during study. You should know that by now." Tsunade snapped her book shut and gave Sakura a reprimanding look. "Remember this is the order of the Queen herself: to not release you until you have finished all your studies for the day."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Sakura mumbled. "I understand." Sakura placed her cell phone back on the massive stack of books and grudgingly began to finish her work.
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"Mom, Dad!" Sakura yelled as she entered a room, carrying many colorful bundles. She burst into the room but much to her dismay, found it empty. "Mom…Dad, where are you?" She walked up to a large table in the middle of the room and saw a large pink package. Setting her bundles down, Sakura picked up a note on the top of the large pink one. It read: "Sakura, mom and I are sorry. We waited for a long time until we left. I packed your favorite dumplings in here. –Dad."
"How could they do this to me?" Sakura whispered, tears beginning to fall down her face. She glanced at the pink package and slowly began to untie it. The package contained several boxes full of dumplings. Sobbing all the while, Sakura set all the boxes on the table and opened them. She grasped a pair of chopsticks in her hands and began to shovel dumplings into her mouth, not caring that they were rather bland due to the lack of soy sauce. More tears began to fall from Sakura's eyes, the saltiness mingling with the dumpling taste.
"What is this? How could you just leave? You should've called at least. I wanted to see you guys so badly. How could you just leave? Tsunade-sama made me do extra work today. I concentrated so hard, yet it still took me a long time to finish everything. I really tried to hurry for you guys. I wanted to see you guys so badly."
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Wiping her still tear-stained face, Sakura walked back to her room slowly, a maid following behind her while carrying the pink package. Just as Sakura approached her room, Sasuke and Kakashi appeared. Sakura looked at Sasuke reproachfully before saying,
"What kind of son-in-law are you actually? Sending away a mom and dad who just wanted to see their daughter. Just acting cool everyday." Sasuke just stared at Sakura, choosing to remain silent as she let out another sob. "I wanted to see mom and dad so badly." At that time, Kakashi chose to speak up.
"Crown Princess Sakura, we didn't even know they had already left. We chose to leave them alone for even Prince Sasuke said how the three of you might feel uncomfortable with him around. He wanted to wait until the finished talking before he appeared. Please, don't blame the Prince for what happened." Kakashi explained. Sakura looked at Sasuke in disbelief. Sasuke on the other hand looked away, avoiding eye contact with the girl.
"Instead of telling her useless information, tell her what's next on her schedule Kakashi." He said abruptly and walked to his room.
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Hesitantly, Sakura walked into Sasuke's room. She noticed he was listening to his new mp3 player and was reading a book but nevertheless took a seat next to him. After twiddling with her thumbs for a few moments and listening to a nondescript tune Sasuke was humming, Sakura finally gained enough courage to speak.
"I'm sorry Sasuke, for blaming you. Although I'm married to you, I guess I still don't understand you at all." She stopped for a moment when Sasuke stopped humming. But when he continued to flip the pages of his book, she continued to talk.
"You still like Fuyuno Mika, don't you? If…my family kept resisting marriage till the end, and we never got married, you, probably, would've married her, right? Because…she's the one you really like. In that case, you'd probably have a happier look on your face right now. It seems like I've become an obstacle between both of you. So I feel sorry towards both of you and Fuyuno Mika. But when I remember that you could've married her…I feel even worse. I don't know why I'm saying this to you. I'm weird aren't I?" Sakura stopped speaking again when Sasuke closed the book he was reading. He gave her a momentary glance before standing up.
"I'm going to the restroom." He announced and left the room. When she confirmed he was out of the room Sakura peered at his mp3 player, curious to see what he was listening to. But much to her dismay, she found it was turned off.
"What are you doing?" Sakura gave a yelp and jumped up at Sasuke's voice. He was leaning through the door and gave her his trademark half-smirk, as if telling her that he knew what she was doing. Sakura felt the blood rise to her face as she bolted out of the room as fast as her feet would let her.
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"He listened to everything you said and pretended that he didn't hear a thing?" Ino laughed over the phone.
"I can't say for sure, but from the expression he gave me, I'm almost positive about it. Oh, I'm so embarrassed, I'm about to go crazy." Sakura whined. "What do I do? But at the same time, it's not like I confessed anything to him. I didn't say 'I like you' or anything like that. I shouldn't be so embarrassed."
"You idiot." Ino sighed. "It's practically the same thing."
"R-really?"
"You're just like the main character in this book I'm reading. Why must all you people with contract and arranged marriages fall in love with each other in the end? You must really like him if you're fretting over it this much." Ino reasoned.
"I…love him?" Sakura whispered.
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Aa, Sasuke here. Jeez, I have to go on another boring trip as a part of the Royal Family to Kiri no Kuni—what a drag. I hear pinkie has to stay here in order to learn more etiquette, something she sorely needs. I also hear once I come back we have to go to some boring party again. I hope she doesn't make a fool out of herself. Anyways, why Kiri no Kuni? I hate that place. Wait a second! Is that Mika?
Next time, Chapter 8: Scandals Galore
"Sasuke, let's spend the day together and forget about everything and everyone around us."
-Fuyuno Mika
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Unmei: Happy (very, extremely late) Holidays! Jeez, I thought this would only take me a couple of days since it was (yes past tense, was) winter break, but no, it took me a couple weeks to finish. I need to find more motivation. So, if any of you guys have any ideas of something I could incorporate into the story, I would appreciate that so very, very much!! I'm having hard times thinking up original ideas, since I'm trying to keep it relatively close to the original Goong plot. Note to self, never base a fanfic off of a drama/book/anything already established.
Anyways, sorry this took me a new (horrible) record of…just about four months. I did try to make this chapter longer because it took me so long to update. However, I must thank all the reviewers who have stuck with me despite my horrible updating habit and shaky plotline. You have no idea just how thankful I am to all of you!
baby's breath: Thank you so very much for your very uplifting and encouraging review. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I really did work hard on it to make it more interesting yet not off topic and pointless. I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic! Thanks once again and I hope you continue to read, review, and most importantly enjoying this fic!!
silverdragon994: I did try to put more NaruHin, NejiTen, and ShikaIno in this chapter (although it was still quite light.) I will try very hard to incorporate more into the later chapters. Thanks so much for always reviewing—it's so very encouraging to me. Hope you keep enjoying my fic like always!
emotionlesbastard: And I thought you were emotionless. I was so happy when I saw your review. Someone who loves my story, yes!! I'm trying to gradually make Sasuke less heartless, but it's hard to make it gradual, and not choppy and sudden. Thanks for reviewing!! Hope you keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!
cutiepug66: Haha, thanks so much for your review. I'm glad you love my stories!!
Karin Kinomoto: Goong is probably one of my favorite Korean dramas as well, although I do really like Delightful Girl Choon-hyang and My Name is Kim Sam Soon just as much. Sorry it took me such a long time to update this time. Thanks for reviewing; it's really encouraging to me!
Sakura Angel 4eva: Ah, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I really need to make more time in my schedule to update more often. I really ought to, especially since I get so many heartwarming reviews and encouragements from all of you reviewers. Well, I'll try this semester to update sooner. So thank you very much and I hope you keep on enjoying my fic!!
rainingblood666: Yes, Sasuke trying to be nice (and not succeeding all too well.) This is the part I love about most dramas where the main girl and guy get together. Anyways, thanks for reviewing and I hope you keep on reading!!
iyashi kaze: So much drama? Really? I didn't think there was that much, but I'm glad you thought there was—it's what I'm aiming for overall. Thanks for reviewing all the time—it really encourages me. I hope you keep on reading, reviewing, and most importantly, enjoying this fic.
Sakura Blossom: You live in the Philippines? How awesome! I want to go there…just another hop from Japan. I hope the English is good, and judging from yours, it must be. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you keep enjoying my fic as well as Goong!!
waterkunoichi: Haha, I guess I have to thank all my English teachers for my good grammar. I do try to have correct grammar. Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing!
MiMi-Ayumi: Yay, yet another new reviewer. I'm so happy. Hope you enjoy the rest of my story and thanks so much for reviewing.