Unmei: So…I guess I wasn't able to finish this before I went on my vacation after all…but I was able to finish it before school started, yay me! Uh so yeah, school, ugh…junior year, even more ugh. Yeah, junior year, SAT, sorry but I'm predicting that this year for me is going to be even busier than last year. The result? Well, unfortunately but I may have some periods of time where I don't write very often so that means updates like…at most every two months, if not longer. I'll really try hard to write, but this year I know will be very busy for me so I hope all of you faithful readers will have patience and understand the situation I'm in. Thank so much!!
Disclaimer: Yeah…well I would love to own Goong so that it'll be easier to find online but I don't. Don't own Naruto either…poo.
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Princess Hours
Chapter 10: Aniki
Unmei no Hana
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(Konoha High school)
"Dammit, where is that chicken-headed idiot?" Sakura griped as she stood in the front entrance of Konoha High waiting for Sasuke. Of all the wet, miserable days he chose to be late, why today? There was nothing more Sakura wanted to do than go home, soak in a warm tub of water, eat cake and watch her favorite drama.
'Tch, as if I could do those things with Mrs. You-Must-Learn-"Proper"-Etiquette-Because-I-Said-So determined to make me study until my eyes fall out.' Sakura let out another sigh and stared miserably at the rain beginning to pour down. Suddenly, a warm pair of arms circled around her waist and drew her into a soft body.
"Sa-ku-ra." A warm voice tickled into her ear. Sakura instantly knew that voice. And as much she hated to admit it, she loved hearing it.
"S-s-sasuke-kun!" Sakura stuttered, blushing a bright red. "What are you doing?"
Sakura could feel Sasuke's smirk as leaned closer to her. "What does look like?"
Suddenly he whipped her around, his arms still around her waist, and crushed his lips onto hers. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as Sasuke began to press her against a wall, closing the gap between their bodies even more. Trying to resist at first, she discovered that he was just too strong and began to cave under his demands. Closing her eyes, she raked her fingers through his soft raven locks. Sakura, much to her chagrin, let out a soft moan as Sasuke pressed closer to her, feeling him smirk in reply.
Not only was Uchiha Sasuke hot, he was a damn good kisser as well. Sakura could begin to understand why he had such a huge fan club. He would have no trouble running Hi no Kuni. I mean, how could he when he had the ultimate weapon of persuasion? He could have all the girls and gays of the country bowing down before him if he wished. Heh, gays and Sasuke. What a thought that was.
A warm tongue pressed into Sakura's mouth, shaking her from her thoughts. That's right Sakura, she heard a voice inside her head saying, less thinking, more kissing. She gladly obeyed. However, there was only so much a one could physically take before they ran out of air. After many more seconds of heated kissing, Sasuke and Sakura drew apart, breathing heavily.
"Sakura." Sasuke finally said when he got his breathing under control. "I lo—."
THUD—!
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(Hi no Kuni Palace)
"Damn dream…damn chicken head…damn life." Sakura grumbled, a bright red blush adorning her face. Rubbing her sore head, she climbed back in bed and glanced at her alarm clock. It read 2:04 in the morning. Great, this was just what she needed. An early morning wakening after a stressful day of information overload. Hugging one of her many large pillows Sakura tried to go back to sleep. However, it was futile. As much as she tried, sleep found a way to elude her.
"Well it was just a dream anyway." Sakura said out loud to no one in particular, listening to the sound echo off the walls. "Just a dream. Hah, I mean it's not like Chicken head would do anything like that anyway…" Suddenly the images from her dream came flooding back to her. It all seemed so real. The softness of his hair between her fingers, his warmth of his breath against her face, the feeling of his body pressing against hers….Whoa, stop right there. This was getting out hand. Jumping out of bed, Sakura decided to take a midnight stroll around the palace to clear her heads. Tch, to hell with what the 'official rules' of the palace said about not wandering around the palace after hours? She was Crown princess of Hi no Kuni, dammit! She ought to be able to do what she pleased, when she pleased, hell yeah.
Tying a soft pink robe around her pajamas, Sakura stepped into a pair of slippers and quietly slipped out of her bedroom. The palace was completely deserted at this time of day…well night really, and the wooden floors creaked eerily beneath Sakura's feet. Careful not to make much sound Sakura felt her way through the darkness in hopes to reach her destination: the kitchen. But lady luck was not on her side today. Before she could even travel 3 feet, an oh so familiar, very annoying, yet always able to make her blush voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Sakura." It wasn't a question, or a command, just a statement. A statement coming from the very last person Sakura wanted to see at that time. Though her brain could process who what was happening, her body instinctively told her what to do right then. Scream like hell.
"AHHHHHHH!!" Sakura screamed, scared out of her wits. I mean, who wouldn't be? It was 2 o'clock in the morning. The palace was dark, it was big, every sound you made echoed off the walls. There was, or was supposed to be, no one around. You were alone. And suddenly some random voice talks to you. Hello! Talk about creepy.
"AHHHHH—oomph!!" she continued to scream until a large hand forced its way over her mouth and a long arm wrapped around her stomach, drawing Sakura against her captor.
"Would you shut up, Sakura?" Sasuke quietly hissed into Sakura's ear. "What do you want to do? Wake up everyone in the whole damn palace?"
"Erhmphfot," came Sakura's muffled reply.
"Nicely said." Glaring at the boy, Sakura bit his hand, making him remove it and curse loudly. "Dammit Sakura, what was that for?"
"That was for being a jerk." Sakura replied pointedly. It was then, however, that she realized the position they were in. "A-a-anyways…are you going to release me?" Sakura asked, thankful that the darkness hid her blush. This was too much like her dream for her liking!
"No." Sasuke swiftly replied.
"What do you mean no, you bastard?" Sakura fumed. Did he truly not realize the compromising position they were in? Wasn't he supposed some genius with an IQ to match Shikamaru's own impressive one of 200!? If they were caught Sakura swore she would have an aneurism.
"Tell me first what you were doing." Sakura rolled her eyes at Sasuke's demand. Must he know everything she was doing? Jeez, it wasn't like she was going to steal some precious heirloom…although that was a nice idea.
"If you were worrying about me stealing some oh so precious heirloom in order to sell for money for my poor, starving family, then there's no need to worry. I don't see why I have to tell you, but if you insist—" Sakura drew the last word out on purpose, hoping Sasuke would say otherwise.
"I wasn't worried, your family isn't that poor and starving, and I do insist." Of course he wasn't worried. The great Uchiha Sasuke worried about nothing, remember? And how did he know her family wasn't that poor and starving? It wasn't like he had ever gone to her house before…oh right. He had.
"I was going to kitchen for a post-midnight snack. There. Happy?"
"A…midnight snack?" Sasuke quirked his eyebrows upward—damn that habit of his was getting annoying.
"Yes a midnight snack. Has your princliness never heard of such a thing we commoners do?"
"I know what a midnight snack is Sakura, I'm not dumb. I was just surprised." Sasuke snapped. Glancing at the watch, he let out a sigh and loosened his hold on Sakura, much to her relief and disappointment. "I might as well escort you then. Knowing you, you'll probably end up at the fencing gallery instead." Sasuke took one of Sakura's small hand in his own and started to lead her towards the kitchen.
"You know, I'm not dumb either Sasuke. I know how to get the kitchen just fine by myself. I have been here for many months now. And on second thought, is there even a fencing gallery in the palace?" Sakura retorted. Did he think she was a child still? She was 19 years old already, mind you—19! Just because he was one year older, one measly year, didn't mean she was a child, dammit!
"Hn." Sakura couldn't help but smile at Sasuke's reply. It was amazing how much Sasuke used that word. That and 'aa.'
The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as the steady rhythm of their feet echoed off the high wooden ceiling of the palace. Sakura shyly observed her companion and noted how if anyone were to see them now, they would seem like your typical couple taking a stroll in the park, holding hands and everything. But normal wasn't the word to describe her life. She wasn't in a normal relationship like a girl of her age should be in. Instead, she was already married, soon to be the co-ruler of the country, and as much as she hated to admit it, for the thought hurt her, unrequitedly in love with the man who she was forced to spend the rest of her life with. Life could be too cruel at times, couldn't it?
"Hm? Did you say something?" Sakura asked, hearing a soft voice.
"No…"Sasuke slowly said and stopped. He too heard the voice. Straining hard, he realized it came from behind a set of closed doors that led to the King's study. Where had he heard that voice before…? Sasuke frowned and, letting go of Sakura's hand, cracked the door open a bit.
"What are you doing Sasuke? Eavesdropping! That isn't a very princely thing to do." Sakura said teasingly, but had to admit that she was curious as well. Why would the King be up at this hour? With his health he should be resting. Crouching down, the two of them inched the door open little by little and peered in.
Sakura could see the King sitting at his desk, a worn expression upon his face. The Queen was in one chair, her back facing Sakura, and was talking to the other two person people present. One—was it a he or she?—was sitting in the other chair and had long-ish raven hair tied together. His or her companion who was standing beside him had skin the oddest shade of blue and spiky navy hair. Both of them where wearing identical long black coats with a pattern of red clouds on it. Sakura strained her ears to hear what Queen Mikoto was saying.
"What brings you back here? After all these years?" The Queen asked. Sakura noted her strained voice. Who were these people? The standing man shifted on his feet and nudged his companion to answer.
"We came because of…" The man started, however Sakura couldn't hear the rest for Sasuke had stood up. His face held an expression of absolute rage and his hands were tightly balled in a fist.
"Sasuke, what's the matter?" Sakura asked, tugging at his sleeves concerned.
"Him!" Sasuke spat out. Sakura stared at him, frightened. Never had she seen him so mad before.
"Still hot-blooded as ever I see…otouto." The raven-haired man (yes he was a man Sakura now confirmed) smirked. Woah, could someone say almost Sasuke-look alike? Well maybe not quite, but they were definitely related. Where Sasuke favored the more spiked up "cool" hairstyle this man chose to wear his raven locks long and tied up. Two deep creases marred each side of the nose and his eyes were the oddest shade of red—was that even humanly possible to have red eyes? And boy he was as hot, if not hotter than Sasuke. Wait, what was she saying? There was no one hotter than her Sasuke-kun! But of course she would rather kill herself than admit that to anyone.
"Sakura, get out of here." Sasuke growled quietly. Sakura blinked in surprise. Why couldn't she stay? She was his wife after all and had every right to know what was going on.
"But, Sasuke, I don't understand…why?" Sakura stuttered, wondering why the King and Queen just stared at Sasuke with the oddest look on their faces.
"Just do it!" Sasuke had already entered the room and was closing the door in her face, but her hand still attached to his sleeve stopped him. Sakura was about to open her mouth to protest but then Sasuke turned around and stared at her with an expression she had never seen before. He was clearly angry, there was no doubt about that, but underneath that mask was hidden sadness and…love? Sakura was so perplexed, but in her gut she knew better than to argue with him. Nodding, she slowly let go of Sasuke's sleeve and closed her eyes sadly as the door shut in front of her.
Perhaps it was none of her business, perhaps she had no right to know what was going on, but she wanted to. She wanted to be there for Sasuke. There when he needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to lean on. Why couldn't he see that? Why couldn't he see that she would do anything and devote all of her being to make him happy? Hot tears began to stream down Sakura's face and drip onto the cold wooden floor.
It wasn't fair. What had she done to deserve such a fate? Looking up at the closed door with teary eyes, Sakura laid her hands on the cold surface. Maybe one of these days he would understand. Maybe. Sakura hoped so.
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(Konoha High)
"Itachi…Prince Itachi…" Sakura quietly muttered to herself as she ran her finger down the row of books. Being the school where most of the wealthy and influential politicians sent their children to, Konoha High had one of the best libraries in the world. However, Sakura was unable to find any books or even newspaper articles containing information about Sasuke's brother Prince Itachi—and she had been looking for three straight hours already!
Sakura sunk into one of the many comfy chairs the library provided, deciding to take a much deserved break. Closing her eyes, Sakura let her mind wonder. But it wasn't for long for instantly her respite was interrupted rather rudely. A large cry pierced the silence of the library. Sakura's eyes snapped open and she immediately searched for the source of it, locating it instantly. Fuyuno Mika was surrounded by a group of girls, many pulling on her long hair, and photos littered the ground beneath her. Although Sakura had to admit that she wasn't fond of the girl, she couldn't put up with what was happening to her. How could people just stand around and watch those girls torture her?
"Stop it!" Sakura cried out and latched onto the arms of Mika's assailants. "What are you doing to her?" Sakura wrenched the hands away from Mika and kneeled beside the girl. "Are you okay Fuyuno-san?" She asked in a concerned tone. Mika nodded mutely, avoided eye contact with Sakura. Satisfied, Sakura stood in front of her, her hands spread out and addressed Mika's assailants. "Stop it! You have no right to bully her!" The girls just laughed. One of them walked up to Sakura and slapped her in the face. Shocked, Sakura held a hand to her face, opening to her mouth to protest but the other girl spoke first.
"What right do we have to bully her? Don't make me laugh. Do you actually think that we're so stupid to think that the Crown Princess doesn't even know what is going on at the Palace?" When Sakura looked at her with a blank stare the girl looked at her in disbelief. "Don't tell me…you don't know?"
"Don't know about what?" Sakura asked hotly. "What exactly is it that I'm supposed to know?"
Many of the girls shifted around uncomfortably whispering to one another. Finally, after a while one of the girls whispered,
"You really don't know what happened to Prince Sasuke in Kiri no Kuni?"
"Sasuke-kun? Did something happen to him? Is he alright?" Sakura asked, suddenly concerned.
"She really doesn't know!" Laughing hard, one of the girls grabbed Sakura by her hair and shoved her out of the crowd of girls so she could face everyone else in the crowd.
"Hey, what are you doing? That hurts!" Hot tears of indignation streamed down Sakura's face as she was shoved to the front of the library. She stared at the faces of the people around her who were looking at her. Sakura closed her eyes tightly, feeling the anger and pity rolling off of them in waves. How could they do nothing! How could they just look at her with those faces full of pity and do absolutely nothing? Suddenly Sakura's assailant's voice rang through the silent library.
"People of Konoha, I present to you your Crown Princess. Nothing but an ordinary girl until suddenly she is whisked away by the Prince. A fairy tale story you ask? Far from it! She doesn't even know what her husband is doing behind her back. Screwing around with that whore!" Sakura's eyes snapped open. What did she say…?
"What…what are you talking about?" She asked confused. "Are you talking about Fuyuno-san?"
"Am I talking about Fuyuno-san? Of course I am. Look! Open your eyes!" The girl shoved a picture into Sakura's face. It was the picture of Sasuke and Mika kissing. Sakura felt her eyes opening even wider as she stared at the picture in mute horror.
"It…it can't be." She whispered quietly.
"It can't be you say. Well it is! While you're parading around your new found wealth, your husband is cheating on you behind your back. You think you're all that, but in reality you aren't! Even your husband knows you're good for nothing!"
"Stop it… stop it!" Sakura cried out. Untangling her hair from the girl's hands she raced out of the library. She covered her ears, still hearing the cruel laughter of the girl.
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"Sa-ku-ra! Where are you?" Sai's voice rang through the empty classroom as he poked his head inside. "That's odd. I was sure she would be in here." Sai turned to leave when he heard a loud sniff. Scanning the room more thoroughly again he found a mass of pink hair huddled in the corner, almost invisible from where he was standing.
"Sakura?" Sai asked concerned. He crouched down next to Sakura and shook her gently. Sakura lifted her head up and revealed her tear-stained face.
"S-sai-kun…what am I going to do?" She whispered. "He…he…" Sakura flung herself onto Sai and started to sob into his chest. Confused, Sai patted Sakura on the back and tried to calm her down.
"What's the matter Sakura? Who's he?"
"S-s-s-sasuke-kun." Sai felt his anger rising when Sakura choked out that name.
"Sasuke? Did he do something to you? Tell me what happened!" Sakura just shook her head and started to cry harder. It was then that Sai noticed that Sakura was holding something tightly in her hand. "Sakura… what is that?" When Sakura didn't reply, Sai tried to pry it out of her hands, but Sakura refused.
"No! No, don't!" Sakura shoved herself away from Sai. "I can't bear it anymore Sai-kun! It hurts so much. Why? Why did this happen to me!?"
"Sakura, just tell me what happened? I want to help you but how can if you don't tell me anything!" Sai yelled, feeling his frustration rise.
"You…you wouldn't understand." Sakura replied quietly. Sai stood up and walked over to Sakura. He slid a finger under her chin and gently raised her face to his.
"Then make me." Sakura opened her mouth to protest but immediately closed it when she looked into Sai's eyes. The sincerity that shone through them captivated her and against her better judgment Sakura felt her hands loosen around the photo she was holding. Turning her head away from him, Sakura shakily held the photo up for Sai to see. Sai's eyes opened widely in shock and his arms dropped to his sides.
"That bastard!" Sai finally hissed after several moments of silence. Sai turned away and started for the door, causing Sakura let out a surprised noise and grab onto his sleeve.
"Sai! Where are you going?" She asked him frantically.
"I'm going to make that worthless scum regret what he did to you! It's about time he wakes up and faces the consequences of his actions!" Sai snarled as he tried to pry Sakura's hands off of his sleeve.
"No! You can't Sai…you can't! Please don't, I'm begging you." Sakura cried out. Sai whipped around, his once kind face turned into a mask of fury. He grasped Sakura's arms tightly as he yelled at her,
"Why?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pound that bastard's skull into the ground! Tell me why I shouldn't! All he's done is caused you pain and you're still defending him. Sakura wake up! He doesn't love you. He doesn't love you!!" As he said those words, Sai's grip on Sakura tightened even more. Sai was about to continue his tirade when Sakura let out a loud yelp.
"It…it hurts Sai." Sakura whimpered. Quickly releasing Sakura, Sai raked a hand through his hair and let out a sigh.
"Sorry about that Sakura. I got a little carried away." He muttered.
"It's okay. Sai...please don't anything to hurt Sasuke." Wiping her tears, Sakura looked at Sai pleadingly. "I…I know he doesn't love me, but just the fact that he's been here for me during these past few months is enough. Even if he doesn't love me, I want to protect him. I'm fine with even this little piece of happiness. It may not seem much to most people but I'm fine with it so please don't hurt Sasuke-kun." Sakura grabbed onto Sai's sleeve and tried to muster up a happy smile to convince him but instead she felt hot tears prickle at the corner of her eyes. Sighing once again, Sai reached over and wiped the tears away from her face.
"Why must you be so stubborn Sakura?" He whispered. "You keep on insisting on protecting Sasuke even though you know he doesn't and never will love you. All he does is hurt you. Why won't you let me protect you? I want to be your pillar of strength."
"I…but, we're…me and Sasuke." Sakura sputtered as she tried to avoid Sai's intense stare.
"I don't care." Sai whispered fiercely to her. "I don't if we cause a scandal. All I care about is you and your happiness. And all I want to do is to protect that happiness forever."
"Sai…" Sakura started when Sai reached over and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Just give me a chance Sakura." Against her better judgment, Sakura felt herself nodding.
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(Hi no Kuni Palace)
"He's hopeless." Sakura jumped up in surprise upon hearing a stoic voice behind her. Stuffing the picture of Sasuke and Mika she had been looking at into her pocket she turned around to see who was talking to her. Much to her surprise it was the mysterious man from the night before.
"A-are you talking about Sasuke-kun?" The man nodded and sat on the bench behind the one Sakura was on.
"My otouto is foolish."
"So you are Prince Itachi! The one who left the palace all those years ago, right?" Sakura asked excitedly. Itachi didn't say anything at first but merely shrugged his shoulders.
"It was a mistake on my part to do that. Sasuke isn't prepared to be the king at all. He's been causing scandal after scandal." Itachi scoffed. "He's too weak."
"What do you mean? I don't think Sasuke is weak at all!" Sakura protested.
"He gives into his emotions too easily and too readily." Itachi replied evenly. "Emotions make you weak."
"That's not true!" Sakura protested. She stood up to face Itachi, not faltering even when he turned to look at her with eyes as piercing as Sasuke's. "In fact, I think it's emotions that make you stronger! Without them, our lives would be nothing but one long dull story with no low or high points. There's no reason to live such a life devoid of emotions. My motto is, 'A lifetime of love!' The power of emotions is something that shouldn't be underestimated. It's like a shadow: It's always there, but you don't realize how important it is until you've lost it."
"You may think so, but you will soon figure out that you are wrong." Sakura gaped at what Itachi said. How just like Sasuke of him!
"Oh, you're just as impossible to talk to as Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed crossly. "Both of you are always thinking that you're right. I may not be a genius like you two are, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I'll let you know, I'm number two in our class—higher than even Sasuke! And when it comes to human emotions, I know more than both of you combined! Honestly, you two are just pig-headed, chauvinistic, jerks." Letting out an angry "humph," Sakura stood up and stalked away from the benches.
'I thought Sasuke had a big ego, but he has one just as large. Both of them are always thinking that they're right.' Stomping past a large tree, Sakura failed to realize that someone was standing beneath it until she bumped into him. She would have fallen if the person had not quickly grabbed her arm.
"You should watch where you're going." A voice told her gruffly. Startled, Sakura looked up and was met by the face of the mysterious bluish tinted companion of Itachi. "Don't be too mad at Itachi. That's just his way to keep people from getting hurt." Sakura furrowed her brow, not understanding what this stranger meant.
"What do you mean 'way to keep people from getting hurt'?" Sakura asked. "If he didn't want people to get hurt, why did he run away in the first place? Doesn't he realize that his actions caused people to get hurt!?" The man just sighed and shook his head.
"Naïve. Itachi didn't leave this place because he wanted to hurt other people. It was because he knew his responsibility as the Crown Prince and did so to protect his family from the media. Because his actions, the public never learned what truly happened."
"What…what exactly did Itachi-san do?" Sakura asked, her voice catching a bit from curiosity. The man stared at her seriously in the eyes and gravely replied,
"He killed a man." All Sakura could do after hearing that was to gasp. It was too much of a shock to think that the former Crown Prince actually did something like that. Sure Itachi seemed cold, but he didn't exactly seem like the murderer type.
"He killed a man." The man repeated. "But not because he wanted to like you most likely are thinking. It was to protect that ungrateful family he has." The man sighed again and turned away from Sakura. "You were too small to remember it I'm sure but at that time the public was dismayed by the sudden death of King Masao and were tired by the current system of a constitutional democracy. Many ambitious business men were plotting to murder the royal family and start a revolution. Itachi learned of the truth and in order to keep such an event from happening he killed the leader of the men."
"Then, it's not his fault for doing so! He was doing it to protect his country. Why did he have to leave? If he explained it to the public, I'm sure they would've understood his reasoning." Sakura exclaimed. She couldn't believe that Sasuke would still be mad at his brother if he heard the reasoning.
"What's the point in doing that? What's done is done. Only a coward tries to make up excuses for his actions." Sighing, Sakura gave up trying to figure out the reasoning behind Itachi's actions. An uncomfortable silence settled as Sakura tried to process all the information she had been told. Finally, she quietly asked,
"Who did Itachi-san kill?" Although she couldn't see it, the sides of the man's lips curved up in a twisted smile as he replied,
"The man Itachi killed was none a greedy business man by the name Fuyuno Kazuki, the father of your classmate Fuyuno Mika. Ever wonder why she tried so hard to get close to Sasuke? I wonder if she has enough connections to pull off the revenge she must be seeking."
"You're joking!" Sakura cried out surprised. "It can't be…Fuyuno-san. Fuyuno-san isn't like that. She… she loves Sasuke-kun!"
"Isn't a bit odd for you to be defending your husband's lover?" The man asked. Sakura, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes, began to run back to the palace. She however, stopped a few feet away from the man.
"It may seem odd to most, but above anything else, I cherish Sasuke-kun's happiness. If Fuyuno-san brings him that happiness, than that is all that matters." After saying that, she ran back to the palace.
"So you told her after all Kisame." A voice said from the shadows. Itachi walked to the Kisame's side and watched the retreating figure of Sakura.
"She has a right to know what happened Itachi. She sure is an odd one, that girl. Odd, but I can see why you hope she will be able to change that lousy brother of yours." Kisame replied, stretching. "Although I can see your reason for not telling your parents why you killed that bastard, I agree with that girl. Perhaps it would've been better if you had told them why."
"It doesn't matter one way or the other. What's done is done."
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(Fuyuno House)
"Coming." Hearing the front door bell ring, Fuyuno Mika rushed to open the front door. Since her mother was away on a business trip, she was hoping it was a friend for she was lonely, but it seemed awfully late for any of them to come just because they were bored as well. Still trying to figure out whom it could be, Mika opened up the door and was surprised when she didn't see anyone outside. Believing it was just a prank, she began closing the door but a hand and voice stopped her.
"Mika." Mika's eyes widened. She knew that voice all too well.
"Sasuke…what are you doing here?" She asked, her back turned away from him. "Shouldn't you be back at the palace. Your parents will worry." Sasuke didn't answer her question but instead wrapped his arms around her figure and said,
"I don't want to go back….Mika, he's returned." Mika's breath caught as she heard Sasuke utter those words. "I promised this to you once, and I'll promise to you again. I won't rest until I take revenge on that bastard for what he did to you."
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Ino here! Dammit, what the hell is that bastard doing?! Screwing around with some woman when he has a faithful wife. Wait, just a sec. Sakura, what the hell are you doing? And since when did you become so intimate with Sai-kun? What in the world has happened to the royal couple?! I should be happy that there's so much scandal and gossip around these days but still! Dammit, be little more faithful, both of you!!
Next time, Chapter 11: Beginning of the End?
"If it wasn't for Sasuke, Masao wouldn't have been killed!"
-Uchiha Satsuki, former Queen of Hi no Kuni
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Unmei: I'm too frightened to even make up excuses. I'M SORRY!!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME.!!!!!! It's been what, almost half a year since I've last updated? ….I don't even feel like I have the right to apologize. I've been horrible on keeping my promises about updating soon. I didn't even manage to get another update during Thanksgiving break! Well my cousins were over…but still! I'm horrible. I hope you all can forgive me… Namely:
Sakuranata: Sakuranata…Sakura + nata? Nata…I'm starting to get a headache about what it's supposed to mean. It doesn't mean anything Unmei, yes, stop thinking too much about it, it's just a really awesome penname. Yes, that's it! I'm really not trying to making fun of your name, I'm just really curious about how you thought up of it. Always when I'm trying to create usernames for various sites, the ones I want to use are already taken so I come up with lame ones. I can't believe 'unmeinohana' was taken on this one site! I was so pissed. Anyways, enough rambling, thanks so much for reading my story and keeping up with my bad updating habit. Hope you keep reading and enjoying this fic!! ☺
CherryBlossoms016: Haha, yea, if only dramas/life were really that easy. Sorry, but the "I love you" probably isn't going to be until the end which is…2-ish chapters away. But I'll try to make it a really awesome confession. I need to start watching more dramas to get inspiration!! Thanks so much for reviewing—I ♥ U!
Harmony: cough I uhh….took much longer than a month to update….I'M SO SORRRYYY!! I got all of your hopes up saying it'll only take me a month when it took me 6 months instead. I'm horrible… ;; Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I hope you still will stick with this fic despite my horrible updating habits. Thanks a ton again!! Please continue to read and enjoy Princess Hours!
baby's breath: Thanks for your advice! I agree, it really spoils a great fic/drama when the author/producer decides to draw out the ending too much. I'm just a bit worried about how I'm going to end it. I really don't know how…ugh, I think endings are the worse to come up with! I mean, I've probably only read a handful of books with really spectacular endings and although some dramas have decent endings like My Girl (loved! But I got kinda irritated at Yu Rin's constant "lying" but I still loved it. Oddly I didn't mind Xia Zhi Xing's "lying" as much in My Lucky Star even though she and Yu Rin were pretty doing the same thing) and ISWAK (I'm so glad the second season is out!! Although that one scene in the first episode was A-W-K-W-A-R-D), there are tons that are horrible! Well, endings are hard to come up with….Anyways, thank you so much for sticking with this fic despite my horrible lies and what such. Hope you continue enjoying reading this fic!!
shariganuser21: If you're sharigan user #21, then are there 20 other sharigan users? Okay, okay, I really out to stop asking about usernames. Bad Unmei, bad! hits self E…heh, anyways, I'm really glad you feel some pity for Mika! I really do feel pity for many of the second lead actresses' characters…well if they deserve it. I mean most people are just that they're splitting up the main characters relationship but sometimes they really are tragic figures. I'm trying to convey that, but I know that I don't really incorporate Mika into the story much, so I'm glad I'm sort of succeeding in conveying my ideals of her. Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope you keep on enjoying Princess Hours!!
AzureAriana: Rain…kun? Ahhh, as in Rain (Bi…wtf is with that nickname?!) who stars in Full House? He's a little girly for my taste so he's all yours. For me…I like more uh…not necessarily "more-guyish" guys but guys with shorter (as in not to the shoulder) hair is better. That doesn't even make sense. Once again sorry for not updating soon and thank you so much for reviewing. Please keep on reading and most importantly enjoying Princess Hours!! ♫
missyserena214: I guess you like Itachi? I'm pretty neutral towards him but for the sake of this fic I tried to portray him in a good light. I mean I really couldn't have otherwise. If he was evil first why would he have come back to Konoha? For power? He could've just stayed and become King…I mean how much more power could he want? For money? Same as above. Because he was bitter? Tch, yea right, he was the one who ran away. So yeah….kinda had to make him good or at least "decent." Well, thank you very much for reviewing! Hope you keep on reading and enjoying this fic.
n.sequitur: Is n.sequitur short for "non sequitur." I'm guessing since…that really is the only thing that makes sense. Ahhh, brings back memories of Latin class. Good times….for the most part. Except when we discussed some of the umm… derivatives of certain interesting words and such. It was just awkward to listen to our Latin teacher, who is this fairly short older woman, talk about such sexual stuff with such a straight face……Anyways, off that topic. Thank you for reviewing!! Even if it's short, I appreciate it just the same amount as a super long one.
a.finefrenzy: Umm…I'm Japanese/Chinese? Yay, Asians! So do you like watching a lot of Korean dramas? I love them! Well, as well as Japanese and Taiwanese dramas. I hope you do since if you do, we could discuss about them…well if would like to. I hope "freaky" endings are okay…I'm not really sure how to make them "freaky" or "un-freaky" so I hope both are fine. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you keep enjoying my fic!
silverymoonfire: ….I'M SORRY!!! Ugh…I feel so bad whenever reviews encourage me to update soon and I horribly promise to do so but in the end never do. I hope you forgive me and I'm really glad you reviewed and have read this far despite my bad habit. Please continue to keep on reading! I shouldn't keep on making empty promises, but I'll really try to update sooner this next time.
iyashi kaze: Since I'm on a username questioning mood it seems…isn't your username the name of a spell Fuu uses in the manga series Magic Knight Rayearth? …just wondering. But yeah, like I wrote to sharinganuser21, I'm glad you can feel sympathy for Mika…that means I'm doing a good job portraying the mood! Sort of…not really. Umm…anyways, thank you for constantly reviewing!!
Sakura1007: Well….you'll just have to see if Sakura is ending up with Sai in the end. It's a secret after all! But to give you a clue…look at which pairing listing this fic is under. I'm really happy that you think this fic is really that good. Thank you so much for your compliment—it really gives me a lot of strength to keep on writing when I'm dead tired. Thanks again and I really hope you keep on enjoying this fic as much as you currently do if not more!!☺
Lackadaisical: Hehe, I'm really not that talented in writing…I just have a lot of experience. Ugh, all those essays we have to write for school, especially for teachers who like "unique" styles of writing, I'm glad to know they had some worth. I'm kinda sad you don't like Mika…I really do! I have such a fun time writing scenes with her since I feel her character is a lot easier to portray than Sai's or Sasuke's. Maybe it's just because I'm a girl but I can relate more to her wanting to be together with her love whom was (somewhat) unfairly taken away from her. I mean I would be pissed if something like that happened to me. Well, you can't like everyone I guess. Anyways, thank you very much for your compliment (ego +100 pts) and review!!
Baka'sAngel: I'm so glad you like my writing style! I've been working really hard to make it unique but interesting at the same time. It's always nice to hear that your hard work has paid off. Thank you so much not only for that compliment but writing such an encouraging review! I love such reviews…especially from people who are fellow drama watchers. Thank you once again and I hope you keep on reading Princess Hours (and watching it too!!) ♪
aznfanficluv: I understand how it's not like Sasuke to say "I'm sorry" but that's why I put it in to show how much Sasuke cares for Sakura and because he cares for her so much he is willing to sacrifice his pride and ego for her. I think it's quite romantic! For a guy who prides himself above all else to lower himself for the sake of the girl he loves…just thinking about it gives me shivers. I wish some guy would do that for me. But…then again that's just me. You're perfectly entitled to your own opinions. Hopefully I didn't disappoint you too much with how Itachi turned out. To be truthful, I'm a little disappointed, but I really did try many drafts of the story with Itachi being different but I thought this the most believable…so hopefully it's decent. Thanks for reviewing and I really do hope you keep on enjoying this fic!!
XcherryblossomX-priscillach…: phew…long name to type out. Sure I could use copy and paste but…I was being stupid. I'm really happy that you consider this fic a 10/10 perfect score story! Trust me it isn't but still it makes me happy that you believe that. Thank you so much and please keep on reading and most importantly enjoying Princess Hours!!
ItamiUchiha: A…cousin of Sasuke or the future wife?! Well, although I guess he's decent looking, I'm not really into drawn guys no matter how hot they are….although some are really good looking. I wish there were guys really that hot… cough Anyways (composure back in place) thank you for reviewing!! I'm glad you enjoy it and don't worry, I'll definitely keep on going until the very end even if I have to starve myself to do so, so please keep on enjoying this fic…It's really all the encouragement I get from everyone that helps me keep on writing! Thanks once again. ♥
Kittkatt291: Phew…last review to reply to. Please don't think me rude! I'm really not trying to be…it's just I've been writing these responses for awhile and I really want to be more individualistic in each review since there's only a few chapters left and I really want to convey my gratitude to my reviewers, but it gets tiring to think of different ways to do so without making it seem so generic and un-heartfelt. So, although I have said 17 other times, I really do mean it when I say thank you for your review and that your kind words really do encourage me to keep on writing. Thank you also for listening to my rantings and such and I really hope you keep on reading this fic!!
Unmei: So…ugh, tired very much. Consider it my Christmas present to all of my faithful readers and reviewers. Since most of you won't be reading this until tomorrow, I want to wish you all a belated VERY MERRY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!! as well as a happy, happy new year. May all of your wishes come true and I hope that this new year will bring more happy memories to everyone. If you are in love, I wish you the best of luck in your relationship, if you've just started working, make lots of money and give…err donate some to me, and if you've accomplished your dreams, then you must be the happiest person in the world and I envy and wish to be like you. For everyone else, lets work hard together to accomplish our dreams (mine is to make enough money to travel around the world and eat tons of super duper yummy food!)