--Chapter 2--
"Then let's begin."The uchiha prince spoke as he jumped a few metres back, putting distance between them. Sakura could feel his oryx eyes watching her every movement. This made her chest burn with excitement. She was fired up for this fight.
Within a split second, Sasuke flash stepped behind her, hoping to catch her off guard. He didn't. As soon as his feet touched the ground, she spun around and aimed a kick at his abdomen. She's fast...thought the young man as he ducked to dodge her kick. Right after that, Sakura clenched her hands into fists and aimed them downwards where he was currently at. Sasuke evaded the attack with ease as her fist made contact with the ground.
However that wasn't a punch expected from a girl with a small built. This punch made the ground crack. No, that was an understatement, the impact was like a mini earthquake;the entire training ground was in ruins. He had to jump upwards to avoid being swallowed by the huge cracks formed in the ground. This made an opening for the kunoichi - she flashed stepped to where he was in the air and made an attempt to punch his jaw. Sasuke easily grabbed her fist and aimed a kick at her stomach, which she dodge by twisting her body;and freeing herself from his hold.
They landed on the ground with a couple of metres between them, both panting for breath and wiping sweat off their foreheads. This spar was indeed fast paced - not even a minute had passed. All they've been doing was dodging and evading attacks from each other. Nobody had landed a single blow on the other person. But something seemed off to the pink haired princess.
"You're holding back. Aren't you?" Sakura spoke in a low tone. She realised that Sasuke had just been defending for most of the fight. He was fast, but she felt that he had the ability to go faster.
He stared into her emerald eyes which were glaring at him furiously. Well, if he were to go all out, he would have to activate his dojutsu-the sharingan. And fairly speaking, that would put him in an advantageous position, since this was a taijutsu battle and he could predict her every move with his sharingan. To be honest, he had underestimated the princess. He did not expect her to match up to his speed; which wasn't even his true speed. In fact, he'd bet that she could match up with him even at his fastest. Doesn't that mean that she's also holding back? This was interesting.
"Hn. Speak for yourself." Smirked the black haired prince as he waited for her reaction.
"Wha-?" stammered the kunoichi as her cheeks blushed in light shades of pink. She was going all-out, wasn't she? Maybe, just maybe, she did not dare to injure him - being aware that her inhuman strength could break bones. And maybe she did not want to showcase all her true abilities, since she just met this man today. Who knows?They may be enemies the next day and she didn't want him knowing her weaknesses. God, this was frustrating.
"Tch. Let's head back to the palace." The young man finally spoke, after watching her reaction for a few seconds,seemingly knowing what she was thinking about. She was really amusing to look at. He didn't really bother about her holding back or not. Even though he loves sparring, this spar was meant for him to relax and relieve himself of his stress. The wedding preparation had really worn him out mentally.
"A-alright." responded Sakura, still embarrassed about what had happened.
"You know...you're stronger than most of the kunoichi in this kingdom. And you're not even using your true strength." the uchiha stated plainly.
His statement came as no surprise to her as she was the "Pink kunoichi" back in her kingdom. However what came as a surprise was that it made her heart skip a beat for some unknown reason. She tried to maintain a straight face. If she was flattered, she didn't want Sasuke to know.
"Well, taijutsu is my forte. Since i have perfect chakra control, I'm capable of enhancing my strength and speed." She stated with the best neutral tone she could muster.
"Ah. I see."
They continued walking back to the palace in comfortable silence, leaving the ruined training grounds behind. Kakashi is going to lecture me about this...sweat dropped Sasuke as he glanced at the wreckage for the last time.
Once they reached the palace, Sasuke gave her a quick tour around the palace - the dining hall, ballroom, gardens, guestrooms and so on. As he spoke about the directions to the various places, Sakura nodded her head intently. She understood everything-no, not really. At the fast rate this tour was going, she couldn't absorb all the information he was giving. Even though she excels in her studies and has the skills to memorise things in an instant, she was simply too tired to take note of what he was saying. She was definitely going to get lost in this huge place.
"You don't understand a thing, do you?" Sasuke sighed while the kunoichi slowly nodded her head. It seemed like she had already given up trying to memorise the palace layout. He didn't blame her though. Since he finished the tour of the entire palace in less than ten minutes since they needed to prepare for the banquet shortly. They could've spent more time on this, if it wasn't for his sudden need for the spar; which took up most of the time that was supposed to be used for the introduction of the palace. Well, she'll get used to it soon i guess?
When they were in the hallways, Sasuke signalled one of the servants to come.
"She will be your personal handmaid" He spoke
as the girl approached them and bowed in respect.
"Greetings, Prince Sasuke and Princess Sakura. Congratulations on your marriage. My name is Mitsuha Nanako. Your highness, it is my greatest honour to serve you as your personal handmaid." The girl spoke politely as she focused her attention on Sakura. She was a petite lady, with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Sakura smiled brightly at the servant girl. She seems like a nice girl and Sakura had the feeling that they would get along well.
"It's time for you to prepare for the banquet. She'll help you get ready." The prince stated, signalling Mitsuha to lead Sakura to the changing room.
"Erm see you later i guess." spoke Sakura as she spun around to follow her new handmaiden. Sasuke watched them as they turned the corner and went out of view. Something was off...or was it just his imagination?He stood there for a moment before dismissing the thought and headed to his changing room.
"Mitsuha-san, how old are you?" the princess asked out of curiosity.
"I'm 17, Your highness."
"So you're 2 years younger than me. That makes you my younger sister!" chirped Sakura. The girl blushed and shook her head abruptly.
"No, Your highness! How can someone as lowly as me-"
"It's okay, Mitsuha-san. I don't care about positions, i believe that everyone should be treated equally." Intercepted the pink-haired kunoichi as Mitsuha widened her eyes and stared at her in disbelief.
"T-Thank you...Your highness"
Sasuke stood infront of the mirror. He was in the same attire he wore this morning; a navy blue kimono adorned with gold embroidery, the uchiha crest embroided on his back. He stared blankly into the mirror, deep in thought. There was something strange about that servant girl...but what?
A/N: And that's the end of chapter 2! I just realised that I'm bad at writing lengthy chapters but i guess short and sweet is cool too Haha. Please review cuz i love reviews!
