YOU'VE HELPED ME A LOT IN MY STORY AND I APPRECIATE IT...THANKS!
AND ALSO THANKS PRINCESS LEIGH FOR SHARING YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY WITH ME...^_^
{CHAPTER FOURTEEN}
"Sakura dear" Sakura's mother called "I would like you to meet the royal family"
"Good afternoon your highnesses" Sakura bowed, she threw an appreciative glance at the man that stood besides them. Her emerald into his black orbs, he winked at her and she turned her face away.
"It is a pleasure to see you Sakura, you mother had told us a whole full about you" the queen said
"Likewise" the king followed in saying.
"Such a beautiful lady, may I request a space on your card for a dance with one of my sons?" The queen who Sakura later learnt her name was Mikoto said.
"Oh, why yes" Sakura's mother said "And who might that be?"
"Sasuke"
Everyone turned to see the man whose name was just mentioned.
His expression was suddenly angry.
Sasuke wasn't the only angry right now.
Sakura was boiling uncontrollablely inside.
She would rather dance with a god from hell than him.
Sakura began "Your highness I do not think ..."
"That is necessary" Sasuke ended it for her.
Both of them sent hateful glares at each other.
"I dare say, you are lucky to have a dance with my little brother" Itachi said waving a glass of wine at Sakura "Some of us are not so lucky"
Sakura blinked trying to process what he had just said.
Did that mean he wasn't betrothed to yet?
"Well then" Mikoto said "Shall we dance?"
Sakura and Sasuke watched as their family went into the dance floor, even Aoi was with her husband.
Now Sakura was beginning to regret why she agreed to come for this gathering, she could have well just stayed at home and maybe that way she won't have to see this arrogant faced man in public.
"Believe me, what it is you are thinking, the feeling is mutual" Sasuke said.
"Please, I would not wish to waste my thoughts on you" Sakura said.
"Hn"
Sakura decided not to answer him back and faced the crowd.
Everyone was either chatting away their time or dancing on the dance floor.
Even Neji and his bride were already together.
Sakura sighed, she was already of age but yet she had no mark.
At least, if she was already marked, all she had to do was to look for someone with the same mark as her.
In this city of Himeta, if a lady isn't marked on time, she is considered an outcast.
Most women have being criticized by other women because of that.
If it weren't for Sakura's status, she would have gone through the same thing to.
She sighed again.
"Would you stop that?"
Her eyes narrowed, she almost forgot she was still beside this guy.
"If I am bothering you, then why do you not just go away" Sakura said.
"If anyone should go away, it should be you" Sasuke retorted back
"Would you two stop arguing?" a voice said.
It was Itachi, he stood behind the two of them an amused look on his face.
"You two are bickering like little children"
"Hn, whatever" Sasuke said ans walked away.
"He is such a..." Sakura started but could not find a word for him.
"Do not mind my brother, he is always like that" Itachi said and then stretched his hand out " Would you do me the honour of dancing with me?"
Sakura blushed and bowed "Most certainly my Lord"
She accepted his arm and they both swept into the dance floor.
Itachi was a gracious dancer, tall and superb.
She suspected he was in his late twenties.
Sakura smiled politely when her eyes fell on Aoi.
She turned her eyes around to other couples on the dance floor.
Everyone was in good spirits, ladies laughed at the humorous jokes their mates made, even if it wasn't funny and gentleman were giving on compliments to other ladies.
And if it was an exaggerted truth, they would do anything in hopes of getting a lady.
A bell dinged in the room and everyone stooped dancing.
They faced the hallway looking at the new couples. An old lady stood beside them, her smile was so wrinkled Sakura shivered a bit inside.
She recognized that woman as old lady Chiyo.
She was the lady who always prophecied visions or knew about the next couple to be betrothed.
She has being said to hold many powers, but one of her most feared power was that of summoning the dead.
Chiyo could summon a lost spirit and even talk with it or bind it to do her works.
She was one powerful woman.
She raised a stick up and cleared her throat "The ceremony has already being carried out" she said "From now on this two beside me shall be a couple"
The whole room broke into a thunderous clap.
The Hyuugas all looked happy but Sakura noticed the bride wasn't.
She was happy to be betrothed.
That was the bad thing about being marked.
Most times you can be marked to be with someone you don't even love and even if you try breaking free, that mark finds a way to bind you two together again.
Also one thing about the mark was that, once it joins a couple together it literary joins them together.
Meaning whatever was to happen to the husband, happens to the wife as well.
The bind goes as far that if a member of the husband's family should die, a member of the wife's family does too.
That is how bad the mark was.
And they usually came in different shapes and sizes, which only a couple could have.
If you and someone else had a mark with the same shape, size and even the same position then that meant, you have found your mate.
Chiyo's voice rose again "I sense another couple here"
Everyone becomes quiet immediately Chiyo says that.
"Another couple" Sakura said She moves her hand unconsciously to her wrists and starts scratching it.
The itch becomes so serious, she scratchs her wrists until it turns red.
She cries in pain as the itch begins to trob.
Her eyes goes to her wrist and that was when she saw it.
Resting on her wrists, its black design showing radiantly was her own very mark.
It was three in number and was tomoe shaped.
Her head shot up instantly as if looking for someone.
Her eyes scroll the crowd until they meet a pair of angry red ones.
The pupils in them were similar to the marks on her wrists.
His eyes narrowed and he turns his face away from her.
Sakura's heart begins to beat fast and she prayed to all gods out there, hoping her betrothed was not who she thought it was.
...
...END CHAPTER