Summary: AU OOC "You are currently the recipient of all the pitiful glances of the haute ton. Unless you want to continue with your career, Miss Sakura, I highly suggest you consider what I will propose." NejiSaku SasuSaku a bit of KibaSaku

Category: Romance

Final Pairing: Still undecided folks..

Disclaimers: I don't own anything.

Something Wonderful

Prologue

Thunderous applause filled the great hall of the opera house, vibrating in the concrete elegantly painted ceiling. Tonight was another performance of the Eros et Thanatos, one of the most critically acclaimed group performer of the musical arts. What was different from the night was that the first performance as belladonna of the successor of the said title, a young woman by the name of Haruno Sakura or Cerise as her friends and aficionados dubbed her adoringly.

It was a performance for the birthday of one of the blue blooded in the society, the Baron of LaMaize. As expected, the haute ton who had come to watch the performance, attended the ball held in the home of the official himself, the boisterous, Baron Naruto Uzumaki and his wife, Baroness Hinata Uzumaki. The ballroom's windows whose height spanned from the shiny cream marble floor to the ceilings were adorned with thick maroon drapery. Some chatted merrily with one another, in hopes of improving relationships, especially with those who belonged to the powerful families of Konoha; while others were dancing, enjoying the merry music played by an orchestra.

"I loved your performance, Miss Haruno."

"Cerise, that parting scene was breathtaking!"

"Oh, I knew you'd be the belladonna!"

A tall slender figure stood from the crowd even though she was standing near one of the huge bow windows on the farthest side of the hall. It was not that she had craved it, but people seem to recognize her rather easily, especially with the unique trait of hers. Long locks of strawberry pink were coiffed elegantly, with a few small white rosebuds on her mane, some silky tendrils falling alluringly on her porcelain smooth skin. Her sleek form was clad in an ice blue gown which left her satiny back deliciously bare, adorned with white pearls on the hem and a swirling pattern on the skirt of her gown. A pair of diamond drop earrings was on her soft lobes and a matching necklace encircled her neck. Even with the pristine white demi mask she had on, most people knew who she was upon setting their eyes on her.

She had listened attentively to the offers of warmest congratulations and lovely comments of her absolutely wonderful performance earlier that evening.

"Thank you for watching our performance. I was a bit nervous, since it was my first and I'm happy you liked it."

It looked like she was still being attentive to what was being said to her but under her mask, she was busy scanning the crowd for a particular figure.

'He'll be here of course. He's friends with his lordship. He's even the captain of the Royal guards…'

"I have seen your friend, Miss Haruno, the one who used to accompany you everywhere. I believe his name is Captain Kiba Inuzuka of his majesty's guards."

Immediately whispers were heard from within earshot of what the rather oblivious man said. Someone whispered to his ear rather loudly about the current condition of the singer and the captain.

Suddenly, the group of people parted like the sea, and two figures were headed towards her.

'Please don't let it be them..'

A man was wearing a black suit with the royal crest of the guards on his left breast pocket. His hair was a messy concoction of reddish brown, seemingly having a life of its own. A red demi-mask covered his eyes, but his smirking mouth was uncovered. Beside him was a voluptuous blonde wearing a tight lavender satin gown. She was nearly as tall as he was, towering over her rather easily. Like her male companion, the lower part of her face was exposed by the mask, revealing thin lips set in a smile. Her arm was looped with his, her left hand purposely sticking out to flash the two carat diamond engagement ring it was sporting.

"Your performance tonight was astonishing as always, Sakura."

The deep baritone voice spoke to her tenderly, pulling out flashes of memories from the pink haired woman. He gently took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, bestowing a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"Why, thank you, Captain Inuzuka. I am quite glad you were able to see the performance. I thought you had other business to attend to."

'Like frolic around with that witch..'

"Well, you know Lord Naruto always has his way with people. Where is Lee by the way? I haven't seen him since the performance"

His voice seemed amiable and friendly but deep down, Sakura knew that Kiba still had feelings of resentment towards the piano player.

'No, you must not be provoked! This is Kiba, damn it!'

"I'm afraid he's not feeling well. He left immediately after the show. I'll send your warmest regards to him. Who is the lovely woman beside you, Captain?"

Sakura turned her head towards the blonde, the look of animosity in her eyes covered by the mask.

"She is Lady Ino Yamanaka, daughter of Baron Inoshi. She is my fiancée Sakura."

The said woman stepped forward and smiled Sakura, extending her hand to clasp around Sakura's for a moment.

"So you are the famous star everyone was talking about. How nice to finally meet you, Kiba has been talking about your talent for hours non-stop. I must say you really are talented."

Ino steeped back and smiled haughtily as she intertwined her hand with Kiba's.

People started to gather around them, listening to the conversation intently in hopes to satisfy their curiosity for gossip. It has been rumored that the lovely singer was left by her beau, the captain in the royal guards to pursue the daughter of the baron. Some say that she was cheating on him and he caught her, while others say he simply used her to further his own ambition. But with the announcement of the forthcoming wedding of the two, it was no doubt that the captain was indeed trying to climb his way up the social ladder, disregarding the now useless female for another.

They looked at the belladonna, each trying to predict what her reaction will be, will she slap him? Taunt him? Or..

"Why thank you, Lady Ino, I truly am flattered. And your wedding is excellent news. When will the wedding be? I do hope I will have the honor of attending."

Everyone looked at her in disbelief. Some looked at her in awe at her poise and how she remained dignified. But everyone gave her a look of pity for they knew what must the singer truly feel, the betrayal, the shock and the utter pain of it all.

But she was a theater performer and lived behind the smiling mask she put on everyday. But her resolve was beginning to crack. Despite her joyful voice, her emerald eyes were beginning to turn glassy, the sign of tears that might fall.

"But of course Miss Sakura, I will send the invitation to your apartment as soon as I finish the final guest list, won't we, love?"

Kiba nodded and was about to speak when…

"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse Miss Sakura. I believe she has promised me a dance."

All eyes turned to look at another figure standing behind Sakura. He was dressed in a pure black suit; the upper half of his face was also covered by a mask. He inclined his head at Kiba and looked amusedly at the woman in front of her. Without waiting for Sakura to deign a reply, he extended his arm for her to take which she did reluctantly.

"I'm sure we can talk more about the wedding plans some other time. Do excuse me, Captain, Lady Ino."

They walked away from the huge crowd, both ignoring the whispers of astonishment and such from the other guests.

"Oh my goodness, it's him isn't he?"

A female nearly hyperventilated as she took in the features of the man walking away from them.

"Yes, it's him!"

And they danced round and round on the floor, neither bothering to speak. He waltzed around like he had done so for thousands of times, twirling her around gracefully in his arms.

"Have I really promised you a dance, Sir?"

He didn't speak, if there was any indication he has heard her, it would be the full blown smirk gracing his features.

"I thought you've lost your ability to speak, Miss Sakura."

She gave him an incredulous stare beneath her mask and cocked her head to the side. Surely she should have seen him somewhere but his voice hasn't sounded a bit familiar. She only attended the parties their patrons threw in their honor, as well as parties they performed for and those that Kiba had asked her to accompany him.

"Who are you?"

He spoke in an amused voice, lips still smirking widely.

"A friend?"

He seemed cocky about his relationship with her and inner Sakura who she had locked into a black box during her adolescent years suddenly surfaced, wishing to smash that self confidence he had radiated so clearly. The sorrow she was trying to quell not to long ago was momentarily forgotten.

"A friend? I have no friend who possesses a voice like yours, or a height like yours. Even the way you dance, surely if you were a friend of mine, I would have recognized you immediately. You may be an opera enthusiast or an acquaintance, but certainly not a friend."

'That would have deflated anyone's ego.. hahaha'

"Really, Miss Sakura? I suppose your memory might fail you after all. And surely one of your friends could dance as graceful as I am. But then again, with the crowd that you surround yourself with, one cannot be so sure."

As she was too amused and consumed by their conversation, she didn't even notice that he was leading her towards the balcony, away from prying eyes of the occupants of the ballroom.

"Well then, if I may be so bold to ask you, kind Sir for your name so we may remedy our current predicament."

They stopped dancing and to her disbelief, instead of thousands of glittering lights of the candles on the chandelier, she found herself under the light of a blanket of stars in the obsidian night sky. He still hasn't let go of her waist, as if waiting for her to continue to speak. Suddenly the air felt heavy and she felt that it was inappropriate for a woman of her status to be alone outside with a complete stranger.

"I believe we should head back in, they might be looking for me."

She started to wiggle out of his grasp but it only became tighter around her body. He smirked down at her, his voice, a deep baritone spoke tauntingly.

"And let you suffer the humiliation inside? The whole ton is having a field day about your sudden separation with Inuzuka."

Her voice became steely cold and deadly soft as she spoke without a hint of inflection.

"How dare you speak to me like that? You know nothing of the situation, nothing at all."

She wretched her arm away from his shoulder as if she had been burned but this caused him to pull her warm body against his, his lips only a hairbreadth from her ear.

"You are currently the recipient of all the pitiful glances of the haute ton. Unless you want to continue with your career, Miss Sakura, I highly suggest you consider what I will propose"

His breath was warm on her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. She swallowed nervously the growing lump on her throat. Her cheeks were warm, turning it from a color of light cream to a deep pink. His hands which ran along her bare back were not doing anything good for her sanity either.

Then without so much as a warning, his warm hands left her body and he moved to stand a few feet from her, as if they were not together a while ago. The veranda doors suddenly burst open, revealing a smiling man with a woman following behind him.

"There you are, Miss Sakura! I've been looking all over you!"

The man whose hair was the color of the bright sun took one of her hands in his and kissed the back of her hand in greeting. He took of his demi mask and grinned at her like a star struck fanatic. The woman behind him with hair like a shade of amethyst smiled at her as well.

"I needed fresh air, my Lord. I do hope his lordship enjoyed our performance a moment ago. I would like to greet you a happy birthday."

She pulled on the string of her demi mask, revealing a pair of dark emerald orbs, shining in the pale light of the moon. She curtseyed politely to both, before straightening out her figure once again.

"Your performance was spectacular! Lady Hinata almost cried during the dying scene. A tale of young love doomed from the start. It was simply wonderful!"

The woman in question nodded enthusiastically and bestowed an almost shy smile at the theatre performer. She returned the smile with one of her own but mentally snorted at the plot of the story. The script was so similar to her current debacle, it made her scoff inwardly from the practice until the performance.

"I almost didn't see you there! Lurking in the shadows again to avoid your admirers?"

The Baron clearly was not speaking to her but to the nearly forgotten person standing behind her.

"Hmph.. More like avoiding you..."

"Whatever. We better go inside where it's warmer. Come, Hinata, Miss Sakura."

Hinata curtseyed to the man whose figure was draped in darkness before she took her husband's proffered arm. Both strolled towards the entrance with Sakura and the man lagging behind. When they were near the balcony doors, the man's hand shot out and wrapped on Sakura's waist again. Before she had anytime to react, the warmth was gone but not before he whispered his softly spoken words.

"Think about it.."

--------

She remained silent during the evening, opting to watch everyone who danced and socialized in the hall. She was looking for a particular figure, one that held her so familiarly not too long ago.

"There you are, Sakura. Where have you been?"

"I just danced around and met his lordship, Tenten. What about you?"

Tenten, who sang alto for their troupe started telling her of what surpassed during the start of the performance and before they rejoined at the party.

"Are you even listening, Sakura dear? Or you're too exhausted? Come, we can take our leave and Lee and I shall take you home."

"I'm okay, Tenten. Do you see that man over there?"

She was eyeing the man from before whose back is turned from them.

"Hmm.. Do not tell me you are smitten with him, just as half of the female Konoha population is.."

A delicate brow was raised slightly at the infuriating remark.

"If you don't know who he is, Ten-"

"His grace."

"What?"

"Everyone knows who he is, Sakura. You must have been living under a rock ever since Captain Inuzuka took hold of your life."

"Kiba did not take over my life. Are you going to tell me or what?"

Suddenly, he turned around to catch the pair of emerald eyes watching him. Slowly, he reached for the ties of his demi-mask and revealed a pair of opalescent orbs staring at her almost in an amused fashion. He tilted his head in a mock bow and proceeded to walk away. Tenten who resumed speaking was nearly forgotten, the words she spoke hung in the air forgotten.

"His grace, the twelfth Duke of Kurobara, Hyuuga Neji."

Notes:

WANTED: Beta editor! Message me!

Kindly refrain from throwing vegetables at the author for not updating The Talk. Well you see, I'm almost finished and I'm making a few tweaks here and there. But really, I'm working on it guys!

This is an experiment I am currently working on. The setting is similar to 18th century England if you haven't noticed. I have refrained from using the traditional Nihonggo suffixes to avoid confusion and other what nots.

The pairing isn't fixed but tilting towards (secret! I dunno..)

Most of the characters are OOC, as in really.

If you managed to spot a grammatical error, spelling etc. tell me kay?

Reviews are appreciated.

Thanks for reading.