My Dear Princess

Chapter One

It was a dark day. The wind was up, giving the summer night a chill that didn't settle well with the petite princess as she glanced out from her balcony and took in the outside world. She never got to go outside, this was the most she got; standing outside out the double-glass doors on the small balcony. A few minutes of wind, sometimes a little sun but she hardly ever witnessed a storm. The weather was always nice in the kingdom, aside from a bit of rain every now and then.

It was interesting to her, the way the sky darkened, only to be lit up by the lightning every couple minute's. It didn't scare her. She actually loved the look of the lightning, the dark clouds and even the loud rumble of the thunder that followed. She wanted to be free. Free enough to go out into the storm, to walk in the rain and enjoy nature as it was.

Instead, she was a prisoner to her lineage. She wasn't the only child and while most of the hardships went onto her elder brother, she was treated as if she didn't even exist. She wasn't allowed to participate in the parties. She wasn't even allowed to wander the castle. She never felt like a true princess. To her, she wasn't a princess at all. She was a prisoner and she wanted desperately to escape.

Her parents kept her hidden from the public, telling her it was for her own good. The girl didn't agree. She was now sixteen and all she remembered of her life was being locked up in her room and though it was a beautiful room and she was well taken care of, it wasn't the life she wanted. She felt robbed and it wasn't a good feeling. She would never be free. Knowing how things went in the kingdom, she knew well enough that by her next birthday she would be forced to wed a man she didn't know and only for the sake of the kingdom.

It would be a man whose name and standings would bring about prosperity and strength to what was already the grandest kingdom in the land. The thought was enough to chill her to the bone. She didn't want to be given to any man, especially one she didn't love. Never getting a chance to meet anyone, she knew that was her only fate. She'd never get to meet anyone to even get the chance to fall in love and so most of the time, she accepted her destiny.

Though tonight, she was fighting it.

…

It wasn't easy for her to be sneaky, especially since she wasn't used to roaming throughout the castle. No matter, she was making her way out and with no intention on coming back at all. She'd done well by making it all the way down the stairs unseen, but she was worried as she hurried through the first floor in search of the front door, or any door that would permit her escape.

The girl had come across a few maids but she'd managed to hide herself until they were long gone and it wasn't easy to do, what with her long bright pink hair. She couldn't believe her luck when she finally came across a set of huge double doors that she knew instantly would lead her to the outside world. She swallowed hard and timidly, she secured her backpack around her shoulders and chest and she went for it.

If she had known it would have been so easy, she would have planned her escape long ago. She was thankful though, to be out of there now. She'd never felt more free than she did then, staring up into the oncoming storm. It was already raining by then and Sakura savored the feel of it, rather than cowering away from it. She tightened the dark coat she had on around her and pulled up the hood, effectively hiding her hair which would be a dead giveaway for exactly who she was.

Anyone on the castle grounds knew who she was and what she looked like, they also knew that she wasn't aloud outside of the castle, for any means. If anyone spotted her, she'd be escorted straight back to her cell and that was the last thing she wanted. She had to get away, far away. She never wanted to see that castle again and she definitely didn't want to see that room. She'd change her looks if she had to, she'd do anything to keep from going back to that place. To her, it was hell.

…

The girl hadn't anticipated being as cold as she was, but she'd never been wet in her clothes before. She was sure everything in her bag was soaked as well but she was mostly concerned about finding somewhere safe to hideout. Risking someone seeing her was impossible, so she just couldn't go up to anyone for help. She had to be alone, so on the outskirts of the kingdom, she searched for an abandoned shed, or an empty house. It seemed however, that her luck had ran out.

Having no way to tell the time, she didn't know how long it had been since she'd escaped, but she was tired. It was well into the night and much later than she usually slept already when she'd first left and she wasn't used to walking such long distances. The storm was another matter. While it intrigued her greatly, it hindered her travels and it wasn't much longer before she was shivering from the cold.

It appeared that the further she got away from the kingdom, the fiercer the storm became and she found herself leaning against the next house she passed. No lights were on, inside or out so she assumed if anyone was staying there, they must have been asleep. She was in town then, away from the castle grounds so she felt a little at ease about taking a quick rest while hiding from the storm.

"Who's there?" A deep, sultry voice called out, causing the girl to stiffen.

Hesitantly, and fearfully she lifted her head and locked eyes on the man merely a foot away from her. She hadn't heard a thing and she didn't know where he'd come from or how he'd appeared so suddenly. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she looked over him, taken aback by his looks alone.

He looked like a prince straight out of a storybook and she knew this well because she had read many, having nothing else to do with her life. He was beautiful, with raven hair and obsidian eyes. He was older than her it appeared, though not by much. He had a perfect face, as if he'd been sculpted by the gods. He stood proud and looked strong but also intimidating.

"Who are you?" He asked after a moment of them watching each other.

The girl noticed easily how his hand was gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword. His clothes were that of a warrior's, something the pinkette wasn't used to seeing. This made her even more anxious and she felt weak as she gazed up at him, to shaken to move.

"A-are y-you… Shi-nobi?" She stammered, her teeth clattering. She'd never met a real-life shinobi before, but she had read of them and she knew they were the ones who kept the kingdom safe from harm. However, they were feared because of their special abilities by the civilians and the royals and only the elite shinobi clans had close ties to the kingdom and that was because they were the strongest.

"I find you wandering around my land and taking refuge at my house, ask who you are and yet you question me?"

The girl's lips parted in surprise. She didn't know how to respond to that and she was very intimidated by the man, knowing for certain that he was a shinobi, with deadly skills, no matter if he admitted it to her or not. He could kill her in an instant. For some reason, that didn't sound too bad to Sakura. Going back was out of the question, she'd definitely die first and she wouldn't mind him being the last thing she saw because for the first time in her life, as she faced him then, she had feeling and it was blissful.

Scary, but oh so blissful.

"I had nowhere to go… A-and the storm." The petite girl shuddered. "I-I mean n-no harm."

The man seemed to relax but his frown only deepened as he stared at her, his eyebrows narrowing together. He dropped his hand from his weapon and took a step closer to her, offering her the same hand.

"Come, you'll catch cold and die out here."

Big emerald eyes stared up at him in fascination and the girl didn't hesitate in taking his hand. Her stomach fluttered at the touch and she had an exhilarating feeling coursing through her as he pulled her along with him, taking her into the house and out of the storm.

She was frozen, trembling uncontrollably and shamefully disappointed when he released her hand the second they were inside. That moment of warmth she felt when holding his hand was something she'd never forget. He turned on a light and she felt like she was seeing him for the first time. He was even more beautiful than she'd first thought.

"The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left. You should wash yourself and get dry. There's a robe in there you can put on until your clothes dry."

"Okay…"

Hurrying to the bathroom, the young girl locked herself inside, her heart still beat erratically and she couldn't believe all that had happened to her on this night. She'd ran away, she was no longer a prisoner, but a girl on the run and she'd met a boy, the first boy she'd ever met around her age. There was her brother, but she didn't even see him often. She barely seen anyone, unless they were bringing her food.

The house had a comfortable feel to it, and she didn't feel too out of place as she showered and when she was dry and wrapping the dark navy-blue robe around her small frame, she smiled to herself. She'd lived more in this one night than she had her entire life and she hoped it wasn't stolen from her, ever. She hoped to always live freely, so she could fear and learn. There was so much unknown to her.

Carrying her soaked bag with her clothes back into the living area of the home, she found the young man in the open kitchen. He was dry by then, except for his hair and the girl assumed he must have showered as well. He was dressed in a pair of loose-fitting sleep pants and a black shirt. She wondered idly if he always dressed in such dark clothing.

His back was to her while he was checking out the contents of his refrigerator and his houseguest cautiously joined him in the kitchen. He turned as if sensing her instantly, though she supposed he could being a real-life shinobi and all. He closed the refrigerator, having nothing but a glass of water in one hand. He took a sip before leaving the glass on the counter, his dark eyes never leaving her.

"The laundry room is there." He told her, waving to the swinging doors behind him.

Nodding, the girl hurried past him and into the room, blushing for the first time in her life. She took deep breaths as she fought with the drier to get it started once her clothes were inside. She'd never had to do her own laundry before, so the machines were very new to her. After a little struggling she managed to get it started and with one reassuring breath, she walked back in the kitchen to face him once more.

For a long time, he said nothing. He just stared at her, taking in her long pink hair and bright green eyes. It was a combination he'd never seen before and he wondered where the girl could have come from. Spending a lot of time in the village, Sasuke knew everyone's faces- from the shinobi to the civilians but he'd never seen anyone who came close to resembling the girl.

Assuming she was from another land, he didn't really care where she'd come from. It was unfortunate that she'd ended up at his home, because he couldn't just leave her to die but he wasn't one to take people in. He was a loner, he liked things like that and he wasn't pleased to have his loneliness interrupted by someone so bright… And pink.

She just had to be a girl.

"It's not smart for a girl your age to be out alone at night, and in a storm at that. Are you homeless?"

The girl nodded meekly. "As of recently. I have nowhere to go but I wasn't looking to impose on anyone. I thank you for your hospitality, but I promise to be gone as soon as this storm is over."

Head cocking slightly to the side, the young man's obsidian eyes glanced over her. "Where will you go? You know there are many shinobi around here… And they're not all good guys, most of them aren't."

The girl swallowed hard, deathly thirsty and willing the lump in her throat to go away. "I… I realize that. But… I'll take care of myself. Somehow."

Left brow raising in amusement, the raven-haired man leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his legs at the ankles while he gazed at her. "If you can't even keep yourself out of the rain, how do you plan to effectively take care of yourself?"

The girl turned away from him in a feeble attempt to shield her pinkening cheeks. "I d-don't know… But I have to. I just have to."

"And why is that? You're telling me that you have nobody?" He didn't believe it. She was too bright to be like him. Alone.

"Not anymore. But… I don't want anybody either." Her lips trembled with the truth of her statement.

Her heart and her head ached. She was tired of feeling so lost and alone, but being alone wouldn't be so bad. Not as long as she felt alive.

"You should sleep, it's late. I have a room you can take."

"U-um!" The girl jumped in surprise when the man was suddenly standing before her, a fresh glass of water in hand. Realizing he was handing it to her, she took it shakily, face red as a tomato. "T-thank you."

The girl cursed herself as she followed him down the hallway. She wasn't even cold anymore and yet she was still struggling to get her words to come out clearly. She supposed it had everything to do with that man though, he was something, something she felt like she would never shake. While the feeling he gave her was new and foreign to her, it made her feel very alive.

When he opened a door and walked in, she followed him. He could hurt her. He could kill her, but she didn't feel like he would. She felt nothing but safe as she took in the room around her, before settling her eyes back on him.

"Thank you again… For everything."

"Don't mention it." He told her quietly, avoiding her eyes. Though it bothered her and confused her, she didn't dare question him on the matter. "Get to sleep."

"Okay." She hurried into bed obediently and got straight under the covers. When she was settled she gave him a soft, sleepy smile. She was so happy in that moment and the man could tell but he didn't like the strange feeling he got in his chest when she smiled at him like that. "Um… Would you tell me your name sir?"

"Yours first." He told her, leaning against the door as he waited for her answer.

"Oh… I-it's Sakura." She told him honestly, not wanting to lie to the man who had been so generous to her. After all, her name wasn't known throughout the land. As long as she didn't give him or anyone else her full name, she should be safe.

"Sakura huh?" He murmured thoughtfully to himself and decided the name was quite fitting for her, for more reasons than one. When he met her eyes again from across the room he could tell she was waiting impatiently for his name as well and he smirked because of it. "I'm Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

Uchiha. The girl knew she'd heard that name somewhere before but at that moment, she couldn't recall where from. She didn't think much of it as she gazed at him, feeling as if his name suited him quite nicely. She was sure she'd never forget it, even if she never seen him again after she left.

"I like your name. Thank you for telling me." She gave him another smile and he had to look away.

"Tch. Stop thanking me already. And go to bed." He turned away from her and took a step out of the door.

"Wait!" Sakura called before he could disappear and slowly, he looked back over his shoulder to glance at her. "Um… Goodnight Sasuke."

"…Goodnight." He responded softly and left the room before she could say anything more.

He didn't know why, but there was something about that girl that set him on edge and he needed to get away, though just for a bit. She may have planned to disappear the next morning but Sasuke just didn't know if he could let her go. She wouldn't be safe out there alone and for some reason, he had a strong urge to keep her safe. He wasn't a people person, but she didn't seem too bad and she was only a girl. It just wouldn't be right for him to leave her to herself. He was no fool and he knew she'd never make it past all the male-shinobi lurking around out there.

Just imagining what could happen to her had him anxious and it didn't take long for him to decide to take care of her. She would be safe with him. He may not be the liveliest, of friendliest of people to be around, but he would bring her no harm. A girl as young, fragile and beautiful as her would need to protection from the cruel world around them and he intended to give it to her.

As he got in his own bed with images of her flooding his vision, he knew there had to be some reason she'd ended up on his doorstep. If she really was like him, and had no one and no place, who was he to turn her away? Maybe she would even do him some good- possibly even brighten his life. He didn't think the idea was too farfetched because he already felt lighter, just knowing she was across the hall from him.

As he drifted off to sleep sometime later that night, he felt glad to have her there. He felt like he had a purpose, a meaning. He had to see to her safety and he would, gladly… As long as she would allow it. He gave into sleep, knowing he'd just have to wait until morning to see how things went and he was sure she wouldn't refuse his offer, or at least he hoped she wouldn't.

Little did he know, by then every shinobi stationed out that night was in search of that very girl. She wasn't any ordinary girl, far from it and while they both slept peacefully, the entire kingdom was in an uproar. One that would eventually, undoubtedly find its way to them.

A/N:

So I was writing a bit to do something different and refresh my mind and I thought I should share with you guys!

Let me know if it's something you want to read.

I'm several chapters in and I've enjoyed writing this. I hope you'll like it to.