Walt Disney and GothicDancer proudly present:

Ino as Aurora or Kishimoto's Sleeping Beauty

In a faraway land long ago, there lived a king and his fair queen. Many years had they long wished for a child, and finally, their wish was granted. A daughter was born. They called her Ino. Sweet Ino, to them, was as darling as an adorable piglet, and she filled their lives with happiness. Then a great holiday was proclaimed throughout the kingdom so that all of high or low estate might pay homage to the infant princess, and our story begins on that most joyous day...

All of the subjects of the Yamanaka Kingdom approached the castle dressed in their finest clothes and offering gifts and love to the new princess. Every single person from the highest nobleman to the lowest of the peasants arrived, and, for once, everyone was on equal ground to welcome and celebrate the life of the princess. "Hail to the Princess Ino!" they sang as they gathered around the palace. "Hail to the King! Hail to the Queen! Hail to the Princess Ino! Long live Princess Ino!"

Inside the palace, King Inoichi Yamanaka and his Queen welcomed their long-time friend. A servant announced the arrival of King Chouza Akimichi and his son and heir, Prince Chouji Akimichi. For many years, King Inoichi and King Chouza had longed to unite their kingdoms. Therefore, when it was announced that King Inoichi's Queen had given birth to a daughter, it was announced that Prince Chouji would be betrothed to Princess Ino.

It was then announced that more honored guests were arriving. A servant read out names as a single light shone throughout the palace. One by one, three good fairies appeared and bowed before the King and Queen. "Mistress Sakura, Mistress Tenten, and Mistress Hinata!"

"Your Majesties," Sakura began, "each of us may bless the child with a single gift, no more, no less." Her little pink wings fluttered, bringing her over to the cradle. She smiled and said, "Little Princess, my gift shall be the Gift of Beauty." The fairy waved her magic wand, and little sparkles fell upon the baby, humming out, "The Gift of Beauty..."

It was then Tenten's turn to approach the cradle. Her green wings brought her close, and she said, "Tiny Princess, my gift shall be the Gift of Song." Again, when the fairy waved her magic wand, tiny sparkles fell to the princess, this time humming, "The Gift of Song..."

Finally, Hinata's blue wings flapped to the cradle. She smiled and said, "Sweet Princess, my gift shall be...!"

But she was interrupted when a harsh wind blew throughout the castle. The sky suddenly went dark, and lightning crashed to the ground. All the candles in the palace were extinguished, and sickeningly green and purple lights morphed into another fairy, only this one was dressed entirely in black and had an evil air about her. She smiled as a raven flew into the palace and perched itself upon her staff, which contained a green jewel at the top.

Tenten gasped. "It's Tsunade! What could she want here?" Sakura shushed her to listen.

"Quite a colorful, dazzling display here, King Inoichi," the black fairy commented. "Royalty, nobility, gentry, and..." She laughed lightly at the three fairies. "...even the peasants. Hee, I was a bit upset at not receiving an invitation. I had hoped it was just a matter of miscommunication."

Hinata frowned and put on her bravest face. "You weren't wanted!"

"Not wanted?" Tsunade gasped. "Oh my, what an awkward situation. Well, in that case, I best be on my way."

"Then..." the Queen murmured, "you're not offended, Your Excellency?"

"Why, no, Your Majesty! And, hee, to show I bear no ill will, I, too, shall bestow a gift upon the child." When Tsunade approached the cradle, the three fairies gathered around it to protect the princess. Smiling, Tsunade stepped back and announced, "Listen well, all of you! The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. However...before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel...AND DIE!!"

"NO!!" the Queen cried, rushing to the cradle and hugging her baby.

"SEIZE THAT CREATURE!!" King Inoichi commanded. His soldiers rushed towards the evil fairy, but Tsunade and the raven quickly disappeared into a cloud of green and purple smoke.

Once she was gone, Sakura approached the royal family. "Fear not, Your Majesties, for Hinata has yet to give the child her gift."

Hinata's eyes were wide. "But I can't reverse the spell! Tsunade's magic is too powerful!"

"Just give it a try," Sakura insisted as she motioned her fellow fairy to the princess. "Give it everything you've got."

Hinata, determined to help, rolled up her sleeves and waved her magic wand. "Sweet Princess, if through this evil trick, your finger you should prick, a ray of hope there still may be, for this is the gift I bestow upon thee: Not in death, just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you shall keep. And from this slumber, you shall wake, when True Love's Kiss, the spell shall break."

A glitter fell upon the princess, and "True Love's Kiss" could be heard from the magic. But King Inoichi still feared for his daughter's life. On that very day, he proclaimed that all the spinning wheels in the kingdom should be burned, and it was done.

Sakura watched the blazing fire from the throne room of the castle. "Oh, this isn't good."

Tenten waved her wand and made three cups appear. "Sit down, Sakura-chan," she insisted. "Come have some tea. I'm sure things will work out."

"But a bonfire won't stop Tsunade," Hinata murmured as she made a biscuit appear. "I'd like to turn her into a slug or something..."

"Aw, that's not very nice," the green fairy lightly scolded.

"Besides," Sakura explained, "our magic can only be used for good, happy things that bring people joy."

Hinata sighed. "Well, it would make me happy."

Suddenly, Sakura perked up. "Wait a second! I've got it! I know how we can save the princess! I'll...Wait, no. Even walls have ears." After checking a few of the corners in the room to make sure no one was there, the red fairy made herself tiny. She flew into a small sewing box and motioned for the other two to follow.

Once all three fairies were secure inside, Sakura giggled. "I'll turn her into a flower!"

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Tsunade?!"

"No, silly! The princess!"

"Oh, she'd make a lovely flower!" Tenten squealed.

"And she'll won't be able to prick her finger because she won't have any."

"She'll be perfectly safe!"

Hinata sighed. "Until Tsunade sends a frost."

The other two fairies stopped short. They had forgotten about that. "Tsunade will expect us to do something like that," Sakura realized. "She knows everything."

"No, she doesn't," Tenten objected. "She doesn't know anything about kindness, love, or the joy of helping others. You know, sometimes I think she's not very happy..."

Sakura gasped and a smile grew on her face. "You're exactly right! She doesn't know anything about those things. It's perfect! Okay, okay, we'll have to plan this carefully. Of course, the King and Queen will object, but once we explain it to them, they'll have to agree!"

The other two fairies exchanged confused glances. "Explain what?" Hinata asked.

Sakura giggled. "The three peasant women raising a girl in the forest!"

Tenten stared curiously at the pink-haired fairy. "That's very nice of them, but who are they?" She and Hinata turned as Sakura told them, looking into their reflections in a shiny thimble. Sakura waved her wand, and the three were dressed in peasant clothes. Tenten gasped. "Oh, my goodness! Us?! Oh, that's just wonderful!"

"Take care of the baby?!" Hinata gasped. "We don't know anything about that! We'll have to feed and clothe it..."

"And wash it and rock it to sleep," Tenten sighed dreamily. "Oh, this is a great idea, Sakura-chan! Plus, we'll have our magic to help us."

Sakura shook her head. "No, we won't use any magic. We'll live like mortals. After all, if humans can do it, we can do it! We'll all pitch in for the chores and work our best. I'll take the wands. Let's get rid of the wings, too."

Hinata quickly changed her dress color from pink to blue before giving her wand up. "I still don't think it's a good idea. We've never tried to live like that."

"And that's why Tsunade won't suspect a thing. Come along now. We must tell Their Majesties at once!" Sakura exited the box and changed back to her normal size. After changing Tenten and Hinata, the three of them ran off to the King and Queen.

And so, with heavy hearts, King Inoichi and his Queen watched as their most precious possession, their only child, disappeared into the night. Many sad and lonely years passed, but as the time of the princess's sixteenth birthday drew near, the kingdom began to rejoice. They knew that, as long as Tsunade's hideout, the Forbidden Mountain, rumbled with her anger and frustration, her prophecy had not been fulfilled.

"IT'S INCREDIBLE!!" the black fairy cried. "Sixteen years have passed, and there isn't a trace of her!" She turned to her minions, a pack of little demons, and growled, "Are you sure you searched EVERYWHERE?"

"Uh, yup!" one of the demons replied. "We searched in, uh, the mountains...the forests...the houses...and, heh, every cradle!"

Tsunade's eyes popped open. "CRADLE?!" She turned to her raven and smirked. "Did you hear that, My Pet? All these years...they've been looking for a baby..." She suddenly burst out into hysterical laughter, but that disappeared in an instant. Enraged, she sent her magic crashing down to the demons, forcing them to hide. "They're such disgraces. My Pet, you're my last hope. Search for a maiden of sixteen with golden hair and lips as red as a rose. Go and do not fail me..."

For sixteen years, the whereabouts of the princess remained a mystery while the three good fairies raised King Inoichi's child as their own in a tiny cottage. They called her "Hanako" or "Flower Child." On this, her sixteenth birthday, the fairies planned a special surprise for the young woman.

"How about this one?" Hinata pointed to a picture in a book of dresses.

"No, I like this one." Sakura pointed to another picture. "We'll just have to change a few things about it, just some details."

Tenten giggled. "Oh, she'll look beautiful in that."

Hinata nodded. "We'll make it blue.

"No, pink," Sakura insisted. "Now all we have to do is get her out of the house."

"Get WHO out of the house?"

The three women turned, and there was none other than Hanako herself. She had grown into the most beautiful of ladies over the years with blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright red lips. She smiled as she made her way towards the table. "What are you up to?"

Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata exchanged nervous glances until the woman dressed in blue picked up an empty basket. "We want you to pick some berries! That was all we meant!"

"Oh yes, berries! Lots of berries!" the other two agreed.

Hanako raised an eyebrow. "But I picked berries yesterday."

"We need more!" Sakura replied hastily. She threw a shawl over the blond girl's shoulders and shooed her out the house. "We need lots of berries."

"Don't go too far!" Tenten continued.

"And don't talk to strangers!" Hinata added. "Goodbye!" She and the others waved until Hanako was out of sight. She then turned back to them. "Do you think she suspects us?"

"No way," the pink-haired woman laughed. "Now then, let's get to work. We'll need a cake and a dress, ones that a princess can be proud of!"

"I'll get the wands!" Hinata announced as she ran upstairs.

Sakura stopped her. "No, no magic."

"But the sixteen years are almost over!"

"We're not taking any chances."

"But I've never baked a fancy cake before."

"You won't have to worry about that."

"I'm baking the cake!" Tenten cheered.

"And I'm making the dress," Sakura explained. "Hinata, stand up on that stool. You'll be the dummy."

Hinata did as she was told reluctantly. "But...Tenten can't cook...and, Sakura, you can't sew."

"Oh, it's easy!" the woman in green laughed. "You just follow the book."

Sakura threw a wave of pink fabric over Hinata and started to cut holes out of it. Tenten started to mix the flour together with the other ingredients, not understanding the importance of measuring properly (She even folded two eggs into the dough without cracking them.). Once Hinata was able to look out from the dress, she frowned. "It's...pink."

Sakura tied a ribbon around the poofy center. "Isn't it a lovely shade?"

"I wanted it blue."

"We decided on pink."

"YOU did. And this dress looks terrible!"

"That's because it's on you, Hina-chan." She quickly measured the length and sighed. "My, how our Hanako has grown..."

Hinata found herself smiling. "It seems like only yesterday we brought her here. She was just a tiny baby." Suddenly, tears slipped out of her eyes.

"Oh, Hina-chan," Tenten sighed, "what's wrong?"

"After today, she'll be Princess Ino Yamanaka. We won't have our Hanako!"

Sakura and Tenten soon discovered tears dripping from their eyes as well. "Oh, we knew this day had to come, even if it came all too soon," the pink-haired woman sniffed. "But we can't let that bother us. She'll be back before we know it!"

Out in the forest, Hanako ambled about while picking bright, juicy berries. She sang to keep herself entertained, and her lovely voice caught the attention of several adorable woodland creatures. The little animals followed her about and sang with her.

On the other edge of the forest, a young man rode through the trees on his horse. Although the man was a little stout, he was still quite handsome, and he smiled when he heard Hanako's voice through the trees.

"Do you hear that?" he asked the horse. "It's beautiful, no? We should go check it out." He saw that the horse was reluctant to agree, so the man tried some bribery. "How about for an extra bucket of oats? And maybe...a few carrots?" He held on tight as the horse sped off in the direction of Hanako's singing, only the animal went too fast. A tree branch made way with the young man, and he fell into a pond. Annoyed, he splashed some water towards the horse and, as he took off his wet hat, boots, and cape, muttered, "No carrots."

Hanako kept singing though. "I wonder," she sighed, "I wonder if every little bird has a partner to sing with. I wonder...if I keep singing, will my voice reach someone?" She walked out to the edge of the forest. From there, she could see the palace. Sighing, she walked back to a shallow pond and sat down next to it. "Why do they treat me like a child? Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata? They never want me to meet anyone." She giggled when the animals surrounded her. "Know what though? I HAVE met someone!"

The animals gasped in happiness. "Who?" an owl hooted.

Hanako smiled. "A prince! Hee, he's tall and handsome. We walk together and talk together, and just before we're about to say goodbye, he takes me in his arms. Then..." She frowned. "...I wake up."

The animals frowned, too.

"Yes, it's only a dream," Hanako continued sadly. "But you know what? They say if you dream something more than once, it's sure to come true. I've seen him so many times, so..."

As she trailed off, the animals noticed a hat, a cape, and two boots drying near another nearby pond. They quickly ran towards the items and stole them away. Turns out they belonged to the young man who had heard Hanako's voice! He and the horse gasped in surprise and chased after the animals, but the creatures were faster.

Once they were back to Hanako, the animals worked on their surprise. They tied the cape around the owl's neck and placed the hat upon its head. Two rabbits jumped into the boots while two little birds guided the group. They made their way to Hanako, and the woman laughed when she saw them.

"Oh, it's the prince from my dream" she giggled. "Your Highness!" She curtsied for the owl and danced towards him. "You know, I'm really not supposed to speak to strangers, but we've met before. I know you. I walked with you once upon a dream! I know visions are seldom all they seem, but if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

Hanako continued to dance and sing with the animals, unaware that the young man and his horse had spotted her. The woman turned away for a moment, allowing the man to pull the animals away. Hanako spun around with her eyes closed and continued to sing, "You'll love me at once...!"

"The way you did once upon a dream!" the man finished.

Hanako's eyes were huge at the sound of the unknown voice. She turned and saw the young man, surprised that someone had found her. "Oh!"

"I'm sorry," the man laughed, taking Hanako's hand in his. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh, it wasn't that," Hanako replied as she tried to take her hand away. "It's just that you're..."

"A stranger?"

"Uh-huh..."

"But don't you remember? We've met before!"

"...We have?"

"Sure! You said so yourself. Once upon a dream."

Hanako slowly smiled, realizing she could trust this man. She placed her hand back in his, and the two began to dance all the way to the edge of the forest. Once there, Hanako rested her head against the young man's chest.

"Who are you?" he whispered. "What's your name?"

"I'm...!" Hanako suddenly remembered what her caretakers had told her. "No, I can't! I'm sorry! I have to go!" She broke away from him, picked up her basket full of berries, and ran back to the cottage.

"Wait!" the man begged. "When will I see you?!"

"Never!"

"Never?!"

"No...maybe someday!"

"When? Tomorrow?"

"At the cottage tonight!"

Back at the cottage, things were not going as planned. The cake was a dribbling, drooling mess, and the dress was an ugly, tacky disaster. "That's it!" Hinata announced as she tore the pink fabric off. "I'm going to get those wands. Sakura, if you're so worried, make sure everything is safe for magic!"

Sakura sighed and realized that the woman dressed in blue was right. She closed up all the doors and windows, making room for Hinata to come back down the stairs. Once she saw the wands, Sakura took hers and Tenten's. "I'll bake the cake!" the woman in green announced.

"Hinata," Sakura began, "you can clean this place up. I'll bake the cake."

Hinata sighed but did as she was told anyway. She commanded the broom, mop, and bucket of water to tidy the place up. Meanwhile, Tenten put together three layers of cake and set the frosting going. Sakura fixed the dress so it was sewn in a beautiful style. It was still pink though, and Hinata was quick to make it blue. Seeing this, Sakura fought back and changed the color back to pink. The two soon began a magic fight while Tenten watched amusedly.

While it was true that all the doors and windows were closed, the fireplace wasn't blocked, and the magic bounced off the surfaces until it reached the top of the chimney. The women didn't realize that Tsunade's raven was still searching for the missing princess, and when it saw the magic, it became suspicious. It flew over towards the cottage and watched as the beautiful Hanako made her return.

When the three women inside heard footsteps, they knew what was happening. They put the finishing touches on their work and hid in the shadows so their lovely girl wouldn't see them.

"Aunt Sakura!" Hanako called as she walked into the cottage. "Aunt Tenten! Aunt Hinata! Hmm...where are they? ...Oh!" She suddenly saw the cake and dress (Hinata had won the fight.) and gasped excitedly when her caretakers appeared.

"SURPRISE!!" they cheered, bursting forward from the shadows. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

"Oh my!" Hanako laughed. "Thank you all so much. This is the happiest day of my life! Just wait until you meet him."

The women stopped. "Him?" Tenten repeated. "You've met a stranger?"

"Oh, he's not a stranger. We've met before."

"You have?" Sakura asked. "When?"

"Once upon a dream." Hanako took Tenten's hands and danced with her about the room, singing to the tune she and the young man had sung to.

Tenten's eyes widened. "She's in love!"

"Oh, this is terrible," Sakura mumbled.

Hanako glanced confusedly at the women. "Why? After all, I'm sixteen."

"It isn't that. You're already betrothed."

"...What?"

"To Prince Chouji!"

Hanako shook her head. "No, that's impossible. In order for me to marry a prince, I'd have to be...!"

"A princess!" Hinata finished.

"And you are!" Tenten replied.

"Princess Ino Yamanaka. Tonight, we're taking you back to your father King Inoichi."

Ino bit her lip. "No, you can't! He's coming here tonight, and...!!"

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured, "but you must never see that young man again."

Ino suddenly burst into tears and ran up to her room. "NO, NO!!" she cried, throwing herself onto her bed and sobbing into the pillow.

What no one knew was that the raven was well on its way back to the Forbidden Mountain, and it had news for Tsunade.

Back at the palace, things were not all that well either. King Inoichi sighed. "There's still no sign of Ino..."

"Of course not!" King Chouza laughed as he took a bite out of a chicken leg. "The fairies can't bring her back until sunset. Come on, Inoichi, buck up. Things will work out."

"I'm not so sure," the other King sighed. "I've been worrying about Ino for sixteen years now. I just want to see my daughter again."

"And you will!" Chouza laughed. "Tonight! At the wedding!"

"Wedding?! Tonight?! But--!"

Chouza clapped and a servant brought forward a bottle of wine and took goblets. He began to pour the beverage until Chouza took it away and started to pour it into two larger goblets. Just before the servant took a drink from the small one, he started to play a song on a small stringed instrument.

"To the wedding!" Chouza announced. "Skumps!"

Inoichi, seeing he had lost, smiled and clinked their goblets together. "Skumps!" They both took a drink, and Chouza ordered the servant to show Inoichi the plans for a new castle. Taking another gulp, the man brought a sheet with plans on it forward.

"It's nothing special," Chouza explained. "Forty bedrooms, dining hall, it's practically a honeymoon cottage. It's already been built, so the lovers can move in tomorrow."

"Wait a second!" Inoichi interrupted. "Ino knows nothing about this, so it may come as...quite a shock to her."

"A SHOCK?!" Chouza repeated, angry. "Are you saying my Chouji isn't good enough for your daughter?!"

"No, not at all!"

"Well, I think you're a lousy king! My grandchildren wouldn't want you as a grandfather!"

Inoichi narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you arrogant, pompous, old man!"

"EN GUARD!!" Chouza cried, holding up a fish. He started to smack it down on the other king, who picked up a platter for defense.

After a moment, the two kings realized how foolish they were and laughed the argument off. When they looked for more wine, they found the servant sleeping under the table, drunk as anything.

Suddenly, there was an announcement. "His Majesty, Prince Chouji!"

King Chouza smiled excitedly and ran down to the entrance of the palace to meet with his son. It was none other than the young man Ino had met in the forest! "Father!" he called as his horse slowed down. "I've met my future bride!"

Chouza's eyes flew open. "What? Where?"

"Once upon a dream."

"Princess Ino?! Oh, I must tell Inoichi!"

Chouji grinned. "I never said it was Ino."

"Eh...but you...!"

"I'm going to marry this girl from the forest. She's a peasant girl, I guess."

"WHAT?!" Chouza grabbed onto his son. "No, Chouji, you can't do this! You're ruining me! You must marry Princess Ino. It's only right!"

"Oh, Father," Chouji laughed, "come on. It's the 14th century, and I'm going to marry the girl I love!" With that, he hopped back on his horse and made his way back to the forest.

Chouza stared. "Inoichi's not going to like this..."

As the sun set, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata led Ino back to the palace. Carefully and quietly, they snuck her up to one of the rooms and set her down to look at herself in the mirror. She was as beautiful as ever, and the three fairies, now back with their wands and wings, created a crown for her to wear. When they placed it upon her head, Ino began to cry again.

Sakura led the other two fairies out to the hallway. "Let's give her a moment alone..."

Once they closed the door, the bright fire burning in the fireplace went out, only to be replaced by a green and purple light. It hypnotized Ino and commanded her attention. When she stood, the light made the wall behind the fireplace disappear, only to reveal a secret passageway up to the very highest point of the castle. Ino walked through the passage and up several flights of stairs, wind blowing through the halls.

Outside the room, the three fairies discussed ways to ease their princess's grief until they heard the wind whistle through the halls. "TSUNADE!!" Sakura cried. She opened the doors and saw the passageway through the fireplace disappear.

"INO!! HANAKO!!" the fairies cried. They used their magic to make the passage reappear, but Ino was already well on her way up to the highest tower. Once she was there, a black spinning wheel appeared in the corner of the room. Still hypnotized, she reached out to touch it but backed her hand away at the last moment.

"Touch the spindle," came a voice. "Touch it, I say!"

Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata finally found the staircase that led up to the tower, but when they got there, Tsunade stood before them. "You simple-minded fools thought you could beat me? Me, the Mistress of All Evil?! Well then, HERE'S YOUR PRECIOUS PRINCESS!!" She pulled her black robes away to reveal Ino sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. The good fairies gasped in horror as the evil fairy disappeared. As they huddled around their princess, the sun set under the horizon.

Not knowing what else to do, the fairies set Ino into a bed in a nearby chamber. They sobbed over her seemingly-dead body as the kingdom began to celebrate the return of their princess.

"King Inoichi and the Queen will be heartbroken when they find out what happened," Hinata whimpered.

Sakura rubbed her eyes. "They're not going to. We'll put the entire kingdom to sleep until Hanako awakens. Come along." She closed the curtains to the room and made herself small. The other two fairies followed and began sprinkling sleeping powder over the kingdom, making sure they got everyone. "Sleeping Beauty," they sobbed as the subjects yawned and fell into the pits of unconsciousness.

The fairies even managed to get the Kings and the Queen. Chouza was trying to tell Inoichi about what Chouji had said to him, but he started to fall asleep too soon. "He's marrying...a peasant girl..." the King sighed.

Sakura gasped when she heard this, even though Inoichi was already asleep. "A peasant girl?" she repeated. "Where did he meet her? Tell me!"

Chouza blinked sleepily. "Once...upon...a dream..." His eyes soon shut, and he slept against the throne.

Sakura smiled. "Oh, my goodness! The boy from the forest was Prince Chouji! Wait a second...that means...!" She gasped again and hurried to find the other fairies. Quickly, the three of them sped into the forest.

Excited, Prince Chouji stepped up to the cottage and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. He heard a soft voice reply, "Come in." Once he did so, he was attacked by several little demons who tied both him and the horse up.

"Ha, what do you know?" Tsunade laughed as she held a candle up to Chouji's face. "I set a trap for a peasant, and I catch a prince! Away with him!" She smirked as her minions dragged him away.

The good fairies were too late. They only saw Chouji's hat resting on the ground. "It was Tsunade!" Hinata realized. "She took Prince Chouji to the Forbidden Mountain."

"We can't go there!" Tenten sobbed.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "But we must!"

The three fairies made their way quickly yet quietly up to the castle at the top of the Forbidden Mountain. Evading the guards, they made their way inside and watched as several little demons danced about a giant fire, celebrating the victory of their leader.

Tsunade smirked. "It's such a shame that Prince Chouji isn't here," she said to the raven. "Come along now, let's go cheer him up in the dungeon." She made her way down to the lowest part of the castle, unknowing that the three fairies were following her.

Chouji sat against the wall with chains surrounding his wrists. When the evil fairy walked into the room, he glared at her, his anger shining through.

"Oh, it's not so bad, Your Highness," Tsunade teased. "A wonderful future is waiting for you. Up in the highest chamber of the palace lies Princess Ino." She paused for a moment so a picture could appear in the jewel atop her staff. "But look! It's none other than the lovely peasant girl who charmed you just yesterday. The beauty sleeps, dreaming of her prince. The years pass by, one hundred of them to be exact." She smirked when the picture changed to that of Chouji as an old man. "The gates of my palace shall then open, and the brave prince shall march forward on his noble steed and save the princess, proving that True Love conquers all!" She laughed hysterically as Chouji tried to break the chains holding him back.

The fairies watched in horror as Tsunade left the prince alone in the dungeon to think about his horrible future. The raven, however, was able to sense that they were being watched. The fairies, not knowing of this, flew down to the young man and used their magic to free him.

"There's no time to explain!" Sakura panted. "Prince Chouji, you must save Princess Ino on your own, but we can help. Take this sword and shield!" The weapons appeared in the young prince's hands, and he grinned at the power he could use to triumph over evil. The fairies led him out of the dungeon, but the raven quickly spotted them. The black bird cried out for the guards, and the little demons soon attacked the prince and the fairies.

Making themselves small, the three fairies led Chouji outside a window and down a stone slope to his horse. While Hinata freed it, Sakura and Tenten turned the guards' rocks and arrows into bubbles and flowers. Once Chouji was on the horse, the group escaped out of the castle walls. Hinata stayed behind for a moment to turn the raven to stone.

When Tsunade emerged from her chambers, she gasped. "DIE!!" she shouted, sending boulders tumbling and collapsing the bridges that led to the Yamanaka Kingdom. The fairies used their magic to help Chouji through, but Tsunade had another plan. "A FOREST OF THORNS SHALL BE HIS TOMB!!"

With that, a giant, thorny tree burst out from the entrance of the palace, blocking the prince's path. Chouji used the sword to make his way through the obstacles, and once he was past the forest, he continued to the palace.

"NO!!" Tsunade cried. "IT CANNOT BE!!" She teleported to the entrance, once again blocking the prince's path. She stared him down and growled, "Now you shall deal with me...AND ALL THE POWERS OF HELL!!"

A lightning bolt struck down on the evil fairy, and a green and purple fire surrounded her. Chouji recoiled in fear, and when he looked back, Tsunade had transformed into a giant dragon. She spat fire at the young prince, knocking him backwards off his horse. She cornered him to a ledge and spat again, sending the shield into a large pit of green and purple fire below him. Realizing he only had one shot left, Chouji aimed his sword and threw it directly at the dragon's torso. It stabbed into her heart, and she cried out in pain. As large drops of blood pooled below her, the dragon fell forward and crashed into the fire below. Chouji rolled out of the way at the last second, and when he looked down, the fire had cleared, and his sword became stone, still stabbed into a piece of Tsunade's black robe.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Chouji got up and greeted his horse with a smile. He then followed the three good fairies up to the highest point in the tower.

There was Princess Ino lying in bed, peacefully dreaming about her love. Chouji approached her quietly kneeled down before her. Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her gently. When he pulled away, the princess's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at her dream prince, who was finally a reality.

The rest of the kingdom awoke, too. King Inoichi and the Queen yawned and rubbed their eyes open. "Um, yes, you were saying, Chouza?"

The other king opened his eyes as well. "Uh...I was? Oh, yes! I remember! Uh...it's about Prince Chouji. He says he's going to marry...!"

But the king stopped short when he heard trumpets playing. King Inoichi and the Queen stood and saw what they had been dreaming to see.

Hand in hand, Prince Chouji and Princess Ino stepped down the stairs of the palace to the throne room. When they made it to the center, they bowed for the King and Queen of the Yamanaka Kingdom, and Ino rushed forward to hug her parents.

Needless to say, King Chouza was a little confused. However, he lost all the uncertainty within him when Ino kissed his cheek. Happy, Chouza shrugged and commanded the music to play.

When the song began, Chouji and Ino danced about the room, wordlessly proclaiming their love for one another. The three good fairies watched from a balcony, and a few tears fell down the one in green.

"Ten-chan," Sakura began, "whatever is the matter?"

"Oh," Tenten sniffed, "I just love happy endings."

Sakura smiled but the expression soon faded away when she realized the color of the dress Ino was wearing. "Blue?! Heh, make it pink." She quickly changed the fabric.

Hinata noticed this and fought back. "Blue!" she insisted.

"Pink!"

"Blue!"

"Pink!"

"Blue!"

Suddenly, a different color appeared on Ino's dress. Sakura and Hinata glanced to their sides and saw Tenten will a proud smile on her face.

"Green!"

The two fairies looked back at each other with skeptical faces. They then turned back to the princess and waved their wands at the same time. "Purple!"

Tenten rolled her eyes amusedly and sighed. Hey, anything to stop their bickering! The three of them looked back down at their prince and princess, everyone full of joy. They and the subjects of the kingdom watched the romantic dance last well into the night. They all sang out to go along with the music.

"I know you. I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you. The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream!"

And they all lived happily ever after.

THE END

Next: Tsunade as Esmeralda

Author's Note: I changed the final scene with the fairies because that is SO how the movie should have ended. XD