He's never far away from me.

A twinge of annoyance was evident from the way his eyebrows knitted together, leaving small creases on his forehead. Most likely born out of his impatience at the amount of time I was taking in getting ready for what was to happen later in the day. I heard him sigh over the other end of the traditional partition screen which separated us. It was no use, and I was not to be fully blamed for this. If only he had allowed my maid servants to help me with the dressing, I would have been ready in no time.

"I don't like them", was the curt reason he gave.

The ceremonial kimono was of a really intricate design and I was having a hard time figuring out one end from the other. I slowly slipped my right arm through the opening which I hoped were the sleeves but somehow; my hands were lost between the tangles of folds. I tried to yank my arm out, but it might tear the delicate silk. Swallowing up my pride, I called out to him.

"Sasuke…"

I heard the light thumping of his footsteps against the wooden tiles, moving closer to me before stopping right on the other side of the partition.

"Are you done yet?" impatience dripping from his voice, I could practically taste it.

"No… I need help…"

I could just picture him running his hand through his hair, a childhood gesture I recognized whenever he was trying to keep his temper in check. I heard him drew in a breath before asking, "Are you at least decent?"

I glanced at the state of my ceremonial garb. Well, besides the tangled mess of fabric, I was pretty much decent and I had my inner dress on. It should not be too indecent, I hope. And besides, we practically grew up together, I'm sure he knows how I look like inside out.

"Pretty much", I called out to him and he was in front of me in a flash. Undressing me with haste and smoothening out the fabric before guiding me through the various openings with much ease. All this was done in silence, not a single word was uttered between us and yet, I was able to understand what he required of me throughout the whole process. And with a final tug on the obi, I was done. I was impressed at the sheer skill and speed he had in dressing me. Yet at the same time, it kind of disturbs me how he showed equal skill in undressing a woman's kimono too. I must have a weird look on my face because he came up to me and spoke in a stern voice.

"How long are you going to stand there? I'll call in the servants to fix your hair."

He stepped out of the room and I heard a murmur of voices. Before long, two young girls entered the room with a shy expression on their faces. They had their faces downcast, intentionally avoiding my gaze. So was the custom around royalty, it was considered disrespectful to look royalty in the eye. Honestly, I have never identified with that rule. Eyes were the windows to a person's soul, and personally I felt that if you gaze into a person's eyes, you're able to convey to them what you really felt. There is much warmth and sincerity that a gaze can hold. But apparently, the Elders would never condone such thoughts and I guess it was better left unsaid.

"Umm, Lady Haruno… We are here to help you brush and arrange your hair"

One of the girls spoke softly. There was a slight tremble in her voice, as if the merest of noise would make her bolt out of the room like a terrified mouse. Wanting to set the girls at ease, I spoke with the gentlest of tones and coaxed them to come nearer. As they were brushing my long pink tresses, I told them that I would prefer to wear it in a long plaid. The girls showed much enthusiasm and began working on it with a renewed interest. When they were done, I told them to leave the room and call for him.

"Y-you mean the scary man?" one of the girls, stuttered.

Before I could answer her, the door to my chamber was swung open and he stormed in. The girls yelped in surprise and scurried out of the room in haste. He gave them a sneer and fixed his gaze at me.

"I trust you are done?" he cocked an eyebrow at me in disdain. "The Hyuugas were never known to be a patient bunch."

I nodded at him and rose from my seat. I made my way towards the exit with him walking a few paces behind. As we were nearing the Banquet hall, I paused right before turning the corner, causing him to almost bump into me. He was about to hiss at me when I suddenly spun around and fixed my gaze to his. His scowl soon turned into an expression of confusion, a questioning look.

"What if they don't like me?"

And before I could help myself, I felt tears forming at the corner of my eyes. I wanted to kick myself at that moment. Here I was at the most important event of my coming-of-age and I had to go ruin it with my stupid insecurities.

I was 17 years old, at the brink of woman hood; I was supposed to be thrilled at the idea of a young man waiting for me at the other side of the wall, wanting to ask for my hand in marriage. And yet, here I was, a total emotional wreck waiting to happen. I promised my father I would not disappoint him this time. It was tradition in the family, that the Head would appoint a successor when any of his offspring have come of age. Being of Shinobi heritage, it was more important that this be done because there were many clan wars going on in the fight for supremacy. Seeing that I was an only child, my father had wanted to appoint me his successor. However, the fact that my ninjutsu were not up to par, I knew deep down that I had disappointed him. Shinobi training was gruelling and despite giving my all, I can never seem to outwit him. Often when my father was out of town for a Shinobi gathering, I often begged Sasuke to train with me, in hopes of showing my father what new skills I had acquired. However, it would always end up with me getting bruises and cuts at every single area of skin imaginable. Soon, it got too prominent that my father got down to the truth of it and he had Sasuke severely punished for having me hurt.

"Your duty is to protect" That was always what my father had reprimanded him with before lashing out 5 strokes of the cane on his back.

I would always cry out to my father, pleading him to stop because it was all my idea. But father would never listen. He was convinced that it was Sasuke's way of showing defiance against the Haruno clan for slaying his family. At that point of time, I was too young to understand the deep emotional wounds in which my clan had inflicted upon Sasuke. As I grew older, I learnt the horrifying truth about the massacre and I went to bed that night crying myself to sleep. It was cruel what we were doing to him. Having to endure being the last of his clan, he was now my sword servant, forever bound to protect me till my last breath. The irony of having to protect the child of the one who had murdered his parents was cruel and I could not help but to feel dirty about myself. I used to wonder why Sasuke would not just slay me in my sleep for revenge, but I found out that it was impossible. The Elders had sealed his soul to mine, which means that even if he wanted to, the invisible chain which binds us would prevent him from killing me. Now, at 19, he was practically a grown man at the prime of his youth, he should be allowed to live a normal life, find a woman and settle down. But due to the ties that bind him, he could never lead a normal life and would be forced to serve me till he grew old. Or at least, until I die.

My thoughts were still swarming in my mind when I felt strong pair of hands gripping my shoulders hard. Sasuke was looking at me directly now and in that low tone which he usually reserved for me whenever I made mistakes during training said, "Then they are not worth your time".

He quickly dabbed the corner of my eyes with the edge of his sleeve and lightly flicked my forehead. He spun me around and shoved me down the corridor to meet my fate.

I was trying my best not to cringe at the numbness that had taken over my right foot as I kneeled before my future-in-laws to pour the ceremonial tea. The many years of training with my old nursemaid had prepared me for this moment. Her words kept resonating in my mind, subconsciously making me straighten my posture and maintaining an expression of composure on my face.

I can do this!

I kept repeating to myself like a mantra while trying to block out the pain on my right foot. A few days before, I had gone to the gardens to check on the sakura blossoms that had bloomed on the tree. Thinking that it would make a nice ornament for my hair, I intended to climb the tree and pluck one, just like those times when I was a kid. Peeking around to see that Sasuke had still not returned from his errand, I tucked the lower hem of my kimono into the folds and proceeded to place my right foot onto the tree trunk to secure my footing. Slowly I hoisted myself onto the thick branches and edged nearer to where the fully bloomed sakura was. I stretched my arm out, reaching for it and felt its soft petal lightly brushing against my fingers.

Just a little bit more…

With all of my strength, I tried to reach out further but a loud yell had caught me off-guard and I was thrown off-balance. Before I knew it, a falling sensation took over me and I shut my eyes, bracing for the impact. I felt my body landing on a hard surface and when I opened my eyes, I saw that Sasuke had managed to break my fall in time, but it was not enough to prevent the sprain that was starting to form on my right ankle.

Needless to say, Sasuke was furious at me. He swiftly lifted me in his arms and carried me to my chambers. Before he could run out to call for the family physician, I quickly tugged at his sleeve.

"No! Don't!"

At my refusal to call for the physician, he glowered and yelled at me for doing something so stupid. Luckily, the door was closed; no one could hear him amidst the bustling of the afternoon activities.

"WHY NOT? YOU NEED TO GET TREATED!"

Since young, I was always weak against Sasuke when he was having one of his tempers. My insides would coil up in fear and I would cry over the harshness of his tone and the intensity of his anger. Most of the time, I felt like running away and hide myself where he could not find me. But deep down, I knew that I deserved it. What was my fear compared to his devastation of having his family slain before his eyes? So, as if it was second nature, I wound my arms around my knees and hid my gaze into my shoulder. I remained in that position and refused to budge. I tried to sob as quietly as possible because I didn't want him to think that I was trying to play the victim.

Soon, when his anger had subsided, I could feel his warm hands trying to pry my arms away gently while repeatedly whispering, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

That day was no different, as soon as he managed to make me look at him, he asked me again, why I had refused to get my ankle treated. I told him that I did not want my father to find out about the incident.

"Your foolishness you mean" He curtly responded.

"No…" I bit my lip before continuing, "I did not want to see you punished… like before…"

Usually when we were kids, after I had confessed my fault, he would pull me in for a hug and give my hair a gentle stroke. But as we grew older, he kept the physical contact to a minimum and he only touched me when it was necessary. That day, he merely tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and ordered me to rest. He brought me some medicinal tea and was out of the door.

But despite that, I felt myself smiling.

It was the first time in many years since he had shown such a warm gesture like that. I feared that with my impending engagement it would bring about more distance in the gulf between us. But that day, I saw him again. The Sasuke that I used to know. The Sasuke whom used to cry himself to sleep while I held on to his hands when we were children.

I'm still glad to know that the same boy still existed in the man who was now like an impenetrable wall.

Having finished pouring the tea, I gracefully settled back into my sitting posture and fixed my gaze to my hands while the adults carried on the conversation. It was a very uncomfortable experience, as I could feel many pairs of eyes assessing me every single minute. At those moments where I felt that no one was watching, I quickly stole a glance at my prospective fiancé. I heard the adults addressed him as Neji Hyuuga. He was a handsome young man with raven long locks which he tied up into a long sleek ponytail. Apparently all the males in the Hyuuga clan had long hair as it was a symbol of their divine ancestry which dated back to the Water Deity. His eyes were the lightest shade of indigo, and coupled with his fair skin, it gave him an almost ethereal quality. He had an angular carved nose that accentuated well with the firm lines of his mouth. Overall, his features gave off a masculine and strong aura about him and it made me pleased that at least he looked dependable. If I were to have a husband, he would have to at least look like someone who could protect me. As if he had felt me looking at him, he lifted his gaze to meet mine. Flustered, I could feel a blush creeping up to my cheeks and had decided to keep my eyes downcast for the rest of the encounter.

As the ceremony came to an end and the Hyuugas were ready to take their leave, Lady Hyuuga went up to me and bestowed a peck on my cheek. She told me what a rare and fine beauty I was and that she was lucky to have the honour of having me join her family in the future. I was the picture of all modesty as I gave Lady Hyuuga a bow and blushed crimson at the praise. Soon, I was escorted by Sasuke to the palace gates to go see the Hyuugas off.

The carriages pass through the gates one by one and to my surprise, the last carriage stopped right before me. The curtained window was pushed aside to reveal Neji Hyuuga. He extended a hand towards me and I raised my hand to meet his. I felt a light weight on my palm and noticed that Neji had placed a Ruby necklace onto it. I was surprised at the sudden gift and before I could give it back, he had already ordered the carriage to depart. The Ruby was in the shape of a teardrop and I could not help but to marvel at its beauty. It was the first time I ever received a gift from someone other than my parents. It was definitely a special moment for me.

All these had happened in the presence of Sasuke and I could not help but to feel embarrassed at this somewhat personal exchange.

"What are you blushing about?" He questioned her, clearly annoyed by the fact that I was standing there like a lost puppy.

"N-nothing! Let's go back."

And with that, I hurried off towards the palace with the Ruby necklace swaying against my chest.