Naruto 1. Prologue

*Disclaimer* Although this is an original work written by myself, the characters and plot are not mine and belong to their respective creators. I gain nothing from this work other than experience and critiques.

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Once upon a time, in a land far, far, away, a young prince lived in a castle. Given everything he ever wanted in his childhood, he grew up spoiled and selfish, loving no one but himself.

One night, in the midst of a great storm, there was an unexpected knock at the door, and he saw that it was an old, haggard, beggar woman asking for shelter for the dangerous night. In return, she was willing to bestow a small branch decorated with beautiful, pale pink cherry blossoms. Despite her offer, the prince turned the vagrant away, absolutely revolted by her gaunt exterior and affronted she would offer something as ridiculous and paltry as flowers. However, she cautioned him not to judge one based on appearances, saying that beauty is found within, but he paid no heed to her warning.

Upon this, the old beggar woman transformed, revealing herself as a beautiful enchantress. When the prince realized what he had done, he pleaded at her feet for forgiveness. But the damage had already been done; he had shown her that he had no room in his heart for anyone but himself. With a wave of her wand, the prince slowly started to transform into a hideous beast, placing a spell on the castle and all that lived there as well.

Ashamed by his new appearance, the prince isolated himself from the rest of the world, with only a magical mirror as his window to the outside world. The cherry blossoms from the enchantress were magical as well; they would continue to bloom for years to come, until the day of his 21st birthday. He had until then to break the spell, to show that he could learn to love, and earn the love of another as well. If he didn't, he would remain in his repulsive form for all of eternity.

Years passed, and the monstrous prince fell into despair, knowing his time was running out. Eventually he lost all hope; who could ever learn to love a beast such as himself?


	2. Chapter One

The sun rose over the small village of Konoha, its rays breaking through the leaves that sheltered the village. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the sun warmed the village to a balmy and refreshing temperature. On the outskirts of the village, a young girl with shoulder length pink hair and green eyes wearing a simple red sundress walked out of her house and down the dirt path leading into the rural community. As she ambled along, her mind went through the list of chores she'd have to do that day, occasionally breaking her thoughts with daydreams and wishes of being somewhere else. It was the same thing, day after day, ever since she could remember. Life here was too predictable, too ordinary. It could partially explain her daydreaming; she would go through the same routine like an automaton every day, leaving her mind plenty of opportunities to wander without interfering with her responsibilities.

She reached her first destination, the bookstore. It was how she was able to escape the humdrum of her boring life, though she admitted the more she read, the more she wished to have something more to her life than what was offered to her.

"Ohayou, Sakura," the tall, silver-haired bookstore owner greeted as she walked through the doors.

"Ohayou, Kakashi," she intoned, "I'm here to return the book I borrowed from you."

"You're already done?" he asked in surprise as she handed back the copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_.

"I couldn't put it down; I spent every spare moment possible reading that book," she replied with a smile. "It was quite the page-turner from beginning to end. I can see why you like it so much. Do you have anything new?" She was already browsing the shelves.

"No, not since you were here yesterday," Kakashi murmured, looking down at his beloved book, secretly glad it was back in his hands so soon.

"No matter," Sakura said, finding the right shelf. "I can just borrow this one again."

"Haven't you read that one already?"

"Three times, actually," Sakura laughed. "But I absolutely love it. It's everything you could ever want in a book. Nothing like anything you could find here." Already in her mind she was imagining herself in the fantasy world, fighting monsters alongside the heroine, exploring uncharted caves.

"Well, if you love that book so much, why don't you just have it?"

"Oh, I couldn't," Sakura's eyes widened.

"Nonsense," Kakashi waved his hand airily. "You're really the only one that comes in here to read it anyway; no one will miss it."

"Well, if you're sure…" she mused, still hesitant, though her inner mind was already cheering, _Hell yeah!_

"Yes, just take it," Kakashi pushed the book in her hands closer to her to prove his point. "It'll save you trips in the future to come over and read it again."

"Is this your way of saying I show up here too often?" she teased as she headed for the exit. "Just kidding. Thank you so much, Kakashi!" Sakura said excitedly as she practically skipped out of the store, opening the book to the first page. She meandered through the village once more, finishing up any of the other errands she had to do before returning home.

As she went from shop to shop, her eyes were almost glued to the pages, so she never noticed the villagers staring at her, disconcerted. It was one thing to see a girl reading, but to see one as beautiful as her burying that pretty face of hers into a book was downright absurd in their eyes. She could be so much more, they thought, than the odd girl she was. Sure, she was nice, but most of the time when she talked to them the villagers barely understood what she was saying. The words she spoke were either too long to understand or were used to refer to ideas or thoughts that were just plain illogical and unrealistic. As a result, they tended to stay away from her and her outlandish ideas, only talking to her for polite pleasantries when required. When she was out of their sight, they continued on with their daily activities, completely forgetting about her.

Sakura was already almost done with the first chapter when she noticed a presence near her. She looked up from her book and saw a tall, good-looking, dark haired man standing before her. She recognized him as the ever popular and handsome warrior in their village. "Ohayou, Sasuke," she said amicably as she merely walked around him without missing a beat in her step.

"Ohayou, Sakura," Sasuke said coolly as he walked alongside her. "What are you reading here?" Without waiting for a reply, he took the book from her hands and started flipping through the pages.

"Only one of the most remarkable stories I've ever read," Sakura said, eyes narrowed as she tried to reach for her book, only to have it pulled further away from her reach.

"Doesn't look that remarkable," Sasuke scoffed, "there's not one picture in here."

"Well that's what the words are for," Sakura explained, "if you read them, you can paint your own picture in your brain."

Sasuke furrowed his brow at her statement: painting with words, who does that? He shook his head. "A girl like you shouldn't be doing such things like that," he commented. "It sounds like that requires thinking."

"Well, it does," Sakura said pointedly as she made a grab for her book once more, succeeding this time.

"Why don't you spend your time doing something more useful?" Sasuke asked.

"Like what?" she challenged. Something told her the word 'kitchen' would be uttered in his answer.

"Like finding a husband," Sasuke smirked. "A girl as beautiful as yourself could earn a fine, good-looking husband to care for."

Quite frankly she would've rather had the kitchen answer.

Sakura crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the handsome yet dense man. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe that's not what I want?"

"Well why not?" he truly looked thrown off by her question.

"Because that would mean I'd be pulled further into a mundane, tedious life here. Some girls may want that lifestyle, but not me. I want more than that, I want to go on escapades, like the one in this book," she held up the book briefly before quickly pulling it away before Sasuke could have a chance to snatch it up again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be getting back home; my father is expecting me." Before Sasuke could say another word, she turned on her heels and marched away, turning back to the page she had been reading earlier.

"Otousan?" she called when she walked through the front door. No answer. She set the book down on the table and went to the one place she knew she'd find him: the cellar. Sure enough, she found her father, working on his latest invention, a tool he hoped could be used to help the warriors with their training. "How is it going?" she asked.

"Getting there," her father grunted in reply, reaching behind him for a screwdriver without taking his eyes off his work. "Hopefully I can get this done by noon so I can head out to the fair out of town."

"You will, I know you can do it," Sakura smiled.

"How was your morning?" Kizashi asked.

"Same as always," Sakura shrugged. "I got a new book."

"Good, good," her father nodded as he set the screwdriver down, examining his work. "It's always good to expand your mind by reading."

"I'm glad someone thinks that," Sakura said with a sad smile. "Everyone else here seems to think that's crazy. I don't really have anyone to talk to here."

"Well, to each their own, I guess," Kizashi said absentmindedly. "I'm sure you'll find someone with whom you can get along, though."

"I hope you're right," Sakura sighed.

"Alright," Kizashi said with finality, "I think this ought to do it. Stand back while I test this out." He worked a crank for a few moments before pulling a lever. After a few moments of nothing the machine came to life on its own, working gears, pulling ropes, and then finally –

"It works!" Sakura cheered when she saw a kunai discharge from the machine, embedding itself into the wall of the cellar. Neither of them seemed to have given a thought of how things could've ended for them if the kunai launcher failed to work properly.

"Yes! Now to get this loaded up so I can go off to the fair," her father said excitedly as he hurried up the stairs to get the wagon ready. After the invention was loaded up and the horse was saddled, Sakura bade her father farewell and good luck as he rode off down the road leading out of the village. In the meantime, she still had her chores to do, but she still had that chapter to finish…

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*Disclaimer* This is an original work based on characters and plots borrowed from other creators, ones that actually have talent. I'm gaining nothing from writing this except experience and critiques.


	3. Chapter Two

Hi, everyone! It's a little shorter of a chapter this week. And not much really happens here. Sorry...but thank you to everyone who's been reading/reviewing/following/all that jazz! I'm trying to update on Fridays, but I know these next couple weeks will be kinda hectic for me, so it might be sooner, might be later. Either way I'll still try to update once a week.

*Disclaimer* Refer to previous chapters. Or my profile. I own and gain nothing, basically.

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She was in the middle of her chores the next day when she heard a knock at the door. Wondering who it could've been – surely her father couldn't be back so soon, and she didn't have any friends that would go out of their way to visit – Sakura opened the door and faltered a little bit when she saw Sasuke at the door.

"Oh, ohayou, Sasuke," she said as he let himself in. "I wasn't expecting you to drop by." She tried not to let her disillusionment show in her voice.

"Yes, I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" Sasuke smirked as he seated himself at the table where her and her father would share meals. "And the surprises just keep on coming for you, Sakura."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Sakura furrowed her brow, befuddled.

"I mean today is the day when your dreams come true," Sasuke announced haughtily.

"I get to go on a trip to a faraway country to meet exquisite people with a culture entirely different from ours?" she asked optimistically as her eyes widened.

"Uh…no," Sasuke shook his head. "I mean this is the day where you get married to me." He flashed his trademark smirk once more, his eyes gleaming with conceit.

"I beg your pardon?" Her hopeful smile dropped.

"Yes, just outside are our witnesses, waiting for you so we can start the ceremony."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh, wow," she stammered. "Sasuke, I'm just astounded. That's absolutely…ineffable." _Oh, hell no!_ her inner voice shouted. _If he thinks I'm gonna walk down that aisle he's got another think coming!_

Sasuke stood up and sauntered towards her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that with every step he took she took one step back. "So what do you say; how about you head on upstairs and change into a beautiful dress for your future husband?"

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura said haltingly, continuing her steps backwards. "I don't know…I just…"

"Yes?"

"I just…" she thought for a moment, thinking up a plan. "I just don't see why we should wait a moment longer; why don't we just head out now?" She smiled her sweetest smile to help with the convincing.

Sasuke didn't have to think twice. "Well, as long as I look good enough for both of us on this day, then that should be fine." He led the way to the front door, and Sakura opened it for him.

"**Shānnarō**!"

One second he was walking through the front door, the next he felt a colossal force slam against the center of his back, sending him flying over the front yard for all the witnesses to see, and landed face first into the dirt. He rolled over just in time to see the door slam shut, his audience staring at him with mouths agape from the scene that just occurred. Sasuke glared at them all, trying his best to keep his confident front and not let his embarrassment show. "She _will_ be mine," he declared assertively. He got up, brushed himself off, and stormed away.

Sakura peeked out the window, watching the villagers stroll away from her house, some casting frightened glances towards the house. She turned around and leaned against the wall, still trying to comprehend what just happened. He really did just arrive and assumed that she would want to be the wife of someone so arrogant, so asinine– what did he take her for? What did they _all_ take her for? After all, they were just as bad considering they were all outside waiting, as if they expected her to just give herself up and walk down the aisle, condemning her life to one of tedium and ennui. If that's really what their expectations are, then she needed to get out of there. There had to be a place somewhere better than this, where she and her father could live comfortably without being considered outcasts.

She shook her head, still trying to rid her mind of the event before continuing on with her chores. As she stepped outside to water the plants, she heard a rhythmic pounding noise and turned to see her father's bay draft horse approaching with her father's invention, but without her father.

She stood up slowly, concern taking over her. Where was her father? She gave the horse a reassuring pat, for he seemed to have been spooked by something. Without another thought, she unhitched the wagon, got on the horse, and rode off in the direction that he came from.


	4. Chapter Three

This longer chapter should make up for last week, heh. Also since I'll be busy this week/weekend, I'll probably add Chapter 4 a couple days sooner than normal, as soon as I look through it again to make sure I'm satisfied with it. Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up with this and reviewing!

*Disclaimer* Original writing, plot and characters are borrowed from their respective creators.

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It was almost nightfall when she was brought to a large and daunting castle. She never realized there was such a structure here, but then again, they were a good ways away from the village, and she had never wandered this far out of the village before. She saw movement nearby from the corner of her eye and realized it was her father's cloak hooked onto a bare tree's branch. She urged the horse onward, but he refused to move. So instead she got off and walked the rest of the way to the gargantuan doors. She looked around; it looked abandoned and uncared for, so she pushed her way inside, staying cautious all the same.

"Hello?" she called, in case there really _was_ someone inhabiting this dark castle. "Is there anyone here? I'm looking for my father, have you seen him?" she thought she heard something down the hall, like a soft tapping, so she followed the noise, still calling out. There was no response except for the continuous unidentifiable noise, which she followed up a set of stairs, spiraling upward, higher and higher. She reached what she realized was a bleak and dank tower, with stone walls providing no sort of insulation, the moon the only source of light coming through an opening in the wall that was to represent a window. She also realized it was a dead end, with only what looked like jail cells before her. "Hello?" she called out again, and this time she heard a response.

"Sakura?" a familiar voice sounded.

"Otousan?!" she ran towards his voice and could barely make out the figure of him in a corner cell hidden in the dark, huddled to keep himself warm. "What happened to you?"

"What are you doing here?" Kizashi asked. "You shouldn't be here, you need to get out of here _now_!"

"Not until I get you out of here!" she stood up, feeling her way through the dark for the lock, as her father continued pleading for her to escape while she could. Suddenly she was knocked to the ground by a massive force, and her father shouted her name in anguish.

"Who are you?" a new voice, a deep, intimidating voice, bellowed out. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura recovered, getting on her feet as she tried to identify the speaker in the dark. "Please," she begged to the invisible voice, "I just want to bring my father home."

"He's my prisoner," the loud voice echoed throughout the tower, "he shouldn't have come into my castle if he didn't want to face such a fate."

"I'm sure he didn't mean you any harm," Sakura cried, still trying to get a glimpse of the mysterious speaker of the booming voice. "Please, just let him go, and you'll never hear from us again."

"Never," the dark voice shouted, "he was caught trespassing and must face the consequences. He is to be imprisoned here forever."

Sakura looked to her father in the cell, slowly but surely freezing in there. She couldn't bear living her life knowing he was trapped here and doing nothing about it. "If that's the case," she said, her voice shaking, "then take me in his place."

There was a pause.

"Please!" Sakura begged again, ignoring her father's orders of leaving him be.

"You would do that?" the voice softened slightly, a hint of confusion evident in his voice. He couldn't understand why someone would put their life on the line like that, knowing very well they were going to be imprisoned forever. And with a monster like himself to keep her company, he thought grimly.

"Yes, I would!" Sakura exclaimed. "He's my father; this isn't a proper environment for him. Can't you see he's freezing here? He needs to be home where it's safe and warm."

"Sakura, don't!" Kizashi's voice broke into a coughing fit, further proving her point.

The voice didn't answer right away, and Sakura listened hard for any movement that would give away his position; with the way his voice echoed in the tower it was hard to pinpoint his location. Then –

"Fine," it said gruffly, and she heard steps moving forward. In the moonlight she caught a sign of movement, something large, moving towards her father's cell. She heard the movement of the lock, a squeak of the door, and soon her father was in her arms.

"Sakura, don't do this! You have your whole life ahead of you, you shouldn't be spending it locked up in a tower guarded by a –" he didn't finish his sentence because he gave a shout of surprise as he was suddenly dragged away from her. "Sakura!" he called.

"Wait! Otousan!" she got up and starting running, following her father. She stopped in her tracks when she finally got a better look at what was dragging her father down the stairs. A large, misshapen creature, unlike anything she had ever seen before. She stood, petrified, as realization sunk in, that she would never see her father again, that she was now a prisoner in this miserable tower, with a…with a…

She heard noises outside and ran to the only window, where she saw a horseless, driverless carriage pulling away, and she saw the amorphous figure walking back towards the castle. Without reason, she ran down the spiral stairs, down the hall, and rounded the corner when –

She gasped when she saw what was in front of her. It was a massive, tan creature, with a pattern of intricate black markings covering its entirety. A large tail stood out, equally decorated with the markings, and its face consisted of large pointed ears, a black mask of markings, and glaring yellow eyes, looking right at her.

Sakura stood, terrified, as the beast came nearer. She realized this was why her father wanted her to get away as quickly as possible, even if it meant leaving him. But no, she was glad that her father was safe; she stood her ground, preparing herself for what the monster might do to her.

"Follow me; I'll show you to your room."

She wasn't prepared for _that_.

"What?"

"You're going to stay here for the rest of your life," it growled, "unless you want to stay up in that tower you described as an unsuitable environment."

He did have a point.

She had no choice but to follow the brute, up a different set of stairs, down a large corridor, up another set of stairs, until they reached a door. Upon opening it, she saw an enormous bedroom, the walls a beautiful crimson color, with a large four-poster bed adorned with a fine-looking floral bedspread complementing the color theme of the room. Next to the bed was a massive wardrobe and desk, and on the opposite wall was a window that reached from floor to ceiling, curtains matching the bedspread. It was a marvelous sight, and Sakura would have thought that, had it not been for the reason she was brought to that room.

"You are free to wander anywhere in the castle," the monster said, "except the West Wing. That is forbidden to you. You are also to join me at all meals and whenever I request your presence." With that, he slammed the door, leaving Sakura to her room.

Sakura furrowed her brow at the door; she was given almost unlimited access to the castle, but had to follow his orders whenever he wished for her attendance. In what such situations, she couldn't help but wonder. She walked to the window, staring out at it. All she could see beyond her, shining in the pale moonlight, were leafless trees upon trees upon trees. She fought back tears as she realized this would be her view for the rest of her life; she wouldn't be going home, she wouldn't get to go on adventures, she –

She gasped as she turned when she heard a noise behind her. She thought she was alone. It still looked like she was alone. Why did that noise sound so close to her? She gasped again when she saw movement; the wardrobe? She took a step towards it, reaching for its door, not sure what would be behind it, when suddenly it opened on its own. She jumped backwards with a yelp, falling onto the carpet floor, and stared up at it, scared stiff, when it looked to be _walking_ towards her. And then, it spoke.

"Finally, someone who can actually wear these dresses!" The door opened widely once more, and with a shriek, Sakura scurried backwards as quickly as possible from the inanimate – no, it was _supposed_ to be inanimate, but –

"Well don't you wanna wear something pretty when you go to dinner?!" it called out to her as Sakura still backed away, until she reached the wall. She gasped when she heard a knock at the door then, glancing warily at the wardrobe once more, edged her way to the door as quickly as possible. She opened the door and saw…no one. Then –

"I thought you'd like some tea after what you just went through," a soft voice below her said, and when she looked down, she saw a teakettle, a _moving_ teakettle, as it hopped lively across the floor into her room. Following her was a small teacup, and at this point all Sakura could do was stare. What was going on? She watched as the teakettle poured itself tea into the little cup, and the cup made its way over to Sakura, and that was when she saw a face etched onto it, smiling up at her.

"It's ok, I don't bite!" it said in a childlike voice. Reluctantly, Sakura knelt down and picked up the cup, examining it, the dark eyes, the grin with a missing tooth. She brought the cup towards her, convinced herself she was going out of her mind, and took a sip of some of the most delicious tea she ever had.

After finishing her tea, she set the cup down, and it hurriedly hopped away to the kettle, which Sakura realized also had a face imprinted on, one with large pale eyes staring at her, smiling. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Hinata," the teakettle said warmly, "this is Konohamaru."

"And…" Sakura looked up, her attention back on the wardrobe. With a clear head, she inspected it closer, and saw a face as part of the molding above the door, smiling down at her.

"I'm Ino," it said. "Now do you wanna change into something for dinner?"

"But…I don't understand…" Sakura stammered. "Why are you all - ?"

"We've all fallen under a curse," Hinata explained. "When the prince was cursed, it affected the entire kingdom, servants and all."

"So…you're all…human?" Sakura asked, bewildered. This was nothing like any of the books she had read.

"Well, currently, no," Ino said matter-of-factly. "But at some point in our lives, we were. Including the prince."

"The prince?"

"You know, that tanuki-looking guy?"

"_He's_ the…prince? But he's…" she trailed off.

"It's ok, you can say it," Konohamaru said frankly after a brief pause. "Even _he_ knows he's a big, rude, brute."

"Konohamaru," Hinata scolded.

"Well it's true!"

"But really," Hinata said, covering up Konohamaru's protests, "he's not that bad once you get to know him."

"Once I get to know him?" Sakura repeated in disbelief, reflecting on her impressions based on their encounter; it seemed highly unlikely. "He threw my father into an old, dark cell, and in a split second all my dreams and aspirations had been decimated. And he never even gave us a chance to say goodbye; he just tore my father away from me, and I'll never see him again! How can such a thing really not be that bad? He's just a selfish, obstinate - !"

At that point there was another knock at the door. Sakura got up to answer it, and when she saw no one at her eye level, she knew this time to look down to see her visitor. This time it was a small clock.

"Hello, Shikamaru," Hinata greeted happily with a smile, "what brings you here?"

"I was told to come up here to fetch the girl so she could attend dinner," the clock named Shikamaru replied lazily. He looked up at Sakura. "Are you ready?"

Sakura looked down at the clock, then at her door, knowing that if she went downstairs she would have to face _him_ again. "No," she said blatantly. "I'm not hungry."

Shikamaru and Hinata exchanged glances, and then Shikamaru rolled his dark, shrewd eyes. "This is gonna be troublesome," he muttered as he tottered off out of the room.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Hinata asked worriedly once the door was shut. She knew the prince would not take Sakura's decision lightly, and wanted to try to avoid more problems for the two. After all, all of their fates depended on the two of them.

"I've had a rough day," Sakura said, sitting on her bed. "My appetite's the least of my worries."

"But maybe if you get some food in your stomach you'll feel a bit better about being here," Hinata tried for reasoning. "After all, Chouji's cooking is absolutely –"

Suddenly a loud shout was heard, then stomping feet, frantic yells, all of which were getting closer and closer until finally she heard banging on her door, and she didn't have to ask who it was.

"You're supposed to come down to dinner!" the tanuki's voice shouted so loudly it was like he was actually in the room.

"I'm not hungry!" Sakura repeated, shouting as well. She stood cautiously by the door, ready to jump out of the way in case he decided to break the door down, but all she heard was muffled voices. Then she heard his voice again, much calmer, though aggravation was still seeping through.

"It would be greatly appreciated if you _please_ accompanied me to dinner. Please."

He wasn't going to win her over that easily, even if he begged.

"No, thanks!"

"So you're just gonna stay in there forever? Because the only way you're gonna eat is if you eat with me!"

"Fine by me!" Sakura shouted, and it took all her strength not to punctuate her argument with a kick of the door.

"Then so be it!" he growled, and it wasn't until she heard him storm away that she stomped off to her bed and threw herself across it in anger.


	5. Chapter Four

Posting a little earlier than usual because I'll be out of town and don't have a clue whether I'd find time to update during the weekend. So ta-da!

*Disclaimer* My work, plot and characters not mine. See profile for in-depth disclaimer :P

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Meanwhile, Sakura's father tumbled out of the carriage and found himself just outside the village. Without wasting another moment, he started to run, his weakened body stumbling on occasion over the uneven ground. He had no time to spare; he had to find someone to help him get his daughter out of that castle, away from that beast, before something happened to her. He ran down the street that was normally the busiest during the day; it was currently empty, with the only signs of life coming from a nearby tavern. It was this building he first ran into, where he saw many of the townsmen gathered, enjoying their night with some jokes and drinks.

"Help!" he shouted, interrupting the banter and laughter, "please help me! My daughter's been locked up! I need help, please help!"

Several of the men raised from their seats, though half-heartedly; it was clear to everyone in the village that Sakura had gotten her oddness from her father, and so they weren't sure right away to take his pleas seriously. One of the men that stood up was Sasuke, and he strutted over to Kizashi.

"Where's she been locked up?" he asked, one hand on his hip, doing his best to hide a smirk; maybe now was his chance. If he could save Sakura, then she'd have to marry him as thanks.

"In a tower up in a castle far away from here!" Kizashi frantically grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and shook him violently until Sasuke broke free. "A huge beast has got her locked up as a prisoner!"

Sasuke froze. "A _what_?" he asked incredulously.

"A monstrous beast! He was huge, with these yellow eyes and this massive tail, and – "

"You're crazy," Sasuke scoffed, with a wave of his hand as the others laughed. "You should get to bed, old man."

"No, I mean it! Please!" he was grabbed by a few of the witnesses and dragged out of the tavern so he could interrupt them no further. He frantically looked around after the door was slammed behind him and started for another building; surely _someone_ in this whole village would be willing to help him. Right?

Sakura woke up before realizing she had even passed out on the bed. She looked around; it was still dark out, Ino appeared to have stepped back to her corner and had dozed off, and Hinata and Konohamaru were nowhere to be seen. She didn't know what time it was, but it had to have been really late. She felt her stomach growl, no doubt the reason why she even woke up in the first place. She figured no one would be up at this time; she could sneak into the kitchen and find something to snack on.

She slipped out of her room, closing the door silently behind her, before starting down the partially lit corridor. She eventually found herself recognizing the ground level; the kitchen had to be somewhere on this floor. She walked down the long corridor, looking through every room, until she found the large dining hall; she was getting warmer.

Sure enough, the next place she found was the kitchen. As quietly as possible, she grabbed a little bit of everything she could find, so that no one would really notice any of it had gone missing, and when she turned to leave, she found herself looking directly into the eyes of the…

"Don't worry," the oven said with a smile, "I won't say a word."

Sakura sighed in relief before murmuring a thanks and left the kitchen. She walked along the corridor once more and realized…she forgot how to get back to her room.

She knew it had to be upstairs somewhere. But she couldn't remember which set of stairs she had come from; everything looked the same as far as surroundings go. Not even portraits or tapestries to help serve as landmarks for her to remember where to go. She decided to just take the first set of stairs she came across, knowing at least she'd eventually make it back to the right floor at some point.

Her surroundings were unfamiliar. She walked along the corridor, hoping she was at least heading the in general direction of her room. No luck, a dead end. She turned around and tried again, climbing up another set of stairs. Still nothing to give her any indication of where she was. It didn't help that her surroundings were so obscure in the dark; it soon got to the point that she wasn't sure where she was even going.

She reached a door she could only pray led to her room and opened it. Nope. Definitely not the gorgeous room she had been sleeping in earlier. This actually looked quite the opposite: everything was worn down and tattered or destroyed. Pieces of furniture were scattered about and upturned as if someone had thrown them. She was about to turn away when something caught her eye, a light of some sort. Slowly she approached it, and she realized it was a branch of cherry blossoms enclosed in a bell jar. A couple of the blossoms had fallen to the table, but the rest of it was floating, radiating a soft pink light that matched the color of her hair.

Mesmerized, she stepped closer, and without realizing it, her hand was outstretched, reaching for it. She had almost touched the glass when she heard a noise behind her. A noise like…growling.

She turned around and nearly jumped into the table when she saw the tanuki's eyes glaring right at her, so close she could just reach out to touch him.

"What are you doing here?" he thundered, his exhaled breath gusting through her hair. His voice raised, "I thought I told you not to come in here!"

Briefly, her mind wandered back to earlier that night, when he said the West Wing was forbidden.

She didn't realize that was exactly where she wandered into.

"I'm sorry – I didn't know!" she cried. She tried to explain herself further, but the beast interrupted her.

"Get out! Now!" the creature bellowed, and Sakura quickly scrambled away, nearly tripping over her feet, as she ran out of the room, down the first set of stairs she found, still hearing the tanuki's roars throughout the castle. She ran down another set of stairs, and somehow miraculously found herself on the familiar ground floor and at the front door. She jerked it open, ignoring a voice pleading that she realized was Hinata's, and rushed out of the door. She had no idea where she was or how to get home, but all she knew was that she had to get out of there.

At first she had an idea of where to go, having barely remembered the direction she came from when she first encountered the castle. There was also a faint path, but it had eventually died away, after years of neglect. All she could do was head in a straightforward direction and hope to find some sort of further suggestion of where she should go. As she ran, she would occasionally stagger over the stones and roots of the contorted and bare trees, her presence and startled gasps frightening the dark birds from their perch. But soon she could only hear her own ragged breathing, with no other indication of life around her.

And she soon found out why.

Just up ahead, looking down at her from the top of a hill, was a small pack of wolves. Sakura wasted no time in trying to escape their sight as she started for another direction, but they had already seen her and were off. She glanced over her shoulder and saw they were easily gaining on her; she used whatever time she had left before they caught up to her to scramble up the closest tree that could hold her up. She just made it out of their reach, as a powerful jaw made a snap for her foot that had been there just a half second ago. A few of them tried to jump up to reach her, and when they learned that didn't work they started pacing around the tree, biding their time.

Sakura looked around, trying to figure out what to do. The only option she could think of was to just wait them out, but who knew how long that would be.

One of the predators made another leap for her, and she almost couldn't believe what she saw happen in front of her: a colossal tan blob crashed into it mid-air, and Sakura's eyes followed as the tanuki threw the wolf like it was a plush doll. He glared at the rest of them, daring them to make a move, and when a few of them did, he struck at them easily for he was much larger than all of them together and could withstand their attacks.

Sakura watched as the wolves relentlessly fought the tanuki, but after a while they had retreated, exhausted and injured. Her eyes turned back to the tanuki, who gave a faint growl before falling to the ground in fatigue. Sakura took this as her opportunity to climb down the tree and make her escape, but once her feet hit the ground she stopped and looked at the beast. He had, after all, came all this way, and regardless of his reason for coming after her, he had saved her life as well. The reasoning behind that action didn't matter as well.

She approached him cautiously, and for some reason a feeling of relief washed over her when she saw that he was at least still conscious. Upon closer inspection saw that he had suffered a few injuries, though nothing too serious. She bit her lip, hesitating. She couldn't just leave him here, after what he just did for her. She took another step closer, reaching for him. He eyed her warily.

"It's alright," she said, as if talking to a frightened child. For the first time, she touched him, and was a little surprised to find that his fur, though short and wiry-looking, was actually quite soft. "Just stay calm," she said, reaching for a paw so she could get a better look at his wounds, but when she moved him he snarled in pain and she pulled back quickly. "Well I'm sorry, but I need to get better access to this," she said defiantly.

"You shouldn't have ran off like that," his voice rumbled.

"Well you shouldn't have scared me like that, then I wouldn't have ran away," she protested.

"I didn't have to come get you, you know," he countered. "I could've left you to the wolves."

"Then why didn't you?" she challenged, and the tanuki fell silent. Sakura took that as her opportunity to try again. With a father who liked to put himself at risk for his inventions, she had decided early on to read about using chakra for healing, but the injuries Kizashi suffered weren't as bad as the ones the tanuki currently had. "Now just hold still; I've only read about this and haven't gotten many chances to practice this, so it might take a while." She accumulated chakra in her hands and focused them over the severest of lacerations he suffered. The beast gave a soft groan as she started the process, but it died away easily as the pain started to ebb away.

"I know you didn't have to help me," Sakura murmured. "So…thank you for doing it."

The tanuki looked over at her, and she broke focus for just a moment to meet his gaze. The tanuki stared at her green eyes briefly before turning away, just as she turned back to his wound. "You're welcome." He paused, as if struggling with the words he wanted to say next. "And…thank you. For," he nodded to the next wound Sakura was currently working on.

Sakura couldn't force back the small smile that had formed even if she tried. "Don't worry about it," she replied.

* * *

So I'm not exactly sure when I'll be updating next; after I get back from my trip I'm moving out of my sublease, and then I'll be going out of country for awhile, so I don't know when will be my next opportunity. But I _will_ update as soon as possible, I promise!


	6. Chapter Five

Yes, I'm alive and have finally updated! I'm soooo sorry this took so long; I moved out of my sublease (which by the way is out of state from where I normally live - about 12 hours of a drive), then I had an out-of-country trip, then school kicked in and geeeeez is it time-consuming (not that that's anything new, but ughhhh). So unfortunately weekly updates won't be happening anymore. But I'll still work on getting them done! Just like...during school breaks and stuff...yay...anyways, here's the next chapter. I feel like it should be absolutely fantastic and have a lot happen because of how long it took to get published, but it's not. Sowee.

* * *

The next morning Sakura woke up to the sun shining brightly through her window as well as the sound of Ino's audible snoring from the corner. Sakura rolled out of bed to go into her bathroom and get ready for the day. By the time she came back into the bedroom Ino was awake, and after a lot of bickering with the wardrobe, Sakura finally put on one of the day dresses Ino offered, albeit begrudgingly. It was a light green color, a color that Sakura never really wore, but Ino insisted, saying it went well with her eyes. After eyeing herself in the mirror inside Ino's door, Sakura had to admit the wardrobe had a point; the colors matched perfectly. After thanking Ino, she turned to leave and head down to the dining hall.

She opened one of the large doors to find that the tanuki was seated at one end of the long dining table, and he had already started on breakfast. He stopped in mid-gobble when he heard the door open, and his gleaming yellow eyes widened when he saw Sakura step through the doorway. She paused when she saw that he had paused as well, or it could've possibly been due to the messy sight before her. But she only gave a small smile before seating herself without a word on the other end of the table. The tanuki instantly became self-conscious as he looked around at the huge mess he had made while scarfing down his breakfast; it was like a mini-tornado had rolled through his side of the table, and the girl before him was witness to the results.

Sakura had just barely seated herself when she saw a candlestick present itself to her, introducing himself as Lee and asking what she would like to start off her day. While Sakura made her request the tanuki took this opportunity to discreetly clean up his mess, merely wiping whatever wasn't on a plate onto the floor out of her sight. Akamaru the footstool would get it eventually.

As Lee hopped away to pass the order on to the kitchen, Sakura looked back over at the tanuki, who seemed to have been busying himself with something on the floor. "How are you feeling?" she asked, nodded to one of the arms that was wrapped up in bandages.

The tanuki froze from what he was doing before he fixed his attention on the arm she indicated. He looked back up at her. "It's a lot better," he said softly.

Sakura smiled. "That's good."

At that moment Lee returned with a cart moving on its own full of the dishes Sakura ordered. "Your breakfast, my beautiful blossom!" he announced jubilantly.

Sakura stared in amazement as the dishes were laid out in front of her; besides the late-night snack she had snuck herself in the kitchen the night before, she hadn't yet experienced the deliciousness of the food in front of her.

"This is incredible!" she cried after swallowing a bite of the omelet she had ordered.

"I'm glad you think so!" Lee said happily. "Our chef Chouji is the best we've ever had here."

"Well tell Chouji I look forward to enjoying more meals from him," Sakura laughed. The tanuki's ears twitched at the sound. It had been awhile since he had heard laughter; he found her laugh in particular reminded him of bells softly tinkling. It was…relaxing.

"Will do!" Lee shouted before starting for the kitchen. Sakura stared blankly at the doorway he left through; she didn't mean he had to go right then. She turned her eyes away from the door and saw that the tanuki was looking at her, but quickly looked down when he saw she had made eye contact.

"Uh…" she stammered, and gave an uneasy laugh. "He seems to be a morning person, huh?" At that moment Hinata and Konohamaru appeared to offer tea. "Oh, thank you," she nodded gratefully.

"Sakura."

She looked up and saw the tanuki looking at her again, almost as if he were…nervous? Why would a beast like him be so nervous? "Yes…" she asked, and then had a sudden realization: she didn't know the tanuki's name. After all, like all the others here, he used to be human, a prince in fact, so surely he should have a name. She knew everyone else's name, but because they referred to the tanuki as 'his highness', 'the prince', or 'master', she never actually heard his name uttered among the servants.

But before she could speak again to point this out, he asked her if she had any plans for that day. At this she furrowed her brow. "I'm trapped here in a castle as your prisoner; why would I have plans?" she asked, somewhat sardonically. She thought she detected a flinch from the tanuki, but it could've been the light playing tricks on her, as the shadows of trees outside the windows danced in the wind and cast themselves onto the creature.

At this point Lee returned, shouting, "Sakura! Chouji is greatly pleased to hear that you've enjoyed your breakfast and would like you to try his special dish!" With this, he presented a large dish of what looked like BBQ pork. Even though Sakura had just finished her breakfast, the meal looked delicious enough that she didn't even mind trying it with a full stomach.

As she dug into her second breakfast, the tanuki spoke again. "If you don't mind," he started, causing Sakura to look up from her plate, "I'd like to give you a tour of the castle. If that's fine with you," he added hastily, knowing well enough that she may have wanted to spend the day by herself, or at least away from someone like him.

But to his relief she smiled. "Sure," she said, and the tanuki couldn't help but return the expression, something he realized hadn't happened in years as well.

After breakfast they started on their tour. Having already seen some of the rooms of the ground level, they went through that fairly quickly as Sakura was shown the rest of the floor, including the ballroom, the throne room, and the chapel. After that, they headed upstairs to start on the next floor.

"This is all so beautiful," Sakura commented as she admired the architecture, now that it was bright enough in the corridors that it didn't look as daunting.

"Really?" the tanuki asked, pleased.

"Yes, of course," Sakura said. "I never dreamed I would find myself in a place as spectacular as this. I thought they only existed in the stories I read. I feel like I'm living my own fairytale."

"You enjoy reading," the tanuki stated. It was only an observation, so Sakura couldn't understand why she felt a tinge of heat in the back of her neck.

"Yeah," she said softly, looking away from the tanuki and pretending to be enthralled by one of the many pillars. "It's sort of a guilty pleasure of mine," she admitted. She didn't know why she felt comfortable with telling him that; maybe it was because now that they had gotten somewhat closer since the night before it was her way of saying she trusted him. Or maybe it was because they still had some distance between them that she knew she wouldn't feel hurt if he judged her for her bizarre hobby. After all, everyone else back home did that, so what was the harm in having one more person feel that way?

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't see the tanuki open his mouth to speak, pause, then close his mouth as he decided against what he wanted to say. She looked up at the ceiling. "I know people think I'm weird because of it, so it's ok if you think that as well. But I can't help myself, even if sometimes I did wish I had a friend who shared the same interest as me."

The tanuki made no response, except to tell her they were moving on to the next floor of the castle. It would be better to show her rather than to tell her.

The rest of their tour took up most of the morning, and soon they were heading downstairs for lunch. Sakura thought she was starting to get her bearings and understand where she was in the castle, so she was a little confused when the tanuki took a turn she wasn't expecting. "Aren't we going to lunch?" she asked.

"I'm taking a detour," he said simply. "Actually, there is one more room I want to show you."

"There is?" she asked, confused. She thought they had covered all the major rooms of this floor; how did one go completely unnoticed by her?

"I saved the best for last," he replied, and Sakura thought she may have saw a smile; his sharp teeth didn't look as ferocious, she noticed.

They stopped in front of a pair of large doors at the end of a corridor, but before opening them, the tanuki said, "What you said earlier…about your delight in reading…" he looked slightly uneasy, "I may not be the one who can share that interest with you, but I don't think of you any differently because of it. I understand the feeling of loneliness, and I wouldn't want you to feel the same way while you stay here. I waited to show this to you because I thought you'd like this room the best." He opened the doors and Sakura gasped when she saw the large room, covered from floor to ceiling with books.

"Oh my…" she stared in awe as she ventured into the room. "This is incredible. I don't think I've ever seen this many books in my life."

"So you like it?" There was a hint of eagerness in his voice, pleased with himself that he was able to make her this happy. This was definitely something new to him; he couldn't remember a time when he deliberately made an effort to bring out another person's happiness. In the past, he had only thought of himself. Now, he was experiencing a warm feeling inside that was slightly unnerving because it was unfamiliar, but at the same time something he realized he desired more of.

"Yes, of course!" Sakura went up to one of the shelves and perused its contents. She pulled out a book with a title that intrigued her and approached the tanuki. "Thank you so much for showing this to me." She smiled widely at him. Maybe this time it'd be different. She had openly admitted that her greatest pleasure came from reading, and instead of judging her or treating her differently like the others had down, he accepted it with a gesture that would encourage that passion of hers. And then she remembered something. "Oh," she started, suddenly getting embarrassed, "I meant to ask you earlier, but…I realize I don't really know your name." She gave a feeble smile, as if apologizing for being so rude.

The tanuki looked at her curiously. "Why would you care so much about something like that?"

"Well, because you know mine, and I know everyone else's," she said. "And also…if I know your name, it makes you seem more…" she trailed off, because she wasn't sure if what she wanted to say would possibly offend him.

"Seem more?" he pressed.

"More…human," she looked up at him and was reassured when she saw his face soften a little.

"It's Gaara," he said quietly. Sakura nodded and tried the name out for herself.

"Gaara."

* * *

So yes, to reiterate: I will update. Just not as often as I did...

Also, I've tried to personally send messages to those who have followed/favorited this, but I've lost track of who I've contacted already and who I've yet to message, but I just want to say THANK YOU to those who have followed/favorited/reviewed/stuck with this story up to this point! It means a lot, especially since I know I haven't been doing the best job at updating now.


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