Today was the day.
Today was the Winter Festival.
But like any good, important day, Sasuke was no where to be found and Izumi was flipping out.
"Naruto! Oh Naruto!"
She stopped and turned around to see Izumi rushing to her with a sleeping Shinjiro wrapped around her chest securely.
"Have you seen Sasuke?" She huffed when she finally caught up to the general.
Naruto shook her head. "I've been prepping everyone for the festival."
"Damn it." She sighed and held Shinjiros head gently. "No one's been able to find him and he has to get ready for the festival. It only starts in three hours!" Izumi looks at Naruto freaked.
"I'm aware of when it begins your majesty. Would you like me to find him?"
"If you could. Tell him to take a bath, the butlers are waiting to put his traditional festival clothes on him and the maids are awaiting to style him properly."
"Of course your majesty."
Izumi nodded, turned on her heel and walked away. Naruto turned on her heel and walked down the stairs, her hands never leaving behind her back.
She found it amusing Izumi was freaking out so much she was running through the routine with her as if she were new all over again.
Naruto stopped a running maid.
"Have you seen the prince this morning?"
She shook her head and Naruto allowed her to continue to run off.
Sighing, Naruto sat in the corner of the room and connected the tips of her fingers. If anyone stopped to look at Naruto, they would think she was meditating for the big festival every commoner awaits for every year and so do the royals.
Her whiskers grew and so did the tips of her fingernails. Sending out a powerful wave of energy, Naruto began to scan for Sasukes familiar aura.
Deep under the ground of the kingdom. Sasuke could be found just finishing what he had taken two weeks to learn.
The black smith who had taken great joy in yelling at Sasuke for every little mistake. Was quite impressed by the perfectness of the ring.
"Good job. You finally made yourself useful."
Sasuke huffed as the old man clapped his back and sat back in his wooden chair.
The prince looked at his work. It wasn't perfect but it was gorgeous and had a sense of its own personality to it.
The door flew open just as Sasuke dropped the masterpiece into a leather bag and wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead, on his sleeve.
The person entering the sauna of a room, grabbed Sasukes collar and pulled him to his feet.
"What in the hell are you doing down here?"
Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see the exact person he'd spent his whole two weeks down here for. "Making something." He stated.
"You could do better Naruto." Scott easily complimented Naruto over Sasuke.
He sighed. Even after two weeks of taking his nonstop yelling it seems the old man still doesn't like him.
"I can do everything better than him Scott, it's not a surprise."
The old man barked a laugh as Naruto escorted Sasuke out of the room.
"You going to the festival tonight Scott?"
"I'll be drinking." He lifted the cup of beer and took a long drink from it as Naruto shut the door.
She looked back at Sasuke. Took an up and down look and scrunched her nose, but than unwrinkled it. She sniffed his clothes and looked up at him.
"You smell good."
Sasuke looked at her flabbergasted as she began up the spiral stairs. "I smell like wood and sweat."
"I know." Naruto looked over her shoulder than back at where she was walking. "I like the smell."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and climbed the stairs faster to be right behind her. "Maybe I should bath you in my shirt of stench than."
"I said I liked the smell, not to smell like it."
"Oh come on, you love it."
Sasuek chased Naruto all the way up the stairs and through the corridors before she opened a door and kicked him in.
"Take a bath you stinky man."
The door shut after Naruto ordered him but he could care less. Sasuke looked down at the leather bag and smiled.
Stripping off his sticky and burned through clothes, he threw them into the dirty basket with his sweaty socks. He threw his boots to the side and left the leather bag on the chair.
A maid walked in and began to clean the grime from Sasukes body. He stared down at his blistered and broken skin hands. They stung when he put them in the water but it felt good.
It felt like he had done something by himself and all on his own.
"Head back your highness."
He tilted his head back and let the water run through his sweaty hair. It felt amazing but when he was done with the bath, the water didn't look so clean as usual.
Wrapping a towel around his waist and putting on the robe, Yuri held out for him. Sasuke grabbed the leather bag and walked to his room where he hid the wedding ring, but better and where no one would even think to check.
Inside his mattress.
When he entered his room, the butlers immediately got to work. Drying his hair off and his body.
Sasukes clothes were the traditional princely outfit of a royal blue coat, an under white long sleeved shirt and a white button up with black trousers and polished black boots (his second pair of boots). His coat was lined with wool and the buttons clicked on the left side of his chest.
The finishing touch was his black belt wrapped around his waist with his sword hanging on the side of his hip.
Sitting down, Sasuke allowed Hinata to fully dry his hair and run her thumbs over the nape of his neck to get rid of any tension.
"Are you ready your highness?"
"For what? Proposing?"
"Yes. It's a very popular rumor going around that you've decided who to propose to."
"I have decided who I'm going to propose to." He grabbed the leather bag from his desk and pulled out a ring. "I'm just hoping the ring will fit her finger."
"Her hand must be tiny to fit such a small ring." Hinata giggled. Sasuke smiled.
"I used a rope to measure her finger."
She smiled and ran a brush through the spiky raven hair.
"...may I ask who the lucky woman is?"
"Everyone will find out together. I have never wanted to keep a secret so much."
"Oh. She must be a special girl your highness."
"She is. She is indeed."
~~**~~
Sasuke met Naruto and his family just around the corner of the ballroom where civilians were still filing in.
He noted how Naruto was wearing a red dress with a long neck and long sleeves. The dress seemed to be lined with wool. A small v was in the fabric to show off the beginning of her cleavage while the skirt hugged her thighs and branched off to just cover her feet. She was wearing black heels.
She looked gorgeous.
Izumi smiled and pulled back a side of Narutos hair, putting in a red flower pin to hold back her bangs.
"Perfect." She smiled.
Naruto nodded and turned to him.
"Are you four ready?" Izumi giggled as Shinjiro rested against her chest in a white wrap, his hand in his mouth.
"Yep. He's fed, Itachis hair is perfect and Sasukes finally here."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Izumi as Itachi touched his head.
"My hairs always perfect."
"Not when you first wake up dear."
Itachi huffed. "Sasuke grows up and my nice wife disappears."
Izumi slapped Itachis arms. Naruto rolled her eyes. She walked up to Sasuke and straightened his coat.
"I'll go make sure all of our guests are here and will introduce you."
Naruto walked off and Itachi smacked the side of Sasukes cheek enough to turn his head and avert his eyes from Narutos ass.
He glared at Itachi when he looked back and Naruto was gone.
"Really?"
Itachi smirked, feeling accomplished as he straightened his own outfit out and poked Shinjiros cheek, making him giggle.
Izumi smiled and held the bottom of his baby butt.
Narutos loud voice told them to go and stand beside the now closed ballroom doors.
"As you all may have heard, it has been one extreme rollercoaster for the Fire ever since our special guests came to the palace! But with every bad deed, there is something good that comes from it!
So tonight I would like to introduce our recovered and prideful prince, Uchiha Sasuke."
The doors opened as Sasuke complained about his introduction "Really Naruto?"
He sighed at the last moment before all eyes were on him, then stepped into the room.
The guests moved as he walked confidently, nose up, through the ball room. One foot in front of the other with many women and girls gawking over his handsomeness.
Sasuke looked up at Naruto who stood at the top of the staircase. He made his way up the left stairs and gracefully made it to his chair beside his brothers.
Sitting down, Naruto turned her attention back to the guests.
"Tonight while we celebrate our princes safe return home! I'd like to introduce a new and happy little life to the family with our loyal king and queen. May I welcome to the family Uchiha Shinjiro with his father, Uchiha Itachi and his mother, Uchiha Izumi!"
The three walked in with everyone gawking in awe and literately awe'ing at Shinjiro. Izumi reconnected her hand with Itachis as they made it to the center of the platform.
He kissed her hand and sat beside her as Naruto continued.
"Tonight let's celebrate another pure winter and happy Christmas holiday! Raise your glasses with me for our special guests who have been waiting patiently for a small surprise during the party!"
With that Naruto wished every cheers and took a sip of the champagne along with many of the eligible guests.
Naruto stepped from the balcony and handed Sasuke the glass. He declined by raising a hand and shaking his head.
She smirked and swung the champagne.
"Not a big fan of alcohol your highness?"
"Not nowadays, no, Naruto."
She chuckled.
"Naruto."
She looked at Izumi.
"Would you like to hold Shinjiro?"
The hope in Izumis voice only made Naruto step back. She frowned and sasuke glanced at Naruto. He stood and took the almost four week old child.
"I've got nothing but sitting around to do."
Shinjiro giggled and tried to grab one of Sasukes bangs but he was too fast. Izumi nodded.
"He'll fall asleep soon don't worry. You won't have to hold him all night."
Sasuke grunted as Itachi took Izumis hand and led her down to the dance floor. Sasuke looked up at Naruto.
"Why won't you hold him? You know how well behaved he is."
Naruto shook her head and handed the empty glass off to one of the butlers.
"I can't."
"Why?" Sasuke pushed.
"Because I can't Sasuke. Don't make me explain."
He sighed but complied and looked down at the child who's snuggled into his coat.
"He really is a cute baby."
"Yes he is."
Sasuke slowly looked up at Naruto. She quickly erased any thoughts from Sasukes mind.
"Though I am not ready to be a mother of my own."
"Why?" Mito strolled down the observer seats in the long balcony's of the ballroom that were held by the marble pillars. "I'd be happy to carry a child anytime my husband wanted." She winked at Sasuke and grabbed the child.
Naruto cupped his legs and head when Mito picked him up by under the arms.
"He can't support his head. Are you trying to kill him?" Naruto hissed.
Mito let Shinjiro go and Naruto cupped him into her chest instinctively. Sasuke took the child, seeing how uncomfortably tense Naruto was.
She brought the basket from behind Izumis chair and Sasuke laid him inside. He looked at Naruto cautiously.
"I can carry him like this."
He nodded and stepped back.
Naruto really did look gorgeous admiring the child. Only if it were their child.
Mito looped her arm through Sasukes and tugged him toward the stairs.
"Let's dance. The knight can be the child's babysitter."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and stared as she let the child take her finger hesitantly. He wanted to stay and make sure Naruto was comfortable with the child, but Mito was already pulling him down the stairs.
Someone chuckled from behind Naruto. She looked behind her to see Iruka.
"Is holding a child so hard?"
"No... just holding this child is."
Naruto sat the basket on Itachis chair and crouched so Shinjiro didn't have to let go of her finger.
"Children usually take a liking to whom they sense are good people." He stated.
"I killed his birth mother, it's nothing good."
"I'm sure your over exaggerating."
A dead Anastasia flashed into her mind. She'll never forget the feeling of helplessness when Anastasia's pulse stopped and her chest went still. She could never forget that freezing cold feeling she had as she held Shinjiro to her, the guilt of letting his young mother die repeating in her head as she rocked the child to a calm sleep. She could never forget the feeling of holding Shinjiro in her arms and cutting the cord as he cried.
Naruto could never forget the sweet girl who hid so much pain just not to disturb her and her petty work. No, Naruto had many reasons she couldn't hold Shinjiro. Accidentally killing him was one of those many reasons. Just like she killed his uncle and his birth mother. She can never look at him without seeing Anastasia's innocent smile and golden heart that missed her drunk of a father. The same golden heart who didn't blame her for killing her brother.
Iruka stared at Naruto as she stared at Shinjiro with such pain in her eyes. He grabbed her shoulder.
"The best way to move on is to accept the past."
She sighed and moved Irukas hand from her shoulder. "I've accepted a lot Iruka. What I did to this child before it was even born is not one of those things I will accept."
He hummed and touched her blonde hair. "Just the same as when you were younger. You used to take all that weight on your shoulders, and just like now, you never complained about it." He muttered.
Naruto stood and wrapped a blanket around Shinjiro. She grabbed the handle and began to rock him gently to the rhythm of the music.
"Shouldn't you go put him in his nursery?"
"No. No I let one royal out of my sight and I had to resort to measures I wouldn't usually take." Naruto glanced at her hand. "I won't take that same risk with another."
Iruka sighed. "Well you'll never enjoy the party that way."
"I'm here as a knight." She looked at him with that same glint in her eye. "Your a guest, go have fun before the climax of the festival hits."