[royal AU, fluff]
"Well, well, well... Looks like you're back."
"Yeah? So what?" Sakura huffed and plopped onto the grass below the tree the same time the next day, "I can leave any time I want."
"Go ahead."
Silence.
"I knew you wouldn't. Something about the thrill of the mystery, yes?"
"Sure, you can say it that way, I guess."
The voice in the tree chuckled softly, "so let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm just an ordinary Duke born somewhere not too far from the prosperous Kingdom of Konoha. I don't really have much royal lineage, but our families go far back."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes." The snood voice cleared his throat, "you see, my father and his father ruled over acres and acres of land. On top of that, they own plantations and vineyards of some of the kingdom's most needed resources."
"So in other words, you're wealthy."
"You're gorgeous and you're smart."
"Listen, I don't need to be harassed by a tree."
"Hey, hey, may I remind you I'm a real human being."
"Yeah..." Sakura stood up, "I have to go. Minato is introducing me to the men who signed up to court me."
"That sounds like fun."
"Well, it's a lot more fun than talking to you, that's for sure."
"Okay, that kinda hurt."
Sakura smirked, "I'll come back tomorrow." She waved up into the tree before running back into the palace.
"Sakura. Where've you been?" Minato lowered his voice the moment she stepped into the crowded conference room, "we've been waiting here for half an hour."
"Sorry, lost track of time." She looked around sheepishly, "so, uh, hi?"
_______________________
"That's humiliating."
"Then after that, they kinda just sat there staring at me and silently judging me." Sakura groaned into her hands the following day, "I just stayed in my room the rest of the day."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"You don't understand..."
"I do, actually. I'm expected to be the top of my family, so whenever I make a mistake, I get chastised and rejected for it, and it lasts a good few weeks."
"Yeah, but this is different. This is the entire kingdom watching..."
The garden was silent for a moment before a basket dropped from out of the tree next to Sakura, "if you were in your room the rest of the day, you probably missed dinner and you're starving. It might not be like your super rich sirloin steak, but it's something."
She peeked into the basket and found three sandwiches and some fresh fruit, "ha! This is probably better than what I always eat. It's the same every day, so change is good. Thanks, Tree Man!"
"'Tree Man'?"
She looked up into the tree, "I don't really know who you are, but I really like coming out here to talk to you. It puts me at ease. You're like a friend I've known for a long time."
"Yeah. I mean, to me, you're a friend I've known for a long time. You just didn't know I existed."
She chuckled, "yeah, sorry I couldn't remember you..."
"It's fine."
"So..." She leaned her head against the tree trunk, "after yesterday, I feel like finding myself a husband is utterly impossible... My chances with Itachi are gone, he's avoiding me, and no one at that gala is gonna want a clutz like me as a wife."
The voice chuckled softly, "maybe... You don't need to get married."
"Huh?"
"Saying you can't rule on your own is just sexist. I think you're strong enough to rule on your own."
Sakura smiled to herself and stood up, "are you ever going to come down from the tree?"
The voice remained silent for a moment before clearing his throat, "what will you do if I come down?"
"I'll..." She clasped her hands together, "I'll hug you. You're the only person besides Naruto I could ever talk to like this. And this past week, I've honestly felt excited for the next day with the thought that I could come out and talk to you again. I look forward to talking to you every day."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and... If you're really a childhood friend that I just temporarily forgot, then... I want to meet you all over again."
The voice didn't respond for a long while before Sakura crossed her arms defiantly and walked up closer to the trunk, "wh-what are you doing?!"
"If you're not coming down..." Sakura kicked her shoes off, "then I'm going up there!"
"N-no!! Wait a sec, princesses shouldn't climb trees--!"
"Been there, done that, I hear that everywhere I go. For Pete's sake..." Sakura grunted as she slowly but surely climbed up the tree, "so what if I'm a princess?! I can do whatever I want!"
"W-wait!"
Just as Sakura pulled herself up onto the branch from where she heard the voice, she looked around, "where'd you go..."
"Sakura, get down! If you fall..."
She moved around the trunk, hopping from branch to branch to reach the voice, "get back here!"
"No way!"
She climbed higher to follow the voice until she caught a glimpse of his shoe, "so he really is up there..."
She saw the silhouette figure against the sunset's rays at the top of the tree look around frantically for a place to hide, "ha! I got you cornered!"
Just as she stepped up on the final branch to reach him, her bare foot slipped and she couldn't grab the branch fast enough.
"Gah!" She instinctively screamed, "T-Tree Man!"
Before she could completely fall to her doom, the figure turned around and grabbed her hand, "I'll pull you up only if you never call me that ever again..."
She looked up at his darkened face, smiled, and laughed, "whatever you say."
He pulled her up to sit on the branch he stood on and sighed, "I guess it can't be avoided. You caught me."
"Finally." She sighed in relief and looked up at the face, silhouetted by the sunset, "so... I can't see your face."
In hesitation, he knelt down by her, leaned in close, and looked at her patiently, "now?"
She stared into his dark eyes. And just like that, one phrase burst in her mind.
"When we're older, I wanna marry you! Okay?"
"W-wait a sec!!" Sakura jumped backward and stared, her lips trembling, "y-you're..."
"Huh?" He moved closer to her, "are you okay?"
"Y-you... What's your name?!"
He smirked, "you remember me now, huh? Good. Was beginning to think you forgot all about me." He stood up and extended his open hand towards her, "I'm Sasuke. Don't you remember?"
She stared at him as her face burned red, "y-you're Sasuke?! How the heck could I not remember?! I'm so sorry! No, wait! I take that back! You're the one that was gonna marry me by force, you pervert! I hate you! What makes you think you could just waltz into my life like this and take me by force?!"
"Whoa, chill." Sasuke chuckled weakly, "I came by here earlier this week to apply for that gala yesterday. But your butler didn't remember me and he denied my request. That's how that rumor about me got around. I don't really intend to marry you by force."
"Why should I believe you?" She crossed her arms and glared at him, "you've done nothing to prove yourself."
"I just saved you." He smiled, "what more is there?"
She sighed in defeat and took his hand, "whatever..."
He pulled her up to stand and crossed his arms, "learning about that rumor, I knew I couldn't just approach you out of nowhere. You'd jail me for sure. But now that you remember who I am..."
"I don't really remember who you are... I just remember what you said back then..."
"Oh..." Sasuke rose a brow, "that I wanted to marry you? Yeah, that's old news."
Sakura felt a sinking feeling in her chest, "oh..."
"Hm." He leaned in closer to study her face, "so... You really did feel something when I said that, didn't you?"
"H-huh?"
"You won't admit it, but you secretly wish I still wanted to marry you, don't you?"
Sakura pursed her lips and shut her eyes.
"I wanna marry Naruto!"
Little Sasuke stared at his friend and chuckled, "why Naruto?"
"Because his eyes are blue like the sky! Yours are black like storm clouds. It's scary!"
"But..." Sasuke looked at his clenched hand and clenched it harder, "Sakura, I thought you liked me."
"I do, Sasuke, but..." Sakura shrugged, "Naruto already said he wanted to marry me!"
"Ehhh..." Sakura remembered, "I remember what I said, now..."
"Mhmmm?" Sasuke rose a brow, "well?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
"You're rejecting me again?"
"Well..." She sighed, "I remember that was the last time we ever talked. After you disappeared, we lost touch and I clearly forgot about you..." Sakura clenched his hand, "I'm sorry I forgot you."
He smiled, "at least you remember now. You know, I never forgot you. I've met a good number of girls and was even set up by my father most times. But nevertheless, I refused."
"Well, aren't you a knight in shining armor?" She smirked and laughed, "I still have a couple of weeks before my deadline is up, so don't think I'm not gonna take advantage of all that time to go man-hunting..."
"Whatever. Just remember I'm still here." Sasuke took her other hand, "here. Just keep this. Remember, I really wasn't joking about what I said earlier."
"You said a lot of things earlier..."
"No, I mean... Don't worry. It'll hit you." He waved to her before making his way down the tree.
Sakura sat down and stared out at the orange sky as she studied the present she'd received: A silver ring with a single diamond. She chuckled, "that idiot... Doesn't know he has to be the one to put the ring on my finger."
~~~
Random fan of the day: DanielaTarazona8
Written by xX_Fang_Xx