At last, they arrived at the palace without any harm. There were a few attacks, but it was nothing the team of elite Jounins could not handle. Their mission was completed like a breeze, aside from the little bumps in the sea.
It was late evening when they arrived the Land of Honey; their client offered them to stay for the night. "Please stay for the night as my appreciation towards you. I'm sure all of you are tired."
"If that's okay, Your Majesty." Kakashi bowed.
"Kizashi, bring them to the guest rooms." The king ordered.
Sakura jumped at the name. She scanned the room and found a butler at their service. It was definitely weird to know this man shares the same name as her father and he does not resemble him in any way. The butler has grey slicked back hair and midnight blue eyes. He looked humble, in contrast to Kizashi Haruno.
"Yes, My Lord." The butler bowed at his king, then he turned to the guests, "Follow me." He guided them to a hallway.
He gestured to the rooms we could use for the night. "I'll be here to escort you for dinner in an hour. Please call for any servants should you need any assistance." He said before bowing and uttered a, "Enjou your stay." Then, he walked away to perform his other duties.
The team settled in their rooms and rewarded themselves a fancy shower in the palace. The trio changed into their non-fighting attire while Kakashi remained in his shinobi outfit. They exited their room and sure enough, the butler was there waiting for them.
He had a kind smile while his aura of professionalism did not waver. If only the head of the Haruno clan could be balance between nobility and kindness, the heiress thought solemnly. Kizashi escorted the team to a glamorous dining hall. The walls were sparkling and lined with gold, an intricate chandelier sat on the ceiling which loomed over a large dining table filled with exotic cuisines. It was far too luxurious for the team.
Back in Sakura's mind was her empathy towards the king. If this was the table he dined in every day for all three meals, he must have felt incredibly lonely. The table was huge and full of space, it was so empty and so must his heart. The pinkette's eyes softened as they landed on the king who sat at the end of the table. An earnest smiled stretched across his face when they entered.
"Please, take a sit."
The team hesitantly obeyed, feeling overwhelmed by how casual the king was being. After all, they are all commoners even though three of them are from noble clans in the Land of Fire. Their status was not high enough in the society, especially outside the borders of their country.
The king was kind enough to allow the three tiger-nins to dine in the same room as him. Each of them were given a generous plate of raw meat next to the table. Certainly, a trait of this kind was uncommon to see in royalties.
The dinner was peaceful as conversations were exchanged between them and the king. He was curious about the world of a ninja. During the meal, Sakura did not miss the king's stare.
After a round of deserts, the young king reluctantly wished the team good night and excused them to bed as they must leave in the early morning. Sadness was evident in his honey-coloured eyes. The pinkette stayed in the room and smiled at him warmly. He was confused as to why she hadn't left. She even gestured for Sumire to leave before her.
"I need to take a walk after a meal, may I?"
King Kazuki grinned like a child who was granted permission to leave the house and play. "Of course, let me accompany you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." She bowed.
The king gently pushed her shoulders up, "Please, no formalities. Just Kazuki is fine."
Sakura gasped and raised her hands up in declination, "No way! You-"
He grabbed both of her hands, "Please, just think of me as a friend."
She fell into silence as she stared into his sincere eyes. He truly wanted a friend, this lonely king without a family, without trustworthy friends, without sincere acquaintances. She sympathised with this man.
Finally, she agreed. "Kazuki."
He beamed at his name. The king guided her outside the palace and led her to a wide garden full of beautiful flowers and leaves. The greenery shined under the moonlight and the scent was fresh. The flowers were arranged in rows and every row showed a saturated colour, red, purple, blue, yellow and et cetera.
Sakura was in awe.
"It's so beautiful.." She gasped.
"Yes.. it is." He said in a sad tone. "No one enjoys the scenery with me, I'm always alone."
Sakura sighed sadly, she did not know how to comfort him. They walked quietly into the garden, different scents from different flowers filled their senses. She turned to him and he was already staring at her. It immediately caused them to stop in her tracks.
The king held her hands and brought it up. He locked eyes with her emerald orbs, "Would you.. Be my queen?"
Sakura's eyes widened.
He must have known his proposal scared her because he panicked, "I'm sorry, it's just.. You're the only girl I'm fond with and there is no one else I trust that wouldn't take advantage of me... I'm sorry."
"It's okay." She said softly. While she was thinking of how to respond, she did not realise how close their faces were.
He was so mesmerised by her beauty and her cherry blossom scent was so foreign, so intoxicating. It drew him in so deeply, he couldn't help but lean closer. He wanted to taste her. Until their lips were about an each apart, she finally came to her senses and stumbled back, removing her hands from his.
"Your Majesty!"
He was also shocked from his actions, he was embarrassed of himself for such a feat. Even though it was wrong of him to almost steal a kiss, he was hurt by her rejection.
"I'm sorry."
"I-It's fine." She stuttered as she was still flustered by what almost happened. "Kazuki, I'm sorry. I can't-"
He did not let her finish her sentence. A finger was placed on her lips to shush her from saying the words that would leave him a scar.
"I know, Sakura. I know. Keeping you as my queen would mean ripping off your wings of freedom." He smiled, but it looked so sorrowful. "I understand."
It pained her heart and he saw it. But it was sympathy, something he does not want nor need.
He turned away to face the palace. "Let me escort you to your quarters."
"Yes, thank you."
The two adolescents walked in silence. The tension between them was awkward and simply saddening.
"We're here." He said as they stopped in front of a door. "Thank you for your company."
"No, thank you." She flashed him a smile. "Good night, Kazuki."
It was his forlorn smile again. "Good night.. Sakura."
After much deliberation, the pinkette closed her eyes and stood on her tiptoes. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek, for many reasons. For him, and for her.
Without another word, she entered her room and nervously closed it shut. How brave of her to display such scandalous act in front of a king!
The said king stood on the same spot, dumbfounded. His hands slowly cupped his cheeks where she kissed. A red blush dusted his cheeks as he lightly laughed to himself. He leaned his forehead on the door where the pinkette resided in.
He's a king, but he was acting silly at something so innocent.
==
Dedicated to the1nonly_mari for supporting this story since the old version!
Hm. It'll be difficult to write the following chapters without know who I'll pair Sakura with. 🤔
Here's a question I've always been curious about. Are there any readers from Malaysia? 🙋🏻 If you're not, comment your country! I would love to know! ❤️
~Joelle
Published: December 2014
Rewritten: 17 May 2018