Naruto: Chosen

- I'd say so," I replied, laughing. - To begin with, no one at home wears a crown for breakfast.

- Do you only wear a crown at dinner? - he asked, with an amused expression.

- Of course.

The prince really did exude the elegance of his position, but when he laughed and smiled, he seemed more like an old, lost friend, as if I had always known him and this was just another weekly, natural encounter that always happens.

- I'm the youngest daughter. My brother is four years older. My older brother, Pain, is married to Konan, she was a Three.

- A Three? - he seemed surprised.

- Ah, yes. Her parents are professors at the agricultural college in the village of Tea. That's where they met. They got married with a lot of red tape and then had my niece, Moegi. Konan's parents haven't spoken to her since the wedding, but her mother came to say goodbye to me. I think things will get better soon.

Naruto watched me carefully, as if he was absorbing every word. Talking about my family made me feel lighter.

- What about your parents? - I asked, curious.

I thought for a moment and smiled.

- Have you ever seen those movies where the couples are so opposite that you think they'd never work out? - he smiled and nodded. - My parents are like that. My father is so calm and serene that he makes me furious, and my mother is so loud and annoying that she makes me... furious too.

Naruto was totally immersed in the conversation, which made my cheeks blush. At the end of the road, we spotted the bungalow we knew was our point of arrival.

- What about your family? - I asked, curious.

- You know my family," he replied with an amused smile.

- I know their public figure. What are they really like?

He thought for a moment before answering.

- My grandmother is as stern as she sounds, but she has her soft moments, especially when my godfather Jiraya is around. Karin is centered, intelligent and incredible, and there's the aggregate, Suigetsu. He's my best friend. When they get married next year, he'll become my brother too.

We arrived at the bungalow and a round table full of goodies was waiting for us on the veranda. Naruto pulled out a chair for me to sit on and settled down next to me.

- What about the Senju prince? What can you tell me about him that nobody knows? - I asked, biting into a strawberry. Naruto looked at my lips before blinking and blushing.

- Well... I think you already know everything.

- Tell me a deep secret, Naruto," I teased. He scratched his head, embarrassed, looking everywhere but at me.

- Well... I can't whistle," he finally said, with an embarrassed smile, as he placed a slice of blueberry pie on my plate.

- Well, that's really disappointing. I always thought all princes could whistle.

I bit into a piece of pie and ended up smearing my chin.

- You're a disaster," muttered the prince, as he took a napkin and wiped my chin. A flash almost blinded me.

- Gods...

With a simple movement, the prince moved all the cameras away, and the cameramen cursed quietly.

He started talking about everything: his classes, his sister who was always worried about everything, the staff closest to him. I wanted to hear every detail and laughed as much as I could. There were things I would never have thought he would have done. He told me about a bet with Prince Suigetsu, which resulted in the two of them running naked through the palace. He also told me about Karin's fifteenth birthday, when she forced everyone to wear pink.

He spilled tea on his clothes and I laughed, holding out my napkin.

- Can I call the prince a disaster? - I teased.

The sun was setting, its last rays kissing Konoha. The prince looked at me, and he was... beautiful. His golden hair shone in the orange light, his blue eyes as deep as the ocean, his tanned skin, the sweet, adorable marks on his cheeks, and his lips... the best part was his lips, small and thin, looking soft. We stared at each other. I brought my napkin up to my shirt to try to wipe it off, but he held my gloved hand. Without meaning to, I brought my face close to his and he touched my cheek. His perfume was soft, a mixture of red wine and mint.

- Oops! Excuse me? - The presence of Suigetsu and Karin made me move away quickly. Blushing, I stood up and bowed awkwardly.

- B-b-b-good afternoon, your majesties! - I stammered, my face on fire.

- What are you doing here? - Naruto asked, as red as I was.

- Protecting your purity, of course, brother-in-law! - replied Suigetsu, elbowing the princess in the ribs.

- Miss Sakura, I think you should be escorted back to the palace," began Karin, mentioning to call the guard behind her.

- And she will be! For me! - Naruto replied firmly.

The two brothers' gazes were a silent war, as if they were fighting over who was really in charge. Naruto offered me his arm, and I accepted.

We had almost finished our coffee when Hinata finally plucked up the courage to ask about the meeting.

- How did it go? - she asked quietly, as was to be expected at mealtimes.

Those two words made everyone at the table turn in my direction, ears perked up.

- It was... - I remembered his eyes, so close they were almost unseemly. I also remembered his soft hands, his lips... - Indescribable.

The girls exchanged glances, clearly wanting more details.

- How did he behave? - asked Ino, curious.

- Hmm... - I tried to choose my words carefully. - Like a prince," I added.

This time, I heard some grumbling across the table, but Karui's comment caught my attention.

- Are you doing this on purpose? - hissed Karui. - Do you like being the mysterious girl? Dear Sakura, I know you'll never go on another date with the prince. He must have realized what kind of bumpkin you are.

I hated it, but not as much as the sighs of agreement that some of the girls gave, following the Uzumaki's words. I opened my mouth, ready to retort, but before I could form any sentence, the noise coming from the corridor stopped me.

I was surprised by the shouting. During the short time I had spent in the Palace, I couldn't remember hearing any sound so loud. Normally, the sound of the guards' footsteps, the opening and closing of the huge doors and the slight clink of cutlery against plates formed a kind of music. The symphony of chaos.

It was then that the royal family seemed to understand everything before any of us.