incense sticks ||| sasunaru

one /// my knight

I feel suffocated. Controlled. Aroused.

I am unable move my body. I feel a force holding me by the chest, clawing at my ribs and filling my lungs with pink fumes. It's hot. Unbearably hot.

I take a few steps forward. Towards the fumes— towards him.

I am afraid. I must not go any further. I do not wish to be seen in this state.

I am afraid I will do something I regret.

I am afraid to show my true feelings.

I am afraid...

of what I might do to him after I lose all control.

| | |
one /// my knight

"It is going to start soon! We're going to be late!"

"Young lord, I'm afraid your father advised me otherwise. Go back to bed."

Soft, skinny hands pushed the rowdy child back onto the mattress, laying him down carefully.

"But Sakura!" He rose from his covers again, pushing the maid's hand off his chest. "Don't you want to see the battle? It only happens once a decade!"

Sakura, only two years older than the child, sighed through clasped lips. "No, young lord, I was specifically assigned here to assure that you do not attend tonight's event."

"But Sakura!!" he hollered again, "I promise to return with haste! This is something I cannot miss! I have generations of powerful knights in my bloodline! Wouldn't it stray from tradition to be absent in one of the most important battles of the decade?!"

The maid rubbed her forehead and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ears. Her long, pink hair was tied up and pinned into a tight bun. Sakura came from a poor family, though her mature behavior and advanced vocabulary opposed the stereotypes. At the mere ten years of age, she was tasked with such a large responsibility.

The child's father, Minato Namikaze, was the head of the royal garrison in the kingdom of Konoha. He worked directly under the king. The position was passed down from generation to generation, and his son was expected to take the mantle too one day. He was the spitting image of his valiant father. Spiky blond hair, piercing blue eyes, caramel tan skin, and charisma that could make anyone smile.

Unfortunately, the one trait he didn't inherit from his father proved to be his downfall. The boy was an omega just like his late mother, Kushina. In a society where being an omega was heavily frowned upon, many question his validity in the generational role as the head of the royal garrison.

That is why Sakura was here... to watch over the young omega. After all, most saw him as delicate clay, easy to break and manipulate. He had to be watched and guarded at all times, unlike all the other alpha and beta children in royal families.

Sakura didn't care much for the title of omega. As a beta herself, she never understood the controversy behind his gender. She was just here to do a job, get paid a few silvers, and feed her starving family at home.

"Naruto," she removed his honorific and raised her voice. "I will not repeat myself again. Back to bed with you. Your father was very clear about his expectations."

Naruto resorted to begging. He clapped his hands together and stuck out his bottom lip. His dark blond eyebrows scrunched above his puppy dog eyes; they glimmered under the moonlight pouring through the window. Nobody could resist this look, not even the mature Sakura.