My Prince (BOOK 1)

Chapter 12

Naruto sat at the counter of the bar. Her finger swirling along the brim of her wine glass as she watched the crowd dance to the fast pace music.

It was long past dark and Naruto, shockingly, was wearing a dress. A red with gold swirl patterned dress where her breasts were smooshed together in the corset to look like Tsunades (the royal doctor).

Her eyes were trained on one man in particular. The infamous whore of the Fire Kingdom, or the infamous toddler as she liked to call him.
Uchiha Sasuke, the Prince of the Fire Kingdom.
It had been weeks since he was last seen in a bar, having been under Narutos control. But somehow, somehow he thought he was sneaky enough to escape after telling Naruto his nightly plans.

In quote, "Great. Than I have tonight to waste my liver and become even more of a whore than you think."

It was true Naruto had been disgusted by his comment but didn't find anything wrong with him dying sooner by a shriveled liver. So here she was, being his babysitter once more.

Sasuke slammed the glass of whiskey onto the counter and immediately caught the bartenders attentions by whistling.

"Another one your highness?" He asked.
"Two."
The bartender nodded and Naruto lifted her glass, also signaling for another. He nodded once more and began to prepare the glasses as Sasuke looked at Naruto.

His cheeks red, ears pink and eyes looking as if he was high on drugs. In short, Sasuke was majorly wasted.

"You new to this pub? I haven't seen you before."
"Hm? Oh no not new, simply haven't been here for quite some time."

It was true. Naruto was only found in pubs when Sasuke was in pubs. Which used to be a daily thing where men would shamelessly hit on her, purpose their family name and try to drug her into bed with them.
No one had ever needed to go to such lengths with Sasuke though. One body press and knee grind and Sasuke was as good as sold.

Naruto held Sasukes forearm when he stumbled, having been trying to get a closer look at her.

"Wow... your eyes are beautiful."
Naruto took a deep breath. This wasn't the first time Sasuke was too drunk to recognize her, inside it hurt Naruto to know that seeing she's been at his side for eight years... but what could one do?

"Yes. I share them with my father."
A glimmer flashed through Sasukes eyes as the bartender sat the glasses down.
"That will be 20 yen for his highness..." the bartender began, with Naruto already trying to put her 10 yen down. The man stopped her though, "Not you gorgeous. It's on the house."
The bartender gave a wink and Naruto went to pick her glass up when Sasuke did.
"She gets this red crap free while I have to pay? That's bullshit." Sasuke complained. "I'm the prince. Not some commoner."

With that he swung the glass of red wine— the only wine Naruto was ever seen sipping and-or swirling—. The bartenders face fell as Sasuke slammed the glass down, sharing the man's glare.

The bartender scoffed, "That was for the lady."
"A mere woman doesn't have anything compared to me."
The man went to argue but Narutos fingertips running over his hand made his eyes widen and red spread across his face.
"Could you.. maybe get me another glass?"

Uzumaki Naruto wasn't one to use her one-of-many gifts often but seduction was a strong tool in her arsenal. Especially against men— which she was constantly surrounded by—.

"Yes... of course."
Sasuke took his two glasses of whiskey... and made the drunken but very very— extremely bad decision of dumping one of the glasses over Narutos head.

Though many women would gasp and sprang up as if it was the next crisis, Naruto simply kept sitting in her chair. Too stunned to move and too.. what would you call it? Hurt? To care that her hair would be almost impossible to wash.
She simply.. sat there as Sasuke put the glass once filled with whiskey down and went back to the poker table where he was already loosing.

The bartender sat the glass of freshly poured wine down, he noticed Narutos extraordinary blonde hair sticking together as if she had just gotten out of the bath and how her skin was now gleaming in the dim candle lights from above.

"My.. lady?"
He crouched and pulled back Narutos bangs to only stumble back in shock and what others could only call fear.

Uzumaki Narutos eyes were a gleaming red and her jaw was so clenched a vein was noticeably popping.
If pissed couldn't describe how she felt.. no other words could.

~~**~~

"S-sir Uzumaki.. I-I think we'll just.. need to cut it?"

Hyuga Hinata, the only maid who seemed to be able to stand being close to Naruto without pissing herself.
Many thought she was just an idiot or blind seeing Naruto was easily the scariest person anyone could ever meet. Narutos nickname being the "devils beast" for a reason of course.

Naruto clenched the ending of her towel. She went to respond when the door to the bathing room opened.
Itachi stood there, he wasn't with anyone but had a very visible frown etched across his lips.

"The guards.. out front had gotten me. And told me you looked upset with Sasuke-" Itachi was abruptly stopped by a vase shattering against the wall, barely missing his face square on.
"Shut up." Naruto clenched the blond strands of her hair. "Just.. shut up."

Itachi sighed but respected Narutos wishes.
It wasn't a secret how Naruto felt about her hair. Seeing how well she took care of her hair was how delicately Sasuke took care of his horrendous reputation.

Hinata curtsied when she was close enough to Itachi.

"What happened?" He used a hushed tone, one Hinata followed. Even if it was particularly useless when used around Naruto.
"I-I don't know your majesty... I.. I had just found her scrubbing something out of her hair.. and when I went to brush it.. something sticky.. seemed to come from sir Uzumakis hair."
"... did it smell like whiskey?"
Hinata thought for a moment.. but slowly nodded in the end.

Itachi felt like slapping his brother in the face right about then. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the younger highness preferred whiskey— especially the towns whiskey— over any other liquor. And with that it was easy to figure out Naruto was leaning more toward the elegant red wine; which many respected kings and queens were known for drinking more than any other liquor.

"Did you perhaps.. say you had to cut her hair?"

Naruto had been growing her hair out ever since Itachi could remember. It wasn't uncommon for women of the Uzumaki clan to have long, thick and red luscious hair. Naruto was no different, even though she did not take her role as the next queen of the Wind Kingdom, she follows the rules embedded into her at birth. Of course accommodating some if needed to fit her daily life as a knight, a general no less.

"Hinata."
The two looked at Naruto.
"Just get it over with."

It hurt the king to here Narutos voice. So quiet and broken.. it was as if she was sobbing over a lost love one.
Than again her hair was one of the main ways she kept close to her father— who she cloned with— and her mother —who was also an Uzumaki by blood and tradition—.

Hinata grabbed the scissors but Itachi grabbed a hold of them.

"May I?"
"Oh.. o-of course."

Itachi walked behind Naruto and pulled her damp hair over the back of the chair. Before he lifted the scissors, Itachi placed a hand on Narutos tense but shaking shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?"
"I said to get it over with didn't I?!"

The king grabbed a chunk of Narutos hair.. and cut it off. One thick piece after another until the pieces were uneven but never under the lining of the cotton towel.

Hinata waited by the door patiently and making sure no one else came in as Narutos sobs ran through the stone walled room along with the snipping of the scissors.

It was a night to never be talked about.

Ever.