A Magical Princess

Chapter 17

They went on two more dates that week, and Shikaku made it to dinner almost every other night, listening with apparent interest as Natsu and Eito told him about their days in minute detail.

He'd assigned Rai to be her guide for her morning runs, and she couldn't decide if he was trying to be nice to her by assigning somebody she already knew, or punishing Rai for letting her run all over the compound that first day. Either way, she enjoyed the girl's company.

Eito and Natsu had taken to waiting for her to return on the front steps and then joining her in her stretches. After a visit from Ino, her ribs and shoulder were also well enough to ease back into the rest of her routine, which involved moving through the punches, kicks, and rolls taught to every Auror. The twins had demanded she teach them years ago, and they made an adorable sight with their little faces scrunched up in concentration as they did kicks and punches in tandem with her.

Shikaku had stepped out on the porch one morning with a cup of tea and grinned at their little group. Rai was laying on the grass a few feet away, eyes half-lidded, and she waved at him. Deciding now was their chance to show off for Shikaku, who they had developed a bit of hero-worship for after hearing stories from Shikamaru and his team, Eito and Natsu glanced at each other before pouncing at Hari's back.

Sensing their attack, she dropped to the ground and they both went sailing over her head and landed in a tangle of limbs and Natsu's long hair. Hari sat back and laughed as they extricated themselves, and with a war cry, Natsu pounced on her. Hari leaned back and grabbed onto her forearms as she rolled, then placed her feet into her abdomen and lightly flipped her over her head.

Natsu yelped but tucked into a ball - just the way Hari'd taught her - and did a controlled roll when she hit the ground, bouncing up onto her feet and looking smug. Eito was next, and Hari chose to spring off the ground and evade him. After a few minutes, the siblings decided to work in tandem, and the whole thing ended with the three of them wrestling around on the ground until Hari finally yielded, laughing breathlessly up at the sky from where they had her pinned to the ground - Eito sitting on her legs and Natsu on her stomach.

"Ah, so you have two little warriors, here," Shikaku said and his amused face appeared above her and blocked out the sky.

She smiled, bright and happy, breathing in the cool morning air and enjoying the burn in her muscles. "Yep, they're certainly terrifying," she said with another laugh when he lifted the protesting children off of her and offered his hand.

She wiped the sweat from her palm onto her pants, then took it. He lifted her easily and Hari felt a small thrill go through her at how strong he was. "You can't blame me for saving my fiancé from a couple of ruffians," Shikaku said in response to the twins' complaining. He gave her hand a small squeeze before letting go of it and turning to them.

"Now, I got a message from a certain blonde hero who asked if he could take the three of you out into the village today," Shikaku said, and their eyes lit up.

"Naruto is coming over?" Natsu squealed, and then looked down at her dirty, wrinkled clothes and eeped.

"I need to go get ready!" she yelled, then grabbed Eito's hand and tugged him into the house. Shikaku raised an eyebrow, and Hari covered a giggle with her hand. And since when did she giggle, anyway? "Natsu might have a teeny, tiny crush on Naruto," she explained, and he laughed. Hari twitched a little at the sound, because it was nice, and shrugged. "I'm guessing she's not the only one."

"Oh?" he said and stepped closer to her, putting a large hand on her hip. "You think he's handsome, then?" he asked, and she blinked up at his glinting eyes as her whole body heated and her thoughts slowed.

"Uh...I suppose so, though I was actually referring to his hero status. I know from experience that it tends to grab the attention of the opposite sex." She paused. "And the same sex, actually."

He huffed out a breath of air. "Well, princess, I won't keep you from your fans, then," he teased. "I was hoping you and I could discuss the marriage contract this evening. The Hokage would like a signed copy on her desk in the next few days."

She didn't miss the way his sharp eyes were taking in her reaction. She felt surprisingly calm at the thought. "Sure. We should probably talk about the actual ceremony, too. Whatever we decide, we have to at least make sure Natsu gets to act as flower girl. She was very insistent," Hari said seriously and was rewarded with another rumbling laugh.

"Then I'll see you tonight, princess." He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, and her cheeks heated under his intense stare. She just nodded, not trusting her voice to stay steady, and then he was gone.

"Wow," Rai said from her spot on the grass, and Hari jumped and spun around - she'd forgotten Rai was there. "I guess I can assure our clan that Shikaku isn't as useless with women as we'd started to fear. Now we can cancel the intervention."

"Intervention?" Hari asked, brow furrowing in confusion, and Rai opened one eye to look at her.

"Well, yeah, everybody's heard about your disaster of a first meeting, and he wasn't exactly at his most charming with you the day we met. Some of the women in the clan were getting ready to pull him aside and give him a lecture on the proper way to court a lady. I'll give you a preview: calling your intended stupid doesn't make the list," she said wryly, and Hari laughed.

"Well, he did send me some very nice flowers after, and took me out on a lovely date that evening," she said, and Rai hummed.

"I heard. If he gives you any more trouble, just let me know."

"Ah, so you're a spy," Hari said as she trotted up the steps of the back porch.

"I prefer 'information gatherer,'" Rai called, and Hari grinned.