Prince Ryuuumaru Shimazu Speaks With Sakura Haruno

"Indeed. We both might wish revenge upon the one we hate but the difference between the two of us is that I focus on the fact that my mother would not want me to focus my entire life on getting revenge. She didn't want me to get revenge at all. It still amazes me to this day how an angel such as my mother could love someone as disgusting as the Snake Sannin Orochimaru" he said as he shook his head.

"People change, as i said, Tsunade told me he wasn't always as corrupt as he is now. Of course, there was always a part of his mind that was tainted, but maybe it wasnt always that bad," She said with a slight shrug. "We'll never really know, i suppose," She added with a slight sigh. "All we know now is that the two of them are the enemy," She said, stalling slightly at calling Sasuke the 'enemy'. She knew that he was, without a doubt, but it sounded strange. Wrong. He used to be on her team. He used to seem quite content here. Things had become so twisted.

He noticed her stall when she said the word enemy and raised an eyebrow at her, seeming to know why she hesitated. "The Uchiha is no longer your teammate, the person who valued and looked after the lives of his teammates. That seal on his neck that the slimy, spineless pedophile gave him made sure that nothing of your teammate remains" he informed her calmly.

She blinked then sighed as she realised that he'd noticed her stalling. "Ah...Hai," She said with a nod. "I just can't believe i cried for that selfish traitor," She said with a clenched jaw as she thought back to the day he left. When she told him that she loved him. Now, she regretted that those words ever left her mouth, that she'd even felt ANYTING for the Uchiha. "Tch, who even cares anymore," She said bitterly as she folded her arms.

"It doesn't matter now. Just be thankful you have changed and finally seen that the Uchiha slug is not what you thought he was" he said to her with a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

She nodded slowly. "Thats true...But anyways!" She said, forcing a rather overly-bright smile and rubbing the back of her neck. "Thats enough of that! Is there anything you'd like to do, Ryuumaru-Kun? Anything you have in mind?" She asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject in some way.

"All I every really do is train so I may one day destroy the pedophile" he said with a grunt as he closed his eyes.

She sighed slightly, that sounded familiar. "I see...Well! Thats gonna change today!" She said with another smile as she grabbed his arm and pulled it gently. "Tell you what, i can try and cook you some lunch if you like. My mom won't be happy but she rarely ever is," She joked, trying to clear the air.

"Alright then, if you wish to do so, you can. However, don't expect me to be courteous to your mother if she starts with me. Just because she's a council member it does not mean that she can do whatever she pleases. If she wishes to run her mouth, I will be more then happy to make her shut it" he said with a smirk on his face.

She nodded, strangely enthusiastically. "I won't stop you, y'know," She chuckled as they walked through the streets. "Besides, its better if i cook. You dont wanna KNOW what her teryaki tastes like," She said with a shudder. "The meat has a texture like rubber, and when you cant swallow it, you have to drink some of her home-made sake. Now THAT is what you call torture in its purest form," She said as she took her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door, opening it. In the hallway stood Sakuras mother, looking rather peeved that her daughter hadn't bought any groceries home, and even MORE peeved at the fact that she had her hand on the arm of none other than Ryuumaru. However, she was silent.

Ryuumaru gave Mrs. Haruno an icy look that showed he absolutely loathed her existence. "Cherry Blossom, I will not try anything your gives me. Considering how she acts, I wouldn't put it past her to try to poison me" he said to Sakura, loud enough for Sakura's mother to hear him. Sakura knew why Ryuumaru tended to disrespect and mock her mother and that was because Mrs. Haruno always said something bad or hateful about his mother Kimi.

She nodded and smiled. "Dont worry, Ryuumaru-Kun, i wont make you try anything you dont want to," She reassured him as she gave her mother a warning look as she opened her mouth to speak. She showed Ryuumaru through to the living room, smiling slightly at the memory of when he first came in here. That'd been the time when he'd kissed her forehead, if she remembered right. "Wait here, i promise i wont be long. I'll just make something basic," she said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Ryuumaru sat down on the couch silently and just glared daggers at Mrs. Haruno as he calmly waited for Sakura to come back.

Mrs Haruno looked at him carefully, sitting at a chair on the opposite side of the room, basically placing herself as far away for him as she could. "...I see you're speaking to Sakura again," She said stiffly. "And...She's calling you 'Ryuumaru-Kun'," She said with distaste. "Are you two an item by any chance...?" She asked, keeping her stiff upper lip.

"Indeed we are, not that it's any of your business wench. I care nothing for your opinion or what you have to say so do keep your mouth shut before I make you keep it shut. I will have no problem giving my pedophile of a father someone to meet in Hell" he said icily, making it seem like the temperature dropped to arctic levels.

She raised an eyebrow, her expression unchanging. "Is it not common for a mother to want to know about her daughters personal life? To keep her safe?" She said with a smirk, as if insinuating that Sakura isn't safe around Ryuumaru. "After all...Who knows what could happen," She added quietly with an edge to it.

Sakura came back into the room with a bowl, probably hearing the conversation and wanting to get back in there before Ryuumaru ripped her mother to pieces. She placed the bowl on the table in front of Ryuumaru. "There, one bowl of miso soup. I made some smoked salmon sushi rolls too but i'll bring them through in a minute," She said with a smile.

"Thank you Cherry Blossom" he said as he gave Sakura a smile before he scowled at Sakura's mother. "And I suppose that pathetic spineless, traitorous Uchiha slug is safer then I am, a loyal shinobi of Konoha who wishes to bring an end to the life of the slime known as Orochimaru?" he asked her coldly.

Sakura's mother frowned in disapproval at her daughter. "Don't let him walk all over you, Sakura," She said before looking at Ryuumaru. "At least the Uchiha knew when to take the hint and...leave...he couldve caused someone real harm..." She said, again insinuating that Ryuumaru would hurt Sakura. This caused Sakura to slam her hand down onto the table, rocking the bowl but not tipping it. "Thats it!" Sakura snarled. "I dont want to hear any more of it! Get out!" She said, turning on her mother. Her mother stood up, affronted. "But, Sakura, I--" "OUT!!" Defeated, her mother retreated upstairs. As soon as she was gone, Sakura sat down on the couch, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Thanks for me sticking up for me Cherry Blossom. If she would have kept running her mouth, I'm afraid this house might have become one member short" he said with a slight smile on his face.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, looking rather relieved at the fact that she'd finally managed to yell at her mother. "You're welcome, i'd had enough of her snide remarks. It's bad enough that i get them, i wasnt going to let her do that to you too," She said rather defensively as she looked out into the hallway to make sure her mother was gone. "...I guess things havent changed much, huh?"

"I'd say things have changed a lot. Your mother is more of a judgmental bitch then when we were children" he said calmly as he slowly ate his ramen.

She grinned slightly and nodded, getting up. "Thats true, not much i can do about that though." She said as she went into the kitchen, getting the smoked salmon sushi rolls and coming back through. She set them down beside the miso and sat down again. "How do you like my cooking then?" She said with a slight smirk as she took one of the rolls and bit into it daintily.

"It's good. Much better then mine" he told her honestly as he bit into one of her rolls.

She smiled brightly. "I'm glad you like it, i tried really hard to season everything right," She said as she looked down at the meal she had prepared. "To be honest, i've had to learn how to cook, clean and everything else pretty much by myself since my mom never thought to teach me," She looked up at him again. "So it means a lot that you like it!"

"How could I not like your cooking Cherry Blossom? I like everything about you, you should know that" he told her with a smile on his face.

She blinked, taking in what he'd said. It seemed a little strange, not even a day ago, he'd been flinging insults her way. Now he said he loved everything about her. It was a nice surprise to hear it. She smiled slightly and felt her cheeks heat up a little bit. "Arigato, Ryuumaru-Kun. That was one thing i wasnt expecting to hear,"

"Why? Because of all the insults I always threw at you? What did you expect me to do? You hurt me Cherry Blossom. You know I cherish those I care for dearly and to hear someone I care for say such a thing to me hurts" he said.

She looked down, guilty. "I-I know...But you know that i wasnt thinking clearly...I-If i knew how much it was gonna hurt you, i would never have done it! I swear, i had no idea how much it would effect you," She said, speaking quickly and quietly. She seemed genuinely sorry, and it looked as if she'd regretted what she'd done.

"I understand. At least your sorry though just as I am sorry for all the things I've said to you Cherry Blossom" he said with a genuine apologetic look.

She bit her lip and shook her head. "We should just put that behind us. I want us to start fresh," She said as she went forward to hug him gently. "And i dont give a damn what my mom thinks, frankly she's not as important to me," She said as she glanced at the hall again, satisfied that her mom still wasnt making an appearance.

"Well, she is the one who brought you into this world and I figured you would hold her in a slightly higher regard then you do me" he said with a frown on his face.

"She's also the one who's practically pushed me aside for 16 years," She said with a snort as she gathered up the empty plates. "She has done NOTHING else for me. I wouldnt be surprised if i was a mistake, quite frankly. I probably was, i've never known my dad," She muttered as she brought the plates back into the kitchen.

"Considering who my father is, you might not want to meet yours. Your father might be someone that is like my father" he pointed out calmly as he crossed his arms.

"Its all a matter of how you look at it," She called from the kitchen. "On one hand, he could be like your father, point taken," She said as she walked into the room again. "On the other, he could be the rock that i need," She added as she sat on the arm of the couch.