Iris and Crimson

-Ayame-

I couldn’t fall asleep. The kiss just wouldn’t leave my mind. It was like the dream I had, it was glued to my memory. And best of all, it was my first kiss. I frowned at what I said. Did I just say that it was the best of all? What has gotten into me?

I turned around and around, hoping that sleep would come but it didn’t. When Gaara pulled away and my heart was torn into two, I knew my life was over. I will now be unhappy for the rest of my life. Why was life sometimes so unfair?

Finally sleep found me and I drifted off into my own little world.

-Satoshi-

I watched as Haruna slept. Something about the way her face expression looked when she woke up from her dream was not normal. I tried to think what it was, but my mind got nowhere. Where was Maika when I needed her? Maika could easily see through lies and walls of emotion. She always knew when I was down or worried. And she would always think of a way to fix things.

I eventually fell asleep because of all the thinking I did and I dreamt of when I met Maika, the angel…

“Satoshi? Satoshi?” I heard my mother, Queen Tabitha call my name from her bedroom window. I looked over my shoulder and saw that she was waving a handkerchief. I frowned as she kept on waving it in my direction.

“What does your mother want?” Daisuke asked me as he held the baseball ready to throw. I shrugged, since I had no idea.

“What is it, mother?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

“Aren’t you going to the festival?” she shouted back and I dropped my baseball glove, remembering all of a sudden. I smacked my forehead and groaned.

“Festival?” Daisuke asked confused. I nodded.

“My father is there, come with me, you might find a girl you like” I said as I winked. Daisuke chuckled and shook his head.

At the festival there were many people dancing and serving food.

“Welcome, Prince Satoshi” one woman said as she bowed and held up a tray filled with all kinds of delicious snacks. Daisuke dug in, hungry like a lion. I laughed and spotted my father sitting on a fancy chair in the ‘king corner’. I decided to join him.

“Ah, Satoshi, you made it” my father said as he motioned for me to sit in the chair next to him. I sat down. We had a pretty good view, looking out on the dance floor where a group of courtesans were dancing. Some of them were sitting around my father, giving him food and drinks and soon there were a group of them around me as well. I didn’t know what to do so I copied my father, took something and thanked them, and then ignored them. But my father ignored them because he basically was married, and I was not.

Suddenly the music stopped and the main courtesan stood up. She was an old woman but a beautiful one. She clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention.

“And now, for the Hikari’s dance of light” she said and music began again. But only one girl danced this time. She had on a pink veil that covered her head and only kept open her eyes. She had on a pink and purple Sari (Traditional clothes from India) and she wore millions of jewels on different places. Her waist, her head, her wrists and ankles. She had on no shoes though. When the main courtesan motioned to her that I was here the girl’s attention was on me.

It was like everyone around us had disappeared. And it was only her and me. Like she only danced for me. Even though the veil was pink I could still see her face. Her eyes were a red pink and her hair was long, fluent and white. The perfect style of hair that would look gorgeous when the wind blew through it.

But the moment only lasted for a second when she turned her gaze away from mine. The dance ended and she bowed while everyone cheered. Then my father stood up and cheered loudly, walking up to the girl. She was now blushing.

“Ah, Maika, you are like a second Yukari” my father said. Maika curtsied and then pulled off her veil, revealing her face completely. She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Like she came from the heavens.

“Maika, I like you meet my son, Satoshi” my father said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her to me. She curtsied again and I bowed, still entranced by her beauty.

“A pleasure to meet you, your highness” she said.

“Satoshi, this is Maika, Yukari and Sir Dominic’s daughter, you remember Yukari, right?” my father introduced her and asked. I thought about it for awhile and remembered. Yukari was my mother’s best friend from Girl School.

“So you’re Dominic-sama and Yukari-sama’s daughter?” I asked and Maika nodded. I smiled. Now I knew where she got her good looks from, her mother was one of the most beautiful women in Cloud Kingdom.

My father excused himself and Maika and I went for a walk.

“So, you’re a courtesan?” I asked. Maika shook her head.

“No, I just love to dance, don’t you?” Maika asked me. I nodded and got an idea since we could still hear music. I bowed.

“Will you dance with me, princess?” I asked and Maika blushed. She curtsied and took my hand. That was the beginning of our love.

I didn’t wake up from my dream. It was too good, but I think I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks. I dreamt again, this time of when I told my father I wanted to get married to Maika.

“Father” I called to him as I entered the throne room, “I wish to talk to you.”

My father has just placed his fancy king crown in it’s display box and looked up at me.

“A man to ma talk, I presume” he asked with a large smile. I nodded and he motioned for me to sit.

“Father, I wish to get married” I said, eager to get it out. My father didn’t seem too surprised and he smiled.

“Ah, ready to take over the kingdom, who’s the lucky maiden?” he asked. I blushed.

“Maika” I mumbled. My father smiled again.

“Ah, yes, Maika, she is lucky to have captured your heart, son” my father said as he closed his eyes and pictured our wedding.

“Is that a yes?” I asked.

“I would love to have Maika as my daughter-in-law, yes, son” my father said and I hopped out of the room, really happy.

I found Maika under a cherry blossom tree, staring at a pond. I decided to startle her and placed my hands on her eyes from the back. She jumped and I chuckled.

“Satoshi?” she called as I sat down next to her. She smiled and took hold of m hand.

“Maika, I want to ask you seomthing” I said as I got on my knees. Maika’s eyes widened and she looked like she was already crying.

“Maika, love of my life, will you marry me?” I asked, but Maika didn’t even give me the chance to place the ring on her finger since she jumped in my arms, causing us to roll down the hill.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

“YES!” she yelled and kissed me.

Ah, what a wonderful day that was…..

-Ayame-

I woke up early in the morning. I have only slept for 4 hours. I sighed and got out of bed, dragging my feet. Gaara was still asleep and I was glad, I was in no mood to talk to him. I decided to fill my bath with water and bubbles and soak a bit.

After my bath I headed downstairs to take a walk when I saw one of the guards talk to this guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. I frowned. Who was he? The guard motioned for him to leave when I decided to find out what he wanted.

“Who is this?” I asked as I walked up to them. The guard turned around and the boy stared at me. The guard immediately looked scared because of my presence.

“P-Princess Ayame, this guy just showed up all of a sudden” the guard explained as I stopped next to him. The boy looked Gaara’s age, around 15-16. He bowed when he heard that I am the princess.

“And you are?” I asked when I noticed something on his head. A forehead protector, it was different from Gaara and his family’s. Instead of an hour glass it had a swirl. Was he from one of the ninja nations? I tried to indentify it, but it wasn’t from the Hidden Rock either. Hm.

“I am Uzumaki Naruto, may I see the kazekage?” he asked me. He knew Gaara? I was about to tell the guard to call Gaara when I heard a voice.

“What the hell Naruto? When did you get here?” I heard Gaara ask from behind me. Naruto smiled as Gaara stood still beside me.

“Hey” Naruto greeted. I frowned, hey? Gaara didn’t seem to mind his informality and wrapped his arm around my waist (probably so that it looked like we weren’t enemies to the guard and Naruto). I didn’t struggle to get loose, only stood still. Naruto stared at Gaara’s arm around me and then he looked up with a questioningly look on his face.

“Yeah, this is my fiancée, Ayame” Gaara said as he pulled me closer, making me feel uncomfortable. Naruto grinned.

“Nice to meet ya! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!” Naruto said as he held out his hand. I shook it and returned the smile.

“Boy Gaara, you lucky tanuki! She’s gorgeous!” Naruto said to Gaara. Gaara rolled his eyes. I wondered why he called Gaara a tanuki? (Tanuki=Japanese raccoon, the same animal type Shukaku is).

“Oh yeah, I am Gaara’s friend from Konoha” Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head. So that was where he came from. I was happy to meet one of Gaara’s friends and Naruto seemed like a nice guy.

“So how’s the kazekage work going?” Naruto asked Gaara again.

“The paperwork is driving me insane” Gaara mumbled and both Naruto and I giggled.

“Not funny” Gaara hissed and we just giggled again.

“Don’t worry man, I feel for ya, soon I’ll be in that dilemma too” Naruto said. Gaara frowned.

“Tsuande chose you as the next hokage?” Gaara echoed. Naruto nodded.

“Hey, congrats man” Gaara said as he smiled, actually for the first time smiled! Well except for in my dream of course. Gaara let go of me and he and Naruto chattered away. I sighed and stomped I heard the last thing they said.

“Hey man, she looks angry, what did you do?” Naruto asked.

“I kissed her” Gaara mumbled. Naruto gasped.

“You’re that serious already?” he yelled.

“No, it was a mistake, I wasn’t thinking straight. I pulled away and now she’s really mad at me, for some odd reason” Gaara said. I then heard Naruto.

“Hmmmmmm, very odd"