Title: House Maid Wanted

Author: AppleL0V3R

Beta-reader: Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

Fandom: 07 Ghost and Naruto

Pairing: Warren, Konatsu and Haruno, Sakura

Chapter: One – Protect

Rating: T

Type: Mini-Story – Incomplete

Summary: Sent on a solo mission she found herself protecting the wrong king and belonging inside arms other than Konoha's boarders.

Word Count: 5,960

Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

Note: I do hope you read the entire summary before clicking on the story title, but if you did not then I hope you bother to read it hear. There will be AyaHyu, and not just mentions of it so if you don't like BL then I suggest you click the back button. I thought I should give fair warning to this considering the main pairing and all the other ones that appear in here will be hetero.

Also, the scene where Ayanami confronts the King is almost exactly as it is in the manga (words, actions and reactions); I didn't see any reason to change them since I wasn't altering this scene in any way, with the exception of the scant additions of my own. But I will put that it came from Chapter 26: Antwort, pages 18-22 so that due credit is given where it belongs and I'm not plagiarizing.

I know it is Michael as the manga goes on (and I know that it is correct), but I like the spelling Mikhail, so I'm keeping that one.

She stared out over the horizon on the frozen land. This place always had snow covering everything and when it wasn't falling it was because the temperature was too cold for it. Sakura herself had never been one for cold, but since she wasn't particularly adverse to it she didn't mind it all too much. And she was already used to it at any rate. She'd been here for a month already, and would continue to be here for at least another five. She didn't think they'd be long either, at least not any longer than her day to day life in Konoha's walls had been.

She was a long way from home, too. Thousands of feet above ground level and even more in miles to the east of Konoha. She wasn't sure how someone from here had stumbled upon Konoha considering no one else outside the shinobi nations even knew shinobi actually existed or in the numbers that they did. Sakura had decided not to mention where she came from. Thankfully she didn't have to learn a new language either, not really. The majority of the people here spoke what they called the Barsburg language and most of the slaves spoke the Raggs language. Her reason for being here was bilingual, but he seemed to prefer the Barsburg language more and so she had stuck to that when speaking to him. Apparently she spoke the Barsburg one and had learned enough of the Raggs to be mostly fluent in it.

She had to admit, learning a new language had been fun and interesting. It reminded her of all the little things in the world and the common words she didn't think twice about using. The Haruno hadn't made very many friends, but that's not why she was here anyway. The friends she had made were usually in her spare time – when she wasn't double checking reports or sitting just outside the king's door, which tended to took up most of her time and energy as it was – and nearly all of the closer ones were slaves.

She'd been horrified by the knowledge that people were being used as combat slaves here, but the twin boys she usually spoke to had assured her that it was quite alright, the whole thing and been happening for around ten years now and there wasn't much of a difference to them. Her green eyes had softened and her heart ached at those words, because only those who wouldn't know better would say that. To be content with such treatment was mindboggling to Sakura, who had learned to hold her head high and refuse to bow it to anyone for anything – with the exception of her Hokage, though even that had become forced rather than natural. But knowing that there was nothing she could do about it – it wasn't her place nor her mission, it wasn't like she held sway over the right people anyway – she had backed off and tried to accept the fact as it was. She still wasn't able to, but she was able to push it to the corner of her mind every time she looked at them and that made it easier to not show pity for boys who didn't think they needed it.

The twins' names were Suzunami and Yukinami and she found she liked their opposing temperaments. Suzu, the older of the two, was outspoken and always asking questions while Yuki was cautious to make sure there was no danger as well as the one who tried to keep his brother in line. It had been amusing when she first meet them only a few days after coming to this snow covered place. No sooner had she stepped out of the King's chambers and headed down the hall to continue familiarizing herself with the place has she run into them, Suzu had asked rather loudly if her hair color was natural and who was she. She'd paused and turned to look him in the eye and tilted her head, telling him that she didn't know enough of his language to even understand his question. Someone close by had translated for her and she'd nodded, keeping the words and pronunciation in mind as she answered the boy who looked to be being scolded by the lighter hair colored boy beside him. The two were her main source of furthering her knowledge in the Raggs language as well as the few officers who were bilingual and didn't mind helping out from time to time. And she had settled into this place pretty easily, just like she had everywhere else she'd ever been that wasn't hostile territory.

But, inevitably, she mostly stayed around the king, sometimes in his throne room, or his chambers and sometimes at the door. That was her mission, to guard a king who was certain that sooner or later the Barsburg Empire would come after Antwort and he wanted her as insurance that he wouldn't die in the process.

Her feelings towards him were neutral considering he was her client essentially and she knew it would be better if she was more focused on getting the job done rather than who was involved. But she knew he was a greedy sort of king – there didn't seem to be any other in her book – who didn't want to lose his treasure and was too spineless to face death head on. It funny in that mirthless sense, how it seemed it was the people in power who were supposed to be brave and strong turned out to be the most cowardly and weak.

Well, she supposed there were most certainly exceptions, but her view of leadership had been skewered ever since Danzo had become the Rukodiame Hokage. Because she was more than aware that the previous five had not been like this king is, that Gaara and É and Mei weren't like that either. But lately, she'd wondered if Konoha would ever regain a leader like it's previous ones. Not with Danzo in such full control, it was possible that his hand picked successor would be just like him, in fact it was almost assured.

But that wouldn't be her problem to think about for another five or so months. And since it wasn't, she really didn't want to think about it

Currently, she was next to the door of the King of Antwort, staring out at the tundra weather that came with this place. It was beautiful and it reminded her of Yukigakure no Sato. The mission flashed through her mind of why they'd originally been there, she gave a soft smile at all the memories. Back then the world had seemed straight; Sasuke hadn't betrayed them, Naruto wasn't gone, and Kakashi was infallible to her. Team Seven was still a strong team, and it was showing all the signs of one of those lifetime bonds that was so rare in their profession. In some ways, it hurt to remember, but just like all the other nuances that reminded her of her past from time to time, she smiled and appreciated the memory but eventually pushed it aside. She'd promised each and every one of them, vowing on their graves that she would always move forward. She would never try to get herself killed, she wouldn't wallow in self-pity and doubt and regret and pain.

So here she was. Trying to move on. She felt empty inside, a part of her waiting to be filled again even though she knew she never would. Personally, she thought this was a pointless mission. Who would attack an impenetrable defense? No one without proper means and a lot of confidence and no arrogance. Not even Konoha would attack a fortress like this one. It wasn't impossible, but without due cause, it was unnecessary. But still, the King was clearly paranoid and so she was here. Not that she quite minded, a whole new place, with new people and a new language. On top of that, it would accomplish good relations between Konoha and Antwort. She didn't see the downside to this mission.

Not then anyway.

And then she was on her feet in a flash – all idle thought gone in moments – yanking open the door to the King's room within the space of a split second. She didn't go further than a few steps in, but already she could see fright overtaking the elder man's wrinkled features as they zeroed in on her. He'd heard the alarms too.

Taking a deep breath she summoned her most calming tone, she didn't need him panicking on her. "Your Majesty –"

Still he was frantic. "They're here, they're coming."

"They won't reach you." She answered, confidence and cool professionalism in every fiber of her being. She didn't know what she was facing, and a niggling voice in the back of her mind told her that any opponent that could sound those alarms were going to be formidable. But she was no pushover, not after so many years of hard earned strength and power in her attempts to keep pace with her team.

He gulped and glanced at the closed door then back at her, "Are you sure?"

"There is no absolute certainty." Her voice was quiet, but full of conviction, something she'd learned from Itachi. "You know the facts just as well – better even – than I do. But I'm confident in my own abilities."

She realized the scant month she'd been there must have instilled something in him, because he calmed just enough at those words. But even so, fear shook his voice as he spoke his next words, "You'd better be right, because it is not just my life that will be lost if you are wrong."

Green eyes blinked in surprise and something inside her twisted uncomfortably. As she left the room just as quick and easily as she entered that same voice whispered the name of her feeling. Foreboding. But she swallowed it, telling herself that no matter what, she could do this. She had to do this. The medic kept on her feet, settled on the balls of them, body almost tense as she waited.

Surely no one would reach this far in though, right? All of Antwort's forces stood between her and the large strong wall that made this place so hard to invade. But she refused to relax, to be lulled by any sort of logic because in her experience, logic held no place on the battlefield. Especially when one did not know what they were against. Something told her that this would not be like a board game, strategy would only get her so far; it was instincts that would get her through.

Her eyes kept between all the entrances, making sure she stood directly in front of the door and that no one could sneak past. She stayed completely still, careful that even her own breath was completely silent and her stomach didn't move with each inhale and exhale. It was all so second nature to her, she didn't even need to think about it, she merely slid straight into that frame of mind.

For several moments, she stayed like that, moving so little that she could pull off a statue imitation. Sakura forced herself not to hold her breath, a habit she'd never completely gotten rid of but hadn't been a problem in the past and she didn't foresee it being one any time soon either. She continued to hold completely still for what seemed like hours, but she knew couldn't have been more than ten or twenty minutes.

But that was all she had to wait.

Because suddenly the large twin doors that led into the room just before the King's chambers were pushed open as if they were simple wooden flaps. Right in the middle of them was only one man, his body covered in a black ankle-length coat that had golden trimmings on his chest, sleeve cuffs and neck guard along with a golden mantel showing a the Barsburg insignia and on his other shoulder was showed that he was not only decorated but high in rank – if her limited knowledge of the Barsburg uniform was correct – as well as plain black pants. He wore a similar hat, decorated with the military insignia as well. Black boots covered his feet and white gloves encased his hands. What caught her attention the most though, was his pale purple hair and violet eyes that seemed to be without pupils. His hair made him seem almost ghost like, along with the pale complexion of his skin, but his eyes and jaw told a different story. They were strong and defined, she could see pride and confidence in them just as clearly as she could see it in his straight to the point of rigidness back and squared shoulders.

She didn't dare take so much as a step forward. His presence was almost as stifling, and it made her completely wary. For just one man to make it this far, and especially with those decorations on his shoulder, she knew he had to be strong. That he had reason to have pride in each step as he drew nearer. Finally he stopped almost three quarters of the way into the room, eyes having never once left her person.

Sakura felt herself incline her head to him almost politely in her acknowledgement, but refused to remove her eyes from his person. There was only one man in the entire world she would have never dared to meet his eyes at while he stood on the opposite of the battlefield, and he was dead. But this one was no less intimidating, and she was willing to bet, no less strong. And if that was true, then she wasn't walking away from this. Not alive anyway.

He didn't take his eyes off her either as he reciprocated the gesture.

"You are here for the man behind this door, I assume?"

"And you have no intention of stepping aside." It wasn't a question. Again she was reminded of that man from what seemed to be a lifetime ago; she wondered where the similarities between this man and Itachi ended.

She shrugged, allowing a nonchalant smile, "I agreed to be his bodyguard. My life forfeit, before anyone dangerous gets even so much as a glimpse of him."

Sakura knew with that response and the way his eyes narrowed almost thoughtfully, that he wasn't going to push the subject. After all, she'd as much as declared that he'd have to kill her if he wanted to get the King. And as a militant, she knew he would do so if he had to.

So, she shifted subtly, putting more of her weight on the balls of her feet and letting her body fall into an almost defensive sort of posture. By the end of the fourth shinobi war, she'd adopted the habit of never taking offense first unless she absolutely had to. She would not charge into any fight – especially not with one that made her so wary as the man before – without knowing what she was getting into.

She yanked her arm up as she found herself proven correct not a moment later; a leather whip wrapped itself around her forearm in a clear show of constriction and control. Her mouth pressed into a thin line and she shifted into a more solid stance, whatever he was planning to do next, she would be ready. He pulled almost harshly on his end of the weapon, but she didn't budge, keeping her arm exactly where she put it. This seemed to surprise him just the slightest, but in was only a brief flicker as angry red letters began to form around the same arm. In the back of her mind she noted how his irises had gained a ring of red around the outer edge the second those letters appeared. How interesting.

She herself, had never seen much of zaiphon, but with her time here she had certainly become acquainted with it. Having it encircle a body part made her no less wary, but she was also no less resolved and ready. What threw her off slightly was the coloring, like chakra she'd been taught that the color was blue. And like chakra, she was more than willing to assume that red meant that its owner had an ability or edge that made his zaiphon different from the norm. One that would be negative, destructive.

Again she was proven right when it tightened, the moment it was close enough it was like a line of needles, trying to break her skin from all sides in that one simple circle. She didn't even glance at her arm, still unwilling to let it budge so much as a micrometer, despite the shocks of pain and free flowing blood as it soaked the edges of her white sleeves on either side, staining it a simple red. Sakura knew that defense would only get her so far and so this time, she slid her foot back just slightly, not making a sound as she never lost contact with the ground.

And then she was moving.

Her booted feet landed exactly where his were, or rather, had been. He must have been able to see her move forward as he'd jumped back. But she was no where near done because he wasn't out of her range. So she used the whip still coiled around her bleeding arm to pull him forward, intending to disarm him of it in the process even as she flipped her body over, relying only on one hand to hold her weight. Shinobi she maybe, but she was also a doctor and was not idiotic enough to push a wounded limb anymore than she had to no matter what appearance she gave off. The second her palm and pads of her fingers touched the floor, she was swinging her legs, aiming one for his torso and the other his head.

As she expected, he blocked both with ease, even catching and grabbing the leg aimed for his head. He used the limb to pull her off her hand and off the ground all together. And just as quickly he was shoving her back down, but she buffered herself of the impact with her arms just in time, once more finding a way to hold her own weight so that she was free to use her captured limb to shove him over her body.

Like a cat he landed on his feet, looking not even the slightest ruffled. Quickly, she found her feet, settling her body in a crouch as she did so. There she waited once more for him to make the first move, wondering if he'd resort to zaiphon again or if he would use the sword at his hip since she was between him and the leather whip. But it also meant that he was between her and the door.

And just moments later, red zaiphon encircled a body part of hers once more, but this time it was her neck. She watched him carefully, seeing his slightly lifted arm and how he had one hand, fingers outstretched, for her threatened body part. But he clearly already thought it over, was already angling his body towards the door.

She almost huffed, anger rising at being forgotten just like that. Did he really think such a simple act would beat her? She'd fought back and won against more threatening circumstances than this. It was like a kunai being held to her throat as the attacker stood behind her, and that hadn't brought her down. It had stilled her, caused her to use strategy to get out of the mess, but she had then. And she would now.

Sakura lifted her arms once more, this time, putting both between her neck and the letters. With one deft movement, she shoved both appendages outwards, forcing the lettering to expand in circle even as it began siphoning into her wrists. Again, the pain was paid no heed as she ducked down, careful not to let her pink head touch the red letters.

When she was sure she was clear of it, she moved forward once more, this time though, she encased her body in a paper thin chakra covering, not allowing it to be seen as she pushed her body to move as fast as it could. And this time, he didn't see her move and didn't pull back in time to avoid the fist on a collision course for his gut.

But it didn't matter because just after it connected, before any pain or damage could set in and ripple through his body, he had his hand up, drawn sword. The sharp side of the blade slicing straight through the muscles of her thighs, despite the erected barrier she'd placed. However, the barrier wasn't intended as a buffer, wasn't meant to stop any kind of attack at all. It was set to see to any inflected wounds, numbing and even healing a little if necessary. Which meant that there was only a slight falter in her stance, but enough of one that if she hadn't just shoved her fist into his gut, he would have been able to at least return the favor.

She shifted again, still as silent as night, not even her slightly labored breath making any noise at all. Ignoring the wakizashi at her own hip, one that Sasuke had given to her as a birthday present some years ago, she yanked back her outstretched limb, moving to a roundhouse kick instead.

Sakura's best offense had always been hand to hand, so she had learned from Lee how to make combinations in her attacks. This one was one of her favorites.

It didn't connect, however. He didn't bother to catch her leg for a second time, he forewent it all together, using the pointed end of the blade in an uppercut, he slammed it straight through the backside of her calf, tearing all manner of flesh and muscle and even bone tissue.

This time a small hiss of pain was dragged from her lips, but it was only a sharp intake of air, barely audible even to her own ears. Dimly, she realized that now both legs were bleeding profusely as her body slammed into the ground. Before she could surge back to her feet though, ready to keep going, the red energy was back again. It surrounded her body in multiple rings, one around her hip, another neck, another her knees, one per arm.

It had her cursing but still unwilling to give up.

The question was: how did she get out of this before either he finished it or he headed for the door she'd been guarding? Her legs would need a little tending to before she tried to go further, she didn't need them giving out or anything at any time if she wanted to live through this. But both her arms were still fully operable despite the minor injuries on them. So how?

How did she get back up when she was literally trapped between sharp words and the cold floor? Floor. Why had she thought of that sooner? Deciding now wasn't the best time to be questioning her awareness abilities; she picked up the arm that was partially hidden from his view. She only needed to raise it at least an inch and with the room between the zaiphon and her, she had more than enough. Fisting her hand and subconsciously placing chakra into it, she slammed it into tiled flooring releasing that chakra just as it connected with the ground.

Like she'd expected, the ground gave way, rippling and tearing. Displacing itself in layers and sizes as it did so. More specifically, it'd created something of a hole beneath her, giving her just enough room to escape the half circles, push to her feet and once more place herself between him and the door.

Clearly she'd surprised him, as he jumped back, landing on one of the bigger taller pieces. But she knew instinctively, that taken slightly off guard or not, it wouldn't impede him for very long. She took the time to shield herself behind some debris and settle on her ass so as to see the severity of the damage. Focusing green healing chakra in her palms, she probed the leg that had been stabbed through; she didn't heal the whole thing. Something told her she'd need as much of her chakra as she could keep from here on out. But she did reconnect an important vein that had been severed and pushed the bone and muscle tissue to smooth over the tears. But she left the muscle alone, that could fix itself and though that meant pain, she could handle it knowing that it wouldn't give out on her. She did the same for her thigh on the other leg.

But that was all she'd had time for as he'd spotted her once more, easily crossing the distance. She climbed back to her feet, ignoring her protesting muscles.

Before she could do anything, even lift bloodied hands to her defense; he'd slammed the blunt of the blade into the back of her neck, not even causing so much as a nick or a cut hair in the process. Surprise and stiffness flooded her body as black spots appeared in her vision. She fell to her knees, both making a dull thud at the exact same time and then falling the rest of the way, her vision leaving completely at some point before she felt her face hit the floor.

Her eyelids closed as she was pulled into unconsciousness before it could occur to her to even try to fight it.

Violet eyes watched the pink haired soldier blank out as he hit the back of her neck with practiced precision, having already made the decision not to kill her. He should, she was just an obstacle and he was used to simply killing his opponents to remove them from his path. She'd even said she'd give her life before he got so much as a glimpse past the door. But that intrigued him, to be so calm about promising her own death, he could tell by her green eyes even before she'd opened her mouth that she was wary and didn't think she would win. And she didn't, but it had been a long time since he'd crossed paths with someone who put up such a fight. Multiple times she had caught him off guard, her strength and fighting skills alone were enough that she could easily have been high ranking. Her tenacity and improvising abilities clearly came from a well trained background and experience as well as being able to think for herself. She would be a great addition to the Barsburg Military, and since Antwort would be the Empire's before the day was done that would make her within his reach.

Ayanami kept a keen eye on her even as he drew his sword back, he wouldn't put it past her to be able to recover and react from even this. Especially after escaping death so nearly twice in a row. And splitting the earth like that, her energy was not zaiphon, but he didn't know what it was either. That was another reason to pull her into the Military. He found himself slightly surprised – once more – to see her on her feet after taking such damaging blows to both her legs.

Green eyes weren't wide but they did dull a bit with the telltale signs of unconsciousness encroaching on her, as they did her lips twitched upward but fell back into the serious line she'd been wearing. Gravity quickly overtook her voluntary limbs, pulling her to her knees without a quiet thud and then her body slumped forward crashing into the ground the rest of the way. Before it did so her eyes completely blanked as her body became unmoving. If he didn't know better, he would say he'd delivered a kill shot rather than an incapacitating one.

Once he was certain she would not be able to surprise or hinder him further, he stepped over her. As he did so, he noted how her leg wounds weren't bleeding out but her gloves did have drying blood on them. How interesting, he wondered what she had done for that to be possible, since her bruised arms did still seem to be allowing blood to escape.

Deciding he would have all the time in the world to satisfy his curiosity later, he settled his attention on the door she'd guarded so diligently and proceeded without even so much as idle thought of the woman on the floor behind him. It took him no time at all to cross the rest of the large and currently deformed room.

Again the red letters appeared at his will, obliterating the door before him without ever even faltering in his gait. Wisps of smoke still churned in the air as he passed the doorframe, his gaze immediately drawn to the black box emblemized with the church's cross symbol on the front that told him he had found what he'd been looking for. Pandora's Box. Though it did have zaiphon restraints on it, they were of little consequence. "As I thought, it is here…" It was within his reach, finally after so long. Invading Antwort was turning out be quite the reward, Barsburg would gain knew territory and he was gaining part of what had been taken from him and a subordinate. "Searching all of the allied nations thoroughly was worth while." Naturally narrowed eyes, narrowed just slightest bit more as they took on a more sardonic yet placid look, "I should have realized when you left the Raggs Alliance, King Antwort." The king before him stood in front of the suspended container, looking very much like the trapped man he was. "You were the one who stole Pandora's Box from the Raggs Kingdom."

"As you can see, it took considerable skill to get in here, quite the hassle." Now that it was so clearly in his reach and wouldn't be any trial at all to get it in his hands, he saw no reason not to proceed at his leisure, almost candidly even.

King Antwort's face contorted with fury and belying fear, "Y…you Barsburg Dog…!" The intended insult rolled off his back like water, having heard it too many times to truly be affected by it. But his eyes did sharpen slightly as his keen ears caught the man's mutterings, "So much for a top notch bodyguard, the woman was useless when it came down to it." He decided to ignore it in favor of responding to his outburst instead; though couldn't help but wonder if Antwort's King even knew said woman's name.

"It's not that I don't understand your feelings." Even so, it didn't mean he liked it all too well either, his lips turning down into a frown and his expression lost its ease. "The contents of Pandora's Box is the god-created Verloren; who would refuse the opportunity to gain the world's knowledge?"

"You won't open this box! To open it you need the Eye of Mikhail!" Did the King of Antwort think that Ayanami wasn't aware of that fact? All the same, it didn't matter because that Eye was directly in his possession. "That which the Barsburg Empire has searched for ten years, to think a low-born Warsfeil like you could…"

Blood splattered as the King was killed, his blood quickly covering the floor like a rug, pieces of body parts strewn along with pieces of cloth, before he could finish his sentence. His family was not something he would tolerate even the slightest having thrown in his face, by anyone for any reason.

Just as quickly as his temper had spiked it was nonexistent once more and he was walking swiftly to the box. The box that held his true body, Verloren's body. But once he had it open, he didn't find what he knew was supposed to be encased, all he found was an empty box – except for the flower inside. Carefully, he reached in grabbing and lifting the flower, but it fell apart in the form of snow in his gloved hand.

A flash of one of the seven ghosts in front of the Eye of Mikhail's vessel flashed into his mind. "Interesting." The pale haired man felt his blood tremble with agitation at the knowledge that those fragments of himself had managed to thwart him once more, especially when he had been certain he had a piece of what he wanted. "Those death gods are interesting." He murmured blackly, not feeling the least bit so right at that moment. But his tactical mind quickly turned over all the possibilities of how Verloren's body had been taken from its box, not to mention who was clearly involved. Teito seemed to be playing quite the key role in standing in the way of what he wanted. That would not do.

But that would have to wait for later. Right then he would secure what he did have at his fingertips and continue planning for what would get him everything else. It calmed him slightly to know he wasn't leaving this place empty handed, not with the knowledge of where to look next and the woman still lying on the floor.

He made quick work of the distance, kneeling beside the rosette as he did so. She was already on her stomach, and that made it all the easier to bind her arms behind her back with zaiphon restraints and to shackle her feet. Once he'd finished the task, he reached for her waist, using said part to lift her off the ground. She was lighter than he had expected, though it did explain her agility he knew it was definitely unhealthy for a woman of her age and height to weigh so little. However, he had no qualms about using it to his advantage, throwing her over his shoulder as he began walking once more.