Disclaimer: I do not own this story. The original idea for it belongs to Animemadness101 on Quotev. I only took the liberty of correcting the grammatical mistakes in it and uploading it on my profile. All credit goes to Animemadness101.


Chapter 4

Though the last asleep, Lacey was the first to awake, having showered, dressed, and made her way down to the dining area. Kuro was not in sight, nor his daughters. The dancer walked towards their quarters, ear listening at the door to the eldest. There was some shuffling inside, but enough to know that Riko was not fully up and ready yet.

The maids were startled when the dancer walked into the kitchen, so used to seeing guests eat out at the table and not come to greet them with a big smile. They fed her breakfast before the girl made her way into the front room, looking at all of the items decorating the walls.

"I'm a collector," a voice spoke from the far side of the room. Looking over, Lacey watched as Kuro entered, standing beside her. "Old scrolls from the Land of Water and Fire, a Samurai uniform from the Land of Iron dating two hundred years ago, and artifacts from the sands of the Land of Wind. History has always fascinated me."

"I've never seen anything like it in all my life," she pointed out. "The oldest things I have are these bracelets I wear."

"May I see?" Lacey removed one, the man inspecting it. "They were made in the Land of Iron. I'd recognize their work anywhere. Skilled, durable, and intricately detailed with symbols and designs of the divine one. These are masterpieces. Where did you get them?"

"My mother and father, when I first started dancing."

He handed the object back to her. "Beautiful. You are truly blessed to own such things. They are the only ones of their kind made."

"How do you know that?"

"The Land of Iron never makes the same design twice," he smiled. "Come, you must be starving."

"I think I'm still full from dinner last night," she laughed.


Satomi was happily sitting in her seat when they entered, the servants placing the food on the table. Riko dragged herself in right behind them, trying to blink away the lingering sleep. Breakfast went on uneventful, Lacey watching the oldest sister from the corner of her eye. The chair scrapped back when the maids came to clear away their plates.

"May I be excused?" Riko asked.

"If you're going outside, have Taka and Hotoro escort you around."

She huffed slightly in annoyance before nodding and leaving. The two guards at the entrance followed after her.

"May I excuse myself too?" Lacey asked.

Kuro chuckled. "You're a guest here, Lacey. You do not need to ask for permission."

She nodded with a small smile before heading towards the back.

Riko sighed in relief, sucking in a big breath of fresh air. A chance to escape the inside of her household, even if it was only for a few hours, was what she looked forward to everyday. These so called 'guards' could never keep up with her, and they knew it.

"Miss. Riko, stop!" Taka yelled as the princess darted away into the maze.

"Not again," Hotoro grumbled as they ran. "We need to keep a leash on her."

Left, right, another left, then right. She lost them in no time, watching as the two men rushed past her small hiding place. Waiting a few minutes, Riko emerged before back tracking and then moving to the opposite end of the grounds.

"Wow, you really are quick." Riko jumped in shock, head whipping around. Lacey sat perched on a rock in the garden, looking down into a pool of water that harbored koi fish. The teen looked up, smiling lightly. "Though I don't blame you, guards can be annoying."

The princess huffed, turning her head away in order to ignore the dancer. Once around a bush, she rushed off through the maze, coming to the south end.

"It's too bad you're not a ninja."

Riko yelped in surprise.

"You're almost as fast as Haku."

Irritated by Lacey, the girl turned, walking another way. However, no matter where the princess ran, the dancer was already waiting.

"Will you stop following me?" she finally yelled in anger. Her hair was a mess from running, sweat running over the brow. "How are you even doing that or able to know where I'm going?"

"I don't," Lacey answered truthfully. "But while everyone was asleep, I had a look around the grounds and studied the layout. There's no telling when the criminals can attack and knowing where you're going is important."

Riko was surprised by the answer.

"I'm not a fighter, or at least I don't know how to be. I'm more of a runner. I can dodge attacks better than fighting with weapons. If something were to happen, I would need to know where to go in order to protect your sister and you. With the information I have received, too, you're likely to duck from anyone who is ordered to look after you. I had to be prepared."

Pushing off the tree she had been leaning against, the dancer walked forward.

"You don't have to like me, or talk to me, or go about your daily business with me interfering. All I ask, Riko, is that you let me be able to see you at all times for your own safety. I don't know exactly what we're up against or what threatens you, but from what I've personally encountered in the last few months, it's never a good idea to underestimate them."

The princess observed the dancer. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Once again she was startled. Only a year older than her. "And you promise to not interfere with anything I do around my father's house?"

"Never. Think of me as a servant that follows you around and sits quietly."

"But I can talk to you when I want?"

"I can be your friend if you want me to be it. Or I can sit on the side and say nothing. But on one condition: if we are attacked, you listen to me when escaping." Riko nodded, Lacey smiling kindly. "May I braid your hair? The run seems to have messed it up a bit."

The princess smiled lightly in response.

Haku watched from the trees above as the two girls sat on the ground, one braiding, the other playing with blades of grass between her fingers. "Good job, Lacey," he muttered more to himself.


Blending in was a lot easier for the dancer than Riko thought. She would attend classes, lessons, and other everyday activities but would never see Lacey. She even stopped joining them at the table for dinner. It wasn't until the second day after their little meeting in the garden that the dancer revealed herself. Riko nearly had a heart attack upon walking into the room where she had private tutor sessions and found the man conversing with one of the maids.

"Ah, Princess, right on time."

When the maid turned around, it was Lacey staring back at her with a smile. Her hair had been pulled back into a tight bun, discarding the black top for white long-sleeve shirt with a brown skirt that reached the knees. The jewelry had disappeared, as well as the weapons pouch.

Now that the princess realized what Lacey looked like, she noticed her around a lot more. Sitting beside the door during dance and harp lessons, cleaning in the next room when reading a book, tending to the garden when outside on a break, and serving dinner. Lacey was a natural.

"Were you a maid before?" Riko asked one day. It was the weekend, meaning the princess had the whole day to herself.

Lacey laughed at the question, shaking her head. "No, never. The only chores I did was when I lived with my parents."

"Well, you're playing the role very well," she muttered.

"Thanks. Had you fooled for a while, didn't I?"

Riko rolled her eyes in response.

As they continued walking towards the bridge that led over a pond, Lacey stopped, throwing an arm out to halt the princess as well.

"What is it?"

The dancer didn't answer, eyes looking over the landscape. Something didn't feel right. "We should head back inside."

Before Riko could ask why, they were surrounded by two men dressed in black, faces obscured by the cloth.

"Duck!"

Kunais went flying over their head, Lacey not wasting any time. Hand wrapping around Riko's wrist, she jerked the girl forward, ramming a man in the gut, catching him off guard.

"Into the garden!"

They slipped down the path before Lacey pulled them through a break in the bushes that was too small for their attackers. This happened a few more times before the girl stuffed Riko between the branches.

"Just stay here, and don't come out," she whispered quickly, pulling it over her body in protection. "And don't make a sound. I'm not going anywhere."

Lacey stood a few feet away inside an open area in the maze, blocking a section of the plants. Riko watched as the two shinobi appeared, eyeing the bushes behind the dancer. She was bluffing.

"Hand over the Princess, maid, and we won't kill you on the spot."

"Never," Lacey answered.

"Your death then."

"Feh, let's kill her slow and painfully," one suggested. "It'll be more fun to watch the life leave her eyes."

They came in with weapons and flying fists, the dancer snapping every which way to avoid the attacks. The two were growing increasingly frustrated, having not laid a hit to the teen, and could not figure it out. They backed up, observing their opponent.

"You a ninja?" one asked.

"No," Lacey answered truthfully. She couldn't dodge forever and needed something to at least defend herself with. However, it wasn't like the garden was stocked full of weapons. There was a pool behind them and to the right, eyes zoning in on the smooth, disk shaped rocks. It wasn't much, but something.

This time she was the first to move, lunging forward. One came attacking low, forcing her to jump into the air, while the other aimed for her gut, just like they had planned. But Lacey had predicted this, adding a spin to the jump and catching the man's arm to push it away. Her feet touched the rogue below, pushing off and landing by the edge of the water. Grasping a rock in hand, the dancer spun around, throwing it like a disk as the criminals came in for another strike. It cracked against one of their heads, knocking the man to the ground unconscious with a large, bleeding gash. Riko sat in her hiding spot in amazement at the scene before her.

"Damn you," the remaining man growled.

Throwing his hands together, the plant life around them came alive. The princess clamped both hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming as some branches and roots crawled over and around her own body. Ground warping, Lacey lost her footing, falling back into the cool water and trying to sit herself upright again. A vine wrapped around an ankle, hoisting the girl high into the air.

"You're dead, wench!"

Legs revealed, Lacey was thankful for being prepared and wearing knee-length, black leggings so she wasn't fully exposed. Pulling the skirt out of her face, the vines came rushing in, ready to strangle her to death. Reaching for the weapons pouch attached to her thigh, her hand wrapped around a kunai and she sliced through the plant. She found herself back in the pond, grabbing at another rock and hurling it in the man's direction. He deflected it with ease, vine wrapping around the dancer's waist and throwing her into the ground back first. Wind knocked out of her, Lacey was dazed, watching as the double image of the man lowered himself on her, a sadistic grin on his lips.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you slowly," he stated, kunai pressed against her neck.

Riko watched in fear, wanting to yell at him to stop, but Lacey gave her orders.

The blade drew blood, Lacey's heart racing. The man chuckled at her state, face leaning down to lick up the trail of red liquid that was running down the neck. She acted.

His head exploded in pain, mind reeling and body off balance. It came again, harder, forcing him to the ground. Arm raised, the dancer came in with her own attack, bashing the rock against the side of the man's skull for a third time. His eyes closed, passing out. The girl gripped the object tighter, pushing herself back at a distance before realizing that neither were getting up anytime soon.

The coast was clear, the princess stepping out of her hiding place, Lacey dropping the rock and standing.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The frightened girl nodded walking over. "H-How did you do that?" Riko exclaimed, having gotten over the shock.

"I don't know…"

"I've never seen a ninja move like that before."

"I'm a dancer." The girl put two and two together. "That's why no one can usually understand my method of… fighting… I take anything around me to defend myself since I can't use jutsus."

"Princess!" some guards yelled, running into the courtyard. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine!" Riko offered the teen a hand to stand.

Someone appeared from behind, clasping the dancer's shoulder. In response her hand flew back, only to be caught halfway. Turning quickly, Lacey relaxed upon realizing who it was.

"Well, aren't we a little jumpy," Zabuza taunted.

She huffed in response. "We were just attacked; how can I not be?"

The man smirked from behind the wrappings, releasing the hand. "I'm expected to believe that you did this?" He motioned towards the knocked out criminals that were being detained.

"What? It can happen…"

"Obviously," Haku snickered, Zabuza managing to hold in his own. "They underestimated you a great deal."

She was completely soaked to the bone, the slight cut from the kunai on her neck still bleeding and staining the shirt. The uniform was torn and ripped, bruises forming on some areas of the skin. Both knew she had been through hell trying to fight them off.

"We'll be doing the questioning," the rouge relayed. "We can scare him more into getting details."

"The security will need to be heightened as well."

"What about you two?" Lacey asked. "Where were you?"

"We were dealing with another, but I wasn't able to resist myself from killing him," the man answered, walking off with the guards.

"In other words, we need to make sure the targets and you were okay," Haku relayed. "We don't need all of them, only one would do. The princess and you should move inside where it's safe until the perimeter is secure."

"Right."

After being cleaned up, the wound bandaged, and the princess being checked for any harm, everyone began to slowly calm down. Satomi refused to leave her sister's side, following Riko wherever she went and dragging the girl into playing. Lacey smiled lightly at the young girl's affection. Riko needed it. The surprise of the day's events was still present in her expression.

There was no movement outside, the Mist rouges in the detention cells beating the S-ranked criminals for information. It wasn't much to go on, only confirming their fears that this household was their next target. Security was on high alert, but it didn't look like they would be attacking anytime soon after the failed mission.


That night, Lacey couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning for hours, she got up, fixing the nightshirt she wore and tangled pants, before slipping into her black shoes and silently leaving. The night air was cool and welcoming, the dancer taking in a big breath and exhaling. Looking around in the shadows, the girl could just make out the slight movement in them, revealing hiding guards and ninja.

"Zabuza…?" she whispered lowly, voice carrying in the light breeze. "Zabuza? Are you there?" Lacey walked into the garden, looking around for the man. Unlike the ones she barely spotted, he wouldn't reveal himself so easily. "Zabuza?"

"Behind you," he spoke gruffly in her ear.

The girl jumped, clasping a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out in alarm. She hadn't realized he was so close. Turning on the spot the dancer huffed, running a frustrated hand through her loose hair. "You nearly gave me a heart attack," she breathed, trying to calm her nerves.

Behind the wrappings he was smirking, and she knew it, making fun of her. The amusement in his eyes was clear. "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"And you needed me, why?" the rogue asked, arms crossed.

"I know the whole layout of the grounds and inside the household. What about town?"

"What about it?"

"If we are to be attacked again and are separated, wouldn't it be a good idea to know our way around."

She had a point.

"Like I asked before, what do you want?"

"Would you like to come on a walk with me?"

"The targets could be attacked at any time."

"I think Haku is capable of holding them off if something should happen. And they've already done so once today in failure."

He thought this over. Getting away for a few hours to map out an escape route for the targets was a good plan in case something did happen.

"Please?"


There wasn't a civilian in the street as they walked through, glancing around at all of the closed stands. The paths wound in every direction, and someone who did not know their way around could get lost very easily. So they walked each path three times to get their bearings. Zabuza glanced down at the girl who was looking at the signs of the markets, trying to commit them to memory. He had to give her some credit for taking the job seriously.

"What the hell were you wearing before?" the rouge finally sparked up a conversation.

Lacey turned her full attention towards him. "It was a maid's outfit."

"Since when have you been a maid?"

"Never, but Riko and I made a deal that. if she let me look after her by following her around, then I wouldn't bother her. So, I tried blending in so I wasn't in the way. She hates guards, so I tried dressing and acting as the opposite; someone who just happens to be there."

He cocked an eyebrow in interest.

"What happened outside the gates that delayed you guys?"

"More rogues, but they tried grabbing our attention. Haku and I knew something was up based on that fact alone. We ended it quickly and alerted the guards who said the two of you went on a walk in the garden."

"Why go after Riko first?"

"She's next in line if something happens to her father. And once she's out of the way, Kuro is next on the list. In a blind rage he could send all his men to hunt down the rogues, but that would leave him open to an assault. The child is too young to defend herself, so of course she'd be the last one." That made sense. "Watching the princess is our top priority."

She nodded in agreement, rubbing at her eyes. The exhaustion was starting to set in, having been running on adrenaline. Zabuza noticed this, her pace becoming sluggish. They were still a good distance from getting back. He crouched down in front of Lacey.

"Get on," he ordered, having taken hold of his sword in hand.

"Huh?"

"You're walking too slow."

Deciding it was best to not go against the order, her arms wrapped around his neck, legs gripping the waist. The man hooked his arms under the legs, standing and walking again.

"Sorry…" she apologized, forehead resting against his shoulder blade.

"Should've gone to sleep."

"But the walk wasn't a waste. We got to do a…bit of sightseeing."

Glancing back, the girl had passed out, grip slacking. Zabuza smirked, shaking his head. She was something else.


Edited 28/11/2018