When the morning came, Saizo was up in a flash and immediately left. I always admired how quickly he could get out of bed, because in my current state, I was finding it harder to wake up in the morning. When I was sure he was gone, I too left the house and headed into town. It had been so long since I had shown my face around here. The village girls never failed to recognize me and whisper to each other about me. It used to hurt my feelings before, now it doesn't bother me at all. Most of them were jealous. Saizo was once the most eligible bachelor, only to be snatched away from under all of their noses. I was told by Sasuke that the village elder had held a large ceremony to pick who he would give to Saizo as his wife. The woman he chose was so embarrassed when she learned about me that she left town. Even after two years, I never gained approval from any woman in town. I wish someone would give me a chance and get to know me, maybe they could see why he chose me and I could actually make friends.

This trip to town was quite different than the other times, this time I had a swollen belly which I couldn't hide at all. I didn't expect anyone to know about my pregnancy as it was really nobody's business. I simply smiled as I passed the couple people who gasped at me. I traveled down the street, looking at different vendors set up of goods until I finally found what I was looking for. A small glass bottle with a wooden cork as it's seal. The liquid inside was a tint of orange.

"I see you have an interest in my orange blossom oil? Would you like to smell it?" Asked a frail old man from the other side of the table.

"Oh please! That would be wonderful!" I exclaimed, handing the bottle off to him. He gently popped the cork out and held the concoction up to my nose, his hand unsteady shaking. I fell in love instantly.

"I must have it, how much?" I inquire, pulling out my bag.

"For you, it is no charge."

I was completely shocked.

"But sir, you must have worked so hard to make all these oils and you can't just give it to me for free."

"I insist."

A few exchanges later and his utter refusal to accept any payment from me, I left, with a promise to come back and buy something from him next time he comes to town. I hurried home after grabbing a few vegetables and quickly began preparing for Saizo's arrival.

That night I greet him at the door. There was something off about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Perhaps he was just stressed from training, if so I knew he was bound to love my idea. He was pleased to have one of his favorite meals that I had prepared fresh earlier, although he still scolded me for doing so. He hated the thought of me doing absolutely anything, I wouldn't be surprised if he later told me he wanted me to stop walking around completely.

As soon as dinner was over he retired to the bath and I quickly cleaned up. Once done, I retrieved the oil I had hidden and some tea lights and strategically placed them along the floor next to the futon. One by one I lit them with a match I struggled to find last minute. When Saizo finally came into the room, a sly smirk crept across his face.

"What's the occasion? " He purred, plopping onto the futon. He was still wearing his towel around his waist as usual.

"You've been working so hard. " I stated. "You deserve to just relax a little."

"What are you proposing?"

"Just lay on your chest and you will see!" I order, excitedly pushing him down in the process. He chuckles although complying with me which was hard for me to even believe. I took the top off the bottle and poured a small amount of the oil into my palms and rubbed my hands together. Cautiously I slid my warmed fingers over his shoulder blades and towards his lower back. He let out a pleasant sigh with every stroke. I tried all the techniques I read in the book that I remembered off hand. He seemed to love every minute of it until my fingers brushed slightly under his towel. He winced and then quickly jumped to his feet.

"Whats wrong?" I gasp. "Did I hurt you?"

He cleared his throat and without a word left the room, leaving me to wonder what I had done.

Later that night Saizo had returned to the bed, he didn't even say good night to me. I felt such a heavy heart but I just couldn't break that feeling that something was wrong. I turned over and as stealthy as I could, slowing lifted up his robe so see his lower back. Tears instantly fell from my eyes. There along his hip to the small of his back was a fresh scar, which appeared to have been quickly stitched up.

I then heard a sigh from him as he rolled over onto his back and looked up at me with his dark eyes.

"I didn't want you to worry." He breathed. "I was just caught off guard."

"But what happened?" I cry.

"I can't tell you about my mission right now. It's classified." He explained, rolling back over away from me. What in the world had happened? No one ever got the best of him, ever. He was one of the best. I went to bed a few hours later, my head still swarming with thousands of questions.

(Go to chapter 9)