Whoa! (Stares at the computer screen in shock)

I can't believe how many people like this story!

Thanks soooo much for all the reveiws everybody!

I really love it when people review. It's soooo helpful and encouraging!

You guys rock!! :)

Anyway, I hope you like this chappie

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The door to the cell opened with a loud clang. Gaara raised his' head slightly and saw three guards standing in the doorway. Two of them entered and made their' way over to where he and Neji lay.

One of them nudged Gaara with his' foot and told him to get up. Gaara complied as well as he was able to. His' sprained ankle had swollen during the night, and now throbbed painfully making it difficult to walk.

The second guard reached down, grabbed hold of the back of Neji's tunic, and hauled the injured boy to his' feet.

Chains were locked onto the boys' wrists and ankles, and a metal collar like devise with a chain attached was fastened around their necks. Then they were roughly escorted up the long flight of stairs and outside to a waiting cart.

Neither of them said a word, knowing that talking would earn them nothing more then a slap across the face or a lash across their' backs.

After a half hour, the cart jolted to a halt in front of a huge, stone building, with beautifully engraved pillars and columns. The boys were roughly shoved up the steps by the two slave drivers…

The door to the main hall swung open and Lord Kaemon looked up from his' conversation with the magistrate.

"Lord Kaemon Sama," The guard addressed him respectfully. "Some men have arrived with the new slaves you purchased."

Lord Kaemon nodded. "Send them in, and tell my' daughters, Tenten and Azami, that I wish to see them."

The guard nodded and left.

The magistrate turned to Lord Kaemon and said, "I think I will leave you to your' business now as I have a few matters to which I must attend."

"By all means, do what you must. I will join you in a bit; this will not take long." Lord Kaemon replied.

The Magistrate rose and exited the room through a side door.

About two minutes later, the main door at the end of the hall swung open again to reveal two, large, burly men shoving two, chained boys ahead of them.

They dragged the boys to the front of the room and flung them down at Lord Kaemon's feet.

Lord Kaemon studied the two boys intently. So these are the boys that Tenten and Azami were telling me about…

"Konichi wa Boys. I am Lord Kaemon." He told the bewildered looking slaves.

One of the slave drivers kicked Gaara in the side and shouted. "Bow to his lordship you good for nothing scum!"

Both boys immediately touched their' heads to the floor in a respectful bow.

Lord Kaemon frowned at this treatment. "What are your' names?" He inquired.

"Gaara no Suna, my' Lord." Gaara said softly.

"Hyuga Neji, my' Lord." Neji replied quietly.

The door at the end of the room swung open once more and all eyes turned to the two girls who stepped inside.

Neji's POV:

Neji's eyes widened. It's the girls from yesterday! He thought in astonishment. What are they doing here? And why do they look glad to see Gaara and me?

He glanced over at Gaara and saw from the expression on his face that the red haired boy was just as amazed as he was.

Regular POV:

Tenten and Azami stepped inside the room and their faces lit up when they saw Gaara and Neji. But their smiles turned to frowns and their' eyes narrowed as the noticed the heavy, shackles on the boys' wrists and ankles and the thick, metal collars that encircled their necks.

"Tenten. Azami." Lord Kaemon spoke up kindly. He loved each and every one of his' five daughters, but he was closest to Tenten and Azami who were the tomboys of the family. They were girls after his' own heart.

The girls turned and smiled at him and came forward to stand beside their father's chair. "Hello father." They greeted him cheerfully.

"Are these the boys you asked me about?" Lord Kaemon inquired.

Both Tenten and Azami nodded.

Neji and Gaara exchanged glances. What is going on? Gaara mouthed.

Neji shrugged. I don't know. He mouthed back.

The Slave drivers caught the brief exchange and jerked roughly on the metal chains attached to the boys' collars, causing them to choke. "You will behave respectfully in the presence of Lord Kaemon Sama and The Himes Nakamura." One of them snarled.

Tenten and Azami stiffened angrily.

Neji and Gaara struggled for air against the force of the collars pressing against their' throats. This caused the slave drivers to apply even more pressure.

Gaara twisted and was able to get into a position where he could breath more easily. "Let Neji go!" He shouted at the slave driver in desperation. This demand earned him a slap in the face that made him dizzy.

The slave driver tightened his' hold on Gaara's 'leash' and struck him again. "How dare you speak out of turn in Lord Kaemon Sama, and the Himes' presences?!" He snarled.

Neji gasped in an attempt to gulp some oxygen into his' lungs, but to no avail. The world around him began to blur and then he lost consciousness.

Gaara, having obtained a momentary replenishment of his' depleted oxygen supply, was still thrashing about in a frantic effort to free himself of the slave driver's grip.

Suddenly, he heard (he was in a position where he couldn't very well see) the said brute cry out in surprise, and he felt the man's hold on his' "collar" loosen. Gasping for air, he slumped to the floor.

Lifting his' head, Gaara saw what had caused the brute to let go. Azami stood behind the slave driver, the sharpened blade of her' dagger pressed against his throat.

The second slave driver was likewise trapped with the point of one of Tenten's kunai held to his throat.

"That is quite enough!" Azami hissed in a menacing voice. "We do not tolerate such treatement here."

"That's right!" Tenten agreed coldly, pressing her' kunai harder against her' victims' throat. "I suggest that the two of you leave immediately or my' sister and I shall be forced to get rather…shall we say… violent?"

The sisters released the two men who rubbed their' throats uneasily. They turned to Lord Kaemon who eyed them frigidly, and bowed. Then they hastily exited the room.

Lord Kaemon turned to his' two daughters and smiled. "That's my' girls!" He looked over at the two boys. Neji lay, unconscious on the cold floor, and Gaara looked as though he would black out any second.

"Tenten, Azami, why don't the two of you take Neji and Gaara to Yuki-san and have her fix them up." He suggested.

Tenten and Azami smiled and nodded. "Hai father." Azami leaned down and helped Gaara as he stuggle to stand. Then she proceeded to support, and assist him as they moved towards the door.

Unable to carry Neji on account of his' size, Tenten called to one of the guards who carefully picked up the unconscious boy, slung him over his' shoulder, and followed Tenten to the castle apothecary.

Neji's POV:

Neji opened his eyes and the first thing that he saw was a pair of dark eyes staring with concern into his' own whitish eyes. His' vision became clearer and Neji realized that the person gazing at him was none other than the Hime, Tenten.

"Neji? Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Tenten asked.

Neji looked about him and saw that he was lying on what appeared to be some sort of hospital bed. Gaara lay on an identical bed a few feet away; the Hime, Azami was whispering softly to him.

"Neji? Can you hear me? Are you feeling okay?" Tenten's soothing voice penetrated his' thoughts.

Neji turned back to the anxious Hime that stood over him. "Hai, arigato gozaimasu Hime Sama." ("Yes, thank you, Hime Sama.")

Tenten smiled compassionately and, to Neji's astonishment, took a key and unlocked both the shackles from his' wrists and ankles, and the "collar" from around his neck. "Get some rest." She instructed. "Yuki will be here in a moment to see what she can do for you."

Neji nodded and closed his' eyes once more.

Gaara's POV:

Azami pulled something from the pocket of her' Kimono. Looking closely, Gaara perceived that it was a key ring. Azami fumbled with the keys for a moment until she found the one she was looking for. She removed a large silver key from the ring and, taking hold of Gaara's wrist, she unlocked the shackle and let it fall to the floor. Azami proceeded to unlock Gaara's other shackles as well as the loathed "collar".

As she removed the collar from about Gaara's neck, Azami felt his' eyes on her. She turned and met his' questioning gaze. "What's wrong Gaara?" She asked.

Gaara looked at her in bafflement. "Why are you removing my' chains?" He asked in a voice so quiet that she could barely make out what it was that he had said.

Azami looked down at the "collar" in her' hand and then back at the perplexed boy. "Do you want them on?" She asked in confusion. "I would assume that they are rather uncomfortable so I took them off."

Gaara cocked his' head and looked at her with an unreadable expression on his' face.

Regular POV:

Suddenly the door behind Azami burst open, and an elderly woman entered the room. "Alright! What happened?!" She demanded in a slightly irritated tone. "Jeesh! I take a half hour break and the next thing you know the castle is falling apart!" She snapped.

"Yuki-san!" Tenten and Azami exclaimed as they rushed to embrace the peppery old woman. When people first met Yuki, they assumed she was a bitter, ornery person, but the girls knew that underneath her' tough exterior, she was a good, kindhearted soul.

"All right. All right! You don't have to strangle a person to death do you?!" Yuki barked. But the girls saw the sparkle in her' eye that meant that she was in a good mood. "Well girls, what's the problem?"

Tenten and Azami quickly explained the situation to Yuki who grunted and moved forward to inspect the slightly apprehensive patients…

Sasuke entered Sakura's room, having just returned from Ino's room where he had been talking with Naruto, and Shikamaru.

His' onyx eyes roamed the room searching for amy sign of his' new mistress. He spotted his' quarry, lying quietly on the plush sofa that stood on the north side of the room. He gazed at her' tranquil, sleeping figure and noticed the soft smile that graced her' rosebud lips.

A glance at the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room told him that it was nearly eleven p.m. He sighed and gently picked her up to take her to her' bed. Sasuke was surprised at how extremely lightweight she was.

He carried her over to her' bed and was about to set her down when she moaned slightly and snuggled into him, leaning against his' chest and letting her' head rest against his' neck. Sasuke froze and stared down at her. He was not used to having anyone this close to him. Very gently he lay her' on the bed and covered her' with one of the richly embroidered, satin quilts. She lay still, sleeping peacefully, her' soft breathing the only thing that let him know that she was alive.

He cocked his' head and studied her. She was odd looking with her' bubblegum-pink hair, but very pretty nonetheless. Her' skin was smooth and light in color. A sweet smile played upon her' lips, which were the perfect shade of pink without the assistance of cosmetics.

He sighed and shook his' head. Why am I thinking these things? She's my' mistress for heaven's sake! Pushing the thoughts to the back of his' mind, he turned lay down on the couch where she had been resting just moments ago. He tried to sleep but, tired as he was, it was hours before he finally drifted off.

Ino awoke in the middle of the night for no apparent reason whatsoever. She glanced around her' room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Shikamaru lay on the couch that stood at the foot of her' bed. She smiled at him, sleeping peacefully.

Then, as though he could sense her watching him, His' eyes flickered open.

He noticed her' staring at him and, thinking that she wanted something he inquired, "Was there something you wanted mistress?"

Ino cocked her' head to the side. "What? Oh… no, no I'm fine thank you."

Shikamaru nodded and lay back down but she was still gazing at him. "Uuuuh… mistress? Are you feeling okay?"

She smiled. "Of course Shika-kun. Why do you ask?"

He shook his' head. "No reason. He mumbled. Shikamaru wasn't really sure why he had asked or why he even cared. Something about Ino just got under his' skin and then, for some reason, he couldn't quite thinking about her.

He lay back down and shut his eyes. Troublesome woman!

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Well, I hope you like it.

Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated. (No flames please.)

Until next time,

This is Yaruhi, over and out!