Gaara opened his eyes. Early morning light streamed through the window next to the futon on which he lay.

His' vision cleared and he glanced around the empty bed and sounds coming from the bathroom told him that his mistress, Azami, was already up.

Gaara sat up and winced slightly. Although Yuki Sama had treated d his' wounds, it was still quite painful to move, especially with his bad ankle.

He glanced up as the door to the bathroom opened and Azami stepped out. She was wearing a super short, very light weight, black kimono over a pair of black leggings. Her' long, golden hair was secured into a single, thick braid that hung down her back.

She smiled when she saw him. "Good morning Gaara." She greeted him. "Did you sleep well?" He gave a slight nod. "Good. Now, are you hungry?"

He didn't say anything, but as if on cue, his stomach gave a loud growl.

"Well, I guess that pretty much answers my question." Azami grinned causing her to look, ever so slightly, like Naruto. She grabbed him by the hand. "Come on, let's get you something to eat and then we'll see about finding you some decent clothes."

She exited the room with him in tow.

Pearly eyes opened as Neji awoke. He sat up and, not remembering where he was, he became momentarily alarmed.

A feminine voice spoke behind him. "Oh, good, you're up."

His head snapped about and he came face to face with a girl with dark hair pulled up into twin buns and sparkling brown eyes. Suddenly the events of the past two days came flooding back to him. Lord Nakamura had purchased him and the young woman before him was the Hime, Nakamura Tenten, the eldest daughter of Lord Nakamura and the girl who had defended him twice in the last two days.

Neji quickly lowered his eyes as a sign of respect.

Tenten cocked her' head and studied the young man who lay on her' bed. Because he was injured, Tenten had graciously given up her' bed and slept on the sofa.

"How are you feeling Neji san?" She inquired.

The boy started noticeably at the honorific "san" that she had added to his' name. He shrugged noncommittally but, in reality, his' ribs were killing him. He started to sit up and winced as a sharp bolt of pain shot through his' side.

This reaction did not go unnoticed by Tenten, who quickly knelt beside the bed and picked up a role of bandages from the nightstand. "Yuki said that I should rewrap your' ribs as soon as you woke up." She explained.

Neji nodded and removed his' shirt so that she could change his dressings.

As gently as possible, Tenten proceeded to remove his' bandages and replace them with fresh ones.

Though she tried to suppress it, Tenten couldn't help the slight blush that stole across her' face. He was really pretty good looking and, though Tenten wasn't known for being a crush stricken, girly girl, it didn't mean she was totally immune to attraction.

She finished as quickly as she possibly could and, standing up, she walked over to the dresser where a few pairs of guy's clothing had been neatly folded and stacked.

From this selection she picked out a set of clothes and handed them to Neji. "You can change in the bathroom." She told him, nodding to the open door his left.

He nodded and went in to change without a word.

He reappeared a few moments later, wearing a white jacket over a T-shirt, and a pair of tan pants. Tenten smiled and nodded her' head in approval. She walked up to him and helped him to fasten his long hair back with a string.

She looked up at him and frowned suddenly. "Is your head hurt Neji San?"

He shook his head. "Iie, Mistress."

"Then what's this?" She reached up suddenly and removed the bandage from around his forehead.

Neji went rigid as the bandage came loose, revealing the mark on his forehead.

Tenten saw it and her' eyes widened. "What is that?" She reached up and touched it gently. "Where did you get this mark from Neji San?"

Neji took a deep breath. "I-It's the mark of the caged bird and it was bestowed upon me when I was six."

Tenten nodded. "Oh. Does it hurt you at all?"

Neji shook his head. "Not unless it is…activated."

"Activated?" She inquired.

He looked down. "It can only be activated by a member of my clan. When that happens, it causes the wearer unimaginable pain…or death." The last part was spoken in barely a whisper.

"Oh…" Tenten could see that he was uncomfortable discussing it and so she did not press the subject. But inside, she was furious that people would do such a thing to a member of their own family.

She looked, first down at the bandage in her hand, then back up at him. "Um… just one last question." He looked at her expectantly. "If it doesn't hurt you, then why did you have it bandaged?" she inquired.

A strange look came into his eyes, but all he said was, "When seen by others, it tends to lead to more suffering on my account."

Tenten nodded. "Oh… Would you like something to cover it then?"

When he nodded slightly, she walked over to her dresser and rummaged around the top drawer until she found what she was looking for. Returning to where he stood she pressed something that felt like a strip of material into the palm of his hand. Looking down, Neji saw that it was a dark blue headband. (A/n: No, it is not a Hatai-ate.) He looked back at her.

She smiled. "Would you like some help putting it on?"

He nodded. "If you please, Mistress."

She motioned for him to turn and tied it around his head, effectively concealing the caged bird mark. "There."

He turned back to face her and bowed. "Thank you Mistress."

Tenten frowned. "Neji san, please quit calling me Mistress. It makes me feel so harsh."

He nodded. "As you wish. May I ask what term you would prefer me to use?"

She smiled. "Just call me Tenten like everyone else does."

His eyes widened and he shook his head slightly. "B-But, it would be disrespectful. It is considered extremely impertinent for a slave to call his owner by her' first name." He protested.

Tenten cocked her' head slightly. "Well, I don't mind at all. But if it makes you feel better, I suppose you could call me Tenten Hime, until you become comfortable enough to drop the honorifics. Does that sound okay?"

He hesitated for a moment, and then slowly nodded. "Hai Tenten Hime."

She smiled. "Good. Now let's go get you some breakfast!"

(Hinata's POV :)

Hinata glanced over at Naruto who sat on her left side, gulping down his breakfast.

He sure can eat! She thought with a giggle as he took a swig of milk that left him wearing a comical milk mustache. I wonder what his life thus far must have been like… Obviously it hasn't been very good… He's really sweet. How could someone treat him and the others the way they did?

She sighed. Then smiled as he took a bite of his waffles and ended up with whipped cream on his nose!

(Normal POV:)

Naruto glanced up from his delicious breakfast to find his mistress watching him with a half thoughtful, half amused expression on her' face.

"Is there something wrong with my face Mistress?" He asked.

She giggled and a slight blush spread over her' features. "Well, not unless you count the milk mustache and whipped cream on your' nose."

Naruto cocked his head and peered at his rather warped reflection in one of the steel pots on the table, then burst out laughing! "Wow!" he exclaimed. "I look weird here!"

Before Hinata had a chance to reply, Tenten and Azami entered the room with Neji and Gaara in tow.

"Yo Hinata!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Hi Tenten. Hi Azami." Hinata greeted her sisters.

"Hey Sis!" Azami replied. Then she turned to Gaara and Neji saying, "Please, sit down. From the aroma, I'd say the cook has something good for breakfast this morning."

The boys didn't seem to have heard her. They stood stalk still, staring in surprise at the boy behind Hinata.

"Neji?!" Naruto exclaimed. "Gaara?! You're here too? I can't believe it! I didn't think I'd ever see the two of you again. This is awesome!"

Azami glanced at Gaara whose face registered shock. "I take it you know him?" She inquired.

"Are you kidding? They're like brothers to me!" Naruto told her. "Back at the slave house, the five of us were best friends!"

Tenten smiled. "Cool!" She looked around. "Where's the cook?"

"Oh. She's in the pantry." Hinata told her.

Tenten nodded. "I'll go get her…"

~ * ~

Sakura's jade eyes fluttered open. She sat up and realized she was still wearing her dress from yesterday. Wait… she thought. I don't recall having gone to bed yesterday. The last thing I remember was sitting on the sofa, reading… Looking up she saw Sasuke lying on the sofa and quickly realized what must have happened.

She smiled and, getting out of bed, walked over to the sofa. "Kneeling beside the slumbering boy, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open instantly. He bolted up into a sitting position and looked about wildly before realizing where he was.

"Sorry." Sakura apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Sasuke lowered his eyes.

"Were you the one who put me in bed?" she inquired.

He nodded. "Hai, Hime sama."

She smiled. "Well, thank you Sasuke. I guess I dozed off a bit huh?"

"..."

She stood up and walked over to her closet. "So, what would you like to do today?"

"What ever is most convenient for you, Mistress." Sasuke automatically replied, as though he were programmed to respond that way.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him. "There's nothing I especially want to do today so it's your choice. What would you like to do today Sasuke? Isn't there something you would prefer to do?"

He looked at her with guarded eyes. "Slaves have no preferences. I, as all slaves do, want only what my owner wants." He replied stiffly.

Sakura frowned. "Sasuke, you know that's not right. Slave or not, you're still a person; you still have feelings and desires and dreams. You're not a machine. You have opinions and ideas and you have just as much right to them as anyone!

Sasuke shook his head. "Slaves are not permitted to have opinions." There was a bitter edge in his voice. "We say and think only what we are told to think. We are like robots; programmed for our master's enjoyment, nothing more."

Sakura walked over to him and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She looked him square in the eye and spoke in a firm, yet gentle voice. "Sasuke, listen to me. What you say may have been true in the past, but no longer. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I won't tell you what to say or think. You have a right to your own beliefs and feelings and I recognize and respect that." She gazed determinedly into his wary, black eyes. "I know you don't believe me yet and I don't blame you, but you will."

Sasuke gazed back at her suspiciously, as though testing her words for deception. Their staring match was interrupted however as the door swung open and Ino burst in followed closely by Shikamaru.

"Forehead!" the blond girl exclaimed. "Come on! Everyone is waiting for you at breakfast! There's a carnival in town and we've all decided to go. You'll come too won't you?"

Sakura smiled. "That all depends on whether or not Sasuke feels like going." She looked over at the young man. "What do you say?"

Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru who only shrugged. He hesitated. He had no clue what a carnival was but did not want to appear stupid by asking, so he said. "I guess so."

Sakura smiled and Ino gave a little cheer. "Awesome! Hurry up. Come on Shika Kun, let's go tell the others!"

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Hey Everyone!

I had a couple of people asking for more SasuxSaku stuff so I tried. I hope you all liked it. Sorry it took me forever to get it posted, this is my busy time of year. A big 'THANK YOU!' to everyone who has taken the time to review on this story.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. (No flames please.)

Until next time,

~Yaruhi