Sorry everyone, school's been hectic...fantastics is coming up, oh shit..i have to go to ameeting tomorrow...(sigh) i just remembered.Well here's the next chapter, i wrote it awhile ago but kinda forgot about it (slaps self) sorry about that, i'll write the next chapter right away, now that i'm in my crazy writer mood.

Continue reading if you get confused or you find this chapter pointless...at the end of this chapter it explains kinda of what's going on...

Chapter 13- Princess and the Bodyguard

Sakura ran up to the Hokage's office, she had been summoned for a mission. It was odd though, she always went on a mission with Naruto, but strangely he wouldn't be joining her on this one. As she entered the office she found the sensei asleep yet again. She probably is behind on her paper work, again. Sakura tugged on her arm, whispering her name. Well, after a few minutes, Sakura became inpatient and jerked Tsunade's arm and shouted her name.

The Hokage's head jumped up, "Wha-What? W-Where's the fire!"

Sakura chuckled, this was her usual Tsunade. "There's no fire and welcome to the world of the living." Sakura paused as Tsunade gave her a smirk, "So what's my mission?"

Tsunade handed her the scroll and Sakura opened it and read. "Are you serious?" Sakura looked up with an eyebrow raised.

Tsunade just nodded.

Summer nearing it's end as the leaves began to wither and cascade to the ground. The days had been getting colder lately, especially in the Country of Lightning. A girl was sitting on a bench under one of the changing trees, an apple tree. Her long silky black hair whipped around onto her lap from it's roots. Her eyes were sapphire blue; they were kind and caring eyes. The girl wore a light blue kimono with cherry blossoms and other light flowers planted on it. The girl herself was elegant, she seemed very fragile.

She leaned back against the benches back, looking up into the branches of leaves, and sighed. She'd been tired lately. She's been busy with many important tasks, so busy that she couldn't take time to enjoy her visits like these. This was her favorite place in the area; it was quiet and very lovely with the pond only a few feet away. There was a rustling in the bushed behind her which caught her attention. The sound stopped and a tall man with short spiked brown hair appeared, his eyes were narrowed into a mess of grey.

He walked over to the girl and stood beside her, and said in his calm but clearly troubled voice, "This is where you have been? The others have been searching all over for you. Sir Yushu is very upset that you disappeared like that."

The girl looked up at him with pleading eyes. Her voice was as soft as flower petals, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to worry you all."

The man reached his hand out, "Shall we return, Princess Asumi?"

"H-hai." She replied as she took his hand and he pulled her up and away back to the others.

Indeed, she is Princess Asumi, the Princess of the Country of Lightning, in the Hidden Village of Clouds. She wasn't at home however, she was on a journey with her committee to the Hidden Village of Sand, to met with the Kazekage; Gaara. The man next to her was her recently appointed bodyguard. Asumi didn't know much about the man, just that he is a very strong shinobi and that he doesn't talk much. Other than that, she knows that he is pretty handsome and hates to leave a mission undone or failed. But the odd thing she found out about him, it was during dinner… she gave him a salad… and his eyes widened to see the small circular red vegetable on his plate. Apparently, he likes those vegetables? Who knows. When she asked him what his name was, he said that it was Keita, which the Princess found to be odd.

They were nearing the boundary and were going to set off soon, off to Wind Country, but the Princess had left early in the morning to her current favorite spot. Keita led Asumi into the caravan that awaited. All they had to do was wait and journey through the lands to Wind. It would take three or four days until they got there, since the Princess wasn't much of a shinobi they were taking more time than necessary. Asumi sat down in the back of a caravan and Keita sat across from her. She rolled her legs up to her chin and closed her eyes. Keita on the other hand had one leg stretched out and the other somewhat like Asumi's, he leaned his back against the clothed sides of the caravan.

They had been traveling in silence for awhile and Asumi looked up at Keita, "Keita?"

"Mm?"

They were a bit closer than bodyguard and mistress, more like friends, or almost like brother and sister, she trusted him. "What do you think it's like in Sand? Do you know what Gaara-sama is like?"

Keita grunted, "Sand is like any other hidden village, it's just covered in a dry sandy climate. And as of Gaara, I'm not too sure. I haven't seen him in three years, he could've changed more."

Asumi sighed, "I see…"

Another hour of silence had gone by, at this time they were leaving the Country of Lightning, leaving it's safe boundaries. Asumi looked out and saw forest; it was full of animal life. She smiled at the sight and sat back down in her place.

A few moments latter and… "Keita?"

"What now?" He grunted.

"What village do you come from? I haven't seen you're head protector, so I wouldn't know."

Keita looked up at her, he thought carefully about what he was going to say, but why? "I come from the village of Sand of course. Where else would I come from?"

Asumi crawled over to him and sat right in front of him, "Because…" She lifted her hand up to the side of his face, "…your eyes say that you haven't been home in awhile, leaving someone you care about behind…"

Keita's eyes widened and then they narrowed, "Yeah, I left my sister."

Asumi blinked, "Oh, I see." She sat back into her place.

Many more hours passed and it the sun was finally setting as they entered a town. They had gone into the hotel where they had booked some rooms. Keita led the girl to their room, Keita had to be with her at all times; but she of course had privacy when the time was needed. Asumi went into the bathroom to wash up while Keita stood at the glass window, staring out into the dark night sky. When Asumi finally came back out, she was dressed in her night kimono. She noticed that Keita was spaced out, and she giggled; which caught his attention.

He turned around and looked at her, "What?"

"Nothing…" He smiled and curled into her bed, quickly falling asleep.

Asumi was always the first one awake, oddly enough. She awoke to another bright morning and got dressed quickly and neatly. When she was finished she looked over at her sleeping bodyguard. His brown hair was a mess and it didn't look like he'd wake up anytime soon, as it was four in the morning. She sat in front of him, as he had slept on his side on a couch. Asumi looked into his handsome cute sleeping face.

She sighed, "He's so much like…him."

It was impossible, he was somewhere else, he could even be dead. But the girl couldn't help but smile, Keita was so much like her lost love. How long has it been since he left, she did not know. If she thought of it, it would only bring her pain and misery for the rest of the day. She sighed a big sigh and stood up from her crouching position, catching something in her eye. Asumi stopped abruptly and leaned over him to get a better look. When she saw it closely a big smile crept onto her face.

Keita awoke to being jabbed with a stick, by none other than Asumi. He glared at the girl as he grunted. But she kept on poking him until he turned over, his back face her. But unfortunately she continued to poke him, making him growl and sit up, glaring at her.

"Good morning!" Asumi said cheerily.

"Hn." Is all he said as he got up and got ready.

It was the first time Keita had slept in the same room as her, but they both acted as if it was normal; yet kept privacy. They left the room and Keita led the Princess to the caravan where they sat the same way they did the day before. Each day was like the first, getting up and into the caravan, a long silence being broken by Asumi who asked strange and close questions, then silence and back to sleep.

Three days had passed since they left the Country of Lightning; they were almost at the Kazekage's domain. They were in the caravan yet again, as it was only afternoon. Asumi sat across from Keita in silence, but this time she invited one of her maids to join her. The maid had black hair and orange eyes; she was pretty close to the Princess, even closer than the bodyguard.

Keita grunted at the sight of the two girls quietly conversing, he couldn't hear what they were talking about; strangely he was pretty close and he couldn't hear them. Many hours went by and they still weren't at there destination, they would get there on the fourth day. The caravan stopped at another hotel, so far they'd been to two hotels and one regular camp site made by them. Keita took the Princess and stomped up to their room, he was either getting angry or nervous, but how could you tell? Keita was a man of few emotions and very little words.

Asumi crawled into bed, she was nervous about the next day. Tomorrow everything would be revealed. She closed her eyes, faking being asleep so that Keita wouldn't notice how tense she was. She stayed like that for an hour or two, Asumi noticed that Keita had been pacing after the first hour. What could he be thinking? Why would he be pacing like that?

"Shit… tomorrow's going to be a mess." He mumbled loud enough for her to her him.

For a very skilled shinobi, he sure lacked in the observation and sensing department, which was odd, because he noticed everything.

Keita continued to pace, "How am I going to plan this…?"

Asumi wanted to know more but she couldn't help it. She turned over and got up, surprising Keita.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

"How can I if you're going to continue to pace for many more hours?" The girl mumbled.

He was taken aback, he notices everything, yet he couldn't sense her still awake; it was almost like she had shinobi skills, pretty good ones at that, but that was impossible. "Mm…"

Asumi approached him with a wide grin, as she walked closer he stepped back; until he was cornered. "You know…" She paused as she kissed him on the cheek, a great shiver passed through Keita's body. "You know, I have friend from Konoha." Keita looked at her questioningly. "She's been a bit of mess these past three years. The one she loved left her, he left her without saying much just a 'thank you'."

Keita's eyes narrowed, but Asumi continued, "I can't believe someone as great as you, hasn't even noticed yet. I would think that Orochimaru's great apprentice would be better than this after three years… Especially since it's you, ne, Sasuke?"

Keita was utterly shocked, he was in fact Sasuke, but what shocked him more was that the Princess began to cry. The tears swam down from her eyes, and she looked down at the ground, Sasuke couldn't see her face.

"Who are you? The Princess shouldn't have any shinobi skills…" Sasuke growled as he glared. His anger was rising, this girl in front of him acted like she knew him. She doesn't know him, no one did.

Asumi sniffed and she looked up. Sasuke's heart stopped as emerald green eyes met his black onyx ones. "It's me… Sasuke-kun."

Only one of his fan girls called him that, but when the Princess's voice changed… it was all too familiar. It felt like he was punched hard in the stomach. This whole time, the Princess wasn't actually the Princess. His mission had failed. He had never failed a mission, but how would he continue now? She was standing here in front of him; he never thought he'd see her again. He thought that their paths led into different horizons, but if that were true… then why is she here, now, in front of him. Sasuke's heart beat quickened.

"Sasuke-kun…" The girl lowered her head, "Run away from me again… I won't stop you at this point. But next time we meet, I'll drag you back home."

Sasuke's mouth opened, even though his face kept the same emotionless position the entire time. "S-sakura…"

Tsunade sat at her desk in front of the pink haired kunoichi. She was smiling, she couldn't be prouder of Sakura.

"Sakura, you did an outstanding job on your mission! You succeeded to fool everyone to think that you were the Princess, while actually she was the maid. You successfully took her to the Kazekage without any problems. You took care of some ambushers, and you noticed some spies out to kidnap her. Sakura, I am so proud of you!"

Sakura was looking down. True her mission had gone extremely well, but she had met up with Sasuke, her heart sunk as she thought of him. She continued to force a smile, but he eyes couldn't lie to anyone. She felt like her world was tearing apart again. If she had dragged him back to Konoha, then the mission would fail and the real Princess would've probably been killed or kidnapped. But if she didn't, she'd loose the lead on Sasuke, her only love. But Sakura was happy in some ways, at least she knew that he wasn't dead.

Ohhhh, If only, if only... What'cha think? Good? Bad? Either way, please review! Poor Sakura, her heart being torn like that, choosing between another's life along with two countries or her one and only love.