There was a knock at her door. Setsuko's eyes blinked open to the sound disturbing her sleep. Looking over slowly, she stared out the open window for a few minutes, hearing the knocking off in the distance. Morning already. She didn't even realize that it had turned to night the night before. Turning back to the ceiling she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes of sleep before fully getting out of bed. Mumbling to herself as she walked out of the bedroom, she opened the door to see Aoi and Isamu standing at her door. Looking between the two, she looked both confused and sleepy.

"What's going on?" she asked standing straighter.

They bowed in unison, "A letter has been received from your village. We're to escort you to the Kazekage's office," Isamu said as he stood back up.

She raised a brow, "Um, why?"

"With the recent attack on the two of you, Lord Kazekage simply wishes for you to be safe," Aoi answered as she to stood back up.

"No." she said manner of factly.

"What? Why not your Majesty?" Isamu questioned.

"That's none of your concern. Just have the letter delivered here please. Now if that's all, I wished to not be disturbed until you return with the letter," she replied and quickly shut the door in their faces.

Hearing the silence behind the door, she only assumed they had already left to retrieve the letter. Sighing to herself, she walked into the small kitchen to make herself some tea. As she stared down at what her hands were doing, she wondered what the letter could say. Had something happened? Were her people hurt in some way? She couldn't even imagine what the letter was going to tell her and she could feel her heart begin to race nervously. Her worry was quickly set aside when she heard the ceramic cup shatter on the floor. Looking down at the many pieces she felt a sense of dread well up in her mind. Maybe this was a bad omen.

Kneeling on the floor to pick up the broken shards, she heard a knock, "Come in."

"Your Majesty, we've returned with the letter," Aoi said as she walked in with Isamu in toe.

"Oh thank you," she said as she got up from the floor and threw away the broken cup.

"What happened?" Isamu asked.

Taking the letter from Aoi she looked over to him, "Hm? Oh nothing, just dropped a cup. Thank you."

The two ANBU silently left her room after giving her a respectful bow. Closing the door, she looked down at the letter with the crest of the Ice Guards on it. Slowly she walked to the couch and sat down, setting the scroll on the table. Was she afraid to open it? The minutes ticked by quickly as she heard the kettle begin to whistle causing her to jump. Getting up, she took it off the stove and poured herself a cup before walking back to the couch. Setting the new cup beside the scroll she took a deep breath and opened it.

Princess Setsuko

I heard all the details finally from Captain Hui. I'm so angry at her right now for not having told me ahead of time! I knew you were being sent away, but it's unforgivable that they left me out of the plan! However, I do understand a little about her decision. I've been put on leave for a while to sort out my problems according to Captain Hui. It's not the same here without you. I miss seeing your smile and hearing your childish laughter. You really do seem to make the best out of all your bad situations; ever since you were a kid. I hope this ends soon so we can see each other again.

I love you.

Tears hit the scroll, warping the ink stained upon the paper. She could just see the smile on Maki's face as he wrote to her. Slowly her hands clenched around her clothes and she let her head hang low. Long blonde hair curtained her face as the tears flowed endlessly down her face. How she missed her home. Missed him. She wanted nothing more than to return home so she could embrace him once again. Gritting her teeth she grabbed the scroll and threw it across the room. This was so stupid! She had never done anything to have people try and kill her! All she had done was do what people had told her, all the time. Ever since she took the mantle of Princess she had never done anything for herself; always listening to what the elders told her. Now she was the target of assassination attempts and had to live in a miserable desert with its insufferable Kazekage watching her every move!

Completely ignoring the warm cup of tea on the table, she got up and walked back into the bedroom, slamming it behind her. No more! Flinging open the closet doors, she stared at the giant box containing the weapon of her village. She wouldn't be contained to what people told her anymore. She always tried to disobey the rules given to her, but yet she still conformed to them in the end; always doing what she was told. Pulling the box free she removed the massive two handed sickle and stared at it intently. Removing her clothes she got dressed in attire completely different from what was seen in her closet. Pulling a black mask over her face, she strapped the large weapon to her back and jumped out the fourth story window and onto a nearby rooftop.

"Gaara, you wanted to see me?" Temari asked as she entered his office.

Turning around in his chair he looked up at his sister, "Yes. Tsunade sent over some intel on one of the Akatsuki's hideouts near our borders. I want you to gather a team and check it out."

"The Akatsuki really?!" she asked in shock.

He nodded, "Yes. I want the team to be small and skilled at infiltration and stealth. We don't need any unnecessary risks."

"Right," she replied quickly leaving to gather the team she would use.

Pushing against his chair he stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what the team could possibly expect. There were too many possibilities to count when it came to the Akatsuki. The whole lot of them were skilled and dangerous. He dare even say they were the best of the best. Getting up from his chair, he walked to one of the many windows within his office and looked out at the village. Silently his wished his sister the best of luck on her mission, knowing he had given her one that could possibly get her killed. Crossing his arms across his chest he noticed a swift gleam of blue sting his eyes. What was she doing? Could it even be who he thought it was? There was only one way to find out.

Swiftly he left his office and made his way towards the inn held deep in their village. If it was who he thought it was then there was no telling how annoyed or even angry he would become. She was a troublesome woman and causing him nothing but annoyances. Gaara get out of the way! her voice rang in his ears as he remembered the other night. She had stepped in to save his life, not that his sand wouldn't have. His feet suddenly stopped walking as his thoughts began to wander. Why had she done such a thing for him? She could have easily been killed that night, so why did she push him away from the assassin? She had placed herself between him and the tip of their weapon, something not many people did for him, even now. So why did she? He looked up at the blazing sun and let his thoughts continue to wander to many different theories.

"Flash Freeze!" Setsuko's voice whispered as she appeared behind a ninja following after Temari and her team. Reaching out for him his body froze the moment her hand touched him.

The team stopped when they heard his screams before dying. Looking back, they all brandished weapons when they saw her drop silently on a branch behind them, "Who are you?" Temari asked suspiciously.

"Whoa, don't get all defensive," she said as she held up her hands in defense. "That guy was tailing you, I just saved your butts so you should be thanking me."

Temari pulled free her large fan, "I won't ask again."

"Geeze, save someone's life and this is how they repay you. Look, Gaara said this was a simple infiltration mission right? He sent me along to make sure it goes smoothly and none of you get killed," she lied, trying to get herself included in the mission.

"Tch, how can I believe that?" Temari scoffed, still holding her fan at the ready.

Setsuko rolled her eyes, sighing heavily. Turning to the left, she showed them her right hip which held both an ANBU mask and headband from Suna, "There. I think I'm perfectly qualified Miss Suspicious."

Temari glared at her but put her fan away, "Fine."

She, along with the rest of her team took off; back on track for their mission. Setsuko breathed a sigh of relief and soon followed after them, noting that she was just lucky that Temari had believed her at all. There was no way that trick would work on her a second time and she was almost certain to mention her appearance to Gaara when they returned. Oh well. It couldn't be helped now. She was stuck with them until the mission was complete and hopefully nothing would go wrong. She had never heard of these Akatsuki people before but considering how tense Temari and her team were, she only assumed they were exceptional.

Gaara finally made it to the inn where Setsuko was supposed to be. He had spent too much time letting his mind wander that he lost track of time. Trying to open her door after walking up the four flights of stairs, he took note that it was locked. Using the sand, he unlocked the door and looked around. The lights were off and everything was quiet. Walking inside he saw a scroll laying on the floor, a cup of cold tea on the table along with a few books. Walking into the bedroom he saw no one and heard no sounds. Lying on the bed were some of her clothes and a large open box. She was gone. His hands clenched, gripping onto his clothes tightly. Damn that woman!

"Tags set," Setsuko whispered to Temari from their position in the brush around the Akatsuki hideout.

"Alright, blow it," Temari whispered back with a nod of approval. Setsuko blew the explosive tags she had placed in the abandoned hideout, causing the ground beneath them to rumble. "Let's go home."

"What's the rush?" a bemused voice asked from the trees above them.

All of them looked up to see three people sanding in the trees above them. One of them was a young man who looked like he was dressed as part of a biker gang. He wore a black, sleeveless vest open and showing a light green midriff tank. A pair of long, baggy shorts covered his lower half while standard navy blue sandals covered his feet. His green hair was short and spiky, while his eyes were black sclera with blue irises. Fingerless gloves covered his hands and wrists that also showed off the numerous tattoos running along his upper body.

The other man looking down on them was obviously older then the other with his beard and height. He held his chocolate brown hair in a dreaded ponytail as his sinister brown eyes stared down at them, scowling. He wore no shirt and no shoes. Only a pair of pants with a loin cloth attached covered his muscular body that seemed to intimidate the other men around him. His glare was one of daggers and his silence was far more menacing than his stare. It was obvious to them all that he was a powerful opponent.

"Don't taunt the poor souls now. We want them to be fresh," the only woman with them retorted playfully as she smirked down at them. Her golden eyes looked upon them, burning malice into their very souls.

Her dark clothes were hard to see in the darkness of the night as she and her companions dropped down from the trees. Her boots were navy blue as well, her baggy shorts were just like her partner's except held up by a belt. She wore a maroon colored bikini top with a matching jacket, accentuating her body's full curves. Stepping into the moonlight, she grinned at them maliciously as she weaved hand signs to fast for their eyes to see.

"Wind Style: Petal Dance!" she exclaimed as petals began to swirl around her like a tornado before slamming into the group of ninja. "What's this?"

Temari smirked at her opponents, "You'll have to do better than that if you wanna defeat me." Slowly she moved her large fan out of the way, showing that she had protected her team.

"A Wind Style user huh!" the woman grunted with mock enthusiasm.

"Ooo Seira, got some competition," the young man of their group teased.

Turning swiftly to her teammate, she glared daggers at him, "Shut up Tao! What do you know about skill anyways, you lazy good for nothing!"

Tao shrugged as he stuck a finger in his ear, "Pfft! I don't need to have skill to beat people. I have a brain."

"What was that?!" Seira growled, bringing a trembling fist into the air. "Just shut your mouth and do your damn job!"

"Uh…." Temari and her team looked at the enemy ninja with confusion at their antics. "What's with them?" she asked Setsuko, not knowing it was her.

"Pfft, beats me," she replied with a shrug.

"Both of you knock it off!" the bigger man of their group roared, earning the attention of his teammates. "We have jobs to do, now stop acting like children and do them!" His eyes traveled to Setsuko, fixed on her and her weapon. This one is different. Her weapon, he thought to himself as he set his scowl upon her.

Setsuko's eyes widened, "Quick get back!" she shouted as she and the rest of the team jumped a few feet away just before a large explosion almost cost them their lives.

They looked on as the dust cloud began to clear. The team gasped as they saw the crater that was where they were just standing. Temari looked over to the masked newbie on their team and wondered just who she was. She had seen the attack coming, just before it happened. Not even she, a Jonin, had felt anything. Something about the girl didn't completely sit right with her. Although, she was wearing an ANBU mask so it couldn't be unheard of it she were able to sense things they couldn't. ANBU were the more experienced shinobi. Looking back up at their opponents, she could tell they were strong just from this one display that the biggest of the three had done. Well, if that were the case then she'd just have to go all out. She smirked as she bit into her finger and smeared the blood along her giant fan.