Miu's POV

I couldn't stop thinking about what Orochimaru said. He still wants me to go with him. I also want to go with him because he promised me I wouldn't get hurt anymore. But I don't want to leave Sasori. He's the only family I have. What should I do?

I sighed as I walked towards tge infirmary to check on Sasuke. I heard he got hurt during his match, so I want to see if he's doing okay. Because I wasn't paying attention, I bumped into someone. "I'm very sorry. I didn't look where I was going." I apologized while bowing my head.

"Miu... Shimizu." I looked up, seeing I had bumped into Gaara. "Gaara? I'm sorry for bumping into you." I repeated. I saw his sand come out of the gourd he was hearing on his back, and go behind me. Let me guess: He wants to hurt me again and see how I'll react.

I'll react the same way I did last night we met; my emotionless state. Instead, his sand wrapped around my waist and pulled me towards him, falling onto his chest. "Gaara?" I looked up at him. "You're nice," He said. I raised a brow at him.

"You're the only one... who's not afraid of me.' He said. He gently took a strand of my hair and let it fall through his fingers. "That's because I have no reason to be. Are you okay? Would you like me get you some help?" I asked him.

"No, that's okay." He said. I don't understand. What's wrong with him? Is he sick? "Gaara, I-I have to go check on S-Sasuke." I said as I tried pushing him away. I didn't feel comfortable being hugged by someone like this. Especially from someone I don't know.

Sometimes, I think it's a trick to hurt me. "Why? He hurt you, didn't he?" He asked. "Hurt me? No, he didn't hurt me? He's never hit me. Sure, he's scared me at times, but he's never hurt me." I said. "But you're hurt." He stated. "I'm fine." I insisted.

"Then where did you get this scar?" He moved some of my hair to the side, revealing the scar I received when I was at the academy. "Oh, this was a long time ago. But I'm okay now. Really." I said. "Liar." Gaara said bluntly.

"I'm not lying. Gaara, please. I have to go see how Sasuke's doing." I said as I pulled away from him. But he grabbed my wrist. "Why are you trying to leave me? Are you afraid of me?" He asked, sounding hurt. "No, I'm not afraid of you. I swear. Please don't be sad," I said.

Instinctively, I hugged him so he wouldn't feel sad. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Why don't I think before I act? "I swear to you. I'm not afraid, Gaara. I just have to check on Sasuke. I'll make it up to you. Let me be your friend." I said.

"What? What did you just say?" Gaara asked with wide eyes. "Let me be your friend. I know what it's like to be lonely and have no one on your side. Please, I don't want you to be sad. Let me be your friend." I said. I don't know why, but I always feel sad when someone else is sad.

But I know it's my fault why Gaara feels hurt. "You'll really... be my friend?" He asked me. "I promise." I said wholeheartedly. Gaara hesitantly wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me back. I blushed a bit, but smiled. "Gaara,"

I broke from the hug and turned around. "There you are, Gaara. I was looking for you. Were you two hugging each other just now?" Kankuro said. "Um, yes." I said with a blush. "Cute. You know, you two actually make a nice couple." Kankuro said.

I blushed. Frankly, I don't believe in love. I believe that love is created just to get you hurt. "I should get going. I need to check on Sasuke." I said. Well, he is my teammate. I have to check on him. I waved goodbye to Gaara then went to Sasuke's room.

I saw him lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask over his mouth. "Sasuke," I walked over to him. "How tough was your match?" I said. Looks like I'll have to find out for myself. I placed my hand over Sasuke's forehead and made a hand sign with my free hand. "Ninja Art: Memory Recall."

I searched through Sasuke's mind and saw his match. He went up against some guy named Yoroi. Now that I'm looking at him, he's almost wearing the same clothes as Kabuto. I looked over Sasuke's match. This Yoroi guy was a chakra absorber.

But something else was distracting Sasuke. I could see some kind of pattern forming on his skin. But where was it coming from. I looked further into the match and gasped at what I saw. He has the curse mark too! No, I must of imagined that.

There's no way he... I broke the jutsu and looked at Sasuke. I nervously moved the blanket down so I was looking at his neck. There it was. Sasuke did have a curse mark. "But what does Orochimaru want with you?" I whispered.     

"It because Orochimaru is after Sasuke's eyes," I spun around. What the... hell? "I read that Orochimaru was once after Itachi Uchiha's eyes, the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha. However, because Orochimaru failed to capture Itachi's eyes, he left Akatsuki," The 21 year old-looking teen said.

His voice sounded charming and he looked like... I'm guessing, some kind of wolf? "It concerns me why he wants Sasuke though. He hasn't even awaken his Sharingan to its fullest yet." The teen said. "Who...?" I started. "Who... are you?" I asked.

"Come now, Princess. Surely, you recognize me. I picked this form because I thought it would be more suitable to your liking." He said. "Uh..." Wait, he called me Princess. The only being that calls me 'Princess' is...

"Isuke?" I said. "Precise, Princess. What do you think? Do you like it? I think it's rather too much. Do you think so?" Isuke asked. "No, no. You look..." A blush crept on my face as dared not to say "that" word. But I said it anyway. "You look handsome." I said, my blush worsening.

Isuke smiled at me. "That's really nice of you to say, Princess," He said. I looked back at Sasuke as he slept soundly. "Let's leave him to rest, Princess. He'll need his strength. He did pass, after all. But he still has a lot of training to do if he's going to win against Gaara." Isuke said.

"Gaara? He'll be fighting Gaara in the exams?"

"That is correct, Princess. Just like how you'll be going into the finals. You'll be fighting Dosu." 

"Dosu?" I think it's that guy who looked like a mummy. "Let us take our leave, Princess. Upsy-daisy." Isuke picked me up bridal style then jumped out the window. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, afraid I'd might fall.

"There's no reason to be afraid, Princess. I won't let you go. I'd die before I let anything happen to you." Isuke said. My eyes softened a bit. "Uso." I said. "No, I'm not. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." He said. (Note: Uso means "you're lying" or "lie" in Japanese. But in this case, when Miu says "uso" she's saying, "you're lying").

When we got to Sasuke's house, Isuke carried me to the living room. "Isuke, you can put me down now." I said. He gave a nod and set me down on my feet. "Isuke, why did you pick the body of a teenager when you could have just turned yourself into a kid?" I asked him.

"I prefer older bodies are much more stronger than small bodies. No offense." Isuke quickly said. "None taken," I sat down on the couch. "Isuke, now that you're human, does that mean you know some techniques like ninjutsu or genjutsu?" I asked.

"Not exactly. I have my own skills." He answered. "What do you mean?" I questioned. He shook his head, signaling me that it's nothing. "Princess, if I may," Isuke placed his hand on my chest then pulled it away as some kind of pink aura was attached to his hand.

I gasped, realizing the aura came from me. Isuke held out the palm of his hand as the pink aura surrounded itself into a small ball, then transformed itself into a small pink gem. "What is that?" I asked. "This is your Chakra Gem." Isuke said. (See picture)

"My... Chakra Gem?" I repeated. "Allow me to explain. This Chakra Gem holds more of your chakra. Think of it like a storage for your chakra. Say that you're in the middle of a battle, for example, and you're running low on chakra. If you wish for more energy, power, or chakra, you can get some out of your Chakra Gem." Isuke explained.

"That's sounds useful." I said. "Here," Isuke handed me my Chakra Gem. I examined it. "Is something wrong, Princess." Isuke asked. "No, everything's fi- Ah!" I freaked out when I saw how close Isuke's face was; It was about three inches away from my face.

I gasped when he pushed me down on the couch and got on top of me. "Isuke, what are you-!"

"I think it's cute how you blush like that. But it's also bad for you, Princess. It will show your enemies how vulnerable you are." Isuke mentioned. "Please get off me, Isuke." I said as I tried to push him off me. "I'm afraid I can't do that, because I find it rather cute how you squirm underneath me," Isuke said as he got closer to my ear.

"I even find it cute when you're left defenseless against me." Isuke whispered. I blushed and shut my eyes tightly with a whimper. Isuke chuckled before sitting up. "I'm starting to understand why humans find it amusing when they tease you. It's quite fun." He said with a smile.

"It's not fun. It's mean. It's the reason why I stayed away from people. The reason why I hardly left my house." I said the last part quietly. I rolled on my side and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry, Princess. I wasn't aware of that. Please forgive me. If you think I was being harsh, you should punish me." Isuke said.

"That's not necessary, Isuke. I couldn't punish you if I wanted to. I don't have the guts to punish someone." I admitted. "Princess, please sit up." Isuke requested. I sighed and sat up. When I did, Isuke gently kissed my forehead, making me blush.

"If teasing you is not want you enjoy, then I shall not do it anymore. You have my word." Isuke vowed. "How can I trust you?" I asked with a frown. Isuke took a knee and gently took my hand, gently kissing it. "You can always trust me, Princess." He said with a gentle smile.

I blushed. This felt like a repeat of what Sasuke did a few days ago. "Isuke, I have a favor to ask of you." I said. "Anything, Princess." He said. "Could you watch over Sasuke?" I asked. He frowned slightly. "Sasuke... Uchiha?" He asked.

"Yes. I would like you to keep an eye on him while he's recovering." I requested. "Princess, I don't mean to be rude, but Sasuke Uchiha doesn't seem like the brightest light bulb." He said. "What do you mean?" I asked. 

"I remember what happened last time you two had your little "encounter". I didn't appreciate what he did to you. Yelling in your face. Forcing you to look at him and talk to him. He was persistent and being kind of jerk." Isuke said, speaking his mind.

"Isuke, I find it sweet that you're looking out for me. But don't you think you're going at this the wrong way?" I asked. Isuke's frown got a bit darker as he turned his head to the side, his ears going down. "Isuke, please don't make me read your mind. What's going on?" I asked in a worried tone.

"I don't want you around Sasuke Uchiha," He confessed, his head still turned away from me. "I want you to stay away from him. He's not to be trusted." 

I gently placed my hand on his cheek. "I'll be fine. I promise, nothing's going to happen to me." I said with a smile. Isuke turned his head to look at me then embraced me. "Isuke?!" I asked in a panic. "You are my princess and I vow to protect you until death. That is my pledge to you." He said as his eyes were closed, his ears down slightly.

"Isuke," I said softly. I looked down, seeing he had a tail. I didn't know he could have a tail in this form. If I'm going against Dosu, a.k.a. a sound ninja, I have to start training. After seeing what he did to Kabuto in the written exam, I know he's not one to messed with.

I realized Isuke was still hugging me. "Um, Isuke?" I spoke. "Your touch..." I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. "Your touch is the only thing that soothes me." Isuke said softly. I blinked as a blush formed on my face before shaking my head.

"Uso!" I said. "I'm not lying, Princess." He said smiling. He kissed my forehead again then stood up. "I'm going to the hospital to watch over Sasuke. I'd advise you to stay here and train, Princess. Or if you'd like, I could train you for the finals." Isuke offered.

"You'll train me?" I asked.

"Only if you want me to."

I thought about it for a moment then nodded my head. "Very well. Your training will start tomorrow," Isuke said. He went over to the window then opened it. "I'll see you soon, Princess. Bye-bye." With that, Isuke left through the window.

I lazily fell back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. I took out the wooden mannequin Sasori gave me and stared at it. "Sasori, why do you leave so quickly?" I asked before closing my eyes. I wonder what kind of missions he takes.

Akatsuki isn't that challenging, is it? I held the mannequin to my chest and turned on my side, curling up into a ball. Eventually, I fell asleep.