"I want an annulment!" Millie screamed once they had gotten out of earshot from the cheering people in Vegas.

"But we're not even married!" he had protested, perplexed at her outburst, "There's nothing to annul!"

"But they think we're married, and that's all that matters!" She glared, a glare he knew meant trouble, "So I want them to know we aren't a couple."

"Then tell them."

"Won't work that way, I have a better plan."

He didn't like the sound of her 'better plan' and knew that it would lead to some form of pain on his part. He gave her a reluctant look, hoping to dissuade her but too late. . .

*slap*

He was on the floor, reeling from the impact of that last hit, glaring at the towering figure above him, a glare which was soon put out by a blue slipper pressing on his head.

"Don't you dare look up my skirt," came a warning hiss as she kicked him hard enough to send him rolling.

The crowd in Vegas seemed to go into another roar, incited by this recent chain of events.

"Ow!" Sasuke gave protest, "What'd I do to you!"

"Shut up, I'm putting up a show!" Millie growled again, kicking him around.

The spectacle lasted nearly an hour, after which the people of Vegas had lost interest and had converged in a triangular building to throw their undergarments at some singer...

After that he had yelled at her and stormed off, not knowing or caring which direction he was travelling in. He had gotten sick of being abused day in and day out and had finally decided to leave. He didn't even bother listening to any qualms she may have had on the idea, or was even sure she had any. He had been too mad and angry to even listen.

And now he felt uncomfortable being alone again. Sitting up, he reached into a scroll case and pulled out one of the many pieces of parchment that he had stuffed into it. On it he had scribbled down various notes, inclusive of rather primitive pictures of himself, Millie and Bonaparte. The Rune of Darkness was scratched onto it as well, the same rune the wierd groundhog had found for him.

His eyes strayed to the writing. Found stray 'Millie's scratched in at certain intervals, sometimes in more than necessary amounts.

As for Master Hanzo's choice of companion, I don't know where to quite catagorize her. Indeed she is eccentric, far too energetic for me to even hope to keep up with, especially so since she dumped all her luggage with me.

The boy ninja gave a smile, remembering the entry to have been made when he had first been forced to travel with Millie. The memories gave him a strange sense of solace and a motivation to read further.

I admit now to myself and to this page that, even if it isn't, I am glad for my companion. Now, while she sleeps I see her at her most vunerable, a strange sight to grace my eyes, a paradox to the rageful hurricane of her waking hours... If only she wasn't older than I. And if only I could be sure she felt the same.

Blinking, Sasuke took time to reread the paragraph again, unsure if it was even he that had wrote it. It sounded so unlike Millie and yet...

"I'm just decieving myself," he thought aloud, "She's gone and I'm here in the middle of nowhere alone and I'm trying to trick myself into thinking it's better this way..."

"Sounds like you've developed an unnecessary bond with an outsider, Sas."

Sasuke froze.

No, it couldn't be, Master Hanzo wouldn't be so heartless as to send her to check on me!

"Well, aren't you going to even say 'hi', Sas?"

The boy ninja lamented silently, slowly burying his head in his hands. Does Hanzo want to punish me this much?

"Hi." He exhaled the greeting, leaving his more prominently thoughts of Why me? unspoken.

"Oh! You always were such a darling!" his visitor exclaimed, trapping him in from behind in a massive bear hug, "Now, how is my favorite ninja cadet, hmm?"

Sasuke chocked, "Nice to see you too, Clarissa."

Clarissa, as he remembered her, was skinny, langley and not much to look at - forgetting to mention a complete pain in the nerves for the unprepared and prepared alike. Although not born into one of the families of Rokkaku, she was trained as a shinobi to serve as one of Master Hanze's FIN (Foriegn Informant Network) force. Her long blonde hair probably earned her placement in this northern region. Just his luck for being stuck in it.

"Aww. . . you remembered my name - how cute!" The voice behind him went on, manuevering Sasuke in a full back to front turn, revealing to his shocked orbs a vision of not a lankey girl of merely skin and bones but a young, filled out and cute teenager with long blonde hair, worn straight from where it was revealed amidst the light ninja garb. He set of clear blue eyes seemed to sparkle, "Aren't you cute?!"

For all the tact the boy ninja possessed, he replied, "Uh. . ."

"Well, that would do, I suppose," Clarissa stated, standing herself up and removing the creases from her dress, "Hanzo wants to know why you're here and not in South Window as specifically instructed."

She looks so amazing now. . .

"Sas?" she asked.

With such great hair. . .

"Sas?!"

And that body. . .

"SAS! Listen to me already!" she kicked him lightly out of his daze, "Master Hanzo wants to know why you're here!"

Sasuke looked at her, "Where am I supposed to be?"

The FIN shinobi sighed, "In South Window."

I forgot all about that! Oh no, have to think quick. . . His mind raced for an answer, an excuse!

"I forgot."

"What?!" Clarissa stared at him, "You forgot a direct order from. . . Hanzo?"

He heaved a sigh, "Yeah. . . it's not entirely my fault. . . it all began like this. . ."

Millie kicked the pot of boiling water away, fustrated. How she wished she had actually learnt how to cook when she had the chance. Now she was in the middle of nowhere, no restaurant for miles and. . .

She paused.

"My snacks are with that baka hentai! The pig!" she exclaimed.

The Highland girl glared in the direction she thought Sasuke to be in, imagining him gorging himself on all her chocolate filled pandas and all three of her varieties of Pocky - Chocolate, Strawberry and Milk.

I wonder if he misses me, she strayed, her glare growing into a more concerned facial fixture, If he feels a great lonliness in my absense. . . or even remorse. . . I was a little hard on him, I guess.

Her mind went further, remembering how he had come to save her from eternal wedlock to Napoleon in some backwater town where people went to gamble and listen to bad impersonaters and even how he had originally helped her to seek Bonaparte.

"Maybe he isn't so bad, ne?" She posted her query towards the yellow beady-eyed groundhog, recieving back only an "Eep!" in reply.

Millie sighed, "Who am I kidding? I told him off, I said I didn't want to see him. To go back now would seem like hypocracy on my part. Even if he does have our food there are morals to be upheld here, Bonaparte."

Who am I kidding? I'm just afraid he'll shun me after what I did. Another great mess of things you've made here, Millie, another fine mess. What now? Return home? But there's a war going on and. . .

Her thoughts began to lose themselves in the noises of the night, her head slumped back down onto the soft sleeping bag. She didn't know if she'd ever meet the boy-ninja again. . . or even if she dared, and it was that thought that carried itself over into her sleep and into her dreams, a small track of tears trickling downwards on her cheek. . .

Several miles away, with intent to move into another direction, lay the object of her thoughts. He had just finished explaining the situation to the FIN official, Clarissa, and was now allowed to rest. Before she had left she reminded him again of Hanzo-sensei's instructions and disappeared into the night.

The cold dark night, alone, again...