AN: There is so little dialogue in this chapter that its practically non-existent, but it is just chuck full of information, so hopefully that will make up for it. Oh, and I did not have time to get this properly edited if I wanted to meet my self-imposed deadline, so please be kind if there are mistakes (but do let me know so I can fix them please).

~Begin~

Neji shifted his weight on the high branch he was perched on top of and watched as the first rays of day light spilled over the edge of the valley below him to dance across the tops of the trees. His team had traveled all through the night and were just now stopping to get some food and water for themselves, and for the client and his horse.

It was because of the horse that they were making such excellent time. Normally, a group of shinobi escorting a civilian were slowed to a snails pace. This particular client, however, had wanted to move as quickly as possible and had gone through the extra trouble and expense of hiring a horse to be sure that happened. As a result they were now only a few short hours from the border of fire country. The amount of progress they had made in a single night was almost unheard of for an escort mission, yet Neji couldn't bring himself to feel pleased with this development.

Something about this mission didn't sit well with the young Hyuuga. Something was itching at the back of his mind and putting his senses on high alert, and Neji had not made it as far as he had in the ninja world by ignoring niggling feelings. But as hard as he tried to discover why he was so on edge he was unable to locate the source of his disquiet.

He sighed and began to slip back down the tree. Perhaps his teammates had been able to discern something new about their situation, as unlikely as it was. It had been a surprise to him last night, when he had voiced his concerns to the three shinobi serving under him, that Kiba and Akamaru had both been ill-at-ease as well. The dog-nin and his companion were generally so carefree that anything capable of shaking them was definitely worth attention. Shino and Chouji, on the other hand, had reacted predictably; one with stoicism and the other with cautious optimism.

What was bothering Neji the most, however, was the definite lack of anything around or about their client that could be alerting his senses to danger. Between his eyes, Shino's bugs, and Kiba's nose the client, Zetsumei Kansei, had been thoroughly searched and come up completely clean. The only thing on the man besides food, clothing, and a bit of money, was one half of a two-way radio, probably for keeping in touch with his regular body guards once they were within range of the device.

Neji's feet found the forest floor once again and he gave the command to pack up camp so the could continue moving onward. As much as he hated getting farther from the safety of Konoha while feeling as wary as he was there was nothing to make him think that he and his team were the ones in danger at this time; and if the threat was to Konoha rather than themselves, then he wanted this mission over with so they could be back there as soon as possible.

He cast a brief, longing glance in the direction of home as the group started moving again. He conjured up a picture of Ino in his mind and echoed the young woman's parting words back at her, hoping that she'd somehow hear and accept the command as easily as he had.

'Be safe'

~break~

Ino awoke several hours after dawn and slowly stretched out her muscles before climbing out of bed. Sunlight was streaming into he room past the curtains Neji had neglected to close on his way out last night. She'd be irritated with him for it if it wasn't that she was certain he had done it on purpose so that she wouldn't question if last nights meeting with him was a dream.

She felt a small shiver at the thought of him and frowned at herself as she went to close the curtains. He'd only been out of the village for a few hours and she was already feeling jumpy. It was unlike her to be this way. Neji was an excellent ninja and Ino had always thought that questioning if he would return would be an insult to his skill.

She held no illusions about the life expectancy of shinobi. And she knew that sometimes even the best didn't make it home, Asuma-sensei's death had taught her that. But it had also taught her to cherish the time she did have.

'And worrying isn't cherishing.' she thought with chagrin.

She went through her morning routine, accidentally conditioning her hair twice because she was so caught up in her own thoughts, and then made her way out and across town to her parents flower shop. There was a particularly large shipment today and she had agreed to man the front while her parents sorted everything out in the back.

Business in the shop was slow however, and it gave her mind to much time to wander, only causing her sense of unease to increase. At least if she was on a mission or working at the hospital she would have something besides flipping through old magazines to keep her occupied. Things took a slight turn around lunch though, when Tonbo stopped in with a message for her.

"Ino-san," he nodded politely and she returned the greeting, "A rogue-nin was captured last night lurking around Konoha's outer wall. Ibiki is with him right now, but he seems especially tough minded. If he doesn't crack today we may need your talents tomorrow."

"Of course," she smiled, glad to have something to occupy her mind pondering over, but when Neji's face flashed in her mind she found herself asking, "What time was he caught?"

"Around one am," Tonbo replied, tipping his head to the side to show his curiosity, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," she lied, not wanting to let on that she had been worried Neji might have met up with the rogue. Tonbo quirked his lips in a manner that showed he didn't fully believe her, but didn't question the answer and turned to leave.

Ino sighed and wondered if perhaps Neji's client had heard about the rogue ninja, it would certainly explain his haste to leave if he had. Civilians never did take the news that missing-nins had been lurking nearby very well, even after the threat had been taken care of. But she dismissed the thought and began to prepare herself mentally for tomorrow should she be needed. Walking through an enemies mind was never an easy or fun experience.

The rest of her day passed slowly along in this same vein. The only noteworthy thing to happen was a messenger knocking on her door that evening to let her know that, yes, she would be needed in T&I tomorrow.

When Ino went to bed that night, two emotions warred for dominance in her head. The first was curiosity over what she would discover tomorrow, the second was a growing sense of dread that her unexplained disquiet hadn't left her yet, or eased at all over the course of the day. It was with a weary sigh that she closed her eyes and realized the dread was winning.

~break~

Moon light and shadow shifted over rippling muscles as a man switched his position as he stood watch at the mouth of a cavern tucked into the trees halfway up a mountainside. His gaze landed on a small cottage sitting on the plane below and he felt his lips twist into a cruel smirk.

'Soon,' he thought, raising his eyes in the direction his prey would be coming from, 'soon they will come, and vengeance will be mine.'

He chuckled, a low, evil sound, and went back to watching the supposed safe house.

'And how very sweet it will be.'

~TBC~

AN: Ack! So busy lately, won't bore you with the details, but I said within two weeks and I did it. Yay me!