Disclaimer: I do not own the Brave Saga.

Warning: Slight language and implied sexual content.

~0~

I spent my weekend off, a birthday gift from the commissioner, roaming town with my comlink off. Leaving your comlink off, even when off duty, was taboo, but I didn't want the team tracking me. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't stop myself from being paranoid. I knew that, sooner or later, someone was going to ask questions about the bike. Maybe I also knew in the back of my mind somewhere that Deckard was going to be the one to crack the code. Or not. But no matter what I thought, it was inevitable. I just had a knack for delaying fate.

"Roxana!"

"What is it?"

"What are you doing out here so late?"

"Walking. Excuse me-"

"You've been ignoring the team."

"I've been busy."

"Why did you leave the keys behind?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The keys for the motorcycle. I found them on the lawn."

"Accidents can't happen? I can't forget something every once in a while?"

"I didn't say that. Its just..."

"Just what?" I turned to him. "Just what, Deckard?"

"You've never forgotten anything before...and..."

I sighed as he trailed off. "Now what?"

"Why are you walking around at night with sunglasses on?"

"It's a common fashion statement in L.A. There's even a song about it."

"It seems impractical."

"Fashion doesn't have to be practical."

"I suppose not...but-"

I sighed and ran my hand over my face. "Deckard, I appreciate your concern for whatever you think is wrong with me, but I'm fine. Now, if you'll excuse me-" -I have to walk into a pole now. I stumbled away from the pole, groaning as I covered my face. Shit. Of all the things to happen. My glasses were cracked. This couldn't end well. Regardless-

"Roxana! Are you okay? Let me assess the damage-"

I tried to wave him and the bright light away. "Deckard, no! I'm fine-!" My nervousness got the better of me. I removed my hand from the broken glasses. The glasses weren't just cracked. There was a hole in the side. A large enough hole for Deckard to-

"Your blind." I froze. "How can you-?"

"Half-blind, mind you," I growled. I took off my sunglasses and waved them in his face...I think. My good eye was blinded by high beams. "Put that light out before you make me completely blind." He did as told. It took me a few seconds to adjust, but once I did- "Let's get this straight right now. Just because one of my eyes is a little freaky does not mean that I'm incapable of doing anything a normal person can."

"I didn't say-"

"No, you didn't. You didn't have to."

"Does Gunmax know?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

"It's not...but he's your partner-"

"Like he would even want a half-blind chick as his partner? Half-blind means half useless in this world. In the police business, you have to be perfect. Give a hundred and ten percent. In your case, 98.91 percent. You guys have your upgrades." I held up my sunglasses. "I have these." I examined them. Or at least I did. I sighed before putting my sunglasses on my belt loop.

"I don't disagree, but..." I looked at him. "What have you been doing with your gift?"

I sighed, pinched the bridge between my nose, and placed a hand on my hip. "Nothing. I can't drive it confidently without crashing or running over someone on my left side. Point being, it's staying in my garage. If anyone comes over, its going to look brand new-like I haven't even taken it for a trip on the road...because I won't be anytime soon. Not until I can figure out some way to compensate."

"How long?"

"Since my first stake-out in L.A. A piece of a ricochet bullet blasted into it. Doctor said its permanent."

"Does-?"

"No. No one other than Shadowmaru and you know. Look, Deckard...Not that I wouldn't love to play the question game right now, but I'm tired. Its been a long day."

Deckard transformed. "How about I drive you home?"

"And feel like a weakling dependent on her co-workers? No thanks. Besides, what if Yuuta asks where you went? Don't want him to worry, do you?"

"But-"

"She's right, Master."

"Shadowmaru."

"Roxana wants to keep this a secret. If Yuuta wakes up without you in his garage, he'll call around. Then everyone will start sticking their noses into Xana's eye for her choice in transportation."

"How flattering," I mumbled.

He ignored me. "Deckard-"

"Yeah...Okay." He looked at me. "If you ever require assistance-"

I nodded. "You'll be the second bot to ask." I climbed onto Shadowmaru's back. "Go guard Yuuta. I'm fine now." Ten minutes later, Shadowmaru had pulled over, so to speak, under a concrete passing. "What are you doing?"

"Resting."

"I get that. Why here?"

"So that you don't have to walk as far." I slid off his back and looked at his wolf face in question. "I have a mission in Ireland starting tomorrow. I won't be around to help."

I sighed. "When will you be back?" I received silence. "'Maru-?"

"I don't know. The mission depends entirely on collecting information as it comes. It may take me a week to collect the essentials or it may be a year-"

"A year?" I jolted upright. "You'll be gone for a whole year?"

He lifted his head to look at me. "Like I said-I don't know. The business works one day at a time-"

"Its a sucky business."

"You work in the police business. You know what a stake-out is like."

"I know." I sat down. We were under a concrete bridge, tucked neatly under the concrete siding. A clean line of water fifteen feet wide seperated us from the other side. The moon was out, but it was still dark. Dark enough for me to wonder if Shadowmaru was there at all, or if I would ever see him again, or when, or if, or-"

His nose bumped into my chin. "I'll be fine. You worry too much."

"Can't help it," I mumbled as I hugged hismuzzle. "What if they find out while your gone?"

"What if they do?"

"You say that like it won't be the end of the world."

"It won't." I looked into his orange optics. "I'm not saying it won't be difficult and adjustments won't be made-"

"-to accommodate my condition?"

"Yes."

I let go of his muzzle at the silence that statement caused. "You think I need special treatment? You think I can't do what every other officer can do?"

"Every agent has different strengths. Yours-"

"-aren't my eyes?"

"One of them. Yes."

I huffed. "I know its inevitable at some point. One day, something is going to happen-"

"You won't hurt your team in the field. You're too careful for that."

"Maybe. But I will miss a target one of these days. One I should have been able to-one any rookie could do with perfect vision. And I have perfect vision...One does, anyway. Point is, someday, someone is going to start asking questions. Questions I can't dodge orincinerate. When that happens, I-"

"I'll be there." His muzzle tucked itself into my lap. "I may not be around like I have been, but I'll find a way to beat the system like you have."

"What happens when someone finds you out?"

"I tell the truth."

"That simple, huh?"

"The truth isn't always right. It isn't always wrong, either."

"Far-fetched, you mean." I giggled when his muzzlepoked my stomach.

"Don't go there. I'm not black ops for nothing."

"Please. Your a big softy on the inside." I kissed his muzzle. "I am going to miss you, you know."

"I know."

"This is when you say 'I'm always a call away.'"

"My comlink may be off during the whole mission."

"May."

"Yes."

"Will you try along the way? At least once...Somewhere in the middle, so I know?"

"As long as you try to keep a calm head while I'm gone."

"I will...No guarantees with Gunmax, though."

He snorted. "Don't I know it. Roxana-"

"Yes?"

"Your middle button has been undone for half the day. Did you know that?"

"'Maru!" I wacked him. "Are all black operations agents closeted perverts, or is it just you?"

He chuckled. "Classified information."

"Jerk."

"You love me."

I looked at him, my hands paused over the flimsy button. "Yeah..." I removed the others. "I guess I do."