Ibiki was on his way to Tsunade's office to see if his Kage had found anything while thinking of the young woman he had just left. He was just a little surprised that Rissa had wanted to try dating him after they had been physical. But then he'd been surprised that she didn't regret their night together.
Under normal circumstances if he had tried to get close to a girl like her-she'd have pushed him away with a look of disgust on her face. Or even laughed at him for thinking that he could even measure up to some of the other men in the village. Sometimes the woman he was with went so far as to toss out a few names to hurt him even more. Names like Genma and Kakashi were two of the most fequently used names.
Each time he heard those names, Ibiki couldn't help flinching.
He had always been a mite uncomfortable in relationships with women because no one had ever wanted to stay with him after the first few bouts of sex. They had always told him that he was too creepy looking, or something due to the scars on his face.
But Rissa...god, it was like she didn't even see the horrible scars that marred his once handsome face. She looked right at him without fear or disgust in her eyes. She touched him awkwardly, and shyly-
And it amazed him that she was so careful with him. As if she was somehow aware of how inadequat he must feel about his appearance. As if she was trying to make him feel better.
She was such a sweet girl. A girl worthy of being his woman.
He recognised the qualities that he sought in a mate in her the second that he had laid eyes on her curled up among the shattered glass in her living room. He had hoped that he would be able to ignore her. To put her out of his mind. After all she was a very lovely girl, and he-he was a bloody mess of red and white, and pink scars. Slash marks, and burns marring the skin of his face.
No woman would ever look twice at a beast like him.
He had resigned himself to live his life alone, without a lover, or companion to keep him company when he finally retired. Without children or a true home. Yet now... Now that he had found Rissa he was starting to wonder if maybe there was hope for him after all.
He stopped outside of Tsunade's office and raised his hand to knock when he heard the faint but distinct sounds of heels clicking on the carpeted floor of the hall and turned around as Tsunade came walking up behind him. "Ah Ibiki. I was just thinking that I wanted to have a little talk with you." Tsunade said in an almost cheerful tone.
He frowned and wondered if she had found out anything useful about Rissa's attacker and who had sent them as she reached around him and opened the door and then grasped the front of his shirt and all but dragged him into her office before closeing the door and locking it.
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"Have a seat Ibiki." Tsunade said pleasantly. Ibiki looked at the locked door, then at his Kage and had to resist the urge to run for the nearest window and instead walked over to the nearest chair and sat down and folded his hands in his lap.
"My lady? Is this about Rissa's attacker?"
Tsunade looked at him, blinked and chuckled. "Oh no. No. No. No. Nothing like that-"
"But shouldn't we be looking for the one responsible for sending an assassin after-"
"There's no need. Rissa probably knows who's responsible and is probably planning to make them disappear." Tsunade said in an absent minded manner as she waved his question off with one hand. Ibiki blanched a little bit at her words and wondered why Tsunade would say something like that about Rissa when the girl obviously wasn't a combat specialist or ninja.