A/N: Kishimoto owns the Naruto Empire which is expanding to include a stage show. I kid you not.

Another long chapter split into several installments. Next update around New Year's! Thanks for sticking with me friends - it means so much to me.

Double or Nothing
Chapter Eleven: Buying in - Part I
In poker and gaming "buying in" is the process of entering a tournament that requires an up-front payment.

Kankurō was not a morning person. The only reason he could handle boarding a flight that landed in Konoha by 5:43 am, was because it was still 2:43 AM in Suna, and he was usually still awake. That being said, he had his sunglasses on during the flight, and was now in the market for a kick-ass Bloody Mary. Being one-third of Kazekage had its perks. He flew first class, and he was off of the plane before any of the other passengers. Naturally, no one knew who he really was, but all of the flight attendants knew that any passenger afforded those kinds of accommodations was important. Officially, the airline was told he was transporting sensitive circuitry and technology, and therefore his larger-than-will-fit-in-overhead-bin luggage had to remain with him. The flight wasn't crowded; he sat in the first row, and his suitcase was nearby. He had room for his longish legs this way. As soon as they taxied to the gate, he was up, pulling at the cuffs of his black blazer, and tugging his white button-down shirt. He wore jeans over a pair of elaborately stitched black on black cowboy boots that by all rights should have looked ridiculous. Somehow, it all worked for him. The stewardess handed him the long coat that she had stored at the beginning of the flight. Because as he had said to Temari; 'It's cold as fuck in Konoha.'

He pulled the suitcase with him and strode into the terminal. He raised his eyebrows at the face that greeted him.

"Can't say I expected you, of all people," he said, eyebrows raising over his dark glasses.

"Just doing a favor," came the casual reply.

"Hm," Kankurō looked him over. "So you're taking the job?"

The pale, dark-haired man gestured to the long terminal hallway. "Shall we?"

Kankurō followed, muttering to himself about dealing with the kind of people that never gave a straight answer. Sai just smiled his polite fake smile, and ignored him, choosing instead to let the silence fill the space between them.

They said nothing on the entire drive, nor as they were keyed into the building, or even when they rode the private elevator in silence.

The door to the apartment opened before they could even knock. "Ah, Kankurō, Sai. Right on time."

Both men entered and hung their coats, unwound their scarves, and otherwise de-wintered their attire. Kankurō's black boots leaned against the wall next to Sai's nondescript shoes.

When Kankurō straightened up, he gratefully took the glass from the outstretched hand. "Thanks, Haku" he said gratefully.

"Not at all," he smirked. "Come in, both of you. Let us discuss last night and today over breakfast, then Kankurō, you can go rest up for the evening and Sai can return to duty. "

"Just keep these coming," Kankurō nodded to the Bloody Mary in his hand, "And you've got a deal."

Stupid O'clock.

That is what Tenten would have called it.

He didn't know what time his clock would read when he managed to open his eyes and look, but he knew for sure, it was stupid o'clock.

Kiba cracked one eye open, peered from under the arm flung across his face and groaned.

5:30 AM.

He remembered now.

He set an alarm for 5:30 because he wanted to catch up with Tenten when she got off shift.

He blew out a deep breath and stared up at his fan stuttering along at 'meh' speed. The creaking and chirping of his mattress was familiar as he rolled up to sitting and raked his hands over his face and through his longish hair. He reflexively looked to Akamaru's side of the bed before remembering he was with Tenten. Another chorus of springs accompanied him as he tossed the sheet back, stood up from his bed, and stretched his arms over his head. The soreness in his left shoulder was enough to make him wince when he rotated it gingerly.

He strode into his bathroom, planted his palms on the counter, and looked up to meet his own groggy reflection.

The scratches down his neck were not too bad, and the bruise on his cheek was fading. He grimaced at the bruising that wrapped around his left arm. He pushed off of the counter and turned his bare back to the mirror, looking over his shoulder. The prominent bruising courtesy of the pool cue that had been thwacked against his back in the brawl two nights ago was mottled and ugly. Kiba laced his fingers and pushed his arms in front of him, stretching the top of his back experimentally, testing the soreness. It ached, but it wasn't horrible. He shook out his arms and turned back to grab his toothbrush with a shrug. That kind of bruising was going to get a hell of a lot uglier before it got better, and there was no point in worrying about it. Still, he was glad Tenten hadn't seen it; she'd have definitely had words for him about being more careful etc, etc. They were some of the same words he intended to tell her over breakfast if she didn't stay home and get some decent sleep.

He rinsed out his mouth and reached behind him to slide back the door on the shower and turn on the water. After tossing his boxer briefs in the hamper, he stepped in, slid the glass door closed, and let the water pound over him. He popped his neck and rolled his shoulders back, trying to let the hot water drive away his soreness, fatigue, and worry.

Last night had been stressful more than it had been difficult. He needed to make sure he was on his game tonight when he went back, but he didn't actually expect any trouble. He had been mildly surprised that Karashi actually showed, and more than mildly surprised at how he fit into the group.

The general contingent of the Kurosuki family was, as far as Kiba could tell, not that clever. Karashi was part of the group and yet not part of it; he was a little like the younger brother that tagged along. He got the idea that the actual Kurosuki members thought of him more as a junior that provided food than competition. They didn't pay him much mind, but they treated him a little nicer than Kiba would have thought they might. All in all, he was pleasantly surprised to see how uninvolved the guy really was. That worked just fine for Kiba, since the ideal outcome would be to get Karashi uninvolved entirely.

Kiba had little to no worries about any of the Kurosuki's. Ami had introduced them all, flitting around them like a fan-girl/barmaid/little sister wannabe hybrid. She was accepted by the members, but was not part of the gang. Everything she did had a groupie feel about it. She seemed happy enough to have attention from the group; she didn't favor any one individual. She did, though, seem more eager to impress the three men that sat apart from the group. She introduced him to Kusabi – the newest member of the Kurosuki family and his two friends, Waraji and Zōri.

"Kuromaru," he had said in return, giving a cocky jerk of the head by way of introduction. It wasn't long before he had been pulled into conversation with them; Kusabi was irritable and clearly threatened by Kiba's presence. Waraji was brimming with overconfidence and a whole lot of 'I don't give a fuck," and "I'm a badass motherfucker," and Zori was quiet and calculating. Kiba knew instinctively that the last two were the answer to this whole riddle. Theywere the outside connection – not Kusabi.

Kiba put palms on the hot tiles and leaned forward, rounding his back into the hot water and clenched his jaw. He knew which one was Waraji the minute he spotted him. There was something about him that instantly set his teeth on edge, and he worked very hard to remain nonchalant the entire evening. The cocky fuck of a bastard that apparently loved to cut on women and had heard about Tenten was within two feet of him for most of the evening, and Kiba would have gleefully kicked his teeth in if given the green-light. He noticed Asuma, Genma and Hayate in the bar – he saw Naruto in his booth. He reminded himself to stick to the mission.

He had talked to Nara about how to fill in the gaps for them as to why he was there, and they were going with the standard 'Lone Wolf' cover.

Gangs usually had a short lifespan and a contained sphere of influence in Konoha. The biggest gangs were not large compared to what could be found in a city of a similar size, and weren't nearly as problematic for the city as they used to be in Ame or still were in Oto or Kiri. Konoha just wasn't a great place for a gang to form or survive.

That didn't keep them from forming, though, and while the organizations themselves were often unstable and short-lived, the involvement of some characters was lifelong.

When a newer or less organized gang dissolved, its members tended to scatter. Some never joined another group, others went on to other organizations. When a larger gang was either busted or broken up, their more seasoned members tended to lie low and wait it out, assuming that they weren't caught.

There were some serial offenders just clever enough to get out or at least out of the way when a gang got taken down. It wasn't a question of if these people were in a gang – it was a question of which gang they were in when. They were seen as survivors, and were highly desirable to recruit. If a Lone Wolf came looking for your gang, it was a high compliment. Some were like local celebrities, others were figures in the shadows, leaving only a name behind, with no one able to recall what they looked like, but with a reputation that spoke for itself. And still others were the mercenarial kind; their loyalty could be secured and bought and their services almost like an underworld consultant. It was exactly the kind of person they thought Kiba was.

Ami had turned out to be very helpful. She wanted him to stick around – she told Zōri about the badass guy that had made his way into the restaurant. It hasn't been hard to let them assume he had actually gone to the restaurant looking into the family with the idea of joining.

Kiba found that Kusabi was an easy person to irritate, and that Waraji and Zōri both liked to screw with him. Well that was just perfect, because Kiba really felt like being an ass to someone, and he needed to convince them that Kuromaru was a badass. It couldn't have gone more beautifully. Waraji loved having someone else pick on Kusabi, and Zōri (who clearly had no love for Kusabi) read the attitude correctly. During the conversation, Karashi was moved more and more to the periphery without even realizing it.

Kiba kept up the game until he got the sense he was in. He knew enough to leave first – to show them that he didn't need them.

When Zōri called after him to invite him back tonight, he knew he had done his job.

Kiba washed the last of the fatigue from his body and snapped off the water. He slid open the shower door and stepped in to the steamy bathroom, snatching up a towel and pressing it into his face with a sigh.

The water dripped from his hair to run in rivulets down the well-defined muscles of his arms and back and chest. He wrapped the towel around his waist and ran his hands through his hair again, shoving it back and pressing it against the back of his neck, wringing it out and sending dribbles of water sliding down between his shoulder blades to soak into the towel at his waist. It was getting long again. He smirked at his reflection. Guess he'd might as well let it go – it wasn't like he needed to clean up and be in uniform. He rubbed a hand across his jawline and made the same decision about shaving. He hadn't shaved since the night Kakashi had been shot. He decided to let it go for now – he'd clean himself up more before he went back out tonight. For right now, he had to check in with Ibiki and then get to his partner.

He owed her breakfast.

Ranmaru was sitting in the early hours, staring at his laptop.

"You're awake," a voice said sleepily. He looked over and saw Tenten poking her head in the door.

"Yeah," he said, locking the screen out of habit and closing the laptop. "For a while now." He looked her over. "Are you awake?" he asked pointedly.

"Barely," she grinned. "I caught a cat nap. I'm going to go get a quick swim and wake up," she stifled a yawn. "I'll come back up before I head out. I can't stay for breakfast, but I can bring back something from the coffee shop or cafeteria. Want anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm good. Food here is actually pretty decent."

"Alright," she smothered another yawn before shaking her head. "Sorry," her smile was apologetic. "Long night. See you in a bit. Text me if you change your mind, 'Maru,'" she held up her phone.

Then she was gone.

He stared at the empty doorway for a while before starting back on his search.

Last night, they kept the conversation general – she was, after all, a stranger. He told her the stuff that the hospital staff already knew. He had been sick for most of his life, and in a wheelchair as long as he could remember. His guardian was often very busy and didn't have much time for him, but saw to it that he got the best medical care available. This was the first time they had seen Dr. Haruno, though – or anyone on Tsunade's team. They were supposed to get some test results back by Monday.

"I doubt they will be any different than usual," he told her as they sat at the chain coffee shop in the hospital. "They never find anything, really. Nothing they can fix, anyway. It's always more 'we don't know' and 'come back for more testing.'" He shrugged. "I don't know why we even bother anymore."

"You're taking the wrong bet," she said, leaning back in her seat, elbows on the table, fingers wrapped around the paper cup and sleeve.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Each visit; it's a gamble, right? Trouble is, there are too many unknowns to place a good bet. There's no way to really get a handle on what the odds are. It's too unpredictable of a bet."

"Yeah? Well so far, I've got a 0% success rate; or a 100% failure rate. Take your pick," he muttered bitterly.

"And that's the problem right there," she tapped a finger on the table. "You're framing the bet wrong."

"How?" he furrowed his brow.

"Well," she opened her hands. "First you need to identify what you are betting on and the variables."

"It's the same thing every time," he rolled his eyes. "Why look at it as a bet?"

"The same reason people bet on prizefights," she grinned. "And sporting events, and card games. It's never the same every time."

"Well this is," he huffed. "Same problem, different doctors. Same outcome."

"Wrong," she countered. "It's how the doctors I.D. the problem and frame the treatment. You are betting on the process when you should be betting on the result."

"But the result is always the same," he said in exasperation.

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

"There isn't anythingtodo about it. The doctors will find nothing wrong, nothing changes, and I wait around for the next doctor to do the same thing."

"So the bet is if the outcome of the visit is different?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah," he snarked. "Zero to one on that."

"Nope," she sipped her coffee. "Rules of probability; 50/50 shot of either outcome. It either changes or it doesn't."

"Oh, that's helpful," he muttered.

"Like I said," she shrugged. "You're betting on a process not an outcome, and that's a problem. Personally, I don't like betting when the odds are 50/50. Not exciting enough. You can make a smarter bet."

"Oh yeah?" he crossed his arms petulantly. "How."

"Bet on how you deal with the outcome."

Ranmaru stared at her.

"Think about it" she said. "You're already where you are, right? You aren't dying of anything, are you?"

He shook his head 'no.'

"Then, the worst thing they can tell you is that things don't change. So the question is what are you going to do?"

"What are you even talking about?" he asked grumpily.

"Well, if they come back having identified the problem, there will be a treatment plan, right?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"I guess?" he grumbled.

"Okay. So what if they don't?"

"So what if they don't what?"

"What if they don't find anything? What if when the test results come back absolutely nothing is different?"

"Then nothing changes," he said flatly. "I go home until they find another doctor."

"See, that's the easy bet. Thecowardbet." She shook her head. "No payoff there. Not exciting at all."

He looked up at her sharply. "And what do you suggest," he asked angrily.

"Make your bet on how you handle the outcome. You can't change what the doctor's will find, so change how you handle it."

"Oh, nice," he muttered. "You're not seriously going to hand me one of those 'it's all in how you handle it' lines of BS, are you? What did you do, spend too much time in the hospital gift shop reading the bookmarks and tiny pillows? Besides," he raked his eyes over her. "What do you know about anything? Your Mom and Dad probably raised you to think everything ends up great like in My Little Pony, right?"

Tenten arched an eyebrow. "Okay, first off? Applejack and Rainbow Dash? I want to be them when I grow up. Secondly, if you want to compare shady backgrounds, friend, I'm pretty sure I can give you a solid run for your money. How many bookies, pimps, prostitutes and drug runners did you know when you were six, and were any of them your roommates or sometimes bosses?"

When he said nothing, she continued. "I have no idea who my parents were – or are, even. I assume they are dead. I can't tell you what a Mom or Dad would say about any of this. But I know something about gambling, and I know you are wasting your time on the wrong bet."

He stared at her with a mix of fury, hurt, exasperation, and, most treacherously of all, hope.

"Focus on your endgame," she said, leaning forward on her elbows. "Your goal is to, what, work toward walking? Life being different?"

He nodded slowly.

"Why do you need a diagnosis to make your life different?" she asked.

He felt something inside of him shift. He had spent so much time thinking that things couldn't possibly change, he had never considered changing his life on his own. It had always been up to the doctors to give him the go ahead – to Raiga to find the next doctor.

She flicked her eyes over him, choosing her words carefully.

"Make a different bet, 'Maru. Bet that you are going to handle it whatever the outcome is. That youcanhandle it and make it different.Trysomething different. Don't wait for a diagnosis; deal with what your life is now and how you can change it into something you like better."

"I…I don't think it…" he fished around for words. "It doesn't work like that," he bit out.

"Look," she said plainly. "I've seen people wallow in the life they were born into, I've seen them survive it, and I've seen them rise above it. We all have our limitations, and it is smart to know what they are, but they don't define us." She looked him up and down. "If you focus on what you can't do, you'll never know what youcando."

He was quiet for a minute and she smirked. "That line came from a fortune cookie."

He half laughed and felt himself flush.

"You don't have to do this alone, 'Maru," she said gently. "Lee and I – we aren't that hard to find." Her smile was kind. "Forget all of the other stuff. Take a bet on yourself." She leaned back in her chair. "I'd take those odds."

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she flicked it out to read. "That's the nurse's station," she said apologetically. "They are doing rounds soon, so we have to get you back upstairs."

He nodded and followed her to the elevators, his mind on what she said, and she let him keep his quiet.

They had bumped into a big, friendly guy when they got to his floor. She introduced him as 'Officer Akimichi,' and he introduced himself as 'Maru.' They stayed and chatted until one of the nurses shooed them away.

As soon as the nurse was gone, Ranmaru sent a text to Raiga and told him that something had come up and he'd fill him in in the morning. Raiga postponed his visit and his funeral plans at Ranmaru's urging. He had fallen asleep shortly after that and woke up sometime around five because he couldn't sleep any longer.

Something just wasn't sitting right with him, and it wasn't just that now he knew people that knew the captain a few doors down.

Ok, maybe that was part of it. This wasn't a name on the list. This person meant something to these people. Ranmaru frowned. What would it be like to matter to others? He wasn't sure he knew.

There was a light knock on his door, and Ranmaru quickly exited to his desktop and locked his laptop before answering "Come in?"

Officer Akimichi poked his head in and smiled broadly at him. "Morning, 'Maru," he said with a kind smile. "Tenten's on her way back up – do you need anything before we head out?"

Ramaru shook his head and looked at the officer. "You're leaving together?" he asked.

"I'm just giving her a ride," Chōji waved the notion away. "She had trouble with her car." He looked over his shoulder at the sound of familiar footfall and stepped out of the doorway to give her room.

Ranmaru heard their conversation just outside of his door.

"The Captain is waiting for you," Chōji said to her. "Meet you downstairs?"

"Sure," she nodded. The big cop left and she stepped in the room. "I'm saying goodbye to the Captain and then heading out. Is it okay if I stop by later?"

"I guess," he shrugged.

"Alright," she nodded. "I'll see you later tonight."

He watched her go, closing the door behind her. He already had a text from Lee saying he would be by later. He flipped up his laptop again and started doing some more work. He needed to figure out some things before tonight. His thoughts kept straying to the other officers, though, and he soon found himself searching them out online. He wanted to know more about them.

He needed to know why they cared.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall opposite his bed. Just under the clock was a whiteboard where the nurses left daily notes and instructions written out. His eyes lingered on where his name had been erased and then reprinted carefully.

The older nurse had overheard Tenten call him by the name he had given her.

"I like 'Maru,'" The nurse said conversationally. "Good nickname. Is that what you prefer to be called?

"Yeah," he said, not sure when he made that decision.

"Then I'll change the charts and things in here," she smiled, reaching for the marker.

He looked at his new identity written out on the whiteboard with something tiny and flickering and warm way down deep in his stomach.

Maybe, just maybe, Tenten was right about the whole betting and odds thing.

After all.

Small changes were still change.

Tenten was gathering up her things to leave, as well as making sure that Kakashi had everything he needed to be comfortable before she left. He was watching her closely; he knew she was tired.

When she came back to his room last night, Itachi had just been leaving.

"What, not staying until my shift ends?" she asked Itachi sarcastically. "Got to get home to the bat cave? Or maybe there is a Mrs. Itachi hiding somewhere."

"Alfred does hate when I'm late," Itachi conceded, buttoning his long coat. "See you in the morning, Captain," he nodded.

"I'll be here," Kakashi said wryly.

"So will I," Tenten chimed in, narrowing her eyes at Itachi, "since you were my ride and I have no idea where my car is."

"Officer Akimichi will give you a ride," Itachi said smoothly before nodding. "Have a good night. Both of you."

With that he was gone. Tenten looked over to Kakashi with a knowing smirk. "People come and go so quickly here."

"Hm. So do the movie references," he said. "Batman to Wizard of Oz in no time at all."

"So are you talking in the morning?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "Sort of an 'all captain's' meeting."

She seemed to consider this. "I'm sure he told you what he told me," she said slowly. "I'm worried, Kakashi."

He knew she didn't mean for herself. She never meant that. But he was. "They are going to keep me posted tonight. Since you are a visitor this time around, you can hang out here," he gestured around the room.

"I brought movies," she offered.

It was somewhere around 'Rocky IV' that Captain Nara let him know everything was fine. She got the same message via text shortly after that from Uzumaki, Nara Jr., and Inuzuka himself.

"He's ok," she said quietly from her place in the large, surprisingly comfortable arm chair next to him. She had cuddled up in the spare blanket, and her eyes were heavy, beginning to drift as she texted back and forth for a little while. Kakashi knew she wouldn't be up long past that. She drifted asleep for a couple of hours. When Chōji came back in, he saw her resting, so he moved quietly, made sure her blankets were snug, and then left the room stealthily.

Kakashi watched her fondly. He knew she wouldn't have slept before she knew her partner was alright, just as she wouldn't leave the hospital the night he had been shot. The loyalty of the officers in his department wasn't news to him, but he still marveled at it.

She was back now, and trading out with Guy. She said goodbye to Dr. Haruno, who then checked in with him and said he was progressing nicely. Guy and Kakashi settled into comfortable conversation before Tenten came up.

"So it is true that she might be a target?" Guy asked.

Kakashi scratched his chin. "Might be. We aren't sure. And target might be too strong of a word; for now let's just say 'a person of interest.'"

Guy nodded. He had known Tenten for a long time; he didn't want to see her come to harm. "She is strong," he said, perhaps more for his own ears. "She will be alright."

"When the other Captains get here," Kakashi leans back against his pillows, "I want you to stay. You are familiar with this Karashi, yes?"

"Ah," Guy leaned forward in his chair. "He was in my taijutsu class at the rec center; that was the year the center burned down. He didn't transfer to the YOUTH center or stick with it like Tenten and Lee, but the three of them remained friends. I know his mother fairly well."

"Did you know his father," Kakashi asks, curious.

"No," he shakes his head. "My understanding is that he died when Karashi was quite young – I don't believe he has any memories of him."

"At this point, all information is good information," Kakashi sighed. "Whether or not it is relevant might be another story. Both Nara's told me this kid is pretty hung up on Tenten," he said idly.

"Always has been, in one way or another," Guy affirmed. "They go way back."

"Funny – she's never mentioned him before," Kakashi mused.

Guy shook his head. "That isn't unusual at all. Tenten keeps her private and professional life completely separate. Karashi is from another part of her life," Guy shrugged. "She has always been like that."

Kakashi sighed again. "Ah." He didn't know many specifics, but he did know that she had had an unstable, suspect background and a revolving door of people that might or might not be trustworthy. He also knew that this cast of characters ranged from all walks of life, and levels of respectability. Tenten kept her life compartmentalized in a system of absolute separation. It is was if she sealed away those parts of her life. Somehow she carried them both around with her, but never intermingled the two. Kakashi knew that part of this was to prevent a conflict with the people she knew and her job as an officer of the law. He knew more of it was how she had learned to cope with the instability of a shady background, and a rotating door of people that you might or might not be able to trust. It was that coping mechanism that allowed her to be the person that she was, and still be so positive and stable despite everything she had endured.

The almost-retired captain looked at his long-time friend appreciatively. "Sometimes I forget how long you have known her – how close you are."

Guy takes no offense to this. "I forget myself, sometimes," he admitted. "Lee often reminisces about the past, but she rarely if ever does."

"And yet," Kakashi sits up more in bed, "she maintains relationships with people from her past. Itachi told me he found her in Sora-ku."

Guy's formidable eyebrows raised slightly. "Sora-ku? She went to Nekobaa, then?"

"Ah," Kakashi nodded. Both Guy and Kakashi were aware of her relationship to the woman, and she was on the 'mostly safe' contacts list Kakashi had on Tenten.

"Can't hurt to have her on the look-out," Guy conceded. He glanced at the clock. "You'd better rest up," he advised. "Don't want you falling asleep during the meeting."

Kakashi took the friendly advice.

Tenten hit that second wind after she downed another cup of coffee. Well. This was probably more like a twentieth wind, but it just had to get her through breakfast and then home. She leaned back in the front seat of Chōji's car and wriggled contentedly into the heated seat. There were blankets over the back seats for Akamaru and Pakuun, but out of consideration more than fear of dog hair.

Chōji looked over at her as they pulled out of the lot. "Y'okay?"

"I'm great," she smiled fondly at her friend. "Probably thanks to that extra dinner you brought."

"No problem," Chōji grinned. "I always bring extra."

"And I think meeting you picked up 'Maru's spirits, too," she added. "You've got a way with people, Chōji. And food." She settled back into her seat with a sigh. "You're pretty much amazing."

Chōji laughed good-naturedly. "Sounds to me like someone is angling for more food."

She shook her head. "I'm not… but is it working?" she asked cheekily.

"I am totally under your spell," he smirked, stopping at the light and watching the few cars in the early winter morning.

"Excellent," she and steepled her fingers. "All according to plan." Chōji gave her a side-eyed smirk, and she couldn't keep a straight face.

Chōji laughed with her, and they settled into casual conversation as they traversed the wintery morning.

When they got to the station, one of Ibiki's men was waiting for them. "Officer Konoha needs to check in with Captain Morino," he informed Chōji. "He asked me to tell you that she will be provided a ride home and you are free to go."

Chōji looked over to Tenten. "I can wait," he offered. "I don't mind."

"It's okay," she sighed. "You know Ibiki – there's no telling how long I'll be here."

"If you're sure…?"

"I'm sure," she nodded. "Thanks for the ride, Chōji – you're the best," she smiled brightly at him.

"Anytime," he replied, and watched as she and the dogs headed into the police station annex. Chōji smiled to himself as he pulled away, eager to get on with the rest of his morning plans, which included a large breakfast and a couple of surprises.

Thank you so much for reading, friends! Wishing you the best of whatever holiday you celebrate, and a joyful, healthy, bountiful, and memorable 2015!

- With sincere gratitude,
Giada