"If you could read my mind, why didn't you before?" Aiko asked accusingly to the ANBU leader. She felt angry, and relieved—but mostly angry. "All your talk about how you couldn't trust me, how you couldn't know the truth—"

"I never said we couldn't know the truth, just that we didn't know the truth," The leader corrected her. "As for why we didn't do this sooner," he crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head slightly, "I recall that we barely had you restrained and there was a dangerous, rogue Uchiha hot on our heels. That doesn't really allot for any interrogation time, I'm afraid."

Aiko was really getting fed up with his bad humor, she didn't need it when everything around her felt so constrained and dire. "You could have just said so and we would have cooperated!"

"Yes, because I could have known that when all the information we had to go on was that you were dangerous—which you still are—and that you were a liar and manipulator."

Aiko's voice caught in her throat as she realized she was being unfair. He was right, she shouldn't be accusing him; but she needed to direct her frustration somewhere.

"You said... 'were'?" Aiko finally asked, a little more calm now.

"From what information our Wolf gathered from you, you've been telling the truth. An apology isn't much, but it's all I can offer. However," his voice became more stern, "We still need you to return to Konoha—despite your innocence."

"Because of my family?" Aiko muttered bitterly.

The masked man nodded, "Abusing a child is a serious offense, let alone the deception they've used against the Hokage and the Hidden Leaf itself. I even have a feeling there's more to it than that though."

"You've no idea..." Aiko said passively, "I could tell you stories for days about the family business."

"It'll have to wait. Better to make you only have to tell everything once. So save it for the Hokage."

Aiko was quiet as she thought this over. Here was her chance to leave again. These ANBU wanted her to return, but it was worded almost like a request; their posture also told her that they wouldn't fight her if she chose not to return. It was the opening she needed. She had run away all those years ago, when she was only twelve, and had discovered it to be the best decision she had ever made. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't want to go back.

She didn't have to go back.

Aiko bit her bottom lip subconsciously as her eyes stared off into space. Was this really what she wanted? She knew Sasuke would come with her no matter her choice, but leaving offered so much more freedom. They could do whatever they wanted! Go wherever they pleased! Nothing would stand in their way as long as they were together.

"I'll go back with you," Aiko said with finality. The ANBU leader's shoulders slacked and he seemed to visibly relax. It wasn't that he was relieved, rather, he just didn't know quite how to handle such a situation and he was grateful Aiko was being cooperative.

The ANBU leader was captain of his squad but the missions they usually undertook were assassinations and reconnaissance, sprinkled with occasional torture when they were left with no other way to gather information. This was the first task they had ever agreed to that dealt with delicate family issues and underhanded politics. Sure, he'd seen similar things in his life, but they had never been his or his team's problem. The ANBU leader liked his missions to be straightforward and clean cut. No tangled webs of drama. This particular mission, while important and still dangerous, was beginning to feel like everything he hated. They'd captured Aiko, but now all the decision making was out of their hands. The remainder of their mission tethered to Aiko's whims. The whims of a teenager no less. And now all that remained was to return to Konoha and spend a bunch of time convincing the village that a bunch of rumors weren't true.

Tight lipped and frowning behind his mask, the ANBU leader felt like he was back in his Academy days.

"Excellent!" He said with forced enthusiasm, "Then get some rest. We move out again once dawn breaks." And then he left to discuss watch rotations with his team.

Aiko was a bundle of nerves now that she finally had a moment to breathe. So much had happened over the last several days, it was a little overwhelming. She killed ten of her family, briefly went back to Konoha to leave Atsushi's head on her father's doorstep, then had rested at a hot spring with Sasuke just before getting captured by Hidden Leaf ANBU.

She needed a moment to catch up.

Aiko laid against the ground next to the fire and stared up at the small patch of sky, dotted with stars like holes poked through a blank blanket, that she could see through the treetops. Those little spots of light seemed so peaceful. Nobody was chasing them, trying to kill them. They didn't have to worry about anything.

They were free to be themselves without anyone judging them.

"Well, no going back now," Sasuke said softly as he lied down next to the red head.

"You'll come with me, right?" Aiko asked. She already knew the answer, but a part of her always doubted that Sasuke would stay by her side.

"Always," He said without any hesitation.

Aiko smiled, she couldn't help it, as she rolled onto her side and laid her head and hand on Sasuke's chest. He, in turn, held her close with one arm around her and folded his other behind his head.

"Don't worry," He reassured once more, "You have the ANBU on your side. And the Hokage isn't stupid, there's no way anyone will believe those lies."

"I hope you're right," Aiko whispered, pressing herself into Sasuke's body and basking in his heat. "But I'm less worried about the rumors and more worried about how to deal with my family. It's going to be a riot with them when I come back. They're going to expect everything to be the same, for me to let them treat me like they always have. But..." Aiko sighed, "...I can't go back to that. I'm not going to let them hurt me anymore."

Sasuke smiled proudly, "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, you know."

Aiko smiled too, "But it's me against my entire clan."

"No, it's us against your entire clan," Sasuke corrected, "And your family isn't known for their ninja—they deal in information—"

"There are assassins among my family... Some of them are very strong..."

"But not as many as you might be worrying about. And you forget that I trained under Orochimaru, one of the most powerful Sanin in the five nations. I even became stronger than my brother..."

"And you made me stronger, as result," Aiko cut in, trying to steer the conversation away from a subject Sasuke was still sore over.

Sasuke shook away his dark thoughts at that and kissed the top of Aiko's head, "We'll be able to handle your family. Even more so if Konoha is on our side."

"Naruto could also help," Aiko added, remembering her friend that she had left behind.

Sasuke groaned at the mention of the blond—though more so because of Naruto's overenthusiastic and loud personality than any resentment he might have. Sasuke would never admit it out loud, but he liked Naruto. He had always been the best friend Sasuke had ever had aside from Aiko, even though Sasuke never really appreciated it when he was younger.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed, "that idiot will always have our backs."