Things are moving along and I am considering each of your suggestions as you send them in.

Chapter 29

coming to grips

day 4

They had managed to make it to the border of Iwa just last night and they had rested for the night before advancing on the Kamizuru family grounds.

"No one is inside," Hinata said after a thorough look from her byakugan.

They moved inside carefully, wary of any traps they might encounter. The whole compound was deserted like a desolate ghost town, completely devoid of furniture or furnishings of any kind.

"Where are they?" Kiba asked. "Why would a clan move from it's grounds? And how? You can't just move a whole clan."

"Not without being noticed," Shibi interjected. "Let's ask around the village. Meet back here in an hour."

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An hour later they had all returned with varying degrees of success.

"Did you find anything?" Shino asked as Kiba approached.

"Nah," Kiba said with a shrug, "just a bunch of gossip. They aren't fond of insect users here."

"I think they moved to Ishigakure," Hinata stated.

"Ishigakure? Why would they move to a new country?" Kiba questioned.

"Their clan is small," Shino said. "It's why they have become so desperate. They haven't been highly respected since the last war and after their failure with the bikochu, it seems they lost what little respect they still had and were forced from their family home. There is less than a dozen in the clan now."

"If we hurry we can get to the border by tonight. We will have the kikai search the area for their new residence while we rest."

With a solid lead in sight, they hurried to the next border, already aware that Sachi had been in the clutches of the Kamizuru clan for four days.

They were a few hours away from Ishigakure when they stopped for the night. Shino and Shibi sent several groups of kikai out to search the surrounding area for the Kamizuru.

Even knowing the kikai were searching didn't help Shino's nerves. He still couldn't rest adequately. He had never felt such a lack of control over the situation or himself.

He stared at Kai-chan on his finger as she chirped somberly. It was strange how strong their bond was; how one tiny insect could mean so much to her.

Sachi was all the things Shino dared to hope for in a life partner and more. He never imagined himself with such a vibrant and perceptive woman as Sachi.

He had loved her much longer than he realized and he believed the same of Sachi.

She had been the first to initiate contact with him, verbally, physically and emotionally. The first time she had willingly touched him he had been shocked to see her unrestrained advances despite knowing of the kikai. Her continuance to touch him in any situation shattered the belief that none could get past his usage of insects. And when she said 'I love you', that had been the moment he recognized Sachi as his other half, his better half.

The realization did not crash upon him like a tidal wave. It was more akin to a warm and welcoming spring breeze.

He did not love her as a placeholder; just a woman that happened to love him, a man he thought unlikely of being loved.

He loved her as any man loved the love of his life, his one and only. And forces were working against him to take her from him. And he would be damned if he didn't protect her now.

As soon as they returned, as soon as this business was behind them he would ask her to marry him.

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Each morning in the compound was getting frightfully dull. She did the same things every day.

Though today after breakfast Hiro had been absent for their usual one-sided talks. Just as he said, he must have been out looking for more women to bear his children either willingly or unwillingly.

Kimiko had sought her out. Likely to make her feel more comfortable. Though she knew Kimiko might have an alternate intention she still entertained her polite conversation over a mid-morning snack of fresh fruit and vegetables.

"So where is it you are from?" Kimiko asked.

With that question, Sachi realized that even though they had spent a few days together she still knew nothing about Kimiko and she had not said a thing about herself to anyone within the compound.

"I'm from Konoha. Where are you from?"

"Ishigakure," she answered. "I hear Konoha is a really large village. What's it like?"

Sachi mulled over her answer with a strawberry in her mouth. "It's a great place with great people. There is a great sense of community that I hear isn't really found in other villages."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

Sachi heaved a tired breath. There was little else to do in the compound but she felt such a sense of unease around Kimiko, knowing she was so easily taken in by Hiro's lies.

"Mostly I like to read and listen to music."

Kimiko hummed. "Hiro searched really hard for braille books for you. Isn't he just the sweetest?"

Sachi couldn't stop another frustrated sigh. More than anything else she pitied Kimiko. She really was a sweet girl. It was a shame that Hiro had taken advantage of her. Sachi did not have it in her to take her anger out on Kimiko. It was not her fault that she was here and she had been nothing but helpful since she had woken up in her forced captivity.

"Kimiko-chan, I really don't want to talk about him. Why don't you just tell me more about yourself?"

They talked later and later into the night. Sachi found that there was little she could do not to like the woman before her. She seemed just as Sachi expected her to be, a very kind and helpful woman, not much older than herself.

Though Sachi had felt a certain friction with Kimiko she began to realize that she was likely just a good girl that had been taken in by Hiro's words. Though Kimiko accepted the situation Hiro kept them in Kimiko was still just a human being doing what she thought was best.

It was a strange revelation for Sachi. To accept that no one was perfect, one sometimes failed to realize that people were not entirely imperfect as well. And the idea that people could fit into such simple categories as good and bad, was a naive ideal.

It was then that she realized she liked Kimiko, despite her faults. And she didn't hate Hiro.

She feared him. She pitied his clan and their desperate attempts to repopulate before their clan line died out completely. But her pity did not equate to justification. Hiro seemed to be someone that would do anything to achieve the desired result. No matter if he had to warp the minds and use the bodies of a few women along the way.

She felt pity and a certain amount of heartache for how lonely the little clan was.

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