Dragonzair - thank you for the very kind reviews, I'm so glad you're enjoying this as much as you seem to be

Martial Horror - Hope you enjoy the Team 8 action in this chapter; I was beginning to miss them too.

Horoxren -Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy the next couple chapters (especially if you liked that last part in Ch. 7, sawee!)

Majorkami -Thank you so much. And fear not, there will be plenty of Asuma coming up shortly (awink).

Please forgive me if characters go OOC, I am but a humble fanfiction writer, not the mighty Kishimoto, so I can't properly and accurately predict how they would react in every possible situation. And that also counts as my disclaimer.

Please enjoy

Chapter 8: The Decision

After talking with Tsume, the three genin left the Inuzuka grounds and began walking aimlessly around the village. Even Kiba refrained from talking too much, which was the final inclination that things had gone completely wrong in their lives.

Akamaru suddenly barked sharply, causing Kiba too look up quickly, the other two following suit. They weren't sure what they were looking for, but they had learned when Akamaru barked like that, it meant something big was coming, most likely something with a huge chakra source. After a few seconds Kiba calmed down, motioning to Hinata that Byakugan was unnecessary.

"Don't worry, it's just a buncha jounin coming back from a mission." He explained to the white puppy, whose fur was bristled as he readied for an attack. They kept walking towards the village gates to watch the homecoming.

"Isn't that Mitarashi Anko?" Shino asked as they watched the jounins parade victoriously through the gates. Among the green vests, and acting the most triumphant out of all of them, was the purple haired kunoichi, swaggering in her tan trench coat.

Akamaru barked again, emitting a sound vastly different from the previous howl.

"No, bad idea."

"What did he say?" Hinata asked.

"He said we should ask Anko about Kurenai-sensei."

"That's actually not a bad idea. She'd probably know more than anyone about the situation. Your mom said she was there, right?" Shino stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, I know neither of you will talk to her, and she can't understand Akamaru, and I don't want to talk to her, she's crazy!" He'd heard enough stories from random jounin hanging around the village to know about Anko's sadistic tendencies. Ninja of Konoha or no, he was still leery of her.

"She's friends with Kurenai-sensei; she can't be all that bad." Hinata ventured, hoping to convince herself she could talk to the kunoichi as the three kids and dog began subconsciously following the troupe of jounins.

"Just talk to her. You got us into this." Shino pointed out.

"We'll be right there with you," Hinata comforted. Kiba glared at Shino, but then smiled at Hinata. It was almost frightening to realize what that voice, that smile, that girl could make him do without any hesitation.

"Mitarashi-senpai!" Kiba shouted as he began jogging after the group, his teammates following him. Anko, as well as the rest of the jounins, turned to see who was shouting behind them. A man with a toothpick grinned when he saw the kids chasing after them.

"Well well, looks like Anko's got herself a fan club," he ruffled the shorter jounin's hair, "Go ahead and chat with your little friends, we'll handle the report."

"I know where you sleep." She growled, making Hinata wish they had never come up with this idea.

"I'm counting on it," the man answered, winking at her before waving his hand slightly.

Anko stayed back as the rest of the jounins continued toward the Hokage's office. Once they were out of earshot Anko grinned widely, confusing the genins. Wasn't she just annoyed with them?

"Hey, thanks for getting me out of all that paper work." She said, slapping Shino on the back, almost knocking off his sunglasses, which would have been fantastic for the other two, but sadly he caught them in time and pushed the rims back into place.

"Uh, yeah, don't mention it. Say, you're friends with Kurenai-sensei, right?" Kiba asked, rubbing the back of his neck. She looked at him oddly.

"Yeah," then it dawned on her, "Oh! You're her students, aren't you?" If possible, this smile was larger than the last one, "We were so proud when you guys passed that little post-graduation test. You know, a lot of people didn't think you'd make it, but I knew you'd make it through." She slapped Shino again, but this time he was braced for it and hardly moved at all. Hinata decided that, even though she was loud and still pretty scary, she liked Anko.

"Um, thanks. So, you've been friends with her for a long time then, right?" Kiba continued, wanting to get this 'interview' over with.

"Nearly all my life, why?"

"Well," he took a deep breath, "I kinda asked her why she waited so long to become a jounin, cause she's so good at being a ninja, and she got really quiet and ever since she's barely talked to us, or anybody, and's been acting really down. We don't like her like that, so we asked around to see what went on in her life, and we found out she was married and her family was killed, but we thought there must be more to it than just that to make her so sad, and we heard you were her friend so we decided to ask if there was anything else you could tell us so we can get our sensei back." He finished, taking another deep breath, unsure of how Anko would react to such an explanation. She was looking at him with an almost curious expression on her face. After a moment of strained silence she spoke.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you anything, cause it's not my place to do so." Shino and Hinata looked down, "But I will talk to Kurenai-san, see if I can get her out of this funk." She smiled again, "You three just relax, enjoy your time off, cause once Kurenai starts feeling like her old self again, she'll be working you kids like dogs, no offense," she added, looking over at Akamaru, who barked in response.

"He says 'None taken.'"

"Alright, nice talking to you kids. Later." And with that she was gone, presumably to talk to their sensei.

"Well that wasn't so bad…" Hinata said, looking over at Kiba, who had a smile on his face. "Kiba?"

"I think I saw her boobs!" This time Shino didn't refrain from slapping the Inuzuka upside the head. Hinata's hands flew up to her mouth as her face turned red while Kiba rubbed the side of his head, realizing he really, really needed to learn how to keep his mouth shut.

Should she tell her that her students were hot on the trail to revealing her carefully guarded past? No, she'd start out pleasant and work her way to it.

"Hey pretty girl!" Anko shouted as she walked into the apartment without knocking, always fond of very loudly announcing her presence. Kurenai looked up from her spot on the couch, smiling weakly at her old friend.

"Hey, how was the mission?"

"About as boring as pleasantries," she said as she hopped over the arm rest and sat on the couch, "But I did find out Genma likes to run with his shirt off. Damn, that boy is built." She grinned, "But you don't really care about him, do you? I've noticed you and Asuma together quite a bit…" she drawled as she pulled out a kunai and began to idly twirl it around her fingers, "Anything going on with that?" Kurenai began to get pink in the cheeks.

"Baka, we're just friends. Coworkers." She replied, avoiding eye contact. Anko smiled and leaned toward her.

"I heard from some of the guys that he's hot for you."

"What?" Her cheeks were now fully flushed, the tops of her ears burning, but still she kept her eyes down, "Who told you that?"

"Why? You want to tell him you're hot for Asuma too? Cause I could just tell him for you, and then you can make your move on Mr. Big."

"Mr. Big?"

"Yeah, that's what Suzume and I've been calling him," she grinned mischievously, "You wanna know why?" Kurenai flashed her red eyes toward Anko quickly.

"No."

"Ooo, are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Cause I know some things about Asuma that you don't, and you wish you knew."

"… no I don't."

"Oh come on, I've seen how comfortable you are around him, and how you seek out his company above any others, even mine, and how you actually smile when you're with him." She set the kunai down, "Why don't you talk with him about it? You know he likes you too." She nudged her shoulder against Kurenai's. "Besides, you two would look so good together." She thought she caught a hint of a smile on Kurenai's lips before it was forced away. That was enough proof for Anko that she did want to be with Asuma, but was too afraid to do anything about it.

"Come on, let's go get a drink somewhere." She stood up and watched Kurenai expectantly. The kunoichi shook her dark head, "No, I don't want to go anywhere." Usually after a good talk like the one they just had she would be up for a night out, so when she denied the offer Anko was a little annoyed. This whole charade had gone on far too long, and she couldn't watch her best friend waste away in a dark apartment anymore.

"Then what? You want to wallow in self-pity for the rest of your miserable life?" Kurenai looked up sharply, eyes full of surprise and hurt. Anko stood in front of her, arms crossed in front of her chest. She had heard her friend talk like that before, but never to her.

"How dare you –"

"Oh get off it, you know I'm right. Yeah, you had a tragic past, but don't allow that to make you have a tragic future. You killed Henso, now bury him and what he did to you and get on with your life. You're better than this." Kurenai clenched her fists, her face red, but she knew Anko was right.

The special jounin still stood in front of her, unwavering, unapologetic, ready to beat some sense into her long-time friend if need be. But then something happened she wasn't ready for. Kurenai started crying. For the first time in 8 years tears fell freely down her soft, pale cheeks, leaving streaks of mascara in their wake. Anko decided this was a good sign and sat back down onto the couch, wrapping her arms around the sable-haired kunoichi.

"Asuma won't hurt you, Kurenai." She said softly, "I've known him for a long time, I know he's a good guy, I know he's fallen for you, and I know he'd do anything to keep you from being hurt." Kurenai leaned into the hug, resting her head against Anko's chest as the younger of the two for the first time felt like the more mature one, petting her hair and speaking soothingly to her as one might calm a little girl.

"There's so much going for you. You're hot, you're talented, and I just found out what a great set of kids you have," she felt Kurenai nod a little, indicating that, yes, her kids are great, and continued, "You know, they're really concerned about you. They've been trying to figure out what happened to make you so upset. I heard they've been all over the village, asking around about your past, trying to put it all together."

Kurenai hadn't realized the full consequences of her actions, or really inactions, of the past week. That her being down would affect her students so much. Not only was she neglecting their training, but she was making them worry about her too. As long as she was depressed, they were suffering, and that was the last straw. She would not let Henso hurt her kids.

Anko let go as she sat up and wiped her eyes, knowing she must look like a hot mess right about now. "Could you pass me a tissue?"

"You could use a towel. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"No, I can do it. You should go out and have fun, I'll be fine. Really." She added after seeing the doubting look on Anko's face. "I'm going to go and face my demons and get on with my life. But I have to do it on my own." She smiled a genuine smile for the first time in several days, "Thanks for putting everything into perspective for me, I owe you."

"You know my price, a night out and a plate of dango." She said as she pulled the kunoichi into a tight embrace. "Good luck, and let me know how everything goes with the 'getting on,' before someone else does," she winked before turning for the door. Kurenai watched her leave, hoping she would go out with the boys and have a good time and not worry about her. She didn't want anyone to worry about her anymore.

She washed her face of the streaky mess her tears had caused and reapplied her make-up, not really sure why she was doing so. It's not like she had to look her best for anyone, but then she decided she wanted to look good for herself. If nothing else she felt more put together, more 'ready,' when she wore make-up.

She collected her bearings, took a deep breath, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She felt strong and determined, nothing like the sobbing girl she was just a few minutes ago. Finally, she secured the Konoha symbol of a ninja around her forehead. Now she was ready to take on her past and leave it behind her.

She jogged quickly through the village, not wanting to look like she was desperately in a hurry to get anywhere, but fast enough so people wouldn't try to stop her to chat. But, some people are clueless to the signals given to them.

"Kurenai-sensei, wait!" She stopped and turned at that all too familiar shout to see her three students and a small white dog running after her. Their faces all held a look of concern, even Akamaru seemed a bit apprehensive. Kiba stepped forward a bit, the unofficial spokesman for the group since Hinata was too shy and Shino was too passive, and he just liked the sound of his own voice.

"We," a jab from Shino, "I," a nudge from Akamaru, "we, wanted to apologize for before. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked such a stupid question. I never meant to put you in pain, and you don't have to answer me. We just want things to go back to the way they were," he finished. Kurenai smiled, she felt like hugging him, but instead she shook her head.

"No, Kiba, I'm glad you asked me that question. It's time I stop letting my past affect me." She said, then added, "And I should apologize as well. It's not fair for me to skimp on your training just because I'm having a bad day. But don't worry, we'll make up for it later. And I will answer your question, eventually," She looked off into the distance towards the Yuuhi grounds, "but right now, there's something I have to do."

"You want us to come with you?" Hinata asked quietly.

"No, I need to do this on my own. You guys rest up, tomorrow's going to be a busy day." As she turned to sprint away she could hear Kiba talking to the others.

"Well, looks like she's back."

For the first time in seven years she entered the grounds of the Yuuhi Clan. She thought she had grown stronger, but as she walked towards the large manor looming in the distance her hands began to shake uncontrollably. She stopped her ascent and leaned against a tree, breathing heavily, trying to calm her nerves. After a moment of deep breathing and inner persuasion she began running again, willing her legs to move faster so she could get this over with.

Technically she was trespassing, as she had given the house to the clan, but they never did anything with it. It became something of a haunted house, where young kids would dare each other to look in the window, or run up and ring the doorbell on the off chance that something would open the door. Hinata would have been too scared and timid, Shino wouldn't have participated in such a trivial child's game, but she bet Kiba found himself on these grounds more than once to dare or be dared. She actually found herself smiling as she thought of a young Kiba pressing his nose against the window, both hoping and fearing he would see something move inside. The thought of her students gave her a new wave of courage as she weaved her way through the overgrown garden up to the house.

She easily broke in and made her way through the manor to the room she had last seen covered in blood. Of course everything was clean now. The bodies were buried, the blood was gone, and there were no screams cutting into her soul. But still, as she stood there, remembering what happened, her hands began to shake again. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, she walked to the spot where she had ended Henso's life, then knelt down, pulling out a kunai, the kunai, and paused. She had been thinking of what she would say to Henso, but all the expletives and curses seemed so trivial and useless as she sat in the room where her life as she knew it had ended. Finally she closed her eyes and focused her mind on everything good in her life, then spoke softly but firmly.

"No one will ever hurt me the way you did, but someone will love me like you never could. I have built a great life for myself, and your memory won't plague it anymore. I won't let you hurt anyone else through me. I'm moving on." She stabbed a kunai into the floorboards beneath her, then stood up and exhaled. She had nothing left to say.

When she left the house it was past dusk. Stars were just beginning to become visible in the darkening sky. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten and contemplated going home for the night, but then shook her head, knowing if she didn't do what she had to do right now, she'd postpone it forever.

"I'm moving on." She repeated to herself, and began walking towards the center of the village, where a certain apartment complex sat, butterflies flying so rapidly in her stomach she was afraid she might throw up. I'm moving on.

So, what do you think? Everything's winding down now, and it should be all wrapped up within 2 more chapters I would think.

Sorry if things seem kind of anticlimactic, I need to work on that. Although I don't think the real climax is until Ch. 9. If there even is a climax…

And after this angst fest I really need to write a funny story. Any ideas on that?