Author's Notes: And now for another chapter. Perhaps not as fast I would have liked but it's an improvement of the last one. This is another pretty big chapter, so enjoy.

Thanks, to all reviewers!

Chapter 8 – Living with the Dead

(Clay/Rice Border – Afternoon the Next Day)

It was a warm spring morning in the rough hills that marked the boundary between the small countries of Clay and Rice. The area was unremarkable in most ways, a series of farmers scrabbling out their lives on rice terraces, intermixed with open pit mines where the clay was taken from the hills to be brought back to cities downstream. The clay was destined to be made into many things, but it was crafted only where there was water and people, not in these distant areas. So even though this land was close to prosperous towns it was a still a wild area, and forests dark and old darted up and down the clay soiled valleys.

Ying had no interest in those forests for now. Instead she was focused on the small town of Kanrico below her. The stone ninja and her leaf companion had spent the morning walking out to this quiet region from the coast, traveling southwest, and now they had reached the destination a quick map glance had revealed. Looking down from above it was clear that Kanrico was a town built upon the export of clay, and mines and diggings could be seen in the hills beyond. The clay was brought back into the town and then transported further, to be fired in the kilns of more prosperous places below. Despite being the first link in the chain of export, however, there was still money available, money enough to bring ninja.

"So, if that woman can be believed our quarry should be near this village," Ying told Shino, who crouched to her right.

The Aburame youth only nodded and Ying wondered once more about this strange and dour ninja. Most of the time he seemed simply composed, and his few words hinted at a bright mind and great awareness from behind those dark glasses he always wore, but it was hard to gauge. Recalling what had happened the night before Ying was almost shocked in how much trust he had placed in her. He had been almost knocked out, and his bugs, his greatest weapon, incapacitated. She could have taken the information and run, but he had trusted her not too. That thought had led Ying down a dangerous path of inquiry, for she now recognized that she had never even considered betraying the Leaf ninja. At first she chalked it up to the Tsuchikage's order to work with him, but she had soon recognized that was not the truth. Ying caught herself watching Shino as he moved, wondering about him. The puzzle behind the young insect-wielding ninja intrigued her, as did the boy himself. She suspected it would be hard to turn her back on him until she solved that puzzle, and that was dangerous.

"Are you sure you're completely alright?" Ying asked Shino once more, repeating her question from when they met for breakfast.

"Yes, I'm fine," Shino answered flatly. "It was only a simple mistake. Also," he added with a slight lift. "It seems kikai bugs do not get hangovers."

"Really?" Ying smiled. "How lucky for them."

"I suppose," despite Ying's best attempts she could not tell if Shino was smiling or not, that long green coat hid his expression completely.

"We should get closer," Shino said after a moment.

"You have something in mind?" Ying asked.

"The woman told you Hidemoto still had his forehead protector," Shino explained, somewhat tiredly. "If we can find a place to sit in the town I will send the bugs to look for that image."

Ying frowned at Shino's tone. She was beginning to pick up that he really didn't like to explain his method of operations. From that she resolved to try and figure him out enough so he wouldn't have to, besides, Ying reasoned, it would be good if they could anticipate each others moves if they had to fight together. "Alright, we can see if they have a restaurant for travelers," she replied. "There should be one on the clay side of town."

Shino nodded, and the pair headed down to the town.

There was indeed a restaurant in the town. It was small, cheap, and dirty, but it was also bustling. Ying asked a passerby about this and was informed that the weather had just warmed even that clay digging was about to begin, and many merchants were in town to set up arrangements. It was somewhat bothersome, but Ying and Shino were left in a table in the wind and generally ignored by their servers.

The moment after they sat down Ying saw the bugs in action from up close for the first time. She watched the dark little kikai slip out from the holes in Shino's body, crawl out into the road, and take flight. They dispersed widely in great number, more than she had thought his body could possibly contain. After a few minutes a bug crept back, and then left again, and this process continued, bugs reporting and leaving again. It all occurred in seemingly absolute silence, or at least nothing Ying could hear, and Shino did not move at all. However, as fascinating as it was for a time, Ying swiftly became bored watching something she could not hear or understand at all, especially when it became clear there would be no swift answer.

"Aren't you bored?" she asked Shino eventually.

"Bored?" Shino sounded truly surprised, as if he almost forgotten Ying's presence entirely. "No, the bugs' reports are nearly constant. It's like walking through the village myself, except with many bodies at once. At least, that's the best I can describe it."

"Oh," Ying blushed, feeling slightly foolish for such a ridiculous question. "Well, I guess that keeps you busy, but I need to pass the time somehow." She reached down into a pouch that hung next to her scythe's harness. From there she pulled a small box and tightly bound brown cloth bag. With care she placed both on the table, and then shook it to make certain it was sturdy. Satisfied that the table would serve, Ying put her hand in the cloth bag and pulled out a small piece of glass. It appeared to be little more than a misshapen blob at this point to the untrained eye, but to Ying it was the beginning of her latest piece.

Placing the block of glass on the table Ying opened the box, revealing an exquisite little set of cutters, drills, and other tools for the shaping of glass. "May I?" she asked Shino.

He shrugged.

So Ying began, shaping and cutting piece by piece, starting at one end and moving down, gradually revealing sharp lines and curves, chipping away pieces of waste to reveal the object within. As she worked she carefully focused the chakra in her hands, occasionally using precise applications of chakra to move her tools or the glass in special ways. It was a laborious method, for each cut or drilling had to be precisely charted in her mind, marked on the glass with a special chalk, and then cut. At first the pure eye was enough to serve, but eventually, working on something of this detail, Ying was forced to drop the lenses under her forehead protector over her eyes, magnifying the glass she worked on greatly with a steady stream of chakra.

A long time passed, as Ying lost herself in the work, losing track of everything going on around her. Like so many craftsmen she was able to push the outside world to the edge of her awareness, so that she need only react in a true crisis. Otherwise everything else could be focused on her artwork.

However, something would interrupt her this time.

"What is it?" Shino's voice intruded forcefully into Ying's awareness, forcing her to stop lest she ruin her next cut.

She looked up to find that the Leaf ninja had not moved, even though the sun had shifted and evening was fast approaching. Shino was staring at her with those glasses-blanketed eyes, lenses that always seemed to demand answers while offering none.

"Well, it's a glass insect," Ying answered, irritated at Shino interrupting what had been such a productive session. She could feel the mood slipping away, and she suspected she would not make much more progress today. "A hornet actually, though I thought you could guess that much."

Shino coughed lightly. "Umm, no, what I meant was, the face looks unusual, what is the species?"

Ying felt her irritation melt away completely with that question, and she laughed suddenly. "Of all the things you ask it's that?" She looked down at her semi-formed sculpture. "It's barely formed enough to even ask a question like that. Why would you ask such a thing?"

"I've never seen a hornet that looks like that before," Shino answered.

"Really?" Ying was surprised. "But it's quite common up…" she paused recognizing what she was saying. "In the mountains. So, perhaps you don't have them down near Konoha?"

"It seems not," Shino nodded.

"Hmm…" Ying took a look at her sculpture. "The face is different from the hornets found lower down. We call these Black-bark Hornets, because their nests are found on conifer trunks."

"Interesting," Shino replied. "There may be many such differences in the insects we know. It would be a good comparison."

Ying thought about it for a moment. She did find it to be an appealing idea. It was obvious that Shino surely knew a great deal about Konoha's insects, and maybe even some of the stranger ones from the southern Sand and Rivers countries that she'd always wanted to carve. Insects were something they could definitely talk about without delving into the secrets of their villages as well, a true bonus. The stone ninja was surprised she hadn't thought about it earlier. "Well, it certainly seems like a good id-"

Shino had raised his hand in front of her. "The kikai have found something."

"Well, what is it?" Ying asked impatiently, not wanting to be interrupted just for that.

"Something disturbing, we need to check it ourselves," he replied.

"Okay, let's go then," Ying stood up immediately, putting her gear away quickly. "It won't be light that much longer."

They were ready in only a few moments, and Shino was already heading into the street as Ying re-secured her scythe and hurried to follow. Her Aburame companion wasn't any taller than she was, but he certainly had a measured and effective stride for someone his height. Ying matched his pace with little enough trouble, but she didn't want to play catch up, especially since it was his bugs they were following.

"What are we looking for?" Ying asked as she caught up to Shino, not wanting to be cut out of the loop.

"There's a warehouse at the edge of town, my bugs saw something suspicious in the cellar," Shino returned briskly.

"Something suspicious?" Ying didn't like that word, not given how much Shino seemed to trust his bugs.

"I want to make absolutely sure before we make any conclusions," he said, ending discussion with those words.

Ying swallowed, wondering, and followed closely.

The warehouse was there, sure enough, a place made for holding the various types of clay and clay powders that were extracted from the hills. It was mostly empty now, so it was unguarded and abandoned. Still, the doors were locked with a fairly secure bolt.

Shino pulled out lockpicks, but Ying wondered if they were necessary.

"Is secrecy important?" she asked him.

"Huh?"

She pulled the scythe, Oblivion, from her back. "Why don't I just wedge a board out of place on the wall, there are some damaged ones over to the left. We won't have to stand around as long."

Shino nodded. "Good idea."

Ying walked over to the walls, tracing her hand along the old wood, long exposed to many winters. Pressing a bit here and there she quickly found a loose board. She slid Oblivion's long blade in behind it, applying just enough force to cut an opening. That done Ying twisted the weapon so the scythe blade was perpendicular to the grain on the inside. Lightly pulling back she felt the blade stick into the wood. After that it was a simple matter of yanking on the haft of the weapon to apply leverage and pull the board loose, opening a space just wide enough for a person to sneak through. "With luck it will only look like some kids messing around with a prybar," Ying commented to Shino as they squeezed through.

They entered the warehouse.

It was dim inside, but not yet dark. Wide, screened windows ran along the upper level, letting a great deal of sun in, enough so men could work freely in the middle of the day. Even now, near sunset, there was enough light to see by, especially for ninja with keen vision in dimness.

Shino headed immediately over to a large door in the floor. This one was not locked. Indeed it was split with so many large cracks and holes that locking would be pointless, so he simply wrenched it open. Pointing down below he jumped down into the dark and stagnant cellar. Ying followed immediately after.

The smell hit her instantly. It was a nasty rotting odor, one she was surprised had not reached her above until she considered the airflow. With refined instinct Ying spun about looking for the source of the decay-ridden smell. It took a moment in the darkness, but she was quickly able to spot the source. Lying tumbled and prone against some stacked clay bricks was a human body.

The tattered clothes on the body could have been from anyone, and the form was decayed enough that it would have been difficult to recognize even for someone who knew the face, but there was no mistaking the bright steel glimmer of a forehead protector wrapped about the right arm, or the jagged symbol of Hidden Grass Village upon it.

"So this is it, huh?" Ying asked with disappointment. "He's dead."

"It appears that way," Shino answered. "When the bugs told me of the smell I was almost certain, but it could have been a very unwashed man in hiding, or a dead animal in here. Confirmation was necessary."

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't help us much," Ying noted. "He's the one we were supposed to interrogate, bet anything, and now he's dead, kind of makes it hard."

Shino didn't respond, but carefully poked the corpse in various places with a kunai. Ying could tell he was searching for hidden documents, or any other thing that might tell them about Hidemoto. He went through the process, but Ying could tell there wasn't anything even from where she stood. The missing-nin had obviously been very down on his luck to begin with.

Then Shino cut away the remnants of the shirt and put his hand of the rotting flesh.

"What are you doing?" Ying gasped.

For a moment the question was just ignored, and Shino continued to look very closely at the body, poking and prodding the flesh in several places. When Ying approached, holding her hand over her nose to soften the smell, he looked up. Ying, looking at Shino and the body, noticed several white little grubs crawling over his hand. It was a strange sight, but she immediately recognized them as some kind of beetle larvae.

"You lenses can magnify, correct?" Shino asked Ying.

"Well yes, but-"

"Can you tell me how many pairs of prolegs this has?" he asked her.

It was a strange request, to count how many of fake, larval form only legs the maggot had, but Ying understood immediately that Shino needed to know in order to identify the larva. She wasn't certain what he was doing, but that much was obvious for anyone trained in the world of insects. "Alright," Ying slipped the lenses over her eyes once more, channeling her chakra to magnify. It was difficult to do in the dim lighting, but she recognized that distinguishing color or fine detail would not be important. So, she held out her hand and let Shino dump one of the maggots into it. As she brought it up toward her face the little white thing squirmed on her hand, and Ying felt strangely disgusted. There was something somehow very wrong about taking a living thing out of a dead man, and she hoped what Shino was doing was important, and not some idle curiosity.

Counting the prolegs was easy enough; there were five pairs of the squishy pseudo-limbs, all behind the normal three thoracic legs. "There are five pairs," Ying told Shino. "I hope that means something."

"It does," he answered. "With those blow flies differentiated and the various other things I found here I can say that this man died nineteen days ago."

"Nineteen? That precisely?" When Shino nodded Ying started doing sums in her head, thinking backwards. Suddenly, the significance of the number nineteen struck her. "That's only the day after the scroll was stolen!" she blurted loudly.

Shino didn't move. "Indeed."

"So," Ying spoke her thoughts aloud. "Someone figured out the scroll was stolen, reasoned that Hidemoto would be targeted, and then killed him to keep his information hidden. Additionally, they did all that in one day, how organized and ruthless."

"It would seem so," Shino replied simply. "It also means our mission is a failure." He struck the cellar's dirt floor softly with his right hand.

"I guess…" Ying muttered, more to herself than anyone else. It did appear that their mission was a more or less complete failure. Hidemoto had been dead since even before either of them had been assigned to find him, there was no way to interrogate him now. "Are you sure there's nothing on the corpse, no sign of who killed him?" Ying already knew the answer, and she realized immediately that he words would only irritate Shino, but she couldn't help asking.

"He was stabbed in the chest, and the forehead protector is the only distinctive mark, but you tell from his hands that he was a ninja," Shino replied. "There's nothing on the body."

Ying understood that a ninja's body could usually be recognized from the calluses of shuriken work on the hands, but it dashed even a slim hope she had. It was crushing to admit defeat here, especially after everything else had gone so well. She searched her mind for any possibilities, any way to salvage something from this preemptive strike against their mission. However, there seemed to be now possibilities, they didn't really know anything about this man, just a name, a country, and that he was a ninja. Beyond that they had only his forehead protector, and the knowledge that he perished nineteen days ago.

Nineteen days ago exactly, Ying seized on that bit of information, and suddenly recalled something. She looked around the room carefully, searching for what she would need, looking everywhere. Then, suddenly, she found it. Up in the door there was a small open panel, obviously designed so someone could look down into the cellar from above. It contained four panes, and three where empty, but the fourth still held the cracked glass it had originally been equipped with.

"You are sure he died nineteen days ago?" Ying asked with sudden excitement.

Shino looked over at her slowly. "Yes, that is the only date that makes any sense."

"Then maybe there is something we can do," Ying replied, and she stood and jumped out of the cellar in a smooth motion. "Come on," she gestured for Shino to follow.

The Aburame ninja did so, though Ying guessed it was more because there was nothing else to see in the cellar than because he believed her.

Ignoring him for a moment Ying went over to the cracked piece of glass in the door. It was old, foggy and clouded, never something truly meant to be seen through clearly. Beyond that the thick glaze of winter's dust covered it. Not hesitating at all, Ying wiped the dust away with the edge of her uniform, and then she took out her glasscutter's kit again. From a small tin within she dabbed her finger in polish and did her best to clean off stains and smudges from the glass. It did not come all that clear, but when she was finished Ying could at least see a hazy reflection of her face in that fragmented pane.

"Hardly ideal, and I am not so skilled at this technique," Ying spoke for Shino's benefit. "But perhaps there may be something I can find."

She saw that Shino was watching her carefully, but as usual the leaf ninja said nothing.

Ying took a thin cutting knife from her glasscutter's case, and slowly, with the utmost care, she carved a seal into the glass. Then she carved another seal atop the first, and then a third and final seal atop that. It was a terribly hard thing to do, for the lines of the previous seals interfered with carving another, but she did her best. The form did not come out perfect, but Ying hoped it would be enough. She placed her hands over the glass pane, and crossed her fingers over it in the form of a seal. Not daring to look her eyes softly closed. Slowly the glasscrafter took in a deep breath, and feeling out the chakra in herself channeled it as she had been taught before by her master. All the while she held clearly in her mind the date of nineteen days past, forcing all other thoughts aside, though she could not avoid a few quivering distractions to her mind. As she let the chakra out from her fingers and into the seals Ying intoned the name of her technique, focusing her energies all the more. "Frozen Mirror's Vision."

Ying opened her eyes, and looked at the old glass pane with fragmented hope. She did not know if she had done well enough.

There was indeed an image frozen there in the glass, called up from the past to freeze a moment once again, a window into the world the glass had seen nineteen days ago. It showed the fallen Hidemoto, as he was even now, though less decayed, and also another figure, a man in brownish garb, garb suited for a ninja. Yet the image was greatly hazy and indistinct, and little more could be seen of the man beyond his outline.

"Damn!" Ying smashed her fist into the door frame, welcoming the pain. She had failed again. It had happened before, she was never able to pull forth an image with the perfect clarity it ought to possess, and in these conditions, with weak lightning and the damaged glass, it had ruined her technique completely. "Nothing useful, nothing!"

"Really?" Shino said softly from next to her. He was surprisingly close, but Ying had been so lost in her own failure that she had not noticed. The Leaf ninja's hand snaked out to rest on the image of the man above Hidemoto. "Isn't this the man who hit me with a clay hammer yesterday?"

Ying looked back to the image, trying to see what Shino had seen. At first she saw nothing distinctive at all, and could not reckon how he had possibly acquired an identity from the image. Then she looked beyond the details, and took in what were there, the clothes, and the profile. Seeing it that way, the hazy, blurry vision did indeed reveal the profile of one of the clan ninja who had struck Shino the night before. "I think," Ying muttered with embarrassment. "You may be right."

"You should not underestimate this technique of yours," Shino told her mildly. "It seems quite useful."

"Well," Ying smiled softly, blinking away the beginnings of tears. "I should actually thank you; it would have been useless if I hadn't known the day he was killed."

"Oh, so that's how it works," Shino stood up then. "Regardless, we now have a clue."

"What are you planning?" Ying asked suspecting she knew already.

"If we cannot interrogate our original target, we can interrogate his killer at least," he replied, confirming Ying's suspicions.

"Well then," Ying stood as well. "I suppose we have to go back to that brothel. That little courtesan will know where to find him. This time though, I don't think we need to ask nicely."

Shino nodded, his gaze directed toward the door, but Ying thought she caught the edge of a smile from above the boundary of his coat.

Insect Stuff: What Shino does with Hidemoto's body is forensic entomology. It is a real forensic approach to tell things like time of death about bodies based on the insects found in the corpse (principally various diptera) and has been in use for well over a century. I think it's rather neat.