"If you have a slave seal, a mind reader and someone's family, you can do whatever you want with them. I've said this over and over and over again, haven't I?"

Hitoshi eyed Leo warily. Nothing good came out of these moods of his. "Yes."

"Hmm… I was wrong. No, maybe not but I'm really reliant on those things." Leo sighed. "I am a greedy man. I want everything and I want nothing. No matter how much I eat, I am still missing something. What is it, I wonder?"

A heart? A conscious? A shred of humanity? Hitoshi didn't speak his mind. He'd long learned that arguing ethics with Leo was like trying to train a cat to fly. He'd have a much easier time just killing it. Leo didn't just ignore ethics. He fundamentally didn't seem to be able to internalise them at all.

"I don't know," was his reply.

She was greeted with the tears of her mother, the joy of her father and the interrogation of the world.

"I don't think you should continue," Osaaki said firmly. "It was your business that caught his attention. I know you really want to help, but you've done more than enough for the world. More than anyone could've asked or expected. The Nara heir is handling your work just fine."

"But-"

"No. Your safety comes first. I know you came from… humble backgrounds but you are a daughter of the Ikeda Clan now. Their problems are not yours."

"That's right!" Atsuko agreed. "What's most important is that you're safe and happy here."

Yoshiko looked down at the floor, despondent. "Then… what am I supposed to do every day? If I can't work… what am I supposed to do?"

"Take a break. Make some friends," Osaaki suggested. "Have you had your first blood?"

"No."

Osaaki nodded. "Then it's still early. We don't know exactly how old you are but you're still pretty small. We have a few more years together as a family."

"Can't I stay with you forever?"

Osaaki shook his head. "I would love to but there is no future for a spinster. It's for your own good. Don't worry. I will find you a wealthy and prestigious gentleman who will treat you like a fine princess. You are young, beautiful and talented. You are hardworking and determined but also obedient with a pure heart. Even without the full backing of the main house of our great clan, you should be a desirable match. You should be able to charm your future husband and it is my wish that you will have a marriage full of love and prosperity like your mother and I."

"Why can't I just stay with the clan? I can be helpful."

Osaaki sighed and patted her head. "That's the agony of daughters. Someday, they will grow up and they will leave the family for a new life. You can't keep them forever. At most, you have twenty short years with them. It's part of becoming a woman. If you have any worries, you can always talk to your mother and the other women in the clan. Many of them know what it's like to start life anew as a wife of another clan. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Marriage is a joyous occasion that marks a new chapter in your life. You will have a husband and children and eventually grandchildren who will fill your life with happiness and warmth. As long as you have a good husband and a good clan, everything will be fine and I will make sure your match is good. There is no more need for you to spend late nights worrying about your restaurants and schools. You will no longer have to worry about scary terrorists and criminals. Stay in the compound and accompany your mother only on her shopping trips. You will want for nothing."

"Can I go back to Konoha?"

He scowled. "Konoha is a complete mess. They have proved that they can't protect you. And what's more, after they've failed to protect you, they have the audacity to put you through interrogation and demand a mind reading. I know what the check for 'seals' entails. It completely violates the dignity of a young girl. Who do they think they are?"

"I'm sure they're just concerned about safety. I can't blame them. Besides, I'm not any safer here. Konoha, on the other hand, is filled with skilled ninja. I don't think anywhere is fully safe from Leo."

Osaaki let out a distressed breath.

"Don't worry. I had a talk with Leo. I don't think he intends to chase me."

"You can't trust the word of vermin like him."

"He promised me nothing. He sent me away because he was afraid of killing me in one of his drunken episodes. At the very least, he doesn't want me dead and he doesn't want me near him. In that case, I don't think he will come for me. If he's going to come for me, it doesn't make sense to release me."

"You can never know with those monsters."

"Leo… Leo is a simple man with simple needs and simple wants. He crackles when he's happy, wails when he's sad and drinks when he's bored. You'd know it if you met him."

"Does… he visit you a lot?"

"Yes. He's bored most of the time and he seems to like talking to me."

"Is he drunk a lot?"

"It is a rare day when he's sober."

Osaaki and Atsuko exchanged looks before Atsuko knelt down to her level and looked her in the eyes. "Yoshiko, did he do anything to you? Don't worry. We wouldn't tell anyone. You can tell us anything."

She shook her head. "He didn't do anything. His main vice is alcohol. He wasn't interested in me. He mentioned that he only liked women who can take a punch in the face and who wanted to stab him. That's why he sent me away. He didn't want to punch me accidentally."

Osaaki and Atsuko looked incredibly disturbed.

"He's a horrid monster," Osaaki declared. "But you're safe now. You don't have to worry about him."

She nodded. "I'm not worried at all. I think you're more worried than me."

"… It is my duty to protect this family. You should leave all the worrying to me."

Atsuko got up and grasped Osaaki's hand. "Don't be like that, my dear. The family will always worry about each other. I'll worry about Yoshiko's safety and I'll worry about your health and happiness. Always."

Osaaki smiled. "Thank you. But you shouldn't have to worry about anything. Just focus on being happy."

"You also shouldn't have to worry. You do things on your own too much. I will always be there for you."

They stared into each other's eyes for a while, smiling, until she cleared her throat and interrupted them. "If I can't stay in Konoha, can I at least visit? I want to see Shikamaru."

Osaaki raised an eyebrow. "Shikamaru? The Nara heir?"

"Yes. I'm sure he'll want to see me. I want to make sure he's not working too hard and that he's not too depressed. He thinks too much."

"You shouldn't be too close to him. He may get the wrong idea."

"I'm sure he won't."

Atsuko smiled sadly. "No, my dear. It's fine now that he's a boy but the boy will be a man soon and things will be different. A man and a woman shouldn't be together so often if they aren't betrothed or married. I know you trust him and he seems like a fine young man but even then, people will talk. A woman must hold her honour and virtue in the highest regard."

"I can't marry him? He's the heir."

Osaaki and Atsuko exchanged looks again before Atsuko turned back to her. "Heir to a ninja clan, my dear. Life as the wife of a ninja is very difficult. He will away more often than not. He may be killed one day and you will be left a widow with nothing to your name. Your children will be sent off to fight at a tender age and chances are, you will see one of them pass before you. You are a fine lady. There is no need for you to go through that hardship."

"But-"

"Listen to your mother," Osaaki cut off. "I don't mind you being friends but I don't want to see my grandchildren die in battle at the age of seven. As I said, I will find you a nice, proper man to marry. You shall marry no drunk dullard."

"… Will I love him?"

"I'm sure you will," Osaaki said firmly. "I will make sure he is kind to women and in the years of courtship, I am sure love will blossom."

"But can I at least visit? I… didn't get to say goodbye. I can't leave it like this. Surely a visit is fine, right?"

There was a short silence as everyone looked at Osaaki. Finally, he nodded.

"One week. You may stay in Konoha for one week."

She bowed. "Thank you, Father."

"So… how have you been?"

Yoshiko sat across Shikamaru. The tea chilled on the table as they faced each other, Yoshiko in her yukata and Shikamaru in his pyjamas.

"I have been fine."

"How did you escape?"

"I didn't. He released me."

"How did you get him to release you?"

"I did absolutely nothing."

"…?"

"He lost interest and I'd produced enough food. He had no reason to keep me."

"He could've killed you."

"It was a gamble. But he thought I was a rare thing and liked me well enough. He was also afraid of accidentally killing me. I banked on him liking me enough to release me but not being interested enough to lock me up and keep me in a cage. Luckily, I caught him in one of his rare melancholic moods and he released me."

"… I understand if you don't want to talk about it but… how was your time there?"

"It was… fine. It could be a lot worse. I saw some nasty stuff but that was about it. I was mostly in the lab making recipes and ordering maids about. Other than not having to worry about budgeting, it's not much different."

"You are really alright?"

"I am fine. How about you?"

"I've been fine. Everything is going well. I've been keeping a diary of reports for when you returned so you can catch up quickly."

She smiled briefly, though it vanished quickly and her eyes locked to the ground. "Thank you, Shikamaru."

"I'm a secretary. That much is expected."

"… Not anymore."

"… What? Are you firing me?"

"No. Well, maybe yes. I don't have to read the reports to know things are going well. I've seen some new buildings and I knew you would do well in my place. That's why I entrusted it to you, after all. How… how do you feel about a full-time job?"

"… I… asked my parents for a baby brother. I don't know if they'll deliver… but…"

"Good, good. Then, this is really what you want to do, right?"

"… Yes."

"I'll… be signing over ownership of everything to you. Permanently."

"… WHAT?!"

"Father has prohibited me from-"

He got up and slammed his hand on the table. "THEN CHANGE HIS MIND! You could do that!"

"If I begged and wept for months, maybe."

"Then do that! You could do it! I know you would do it if it meant you got what you wanted!"

"… That would buy me a few years at best. In the end, there's only so long I can delay the inevitable."

"And what is that?"

"My marriage."

"I'll marry you! I will never take this away from you!"

"They don't want me marrying in a ninja clan."

"Well, you could… do something about that! Change his mind! Create some sort of scandal and lower your value on the marital market! When that happens, I'll be there for you. My father likes you and I'm sure he'd approve of you as the clan matriarch."

"That would defeat the purpose of a little brother, won't it?"

"Then so be it. I'll guarantee your freedom for what, sitting in a few extra clan meetings? I'll be fine."

"You will have to serve as jounin commander or some other important post-"

"So what? That's an honour in itself."

"It would take up your time-"

"I would have you. I won't have to work here all the time if you can handle it. You can't marry a nobleman! If there's one thing I learned from the annoying women milling about the compound it's that marriage is the death of a kunoichi! They go from being the terror of men to little house pets. I cannot bear to see you like that! I can't- your obedience should only ever be an act! You can think and make decisions better than whatever rich pampered boy they marry you to."

"… Would that be so bad?"

"… What?!" He spat.

"Would it be so bad? To retire and be the wife of some rich man. I would spend my days smiling, entertaining guests and arranging flowers. It's not the life I thought would be for me but… Atsuko seems happy enough. Osaaki has all but sworn upon the graves of his ancestors to find me a man who will be kind. At least to me. Atsuko is barren and Osaaki loves her anyway. With my abilities, I can confirm whether any potential suitors would treat me right. I believe that there is some happiness to be found there. I don't need riches or great achievements. I believe… I can be content there."

He gritted his teeth. "… You… can't. You can't! As a ninja, I will not allow it! You're… it would be such a waste! You're destined for so much more! In this world where the fires of war erupt every ten years, we need people like you. I don't care what your clan says, that is not your place. Someone like you… people should sing praises of your compassion and abilities. And they do! You can go to any orphanage and any school around here and the teachers and orphanage workers are eternally grateful for your work. They don't care what the noblemen think. They don't care what the ninja suspect. They love you. Just the other day, I met a teacher who burst into tears because I sent over proper school supplies. You saved them. Not me. I was a good-for-nothing before you showed me my path. You saved them so don't try and foster them off on me now!"

"… I am not that great. I'm sure I've made an impact on their lives but I won't go so far as claiming that I 'saved' them. Shikamaru, don't you want another former kunoichi as a wife? Someone who will train your children, protect your back and raise them with her full attention and love? I can't do that if I'm busy caring about all the children in the world and trying to find them homes."

"I can train the children myself and you will protect my back. The kunai, the blood, the enemy ninja, I can handle that myself. That was never the point of the matriarch. The matriarch keeps things together at home. You will protect me from a thousand migraines by dealing with the council and the people in my place. As for caring for children, I would rather have a wife that cared for all the children of the world rather than just her own. We are raising ninja here. We are raising children who should expect to die in the service of others, be it the family, the clan or the country. We can't have them thinking they're more important than all the other children in the world combined. They will have to understand that their mother is working for the good in the world and strive to meet her shadow. If they can't understand, they aren't fit to be ninja."

"…"

"Is there any reason you really don't want to marry me?"

"… Not really…" She said slowly. She moved her hand over to rub her womb. "It's just… I can't imagine… doing it with you."

Shikamaru's tense posture relaxed a little and his eyes softened from their glare. "Look, we only really need one son. Two is preferable but one is really all we need. Hell, a daughter would be fine too. Ino is an only girl and she will lead their clan. The Nara aren't any pickier. You'll have to do the same thing with another man either way. After the first child we… we don't have to do that anymore."

"What if… I'm barren? What if I can't produce any children?"

"Then the family line continues. If my parents have another son, he will inherit after me. If a daughter, she or her sons will inherit. My father has a brother so if both my father and I die, he will inherit next. Then my cousins. We'll be pestered a lot but it's not the end of the world. We just need to consummate the marriage. That's all."

"…"

"Why?"

"… I suspect I may be unable to have children."

"Did something happen?"

"I haven't bled yet and I suspect I never will. Don't ask why."

"… Do you want children?"

"Not particularly. You?"

"Not particularly."

"…"

"I want to marry you."

"…"

"I'll never find another girl who will fit me quite like you. I want to marry you."

"We are only children."

"I know. It's not like I have a crush on you or anything. It's just… after watching all the horrible, dysfunctional adults around me dance their stupid marriage dance, I know a wife is more than that. More important than punching rocks is the ability to figuratively punch my political enemies in the face. That's what my mother is for. My father married her because he liked her and because she took no nonsense from anyone. I can think of no one more suited to the job than you."

She smiled weakly. "And here I thought physical attraction was the most important thing! But in all seriousness, satisfying your husband's sexual desires and producing children has traditionally been the main role of wives, aside from keeping the house in order. It's all fine now but what about when you come into manhood? Will you really stay celibate on account of me?"

"…"

"…"

"… I… would like to say I would but I don't know yet. I haven't really experienced that sort of thing now and I've seen many men disregard their wives for others. I don't understand what's so important about it. In… in the worst case scenario, the absolute worst… you did mention that you would be… you know, fine with…" He trailed off and looked up at her.

"I would be fine with you taking lovers as long as you are discrete. And if they're with child… I would be fine with taking them as my own. What matters is that they're yours. The Nara seem fine with bastards so whether they are mine is of little relevance. In all honesty, it spares me the headache of bearing one myself."

"I would be disgracing you."

"I don't imagine my family would be pleased. Honour is useful to have but I don't hold much emotional attachment to my honour."

"You don't hold much emotional attachment to anything."

"That's true as well."

"… Sorry, I said that. I shouldn't… I would never hurt you. I don't know much about sex or what a man wants but if I'm going to marry you, I want to do it properly. I know you don't care about your honour but… I care. I care about your honour. I don't want people looking down on you. I want people to see what I see. I want people to love you. Maybe there will be prettier women. Maybe there will be women more willing to entertain my desires. But they will never be as important as you. You… you helped me gather my life together. You showed me what I wanted to do with that rotten brain of mine. I will never forget that. There will be no one else with that claim. There will be no one else."

"… If you're going that far… if you will do your duty as a husband, I shall do my duty as a wife. I will warm your bed when you need me to."

"Yoshiko…"

"It's fine. It's true that I find it a little strange but it's nothing a little time won't fix. It's not as if I have strong feelings or convictions either way. When you grow into manhood, I suspect I'll get over it. I don't want you to have to struggle when the fix is not that hard." She smiled. "I want it to be a proper marriage too. I will… I will eventually learn to love you and honour you as a wife should."

"You'll… marry me?"

"To be honest, I didn't try that hard to convince them. I will find a way. I will find a way and I will see us married. I will handle my parents and you will handle yours."

"Then, it's a promise."

She nodded. "It's a promise."

"You're up early again," Shikaku commented. "What is it?"

"… What sort of girl do you want me to marry?"

Shikaku sighed and put down his chopsticks. "Is this about Yoshiko?"

"Yes."

"She's… fine. I personally don't trust her. But I can't deny the impact she has had on you. If nothing else, she will be a competent matriarch. We will see. You are still young. There are many other girls out there. Many other kunoichi. Many other better matches. You should keep your options open."

"I have time. But Yoshiko… Yoshiko only has two or three more years at best. Things are different for her."

"… We will see. In two years' time, if both of you are still not promised with no better prospects, we will see about arranging a courtship. If the courting goes well, only then will we talk about auspicious dates and marriage locations. But with her current reputation and lack of ninja background, you will be making your marital life and clan affairs more complicated than it has to be."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'm sure she'll handle it just fine."

"She is talented," Shikaku said slowly. "But political talent is not the most important quality in a wife. A wife is the woman you come home for. A wife is the woman who will lift your spirits when they're down. A wife is the woman who will deflate your ego when it rises too high. She will be the bearer of your children and the teacher of your heirs. She will steer the house tightly so it may be in order when you return. She will share in your joys and shoulder your sorrows. And when you pass from the realm, she must be strong enough to maintain the house alone and bare the title of 'widow'. Can she do that?"

"It sounds to me as if she's already fulfilled half of those requirements. The other half can't be fulfilled until we actually get married. I have no doubts. She is much more like us than like them. For her children, for any child, she will kneel, speak or fight with not a hint of shame. Whatever needs to be done. She said it herself. To save a hundred children, she would strangle a child herself. I have no doubt she would with no remorse or regrets. She will do what needs to be done and you will not hear a word of complaint from her. I have no interest in the companionship of any other girl. Ino on her best days cannot compare to her shadow."

"Those of your age are still little girls who have never killed a man and never struggled to feed themselves. I understand your frustration. I was the same way. But that innocence is what we strive to protect. They should never kill a man or worry about how the rice will last through winter. That's something for the adults to worry about. For the ninja. Ikeda Yoshiko looks so mature in comparison mainly because of her background. I wouldn't be surprised if she had to pickpocket or beg for food. From what I've gathered, she has always shouldered the responsibility of being the big sister. Of protecting everyone. She is more aware of the horrors out there, even more so after her captivity, I suspect. It may be hard to believe but eventually, those little girls and boys will grow into hardened ninja. They will learn what it means to spill blood and they will learn what it means to carry the lives of their blood brothers on their shoulders. Those experiences mature a boy and a girl very quickly and amongst them, you may find yourself a suitable bride. Someone with the intellect, capabilities and mindset of her who will also have the physical skill to protect your children."

"… Can those girls grow up faster than Yoshiko can get married off?"

"That cutthroat way of thinking may seem rare now but it will get more common as you grow older and eventually, you may tire of it. And if you do, you shall return home to your wife for comfort and you shouldn't find none. You may want a woman who will cherish you and who you will defend. Not someone who struggles to show any emotion of her face. That girl is good to have as a friend but as a wife? I have my doubts."

"I want a wife who can watch my back. Not a liability I have to protect. Yoshiko may look like she's emotionless but she's far from it. She will smile. She will get angry. She will talk to me about her struggles and help me with mine. What more could I want?"

"Do you love her romantically? Or is this just a way to lock her down so no one else can?"

"I don't love anyone that way. I will not lose Yoshiko to a man who doesn't appreciate her talents and merely likes her pretty face, pretty words and bowed head."

"Those feelings of yours may change."

"And if that happens, I shall talk with Yoshiko. From the start, this whole thing was my idea. She brought up all the points you've mentioned. About how a kunoichi may be better. How someone less focused on their work may be a better mother. If my feelings change, I will discuss with her and she will likely accept it with no hard feelings. She herself said she could find contentment in the life of a wife. She even said that if I didn't love her as a woman, I could take another. That if she could not bear my children, she would take any bastards I sire as her own. 'In all honesty, it spares me the headache of bearing one myself,' is what she said."

At this, Shikaku snorted in amusement. "I take it back. That's a rare girl you have there. I can't think of a kunoichi who wouldn't be upset at their husband's dalliances. Much less if those indiscretions result in children. I'm fairly certain your mother would 'unman' me if she found proof I was having an affair." He winced. "On second thought, most of the exceptional kunoichi are like that."

"Exactly. Most of the powerful ones are screwed in the head. Somehow, the jounin kunoichi are three times crazier than the men."

"I wouldn't say three times but they do tend to be a lot more aggressive. They probably had to fight a lot to get to their position so only the crazy and loud ones make it."

"Not my type."

"You're too young to have a type."

"I prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla. I can figure out that I like something more than another once I've encountered it a few times. I definitely prefer quiet to loud and structured to spontaneous. It's not hard."

"… You're sure you want her?"

"Yes."

"… She's really fine with you having… indiscretions?"

"You can ask her yourself if you doubt it."

"She may change her mind as she ages."

"Doubtful. In the worst case scenario, she can just tell me she doesn't feel comfortable with it anymore and I will stop. But I doubt she would ever do that. She would have to do a complete 360 to turn from her current self into a woman concerned about her honour and reputation. Or someone who blames me for doing something she has explicitly allowed. Even so, I don't plan on going around behind her back. If I'm going to do this, I will do it properly."

Shikaku sighed. "Two years. If she looks like she'll be promised beforehand, we will revisit the matter. If she still looks promising and if you both feel the same way, we will try and arrange a courtship then. The courtship will last for three years at least or until your 16th birthday where you may marry her. I promise nothing more."

"That should be enough. I'm sure she can figure it out in two years."

Author's note: Thanks for the suggestions. A couple sparked some ideas. By now, my mind has spun them out of control so I don't suppose you'd even recognise them but thanks for the inspiration.