Shikaku pushed chakra into the privacy seals of his office and then locked the door, ensuring that no one would bother him. Once upon a time he would abuse this to take an afternoon nap. Not that it was something he had done in years.

Shikaku opened the trap door he installed underneath the desk drawer. He pulled out the storage scroll contained within, dropping a few drops of his blood to undo the blood seal.

There were only half a dozen photos in the scroll. Someone had taken pictures of Kojika as she grew up and sent them to Shikaku from time to time. Hideki, he thought. Fiery hatred burned inside of him for the friend who had taken his daughter and was off playing house with her. It made him sick to his stomach with rage and disgust. He had trusted him. And Hideki had spat in the face of that and had taken his child. Shikaku dreamt of the day when he could wrap his hands around Hideki's neck and strangle him. And even that seemed too merciful.

Kojika looked good in the photos. She didn't look starved or beaten. Her eyes were bright and inquisitive. Not fearful of the person holding the camera. At least Danzo and his men were holding up their end of the bargain. Because Shikaku was sure as hell holding his end.

Usually the photos came with a request. Shikaku wasn't proud of the things he had done over the last three years. Things that he didn't agree with. Things that went against the very treaties he had penned. Things that undermined the Hokage's position. However he was afraid to refuse them. Afraid of what the next photo would be.

He must have examined these photos a thousand times. There was nothing unique to indicate where they were; they could have been in any house throughout the Land of Fire. Kojika was sitting at the kotatsu in the most recent one, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she read a short novel. She looked more and more like her mother in each photo. It broke his heart looking at her.

Some of the photos had the edge of a window pane that was always coated in rain. Shikaku had developed a theory… Especially when the most recent photo came at a time when the Land of Fire had been experiencing a prolonged drought. It made sense. Hideki and Kojika needed a place to lay low where Shikaku was unlikely to find them and the village had needed someone on the inside of Ame for years.

The problem was that Shikaku couldn't exactly walk into Ame. As much as it pained him to not drop everything and rush to Kojika's side. Ame had closed its borders after the second war and Konoha hadn't been able to infiltrate it since. Shikaku wasn't even sure how Danzo had managed to smuggle Hideki and Kojika through. If there was anyone motivated enough to find a way to take down Ame's defences, it was certainly Shikaku. That wasn't what prevented him. If Danzo caught wind of what he was up to before he could execute it… Shikaku couldn't risk it.

So he had tested that theory by sending Ensui on some bullshit mission to Ame. It would have been too obvious if he went himself, but Ensui had more freedom and wasn't as carefully watched. He was an ANBU as well, so his missions were classified. Very few knew what he was doing.

It meant that he had to bring Ensui into the secret. Something that Shikaku debated long and hard over. Ultimately, Ensui was Yoshino's younger brother. Her own flesh and blood. She had all but raised him after their mother died. That had to mean something.

His brother-in-law didn't bother to contain his temper and had called him every name in the book.

"You've been letting her mother mourn her for three years," Ensui had furiously hissed. "What kind of bastard - "

"What else would you have me do," Shikaku had snarled at him. "I needed to convince the village that she died. I've been walking on a goddamn tight rope. Do you think I'm okay with any of this?"

"She'll never forgive you."

"Trust me, I'm well aware."

He knew Yoshino. Kojika's supposed 'death' had destroyed her. He didn't think she would be able to hold it together knowing that her daughter was in the hands of a megalomaniac while powerless to do anything to save her. She was a proper mama bear when it came to their children. Shikaku already lived with that heavy burden and it took all of his mental ability to play the role of a grieving father while keeping his sanity just enough to try and out maneuver Danzo. He didn't think Yoshino could do it. She have lost it long ago, storming the Hokage's office and demanding blood. Or he would have watched his beloved wife break even more from the stress. Selfishly, he had tried to give Yoshino closure for her sake. If - when - he brought Kojika home he would deal with the fallout. He wasn't a fool thinking this would have a happy ending. But he would count it enough of a victory to have their children united with their mother regardless of what happened to him.

Every day that went by wore a little more on Shikaku's fraying nerves. It had been six weeks since he had sent Ensui. That should have been more than enough time. He had thought they would be back by now. Four weeks at most to get there, get in and get back. Shikaku hadn't wanted to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help but imagine Ensui returning back home with Kojika at his side. This was the closest they had been to recovering her since she had been taken. He wanted nothing more than to hold his daughter and never let her out of his sight again.

But as the days ticked on and Ensui didn't return, Shikaku began getting more and more restless. He should have gone himself. He should have found a way.

Shikaku was not often a man so riddled with indecisiveness, but he had been second guessing every decision since the day Kojika had been taken. However he had made a costly mistake and couldn't afford to make another one. Shikaku ran a hand over his face, frustrated.

He heard a knock on the door, interrupting him.

"Coming!" He barked.

He found Masato Sarutobi standing on the other side. He was Shikaku's counterpart, the ANBU Commander.

There was a guarded look in the other man's eyes.

"They found Ensui."

"Is he alive?" He asked the question he was most dreading to have answered.

"He's been severely wounded, but is expected to survive. I suspect he was captured by Ame and then managed to escape."

Tension drained from Shikaku's shoulders. While he knew this would be a dangerous mission, he had been banking on Ensui's prowess as a shinobi. The man had never failed a mission.

Masato carefully watched him. Shikaku had no idea if the Sarutobi were aware of Danzo's actions. It had to be sanctioned, on some level, for it to have gotten this far. And for that reason Shikaku did not trust neither the Hokage nor his son. Shikaku rubbed a tired hand over his face, for once showing a little worry. Ensui was his clansmen and brother-in-law. It was only natural.

"And the contact from Ame?"

Masato shrugged. "Must have fled. It would no longer be safe passing secrets over the border. It's unfortunate. We've had such little success gaining ground in that country since they closed their borders."

"Pity." Shikaku feigned interest in the conversation. The truth was that there was no contact in Ame. That had been Shikaku's maneuvering, creating a fake identity and having them offer ANBU intel. Coupled with Ensui's growing reputation for infiltration missions, he had been given the mission by the ANBU Commander himself. Shikaku's hands were entirely clean of the matter.

"I can take you to see him. There was - " Masato's brows furrowed together, "something else."

These were secure hospital rooms in the depths of ANBU. It was meant for missions where they didn't want anyone to know the severity of injuries. Usually the families were told they were out on an extended mission while they recovered.

Shikaku slumped in the chair next to him. Whoever had captured Ensui had done a number on him. They had carved up his arms -

No. Those were markings. Self inflicted by the angle. Ensui had left them a code. Shikaku felt sick at the thought. All of their ANBU could activate their ANBU seal in situations when they were captured. It would kill them and destroy their bodies. Whatever Ensui had learned, it was important enough that he chose to survive and try to send a message. No matter the cost to himself.

"Thank you," he gruffly told him. He silently squeezed Ensui's upper arm, trying to convey his gratitude.

It didn't take long to decipher Ensui's message. It as simple even for shinobi standards. A testament to Ensui's desperation because he was capable of more complex codes when given enough time. Masato must have seen the reference and knew the cryptic shoji metaphor was intended for Shikaku.

Queen to D1.

D1. The starting position for the queen. Shikaku felt hope swell up in his chest for the first time in years. Kojika was back in Konoha.

It didn't take long for that hope to come down like a lead balloon.

Shikaku heard the despised tap tap tap of a cane long before the knock on his office door. Danzo wordlessly tossed a scroll on Shikaku's desk. He unwrapped it, finding a single photo inside.

Kojika was strapped to a chair in a white, sterile looking hospital room. Her face twisted in fear and pain as tears streamed down her face.

Shikaku had been through his share of physical pain in his lifetime. The scars on his face a remnant of his capture and torture by Kumo while they tried to get him to leak Konoha's strategies during the last war. He'd relive those twenty four hours over this in a heartbeat. He would have gladly taken her place. He was the father. She was the child. It shouldn't have been this. Most days Shikaku wished Danzo would have just killed him instead of this sick and twisted game.

"She's a child," he snarled. "Does that mean nothing to you? The very innocent we are sworn to protect. I have done everything you've asked - "

"Apparently they had a run in with your brother-in-law. We had to alter her memories of the incident."

All but confirming what Inoichi had long suspected. There were Yamanaka working for Danzo.

"She's recovering. I'm told it's a painful and invasive procedure, but she'll be awake in a few days."

"Let me see her," he demanded. "I'll be gone by the time she wakes. Just let me see her."

He needed to see her with his own eyes. He wanted to sit with her, hold her hand and promise everything was going to be okay. Promise that he was going to get her out of that hellhole.

"She's not in Konoha. She's was brought to another facility. One where I'm sure they won't make the same mistake of letting her see the light of day."

xXx

"Are you sure you don't want to come over?" Choji asked. "Mom said to tell you you're welcome to stay for dinner."

"I should get home, my mom will nag if I missed dinner."

She wouldn't. His mom hadn't really nagged him in years about that sort of thing. However his dad had been working late a lot and Uncle Ensui was off on a mission and Shikamaru always felt bad leaving his mom alone too much. She hadn't been herself since his sister's death. None of them had.

Sure his mom still nagged him about grades and chores and his father still worked too many hours and Shikamaru still slacked off and slept. But things felt different. Most days, Shikamaru felt like they were just going through the motions.

He could remember his uncle Ensui appearing outside his class one day and Iruka disappearing into the hall to speak with him. The creeping sense of dread as everyone in the class looked at him. His parents had been tense and weird for weeks. Shikamaru was smart enough to know something was going on and that his house didn't have a crack in the foundation. Well, not until Uncle Ensui put one in it. However he was smart enough not to ask his parents either when they clearly didn't want him to know. Then Iruka came back in with a worried expression and told him to pack his things and go home.

He thought it was his father, at first. His father was a shinobi after all. He had had plenty of classmates lose their parents over the years. He could remember the first time at the academy when Kiba's mom suddenly appeared, pulling him out of school when his father had been killed on a mission.

Losing his sister was entirely unexpected.

She was the safest of all of them. She was always with one of their parents or another family member. She wasn't even allowed to go to the park by herself. She was just a little kid. Little kids weren't supposed to die.

He could remember his mother's broken sobs when his father came home that night. How Shikamaru had found his father crying silent tears on the engawa after everyone left. It broke his worldview for the second time that day because men don't cry. That was what women and children did. His father was supposed to be the strong one who could make everything okay. Seeing his own father in tears scared him more than anything in his short life ever had. Because his sister was dead and his mom was crying all the time and for the first time, his father couldn't fix any of it.

His parents had argued whether or not he should see his sister for closure. The argument had been tipped in his favour when he quietly said he wanted to say his goodbyes.

Shikamaru had never seen a dead body before. Hers was so tiny and still. She looked nothing like she had in life and for a long time Shikamaru had insisted that that wasn't his sister. Even now, years later, he still half expected her to be waiting for him at home. Rushing to show off some artwork or new kata she had learned.

But there was no sister eagerly greeting him and chatting his ear off. Nor his mother with a fond look, asking him about his day. Just an empty silence as he called out, "I'm home!"

Which was odd. His mom was usually home this time of day. He quietly padded through the house, looking for her.

His mom was sitting in his sister's bedroom, a distant expression on her face. She had left Kojika's bedroom in the same state all these years. Her artwork preserved on the walls from the sun by keeping the curtains closed. His mom was holding the stuffed deer that his sister used to carry everywhere.

"Hey Mom."

She startled from her thoughts. "Shikamaru? I thought you were invited to the Akimichi's for dinner?"

"Didn't feel like it."

"Oh. I'll make dinner then." She stood up, but he shrugged.

"I could always go into the village and get us ramen or something."

His mom smiled softly and for once it reached her eyes. "Why don't I get changed and we'll both go out? It'll be nice to get a change of scenery."

He knew his mom tried really hard to make things normal for him. No matter her grief, she put on a smile and tried her best. Which was why he tried to look after her. Because his father certainly wasn't helping.

Shikaku Nara had checked out the day Kojika died. Shikamaru barely saw him anymore. He was often gone before breakfast and came home late at night. Sometimes he didn't even come home at all, sleeping in his office. Shikamaru couldn't remember the last time his father had been home in time for dinner, never mind had a full day off. Shikamaru had been noticing the scent of alcohol more and more and realized his father wasn't working, he was just staying at the bars to avoid coming home. The growing resentment that his father had all but abandoned them since his sister's death burned deep within him.

It was fine. Shikamaru didn't need him anyway.

xXx

Koji gingerly touched her head as she glanced around the small room she had woken up in. She felt out of sorts and her head throbbed terribly. She panicked when she saw bruises all over her arms that she couldn't remember getting. Judging from the marks on her wrists… it looked like she had been restrained.

What was going on? Where was she?

"Hideki? Ayumu?" She nervously called out to the empty room. She clutched the thin sheet that had been covering her.

Shinobi don't cry. Shinobi don't cry. Shinobi don't cry.

She tried the breathing exercises that Ayumu had taught her whenever she felt sad or scared or upset. Hideki was always telling her she was smarter than her emotions. That she could outthink them and rationalize them so that she wasn't upset anymore. But it wasn't working. Koji was terrified. She was alone in a strange place and she couldn't remember anything.

She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home with Hideki and Ayumu and Kei and their house in Ame. She didn't want to be a shinobi. She didn't want to be brave. She just wanted to be a regular kid.

It took an embarrassingly long time for her to stop crying. The more she tried to stop it, the more the tears came. Koji sniffed, wiping her face with the palms of her hand. She was alone anyway so this would just be her secret.

Eventually she explored her surroundings. The room contained all the basics. There was a futon and a dresser. There was also a small washroom stocked with basic supplies. The door was locked from the outside so Koji couldn't venture out and look around. She would have to wait until someone came to get her… hopefully soon. Her stomach was growling and she felt weak and nauseous. She cupped her hands together, filling them with cold water from the sink and drinking. Hopefully that would hold her over until her captors gave her a meal.

Upon further inspection her dresser contained multiple pieces of the same black uniform. Koji dressed herself in a long sleeved mesh shirt with a plain black t-shirt over it and black fatigue pants. She then pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail, like Hideki always wore. Her bangs crossed over her forehead and she blew them out of her eyes. She looked like a proper ninja. Although she certainly didn't feel very fierce or deadly.

Koji awkwardly pulled her mesh shirt down to cover the bruises around her wrists. She could remember - she was in the market place with Hideki. There had been a man.

"Koji, let's - for a minute. I'm - hurt you."

Koji winced as she tried to focus on the memory, the throbbing in her temples increased.

"Koji, let's hold still for a minute. I'm looking for Hideki, if you take me to him, I won't hurt you."

Someone had been looking for Hideki. A man who knew Shadow Possession. There had been a fight. He had backhanded her and thrown her over his shoulder. The Nara had done this to her. Koji wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head. She should have listened to Hideki. She should have stayed away. Then she wouldn't be here.

Soon after, Koji could hear the lock click from her door. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she backed up until she was against the wall, fearful of whoever was on the other side. Her legs nearly gave out with relief when the door swung open to reveal Hideki.

Without thinking, Koji rushed towards him, the urge to fling herself at him and wrap her arms around him in relief. He stopped her, keeping her at arm's length.

Koji deflated, feeling disappointed. "What happened? Where are we? Why are we here?"

"You were captured by Ensui Nara," Hideki told her, his face an unreadable mask. Koji shivered, knowing he was once again displeased with her but not knowing why. "I was able to retrieve you, but the mission was compromised so we have returned to the Foundation."

"You - you saved me?"

Koji was confused why he would rescue her. Kei would have been able to complete the mission in her place if she had died.

Hideki nodded curtly. "You would have never lasted under torture and would have given the mission away. You're too weak."

Koji wilted under his harsh words. Subconsciously, she rubbed at the bruises on her wrist. She couldn't remember what had happened. It made her tummy somersault with the thought that she had been captured and tortured and couldn't remember any of it. But it explained the unexplainable feeling she had had since she woke up that something was terribly wrong.

"But perhaps that is my fault. I have been too lax with your training. That ends now. You will join the training class tomorrow at oh six hundred hours. You've missed both breakfast and lunch so I have come to get you for dinner."

She nodded, following him out of the room. "Can we - can we play a game of Shoji after dinner?"

"No. You have an hour before curfew. I would suggest you use it to eat and get yourself aquatinted with the facilities."

"Oh. Okay." All she wanted to do was make him happy and go back to the way things were in Ame.

He guided her towards a cafeteria and Koji made sure to memorize the tunnels they had taken so that she could get back to her room later on. They appeared to be in an underground facility of some sort. There was no natural light, only the harsh florescent lights above them. There were also other shinobi, quietly standing guard at various doors. Each of them were dressed in the same black shirt and black pants with an eerie animal mask covering their face.

Hideki handed her a tray and placed a plate on it loaded with rice and some sort of curry before leaving to go sit with a ground of adults. Koji was left alone, nervously eying the others in the cafeteria. No one paid any attention to her or even acknowledged she existed.

There was a boy a bit older than her sitting alone, drawing on a notepad, his food forgotten.

"Is there any room here?"

"No."

"Oh, but - " the argument died in her throat at the blank stare the boy gave her. "I'll just go sit somewhere else."

She awkwardly shuffled away from the table, looking around until a pair of boys several years older than her caught her eye. One of them was almost entirely covered in black. From his long sleeved clothing, to the gloves on his hands. Even half of his face was covered by a mask, only revealing his mouth. He must have noticed her looking because he beaconed for her to join them.

"Don't mind Sai. He prefers to be alone. You can sit with us."

Koji quickly nodded, joining the two boys at their table. She shyly picked at her food, glancing at them from the corner of her eye.

"You may call me Torune. And this is Fu."

"I'm Koji."

Fu smiled at her. "You must be new here."

Koji nodded. "I just woke up. I was - on a long mission before."

"Well, you'll get used to it soon enough. We'll show you around," Fu promised her.

Fu knew everyone and cheerfully pointed them out to her along with some of their names. Like her, he knew no life before the Foundation. Koji clung to him as he was so far the only person to show her kindness in this place. He took her on a tour of the facilities after they were finished eating, giving commentary the entire time. He showed her debriefing rooms and training rooms and an equipment room in case she needed ninja tools. There was also a medical bay for those who had been injured.

Koji subconsciously tugged on her sleeves as she peaked into the otherwise sterile all-white room. Had she been brought to the medical bay first? She tried to remember, but was left with a shearing migraine for her effort. She winced as she gingerly rubbed her temples.

Fu gave her an unreadable look before moving his hands through some seals and touching her temple. Instantly, the migraine vanished. She couldn't even remember what had triggered it in the first place, but was grateful for the relief.

"Do you know medical ninjutsu?" Koji eagerly asked.

"A little," he admitted. "Come, this way. I saved the best room for last."

Fu then showed her his favourite room - the library. It was a treasure trove of information collected in scrolls along with all sorts of books.

"There's nothing like it in the entire village," Fu explained. "A lot of the knowledge studied here was lost over time or considered forbidden. Some of the books are hand written by people in the Foundation. There's a number of scrolls from Lord Second's personal notes too. And there's some stuff from this guy, Orochimaru, that's banned in Konoha."

Fu picked out three books he thought she should read to get started with training. Then added a fourth to the pile.

Shinobi; to endure by Danzo Shimura

"He really gets into the Root philosophy with this one," Fu explained. "It'll help you adapt."

Torune was quieter, although kind in his own way. He slipped snacks from the kitchen into her pocket in case she got hungry after the kitchen closed and got her an extra set of blankets because it could get chilly underground. He also gave her a few sudoku puzzle books for fun.

One of the shinobi stationed silently at a staircase made a quick series of hand signals that Koji recognized as five minutes.

Fu nodded.

"Free time is almost over," he explained. "Best get back to your room. Someone will come in the morning to get you for training."

She shivered, pulling the scratchy blanket Torune gave her around her shoulders as she sat crossed legged on the futon. The worn tatami mats did little to soften the cold, hard cement floor beneath them. She didn't even have a pencil to do the sudoku puzzles so she stared at them, completing it only in her mind. Perhaps she could ask Fu tomorrow for one. Or that other kid, Sai, who was drawing. Perhaps she would be allowed a brush and paper too and she could paint pictures to make her new room less… gloomy.

It was cold and dreary and lonely in a way that Ame hadn't been. At least there she could pretend to have a proper family. And sometimes Ayumu and Hideki even acted like she imagined parents to be like. She desperately wanted to go back. She hated it here.

But more than she hated the underground facility, she hated the Nara who had disrupted her mission and forced her to leave the only home she had ever known.


AN I have two endings and cannot decide which this story should build up to. The fluffy one or the rip your heart out one. I'm a soft person so the rip your heart out makes me cry thinking about it so I'm like do the nice ending. But the evil part of me is like no make everyone suffer.