I would like to dedicate this chappie to Artemis411, lamarin yang, FakeCompassion and Anglelusfaith, my first reviewers ever... you guys rock!

Chapter Two: Arrival

He was tired, really tired. The last mission had been brutal; not that the kids, as he affectionately called the three, had known. Sure, it had been C rank, the highest they've ever gotten, but to have his mission piled on top of it… it was too much. But they were both successful. The kids had escorted their wealthy client with only minor problems arising. Arashi had done his mission without the others even noticing he had disappeared into the night. He had isolated, interrogated and eliminated his target... successfully.

Even as Arashi lay in bed, he knew that he would get no sleep. The Hokage had been particularly inquisitive at the debriefing, almost like he was trying to break him. But why would he want to do that?

Did the Sandaime really care that much about the angle Arashi held the kunai as it slit the throat of his target? And if you wanted to know that, why not if his eyes burned with malice or if they shined with fear when he died?

These questions played themselves over and over in Arashi's head. He picked at some crusted blood, his blood, underneath his thumbnail. He couldn't quite help himself as he rubbed the flake of dried blood into a powder. How it just sat there, it didn't scream, it didn't whisper threats into his ear, it just was. It was somewhat calming.

Just then, a gust of wind blew the powder from his hands. He watched fascinated as it danced through the air. Rising, swirling and falling until it rested at the feet of the jonin crouching on his wooden windowsill.

Crap.

"Arashi-san, you are wanted by Hokage-sama," the jonin, who's name had currently slipped the sleep deprived Arashi, stated. He held out a scroll for Arashi to take, "You didn't do anything, he wants to have your opinion on, well, you'll see."

The jonin gave instructions on where to meet the Hokage and left him to read the scroll.

The words written seemed like they were written by a desperate man, the letters almost looked like they were going to burst. Arashi focused and actually began to read.

'Arashi,

I have assumed you now know where to meet. I've come across a situation I feel you'll be better suited for than anyone else. Get here as soon as possible for details on your next mission.'

The scroll had been signed with some flourish.

Arashi sighed. Now he knew for a fact that there would be no sleeping tonight.

○○○

"Arashi, how nice of you to come," the Hokage said, practically oozing relief. "It's refreshing how promptly you showed up. Hope I didn't wake you from your beauty rest," he winked.

"No sir, you didn't wake me," Arashi said. He wished he had though. That would have at least meant that he was, at one point, sleeping.

Jarred from his thoughts, Arashi realized that the Sandaime, who looked tired himself, was motioning for him to follow his lead. Arashi quickly caught up to the Hokage. He fell in step beside him and listened to the Hokage.

"Now Arashi, before you start to complain about not getting any sleep, may I remind you that it has been over eight hours since the debriefing," he stated.

He had him there… it had been over eight hours, the regulation amount before a jonin could be sent out on another mission. Arashi hated that rule. It should be at least twelve hours.

Arashi agreed that it had, indeed, been over eight hours.

The Sandaime smiled and kept walking through the ANBU Headquarters, to what Arashi now recognized as the holding cell.

The holding cell, Arashi had only been there once, only once. Based on a misunderstanding of course, but still, Arashi had thought of the experience as a first time last time sort of thing.

Now, Arashi wasn't the kind of man to jump to conclusions, well maybe just a little, but he knew that he was going to have to kill tonight.

When someone's usefulness ran out, and needed to be… quietly dismissed, they were brought to the holding room. The 'dismissal' was usually done in secret, before word got out and help could come. Holding cell equals death for whoever being held inside. It was practically common knowledge.

Arashi hated being the one who, ultimately, killed the man in the cell, the one who had no chance of defending himself, who couldn't divulge a secret for the sake of his life, a man willing to die for his village, a man like him.

The Sandaime, drawing his own conclusions, quickly denied Arashi's fear to take full flight. "It's not what you think; there'll be no killing tonight." He smiled reassuringly at Arashi.

Arashi felt better, death had stayed far too long in his company for the past couple days.

"Could you give me some details, Hokage-sama," asked Arashi. He was feeling a little more relaxed now that he knew that there was no chance of him having to play death dealer for the next few hours, and felt more willing to ask for information concerning his mission. "It's just that, it's nice to have some info before starting."

"Of course, of course," the man seemed almost excited, "well, this afternoon, we had a brief, albeit very strong, chakra pulse-"

Arashi remembered. He began to feel guilty in assuming it was just the rather large man who had sat beside him at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"-now, I sent a few chunin and jonin to go check it out, make sure nothing had been compromised and just investigate the source."

Arashi found himself nodding in agreement, he would've done the same thing in his position, he thought.

"Well, what they found, it was, well it was quite the find."

"What was it?" Arashi asked, burning with interest in an effort to stave off the guilty feeling.

"It was a 'who', and we brought her in for questioning, she seemed disoriented." The older man replied.

"She?" Arashi said, "Is she a women or a child?"

"Well, she looks to be in her mid-teens. She's scary strong, almost as strong as Tsunade-san, if not stronger."

Both men shivered at the prospect of another female with the same strength as Tsunade. The Sandaime smiled at their collective reaction.

The Hokage continued, "She didn't seem too happy being taken in though…" the smile he had on his face had fell.

"Aren't they all?" sighed Arashi.

"Here we are," the leader of the village chirped, stopping at a door Arashi knew to be five centimeters thick. "Want to meet her?"

"Wasn't that the-" Arashi began.

"It always is," the Sandaime stopped him. He turned and opened the door and walked inside.

Arashi saw a flash of pink before he heard a distinctively female voice calling out to him.

"Coming in?"

right. disclaimer... I don't own Naruto

woohoo! new chapter up! hope you like it. I had fun writing it at one in the morning...

MM