Title: Stranger
Rating: K
Summary: One day Anko will stop giving him what he wants. Today just isn't that day.
Warning/s: Nada
Word Count: 383
Author's Note: Written for naruto_ldws week two. Challenge was selected lyrics from "Name" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

"You grew up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe
And reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell 'em your name"

Anko felt her stomach clench unpleasantly as she examined the man in front of her. His features were foreign to her- close-cropped brown hair, button nose, short and slender build- but she knew him in an instant. Same aloof, slightly amused expression. Same fever-yellow eyes. Same cloying scent, like a pile of wet leaves that had been left to rot. He met her gaze, but kept his face free of surprise or recognition.

(She knew he recognized her. He had damn well better remember her face, after everything he'd done.)

The Sand chuunin to her left quietly explained. "We caught him sniffing around outside the Kazekage's tower. He wasn't doing anything suspicious enough to question him formally, but a few of us have a bad feeling about him. He says he's from the Fire Country; we were wondering if he was wanted for any crimes there that we could detain him on."

"What, I'm supposed to know the face of every petty criminal in the Fire Country just because I'm from Konoha?"

The chuunin pursed his chapped lips in irritation. "He's a shinobi, and not a bad one, either. He managed to evade two sentry patrols and the gate guard, and we think he's been suppressing his chakra levels- trying to seem weaker than he actually is."

Anko tightened her lips around a derogatory comment about the quality of Suna's sentries and waited for the sand nin to continue.

"Look, we're not asking for an exact name or crime or anything; we just want to know if you recognize him from any of Konoha's bingo books or something."

She turned her eyes back to the prisoner, who was looking at her with vague interest, as if her answer meant nothing to him. There was no silent plea for help in his eyes, but then, she didn't expect one. He had never been the type to ask for anything that he knew someone would give him anyway.

Anko chose her lie carefully. "I've never seen this man's face before in my life."

---

An hour later the sand chuunin are back on patrol, Anko is skipping a meeting with the Kazekage to get well and truly hammered, and Orochimaru is running back to the Sound Country at top speed without a single backward thought.

---

A/N: Since this is the last of my old drabbles, I'm going to start taking requests for a while. Just review or message me with the character(s) and prompt of your choice and I'll see what I can do with that. I don't do slash or smut, but other than that I'll do my best. =D (I also don't follow the anime, so if you're requesting a filler character, you probably need to include a little info.)