Wowza, I feel loved. O.o Thank you to everyone who reviewed and here's chapter two. Enjoy…
"I know what I want:
Just me and you.
I can't go on…"
What is Love?—Haddaway
--What is Love?--
The Hokage was seated behind the big mahogany desk in her office, arms crossed over her prodigious chest. Her expression was one of calm even though she flinched slightly upon catching sight of Kurenai hovering in the door way.
"Where's Anko?"
Leave it to Kurenai to get right to the point, the older woman mused. She hadn't seen much of the Jounin for the past month and had taken that as a good sign.
"We aren't sure yet. The rest of the group attests to seeing her up until they reached the village's border. I'm having them retrace their steps right now."
That was, at the least, a little comforting.
So they waited.
And waited.
And waited.
… And waited.
At last, a plume of smoke filled the fifth Hokage's office and a white-cloaked ninja appeared, kneeling. "Hokage-sama," the voice was muffled by a bear-shaped porcelain mask,—it was grinning widely, showing off many pointed fangs— but most definitely male. "There's no sign of"—the mask tilted towards Kurenai as he paused—"Our missing ninja."
The Jounin's heart constricted.
"Relax, we're in good company," Tsunade was saying, having noticed the glance. "In any case, I want as many of our units as possible looking out for Anko. She was one of our most valuable warriors."
Had she been able to see the male's face, the blonde was sure his expression would be shocked—had she just divulged one of the identities of the ANBU? His voice was steady, however, "Yes, ma'am… Unfortunately, I do not believe there is anyone available with the way we are spread out at the moment."
"I'll go." Kurenai said immediately.
His voice was incredulous, "You?"
She bristled, "And why not?"
Tsunade raised a hand for silence, slipping into the serious, sage-like expression that the villagers (Naruto had started it) called 'Hokage-mode'. "No one is leaving. Kurenai, you're in no condition to go and none of the ANBU will be leaving if there aren't enough to remain here in the village. You forget that times are dangerous."
"Do you think I am incapable of caring for myself?" Kurenai snapped. The irony in the fact that Anko had asked her the same thing weeks ago was not lost to her.
"No. I believe you aren't thinking clearly and will thus do more harm than good."
"But—"
"No buts. You are forbidden from leaving Konoha until further notice."
Damnit all! How could she do this?! The fury that burned in crimson eyes was startling, but the blonde didn't flinch. She met Kurenai's gaze calmly until the Jounin nodded slowly and ground out, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
And she was gone.
The ANBU still kneeling on the ground cleared his throat and her attention returned to him. "I want you to keep an eye on her."
"… Yes, ma'am."
--x--
How dumb did Tsunade think she was?
Even if Kurenai didn't see anyone watching her, she could feel the weight of their gaze; obviously the Hokage expected her to go against her order and had sent an ANBU to prevent that.
So she acted as normal as possible: trained her students and herself, shopped for groceries, cleaned her apartment. She did everything that she would usually do, all the while keeping an eye out for whomever it was that remained vigilant in their observation of her every movement.
It took four days of this for her patience to run out.
"Kiba."
The young man looked up at her, his gaze edging on a glare. They had been sparring one-on-one and she now had him pinned with her foot, leaning over him in a manner he probably perceived as gloating. His gaze strayed a little lower than her face, tanned skin darkening slightly and she was reminded that he had just hit fifteen.
/"Hey, you know, I like how you look when you're on top." The special Jounin grinned.
Kurenai felt her face heat. /
"Hey, my face is up here," she chastised gently.
Now he went brick red and iris-less pupils swept quickly upwards to meet crimson orbs.
"Thank you. Where's Akamaru?"
Kiba uttered a low whistle and, immediately, the little white dog was trotting towards them.
"Someone is following me." Kurenai said, keeping her voice low. The look of protective anger on his face made her smile down at him. "No, not an enemy, but a nuisance nonetheless. Do you think you can find them?"
"Of course," he scoffed. "No one can hide from an Inuzuka."
She lifted her foot and helped him up. "I'll hold you to that."
Akamaru was sitting at his owner's feet now, wagging his tail as he titled his head questioningly. When Kiba made a series of grunts deep in his throat, the little dog sped off again.
The minutes dragged by until, suddenly, a yelp came from the direction a dozen or so yards to the left of the cluster of trees Akamaru had disappeared into.
Kiba was off at a dead run, Kurenai following closely.
Though the teen bulldozed through the underbrush in his haste to join his canine companion, Kurenai was a dark blur amongst the upper branches, preferring to stick to stealth just in case. The sudden clearing in the trees caused Kurenai to stop, kunai sliding into the grooves between her fingers, and Kiba to let loose a ferocious growl; a cloak-less ANBU was wrestling with Akamaru.
Upon hearing the Inuzuka, the masked ninja threw the canine in the direction of the sound and clasped his hands together, apparently going to make some hand signs. They were so focused on the eminent threat that two of the five kunai Kurenai flung made their mark, pinning the ninja to a tree.
She recognized the mask; had the man's hands pinned with four more kunai within moments.
"Let me go."
The Jounin snorted and Kiba smirked, holding a growling Akamaru in his arms.
"I don't think so. Who sent you, the Hokage?"
"'The Hokage'?" Kiba echoed. "Why would she send an ANBU after you?"
"Kurenai Yuuhi is to remain in the village," their captive deadpanned. He was furious at being captured by a mere woman and a child, but refused to show it. "The Hokage wanted to ensure that she did so."
Without another word, Kurenai turned on her heel and leaped, landing once again in the upper branches of the surrounding foliage. "Come, Kiba. I'm going to need your help again."
They left the ANBU where he was.
"Are we going to get in trouble for that?" Kiba asked, gesturing behind him as he kept pace with his teacher.
We. Kurenai smiled, her heart warming, "Don't worry."
They reached Kurenai's apartment in record timing, the older woman not pausing to open the door and choosing instead to kick it down. She stepped over the slab of wood as it fell into the darkness of her home and immediately disappeared into what Kiba assumed was her bedroom.
He stood where she had left him, thoroughly confused as he shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other.
When she reemerged, she was holding a knapsack and her headband was off. He quirked a questioning eyebrow, "You're leaving?"
"Yes and I need to leave quickly. I'm going to look for Anko. I need you to get the others and keep Tsunade-sama from finding out for as long as you can."
"The others? You mean Hinata and Shino?"
She stalked passed him and the sound of the fridge opening was heard. "Yes. There's no telling where that woman has gotten off to or what kind of trouble she's in now." She rounded the corner, crimson eyes meeting Kiba's. "I'd owe you forever."
At that, the tan youth chuckled. "If anything, Kurenai-sensei, it's me who owes you. Go ahead, I'll do my best."
The hug that she swept him into nearly broke a rib; the smell of jasmine enveloped him for a brief moment before she was gone, her scent lingering for seconds after.
"Well…" Kiba muttered, "How does one fool a Hokage?"
The next afternoon…
"H-Hokage-sama."
The blonde pressed her fingers to her temples, rubbing in small circles. For the past five hours (from morning to now—noon), two of the three members of Team 8 had been pestering her; coming into her office to ask dumb, random questions in Inuzuka Kiba's case and coming into her office to ask questions about ancient strategies and Jutsus that Tsunade herself really didn't care about in Aburame Shino's case.
It would seem shy, quiet Hyuuga Hinata was of no exception seeing as she was poking her head through the open doorway.
She let out a slow breath. Where the Hell is Shizune when you need her? After all the time it took to persuade her to take a vacation, I need that damn girl more than ever! Oh, the irony…
"What is it, Hinata?"
"Umm…" the girl was beet red and the doctor-ish part of the older woman wondered if that was a healthy tone. "You've b-been working so hard, Hokage-sama. Would you l-like to take a break? I brought you lunch…"
Lunch? The blonde perked up considerably and gestured for the younger woman to come forward. Upon closer inspection, the tray in her hands housed a steaming bowl of ramen and a bottle of saké, causing the Hokage to grin openly. "How nice of you, Hinata."
Setting the tray down, Hinata surprised her superior by taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs in front of her desk.
/"She loves booze," Kiba assured her. "And Shizune isn't here—it's perfect! Just get her drunk and she'll be out of our hair for hours."/
The shy brunette was met with a sharp amber stare. "Ok, what's going on?"
"W-what?"
Outside, on either side of the doorway, Kiba and Shino shared a glance: The jig is up!
"You kids are up to something—I can feel it. I can believe Kiba, and maybe Shino, but you, Hinata? Whatever those two are dragging you into—" Hinata squealed reflexively as the super-strong blonde leaned over the desk and clutched her shoulders.
"Hey, what's going on!?" Kiba demanded, barging into the room. Judging by the speed with which he had responded to Hinata's cry, he had to have been…
… Waiting outside my door.
The fifth Hokage released the brunette and turned to pin Kiba with an intense glare that she usually reserved for pervs like Jiraiya. The teen winced.
Well, Kurenai-sensei, I hope you've gotten pretty damn far by now. This is all the time I can give you.
"Tell me what's going on. NOW."
--x--
Great idea, Kurenai: leave the village without a plan. If she hadn't been running, Kurenai would have bashed her forehead against something.
Preferably something blunt.
Where in the world was she going to even begin her search? Anko could be anywhere—kidnapped by Orochimaru's men, captured by the Sand or Sound… maybe she had been killed!
The thought sent a chill down the brunette's spine and she increased her pace, the knapsack she held by her side brushing against her with each step.
Either way, this is way too dangerous for a lone Jounin. But I can't let that discourage me.
She crossed from hard-packed earth to lush grassland—a sea of green that reached up to her thighs. If intel was correct, Otogakure would be a few miles ahead.
The woman sighed. Anko…
Was this love? This drive—this need—to find the purplette? Part of her knew that she would receive no rest until Anko was safe and sound in her arms. But any good friend would feel that way, albeit, they did have sex.
And friends didn't do that.
Still… she couldn't help but doubt. The way Anko had been treating her as opposed to how she use to treat the woman had jammed a wrench into things; her thoughts were tumultuous at best.
But… what if she left of her own volition? A little voice whispered. Goodness knows Anko can't be found when she doesn't want to be. Maybe she was sick of Konoha. Sick of you.
That almost made her falter mid-step.
And what if that was the reason? What if—
The special Jounin jumped, flipping forward with all the elegance of a gymnast to avoid something that resembled Senbon Needles as they embedded themselves in the spot her left foot had last been. She was knocked out of the air by the weight of another body and the breath was forced out of her lungs as she impacted with the ground, her face pressed into the grass.
"Who are you?" The voice was a low bass; something about it made Kurenai's stomach sink. "Identify yourself or I'll kill you." Something sharp was pressed against her neck, though it lacked the cold bite of steel.
"I'm a Jounin from Leaf Village."
"Leaf?" the male sounded surprised. "What would a ninja from Konoha be doing all the way out here in such dangerous times?"
When she remained silent, the pressure on her neck was increased.
"… I'm looking for someone."
"You wouldn't happen to be Kurenai, would you?"
Crimson eyes widened, "How did you—"
"Because if you are, I've been caring for a pretty little purplette. She hasn't been fully conscious for more than a few minutes, but when she was, all she did was murmur the name 'Kurenai'."
"You know where Anko is?!"
"'Anko'—is that her name?" the pressure relaxed slightly, but not completely. "She was fighting some of the local 'villains' around here—if I may use that term—and got scratched up pretty badly."
Local villains? "There's a village around here?"
"Yes, of course." The pressure withdrew completely and, next thing the woman knew, she was facing a young man. He was taller than her, his silver hair reaching the nape of his neck; two sections were tied by red tube-like ornaments on either side of his face. His eyes were an intense green, underlined with a blood-red that matched the twin dots on his forehead, just above his eyes.
By the looks of it, the weapon he had held to her neck was made of bone.
One of the sleeves of the lilac coloured kimono-like top he was wearing slid down to reveal half of a slender but muscular torso, the rope-like belt that wound around his waist in an inverted bow stopping it from falling to the ground. "I am Kimimaro. My only allegiance is to Orochimaru-sama. Please, follow me."
Orochimaru!? Kurenai was on her feet in an instant, sliding easily into a defensive stance. There was no way in Hell this male—Kimimaro—could be willing to help her, a ninja from the Leaf Village, if he was loyal to Orochimaru. They must have tortured Anko and gained information about her in the process.
"No need to be hasty," Kimimaro said calmly, his back to her. "I have no wish to harm you, unless you give me reason to."
She relaxed, concern for Anko overriding her mistrust.
"Thank you."
He began walking and Kurenai hesitated for only a moment before following.
Kimimaro wasn't much of a talker, the brunette soon found. When she asked him questions, he answered them, yes, but always with one or two words. Anything that had to do with Orochimaru, of course, was under lock and key.
"This way."
The Jounin shook herself out of her reverie—the silver-haired male was holding aside some of the low branches of a Japanese maple, its leaves tinged with red-orange as though in preparation for summer's end.
"Sorry about this." He held up a strip of cloth and Kurenai caught on immediately. She sighed, nodded, giving him permission to move forward and blindfold her.
Once done, there were a quick combination of knocks on what she assumed was the tree's trunk, their pattern too fast for her to follow, then a cool hand gripped her right wrist and tugged her gently forward.
They continued like that for an uncertain amount of time before Kurenai heard a new voice, this one female, "Whaddya think you're doing bringing her here, Kimimaro?"
"This one is with the girl we found a week ago."
"Yeah, and?"
"Please move, Tayuya, or I will move you."
"Damn you and your freakin' sympathy! You're going to get your dumb ass killed." Despite her words, the female must have moved aside because they were moving again.
The warmth of the sun was cut of abruptly and the loosely-packed dirt beneath her feet became solid—he must have taken her into a building. Sure enough, the blindfold was removed, her pupils dilating from the transition between dark and light.
The moment crimson orbs could focus, they did so on Anko; lying on a cot, covered up to her chin with a thick blanket despite the heat. Her skin was several shades paler than usual, but she was alive.
Alive!
The room they had put her in was bare of all save the bed, a table and a few chairs around it. In three steps, Kurenai had crossed it and was kneeling at her lover's side. Hesitantly, she reached out and stroked the sleeping Jounin's cheek. "What happened?"
"I've already told you."
"No, I mean: how exactly did she get hurt badly enough to be bedridden for so long?"
She didn't—couldn't—tear her eyes away from Anko, but Kimimaro's tone told her that his expression was saddened. "Actually… from what I've seen, most of the damage is not physical."
She looked up at that. "What do you mean?"
The silver-haired male strode across the room and pulled out one of the chairs, seating himself. He folded his hands in front of his face, looking thoughtful. "Anko, as you call her, has suffered some sort of mental trauma. Maybe it's something she regrets or some form of abuse that scarred her. Either way, she has all but lost the will to live."
--End Chapter—
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