AN: This is a derivative work of fiction based on Naruto. Which is obviously not owned by me. This story is kind of like what it would be if it was.

Canon and I have parted ways forever now...

Konoha, 4:30 am Friday.

Nara Shikamaru stifled what seemed like the fiftieth inappropriate yawn of that night by clenching his teeth together tightly so that the only outward sign of his fatigue was the tightening and relaxing of his throat. He'd been at the scene of the ANBU HQ explosion since nearly two am, when his father had dragged him from a deep, pleasant, dream filled sleep into this…nightmare.

He stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets as he watched Chouji and his father, Chouza - along with several other Akimichi Clansmen- make short work of clearing away the last of the debris from the explosion. The building was now safe to enter thanks to a Moukuton jutsu from Yamato, who had shorn up all the damaged load bearing walls and floors above the basement HQ. On Duty Shinobi were finally being able to make their way back into the building to access the damage to other areas as well as securing vital records and scrolls.

The Interrogation Room itself was still off-limits, however. Shikamaru had been allowed in, as he'd been told that the Council was going to expect his analysis of what had happened in there, and he'd seen the damage and the bodies…or what was left of them before the medics took the remains to the morgue for identification. It was nothing short of horrific. The depressing windowless room had looked like someone had half-heartedly decided to paint it red and had done the job by dropping a lit exploding tag into a vat of paint. Great, there's another visual that's going to stick with me, he grimaced at the mental image and was glad for about the tenth time since he'd seen the carnage that Chouji had not.

It was bad enough Asuma had. Their ex-sensei had paced and chain-smoked nearly constantly since he'd learned there was a possibility that Ino was one of the dead in that room. Asuma had been so jittery and irritable since there was no way to immediately identify if any of the remains the medics carried away in a basket had been Ino, that Shikaku - whom Tsunade had left in charge when she went to the hospital to work on Ibiki - had finally told Kurenai to drag him home. It wasn't like there was anything he could do then to speed up the identification process.

Shikamaru heard his father sigh heavily as he joined him. The rain had stopped around three am and the clouds had parted to reveal the moon, full and glimmering down on the wet and silent streets.

"Any news on Morino-san?" Shikamaru asked. Shikaku shook his head.

"Tsunade-sama is still with him. It's probably going to be hours before we know if he's gonna make it. What a mess." Shikamaru grunted in agreement. The only eyewitness that had actually been in the Interrogation Room and he was still hovering between life and death. A mess indeed.

Shikaku looked over at his son to see his brows beetled in thought as he stared fixedly at the Hokage Tower. "What are you thinking?" Shikaku asked neutrally enough, but Shikamaru knew what his father was after…it had been on his mind constantly since he'd viewed the scene.

"The outer tags were likely to have been set off by wires. Intel says the explosion started in the Interrogation Room so something in there was the trigger. The blast didn't go off until they were all in there and there's no way whoever set the trap would stay in there with them and blow themselves up too, unless they're a complete idiot. Which I doubt. The person that did this was no idiot…" Shikamaru frowned thoughtfully as he trailed off.

"Follow that line of reasoning…"

Shikamaru scowled even more as a red and teary-eyed Chouji joined them. He really didn't want to discuss the details in front of the Akimichi, who seemed to be taking the possibility that Ino had been killed pretty hard, but he didn't have much choice in the matter. He knew Shikaku was asking for his analysis as the Jounin in charge at the moment. Not as his father. "For the explosion to be triggered by the ANBU's entrance into the room then something had to draw them in. From what I heard there was a prisoner the ANBU were working on that attempted suicide. He was discovered and the medics were summoned…" Shikamaru's eyes widened and then narrowed and he slanted a look at his father from the corner of his eye. "The medical chakra was the trigger?"

His father dipped his head in assent. "That's my conclusion as well."

"I don't understand," Chouji butted in suddenly. "You're saying that..that a person was the bomb? How can that happen?"

Shikamaru sighed wearily. He really didn't want to go here with Chouji, especially with the way his larger friend's eyes kept welling over with tears. All for Ino. You troublesome woman… he thought to himself, you'd better not be dead.

"It's easy enough, Chouji," Shikamaru answered quietly. "Enough explosive tags and anything will blow up. There was likely an accelerant used as well. Something to react with the carbon in the body."

Chouji paled. Shikamaru could sympathize…he'd seen the results, not just imagined it. "Who…who would do something like that to themselves?" Chouji wondered aloud. Shikaku grunted dismissively at the same time Shikamaru scoffed.

"Tsk! Use your head, Cho…someone did it to him. No way a prisoner of ANBU would get out of the holding room, plant tags all over the HQ and himself then fake a suicide attempt just to lure in the ANBU on duty and the medics. There's more to it than that," he told him. At the mention of 'ANBU on duty' -to him meaning Ino- Chouji's tears spilled from his eyes to run down over the swirl tattoos on his cheeks.

Shikaku sighed heavily again. "This is going to be a pain," the Elder Nara grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets in a mirror of his son.

"Hn," Shikamaru concurred. Chouji looked back and forth between the two Naras in confusion.

"What?"

"I'd best inform the council and Tsunade-sama at once," Shikaku said. "They're going to want to sanction restrictions on leaving the Village as well as background checks. Troublesome…" with that Shikamaru's father left them, ostensibly to set the wheels in motion. Shikamaru slouched even more in defiance once his sire had left. Things had nearly returned to normal at the tower by now. The only signs being the pile of rubble and debris that had been pushed off to one side and a few more shinobi than usual milling around, given the hour. It felt as if the rest of the Village itself had fallen back into an uneasy sleep.

"What did he mean, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked him again. Shikamaru made another tsk-ing sound between his teeth and tipped his head back to look at the night sky.

"You ever been inside ANBU HQ, Chouji?" he asked, "before tonight that is?" The Akimichi shook his head in the negative as he swiped at the wetness on his cheeks with his sleeve.

"No. Of course not."

"Me neither. I never even knew that room existed before tonight. I mean, I knew ANBU had their HQ in the Tower, but I never knew where," Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "Only ANBU know how to get in," he finished, then waited for Chouji to catch up. Chouji wasn't stupid, he just often took the long way around to get to where Shikamaru could be in a heartbeat.

"Wait…" Chouji started, and Shikamaru nodded his head.

"Either it was one of them, or someone good enough to pass for one," Shikamaru supplied. Dad was right, how troublesome…a possible conspiracy in the ANBU, and naturally there's Ino with her obnoxious blonde self right smack in the middle of it, he thought. I told her so. At his side, Chouji sniffed loudly.

"Poor Ino-chan…" he said sadly. "Why'd this have to happen to her? I just can't stop thinking about how we just saw her! She said…she missed me. The last thing she said to us was…'I love you guys'…and now she's gone."

Shikamaru shook his head dismissively as he continued to study the stars above. "No. It's fine, Cho…"

Chouji turned incredulous eyes toward the Shadow Wielder. "How can you say that? You heard what Asuma-sensei said! Ino was on duty! She was in that building!" Fresh tears fell freely again from the Akimichi's eyes as he thought about their blonde teammate, so alive and happy earlier that evening. Was that really the last time Chouji would ever see her? Chouji sobbed quietly. He hadn't seen the interior of the room where she allegedly was killed, but he'd seen Shikamaru's face and Asuma's as well as the others and it was killing him to think that his friend had met her end that way.

Shikamaru's typical grouchy frown was firmly in place when he lowered his head from stargazing. "It's a mistake. You'll see. She's fine."

"But Shika…" Chouji whined, and Shikamaru turned on him. His expression suddenly furious.

"She's not dead!" Shikamaru snapped at him, then looked away at Chouji's shocked expression. "She's not dead, Chouji. I think I'd know it if she was…and I don't think she is," he repeated in a calmer tone. "Remember? She didn't stick around to eat with us tonight because she had somewhere to be, right?" Chouji nodded readily in agreement, ready to grasp at any theory because the alternative he couldn't bear.

"But Shikamaru, they checked out her place…there was no one there. Where else could she be?" Chouji questioned, giving voice to his last worry lest he get his hopes too far up.

Shikamaru snorted derisively. "Knowing her? Probably someplace she shouldn't be."

A few hours earlier...

Sweating and spent, Genma rolled off of Ino to flop onto the bed beside her and catch his breath. She was still wearing that cheeky and mildly devious look on her face that'd made him abandon all good sense and screw her in the first place -twice- but now that look was also tempered with satisfaction from his job well done.

"So?" he asked, once he'd caught his breath.

"Hmmm?" Ino looked over at him, her short hair mussed and falling over her eyes. Inoichi must have thrown an absolute shit-fit when she cut it off, because Ino was the only Yamanaka shinobi Genma had ever seen without that mile long streamer of hair. Male or female. It was like a Yamanaka trademark. Then again, Ino was also the only female Yamanaka shinobi he'd ever seen. Still, he thought the shorter style suited her personality well and he rolled on his side to brush the hair from her eyes before he leaned over and kissed her.

"You were impressed, yes?" he murmured against her lips. Ino let her smile spread as she cocked her head more toward him.

"Oh yes, several times."

He leaned down and let the peak of her full breast slide between his lips back and forth before he closed them around her areola and gave her a smacking kiss. Enjoying the way the low light of the room caught the moisture left from his mouth and he blew across her nipple, watching the way it tightened and her skin goose-fleshed. "Good," he rumbled. Reaching across her to his nightstand -since she was sprawled in delectable post-coital bliss on his side- he fished a senbon off the surface and stuck it between his lips before he lay back, folding his arms behind his head. He heard an amused snort and glanced over at his bed partner again. She'd rolled on her side to watch him as she rested her head on her hand. "Hn?" he grunted.

"I'm surprised you were able to go as long as you did without one of those in your mouth," Ino teased. He grinned back, the senbon between his teeth wagging up and down suggestively.

"My mouth was otherwise happily occupied, thank you," he informed. When she blushed he grinned even more. He had this almost perverse love of throwing Ino off balance and watching how she responded. "And will be again soon, I assure you," he promised as he let his eyes sweep the length of her nude body before lingering at the apex of her thighs, the place guaranteed to get the best reaction from her and he licked his lips lasciviously. She didn't disappoint him as her blush grew to epic levels and she rolled onto her stomach to hide her red face in the pillow. He chuckled at her, in his mind, completely unnecessary embarrassment and he rolled after her, letting his eyes have their fill of her body from the vulnerable nape of her neck down all the way to the soles of her feet.

Genma leaned closer and let the tip of the senbon between his lips drag lightly over her skin along her spine. Her breath caught in surprise, but Genma was a master with his chosen weapon and she felt nothing but the barest whisper touch of the needle. "C-careful…" she whispered, holding herself unnaturally still as if she were afraid he would draw blood. She of so little faith…

"Shhh…" he hushed, and then sliding the senbon to the corner of his mouth he followed the same sensuous trail slowly up her spine with his tongue. He'd already given the other side of her body a lingering and thorough exploration with his mouth, now he was ready for the other. She exhaled with a breathy little whine, her back arching as he alternated between stroking her back with the senbon and his tongue. He nipped the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck with his teeth when he got there and she twisted to peer over her arm at him. He smiled back at her and moved to kiss her, but she drew back, her eyes glued to the end of the senbon.

"I don't want you putting my eye out," she scolded him, and Genma chuckled throatily.

"Never happen. You would be amazed, darlin' at all the things I can do with a senbon still in my mouth," he promised. Just to show off a little more for her, he leaned down and gently traced the outline of the nearly healed spiral tattoo on her shoulder with his senbon. Raising his eyes to hers and holding them he repeated his earlier pattern of setting his senbon aside at the corner of his mouth to use his tongue.

"Wow. You really are multi-talented…" she told him and he could see a sly sliver of teeth in her cheeky grin. Genma kissed her temple, then rolled over onto his side to rest his head in the curve of her lower back and close his eyes, just enjoying her warmth and companionship. It was one of the first things he'd noticed about her back when Yuugao had started inviting her around. Sure, she was beautiful and snarky and a talented kunoichi if Ibiki'd tapped her for his Squad, but aside from the kick he got from keeping her guessing, he'd found that he also just plain enjoyed being around her.

That wasn't like him though. It wasn't the way he did things.

It wasn't to say that he went without female company, quite the opposite. He'd gotten a bit of a reputation with the kunoichi's of Konoha (and a few other villages as well) for being a bed hopper. It was mostly exaggeration, but every rumor had a kernel of truth in it. His kernel of truth was that he avoided attachments like they were the plague. He much preferred keeping things casual. One night stands were best for keeping women from getting serious with him, and it was always at their place or some other neutral ground hence his reputation. He liked his freedom and his personal space.

He didn't…date.

So the fact that he'd not only invited Ino into his home, but into his bed too, had surprised the hell out of him even as he was doing it, but it wasn't stopping him from enjoying the benefits as he cuddled with the young blonde.

"It's getting late," Ino said softly, when they'd lain in comfortable silence long enough for him to nearly fall asleep from his musings. Genma cracked his eyes open, but he couldn't see more in the dim light from his bedside lamp than the curve of her back and shoulders.

"Hmm.." he mumbled noncommittally, sliding a hand under her body between her belly and the bed as he used her for a pillow. "You have to go?"

"Well, I…" she said softly. "I'm not on duty until later, but I…I don't want to keep you from sleeping…or anything." At her shy tone his eyes fully opened and he moved, rolling up to lie next to her and check her expression as she rested her chin on her folded arms. She wasn't meeting his eyes, so he couldn't tell if her timid response was a kind of shy invitation for more sex or what.

"Ino?" he queried softly. Her eyes jerked over to his and then slid away as she bit her lower lip. He tucked her hair behind her ear so he could see her face, but she still wasn't looking at him.

"I suppose this isn't very well done of me at all is it?" she laughed self-consciously. "I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is here…I- I suppose I should go?" she trailed off.

It was this, this other side of Ino when she showed her vulnerability and innocence that endeared her to him in a way no one else had in a very long time. It was also what brought out that evil streak in him that wanted to tease her though too.

"You can't go yet," he told her as he leaned on her. "I never actually started the clothes dryer."

"So you planned this?"

He gazed up at her from where he was lightly rubbing the beard stubble on his chin against her shoulder. "The rain?" he asked innocently. She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. He leaned on an elbow and stroked her shoulder thoughtfully as he gazed at the graceful dip of her lower back. "No," he told her quietly, "I didn't plan on this."

Genma never tore his gaze away from her body until he felt her gentle touch as she took the senbon from between his lips to set it aside. Once his mouth was free, he leaned over to kiss and nuzzle at the delicate skin of her lower back. Ino's body was toned and strong, but her skin was so soft and smooth, what few scars she had were faint and well healed. Like him, whose body reflected a life spent on the front lines, Ino's told of the kind of work she'd done for Konoha: Intelligence and Espionage. Ino was a spy, not a soldier, and Genma could already mourn the loss of that beautiful blemish-free skin of hers if she remained with the ANBU for too long. "So soft," he murmured as he slid even lower. He wasn't really trying to start up round three of the evening just yet, but he just couldn't help himself from wanting to touch her.

"Who's this?" Ino asked, and Genma glanced up to see she was propped up on her elbows and gazing at the picture frames he had on the shelf behind his bed. The discarded senbon held between her fingers like a cigarette. Genma glanced at the photos and felt a mild unease. He didn't really like discussing his past under the best of circumstances, but while he had a hot young blonde in his bed, he wanted to talk about it even less. "Is this your genin team?" she asked when he didn't bother answering, just busied himself with the canvas of loveliness underneath his hands and mouth. "How old were you here? You were so cute!"

"Ten," he mumbled into her skin. He never really looked at any of the photos any more, they'd been a fixture of his room for so long. Most brought up memories he didn't want to think much about, like the fact that the boy Ino was finding so adorable was the only one from that picture still alive, for one. He heard the soft click of her setting the senbon down on the shelf and felt her stretch underneath him as she reached to pick up one of the other frames. He knew which one too even before she half rolled underneath him to lean on her elbow. He could feel those pupilless blue eyes of hers regarding him.

It was the picture of he, Hayate, Yuugao, and Shiori taken nearly ten years earlier. The four of them clowning around for the camera with goofy grins and peace signs, and Genma's arms thrown over their shoulders. It had been a happy day, the day he'd been appointed to Tokubetsu Jounin.

"Is this her?" Ino asked him softly, and his gaze went immediately to her face. He often forgot in his defining of Ino in his head; beautiful, blonde, fiesty, sexy, young…just how fucking astute she was too. He kept overlooking the fact that Ibiki had made her his apprentice for a reason. "The kodachi kunoichi?"

"Yeah," was all he could bring himself to say, and was glad when her gaze returned to the photo.

"Yuugao-senpai," Ino identified, her finger hovering over the glass momentarily before moving on to the man with his arms wrapped tightly around the laughing violet-haired kunoichi. "Gekkou Hayate-san, right? I remember him a little," she said. At his nod she continued on, "I know this smirking guy with the senbon," she teased gently before at last indicating the smiling, raven-haired woman flipping a peace sign in the photo, her arm slung around Genma's waist as his was thrown over her shoulder.

"Gekkou Shiori," Genma supplied quietly and took the photo from Ino when she offered it. Ino lay down again, folding her arm to pillow her head on it as she watched him.

"Who was she?" she asked. And really, wasn't that just the million ryo question? He could be an ass and point out just the obvious that she was Hayate's sister, but he shouldn't be that harsh to Ino. She was just curious, and he had been the one to bring her into his private space after all. He couldn't exactly fault her for having questions, no matter how uncomfortable they made him.

"My fiancée," he answered, deciding on the truth. "And Hayate's elder sister. She was in ANBU the same time that I was. She was…an excellent kunoichi." How odd he found it to try to sum into four sentences everything that Shiori had been.

"What happened to her?" Ino prompted gently, pulling him from his musing. He laughed sardonically.

"What happens to us all eventually, darlin'…that one mission we don't come back from. It was supposed to be the last one before we got married. Then she was going to step down from ANBU and we were going to just have a regular normal life. Regular missions, a house, kids…maybe get a dog. Instead, she died three days before the wedding and that was the end of that." Genma set the picture back on the shelf with a snap of finality. He could see the one visible eyebrow of Ino's going up at his derisive tone out of the corner of his eye, but he chose to ignore it. He'd said all he planned to on the subject, which to her unknown benefit was a lot more than usual.

"I'm sorry." Her softly spoken sympathy was so not what he needed to hear just then.

"It's okay," he told her gruffly. "We should probably get some sleep." He was tempted to roll over away from her and completely shut out the previous discussion and how Ino's sympathy made him feel like a bitter old man, but he could also see the way she was softly biting her lower lip and the rumple of concern on her face.

"I didn't know, Genma. I wouldn't have asked…" she started to say, and he cut her off with a curt nod as he stared up at the ceiling with his arms folded over his muscled chest. He also really wanted to chew viciously on a senbon, but he was sensitive enough to know that it too would be a brush off to the blonde. "And you didn't have to give it to me, you know…" Genma finally looked at her at the soft despair in her voice.

"What?"

"The kodachi… I don't know why you would give that to me…" Ino said. Genma shrugged.

"It's a blade. You need one. I had one. Problem solved."

"But...it was hers…"

"So?"

"Genma…" Ino sighed, and he could hear the note of frustration in her voice. "If she was important to you, you shouldn't just give her sword away." He frowned, his temper getting the best of him.

"It's just a thing, Ino! It's not her! She's never coming back, and hanging on to useless stuff, just because it belonged to her isn't going to change that fact. She's in here…" he said sharply, tapping his head, "…and here," he repeated on his chest over his heart. "That's good enough."

He refolded his arms over his chest and continued scowling up at the ceiling. Bringing up Shiori was always dangerous territory with him, most of his friends -especially Yuugao- knew better and never did it, just because of how curtly and effectively he could shut them down. Like he'd just done to poor Ino. He saw her sit up beside him slowly and lower her legs over the side of the bed. She looked so young to him at times, that he was reminded she hadn't had the same experiences growing up that he'd had. Konoha had been at war when he was her age, but she'd grown up in a time of peace. He'd lost so many people who were important to him; his parents, his sensei, his team, Hayate, Shiori… Ino was different. She hadn't had to grow callouses on her heart just to survive the way he had. That wasn't her fault, and he was a right bastard for taking it out on her, too.

"Okay," she said softly. "I…appreciate you giving it to me then. And in spite of what you say with your words, Genma…I will do my very best to be a kunoichi worthy of her blade. Of her."

He caught his breath, and she looked over her shoulder at him with a little smile. Ino and Shiori were nothing alike in their looks. Ino was as fair as Shiori had been dark. Even their personalities weren't that much alike, but what knocked him on his ass was the singular way they both had of getting past his defenses and making him feel. In that way, Ino was just like Shiori. "Ino…" he started, feeling guilty.

"I'm guessing you probably want to be alone now, right? I'll just l-"

Before she could finish and rise, Genma reached out and closed his large hand over her delicate wrist. Tugging her back down onto the bed with him and he pulled her over on top of him to lie on his chest. He folded his arms around her, pinning her against him and he buried his face in her neck.

"No," he told her, muffled against her throat. "I want you right here. I'm sorry. She's a…really touchy subject with me and talking about it always makes me a grouchy bastard. I'm so sorry…don't go." He held her tightly, waiting to see if she would pull away. In all the years since Shiori had been killed, he'd never been in this kind of position of vulnerability. There was so much about this whole night with Ino that made him feel like he was the one off balance, he didn't like the feeling, but he knew that he liked her. Ino was someone he wanted to keep in his life, she'd become a friend. He'd hate it if he pushed her away now just because he had a tendency to become a moody son of a bitch whenever he talked about the past. He felt her arms go around him the best they could with the way he was clutching at her and he let out the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

"If you're sure you want me to be here…" she whispered unsurely.

"Right here," he confirmed, grinning in relief against her neck, "and then maybe a little to the left. And try some up and down motion too. That would be good…" he joked, because it always was his best defense. He saw her eyes flash at him as she pulled back to look at him and he could see the relief in them, even as she tried to look exasperated.

"You!" she sighed, "you really are just…impossible." Genma grinned at her, he just couldn't help himself.

"I know," he agreed, "I really am."

ANBU Locker Room, 5:04 am, Friday.

In the pre-dawn solace of the locker room, Namiashi Raidou slowly donned ANBU gear for the first time in nearly twelve years. In fact, the last time he'd been in uniform was when he'd gotten the distinctive burn scars on his left side. Lightning jutsu…couldn't say he'd be eager to face down one of those again ever. He also wasn't sure if he was ready to wear the mask again, but with so many ANBU dead and injured, word had come down from Tsunade -via Shikaku, since the Godaime was still cloistered at the hospital treating the critically injured- that all those former ANBU able to serve would be required to fill in temporarily until those who were only injured could return to duty. He wasn't really being given a choice in the matter.

He firmly believed that Genma should have to be here suffering along with him, because if he was going to get pulled back into the shit, he sure as hell didn't want to do it alone. However, it seemed his senbon-chewing partner in crime was no where to be found. Raidou scowled as he tugged the sleeveless black turtleneck down over his scarred torso, that lucky bastard had probably found himself some willing bed partner for the night after his little "date" with Ino was over, and had missed the summons delivered to his apartment. Now Raidou was going to get sent out with a bunch of snot-nosed kids who'd probably been in the Academy the last time he'd worn the mask, while Genma was off getting laid. Completely unfair. Wondering about his friend's whereabouts was just putting him in a fouler mood as it reminded him of his argument with Yuugao and how it had spoiled his own plans for the night.

His back stiffened when he heard someone enter the locker room and catch their breath at the sight of him. He never liked exposing how much of his left side was scarred -and the ANBU uniform did little to hide the burn scars on his arm and shoulder that now obscured his ANBU tattoo- so he yanked on the long glove and forearm protector quickly before he looked to see who was there. Almost as if his thoughts had summoned her, it was Yuugao who stood behind him, her dark eyes huge in her pale face.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, her voice catching as she clutched at the neckline of her shirt, her knuckles white. Raidou tried not to frown at her, but their argument and her resultant distance the rest of the night even as they'd worked side by side to help find the survivors still grated at him.

"What's it look like? Going on patrol," he said matter of factly as he turned back to his locker to finish suiting up. He heard her as she moved behind him to her own locker, but she made no move to open it or change clothes. He could still feel her eyes on him, watching as he fastened the forearm protector onto his right arm. Her silence and stillness was starting make him feel self-conscious and he glanced at her quickly over his shoulder. "You don't have to wait on me to finish, I've seen it all before, remember?"

She was still just staring at him, a look in her dark eyes like he'd never seen before and he paused in fastening his white armored vest. "Yuu-chan?" he murmured, concern now pulling his half-ruined face into a frown. She just blinked at him.

"You?"

Raidou tried not to be taken aback by her question, or the perceived disbelief in her tone. Why not him? He'd been in the damn Squads when Yuugao was just a snot-nosed brat at the Academy. He'd also been part of the Sandaime's personal guard, which everyone seemed to forget when assigning him bullcrap missions. He may be a little long in the tooth for a return to Black Ops, but he wasn't fucking useless.

"Well, with over half the available guys in the hospital I guess they're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for replacements. They'd probably have Genma out there too if they could find the bastard," Raidou muttered sarcastically. Yuugao paled even more and Raidou couldn't help feeling insulted she seemed so shocked that he'd been temporarily reinstated. "I might be out of practice, but I'm pretty sure I can keep your 'old man' here from getting himself killed on a simple patrol."

In the next second, before he could even turn around to see her, his face was nearly slammed into the locker in front of him from the force of Yuugao's body colliding with his. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind as she practically spot-welded herself to him, her face pressed into his back between his shoulder blades as she held him tightly. "Yuugao…what the hell?" he bit out, as he pushed himself off the locker he'd nearly been face planted into if he hadn't gotten an arm up in time. He tried twisting to see her, but Yuugao had him in a death grip as she clung like a burr. He could feel her lips moving against his back where she had her face pressed against him, but he couldn't hear what she was whispering. He could easily break her hold on him -ANBU or not- he still had a good fifty pounds on her and almost a half a foot in height, but even though he was annoyed and hurt, he didn't want to physically restrain the woman he loved more than anything.

"Yuu-chan… Honey, let up," he said quietly, trying to keep his tone calm and gentle. He folded his arms over hers and held the hands she had fisted tightly in the front of his vest. Slowly she loosened her grip on him enough that he could turn around to face her before she reattached to him, burying her face in his chest. He could hear her now too, as she whispered no over and over, like a litany. "Yuu…what's wrong?"

He cupped the back of her violet head in his gloved hand and tilted it back to look at her face. What he saw there stunned him and made any residual anger or resentment he'd had from earlier evaporate. She was clearly terrified. He'd never seen her like this before, her dark eyes unfocused and glassy with tears as she clung to him. "Shhh…" he soothed, combing his fingers through her long purple hair gently. "I'll be fine. It's not like I've never taken a mission before…" he murmured. Yuugao whipped her head back and forth in the negative, her hair covering her face like a veil.

"Namiashi-san," a voice from the doorway said, "it's time to go."

Raidou didn't even look up as he nodded. "Be right there," he told the ANBU he could sense standing just outside. "Yuu…?" he started, once he saw the ANBU flicker away out of the corner of his eye.

With the same ferocity that Yuugao had attached herself to him, she threw herself back, bumping into the lockers behind her. "It's okay," she whispered, "It's okay…I'm okay…okay..." Nodding more to reassure herself than him.

"Yeah?" he questioned softly. She was still nodding emphatically, but a little too forcefully and her eyes still seemed wild. He reached across the distance now separating them to touch her face and he brushed the pad of his gloved thumb over her trembling lower lip, gentling her it seemed as she at last stilled. He then leaned in swiftly and kissed her hard, a quick mark of possession as he claimed her mouth and then pulled away before she could even think to return it. He took his green and white tori mask from the inside of the locker and put it over his face, so she couldn't see his eyes, then grabbed his ninjaken as he strode purposefully toward the door.

"I'll see you at home later, Yuugao," he told her, his deep voice sounding hollow behind the mask. "I love you."

Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to push the air out of her closed throat and call him back to her. To tell him not to go. Raidou only hesitated a half step, long enough to see if she would answer him, and then he was gone.

"Rai….dou…" she whimpered, and slid down the front of the lockers to sit stunned on the floor, her legs bent awkwardly underneath her.

Not you…please, not you too…

Footnote:

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