~Dedicated to a friend on her birthday (9/5/10) the fluff is for you 'cos you love it.

You want to know something irritating, they took out all the line breaks I've ever put in in all of my chapter, so I'm going through redoing chapters, may take a while. Over 100 chapters to go through.

Redone (12/08/11)

For the next two weeks Max avoided Tsunade, ignoring any summons from the woman, the only reason Max hadn't left the village completely was she couldn't. Not in the state she had been in after the room. After three weeks of physical therapy she was now ready.

She dropped in by Sasuke and Naruto's training ground, Kakashi had joined them in a friendly free-for-all spar. She sat on a branch and watched, she was in no real hurry.

It took a good ten minutes to get noticed when Naruto had been thrown at the branch she was sat in.

"Whatcha doing here?" Naruto asked, panting slightly from the spar. Max was supposed to have physical therapy for at least another week as far as the doctors were concerned. Not that Max was going to take their advice.

"Saying goodbye," Max replied casually. She shocked silence was expected.

"Why?" Naruto demanded, holding her arm as if she was going to disappear right now.

"You asked me to let you know next time I left for a while."

"Why are you leaving?"

"Too many bad memories haunt this place, I need a change of scenery," Max said, telling the full truth would destroy Naruto's trust in Tsunade, she wasn't going to take away anyone he considered family. Except herself, that was different.

"Running away won't help," Kakashi said sombrely.

"I'm not running, just taking a very long, possibly permanent, vacation, some might call it retirement." Kakashi didn't point out they were basically the same thing.

Max walked away in the silence that followed, what more was there to say? She had only gotten a few steps when she felt Naruto tackle her in a hug, only by pure skill did she remain upright though she did feel some of her muscles straining, not fully recovered. Sasuke grudgingly joined the hug in a more controlled and gentle manner, as did Kakashi.

"Please come back soon." Max couldn't reply to that, she had a feeling her voice would crack. She gave them a last hug before shushining home, both Louise and Laura were due to be there. She may have done some tinkering with their work shifts.

It wasn't like she had expected Rose to be there too, It didn't matter, Rose was nice, good at her job, but not good enough to beat Max, not yet anyway. The three girls were sat on the sofa watching reruns of something when Max turned up.

"I'm leaving." That got their attention.

"Tsunade?" Laura was too good at reading people, she had figured out the reason for Max's mood hours after Max's last meeting with Tsunade.

"I can't stay here after what she's done, after what's happened here."

"And you'd prefer to leave than other methods?" Laura asked, Max knew what she meant, but talking about overthrowing the Hokage was a treason offense punishable by death.

"I couldn't do that to Naruto," Max was careful, she wasn't sure exactly where Rose stood.

"Do you know what day it is?" Louise asked. Max clearly hadn't noticed the wrapped object on the table yet.

"Uh, no, I can barely remember what month it is with all the crap I get into."

"September 5th, ring a bell?" Louise said. A light flickered in Max's mind before switching on completely.

"… I'm eighteen, it's my birthday."

"You know what that means?"

"I haven't done anything stupid enough to get myself killed yet."

"Other than that."

"I can legally drink in England."

"Not that either, any other guesses?"

"…No…" Laura and Louise sighed, both pushing the wrapped object towards Max. Max was understandable weary of even letting her hands go near the object, but it didn't smell like any pranks, no gunpowder or jelly, that was a good sign. She picked it up and unwrapped it, a small smile spreading over her face as she recognised the present for what it was. A leather-bound photo album. She didn't need to open it, she knew what was inside. Some of the photos would only depress her more.

"Keep it with you, even if you never open it," Louise ordered, Laura nodding in agreement.

"If you guys ever need help they'll be someone who owes me a favour somewhere."

"Keep safe."

"You guys too"

It was easier to say goodbye to them, they understood her, knowing all of her past did that.

One more place to go before she could head off to Earth. Suna. She had promised Gaara to tell him next time she planned on disappearing. The journey took longer than usual, Max was going a lot slower, three weeks still wasn't much time to recover, so she was being cautious. There was also the fact she took a teeny detour, she needed to collect her stuff from where she had left it before the room. No one should have noticed it buried under that tree. It was all there, as planned.

However, the meeting with Gaara didn't go as planned. After exchanging greeting Max had told him straight out that she was planning to disappear. Gaara had then announced he'd be taking a sabbatical from Kazekagehood to go travelling with her and had picked up a bag from under his desk and announced he was ready to go.

So now Suna was left in the hopefully capable hands of Temari and Kankurou.

Max and Gaara were on their way to the Stargate. This wasn't all bad, Gaara was a foreign leader so would hopefully have diplomatic immunity and as his 'bodyguard' so would she. That made things so much easier if she got into trouble.

It was a bit more unfortunate when on the way to the Stargate they ran into someone, Deidara.

Last time Gaara saw Deidara they were fighting. Max sighed as she prepared to intervene. She was not having her vacation ruined.

Tsunade sat at her desk, her head in her hands, paperwork was pile high on her desk. She could hear something from outside her window. Curiously, she walked over and peered out. She could hear music, from the style it was probably from Earth.

"She sits in her corner, singing herself to sleep, wrapped in all of the promises that no one seems to keep. She no longer cries to herself, no tear left to wash away, just diaries of empty pages, feelings gone astray. But she will sing…"

On top of the Hokage Mountain, Tsunade could see a silhouette. That was where the singing was coming from. It was too far away to see who it was but the voice was defiantly Laura's.

A male voice joined in, recognisably Sasuke's as another silhouette appeared on the mountain top.

"Till everything burns, while everyone screams. Burning their lies, burning my dreams. All of this hate, and all of this pain, I'll burn it all down as my anger reigns. Till everything burns..." All across Konoha people had stopped to listen as the two sung. Laura stepped back for Sasuke's part.

"Walking through life unnoticed, knowing that no one cares. To consumed in their masquerade, that no one sees her there. And still she sings…"

Many of the villagers wondered what had brought on the song. Some of the ninja's knew. Tsunade knew. She had underestimated Max and anyone who Max knew. She sat down heavily at her desk, the song finished, it wasn't like she could do anything now. Max had already left, she knew that much.

Vacation was ruined, not only was Deidara there, someone else turned up. As Deidara and Gaara fought, Max stood facing the person who had betrayed herso deeply.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you," she asked, her voice as cold as her eyes. She could feel the pain in her chest welling up but she forced it down. She wanted to scream, to pound her fists against something until she passed out but she restrained the emotions. She would focus her anger, use it, twist it to her will, it would not control her.

"Why haven't you?" Itachi stepped towards her, noting the lack of movement on her part, he continued to walk towards her. He was slightly confused by the lack of any signs from her, no tensing of muscles of brief facial expressions that might give her away.

"I don't know," Max said almost sadly. She had waited for him to get close enough for her to attack. She had been tempted to try out the little known squirrel style but she wanted to prolong this ass-kicking. "But I can change it now if you'd like." Her mood had completely flipped to almost feral the second he was within range.

The first punch felt good, the way it connected solidly with his jaw sending him spinning to the ground. Itachi rotated his jaw as he stood up, feeling it for any lumps or breaks.

"Are you sure you want to fight me? You did almost die last time," Itachi said arrogantly, deliberately trying to provoke her.

"And you say I'm cocky," Max muttered. She launched another punch, knowing it wouldn't connect, but the foot that followed connected with his chest sending him stumbling back a few steps. She knew he was trying to make her angry, and therefore make mistakes, by not fighting back. That was his problem, Max was going to beat the ever loving shite out of him whether he fought back or not. And to top it off, she would do it without getting angry at him.

"Go home, train more, then maybe you'll have a chance," Itachi sneered, deflecting the next few punches.

"I have no home." That threw him for a loop and allowed a multiple kick combo to his stomach.

"You became a missing nin?" Itachi gasped out having been winded by the final kick clipping his ribcage and forcing the air out of his lungs. He actually sounded genuinely surprised at that.

"More like self imposed exile. Have I screwed up your plans enough or should I continue?" Max grinned, she loved how easily the tables were turning.

"What plan?" Max didn't buy it, there had been hesitation and he had tried to sound innocent, not confused. That and there were too many coincidences for it not to be a plan.

"Itachi, if there is only one thing you've ever learnt about me, it's the fact I know more than I should. Always." Itachi moved out of the way of her next punch, but instead of countering with a jab to her side as he would have, he grabbed both of her wrists and held them above her head to a tree, pinning her to the trunk with his own body. He leant in close, not wanting to be overheard. Max could feel his warm breath on her lips.

It took a lot of self control not to lean into him like she had been so used to doing, it felt so nice to feel his body against hers again. For a few brief seconds she wished they weren't fighting, that nothing had forced them apart, and that she could just lean forward that tiny bit and kiss him again.

"Then you know why I want you to stay in Konoha." Itachi's voice brought her back to reality and her mood switched again, not that he had noticed it switch before.

"Nah, this is me effectively giving you, Tsunade and who ever else was involved the middle finger, no one screws with my life but me." Max flashed a slightly crazy grin as she leant back against the tree, somehow managing to look relaxed as if it was her decision to be in that position.

Itachi seemed to struggle with words, trying to find the ones that would set things on the right tracks. Instead he opted to take some advantage of the position he held over her and try to calm her, pressing light kisses to her jaw and neck until he could find the right words.

"It's not safe."

He regretted his choice of words immediately as he saw Max's eyes harden in anger, the first time she had shown that emotion in this fight. While he had wanted that emotion earlier to cloud her thoughts, he needed her to be thinking clearly.

"It's never safe! I'm a fricking ninja, my job is a fricking safety hazard! It's the job I chose though and I like it. Why does no one seem to get that?" Max hissed. Itachi gripped her wrists tighter staring straight into her mismatched eyes with an emotion Max couldn't identify.

"Funnily enough there are people who care about you, they don't like seeing you looking like some sort of mental patient in the hands of a psychopath." There was some frustration in his voice, probably directed at her.

Then it hit her like a ton of baked clay blocks.

"You did it. You got me out." Max realised, her eyes wide as things connected for her, now she knew why no one would tell her. It also confirmed that Itachi's defection was planned. Had it been real he would have left her where ever she had been or simply killed her.

"I couldn't leave you there." The sentence seemed unfinished like there was more he wanted to say but he stopped. His tone had become gentler and he changed his grip so he held both her wrists with one hand, the other cupping her cheek, his thumb trailing over the soft skin as he willed her to understand.

Max tilted her head forward, their lips almost touching before she quickly withdrew as much as the tree allowed. "But it was your fault that I needed help. You're the one who left me half dead for anyone to stumble across, or did you forget that?" Max asked viciously, she head butted him and yanked her hands out of his grasp, slipping away while he tried to figure out what had just happened.

Gaara and Deidara were fighting a short distance away. Max had had enough distractions; she was going to have her damn vacation. Dodging their exchanged blows she got close to both of them and stopped their next attacks.

How?

She pinched their earlobes. Their attacks were abandoned in favour of trying to get her fingers away from their ears.

"I'm going, if you want to come with me Gaara, then you better be leaving now. I do not give a damn whether you're the Kazekage or if he tried to kill you, I will not let anything else stop me." She released their ears and stalked off in the general direction of the Stargate.

Gaara caught up not long later, he was not going to let her get away that easily.

The Hakie/Uzumaki living room was fuller than it had been in a while. Laura stood in front of the TV addressing the rest of the room's occupants.

"Friends, neighbours, country men, lend me your ears." Laura's attempt at beginning a speech was met with a rolled up sock to the face, she sincerely hoped it was clean. "Ok, seriously, who thinks that everything's been horribly fecked up?" All hands went up. "Keep you hand's raised if you have an idea on how to fix it." All hands went down except Louise's. "No time travel." Louise's hand went down.

"Ya'know absence makes the heart grow fonder…"

"Absence can also fester negative emotions possibly leading to an unconscious fear of ever returning."

"We're screwed."

It was a few hours after a red haired girl bumped into Itachi did he realise that his Akatsuki ring was missing. Leader was not going to be happy.

Max stood looking at the event horizon of the Stargate, she could feel the five rings in her pocket. Half was good enough for now. Three, blue, scarlet, void and jewel. None of them could be linked to her.

Max and Gaara sat in the briefing room, waiting. Max had forgone her unusual henges, only using one to cover her tattoos and main scars but still had her mask, Gaara had sealed his gourd into a scroll, both were trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. That mask was there for old times sake.

General Landry walked in followed by Daniel Jackson, he'd had the most contact with them so it only made sense he was there too.

"What brings you here then?" Landry asked looking at both of them.

"Bore-" Max started to answer but was interrupted.

"As the leader of my village it's my duty to visit foreign nations, Wolf here is my personal body guard," Gaara announced in English thanks to Max's temporary translation charm.

"coughVacationcough" Max coughed, not so subtly. She got some looks but it was generally ignored.

"I though Wolf was from a different village," Daniel piped up, pointing out the obvious, it didn't take a genius with the different symbols they wore.

"She's an old friend too, I trust her with my wellbeing and my life," Gaara said, he rubbed his ear which was a bit red. Max tried to look innocent but her mask made it difficult.

"Is there anywhere you had planned on going?"

"Just do what Weir did and send us anywhere that needs help," Max said, a hint of resentment could be heard as she said 'Weir'. "Or we could just road trip. Nice Harley's and we could cruise across the states." She could see Landry trying to hide a smirk.

"Actually there is something that has come to my attention. Over the last few months over twenty marines have died of heart attacks."

"You suspect Kira," Max interjected.

"Too many deaths to be a coincident."

"What about L? He had the lead on that case."

"You're on hand and looking for something to do…"

"Where to then?"

"NCIS in Washington D.C."

"I take it there's some political thing Gaara-sama can be getting on with, I can assure you I can investigate and protect him at the same time." Max guessed, for once using an appropriate honorific.

"He will be considered a visiting foreign leader and will be assigned additional guards. I will hazard a guess that the President will want to meet with him at some point."

"To D.C. then," Gaara said, reminding Max that they were supposed to think he was in charge. To be honest though, he was ready to go with the flow. Where Max went, excitement usually followed.

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