Not happy, results came today, D's for most of it, I personally don't care, they count as UCAS points which Uni's accept, that's if I still want to go next year. Parents being their usual self though, complainy, guilt tripping and irritable at the mere mention of me wanting to go out with friends. I'm glad I dyed my hair first, it now has green streaks.

I have some backlog of this story but updates will be severely reduced. With any luck I won't have to put it on Hiatus. If I have to implement my back up plan (Actually it's more like first choice at the moment) of joining the RAF and actually getting accepted then there will have to be a hiatus during training.

I will never abandon it though. It's my pride and joy.

With Max's quick recovery her visitors split. Most of them anyway. Itachi refused to leave no matter how many death threats Max tried. Laura and Naruto had gone to England with the CHERUBs and Alex. DiNozzo had to get back to D.C. for work. It would be a few days before Haku would let Max leave. He'd eventually found out the details that he'd missed while in Atlantis.

For the moment Max was sat up in bed flipping though the photo album she'd been given for her birthday, wondering where it all changed. In her mind something just wasn't adding up.

Haku had shooed Itachi out to get some proper food. Apparently hospital food was unfit for healthy people but perfectly fine for sick people. Max had taken the opportunity of solitude to look through the pictures, the first time she'd look though since she'd got it.

She traced her fingers lightly over some of the pictures remembering them. The kiss after she'd stolen his clothes for that dare. She should have figured the girls had orchestrated that encounter. The many times she had curled up with Itachi, he'd always made her feel safe and loved. Max swore Laura had a 'cuteness' radar for this sort of stuff.

Max was engrossed in looking though she didn't notice Itachi returning.

"And that is one of the reasons your friends scare me." Max slammed the album shut, she hadn't meant to lose herself in it, let alone get caught.

"What changed? Everything was fine. Now I'm a wreck. If this had all happened when we were younger than I would have just let it all blow over like it was nothing. So what changed?" Max asked pleadingly.

"You changed when you were gone. Just a bit. It's hard to explain," Itachi sighed. Max had been a lot more temperamental after returning from her hiatus. She'd also been of her game, not fighting one hundred percent. Itachi wondered if they had the same root. "Did something happen?"

"What didn't happen? Nothing should still be affecting me though," Max grumbled idly rubbing her wrist. She realised what she was doing and paused looking at her wrists, the ancient writing had just become so commonplace to see. "Oh."

"New tattoos?"

"Not exactly. I pissed some woman off, she sealed half my chakra. That's probably the issue here, I'm pissed at her and so I'm taking it out on everyone else. I feel like such a bitch." Max moaned miserably, bringing her knees up to her chest, trying to suppress any tears.

"Don't even think about going into another self-exile," Itachi warned her. He wasn't exactly sure on how to deal with crying women but he sat next to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

That was how Haku found them five minutes later. The sight was touching but slightly confusing for the Ice nin. He'd left the two with the hope there wouldn't be bloodshed and now they were like this.

Max looked up, realising they weren't alone anymore. She gave a watery smile as she leant on to Itachi trying to burrow into his chest. He responded by stroking her hair comfortingly.

Haku couldn't help but be happy that things were sorted out between them.

Max was released a few days later. Haku had been healing the rest of her half-mended injuries that Max had been relying on Shichibi to repair. Max however had been meditating, trying to find the visual manifestation of the block in her mind.

She'd only found it because of the similarity of the layout to her old school. A corridor had been missing, blocked off seamlessly. With a little bit of help from the wolf they tore down the wall resulting in a chakra overload. That had scared the two ninjas with the huge shockwave as Max released the pent up energy.

After that Max had returned to her bouncy self with a healthy glow. Also behind that wall had been a shadowy creature whispering things through the walls to her Ego, freaking the poor thing out causing her mind to see things skewed. While Max couldn't actively destroy it without knowing what it was she did trap it. She hoped it would enjoy Shichibi's company as a chew toy.

Rage isn't that easy to get rid of once you feel it though, Max knew this and so had redirected it. She wanted revenge on that priestess woman for screwing up her life. Only one person was allowed to screw up her life, and that was herself.

Haku didn't see it that way.

"Didn't she seal your chakra because your ancestor screwed up her life?" Haku asked.

"So?"

"Wouldn't it be a little bit counterproductive? She'll hold an even bigger grudge against you."

"Not if she'd dead," Max shrugged casually. She smiled sheepishly at the incredulous look from Haku. "Don't look at me like that. She started it!"

"Max, you're an adult, 'she started it' is no longer a valid reason."

"Is too." Max replied, sticking her tongue out. Haku sighed, shaking his head at her antics.

"You two are getting some weird looks," Itachi informed them. He settled himself on one of the hard chairs that populated the airport and handed Max and Haku a box of Chinese takeaway each before starting on his own.

"Probably Haku's fault. Thanks." Max said kissing his cheek. She was going to try to get used to this again, she had promised herself back in California. She managed to completely miss the grin on Haku's face though.

Haku split from them when they reached D.C. he was going back to Atlantis to continue his work. Max was a bit apprehensive of Itachi and DiNozzo being fully introduced. Gaara was taking everything in his stride. He would have gone to visit Max, but refused to specify why he didn't.

Max got another round of Gaara the leech for the first week. She'd managed to get Itachi his own ID so he could visit NCIS with her, both as visitors, rather than try to avoid the situation and leave him on his own. She would prefer they meet while she was near enough to do any damage control.

The first encounter had been interesting. Ziva had the same look as when she first met Max. None of the others had gotten in yet.

"Who is this?" Ziva asked. Itachi took his turn to analyse her.

"She's an assassin," Itachi observed.

"I know. He's a friend visiting for a while." It was getting easier to switch between English and Japanese, Max noted.

"Same profession as you?"

"What gave it away?" Max chuckled.

"Gave what away?" DiNozzo and McGee picked that moment to turn up, only hearing Max. "It's that guy, who visited you," DiNozzo pointed out, narrowing his eyes at the shinobi, he still wasn't sure how it was 'complicated'.

"So? He's staying with me and Gaara for a while."

"Is that why he has his arm around your waist?" Max flushed slightly when she realised DiNozzo was telling the truth, she hadn't notice. Ziva picked that moment to slip away heading for the directors office.

"I think I should politely ask you to stay away from my personal life."

"I'm your brother, it's my job." DiNozzo grinned, knowing there was something there.

"Brother?" Max raised an eyebrow at Itachi who managed to look slightly embarrassed at being caught out.

"I did wonder if you'd bothered to learn English. I guess you did. Haku did a DNA comparison to confirm it, we're related by one parent. Don't ask how that possible I have no clue," Max explained, she was slightly amused more than anything. She could still tell him things without the team knowing.

"So what exactly is your relationship with my sister?" DiNozzo asked giving Itachi the evil eye. Max sighed, DiNozzo wouldn't be able to do shite to Itachi.

"Don't you have a report to finish?" Max growled. She did not want this conversation in front of everyone.

"He does, but that doesn't explain what you're doing here." Max almost fell of the desk she was sat on. How did Gibbs manage to sneak up on her?

"I felt like seeing you guys."

"You were bored," Itachi pointed out, Max shoved him off the desk. Unfortunately he didn't land in the crumpled heap she'd hoped for. More like gracefully landing on his feet.

"So, got a case yet?" Max asked with a blindingly cheesy grin.

"Not unless trying to get Abby into a suit counts as a case."

"Ouch. Why, she got court or something?" The looks from the team told her she got it right. "I repeat: ouch."

They did end up with a case. A place near Little Creek navy base, a navy lodging facility apparently had a blood bath in one of the rooms. Because she wasn't technically an employee anymore Max wasn't allowed to go with them so she took Itachi to meet Abby. She would have taken him to see Ducky but he was out with the team.

"Hey Abs, meet Itachi. Itachi meet the forensic technician Abby."

"Oh, is this your boyfriend? Good catch," Abby squealed hugging Max who faltered at the question. "Ooh, and does Tony know?"

"Are we going out?" Itachi asked Max who gave a minuscule shrug, not really wanting to discuss it there.

"You two aren't sure?" Abby asked, her grin never faltering.

"Gaara taught you Japanese, didn't he?" Max groaned.

"It was a fair trade, I taught him English."

"Oh great, now privacy is going to become an issue," Max muttered. "At least I still have German for private mutterings."

Max and Itachi were still in the lab talking to Abby when McGee brought in some cocaine to be tested.

It was Max who smelt something weird first but it was Abby who recognised it and dragged McGee down to the floor. Max and Itachi mimicked the action.

"Almonds… cyanide!" Abby said. McGee dragged Abby out forcefully, Max and Itachi fleeing as well. Abby then closed the door and hit a button next to the door securing it.

"What's cyanide?" Itachi whispered to Max. It was easy to forget some things may have different names between cultures, she wasn't even sure if cyanide existed in the hidden villages. It certainly wasn't one of the common poisons.

"Poison, it's supposed to have a distinct smell of bitter almonds, a food here, I can't remember if it's a nut, a seed or something completely different. Almonds themselves aren't actually dangerous, unless you choke on them. Only a small percentage of people have the genetics to be able to detect cyanide by smell," Max explained as they were ushered the showers. They were all given coveralls to get changed into after showering while their clothes were being thoroughly decontaminated.

At least the showers were separate, Max didn't need people asking about the amount of scars she had marring her skin. Itachi would probably find them at some point though. She thought about their relationship, did she want it to go back to before? Did before even exist properly or were her thoughts being mucked around with even then? Her question remained unanswered as she finished up her shower.

The four of them lounged in autopsy, allowing Ducky to check them over. Itachi had reasoned that Max wouldn't trust them if there were dangerous so allowed himself to be checked over after Max. They were sat on one of the tables at the far end, talking in rapid, hushed Japanese. McGee and Abby were sat much nearer the doors to autopsy, Abby was the last to be checked over.

All four of them were cleared as only briefly being exposed so they weren't going to have any long term problems. Gibbs entered the room followed by DiNozzo and Ziva, none looking particularly thrilled.

Max and Itachi moved closer, wanting to hear whet they had to say. At least they weren't mad at her. They seemed to have forgotten she'd been shot a few times recently.

"Me? Who would want to be after me? I mean Tony, I understand," Abby said nervously, none of them really believed her, poor Abby couldn't lie to her friends.

"Hey!" DiNozzo objected. He'd only been framed a few times by people who hated him, none of them had tried to out right kill him later though.

"Seems to run in the family," Itachi muttered, earning a smack to the stomach from Max.

"The name Mikel Mawher ring a bell?" Gibbs asked. Max watched as Abby was grilled on her ex.

"This is why my personal life stays away from people. I can beat people up perfectly well on my own," Max whispered to Itachi who snorted. "You're a special case and a bad example."

"You two talking about anything case related?" Gibbs asked, looking mildly peeved at them.

"If it were then we'd talk in English," Max said sharply, she did not like being reprimanded like a child. Gibbs glared at her before leaving followed by DiNozzo and Ziva.

"So what did you mean by 'it runs in the family'?" Abby asked Itachi, swivelling on the table to face them. Max had temporarily forgotten that Abby understood Japanese.

"Absolutely nothing, right Itachi?" Max said, growling the last part as a warning. Itachi wisely stayed quiet, he had no doubt in his mind that Max was going to hospitalise him when they got back to Konoha, he didn't want to make it worse.

Anything Abby had been about to say was silenced by one of the cell phones on the metal table next to Max. Max groaned, now was not the best time for someone to need her help. She grabbed it and dashed out of autopsy flipping it open only when the door was shut.

"Rho is currently on vacation, please take your request and shove it."

"L told me to contact you," a voice synthesiser told her. Probably one of the Wammy kids.

"Oh that changes everything," Max said as if she had actually changed her mind.

"Really?" It was hard to tell when a voice synthesiser was being sarcastic.

"No dumbass." Max snapped her phone shut ending the conversation fully. She had plans to actually go home before Christmas. She didn't exactly want to return to autopsy, it was a bit cold and white, neither of which she liked much. She also didn't want to wander around in a coverall that could easily get caught on something and pop open.

"Who was that?" Itachi asked having gone to find her after she hadn't returned. Max had been sat down against the wall, throwing her phone in the air and catching herself to keep amused.

"Not a clue." Itachi caught the phone the next time she threw it up. He quickly flicked through the recent calls, noting that only one had been made in the last year, the last number was withheld. More mysteries surrounding Max.

This is actually the penultimate chapter of Part four.

Part five will be short, probably only ten chapters long then Part six will turn up but I have no idea what will happen in that yet.

Reviews are loved always.