20

Her free hand knotted and tangled over his muscular back. They rolled the balled knots that tensed up Shisui's back.

"Are you stressed?" She asked as she massaged his back carefully. Lately he had been under so much stress. "Yes," he snapped exasperated. "And now that you're injured even more." He said grabbing her hand and placing an urgent kissing on it.

Ryou had been happier than she had in a really long time. Her life finally seemed to be coming together. Shisui wasn't ANBU captain anymore meaning that he had plenty of free time for her. Little by little he had been "helping her" as he had put it. He had been aiding her in letting go of her past and her grudges. Her family's mystery would be no more. She would no longer be haunted by her past of the clandestine homicide. Still something inside of her ached at the thought of forgetting around the mystery. It would keep her up at night, peeled eyed and eyes boring into the ceiling. There would always be a void in her that needed to be filled by the unsolved answer aching to be riddled and solved.

"I know that we will both be more at ease when you start staying home," he said to her with a smile. "Right…" She said softly. Her eyes looking down at her lap.

Right… There was that too. Giving up her career. She would be a wonderful make-home wife. "It was for the best" as Shisui had put it. All he wanted was the best for her. Certainly he wasn't equivocated on his suggestions.

"Come on. Let's go get some tea. My treat." He said once again reaching for her hand and giving it a tight squeeze. Despite his over whelming stress there was a bright smile on his features.

Both ninja made way to the teashop holding hands, her massive engagement ring gleamed on her hand weighting it down. She felt as if all of the eyes in Konohagure were captivated by the gleaming red gem.
It was then that she suddenly caught a familiar scent in the air. Almost as if escaping she took large steps almost ripping out his arm as she dragged him inside of the tea shop.
Shisui didn't even have to ask. He already knew what was going on. It had been a while now that he realized that every single time they encountered him. Ryou would become growingly anxious and defensive. Regardless of the situation she would attempt to avoid him no matter the cost.
Whenever he would ask why she wanted to avoid she would simply retort that he reminded her of sadder days. A blatantly lie. He had decided not to push it, he knew that they had an interesting history.

It was hen that he strolled in. He casually walked into the teashop. He couldn't pretend he hadn't noticed the happy couple sitting in a nearby table together.

Oh, how he hated seeing them together. It nauseated him. Every time he ran into them he could feel his heart drop. It saddened him even more to see turn away and keep a blank expression as if he didn't exists. As if what they had had, had never happened. As if she didn't feel just like he did. He made eye contact with Shisui. In order to be polite he simply raised his hand up in a greeting. Shisui did the same. She didn't even bother spearing him a glance.

"Oi Shisui-san, Ryou." He decided to approach them. "I guess the rumors are true." He trailed off looking at her hand, or the massive ring on it. "Congratulations on your engagement." He said in a dull tone not taking his eyes off her. She remained stoical still not meeting his one visible eye.

Shisui reached for her free uninjured hand and held it in his once again. He tangled his fingers with hers. The large red stone gleaming under the restaurant light. That was no ordinary ring, if Kakashi had to take a guess he'd bet that was a red diamond. Shisui noted the growing tension in the air and just how uncomfortable his fiancée had become. He opted to thank Kakashi kindly and terminate the interaction. The other simply went away.

It was only logical for her to choose him.

In the latest years Ryou had controversially opened herself to the entire Uchiha clan. He didn't know just how welcoming they had been. After all, they are not to keen in strangers marrying into the clan.
She was always seen hanging around Shisui, Itachi and other members of the clan.
It made sense- soon her name would be Ryou Uchiha and she would marry the prodigy of the clan with one of the most powerful names not only in the city or the Fire Nation, but in the entire continent. He figured the only reason they had allowed for the engagement to go through was due to her vast wealth.

Everyone in Konoha knew about the engagement it had been on the front page of the Sunday edition of the newspaper. Kakashi had no doubt he would make her extremely happy. Shisui would worship her like she deserved, and together they would conceive the following generation of Uchiha prodigy, curly haired ninja children with blazing red, Sharingan eyes and thick eyelashes. Even if he pictured the perfect life he would give her, he just- well, he couldn't see her living it.

He sighed and turned back on them one last time.

As long as she was happy… It's not like he would ever be able to offer her anything better. After all he was only a an average shinnobi. A tool designed for killing and that would always be his life.

"Are you happy?" Shisui asked looking into the lime green eyes that he had come to adore. "Very," She retorted with a perfect smile. He once again kissed her hand, bringing it close to his face.

Shisui's proposal had been rather sweet. They had been dating for what seemed forever and one simple afternoon they were having Miso soup in his house. He appeared to be nervous about something.

"Don't you wish we could eat miso soup like this together every day?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

"I mean- we kind of do," she spoke slowly, eating her miso soup thoughtfully. They had almost been dating for ten years. A ridiculous amount of time.

"But every day." He emphasized. She couldn't see his hand tensely fingering the ring in his pocket. She looked at him with a peculiar look.
"You want to eat miso soup every single day of your life?"

"Yes-Uh I mean no," he said running a hand through his curly hair anxiously.
"I mean with you- I want to eat with you every day, and spend every single day of my life with you," he said with a beaming smile pulling out the ring from his pocket. Ryou dropped her spoon into her soup in shock, her eyes wide. She didn't even notice that the soup had splashed everywhere.

"Will you marry me?"

She said yes.

"We should take some tea for Itachi and Sasuke." Ryou suggested thoughtfully. After all they would be her family soon enough.

Shisui agreed and they made way back to the Uchiha compound where they were greeted by most members. Even if Ryou wasn't a part of the clan she was treated very highly just due to her associations with Shisui (and mountains of money she owned).

"Ew tea!" Sasuke cringed when they arrived at Itachi's parent's house.
"Come here," Ryou said motioning the child to come over. "Your brother spoils you too much." She said with a grin.
Sasuke pouted and crossed his arms, "I don't even see my brother anymore. He never wants to help me train or play with me." He said with a small frown.
"Well lucky you, I have a surprise for you." With that she opened the hand in her uninjured arm revealing several pieces a large candy wrapped in colorful patterns. She was expecting him to greedily take it and run away.
"Ew! I hate sweets!" the child protested.

Ryou rolled her eyes. "Spoiled brat," she muttered under her breath.

"Thank you for the tea." Itachi said with a sigh and a content smile. "It was Ryou's idea. She thought of you while we were at the teashop." Shisui explained.
"I mean, it's one of the few things I can do to thank my teacher in order to thank him for his lessons." She said slightly bowing to her Genjutsu sensei.

Itachi nodded "Yes, about that…" He trailed off.
She looked up and got lost in his crimson eyes. And just like that she was elsewhere sitting in a room the color of blood.
Ravens were cawing and flying everywhere in the room in circles around her. Some even flew towards her and began pecking and tugging at her hair.

"Control it Ryou…" Itachi's voice echoed in the empty space.

She tried her best to clap both of her hands together, which was hard enough with her broken arm. She focused chakra to the soles of her feet. The ravens continued jabbing and crowing. The pain was almost unbearable.
"Control it!" Itachi's voice echoed through her head in a harsher tone.
It felt like a couple of hours had passed, but in reality it had just been about a minute.

Ryou instantly collapsed to the side seeking for support in Shisui. He barely managed to catch her, she was heaving and her breathing was harsh.

"You're almost there Ryou. You have to keep on pushing." Itachi said nonchalantly.

'Easier said than done…' She thought with a scoff.

Later in the evening she returned to her home. She was slightly surprised to find her father in her room laying down on her bed.

"Dad?" She asked curious as to why he was in her rom.
"I'm really going to miss you." He said sitting up.
"You shouldn't. The Uchiha compound is nearby, I'll be close." She reassured him sitting besides him.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Tell me- what am I going to do in this huge house al by myself?"
"You should sell the house." She insisted. "It's a waste of space and good revenue."
"I've considered it…" He paused. "But I can't." He said ominously. "This house holds too many secrets. Too much history has happened here." He explained slowly. Ryou was confused, just what was he talking about?

"You mean the…" She began. She hadn't thought about that in a long time. In her mind the image of her sister sealed room suddenly came to mind.

"No." He said sharply interrupting her. "I mean-" His tone changed to a softer one. "There's more than that. I never told you- showed you. But I think you're ready. Follow me." He instructed.

The woman followed her father to their backyard, and at the end of the property there was a massive memorial rock. The rock was three times taller than her father and the clan signed was carved in the middle. At the very top it held an oval crystal gem which looked more like an amethyst eye. The crystal eye gleamed vibrantly with the setting sun behind it. Next to the memorial were several violet peculiar flowers growing. They were Autumn Crocus flowers.

They were so pretty, Ryou was about to approach them, even if they held a peculiar smell which was not sweet-

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you. Those are poisonous." Aru said suddenly. Ryou regained her composure and stood up with her back as straight as an arrow next to the her father.

She saw her father raise his hand up and focus a small amount of chakra into his palm. He maneuvered his hand and aimed it to a small hole in the center of the family insignia. She noticed that a small shiny crystal had appeared on his palm and was reflecting the light of the setting sun into that one empty tiny hole in the clan monument.

A moment transpired, however, nothing occurred.

Ryou looked around expecting magnificent to appear before them.
"Nothing is happening-" she frowned disappointed. She was totally taken back when the monument parted moving in reverse only to reveal a secret pathway below the ground.

They both descended down the stairs and stepped into the lair. Ryou starred in awe at the walls. Many beautiful crystal decorations, clan crest and symbols decorated the walls which glowed with the reflection of a candle her father held in his hands.

"W-What is this place?" She asked in awe, one of her hands caressed the rough walls in the underground.
"This was Hiroko Noa's base." He turned to look at her perplexed expression. "Do you remember that name?"
"Yeah-" she nodded as she racked her brain for her ancestor's story. "He was the founder of our clan. Gave the First Hokage a mountain of money to found the village."
"In that you are correct," Aru nodded.

They both turned to look at a framed painting that hung against one of the dimly lit walls. Ryou carefully analyzed the portrait. There was something… odd about it. Something unsettling, but she couldn't put her finger in the why…

In the painting was a serious man with copper, light brown hair who wore a thin, golden band across his forehead and over his bangs. It appeared to be made out of a gold thread and two small gems hung on the loose sides framing his face. His hair was wispy and stuck out in two thick strands pointing away from his face and one that covered his forehead. The rest of his hair which stuck out in all direction and was being held up in a tall pony tail. His eyes were the same shape as Ryou's and her father's. They were painted a bright violet color and were permanently narrowed with dark, prominent bottom and top eyelashes. He wore an elaborate necklace wit many gems and an old fashioned armor with the clan insignia over his gray robes.

Her eyes were completely zoned in on the painting. She didn't know why it bothered her so much.

"This is where Hiroko would gather to craft his precious jewelry. It was also the clan's hideout during the First and Second Shinnobi wars." He explained.
Ryou's eyes remained fixed on the many carvings on the walls. There were some faded symbols that looked like simple trees, they were just circles with the tree trunk rooting below, but why did it look so familiar…
"Why would he carve his jewelry here? I mean- you do it in the crafting room in the house."

Aru shoved both of his hands into his pockets.

"I'm afraid the Noa clan has always had enemies. The value of our crystals have sprouted the seed of greed in the hearts of other men and women.
Some of our members have been enslaved and worked to death by their captors." He stopped for a moment, his eyes glancing down at the dusty floor. "There was even a point in time in which brothers decided to kill brothers."

Ryou's eyes went wide. She wouldn't believe it. "But- Why- Why would anyone-" She shook her head.

"The less crystals there are out there the more previous. Less of a supply, right?" Aru sighed as if telling the story had aged him.

He looked tired, her on the other hand. The gears were barely beginning to start turning. She didn't know if it was incredulous so suggest the thought.

"Do you… Do you think that's what happened with Miharu?" She asked meekly standing in the darkness of the underground room. "They thought she could make crystals and somebody took her?" She could feel a pulsating headache beginning to form.

That made no sense. She cradled her broken arm closer. Miharu couldn't craft crystals. If anything they would've taken her own father.

Aru starred at his daughter for a moment. He thought of choosing his words carefully.

"Miharu did not have the power to create crystals. She tried endlessly night after night, loved the damn things… She took more after your mother and was more of a Sensor." He said before walking deeper into the lair.
"But wait- if Miharu was such a good sensor. You'd think she would sense an intruder in the house, the day she was taken, right?" she pushed suddenly stopping in her tracks.

That could only mean-

"Ryou- as much as it hurts me. This was almost 10 years ago. You have to let go. I have accepted Miharu's death as well as Natsume's. The Uchiha police did everything they could, and if it was impossible to solve, well there is nothing we can do."

She had to have known who it was. Perhaps mother could've been caught of guard, but a Chunnin. But why-why- why would anybody kill them. The question now was if the intended victim was Natsume… or Miharu…

"That's exactly what it is…" Aru rambled. "The police did such a shitty job, all the evidence is lost and the case is still unsolved."

He eyed her warily.

"We need a new police captain." She concluded. "One that won't give up on cases and will investigate them until finding the truth and will bring justice to the people." She said in a determined tone. A light bulb went off in her head before she sprinted out of the room.
"Wait- Ryou. Before you leave, you can always come into this room. For shelter, to study, it will serve for whatever purpose you desire." He shouted after his daughter. "Yeah, Thanks!" She shouted rushing out of the underground.

Ryou made way back to the Uchiha compound and was about to approach the Uchiha Police building, when she fortunately saw the captain locking the building's door from the outside.

"Captain! Wait!" She waved at him with her free hand as she jogged towards him. "Good Afternoon captain." She said bowing respectfully.
The captain was an angry looking man with typical Uchiha features. Dark eyes and dark hair, there was a pair of scowl marks under his chin indicating that he often frowned.

"Captain Fugaku, right?" She asked catching her breath.
"Yes. Ryou Noa, correct? Shisui's promised bride." He stated as he eyed her pompously. "What business do you have with me?" He cut over to the conversation rather quickly and in a rude tone.

This was the best idea she had had in a long time. It was a win-win. She would get to have hands on experience solving the dirtiest, grimiest crimes of the village. It would also grant her access into the files of-
But Shisui wouldn't be happy with her decision. She hesitated before speaking, when she noticed Fugaku was walking away from her shaking his head.

'Oh, to hell with it!'

"Captain. I was wondering if I could work for you, at the police department. I have a really good eye for detective work, and I-" He didn't even bother raising up his hand to stop her from making a fool out of herself. His eyes were menacing and threatened her with a venomous gaze.

"You are not an Uchiha." He spat out as simple as that. "I'm afraid not." He added to his discrimination statement and casually walked away.
"But I will be soon!" She shouted after him persistently.
"You do not posses the keen eyes we do." He said sparring her a side glance. "Perhaps not-" she continued pressing in a determined tone. "But I do have a pair of very developed senses. I can see from a good distance and very close into objects. I have very good hearing and a one in a kind sense of smell-"
"So, how are you any different from a dog?" He carelessly insulted.

That was a low blow.

"I am a recognized ANBU Black Op of the Leaf Village. I am also known across nations as "The Hound", "The Crystal Hound" or "Ryou the Impaler." She said began to feel the anger boiling in her. She stood her ground, feet apart.
"I didn't ask for your resume. Now if you excuse me you are wasting my time."

And with that he turned around and proceeded walking.

"Wait!"

She wasn't going to give up just like that. Ryou suddenly teleported in front of him.

"I see you've been learning my nephew's techniques…" He mumbled. "If you claim I'm wasting your time, then I have a relevant question." She said breathlessly. "Why wasn't the Noa case pursued any further? The murder was never found, a motive was never discovered either, why?" She asked standing as tall as she could.
"Lack of evidence." He hissed and stepped to the side walking around the girl once again.
"There would've been more evidence if you had actually bothered to look!" She shouted after him.

He then froze on his heels and turned to completely face her, just right before entering the Uchiha compound.

"My first impression of you is not a good one. I have honestly no idea what my nephew is doing with you or why he would like to stain the prestigious clan name by sharing it to you. But before we meet again I will tell you one last thing: You will never be an Uchiha. You will never understand us. Our traditions or the way we think. So don't even bother getting comfortable because the clan does not welcome you."

Ryou's mouth was open her eyes wide as the man walked away to his home. If there was one thing Ryou had noticed with her days of hanging out with Shisui and his cousins was- Uchihas marry Uchihas. It was rather incestuous to marry your distant cousins, but it was the only way of preserving the blood pure and their precious kekkegenkai Sharingan in their blood.
That's why they all looked the same. Years of inbreeding had made them they're own unique breed.

Ryou clenched her free uninjured fist tightly in the hand. There was no way in hell she was going to allow things to remain this way.

"Hokage-sama." She said standing at the foot of the Hokage's bed.
"Ryou… What the f-" The elderly man placed a hand against his chest terrified. "Do you know what time in the evening it is?!" He barked almost having a heart attack.

It was like 12:00 AM. Not even late in Ryou time.

"Yeah." She said dully.
"What are you doing in my house?" He said picking up his covers of his lonely King bed.

"I will be the new captain of the Uchiha police." Was all she said.
"Is that a statement or-?" He asked confused, still getting a grip on reality. "You will make me captain of the Uchiha police. Fugaku Uchiha is a mediocre captain. Commands his officer dogs with an iron fist, but only in easy cases. The ones that interest him." She explained carefully.
"Ryou, I've told you plenty of times before that dealing with the Uchiha is out of my hands. They have they're own hierarchy and commandments on how they run things." Hiruzen explained.
"Fine. Then allow me to begin my own detective agency."

Hiruzen blinked twice and turned to look at the time in his alarm clock. He rubbed his tired eyes.

"I can't." He said in a tired tone. "That's the Uchiha's job, and it would be a waste of tax payer money to invest in another Police Headquarters."

Frustrated and aggravated Ryou returned to her home. She could still feel her determination burning in the back of her head.
For a moment she almost forgot completely about Shisui. She face palmed. What was she going to tell him?

Ugh...

Now, all she needed to do was sit on the iron police throne…